blessed

Ainsley Faith

2011-07-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Despite my awful job blogging, I am back into this fun ol world and ready to go! We are ADOPTING again. Here is our journey to Ainsley Faith.

Many have asked, her name is pronounced Ann-zlee

The very first picture we saw of our girl.

This is the story about how God led us to our sweet Ainsley Faith. Ainsley has a story that is different than either one of our other adoptions. Her being in our family is a true miracle. We cannot help but fall on our knees and thank God for this perfect little girl He placed in our family. He is the only reason we get to call her ours. Isn't that awesome?

While in China with Andrew, our group would place bets on who would adopt again. I would always say "No-Never. we are done. done. done." or my trademark quote "If we ever go back to China, Jesus will have to come in my kitchen sit me down and say 'My child you have a child in China" Note to self--Never tell God no-Never say Never. His plans are always more perfect than ours.

On May 10th, 2011, Hal was driving in the car and he prayed "God, when we are supposed to adopt again let Angel bring it up" He repeatedly told God that I was the brick wall and that he was ready when the time was right. I had no idea about his prayers. That night I was sitting at my computer looking at all of the adoption blogs that I love to read. God was just impressing on my heart that our family was not complete. I turned around and casually ask Hal "So, since you know we are not done, which country are we adopting from this time?" The look on his face was priceless. He was so sure that I was the brick wall and he was speechless that just hours after his prayer, I would respond.

We begin to look into different countries and agencies. I will admit that in my heart, I always felt we had a daughter waiting in China. I just couldn't shake the feeling that I couldn't choose another country when I was so certain that our Ainsley was waiting in China. The next couple of weeks were very hard as we sought all of our options. There is such fear of making the wrong decision, choosing the wrong agency. I just wanted God to speak clearly to us so that we would know we were walking in His perfect will. A friend emailed me her agencies waiting child list and Hal and I fell in love with a little girl. I can't explain the heartbreak when you see a child, fall in love instantly, only to find out that they are not available. It is at that moment that it is the hardest to realize that it is all in His hands. We were placed on a waiting list for this sweet girl. During the next 2 weeks, we would look at many list but I was just sure we were going to get the call about her. On Wednesday, June 1st, we were sent the file of another precious girl. We once again begin to research her needs and felt as if God was calling us to her. Within an hour we had received a call that a mistake had been made and she was no longer available. I began to question my judgement. How could I fall in love with 2 children so soon? BUT God's plans are so much bigger. The agency was so nice and felt really bad about the mistake. On Friday morning, a new list was released and Ashton immediately called me to view Priscella. I sent an email to the agency requesting her file. My response came back very quickly. It stated "Angel, how strange that you would ask about this child. My China facilitator just sent it to me and ask me to share it with you." Only God could orchestrate this. We had to "fall in love" with another child, to find this agency. If we had not requested the first file, they would not have known who we were. We would not have been on the list to see our sweet Priscella.

We spent the weekend reviewing her file and sending information to doctors. We received several confusing and frightening facts about her. The agency was wonderful in helping us get more information. Each piece of the puzzle seemed more uncertain and scary. Ultimately we decided that adoption is a leap of faith. Nothing in life is guaranteed. We have been so blessed and our family is not complete. By Sunday we had sent our "Letter of Intent" to China formally requesting that we be allowed to parent this sweet girl. Until we can travel, we will pray for her daily. For healing, nourishment and protection for our Sweet Ainsley Faith. I have no doubt that God's hand is on our baby girl.

If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." -Matthew 17:20

2010-09-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

15 years ago tomorrow, God changed my entire life when He allowed me to become a Mommy to the most precious little girl ever born.
I don't know what I ever did to deserve such a blessing. God chose me to be the Mother of my precious Daughter. When she was little we were best friends, spent our days shopping, making pottery, playing babies, and soaking in all the time we had together. This precious daughter of mine has a sweet heart and has always wanted to help others. I am so proud to call her mine.
One of the happiest moments of her life was when we brought Anna Grace home. For the 3 years after she came home she prayed that we would go back to China. She is the reason we have Andrew. Her heart for Orphans, China, and Africa amazes me on a daily basis and I cannot wait to see how God uses her in the Future. Her heart has been broken for the Orphan. I know He has GREAT plans for my special girl!
Just as the song says
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly
Happy 15th Birthday Ashton, I love you so!
Mom

Mommy & Andrew

2010-06-23T10:53:00.001-07:00

In our bedroom, hanging on the wall, is a picture of me with each of my kids when they were babies. It has been a tradition since Ashton was born to have a "mommy and me" picture made. When Anna Grace came home, although she was older, we still did the pictures. She was so tiny that she still looked liked a baby. Jodi took tons of pictures and Anna Grace gets so excited to see that she has the same pictures as her big brothers and sisters. Today I started worrying about Andrew having the same thing. Ashton was sweet enough to indulge me and do a quick photo shoot. She has not had a chance to put her magic touches on the pictures yet but I think they turned out sweet. Andrew kept sneaking and kissing me while we were taking pictures. It was so precious. I wanted him to smile and he wanted to kiss me. I am so blessed. I can't wait to get one framed and hang it with the others. We missed so much during the first 3 1/2 years of his life, I am so happy to have these. He is my son and I love him so!

They are in Cincinnati...

2010-06-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
This is Ashton. I am updating the blog for my Mom while she is in Cincinnati at Shriners.
I just talked to them and they made it safely to Cincinnati without issues. (thank you Lord!) The little ones did well and Andrew is still running wild. They went to a mall tonight to have dinner and try to burn the energy. From the noise in the background it doesn't sound very successful. (:
Please keep them in your prayers tomorrow as they go to the hospital for tests on Andrew and to see what the future holds for surgeries and such. Pray he understands all that is happening and accepts it willing.
Thanks,
Ashton

The top 5

2010-05-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

These are the top 5 reasons I love Mother's Day! I am so grateful to THE ONE who has blessed me with all of my babies-I have truly never done a thing to deserve such blessings and I am so grateful to serve a God who sees fit to allow me this joy in life! I can't believe that we are all finally together as a Forever Family of 7!

Andrew Update

2010-04-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update and let everyone know how well Andrew is doing. He has been with us for 3 months-It is unbelievable-Time has flown by. I will admit that for awhile, time seem to stand still. Kind of like the movie Groundhog Day. I am not sure of the exact moment but somewhere around the 2 month mark, things began to level out. Everyone started sleeping through the night and the days got happier. I can't imagine the emotions that Andrew has felt. Although in our minds we like to think that life began when he stepped off of the elevator, for Andrew life was turned upside down. We looked different, smelt different and spoke a language he did not understand. We took him away from his home and his family. Our sweet boy handled all of these hard changes like a champion. He has worked so hard to become a part of our world. He is talking, going to school and acting like he has forever been a part of our family. He loves his Mei Mei(Anna Grace) and will defend her like nothing you have ever seen. They fight lots of times but there is not a minute of the day that one is not looking for the other. They act as if they are twins. It is amazing to watch their love build and develop. I can't tell you how proud I am to be their mommy. I wanted to document all of the sweet things he has learned-
Andrew can:
say his ABC's
count to 10
communicate all of his needs
says "I lubba you mama"
Dress himself
put on his shoes(and he gets them on the right foot)
sing Jesus loves me, twinkle twinkle, little start, itsy bitsy spider, and he can sing all Barney songs!

Andrew's favorite shows are Barney, Kai Lan, Wonder Pets, Wow Wow Wubzy
He loves to sing
His favorite movie is Alvin and the Chipmunks(there is nothing as funny as watching him and Anna Grace sing "All the single ladies"
Baba(daddy) is his favorite person in the whole world and Mei Mei is right up there with him
He loves being outside
He can ride his scooter like a pro

Everyday is full of new things. I am amazed at how quickly he is learning. He has changed our whole world and we are all so very blessed to be a part of his life!

Easter Fun

2010-04-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Easter Party at Nana Bunny's house again this year. It was so much fun. We had so many friends join in on the fun. Nana Bunny made her appearance and the kids were thrilled. Andrew quite enjoyed "dying" his eggs. He spent forever working on his masterpieces. He did not like the bunny at all. All of the kids had fun hunting eggs and they loved their baskets from Nana Bunny.
Easter morning was so much fun. Andrew was thrilled that the bunny left him a basket full of goodies. It was priceless to see his joy! We got to spend the day with both sets of grandparents. Hal and I are so blessed to have such wonderful families!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2010-03-31T04:20:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Hal will be 40 years old! Wow-Happy Birthday to the best husband, daddy, friend in the world. We are all so truly BLESSED to be a part of his life. He loves each of us unconditionally. He takes time with each of the kids. He supports me in everything I do. He has provided for us so that I can stay at home and take care of our children. There are no words to describe what a special man he is to each of us. Tonight we invited friends and family to a surprise birthday party for him. He thought we were meeting Craig and Jodi to celebrate Craig's birthday. He was so surprised and so very grateful.

Spring Photos

2010-03-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

I must admit it-I think these are the CUTEST KIDS EVER! Today was picture day at school. Andrew was not very happy to see school this morning. He kept shaking his hand at me and saying NO very loudly-Bless his heart-he wants to say with "Mama" Once inside, he quite enjoyed having his picture made with the live bunny. He kept patting him so sweetly. He got tickled when he let his Panda kiss the bunny-It was precious! Anna Grace is wearing a dress that Mema hand smocked for Ashton when she was 3 years old. I have got to find a picture of Ashton wearing it so we can put them together. Andrew ended up staying at school and having a great day. He is so lucky to have such sweet teachers loving on him. I think he gets spoiled greatly while he is there-We are blessed!

Guangzhou

2010-03-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

I could not believe it when we arrived in Guangzhou and the entire island was in chaos. They are preparing for the Asian games in November and it was was a mess(truly like nothing I have ever seen before) I had been looking forward to shopping since we found out we were going. I had honestly dreamed of the carefree days shopping and enjoying the beautiful island(I know I have a problem :)I had so many regrets from our trip with Anna Grace. I wanted to make sure I found everything to celebrate Anna Grace and Andrew's Gotcha Days. I was not prepared for the island to be destroyed. There were no sidewalk vendors and most of the shops were closed. The sidewalks were torn up and you had to walk in the road alot. Cars ALWAYS have the right of way so that could be dangerous. I imagine it is going to beautiful when it is done, but we will not be there to see it :) Hopefully it will be all cleaned up and the shops will be open by the time our friends go to bring home Lily and Owen!

