My Two Favorite Letters....

Gotta Love Those Little Faces

I took a moment this evening when I was practicing with my camera to interrupt a tea party hosted by Trenton and Tessa. They had invited some of their animal friends and were having a wonderful time. I was able to get a couple of quick pictures.

Why We Are Doing This

I was having a pity party today. I think I have refined them to an art form. I should just hold off wearing mascara for a little while, because it was smeared all over my face. This is not a pretty site.

Anyway, at the height of my lament, I received an email from our local FCC group. They had attached a new video from Holt International. The song was by New Song and is entitled Every Child Deserves a Home. Well, I cried a lot more. Definitely no mascara left today!!!

But after my pity party was over I woke up to the realization that this is not about me. I have forgotten why we went into all of this. God called us to adopt a child. This is not about how it makes me feel or my time lines and agendas. It is about a little girl who needs a mom and a dad. This is part of HIS plan, not mine.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did.

Till later...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQjObgmNbmE

New Friends

I have found that some of my closest friends are those that I have met in our adoption process. Some are fellow adoptive moms, others just love us and support the direction God has taken us. I had the chance this week to "meet" the mom that I believe will be our travel partner to China. I won't give too much detail, because I like to protect other people's privacy. But I will tell you that I know God crafted all of this by His plan. She has quickly become a special friend and prayer partner.

I would like to ask that you join us this weekend in prayer for our adoptions. We are praying for a "Miracle TA". We know that no matter when we travel to bring our children home, God had it all worked out before we even entered this process. So, my bloggy friends, I ask that you pray with us over the next few days. And as you know from my previous posts, I believe in praying very specifically. We are praying first of all for safety for our children. That they will know their parents are anxiously preparing to bring them home. Secondly, please pray that our Travel Approval arrives this next week. Let me tell you, that would be a miracle - but we know that our God is very much in the business of performing miracles in our lives. And last but not least, please continue to pray for our adoption fund raising efforts. We both have grant applications pending right now and every little bit will help.

Thank you my friends,

ARTICLE 5

HURRAY - it is signed!!!! I just got an email from our agency that our Article 5 has been signed by the US Cons*late. So, now our documents are on their way to the C*AA for the last step.

Thank you all again for your prayers!

An Update

O.K. - so this is where we are today. I spoke with our agency this morning and our documents have been corrected and are now able to be viewed by the Consul*te. They said they have given us "priority" status. I am not really sure what that means - but I hope it means they will approve our documents quickly and send them off to the C*AA. After that, we wait for our travel approval. Our agency still believes we will travel in October - they are just not sure when.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement.

PLEASE Start Praying

Hello my friends - I am really needing your prayers right now. For the past few weeks, I have had an uneasy feeling about our paperwork. Maybe it was mother's intuition - who knows. Anyway, I received a call from our agency a little while ago. They spoke with the U*S Consula*e last night. There is an error with our file and they cannot process it. It seems that when it was uploaded from the National V*sa Center, there was an error. We were told that this was fixed on August 28, but apparently it was not. So, our documents have been sitting there this entire time, not going anywhere. So, what do we need to happen now???

1) Someone at the NVC needs to fix the file ASAP
2) The Consulat* needs to be notified that it has been fixed
3) The Consulat* needs to process our documents and get them to the CC*A.

I am so frustrated and tired right now. Please pray that someone in our government takes pity on us and gets to work on this today.

Thanks!

Passing the Time

I decided that I needed a diversion to keep my mind off of the wait. So, I began to sew. For those of you who may not know, I own a children's clothing company called My Red Thread. Cool name - huh...

Anyway, I have finally started making clothes for my two little China girls. I tried to get Taylor in on a act, but at 15 she adamantly refused to wear anything I make.


So, without further delay - here are some of our latest designs.....



This is Tia's first backpack. We do a lot of these bags throughout the year.






I love this one because of the message - she is soooo worth the wait.



The Consulate wardrobe - all decked out in Red, White and Blue. This is a three piece gingham set that features the jumper, pantaloons and bloomers.




Yep - that is Tia's name in Chinese. We have approximately 900 girls names in our database. We can embroider the names on any of our items. This one piece romper is available in 4 colors and up to size 18 month.



