tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30429520190477884562024-03-13T03:28:09.547-07:00The Race to ChinaMommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-86679609371247989942012-06-01T13:01:00.001-07:002012-06-01T13:01:27.953-07:00Getting back to NormalSorry for the delay in posts, in fact I was horrible when we were in China and found myself using the computer time to post on facebook. But truth be told, most of you are my facebook friend so I probably didn't miss many.<br />
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We have been doing good since getting home. I have had a bad sinus infection and finally got antibiotics yesterday so am hoping to feel better soon. But everyone else seemed to fair the travel and jetlag pretty well.<br />
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Miss Elizabeth has done fabulous. She is happy and finally slept through the night last night. The other nights she just woke up crying but went back to sleep. We will wean her into her sisters room over the weekend.<br />
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She is still apprehensive about the boys, which is weird since her foster family only had boys. She loves the two girls and tries to play with Judah but he keeps wondering when she is leaving! hahahah not such luck little man.<br />
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The weather is back to typical WA spring rainy weather, it makes me actually miss Guangzhou a little:) But summer is on it's way and WA summers are the best. I am not looking forward to trying to entertain all my kids this summer and/or keep them busy enough to not sleep all day, play electronics etc. They will be outside alot as far as I am concerned.<br />
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We will be having a huge pigroast to celebrate E coming home and the two boys' one year home, which was year ago 10 June. Can't wait to have fun with friends and family.<br />
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We are indebted to our adult children who stepped up and took care of the 6 kids we left home with them. They all did great and I don't think scared their big siblings off from future visits or babysitting. hahah time will tell.<br />
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Note: E testing out the playpen<br />
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Note: My awesome Mothers Day gift from my kids -thanks to my oldest daughter (now we just need to add Miriam who was with us in China and Elizabeth:)<br />
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Well, back to the grind...take care and talk to you soon?MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-60337800057545933142012-05-13T23:33:00.001-07:002012-05-13T23:33:39.650-07:00We have our princess!Just a quick note and an apology for not posting on there as promised...seems facebook has been easier to post too. We received our daughter this morning. She cried for only a minute when the staff that brought her had to leave. Otherwise she has been smiling and eating like a champ. She is napping now and was a little sad before nap time. I am sure when she wakes up she will be confused.<br />
<br />We are forever grateful to the Baobei staff and foster family for all they have done to save this girls life, give her a loving home and then in turn being so supportive to us. May God bless their servant hearts.<br />
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I am so beyond blessed to have the adult children that I have. (my daughter, her hubby and one of their kiddos on the left and my son and his wife on the right ) My daughter and her husband are always there interacting with their siblings (my other kids:), supporting our adoption fundraisers and advocating. Our son and his wife are always willing and ready to step up and take care of our kids so we can go on our trips..seriously we are blessed! I can't wait to give back to them one day if/when they decide to adopt.</div>
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Now off to wait for our travel expense list/agenda:)</div>MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-5693828072373585002012-04-25T13:44:00.000-07:002012-04-25T13:44:15.571-07:00We are traveling soon!Praise the Lord we got our CA set....its a week later than we hoped for, but nonetheless we will be on our way in two weeks to get our sweet princess. I have been praying for her foster family who has had her since she was 10 days old. It will be so hard for them to let go - we are fortunate enough to go to Shanghai to visit them though. It will be nice to be able to thank them in person. I suspect there will be many tears from both sides. We are eternally grateful to them and the Baobei foundation for taking care of her. Well, off to plan airline tickets, packing and cleaning and stocking the house with plenty of food for the kids:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-9508440012981817712012-04-23T13:54:00.000-07:002012-04-23T13:54:54.883-07:00TA, kind of, sort ofWe got an email today from our agency asking us if we would be able to travel next week or the following week...looks like our TA should be recieved super soon so they wanted to be ready to ask for consulate dates...of course we said we would love either dates, but especially the first set.<br />