FRIENDS FOREVER!

2010-03-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those moments that makes you stop and think---I mean really think---Think about things that you will never know the answer to---
My computer is in our kitchen. When it goes into screen saver mode, pictures are displayed. Today right as Andrew walked by the computer, MollyClaire came up. He stopped right in his tracks and started speaking in Chinese. He grabbed my chair and climbed up to the screen. He was so animated talking and gesturing to the screen. He tried to pull MollyClaire off of it. It was so precious. It melted my heart. What do these 2 share? A past that we will never fully understand, a connection that will last a lifetime. He was so thrilled to see his friend. I am so grateful that they had each other. I pray that one day they can tell us more about their past-but if not that is okay. I know one thing for sure---They have a wonderful future together--they will be able to see each other often-I feel so blessed that we can share in MollyClaire's life-God orchestrated something so much bigger than I ever imagined. He knew that we would travel twice with this sweet family. That both of our children would be friends. We feel blessed by their friendship.

4 Weeks

2010-02-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

4 weeks ago today, 4 small children were dressed and led from the place that they called home. They were loaded in a van and driven to a hotel. Imagine their surprise when they stepped onto an elevator---imagine their fright, when they stepped off the elevator to a hallway FULL of people, flashing cameras, video cameras and siblings! It was a moment that I will never, ever forget. One of those moments in time where although it is not possible, time seems to fly by and stand still at the exact moment. A moment where faith and prayers meet reality---the moment when dreams are realized, families are formed and where I know without a doubt, that ALL of heaven rejoices! A moment where an orphan becomes a son or a daughter forever! A moment when parents realize that all of the paperwork, fingerprints, background checks, more paperwork, prayers and more prayers, airplane rides, hotel living and all of the preparation has been so worth the REWARD---We are so very blessed to be part of international adoption! These 4 children were orphans no more! They were part of a Forever Family! The next 2 weeks were spent living in a hotel room, doing paperwork and then more paperwork, eating as a huge group with tables that swirled around in circles with more food than you could ever eat, walking everywhere, touring all of the "special" places in China, flying on airplanes, taking pictures on the "Red Couch" getting lots of shots, being examined by doctors, and learning that "Cheese" for the camera is an everyday thing with these new people they call "Family" We were blessed to be joined on this trip by 4 other children also. Although all 8 children were not together in the same orphanage, they immediately became friends and had lots of fun playing in hallways together. They now have an extended family in addition to their "Forever Family"

I can't believe that Andrew has been with us for 4 weeks---wow--it seems like he has been ours forever and yet it seems like we just met him. He is changing so much. He has a smile that will light up a room and a laugh that is just precious. I wanted to document how much he is learning -This week he went to the doctor--He weighs 34 pounds and is 36 inches tall-He needs to have tubes put in his ears soon as he has fluid on them-He is again on an antibiotic to clear up a sinus infection-We are praying that the tubes will help with all of this-

He sings along with all Barney songs---In english---It is just amazing!
He says "I wuv you" in the sweetest voice ever!
He gives Kisses whenever we ask
He now wraps his little arms around our necks and gives the best hugs!
He repeats words whenever we ask
He understands lots of what we tell him---He completely understands when we tell him to clean up his toys, when it is bedtime, ect.
He is very efficient in letting me know when he needs snacks, drinks or potty
He loves to color and draw. He especially loves to draw circles.
He still loves all things cars! His favorite thing to do is drive his cars tricycle around our house with his smaller cars in the basket in the back!
When I am putting him in his carseat, he points to the seat beside him and says "Mei Mei's seat" He wants to make sure his Mei Mei is going with him
He is sleeping all night but he wakes at 6:30 in the morning-He goes to bed at around 9 - 9:30
He LOVES Zoey---He feeds her all of the time-He lays in the floor with his arms wrapped around her and just loves her
He loves Nana alot and runs to her whenever he sees her-
He loves to be outside-He stands at the door and looks at the swingset whenever he can't go outside-He does not yet understand if it is too cold or too dark to be outside
He loves playing with Anna Grace---High heels and lip gloss are common toys around here-Anna Grace loves dressing him up :)

He is just a blessing to our family-God has answered each and every prayer---He is the perfect child for us--We are beyond blessed!

Snow Day!

2010-02-16T08:56:00.000-08:00

On Friday it started to snow :) It was precious to see the pure amazement on Anna Grace and Andrew's faces. I honestly do not think Andrew had ever seen snow. It snowed all night long---It was so beautiful! It was a winter wonderland. Hayne and Adam could not stay inside. They played out in it all night long. By 8:20 on Saturday morning, we were all dressed and looking for a hill to slide :) All of the kids had fun sledding down the front of our neighborhood. They played out side for a couple of hours. It was a great way to spend the morning. We brought the little ones in but Hayne and Adam found a hill at the back of the neighborhood and stayed out the rest of the day. They ended the day by building a snowman with their buddy, Colton. It was a great SNOW DAY(except for all of the extra laundry for mommy ;)

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Wow-5 kids on Valentine's Day--What fun! Before church this morning, we shared our Valentine's gifts. Anna Grace and Andrew LOVED their memory cards and candy--Hayne was thrilled with his Avatar toys and candy-Adam can't wait to spend his $$$ and loved all the chocolate--Ashton is already reading one of her books while enjoying her stash of Reece's Peaces! It is so much fun to get goody bags together for them. They truly appreciate the little things. I am the lucky mommy of 5 sweet Valentines!

One Week Home & Thank you's

2010-02-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well, we have officially been home for one week---7 nights--wow! What a week it has been. The kids started back to school, Hal went back to work and Nana spent the week helping me. I have officially decided that I will NEVER have a clean house again :) Andrew and Anna Grace can destroy a house in 6.7 seconds. There is not a room that doesn't sport sippy cups, snack cups, toy cars, princess shoes and more. It is wild-It is crazy but I would not change one minute of it. We were up most nights by midnight--YES, you read that right. My 2 toddlers were up and going at 12 am----I have felt like a zombie. The past 2 nights have been a little better. Andrew has slept on and off until 6 am. Anna Grace is still up at 2 am. She lays in my bed and talks to me while I try to sleep. The others seem to be back on track--this seems much quicker than our last trip. I know it will continue to get better but this mommy seriously needs some uninterrupted sleep.

While we were in China we were very blessed to have wonderful friends and family holding down the fort. Nana ran the shop, took care of Zoey, grocery shopped for us, planned an awesome welcome home party and so much more. She and Jodi spent lots of sleepless nights waiting for Skype calls from us. Jodi spent hours downloading pictures on our blog and on my facebook so that everyone could see our sweet Andrew. She made tons of welcome home signs and helped Nana plan our homecoming. We had no access to blogger or to facebook so we would not have any connection to home if she had not spent so much time doing it for us. I know Craig is happy to have her back and away from the computer :) Gidget did some grocery shopping and made a huge banner that we have on our front porch. Kellie brought balloons to the airport. She greeted us on Saturday with a special Cars cake for Andrew and a home cooked meal. Jodi came to my house this week and prepared a delicious meal for our family. There have been so many people do so many things to welcome our Andrew home. We are so blessed by such special family and friends. I am so sad that Nana has to go back to work this week. I have gotten so use to having her here everyday and Andrew cries for her when she leaves. I hit the lottery with the best mama in the world! There is noone like her. My kids are beyond blessed to have her as their Nana! Thank you Nana for all you do for us! Thank you to everyone who prayed for us, helped us, greeted us at the airport and more! We appreciate each of you!

Travel Family

2010-02-10T02:11:00.000-08:00

What is a travel family? That is a great question. During our 1st adoption, we assumed that it would just be a group of people that we toured and ate dinner with. I connected with a couple of moms before our trip and we became friends. We had no idea what was in store for us. I often comment that I laugh when I watch American Idol and Biggest Loser and the contestants get so upset when someone is voted off. They keep saying we are family. I thought that was such a marketing ploy. Now I know different. When you spend 13-17 days with the same group of people, when you witness the miracle of a family growing with the addition of a child that has been prayed for and waited on for years, when you cry together over the uncertainities, when you mourn together for what your child has lost, when you celebrate small victories such as passports, visas and bathroom success:) When you search out food that is edible, when you share medicines and advice, when your children recognize each other and call out by name, when you rejoice because your child appears to be bonding to you, when you help each other through countless airports and security checks, when others help entertain your kids, when you watch one of the children in your group get so sick that you fear they can't come home and then get to watch them improve, when you bargain together for items to preserve your child's heritage, when you eat pizza in the hallways with no plates and way more kids than adults, that is when you know you are FOREVER FAMILY. There is no explanation---other than these are the people that I will forever be linked with-I enjoy their company. I love their children. I look forward to watching what God is going to do in their lives. I pray that we will be able to get everyone together a couple of times a year. Anna Grace's travel group is our family and now Andrew's travel group is also. You know you are family when while you are on your 2nd trip to China, each family from your 1st trip sends you emails, prays for you and says they can't wait for Andrew to join their group. Each time we have been so blessed with our groups. These last few days have been made harder as we cope with missing our family. It is so hard to go from being with someone 24/7 to not seeing them at all. We miss everyone. I find myself stalking their facebooks and blogs to just see how they are doing. I am already looking forward to our 1st reunion. Adoption changes so much about your life----Receiving Andrew as our son is the greatest blessing ever, but I can also say that the friends and family we have made along our journey, makes it all the better. We are blessed beyond measure!

Adjusting

2010-02-10T01:53:00.000-08:00

Okay-so jet lag is horrible-jet lag with 5 children is undescribable! The little ones have not slept past midnight since we have been home. We are holding off on bed time as long as we can and they are still up and happy at midnight. They consume more food in those few hours than in the whole day. Yesterday I let them lay back down for 1 1/2 hours - just until 10 am. They were awake the rest of the day. Nana had a small cup of water and when they would start to doze off, she would splash them with water---sounds mean, huh? Not really, they loved it. We kept them awake until 7:30 and then they fell over. Instant sleep-it was so funny. I got straight to bed so that I could rest a little. Imagine my surprise when it was 4 am befor"Mama" I am thrilled. They are true twins in every since. They want everything the same. They are on the same schedule. They wake and sleep together. In just 30 minutes this morning, they have already eaten grapes, rice krispie treats and muffins. It is funny what you will let them eat and do to keep the rest of the house asleep.