And finally, my favorite. I have been waiting for quite a while to make matching "sister" clothes for my little girls. I love this set! it features a long sleeve t-shirt with coordinating leggings. This set is available up to size 5/6. I love the embroidery design. The two little girls faces are adorable. We have a variety of designs to choose from.

So, that is it for now. You can plan to see a few more designs over the next few weeks.

Till later....

Where was I five years ago today....

The answer - St Luke's Hospital with my beautiful baby boy - Trenton. That's right, my baby BOY is now five years old.

Wow - where did that time go????

We started the day today with 5 powered sugar donuts with candles in each. He loved this!!! We also brought treats for his Pre-Kindergarten class. The final decisions have not been made as to his birthday dinner - I think we are leaning towards Chinese food. He did however make sure that I knew the "plan" for today.

Step 1 - Get up and go to school

Step 2 - Come home from school and eat dinner

Step 3 - PRESENTS!!!!

It was so cute to watch him hold up each finger and describe the "plan".

I feel so blessed to be his mother. Happy Birthday Buddy....

Till later...

The Words I Want To Hear

I keep chanting this to myself - "The paperwork will be done soon...." I know all of you adoptive parents can empathize - this waiting is terrible. I am trying to enjoy the wait, but that is just not happening. I check my email daily to see if I have any updates from our agency. They have been wonderful, but this process is out of their control as well.

Please continue to pray that we receive some good news soon. Right now, we are waiting on our approval of the Article 5 by the US Cons*late in Ch*na. After that is received, our paperwork will go to the CC*A for our travel approval. After we receive this approval, we will be able to bring our baby home.

Till later...

So, what's been going on around our house...

Well, it has been an eventful time with school starting for everyone. I have started my packing/purchasing for my trip to China. Wow - there is a lot of stuff to take on this trip. I think I had forgotten since last time.

I had a fun idea the other day to start sending my mom care packages each week before we travel to bring Tia home. The packages include some Chinese words and the phonetic pronunciation, some details about China and the cities we will visit, and some fun items for the trip. Her package last week included chop sticks and details about Kunming. I can't tell you about the package for this week because she reads this blog and I don't want to give away the secret - sorry MOM, you will just have to wait a few days. This has really been a great way for me to pass the time while I wait for our TA.

And speaking of our TA, I have some news. Our documents left the NBC and were sent to the Visa center and then to Guangzhou. Our agency expects our Article 5 later this week. I am still earnestly praying for a September travel.

Till later....

Schools Days

It has been an exciting week. This is the first time we have ALL four kids in school. Needless to say, it is very hectic around here. Taylor is a sophomore, Tanner is in fifth grade, and Tess and Trenton are in Pre-Kindergarten.

That first day was pretty tough. I thought it would be easier to drop Taylor off at high school, since we went through all of that last year - but it was kind of tough - one me... I know, sad to say, but I got a little misty eye'd. I have a hard time seeing her grown up. We will soon be facing the fact that we have another driver in the house. I am not sure if I am ready for that one quite yet.

Tanner is in fifth grade -which is one of my favorite years. Our school district does a nature camp for the fifth graders. The kids spend one full week at a local camp learning environmental sciences. It also teaches them some very important responsibility lessons. The kids are tasked with keeping their cabins clean and doing chores while at camp. Taylor had a great time when she went. Tanner is also leaving this weekend for a weekend church camp. He is so excited!!!

Tess and Trenton are now in Pre-kindergarten. Tess was old enough for kindergarten this year, but we thought it would be best to have her wait one more year. They both have wonderful teachers. All of our kids have attend First Baptist Christian Academy. The staff and administration are wonderful!!!!

And Terry and I started back to school as well. I know, like we didn't have enough to do in our lives. Anyway, Terry is pursuing his second Masters - this one is in Procurement. I will be finishing my second Masters in May- this one is Management and Leadership and starting my Doctorate later this year.

So there will be a lot of homework going on at our home this year. Thank God for the weekends!

Till later....

It's APPROVED!!!!

HURRAY!! I just received a call from our USCIS officer letting me know that our I800 application has been approved. This is great news! We were approved in 9 days! The next step will requiring some processing in China, which will be handled by our agency.