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Now we sit more and wait to see what happens! We are one step closer to the princess!!!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-46876754839059653752012-04-13T08:38:00.000-07:002012-04-13T08:38:43.587-07:00Spring BreakAs I am writing this I am actually seeing the sun shining through the window! I think Spring has finally reached us!<br />
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The kids were on spring break this week, but I have to say its been a completely uneventful week. Nothing exciting. I spent the first day all day, at Seattle Childrens with our cleft palate son determining when his next surgeries will be. The second day was spent getting my shots updated and travel meds for the trip. Day three was spent shopping for a very special gift for our daughter's foster family, day 4 an attempt to get the kids shots up to date since they are off, and today we will finally have some fun bowling and roller skating.<br />
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Next week bring the dreaded but wonderful adoption yard sale. We are always blessed by so many wonderful people making donations and of course other purchasing those donations. Its so much work, but so worth the work. Every penny matters at this point!<br />
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We have been waiting for a week and half now for our travel approval. I would love to think we will get it this upcoming week but the reality is it will probably be closer to three weeks. Maybe I will be wrong and it will be two weeks:) Ahhhhh...the wait is never fun - both hubby and I have been swamped with so many things lately it will be nice to get away on this minivacation.MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-61984264148828837272012-04-03T07:42:00.001-07:002012-04-03T07:42:47.131-07:00ARTICLE 5~~~Yes today I got an email saying the embassy processed our article 5 and our agency should be picking it up today and sending off to Beijing!!!! Hopefully our TA wait is short, but I am not counting on that..this waiting game seems to always be so variable.....yay though for Article 5!!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-43450952520190325762012-03-28T13:36:00.000-07:002012-03-28T13:36:02.284-07:00Just waiting aroundHa! Seems like this part of the adoption journey you "just wait around" for the next step. Actually, when you think about it the whole process is "just waiting around!" You would think after 20 yrs in the Army with the "hurry up and wait" mode they tell you to be in, that it would get easier...NOPE! I think its harder. Oh well, welcome to the crowd right?! Hopefully on TUE, 3 April we will get a call that our Article 5 is being picked up. That will be exactly 2 weeks from the day it was offically delivered to the Embassy in Guangzhou.<br />
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This week has brought a cold and cough throughout our house, more rain and some snow. But most important we received an update with a few short videos of our girl! Let me just say that it took our breath away. She was adorable to begin with, but then to see her in full action and babbling a few words here and there we were able to really see who she is...and the verdict is.....we are MORE in love with her:) The foster family has done a fabulous job keeping her healthy and on track...amazing how a little love will work:)<br />
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We got our visas back this past week as well. Our 8 yr old daughter who will be traveling with us is getting more excited by the minute. Even her teachers are excited she will get to be part of this trip. Our other kids are excited for us to go too, not only to bring their little sister home, but to have their older sibling and spouse move in and take care of them. Why is is that they will behave and even clean the house while we are gone but the second we are home it's all back to normal again?! But I would rather have that, then to worry about them while we are gone. We are surely blessed to have older children who step in and help us out when we need to.<br />
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Our teen boys continue to do great. Titus is in fact doing an FFA district competition today. He won the first round a month or so ago and if he wins today he goes to state level. I think its pretty funny that a guy who barely spoke english can beat out kids who that is all they have ever known. Determination is what he has for sure! Way to go Titus.<br />
Adam decided this past week he was going to learn to ride a bike. We tried to convince him he could do it this past summer when we got home, but I think he thought his vision was going to hinder him. Let's just say it hasn't. Along with the help of one sister, he was up and riding like a champ within an hour and only fell once. He loves his new freedom and rides as much as possible. For now he has to wear his sisters girly helmet until I can go buy him one, but he doesn't seem to mind! Way to go Adam! He has also been opening up and remembering things from his past that he didn't either remember or want to share. It's great to see healing come about. After Elizabeths adoption I think I will start to work on finding his Dad's name. He can't remember his name but he knows he was a good guy:)<br />