About Andrew-He is doing wonderfully. His heart breaks each morning when Baba leaves for work. He cries his little heart out. I have started calling Hal's cell phone and he can't figure it out. He loves that he can hear Baba but he can't find him :) He LOVES Barney. It is priceless to watch he and Anna Grace sing through a whole Barney tape. They do the motions and all. I am very impressed that in such a short time, he is singing so many songs in English. He is communicating very well. There are very few moments where he can't make us understand what he wants. He has the biggest smile and is in LOVE with Nana. He hugs and kisses her all of the time. I think it is safe to say that he has his Nana wrapped around his little finger. There is NO doubt in the world that he was meant to be our son. He is such a special part of our family and we are just amazed that we were chosen to be his parents.
I am loving having Nana here with me each day. It is so nice to spend time with her and have her help. She is wonderful with the kids and they do not want her to leave. We are so lucky that she lives so close to us.
Kellie brought over a delicious baked spaghetti for us and we were so grateful. It is amazing how much having a hot meal means to you when you are exhausted and unable to function. She brought Andrew the coolest Cars cake. It was yummy and he loved it! I will have to post pictures soon. Tonight Jodi and her crew are bringing over dinner. Wow-we are going to be spoiled. We cant wait for the whole crew to be together!
I will post lots of pictures as soon as I can get them loaded-

Sticker Fun

2010-02-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

Nana brought some very popular stickers to the airport. Andrew loved them as you can tell by his face and hands. He loves putting stickers all over himself. Several times in China, I would have to soak the stickers off of his arms and stomach because he left them on so long. He had so much fun playing with Nana. He did great getting in his carseat. He was excited to see the DVD player in the car. Barney is still the biggest hit and you should hear him sing along--Priceless. We are so happy to be heading home. We stopped off at IHOP and had breakfast before we went to our house. It was yummy. We then headed home to show Andrew his room and toys. More pictures coming soon!

We're Home!

2010-02-08T23:47:00.000-08:00

Finally! After 3 airplanes, 15 security checks, checking in and reclaiming baggage 4 times in 30 hours, 5 hour delay in Chicago, We are home! Praise the Lord! I have never been so happy for an airplane to take off as I was when we left Chicago. I could not stop crying as we took off-we were 1hour and 30 minutes from home---from all of our wonderful friends and family who were anxiously awaiting our arrival. Nana had worked so hard to plan the perfect welcome home party. 70 people were scheduled to be there wearing special tshirts that Nana had printed. Fox 21 news was there to do a report on adoption. By midnight, they had to give up. Our flight did not land until 3:30 am. We were so excited to get off of that plane. Anna Grace and Andrew were so sweet walking down the escalator holding my hands. Imagine our surprise at the Welcome Home we received. Our dearest friends and families were still there, holding tons of signs and balloons. Jodi had made sweet tea(with big glasses of ice), brownies, and rice krispie treats. Kellie brought tons of balloons. We are so very blessed. My sweet friend, Bobbi, had driven all the way from Winston to meet Mr. Andrew. Debbe and Caleb were there also with sweet gifts for the kids. Kayla(our precious babysitter) stayed up all night to come, even though she had a full day at school on Saturday. It was unbelievable. We are so blessed and I was so happy for Andrew to meet these people who will love him so much in life. We are going to plan a party very soon so that everyone who had to miss meeting him, can come visit. We are so excited to share Andrew with everyone. He is so precious. He is adjusting well and picking up a couple of english words each day. He loves his home. It is so precious to watch him discover toys and other things. Thanks again for all of your prayers, thoughts, emails and comments. They carried us through this journey!

Rice Family Coming Home Today

2010-02-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all! This is Jodi blogging on Angel's behalf. I can't believe that February 5th has finally arrived! We have all missed them lots and lots and lots. They are in the air now on their way to Chicago. They are scheduled to land at 4:22 pm. They will then board Express Jet Air flight #5696 at 7:34 pm, and will arrive at Greenville Spartanburg Airport at 10:17 pm. WHOOO HOOOOO! Praise the Lord! So far, nothing has been cancelled and all flights are on schedule.

We plan on having a huge welcome home celebration at the airport. Everyone's welcome! The more the merrier! Angel, Hal and the kids will be thrilled to see everyone there. We may be a little too much for sweet Andrew, but we can't help but be loud and proud! I have also called FOX and they will hopefully be there to cover the homecoming of the Rice family! I am so thrilled - - if you can't tell!

Nana is beside herself! She has been a wreck at times, worrying over her family being so far away without her. Angel is quite blessed that her Mother stayed here to take care of the business, Zoe, and all of the other things she has been so busy doing for 17 long days.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the airport tonight. Nana has gotten some special t-shirts together for everyone so we will look all matchy-matchy (you know how Angel loves that). I have made lots of signs, so come out and hold a sign and scream "Welcome Home Rice Family!"

Day 14 with Andrew - Red Couch & US Consulate

2010-02-03T05:02:00.000-08:00

"Red Couch" photos were so special!!

It is official---We just left the US Consulate of Guangzhou----We all stood as a group and raised our right hands and promised to love Andrew and care for him-We promised that all of our information was accurate--It was very emotional-I could not see for the tears-How blessed we are that God chose us to parent this precious, precious child. To see all of the families who have worked so hard, completed so much paperwork and spent more than 2 weeks in China getting to know these precious children of God, finally complete our adoptions, was simply AMAZING! We are beyond blessed and so very happy. Our travel group is our family-We cannot wait to watch all of these children grow and blossom with their families. There are no words to describe the bond-the pure joy of watching little ones call for their mamas or babas. Andrew actually hugged me today-he has been kissing and letting me hold him, but today he asked to be picked up and then he wrapped those sweet arms around my neck and squeezed as hard as he could----Such a special moment that I will always treasure-He is my son-handpicked by God to be a Forever part of our family. I am overwhelmed at the love we all have for him. My heart about explodes when Anna Grace hugs him or tells him it will be okay. All of our kids are so good with him. We got the privilege of seeing two 14 year olds with their families today at the Consulate. They met their families just 2-5 days before they timed out of the system. Once you turn 14, you cannot be adopted. God orchestrated these adoptions at the perfect time. They were so happy to have families. I am so grateful to see these miracles. It makes you realize what is important in life. I may be crazy, homework may be late, my house may be dirty, I may yell at my kids and lose my temper, I may not be on time and our lives are not perfect BUT we are a forever family of 7---I have 5 wonderful children, an almost perfect husband, a great family, terrific friends and I would not change one thing about my life. I am grateful to the ONE who has called us on this journey---I am blessed
!

Day 13 with Andrew - Pearl River Cruise & Shopping

2010-02-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

Today was a free day of sorts. We had to be in the room from 10:30 - 12:00 while Elvin was at the Consulate in case there was a problem with the children's visas. We spent the afternoon shopping for silk clothes for the "famous" Red Couch Photos. We will meet with our group in the morning to take photos on the Red Couch. For those in the adoption community, you know how special this is. Getting pictures on the Red Couch makes it all seem so official :)
Tonight we went on the Pearl River Cruise. Uh-Ho! Can you say motion sick. Hal and I both had to take Dramamine within 2 minutes of boarding the boat. Once we got past that, it was beautiful to see all of the lights reflecting off of the Pearl River. The dinner was not yummy but it was lots of fun to go to the top deck and feel the breeze. It was beautiful. Anna Grace entertained everyone on the bus ride back by singing Jesus Loves Me and You are My Sunshine. She is such a special little girl. We are so blessed with all of our children.
PS---It was hilarious to watch Andrew figure out how to eat Corn on the Cob. He loved it. He thought he was so cute sticking it in his mouth. He loves to say "cheese" for the camera now. He fits right in with our family:

Day 12 with Andrew - Medical Exam & Shopping

2010-02-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

Such a brave little man! We are so glad to have the exam and shots over and done with!

Not matching today - must get laundry done!

Today was the infamous medical exam-not a fun day. I took Andrew by myself so that Hal could spend time with the boys. We have such a wonderful travel group and they helped me. Andrew was fine until it came time for the shots. The poor baby had to have 4 shots. It was horrible. Elvin explained to him what was about to happen and he started crying right away. They did a shot in each arm and each leg. Poor MollyClaire had to have 7. This is just so hard on these little ones.
Funniest moment of the trip------Kathleen came out and explained that MollyClaire needed 7 shots but they only gave her six---they then explained that the 1st piece of candy they gave her was an oral vaccination---I started to worry as they gave Andrew 2 pieces and I shared them with him-I was worried about what I could have possibly been vaccinated for-Everyone got a good laugh as we realized that Andrew did only get candy-I was safe! Too Funny!
This afternoon we went to the Pedestrian Street-Lots of shopping-I got pearls for the girls and Hal bought Puma shoes for Hayne, and Nike for Ashton.
We had a pizza party for everyone in our hallway. It was so much fun. We are so lucky to have such cool people to hang out with. Tomorrow is the Pearl River Cruise. We can't wait!

Our WONDERFUL Guide Elvin in one of our Clemson T-shirts with Andrew!

Day 11 with Andrew - Park

2010-01-31T21:05:00.000-08:00

Wow-waking up at the White Swan is pretty amazing. Breakfast is wonderful-French toast, bacon and chocolate cake that is great! We love it! Anna Grace is even eating! So much better than our other breakfast buffets. We ate lunch at Lucy's. Hamburgers and french fries that were great! Our guide, Elvin, is the best! At dinner he even brings big bottles of coke and water so that we have plenty to drink. It is customary to be served only one small glass of beverage during dinner. Elvin orders great food and drinks for everyone. We are so lucky to have him. We walked around the island and enjoyed looking in the shops. Elvin took us to a beautiful park. The flowers and trees were gorgeous. It is so wild how warm it is here. We are sweating and we have no clothes that are cool enough. What a change. From freezing to melting.
Elvin is so great with Andrew. He communicates so well with him. It is so reassuring to have him tell us what Andrew is saying. He keeps telling us how smart and quick to respond he is. Andrew really warmed up to me again this afternoon. He keeps asking for me and I love it. Anna Grace is doing so good. She is wonderful at sharing and being kind to him. All of the kids have done great and we are so proud of them. It has been such a hard trip and they have done wonderful.