PRAISE GOD!!!!

The Princess

I have posted a new picture of our little princess. Tess is spending the week with just mom and dad. Her older sister is on a mission trip in Kentucky and her brothers are at grandma's house. We realized that this is the first time Tess has had a chance to be an "only child" in the house. I think she is enjoying it a little too much - she may not want the other kids to come home. lol It has really been a special week for us.

On the adoption front, we have submitted our paperwork to the U*SCIS and they are processing our I 800* paperwork. Our officer is so nice - and you can tell she really cares about the families she works with. Our prayer is that the paperwork is processed next week and on its way to Ch*na. Our agency is estimating 5 - 6 weeks from that date before we travel - which puts us at the end of September. We are still praying for early September - and ask that you join with us in prayer. As always, we know that God has a perfect plan in all of this. We just feel so blessed to be a part of it.

Till later....

Three Simple Letters

Yep, just three little letters that mean so much to me right now - LOA. Let me set the stage for this story. I have been cranky lately, just not a nice person to be around. This waiting in adoption is really tough for me. I believe it is because I am a control freak - and yes, God is working on me with that one. Anyway, our wait for LOA has been approximately 71 days. Not as long as some, but long none the less.

Last night, we had a meeting with our church's adoption ministry. These are some amazing people. At the close of the meeting, I asked them to pray for me. I explained to them how I had become tired and weary from the wait. They layed hands on me and prayed some wonderful words of encouragement. When I got home at about 11:00 PM, there was a message from our adoption agency. She asked that I call her if I was still awake. Still awake - I could not dial the phone fast enough!!! She let me know that our LOA is on its way!!! It was mailed from China earlier this week and they should receive it either today or tomorrow. PRAISE GOD!!!!

So, lesson learned - when I finally turn it over to Him - great things happen. I will probably need a reminder of this lesson again - soon.

Till later,

My Travel Buddy

I started this post with a different title. I was going to lament about our wait - 64 days to be exact - but I decided to change the title. Me being frustrated about the wait will not change the situation. I do appreciate all your prayers.


Instead, let's talk about my travel buddy for China. Terry and I came to the conclusion this week that due to Tessa' medical concerns, he would not travel to China with me. So, I talked with my mom and she has agreed to go with me. I have to say, I am sad that Terry cannot share in this with me, but if he can't then my mom is the next best thing. She is a very special friend to me. I love my mom so much. I think we are going to have a great time. I also think this is a very special opportunity for her to bond with Tia. My mom is also one of my favorite shopping buddies, so look out China - here we come!!!

More later...

LOA PRAYERS

I would like to ask for your prayers in regards to our LOA (LSC). Let me first say, I know our 59 day wait is nothing compared to the wait other have had. My concern is with our travel. As I just read on a blogger friends site, there is a Ch*nese holiday and a Trade Fair during the month of October. If we do not receive our LOA VERY soon, we would not be able to travel until late in October.

So, friends I ask that you pray - pray that God will show His mercy and grace on our adoption timeline. Also, I believe in praying very specific - my prayer is that we receive our necessary approvals and are able to travel in early September.

Thank you all so much for your amazing support!!!

Yunnan Update

We just received an update from our agency regarding the earthquake. The China facilitator contacted the orphanage and they said they did not sustain any damage. PRAISE GOD!!! He is protecting our baby while we wait to bring her home.

Also, and update on our LOA. The CCAA said we are in the review room. They needed us to change ONE sentence in our paperwork. I made that change and the revised document is on its way to China. Our agency feels we should have our LOA shortly. We are still praying for September travel.

Thanks for all your prayers!!!

Please Pray

We just learned that an earth quake has hit the province where our baby Tia is waiting. The preliminary reports are saying it was a 5.7 - 6.0 magnitude earthquake in the Yunnan province. We have contacted our agency to see if they can get us any details about Tia.

Please pray for her safety. I feel so helpless being a world away from my child and not knowing if she is safe.

I will post more later...

Tia's Birthday

On June 21, we celebrated Tia's first birthday. It was a tough day for me. I know I will get to share every other birthday with her, but this first one was hard. The kids helped bake cupcakes and we had a little party.

Happy birthday baby, we will be there soon.

Love mommy