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Everyone else here is great, despite colds and coughs, but that is the season. Rain, rain go away!!<br />
Well I better get off this computer and get to work around the house:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-4766092406333295242012-03-16T09:55:00.000-07:002012-03-16T09:55:30.967-07:00NVC!We got our NVC letter via email today. It was dated yesterday but not sent until today. Now off to our agency it goes, then onto China, then wait for Article 5, travel approval and we are on our way!<br />
I love and hate this part of the journey. You know whats coming and pretty close to when, so the waiting is horrible (but knowing who we get to meet soon is worth the wait).<br />
March and April are going to be long months!<br />
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I sure would love another picture of our sweetie!<br />
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Well, off to thinking about corned beef and cabbage - my husbands yearly Irish fix. Enjoy your weekend!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-5520715919825441662012-03-12T15:25:00.000-07:002012-03-12T15:25:27.106-07:00I800PAToday we finally received our I800PA. It was approved on March 7th -so took 5 days in the mail to get here. I called the NVC right away and the officer there said they had not yet gotten it. I am hoping it is just in their mail room waiting to work its way to the correct office. She seems a little concerned stating that they should have already had it. So she forwarded a request to her supervisor to track it down. I of course contacted the NBC and left a message for our officer there to see if she had a tracking number etc. <br />
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If I remember correctly it took 7 days to get there last time, even though they say they 2 day express mail it to the NVC, so I won't totally wig out yet:) I will be so happy to have our paperwork past this point...then its just Article 5 and TA!!!! It would be so awesome if we traveled in early May instead of late May. I would like to miss the holidays there and be home with enough days of school left that I can get rested and into a routine before all the kids are home at the same time.<br />
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Thank you Jesus for being my shoulder to cry on while I wait not so patiently:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-4929260159965171712012-02-27T12:12:00.001-08:002012-02-27T12:12:38.003-08:00I800 (not yet:(So our I800 paperwork was mailed off and received by the lockbox on 10 Feb. I spoke with a Hague officer today who told me - since we were reusing our immigrations paperwork they had to "send off" for those old documents (that are stored in a warehouse) to consolidate with our new I800 before they can approve it. They said it will take at least a few more days before they get those documents, plus days to approve, days to mail etc...so it will be past a month of waiting for sure. I guess you wait either way. I am assuming the wait on this end is shorter than having to redo the I800a and wait for that whole process.....seriously....I know God is in charge and am grateful for that! But I would like to get it approved as soon as possible and move on to the next step:)<br />
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Yesterday my hubby was in a car accident, no worries, he is fine, a little sore but fine. It totaled our car and the other drivers car. It was her fault thankfully, but sadly she had no license or insurance and was pregnant...so I feel sorry for her and am praying she and the baby are okay (the EMTs said she was fine at the scene of the accident). Our insurance will take care of our car thankfully, but what a bummer for all involved. Good thing I still have Clifford (our big red van) to transport all the kiddos around in.<br />
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It snowed here last night - IN WASHINGTON state...this winter continues to be weird. After the 5 days of no power a month or so ago, I am not sure what to expect anymore. Global warming right!? hahahaha sorry, I just don't buy into all that.<br />
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Well off to clean the house, wash the clothes and other mundane things while I wonder and wait this week about our I800.....Have a blessed week!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-85782169070302543162012-02-17T11:54:00.000-08:002012-02-17T11:54:47.390-08:00Blessed!As we wait these last couple months (which seem like an eternity) we continue to be blessed. We were told our daughters foster family (who are not ch*nese) were suppose to go back home, but asked their employer if they could stay until we arrived to adopt our daughter! They said yes!!! We are going to work with our agency to meet the family after the adoption is over and we are on our way home (they are fostering her in a different city than she is from).<br />