Day 10 with Andrew - Flight to Guangzhou

2010-01-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

This morning started early as we had to be up and leaving for the airport by 8--We had to get up at 5:30 to pack bags, eat breakfast and check out of our room. We had a hard time getting all of our winter stuff back into the suitcases and staying under the 44 pound per bag limit. Yikes-I am not sure what we will do once I get to shop in Guangzhou.

It was so nice to be heading to Guangzhou, but very sad to be taking Andrew away from his home in Beijing. It is hard to explain-but the feeling that we were removing him from his entire past was very emotional for me. I want him to always remember where he is from and to know about all of the people who loved and cared for him before we got there. I would love to know what surgeon performed his surgery. I would love for them to see a picture of our thriving, beautiful son. So many people here do not notice that he has a repaired cleft lip and palate. Each of the government officials have commented that there was no way to tell. The surgeon did a beautiful job and we are so grateful.

Karen found a wonderful little playground at the airport during our 1 1/2 hour wait for departure. You should have seen my boy climb the rock wall and smile. Priceless!

Andrew did wonderful on his 1st flight ever! We sat on the run way for an extra 40 minutes before take off. He and Anna Grace both fell asleep as soon as we took off. He never fussed or cried. I am praying that it will be the same for the next 3 flights we have.
Oh what a welcome sight it was to see Elvin(our guide) holding the CWA sign and smiling the biggest smile ever. We all LOVE Elvin-He is the greatest. Within minutes of meeting Andrew, he had him talking and communicating with him. Andrew did everything that Elvin ask and responded correctly. Elvin told us that Andrew was a very smart boy with quick responses. It is such a relief to have someone who is willing to communicate with him and help us out.
We are so thrilled beyond belief to be at The White Swan hotel-It is gorgeous. Our rooms are connecting again and it is perfect. I was so excited to be here and have the chance to see and enjoy all that I missed on Anna Grace's trip. We are going to a local park tomorrow and sightseeing. I can't express how wonderful Elvin is and how happy we are to be here with him. It is almost like coming home.
I am enjoying talking to my mom and dad and hearing all about what they are eating at home. White rice is getting old. I am not sure what I want first-homemade soup, chili beans, ravioli or a big salad :) I do know that I can't wait for that 1st HUGE glass of sweet tea with ICE! I miss my ice!

I will close with this-we have some wonderful travel mates-each of us at a different stage in life-our new children range from 3-12. The one thing we have in common is our love for the Lord, Our belief that God led us on this path, and love for our new children. Please take a moment and lift each of the 5 families up in your prayers. No matter how wonderful things are going, we all have an area that could use a prayer. I think we are all so blessed and things are going so smoothly, but honestly after traveling for 11 days, taking 3 or more flights already, jet lag, new children and the schedule we have been keeping, we are all just exhausted and in need of our beds and sleep. We each covet your prayers for our families. Signing off from Guangzhou-White Swan Hotel! Can you tell how thrilled I am?

Day 8 with Andrew: Panda Zoo & Shopping - if you can call it that!

2010-01-29T07:09:00.000-08:00

Okay-I have lost track of days & posts---we are so very tired of this fast pace we are leading. It seems as if the whole trip is hurry up and wait! Get downstairs at 9, head off for a day of sightseeing-what that really means is travel for an hour to get there, & then only have an hour to enjoy it. By the time we wrap up the kids, break out the strollers & start our touring, there is not enough time to enjoy anything. We are very disappointed. We have done a fly by of all of the beautiful sights. I have looked forward to shopping since we decided we were coming back to China. Yesterday we got to spend one whole hour in a 3 story Pearl Market. There were Coach purses, Northface Jackets & much more. Our guide does not want us to buy anything because they are not real. We can't make her understand that we know that & we want them anyway :) I did get the girls a pair of Ugh boots & Anna Grace thinks she is hot stuff---Precious-She would sleep in them if we let her.
Anna Grace is obsessed with Squatty Potties-It is quite funny-every where we go, she wants to check out the potty. Mema & her have developed a system that works well. I am quite freaked out by them and so is Andrew. He screams each time Hal takes him into one. I am not sure why Anna Grace likes them so much, but she does.
Mema & Ashton are trying to do all of Ashton's math work. Mema is going to be a pro before it is over. Walter is not feeling so well so please say a prayer for him. We fly out in the morning. Andrew's 1st flight & it is 3 hours. I am not sure how we are going to get through the airport with 5 kids, no stroller and all of our luggage--Please pray all goes well.
Andrew, flashing a smile for the camera! He is so handsome!

Day 7 with Andrew: Summer Palace & Olympic Village

2010-01-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the Summer Palace and Olympic Stadium. It was such a neat day. The Summer Palace was beautiful. The water surrounding the palace was frozen and we had quite the adventure "ice-walking" on it. The Olympic Stadium was enormous. It was awe- inspiring to actually stand in THE Olympic Stadium where all of the Olympic athletes competed. The Water Cube was gorgeous! Ashton, Taylor, Andrew and I had quite the time bartering with the locals for Olympic items. They followed us to the bus and I made lots of deals for the rest of our travel group :)

Our adventure of the day-We decided to skip dinner and head out on our own and found an Outback Steak House. The food was beyond delicious. Probably my best meal ever! It was very expensive though - but worth every penny. For all of us and Walter and Mary it was around $180. Steve, Kathleen and their group, Karen and her girls, and Madison and Taylor went with us. The blooming onion and cheese fries were just yummy. We found out that Andrew LOVES spaghetti. It was sweet!

The highlight of our day-Finding the shopping street :) Woo Hoo! Can you tell how excited I was? We ventured through the skewers of squid, snake and much more, until we finally found tons of street vendors! Can a girl get any happier? We had a ball bartering for items. I ended up getting stuff for others in the group also. It was wild! Sellers were grabbing you everywhere promising "best price for good friend." Hal took Andrew and Hayne back to the room, and I ended up helping Adam, Ashton, Madison, Taylor and Mary bargain. We found lots of neat items. Anna Grace got a very special panda that she named "Pandy"
Thankfully, Andrew once again went to bed without a problem. It is just precious to see he and Anna Grace in their jammies watching Barney.
We are running full blast each day. It is very tiring I must admit, but fun. Unfortunately there is very little down time. Andrew is not going to know what to do when we get home and can spend the entire day playing at HOME . . . you know just being together doing normal family stuff!

Day 6 with Andrew - Paperwork and Free Day!

2010-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! We had another successful nighttime routine. Andrew fell asleep watching Barney with daddy rubbing his back. So sweet to see him and Anna Grace side by side in their matching monkey jammies. They are starting to communicate a little more. She just doesn't understand why he doesn't talk like she does. This morning we started the day with breakfast in our hotel. Truly our favorite meal of the day. I took lots of pictures of the kids on the steps in their brown shirts. We almost match :) Anna Grace will just kiss Andrew-it is so sweet. We spent the morning doing more paperwork. It is never ending. There was a woman from the orphanage there today. She had to help take Andrew's passport picture. He was not very happy. It broke my heart to see him withdraw. He kept looking down-He would not look up for his picture. I think it was a very defining moment in our relationship. He now wants me ALL of the time. Hal is getting his feelings hurt. You should see me try to carry Anna Grace and Andrew at the same time. My back is not liking it, but I would not trade it for anything. Precious times. It makes my heart very happy that he knows Mama will keep him safe. When we go to get on the bus, he goes to my seat and waits for me-so sweet. We are finished with paperwork until Friday morning when we pick up passports-Praise the Lord. It has been so hard this time. Tonight we are having pizza in the room again (we did request no corn:) Hoping to head out and hunt down some shopping soon. I am having withdrawals-I thought by now, I would have bought tons of things. Not happening. Tomorrow is the Summer Palace and Olympic Village-We are very excited to see this. Funny moment of the day---At lunch Andrew had to potty---#2---Not fun with a squatty potty---When we walked into the bathroom, I spotted a normal toilet. I then said "Praise the Lord" without thinking about what he would think. It was so funny to hear him in his little voice start giggling and shouting "Praise Lord, Praise Lord" Priceless

Day 5 With Andrew - Hutong Tour & Fresh Market

2010-01-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

Monday-China Time
Today started off much better-Last night Andrew went to sleep with Baba rubbing his back-no crying at all-All kids were asleep by 10 China Time :) Wow! I took an Ambian with hopes that I could get a good night's sleep. I guess when you mix exhaustion and ambian, you get a wild combination---I Skyped Nana and about 5 minutes into the call, she kept telling me to go to bed. The last thing I remember is tilting to the right in my chair-I woke up at 6 this morning completely rested :) I did have an email from Nana telling me that I did not disconnect skype and she enjoyed watching Hal drag me to the bed-I must not take the next ambian till I am in the bed :) Fun times here in Beijing!
We all woke refreshed this morning. We were scheduled for paperwork this morning but last minute plans had us taking a Rickshaw ride for the Hutong tour. It was wonderful. We toured China and actually got to visit with a wonderful woman in her home. She was 73 years old. When we arrived, she served everyone hot tea and shared her life with us. She is a Christian and had several pictures of Jesus in her home. It was a very special morning.

From her home we walked to the “fresh market” and I do mean FRESH! They had goat heads, cow tails, and any type of fresh meat you wanted. We didn't want any! Gasp! This was the market that all of the locals shopped. Ashton and Adam had lots of fun taking pictures and videoing – they were quite mesmerized by the sights, and smells! So glad we don't have to shop for our meats this way at home! Thank you very much Publ*x!

After lunch, we dropped grandparents and children off at the hotel. All of the adoptive parents and children had to go do paperwork. It was crazy. We spent the whole afternoon in the smokiest offices you have ever walked in - again gasp!. We still did not finish paperwork. We have to go back tomorrow to do more. Much more paperwork than our last trip.
We are back in the hotel, watching Anna Grace and Andrew watch Barney and sing together. It is amazing that he already is singing Barney songs! The big Purple dinosaur speaks to everyone :)

Now, what you all want to know about - Andrew! He is changing everyday . . truly! I don't think he could get much sweeter. He gives Baba (Daddy) and Mama (Mommy) kisses all of the time. He now looks for us and comes to us. He wants to be with one of us at all times. He laughs at everything! He loves snacks! No one can have a snack and not share with him. It is so sweet. He shares everything with us. He feeds us a bite for every bite he takes. Not selfish at all! It amazes me! His new favorite thing is to take a bite and then give it to me. I guess he figures Mamas will do anything. He loves our Monkey shirts and pajamas. Yes, we all match! He points to them all of the time. He can now name everyone in his photo album that we sent him. He loves to color. I drew a circle and he copies me. His stacking cups are one of his favorites. He stacks them over and over. Barney is his all time favorite next to his prized Iron Man Car. He repeats all things and loves to say "hello" over and over. He still prefers Baba (Daddy) the most and he gets upset if Hal or I say bye bye. He does not want us to leave.
He and Anna Grace just shared a bowl of oatmeal-sweet times watching them try to bond. Anna Grace does not understand why he doesn't talk to her. He calls her Mei Mei. Ashton loves taking pictures and I am so glad. She is doing a fabulous job and I think she would take over with Andrew if we would let her. She takes such good care of him and he loves her. Adam is having the time of his life. He is trying all of the food and soaking up the culture. He and David (a precious 12 year old who is being adopted in our group) are just loving getting to know each other. The language barrier is nothing to them. They have created their own sign language and are enjoying teaching each other their language. Hayne loves the huge toy store here. It is really more expensive than home but they have things that he can’t find at home so he loves looking.

We are so very blessed-so much more than we deserve. Can't wait for you to meet Andrew!

Day 4 with Andrew - Forbidden City & Acrobat Show

2010-01-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Today was another great day! We started a day with a tour of the Forbidden City. We walked through a beautiful park to the Forbidden City. It was not very easy with 2 strollers and toddlers. There were hundreds of stairs. Our travel group was awesome helping us pick up the strollers :) It was lots of fun. The weather has just been beautiful. The sun was shining and we actually had to take our jackets off because it was so warm doing all of the walking.
After lunch, me, Ashton, Mary and Kathleen ventured out to buy shoes for Andrew. We walked about 15 minutes down to China Children's store. We were the only Americans around. It was so funny. After buying shoes, we stopped in at Hag N Daz. It was delicious. What a treat!
The highlight of our day was the Acrobatic show. It was amazing. Andrew was mesmerized by it. It was so sweet to watch him clap and enjoy it all. Nana would have been very uncomfortable as there were birds flying all around. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
We are enjoying all of the great things about China. Tonight we ate dinner at KFC-We thought the Corn on the cob was awesome. I am not so sure that the "popcorn chicken" was actually chicken. It really scared me :)

Funny note of the day-Anna Grace loves the Squatty Potty==She sings a little song about how much she loves doing the squatty--too funny!
Andrew is doing wonderful-There is no doubt whatsoever that he is our son-we are right where God wants us to be and we are so very blessed!

Day 3 with Andrew - The Great Wall

2010-01-23T07:01:00.000-08:00

1-23-10
Today started off much better, Andrew slept for almost 7 straight hours. This was our big day. We finally got to go to the Great Wall again! Getting all of our supplies took quite awhile saying it was 3 degrees Celsius. It takes awhile to bundle everyone up in hats, scarfs, and snow suits. First stop was the Jade Factory where we were very disappointed. All of the prices were way above our price range so we did not buy anything. We are looking forward to the silk market where the prices should be much better. We arrived at the Great Wall and were told we had an hour and twenty minutes, we thought this would not be enough. We soon realized with 2 toddlers dressed like Abominable snow men that it would be enough! We took our group picture and then we all started to climb--The hard side! Walter, Mary, and Hal took Adam and Hayne to start climbing up the wall. Adam and Madison climbed the highest of everyone in the group! Ashton and I kept the little ones and had lots of fun taking pictures. We climbed two sections of the wall and had to call it quits. It was way too hard carrying toddlers. Tons of people stopped us to have their pictures made with Andrew and Anna Grace. I think it is safe to say 30 different strangers now have pictures of Anna Grace and Andrew on the wall! According to Hal, Hayne was quite the rockstar during his climb. 20 or so girls asked for his picture! We were all told to meet on the bus at 12:30 but of course Hal and Walter were late. We had lunch at the Friendship Store and it was great! I enjoyed a special moment on the bus when Andrew and Anna Grace fell asleep on my lap. We are now back in the hotel room and about to go to dinner. It is 4:30 AM here and I can't skype anyone. It has been SO much fun to talk to everyone and share Andrew LIVE. Tomorrow we are going to the Forbidden City and then to an Acrobat Show! I am so excited to go see a real one!!
A little bit to know about Andrew--he loves, loves, loves stickers. He puts them all over his arms. His car is still his favorite toy and we go nowhere without it. The back up is in my backpack at all times. He now talks on his cellphone----My favorite part of the day-as we started to leave for the Great Wall, he grabs his cellphone and sticks it in his pocket while saying bye bye---He is my child:) He laughs the sweetest little laugh with his whole face-Mouth wide open and eyes twinkling. He gives kisses freely to mama and baba--so precious. He holds his hands out to us when he wants us and it just melts our hearts. He has the sweetest little pouty lip when things do not go his way but his attitude is so sweet that it is hard to say no. We did start him on an antibiotic as he is congested. We want to make sure he does not have an ear infection before we fly to Guangzhou. He loves his brothers and sisters very much. Ashton is beside herself with joy-she can't get enough of him :) She is a great Jie Jie and has done a great job loading pictures to share.
Thanks again for all your prayers. We feel them each moment of the day. Can't wait for you all to meet our precious new addition. Although I must admit, after the Great Wall today, I now know it will be quite awhile before I can venture out on my own with 2 by myself :)

Love from China,
The Rice Family
Hal, Angel, Ashton, Adam, Hayne, Anna Grace, and Andrew!

Day TWO with Andrew

2010-01-22T05:02:00.000-08:00

Today started very early-1 am China time--Sleep was not to be found with Andrew and Anna Grace in bed with me-Andrew woke up every 30 minutes from 9pm until 1am. At 1:30, I gave up and got up. Andrew and Anna Grace started their day with cheerios, juice and Barney. They sat in bed together watching the DVD player-So sweet. Andrew is in love with the Barney that Jodi gave Anna Grace. We have already had to replace batteries :)

At 8 this morning, we went to the Civil Affairs office where we finalized our adoption of Andrew Hudson Jian Hui. We are officially a Forever Family. We have been in our hearts since June of 2009, but today it became official in the eyes of China. We promised to love and care for him and to never abandon him. He slept in Hal's arms while we were there and it was some precious time of reflecting on how blessed we are. He is just precious. Perfect in every way. All boy but so loving too. He freely kisses us and once he woke, he enjoyed running from my arms to Hal's arms. He is still very attached to the car we gave him in his backpack. He will not put it down. I am glad I brought two. One was for Hayne, but Hayne has gladly given it to his brother.

We met with the orphanage staff and learned a few things about Andrew. His best friend is one year older than him, and he is still waiting for a family. This will be our newest prayer. That Andrew's best friend will be found by his forever family. We were given a picture of Andrew dated 12-9-06. All the Glory goes to God. The surgeons who treated Andrew did a beautiful job on his lip. It is unbelievable. I am so grateful for this picture of him. Each piece of his history is priceless. We did receive 2 disposable cameras from the orphanage and Hal is gone to pick up the prints now. We sent one in July and one in December so I am hoping the pictures are of 2 different times.

Andrew and Molly Claire share a special connection. We could not help but laugh out loud as they communicated. There were lots of hits, pouty lips and tossing of toys. It is obvious that they are used to each other. The funny part is they never stop. They take a lick and just keep on playing. It is just precious. I am so amazed at how God orchestrated these two friends to have a bond that will last forever and be so close to each other. We are only one hour apart at home so they will have lots of time together.

Tonight was Pizza Hut in the room. The boys have left to try out McDonalds since our pizza was covered in corn, mushrooms, onions and some unidentifiable objects. I am exhausted and heading to bed.

We are amazed at our blessings. In just one day, Andrew has opened up and began to show lots of affections. He prefers Baba for sure. He gets mad that Mama tries to make him sleep. Keep praying that sleep will come and we can all rest. Anna Grace has been asleep since 12 today and she will not get out of bed-It is going to be a long night or early morning-Depends on your mood :)

Tomorrow is the Great Wall-Should be interesting with 2 toddlers-Can't wait! The kids are thrilled about shopping at The Jade Factory and so is mommy!
Good night from China

ANDREW DAY!!!

2010-01-21T04:52:00.000-08:00

Today has far exceeded ALL of my expectations-God is Good! He is faithful at ALL times! We have Andrew and he is precious! We met the children at 9:50 am on the 21st! What a special day this will always be! I know in my heart that my papa was looking down and smiling as we finally had a reason to rejoice on this day!

We all congregated in the 9th floor lobby to wait for the children to arrive. Jane(our agency coordinator) met us with our guide. It was great to visit with her. At 9:40, our guide, Helen, got a call that the babies were arriving. She asked Ashton if she wanted to go downstairs with her. Imagine Ashton's joy as she, Madison and Taylor accompanied Jane and Helen to meet the children. We all stood in the hallways and surprised several hotel guests with cameras and videos as we thought it was the kids arriving. It was so special. The elevator opened and around the corner came all 4 of the kids. Andrew and MollyClaire had on matching pants and red jackets. It was a moment where time stood still. He walked straight into my arms. Unbelievable---I had prepared myself to sit back and allow him time to accept us. Instead, my son stepped straight into my arms. Within 3 minutes, he let me kiss him. He puckered up and made the sweetest kissing sound. I can't describe the moment. 3 families being joined together in that instant that could only be orchestrated by God. It was miraculous. Ashton was quite thrilled to get her hands on him and get a kiss. Mema captured a beautiful picture of Jie Jie and Andrew. It was a special moment of Ashton seeing all of her prayers answered.
We came back to the room and got to know Andrew. HE IS HUGE! So much bigger than we thought. He loves snacks. We all laughed out loud when he ate cookies-Classic Oreo style-Just like our family. It was so special to skype Nana, Papa, Johnny, BJ and Jesse-It was neat for them to meet him so soon after we did.