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In addition to that we were able to obtain hard copy scans of her spine to determine if we would allow them to operate on her again before we travel. Our nuero guy said it was better to wait, so we have requested they wait, now we are praying they will grant that wish.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wv2liIVGqjA/Tz6wYE2FWXI/AAAAAAAAAXk/tBB0t3xQc8w/s1600/Princess+Elizabeth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wv2liIVGqjA/Tz6wYE2FWXI/AAAAAAAAAXk/tBB0t3xQc8w/s1600/Princess+Elizabeth.png" /></a></div>In addition to that we got an updated photo!!! Goodness she is precious! <br />
Hopefully we will get our I800PA in the next week!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-83702327409864755002012-02-08T19:15:00.001-08:002012-02-08T19:15:03.568-08:00L>>>>>O>>>>>>>>>>A>>>>>>>!!!!!All I have to say is we have LOA after 55 days and I am praising Jesus!!!!<br />
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Mommy and Daddy are coming Elizabeth...soon, not soon enough, but soon:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-5138939066245544352012-02-06T11:16:00.000-08:002012-02-06T11:16:01.076-08:00Day 53Wow, day 53 already. This LOA is taking longer than I thought it would. Not sure why they are going slower each year but they sure are. We will obviously wait as long as we have to but man, can't they hurry up a little? Hahahahaha...<br />
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Today is sunny and warming up here in the Pacific Northwest. It makes me want our daughter home even more though; thinking about her playing outside with her brother while the other kids are at school....ahhh..the thoughts, dreams and wishes while I wait....<br />
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I have been working with my girls before school to memorize scripture. Last weeks was 1 Peter 5:7 Cast your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. What a perfect scripture for this part of our adoption journey. My 8 year old even said it helped her today. She has such a tough time Monday morning. She is a sleeper and a homebody, so Mondays are always rought starts. She said she just kept saying that scripture in her head and it made her feel better. How awesome!<br />
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Now, I do not pray for patience anymore, because as we all know when you ask God He listens and responds...so now I just pray specifially about a situation. So today I pray that God sees fit to let us have our LOA this week, not next week. So God, that is my prayer:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-84535476102114729892012-01-23T18:33:00.000-08:002012-01-23T18:33:05.104-08:00LOA Wait and Chinese New Year....Tomorrow morning marks day 40 waiting for our LOA. I have read anywhere from 30-80 days. Huge range and with China being closed for New Years celebrations for the next two weeks, I suspect we are in for a long wait. Bummer for sure. Everyone who has adopted before knows that when you finally see that precious face of the one you are adopting, the wait time feels like double normal clock ticking time. But, we wait and we pray.<br />
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Tonight we took the family out to celebrate not only our 11 yr old daughters birthday, but the start of Chinese New Year. We ate way too much at the local Chinese Super Buffet! Titus spent his time chatting in chinese with the employees (while eating 4 plates of food) and Adam just ate and ate and ate. He now wants this to be the place we bring him for his birthday present:) <br />
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I was chastized for not giving them their "red envelopes with money" in the morning. I gave it to them at dinner. After their correction on proper tradition I reminded them that we were out of power for 5 days, had no cash and had to wait for the bank to open up while they were in school. Geesh...I guess they have become Americanized...too bad, I enjoyed their Chinese traits better:)<br />
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Overall a great nightMommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-57629581470708344842012-01-22T17:08:00.000-08:002012-01-22T17:08:59.376-08:00Gotta love Washington weatherNo, really, normally its awesome here in Washington. BUT the last four days were just spent without heat, water, electricity etc etc. A huge storm came through dropping 14 inches of snow followed by 1-2 inches of ice, causing trees to break and fall all over the place. We were not prepared so we were pretty much stuck the first 24 hours. After that between neighbors, church family and friends pooling together resources we survived:) Hahah I know, I grew up in Michigan so this was nothing compared to there, but when a state is not equipped to deal with this type of issue then it is a big issue.<br />
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I must say despite getting bored, being freezing cold and having to flush with buckets of water we sure enjoyed all the time huddling up with friends, playing games and visiting.<br />
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Don't worry sweet Elizabeth, we will have a generator, gas stove and all the other things we need so you never have to live without:) Its kind of comical now that the time has passed, I am clean and have access to my own power and computer:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-25389903665137502502012-01-08T00:44:00.000-08:002012-01-08T00:44:17.327-08:00Can I get any cuter?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bp5v1-84xrw/TwlXTfelx9I/AAAAAAAAAXc/9VSdoCD1zRg/s1600/Elizabeth+jan+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bp5v1-84xrw/TwlXTfelx9I/AAAAAAAAAXc/9VSdoCD1zRg/s320/Elizabeth+jan+2012.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-32691479401464925492011-12-30T14:28:00.000-08:002011-12-30T14:28:23.348-08:00Package to my princessToday I mailed off a package to our princess. Since she is in a foster home and not the orphanage we were given permission to mail things to her at the foundation the home falls under. I hope the packate makes it to her. <br />
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I put together a video with pictures and video from the holidays. I read that our daughter loves music so I had the kids sing different songs like Isty Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and some Christmas songs. I bet she will love watching kids sing to her. I know she is too little to comprehend that we are her forever family but at least we have a memory documented for her.<br />
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It breaks my heart to think of her having to leave the family that raised her from 2 months of age until we travel (she will be about 20 months when we travel). I hate for her to have to leave a familiar place to go with unfamiliar people/places - but she is meant to be with us:). She will probably not remember this when she is older and having been where she is will help her do so much better bonding with us. <br />
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I pray for the foster family that they will continue to stay in touch with us and that they will continue to foster kids...knowing that they made a difference in these kids lives.<br />
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TodayI filled out our I800 paperwork so it is ready to send to our agency with our LOA whenever it arrives. It should come anytime between the second and third week of January. Earlier would be nice! Until then, we wait, not so patiently to travel to get our princess. MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-69425590339755151192011-12-26T15:55:00.000-08:002011-12-26T15:55:53.630-08:00Holiday Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bxrS21_18Rw/TvkGVrU08eI/AAAAAAAAAXE/e0gb2Ts5biQ/s1600/IMG_0812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bxrS21_18Rw/TvkGVrU08eI/AAAAAAAAAXE/e0gb2Ts5biQ/s320/IMG_0812.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I was admiring another blogger (also named Jennifer:) and her kids photos..envy, is what I have:) No matter how hard we try or where we are I cannot for the life of me get all my kids to smile at the same time. You would think Santa and Mrs. Claus and Great Wolfe Lodge would do it..no (probably too tired to smile from all that swimming and in the kids defense the candy canes tasted like medicine. But I guarantee they had fun! They never stopped swimming for a second.<br />
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At home on the cozy couch where we take all our pictures..not sure why but that is what always happens...no, but almost:)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LawSE9y1fGk/TvkHAAXaL2I/AAAAAAAAAXU/5U7_Wk7VUjA/s1600/IMG_0801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LawSE9y1fGk/TvkHAAXaL2I/AAAAAAAAAXU/5U7_Wk7VUjA/s320/IMG_0801.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Back at Great Wolfe lodge, nope, even though this was taken before we hit the slides and waterpark, you think the sheer anticipation would be enough...but there is always one who looks like she was taken hostage and another who just refuses to smile (yes, thats you Judah, little man) Of course I was the "one" who always cried for photos when I was a kid, so I understand.<br />
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Oh well, even without captured smiles, they did smile alot and they had a great Christmas. All Adam kept saying was "this is the best Christmas I ever had"....which is sweet and sad all at the same time, considering its really the first Christmas he has ever had...<br />