Hayne has declared that Andrew is the best little brother ever-He gets lots of laughs out of our little man. Andrew laughs out loud.

A HUGE hit was the microphone that Bobbi sent to Andrew. He loved it. Within minutes of meeting us, he was mimacking me in the microphone. It was priceless. He won't put it down. He just said Haynie into it---WoW!

We went to lunch with our group and he had a ball. We had to request strollers cause honestly he is so heavy and he isn't used to being held. He just lays back and it makes him heavier :) I am not complaining cause I will carry him wherever. The stroller just makes it easier at times. We had a 20 minute walk to lunch-Not fun in the cold carrying 2 toddlers. He ate very well and we were excited.

My big excitement today was when he was playing on the bed. He started talking and whimpering. He climbed in my arms and kept talking. It was his way of telling me he had to potty. I was so glad that he came to me for help.

Anna Grace is doing well. She has handled this so much better than I expected but it has only been a few hours. We have all been awake since 2 am so we are very tired.

Thank you for your prayers-Know that without a doubt, they have been heard and answered. I know that the road ahead is long but I am confidant that the maker of all creation is holding my hand and directing our way.

Signing off from China,
One blessed mommy of 5

5 hours and counting!

2010-01-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

Our room is unpacked and everything is ready. We went to bed at 10 and were all wide awake by 2 am-I was sure we would sleep all night because we were so exhausted. Hayne is the only one who is still asleep. Anna Grace and Adam are going strong. They woke up starving In just 5 hours, we will be meeting our little man! I can't believe it-In 5 hours, our dreams will be realized! Our son will be a Forever Part of our family-I can't stop crying-I am so very excited. The backpack of toys is packed, cameras are charged, paperwork is ready-7 months of waiting, praying,and believing is about to come to pass. Our next post will be us as a Forever Family of 7-Thanks for all of your prayers!

2010-01-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update....They are in their hotel room getting ready for bed right now. The trip has been 1000 times better so far as compared to last time. The airport had improvements and that was wonderful! Their delay for maintenance yesterday in Chicago only lasted about 30 minutes.

Anna Grace rested well on the flight, but Hayne fought it until about two hours before they landed. He was completely lethargic and they had to carry him through the airport. Angel only dozed off a couple of times, but never really slept. She said the boys refused to let her rest because they were so excited. Hal slept well, but Adam fought sleep the entire flight. I am not sure about Ashton, but she sounded exhausted in her email and said she couldn't wait to go to sleep.

They stopped at a Chinese restaurant for dinner before they went to their hotel room and were surprised at how tasty everything was. The hotel room's heat was so unbearable that they had to get the hotel maintenance to break the seal on the window to get it to open to the chilling outdoor weather of 10 degrees. It really must have been HOT in there! Mary helped bathe the children and got them ready for bed while Angel "unpacked" or rather organized their luggage a little better. There wasn't a dresser or chest in the room to put their clothes in. Strange!

When they wake in the morning they will eat breakfast (if they can) and meet Andrew from 9:00 to 9:30 am. That will be between 8:00 to 8:30 pm for us TONIGHT!!! Social workers in China spoke with the family and told them to be prepared that this event would be harder than they probably expected because of Andrew's age. Please pray that their meeting will be peaceful and happy for everyone. This is really it! Today is the day! I will update as soon as I have something from them after they have the newest addition to the Rice family! A new son! A new brother! A new Grandson! A precious soul that will be a part of all of our lives! ~jodi

2010-01-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

The Rice family in the Chicago Airport with travel friend AnnaGrace (a precious little girl who, along with her family, is going to get her little sister in Beijing).

Hi everyone! This is Angel's friend & sister from another mother, Jodi, blogging on her behalf. First of all I am thrilled that she asked me to do this for her! Anything I can do to help I am more than willing to do! She plans on sending me emails and pictures and I will post them on this blog. This will count as my test blog to work the kinks out of blogging on her blog for her. Hope this works! I might as well give everyone an update at the same time!

I talked to Angel (YEAH!!) and they were in Chicago for a short layover. They were making their way through the airport to get some "fabulous" airport food when I last spoke to her. Everyone's doing fine, but already tired (as expected). Poor Angel only got 4 short hours sleep last night! Not too much longer until they are off to Beijing! Their flight leaves at 1:45 pm (our time) and they will be in the air for 14 hours!

She said that the kids were wild already! Surely they are just filled with anxious excitement about the trip and meeting Andrew very soon! They are usually an energetic group anyway (never a dull moment), but now they are fueled by the lack of rest and probably a lot of candy at this point. Please pray that a comforting peace will hush the excitement from their mouths, bodies and minds and that they are swept away by sleep for hours on end to make the trip go by quickly.

Keep them on your minds and in your prayers - for the days ahead will bring unique challenges and blessings.

Prayer Request

2010-01-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

We are just hours away from boarding our plane to China. Just a couple of days away from meeting our new son. I can't believe the time is here. I would like to share some very specific prayer request with you.
Please pray:
*For Andrew's heart-That he is ready for his family--it is going to be the most difficult for him and our prayer is that God has prepared his heart for us
*Safety for traveling-Hal and I plus all 4 kids and his parents will be traveling alot of hours-Please pray that God protects us and gets us there safely
*Health-Please pray that we all stay healthy while we are gone and that Andrew is healthy
*Nanny Cat-Hal's grandmother broke her hip last week-Please pray for healing for her and that she improves daily-It is very hard for Hal's dad to leave her right now-so please pray that he has peace
*My parents-My parents are staying here and holding down the business for us-please pray for peace for them and that all goes smoothly
This is the journey of a lifetime. I feel like the most blessed woman in the world. I am so happy that this is the journey that God has led us on. I can't wait to meet Andrew and have all of my children together. I am so grateful for my life and for all of the friends and family who have joined us on this journey. We covet each of your prayers and please know that we will depend on them daily to get us through.
In closing, I want to give all the Glory to God-who has for now, blessed me with these!
I can't believe this is my last post from the USA! Woo Hoo!

Almost ready!

2010-01-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is our luggage-All packed and ready to go! Only a couple of carry ons need to be zipped up and we are ready to go! We will be leaving for the airport in just over 16 hours-I cry as I type those words! Our Andrew is right at 3 1/2 years old. His family is almost there! God is Good!

Temporary Home

2010-01-17T12:48:00.001-08:00

I can't hear Carrie Underwood's New song "Temporary Home" without crying. It is such a precious song with such true lyrics.
"This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through
This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this is my
Temporary Home."
I am so grateful for the Temporary Home that Andrew has right now. I so want to thank the police officer who found him, the nannies who are taking care of him, the surgeons who did his surgery and those who are responsible for helping get his file together so that he could find his Forever Family. Although it may not be our 1st choice for any child, he is in a place that feels like home to him. I pray that he knows we are coming but I must prepare my self for the fact that he may not be very happy about it in the beginning. One day, he will accept us as his family and I believe with my whole heart that he will be glad that we are together.
The last part of the song talks about an old man that is dying--
Old man, hospital bed
The room is filled with people he loves
And he whispers don't cry for me
I'll see you all someday
He looks up and says "I can see God's face"

"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through
This was just a stop,on the way To where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this was
My temporary home."

How true that this is really just a temporary home for all of us. I don't know about you but I find great comfort in seeing God's face. What a joy it will be to be with our love ones in eternity.
We are meeting our Andrew on the day that my Papa Adams met Jesus---Just one of our Red Threads to Andrew. I would truly give up just about anything for one more day with my papa. Meeting Andrew on this day brings me such peace. I know that my papa met Andrew long before we did and I know that he is watching over us and that he will be smiling down on Thursday when we meet our son. I can't wait! I am so grateful that Andrew only has 3 more nights in his Temporary Home-Praising God for our blessings!

5 Days!

2010-01-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe in 5 days, we will be on our way to China-One week from today, we will have Andrew! Woo Hoo! Can you believe it? After all of this time---piles and piles of paperwork, countless overnight fed ex packages, hundreds of copies, thousands of hours spent waiting to hear and an enormous amount of prayers being said---we are finally going to be a Forever Family with Andrew. God has moved mountains, answered prayers and He is taking us to our son! We are all so very excited! We are in the final countdown. We have notebooks FULL of homework for all 3 kids, 6 suitcases packed to capacity, 6 wheeled carry on bags and 3 backpacks ready to go. Andrew has a family and we have a son. We are thrilled to be traveling with a wonderful group of families. This time next week, there will be 4 less orphans in the world-Oh what a wonderful thing! Andrew, Katie, MollyClaire and Jacob are about to be united with their families and we can't wait!

We're Going To China

2010-01-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to receive our itinerary for our trip. Now we know for sure that we will be meeting Andrew on Thursday, January 21st! Woo Hoo! God is good!

January 20^th: Arriving in Beijing by UA851 at 16:25.

Staying in Wang Fu Jing Grand Hotel in Beijing

January 21st: Meet the child.

Sign the document of The Agreement of Taking Care of the Baby for 24 hours.

January 22od: Registration in the Civil Affaire Bureau in the morning.

January 23rd: Local sightseeing: Great Wall

January 24^th: Local sightseeing: Forbidden City

January 25^th: Get the Registration Certificate.

Notarization.

Apply for the child’s passport

January 26^th: Local sightseeing: Capital Museum

January 27^th: Local sightseeing: Summer Palace and the Olympic Park

January 28^th: Local sightseeing: Beijing Zoo

January 29^th: Get the child’s passport

January 30^th: Fly from Beijing to Guangzhou by CA1351 (11:00/14:00).

Stay in White Swan Hotel

January 31st: Local sightseeing: Yuntai Garden (Cloud Terrace Garden)

February 1^st: Take picture and do medical examination

Local sightseeing: Walking Street

February 2^nd: Visa appointment at 10:00am

Local sightseeing: Cruise on the River

February3^rd:Swearing-in ceremony at the Consulate (family need to wait for the call if necessary)

February 4^th: Local sightseeing: the Temple of Six Banyan Trees

February5th: Fly from Guangzhou to Beijing by CA1330 (10:00/ 13:00), and then transfer the flight UA 850 at 17:25 to go home. (The filight from Guangzhou - Beijing tickets are included.)

Hotel information:

1. 北京王府井大饭店 Wang Fu Jing Grand Hotel in Beijing

Tel: 86-10-65221188

Fax: 86-10-65223816

Address: 北京东城区王府井大街57号

57 Wangfujing Street, Beijing, China

Postcode: 100006

2. 广州白天鹅宾馆 White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou

Tel: 86-20-81886968

Fax: 86-20-81861188

Address:广州荔湾区沙面南街1号

Shamian Island, Guangzhou, China

Postcode: 510133

Mountain of God

2010-01-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

This song has always brought me comfort. While we were waiting for Anna Grace, I clung to the promise. I must admit that I embarrassed Ashton to death at the Y one day singing out loud with my IPod(had to quit using it while others were around) I got in my car today and it was playing. So many people question-Why China again? Why another child? You have your hands full already-Have you lost your mind? My answer is this------Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend that we don't know----God called us to this-We have been so blessed by adoption. We could have continued our life and never adopted Anna Grace----wow! what a blessing we would have missed out on. God orchestrated this second adoption-It is His will-His plan for our lives. I know that I am "traveling on the road, that He has led me down" just as the song says. He is here and He will provide. That doesn't mean that being mommy to 5 is going to be easy. It just means that at the moments when my hands are full, God will open His hands and help me carry the load. I am confident in that! I know that Andrew is our son and it is by the Grace of God that we are blessed to be his parents. We are truly blessed beyond measure!

Just like the song says "I confess from time to time I lose my way" but this much is true-I know that God will provide and equip our family for whatever the future holds. Finally, the best truth of the song----"Nothing can quite compare with what's in front of me" I can't wait to see what our future holds-In 2 weeks we will be a forever family of 7---I can't imagine how awesome that will be!
"Mountain Of God"

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me

I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there
To bring me back again

Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me

Andrew's Story

2010-01-04T17:13:00.001-08:00

We all have a story-Families are formed in so many different ways-Birth, marriage, re-marriage, friendship, adoption, ect. All of my children have their own story-special moments of my pregnancy, paper chasing miracles, gotcha moments, sweet baby moments that I will always treasure. I must admit that it makes me very sad to have missed so much of Andrew's story. When we meet him, he will be almost exactly 3 1/2 years old-42 months of his life have passed and we know so little about those months. Our adoption journey has been so very different this time. Special Needs adoptions are handled much differently than when we were waiting for Anna Grace. We saw her picture only 2 months before we met her. This time we have been looking at our sweet boy's face since May of 2009. We have watched his video repeatedly. We treasure each piece of information we have received. I truly never thought I would be the mother of 5 children-Wow-I am so grateful that God's plans are so much bigger and better than mine. I truly planned to be a mom of 2. Times change and I am so grateful that they do! Our journey to Andrew has truly been orchestrated by the Master's Hand. He has been there each step of the way-from the moment we requested more information up until this moment. He knows All-He knows how these next few weeks are going to play out and He knows how Andrew's life is going to be-In the adoption community, we all look for our "Red Thread" the invisible thread that connects us to our children across the world. There have been so many moments during this adoption that our "Red Thread" has shined through. Most of those moments are very special and I look forward to sharing them with Andrew one day. For now, we are going to keep them to ourselves. We feel strongly that because of his age, Andrew's story of becoming part of our family, should be his to tell. I am keeping a scrapbook for him and I am praying that one day he will enjoy reading all about how be became a part of our family. We so appreciate all of your support and prayers. We cannot wait until we can share his photos here with everyone. You can bet the minute he is ours, we will be posting lots of pictures and videos :) We want the world to see how God has blessed our family. He has answered every prayer and moved every mountain in our path-We are so very blessed.

As we get closer to travel, I would like to ask that you please pray for Andrew. He has a repaired cleft lip & palate. We know that he will require more surgery but we are not sure when. Our prayer is that God touch Andrew and heal his mouth. More importantly, we pray that God will whisper in his ear and prepare his heart for his family. We are one more big bunch to meet. The kids are so excited and I pray that Andrew can feel our love. We are so very happy that you can share in our journey! Thanks again for your prayer and support!

Big News......

2009-12-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

We leave on January 19 and will return home February 5!
just in time for the Chinese New Year!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours-Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. We are praying that Christmas brings us news of when we will travel to China to meet Andrew. It is hard to believe that next year there will be 5 in the picture with Santa. We are so very blessed.

Article 5

2009-12-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

We rec'd an email today letting us know that our Article 5 has been issued and that our papers are with the CCAA. Praise the Lord! He is faithful! We are so grateful to have this step of the journey behind us. We were starting to worry that something was wrong. Now all we wait for is our Travel Approval. This typically takes around 2 weeks so we are praying that we will have it by New Year's Eve. We are so ready to book our flights and know the exact day that we will meet our sweet Andrew. Each step brings us closer to him. We can't wait!

Provisional Approval

2009-11-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

Got a call today from our caseworker with Hague that our Provisional Approval had been issued on Tuesday, November 14th-exactly 5 months from the date that we sent our referral in for Andrew. I was thrilled but VERY disappointed that she did not email it to me. She sent it out by "snail" mail so we will not receive it until Saturday. At this point of our wait EVERY day makes a big difference. Our agency will get it on Monday and send it to China with our signed LOA. We need things to move very fast so that we can leave for China on January 19th. Please pray with us that this will happen. If we are not able to leave by then we will have to wait until March to travel because of Chinese New Year. We do not want our sweet boy to be without us until then. Thank you for your prayers.

Hope Project Update

2009-11-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

Hope has become a reality for over 60 children from the China Hope Project. Many of these children are already home with their forever families. There are still boys and girls of all ages waiting, with, and without, special needs. You can see their precious faces, watch video, and read about them by requesting access to our password-protected site. The Hope Project is a unique opportunity to choose your child from China. Our hope and prayer is that each child will be placed into a loving family of their own. Also, we anticipate in the first quarter of 2010 that more children will be added to the Hope Project » We rec'd this update from our agency.

This update made "my heart smile" as Anna Grace and Hayne would say. I am so grateful that we are in this process. That God called us to this journey and we get the special privilege of being Andrew's parents. I am so thankful that the other children on the list are also coming home. If you have ever thought about adoption, this is a great opportunity. A new list is coming in the New Year. I am praying that God is preparing families now for these sweet children.

The Stork(aka-UPS) has landed!

2009-11-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Today was a very exciting day. We were thrilled to see the Big Brown Truck pull up at work. Our sweet UPS guy had no idea that he was "delivering" our baby :) What a relief to have that precious piece of paperwork in our hands! Spent the afternoon checking and re-checking that I had completed everything needed to apply for our I800 Provisional. That one package contained 38 pieces of paperwork-WoW! I said alot of prayers over that package(and Nana did too) before I dropped it in the Fed Ex box. Prayers that God will move our paperwork at lightening speed-at such a rate that there could be no other explanation but God! I am perfectly at peace that it is ALL in HIS timing. I just keep praying that HIS timing will have us leaving sooner than anyone imagined:) We have a wonderful agency and they have helped us so much. We were completely prepared for all that had to be done today. We are hoping that we will get an update or another picture of Andrew soon. They are going to ask but a picture will be hard to get. Our last picture is from March of this year. I can't imagine how much he has changed. This mommy is sure ready for that last piece of paperwork to arrive so that I can go get my son!

It is on it's way!! Woo Hoo!

2009-11-03T13:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Families,

Your LOA packet is being overnighted to you and you should get it tomorrow before noon.

The best email I have rec'd in a long time! We are so excited. As of tomorrow we will begin a new wait---the wait for TA(Travel Approval) The average wait time is 10-12 weeks. We are praying it is much quicker. We are so thrilled that we are getting so much closer to our sweet Andrew! Thanks for all of your prayers!

2009-11-02T07:08:00.001-08:00

Can you hear me shouting HIS praises--I just rec'd an email from our agency that our LOA will be here tomorrow! I am so excited I can barely type-can't quit crying-we are not lost-we are going to China within the next 12 weeks! WOO HOO! Hold on sweet Andrew, your family is getting closer!

Day 62

2009-11-01T18:30:00.001-08:00

We have now officially been waiting for our LOA for 62 days-How is it that time seems to go by so quickly yet it seems so slow? We are so ready to have our LOA in our hands. Once we receive it, it will still most likely be 10-12 weeks until we are able to travel to China to meet Andrew. We are praying that it comes so that we can travel in January. We do not want to get held up because of the Chinese New Year. Travel is pretty much out for February because of the celebration. I can't imagine having to wait until March to travel. I am just praying and believing that it will be January. It is going to be sooooooo cold in Beijing in January. Temperatures drop below zero during January. We went this weekend to start looking for gloves, hats and scarves to take with us. It is going to be much harder to pack for cold weather. When we traveled for Anna Grace it was miserably HOT---Like hotter than we had ever experienced. It was easy to carry shorts and tank tops---not so sure about 3 layers of clothing and coats, hats, gloves and scarves for 7 people. I am thinking we are going to have some serious "over the weight limit" charges from the airlines :) All is know for sure is that, if needed, I can be packed and ready to go within 24 hours :) I can't wait to be in China with my sweet boy. Praying that this is OUR week and our LOA arrives soon!

1,185

2009-10-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

1,185 Days---3 years, 2 months, 28 days---28,480 hours--
That is how long my sweet Andrew has been waiting for a family to come for him---I am praying that it is not much longer until we can get approval to bring him home----Claiming this verse Mark 11:24 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

We attended our 1st Halloween Trunk or Treat tonight. The kids had alot of fun dressing up. Ashton is always such a big help with Anna Grace. She fixed her hair and made her a beautiful Arial. Ashton looked beautiful wearing her China T-shirt and her Uganda beads(I told her she was dressed as an adoption advocate :) Hayne was thrilled to be King Peter from Narnia and Adam went as a "Gold" medal swimmer! We had alot of fun and even met up with Scooby Doo-AKA Kamden & Jodi. Anna Grace was thrilled with her bag of candy and I think I will have to be hiding it all soon-all she wants to do is eat candy :)

Day 56--Please let the end be in sight!