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Off into the New Year soon in hopes of that coveted LOA -we sure felt an empty place this year for our sweet Elizabeth but know in our hearts she is being so loved by her foster family and are grateful for that love and together. And we know she too shall be home to add to our picture, only I suspect she will be all smiles:) I know I will:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-25783942614469038512011-12-20T08:45:00.001-08:002011-12-20T08:45:57.243-08:00LIDWhat more is there to say than YAYAYAYAY we are officially logged in as of December 16th!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-60918234967198981592011-12-19T23:04:00.000-08:002011-12-19T23:04:34.381-08:00Does this fluidity ever end?Seriously - the one thing I hate about adoption is that it is ever changing! Nothing is normal. Today I got an email from our social workers agency saying we had to pay upfront all of our post adoption reports....$2400. This was unexpected since we are already paying our adoption agency a fee to ensure we do all of our post adoption reports. Rgh...with our last adoptions we did not have to pay upfront for the reports..we paid as we went.SOOOOO thats $2400 we did not intend of having to spend until after we came home with our princess. We are still fighting with the IRS to get our 2010 tax return and who knows what 2011 return has for us. <br />
Needless to say today I feel defeated. I am busting my behind and making little progress. Yes, I do know God is in control, and yes I do know it will all work out, but I am pretty sure he is putting some of the responsiblity on us to make it happen...so I feel tired, useless and defeated at the moment.<br />
It is not fun being caught in the middle -we make enough money to easily take care of our children, but we don't have $25,000 laying around, nor do we qualify for any grants. So back to the grind stone -with as much peace as I can have in my heart knowing my God is greater than this small task.<br />
Does anyone else ever feel this way ever?! I am pretty sure I am not alone, which motivates me to keep on keepin on....I will not stop until not only this baby is home, but all the other children in the world are home where they belong. (don't worry I will not try to adopt them all - I would if I could:)MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-35249300729902730092011-12-16T12:46:00.000-08:002011-12-16T12:46:27.475-08:00Grandbaby!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y-yiqLN6k6U/Tuut6UatRVI/AAAAAAAAAWw/L5donOW5NJA/s1600/babycashgrandma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y-yiqLN6k6U/Tuut6UatRVI/AAAAAAAAAWw/L5donOW5NJA/s320/babycashgrandma.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B_iYRqPdWJ4/Tuut_Z6hNiI/AAAAAAAAAW4/HLP1Z2qWico/s1600/babycash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B_iYRqPdWJ4/Tuut_Z6hNiI/AAAAAAAAAW4/HLP1Z2qWico/s320/babycash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Wow what a week! Not only did our dossier make it to China but our grandson was born and I got to be part of the birth! It was amazing, my daughter was a trooper and my son in law so very kind to let me be in the room and even cut the cord! Welcome to the world little man! MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-91919872808554518742011-12-10T00:59:00.000-08:002011-12-10T00:59:28.033-08:00DTC!!!We are DTC as of today!!! Yayayayaay! Now we obviously hope for a quick LID and LOA/LOC...if we can pull that all off before we might actually travel by May of 2012...that would be awesome! What a great day!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-44587467791609789602011-11-29T13:55:00.000-08:002011-11-29T13:55:29.739-08:00Another MilestoneToday we hit another milestone in our journey to Elizabeth. I sent off our homestudy and I797 to the consulate in CA to get sealed. Then hopefully by Monday it will be on its way to CCAI and within a week or two on its way to get logged in. Thankfully we can still use our old I797 and didn't have to wait for it. We will still have to get refingerprinted by USCIS but it isn't as big of a rush as it could have been.<br />
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We are all hoping for an update on Elizabeth but probably won't get one until right before we travel next year. Makes me sad, I would love to see her sweet face and how she is growing. She should be about 17 months old now and I am sure she is changing every day.<br />
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We had a great Thanksgiving with our daughter in laws family - we each contribute to the food which makes it so much easier and way more fun. Titus shared at the dinner table how grateful he and Adam were to be here and how they were thankful for us and our family. He was crying, as were the rest of us. What a blessing! They also both helped with the tree, refueling the fun of Christmas and the holiday season. Adam just kept saying how great America was and how much fun it is. He is really excited to get two weeks off of Christmas. I told him he would drive me crazy before the two weeks was over, but he reminded me that as long as had the Ipad to play on he would be happy! Hahahah<br />
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We hope to evade anymore holiday germs. We have had our bouts with sickness since Micah had his surgery and are praying that is the end. The weather is in and out of rain and gloom and sunshine, sure would enjoy the sun a little more -but then we do live in the PNW!<br />
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On the horizon - the birth of our Grandson..our daughter is due December 9th...hoping and praying I actually get to go to the birth! I can't wait!!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3042952019047788456.post-28105265484366692102011-11-16T09:23:00.000-08:002011-11-16T09:23:37.265-08:00Time FliesWow, where has the time gone. I didn't realize it had been almost a month since my last post. Things have quiet on the adoption front. Our social worker was suppose to have our homestudy done last week, but it's still not done. We are still waiting for our FBI clearance which they said would be done by the 21st of November. All that to say, hurry up!!! Because we HAVE to have our dossier to china and logged in by 31 Jan in order not to have to redo our immigrations paperwork. We still have to get refingerprinted but are able to extend our current immigrations, meaning not having to wait for a new I797 for our dossier. IF all goes well it will save us an additional 2-3 months of waiting. As always things are in God's hands.<br />
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Our month has been busy. Little man had more palate surgery. Actually the "speed bump" surgery where they create a bump in the back of the throat using his tissues to help seal off the throat when he talks. It is suppose to help his speech. So far it seems worse, but that probably has to do with swelling etc. He is also having some sleep apnea issues, due to swelling, that are subsiding as the swelling goes down. This surgery, by far, has been the toughest for the little guy. He always bounces right back but this one has taken a little longer. He is also suffering from a pulled muscle in his neck. They must have had him position strangely during surgery. Poor guy!<br />
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Lucky me, I caught a super nasty virus while we were in the hospital and have been down for the count for a whole week so far. To some of you this may not seem like long, but for me it is an eternity! I am the kind of person that likes to be busy, productive and moving. I feel bettter today, so it shouldn't be much longer:)<br />
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We sent our sweetie pie, Elizabeth a package a few weeks ago, secretly hoping someone would send us an update - not sure why I was hoping since they aren't suppose to communicate with us. But nothing. I was also hoping at least that our agency would get something from them and forward it to us:( I seriously think the more adoption a person does, the harder the wait becomes. We know what a blessing these kids are and to have to wait to hold and love them is so hard! Thankfully the holiday busyness will help pass some time.<br />
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We found out Titus can have Strabisumus surgery to help his eyes not move so much. We left it up to him to decide if he wanted it or not. He didn't even hesitate a second, he said if it will help me, then I want it! We also found out he may not be able to drive afterall. Washington law is you have to have corrected vision of 20/40. His is 20/80. His eye doctor said he feels comfortable writing a letter to allow him to drive in the day time in familiar areas. We of course want 100% safety for everyone so will make that decision when he is in the age of driving. Titus agrees he wants to be smart about it. But what a bummer if he can't drive. It's all he has talked about - he and Caleb:)<br />
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Today begins parent/teacher conferences...off to the school house from 1230 until 7 tonight (varied times). The kids are all doing great. Although Adam is starting to realize his cuteness will only go so far and he is starting to learn to "tow the line" along with the other students and at home. The other day his time on "electronics" was up and he was told to go play. He stood in the room and wouldn't go. He laughed, thought he was being funny and wouldn't go. I told him if he didn't find something to do he would be put to work. Something I tell all my kids, especially when they say they are bored. He smirkingly said, ok I work. Little did he know his bathroom was in need of cleaning and was quickly told to go clean it. With much attitude and tears (trying to get out of it) he finally cleaned it. Then he started back with his antics and was told once again that it wasn't cute and that if he didn't find something to do he would work more. He said ok, I work. Instead of making him clean more, I sat him down and explained proper obedience and behavior and that even though he is cute and funny, it isn't cute or funny to disobey and be naughty. I think he understood. But his attention span is very short:) as his teachers are learning:) Live and learn. Love them all no matter what:)<br />
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Thank you Lord for your creations...we are blessed by them - now I know what you go through everyday with me:)<br />
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PS sadly I have taken no pictures lately...I better get back on board!MommaThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847998963440937751noreply@blogger.com1