2009-10-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

Another week has started and we are praying hard that we receive our LOA this week. I am at complete peace knowing that it will all happen in GOD'S PERFECT TIMING but yet my heart aches for my little boy. He needs his Mama and his Baba. He needs to be with his brothers and sisters playing in his new bedroom. I keep thinking of how sweet it will be to rock him like I have all of my other little ones. I can't wait to feel his little arms around my neck-to kiss his sweet little face and to hold the hands that I have a picture of---In my mind I keep thinking about how he needs us but in reality I know, it is me that needs him. This mommy needs to have all of her children together in our home. I am so blessed and I cannot wait until our family is complete. I am so grateful to the One who has called us on this journey. If you had ask me 10 years ago about my plans, I can assure you I never imagined this would be in our future. I can honestly say that the great thing about God's plans are that they are such much more perfect than ours. I can't imagine missing out on the blessing of adoption. It is one of the greatest miracles in life. In my plans, I was going to get married, have 2 kids and live happily ever after. In God's will, I was surprised with my 3rd pregnancy and sure that Hayne was our last child. How sad life would be if Hal had not continued to pray that God would touch my heart and open it to the blessing of adoption. There are no words to describe the joy that Anna Grace has brought to our family. She has opened our eyes to a new world and a new need. We have made wonderful, life long friends on this journey and for that alone we will be forever grateful. We long to encourage others to join this journey with us. We cannot pretend that we do not know the need of the orphans of this world. So many people look at us as if we have lost our mind because we are adopting our 5th child-to those I will say, I follow a God who is always faithful-He does not call the equipped, He equips the Called. I could not do this on my own. I have to trust that He will provide and strengthen us each step of the way. I am so far from the mother that I need to be, but I believe that God will honor our obedience. He will give us all that we need to make sure that we meet each of our child's needs. I feel like the luckiest mommy in the world and I cannot wait to hold my son in my arms. I am going to spend my life doing all that I can to ensure that all 5 of my children know how very much they are loved. I want them to love God and help others. That is the desire of my heart!

Pumpkin Painting Party

2009-10-25T14:27:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun at our Pumpkin Party! The kids loved carving their pumpkins. I think the girls had the most fun at the candy table while the boys played football all night. We are blessed with such wonderful friends and family. The best part of the night was when the Tigers beat Miami in overtime-woo hoo!

Day 52- LOA Cheer!

2009-10-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

Today is day 52 of our wait for LOA---So close to the "average" 60 day wait! I so want to be quicker than average :) Each day I wake up praying that today will be THE DAY! I am so ready to be in the final wait for our travel approval. My baby needs to come home! I am still praying and believing that it will not be much longer. They are laying carpet in his room today-Yippee! So very happy to be able to put their Castle bed together. I can't wait to see the finished product. Then I will be able to start shopping for all the things our new little man will need. I want his room to be perfect for him when he gets here. A couple of weeks ago, our friends came over for dinner and to share our referral videos. We are praying very hard that we will be able to travel to China together. We were in the same travel group when we went to meet Anna Grace. We were just able to spend the last couple of days of the trip together since the girls were in different provinces. Both Anna Grace's had fun playing together and Kathleen and I enjoyed talking about how wonderful it will be when our babies are home and are families are complete. Since it was "Football Saturday" we needed to support our teams. I bought an ice cream cake from Brusters and they decorated it for us-Instead of choosing a team to support, I decided to cheer for an LOA---You know----Give me an L- L- you got your L you got your L---Give me an O-O- you got your O you got your O--Give me an A- A- you got your A you got your A---What do you WANT----MY LOA!!!!! Let's hope that this blurry pic brings us some serious luck in the next few days!!!! Thanks for letting this crazy waiting mommy entertain you today :)

Andrew & Hayne's Room

2009-10-19T18:32:00.001-07:00

We have been working on adding a bedroom to our house since the beginning of September. We have enclosed part of our garage and created a bedroom and mudroom. Hayne and Andrew will share the new bedroom. Hayne can't wait! He has begged for a knight and castle bedroom. We were excited when we remember that our paperwork states that Andrew loves playing in the castle outside at the orphanage. It is his favorite thing to do. We thought it would be really special to create a bedroom like his favorite toy. I searched on the internet for ideas for their room. I found a beautiful castle loft bed but it was WAY out of our price range. Imagine my surprise, when I found the same bed listed on Craigslist for a quarter of the price. We were so excited! Hal drove to Ashville and picked it up for the boys! Hayne was so excited when Hal pulled up with it on the back of his truck. He ask me to take his picture with it. It was so sweet. I can't wait to see my boys in this room, playing knights, swordfighting and just enjoying being together. We are almost finished-carpet needs to be put down and we can start moving in furniture. Each day we are closer to Andrew!

Things to do While you wait!

2009-10-14T04:59:00.001-07:00

Things to do(or things to drive you crazy) while you wait for LOA!

*Check emails once every 15 minutes-This accounts for a total of at least 60 times per day-
*Stalk the Rumor Queen site each time you check email to see if ANYONE has any idea that a package is on its way!
*Look at every chart available that gives you an average of how long each family has waited and try to predict where your name will fall
*Call your husband every couple of hours and demand "Are you sure you still feel positive we will only wait 45 days?" (It's like I almost believe he has some type of power to predict:)
*Call your friends who have been through this process and drive them crazy :)
*Call others in your potential travel group and try to guess where your paperwork is at today
*Resist calling your agency and begging them for a "guess" on when you will hear something
*Run to your cell phone each time it rings, cause you just KNOW that this is THE CALL!

Please realize that these things truly happen each day although we were told the average wait is 60 days. I am a dreamer and I just can't quit dreaming that we are going to come in at "less" thank average during this wait :) Some days I am so grateful that we are already approved for this adoption, cause I am sure if a social worker knew how crazed this was making me, we would not be in good shape :)

Note to the ones in charge of signing our LOA'S----Please, please, please send ours this week-Toss this stressed out, internet stalking, dream chasing mommy a bone-we want to bring our boy home!

Day 44-Waiting

2009-10-14T04:50:00.001-07:00

Today is day 44 of our official wait for LOA! Hal is guessing that tomorrow will be the day-I am not so sure. I sure hope he is right-he has said all along that we would only wait 45 days and I will owe him big time if he is right :) The average wait time is 60 days so we are getting closer to that everyday. We so want to get our LOA so that we can start the wait for our TA(travel approval) We are still praying to travel by the end of the year. It will be hard but at this point still possible if we receive our LOA soon. We are so ready to bring Andrew home. We know that he needs to be started in speech therapy and we want to make sure that he is getting all that he needs. We have been told that he is in a wonderful orphanage and we are very grateful. Due to the swine flu scare, things have changed alot. Someone has said that the outside therapists are not allowed into the orphanage and so we are worried about how long he has went without it. I know that this is ALL in God's perfect timing but it is so hard to wait when you know your child needs something. I am so thankful for the wonderful people who are caring for him right now. It is obvious from the pictures and videos that the children are well taken care of and loved. We are blessed and we can't wait to head to China!

i heart faces- Week 40

2009-10-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is my very first i<3faces entry.
The weeks theme is excited and I knew the perfect picture.........

I took this at the beach this summer the day after we found out we had our PA! Oh how excited we were!

Go here to look at other excited pictures!

Happy Birthday Ashton!

2009-09-20T07:02:00.001-07:00

Today is my sweet Ashton's 14th Birthday-I can't believe it has been 14 years since God blessed us with our 1st child. I will never forget the wonder and magic of holding her for the 1st time. It was one of the greatest days of my life. Ashton and I were able to stay at home together each day and explore the world. We had so much fun those days-shopping, making pottery, doing crafts and just being together. We spent almost everyday with Jodi and Max. It seems in the blink of an eye she has grown into a beautiful, talented, compassionate young lady. She is so grown up. I so wish I could freeze time right now. I want us to stay in these moments forever. I am so blessed to be her mommy.
In honor of Ashton I am going to list some of the things I love the most about her-there are so many, many more but these are some of the most important:
1. She is my Firstborn-My heart and soul-she taught me to be a mommy-she taught me that you can mess up and your children will still love you-
2. Her beautiful heart-Ashton has a love for others-she wants to help orphans around the world-she has a deep desire to travel to Uganda and be a voice for the children there-
3. Her laugh-when Ashton gets tickled, she has the funniest laugh-once she starts, she can't stop
4. How she helps us at home-she is the 1st one up in the mornings and she helps get everyone going-she will dress Anna Grace, pick out the boys clothes and pack diaper bags.
5. Her love of adoption-Ashton prayed for us to go back to China from the moment we brought Andrew home-she is the best big sister
6. Her amazing voice-Ashton has an amazing voice and I love to hear her sing-
7. Her amazing computer skills-Ashton is so talented-she loves taking pictures and editing them on the computer-she is awesome at this-
8. Her blog-Ashton has kept a wonderful account of our lives during the last 3 years on her blog-she has a gift with writing and designing beautiful posts and I will always treasure this-
9. Her love of family-Ashton loves her family-she is a wonderful daughter and sister-she loves her grandparents and all of our family and friends-
10. Her gift of gab---Ashton is the only person I know that talks as much as me-She loves sharing adoption with others-I believe that God is going to use her in a big way to help others-

I love Ashton with all of my heart and I am so proud to be her mommy-I can't wait to watch her life unfold and see all that God has planned for her-I know it is going to be amazing!

2 weeks Down!

2009-09-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today we have officially been waiting 2 weeks for our LOA----14 days down and hopefully we are 1/3 of the way there! Still praying that we will get processed quickly so that we can travel by the end of this year. Each day gets a little harder to wait on Andrew. I want to bring him home so bad. I find comfort that he is in a great orphanage and he is receiving speech therapy but I think a family would be the best therapy ever. I miss him so much. The wait is much harder this time than with Anna Grace. We only waited 8 weeks to meet her from the time we saw her sweet face. It has been 4 months and 13 days since we 1st say his face and almost 3 months since we accepted his referral. I so wish I could share his sweet picture with you so that you could see our precious son. His room is coming along quickly. Hopefully within 2 weeks it will be completely done. I can't wait to pick out bed sets and colors for his room. Hayne is so excited to share a room with Andrew. He is going to be the best big brother. All of the kids pray everyday that he is taken care of and that we can travel soon to be with him. I cannot wait to hold him and tell him how much his family loves him. I will post pictures of their room soon!

We will not forget!

2009-09-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Goodbye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK ... I am ready to go." I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe on Me now."

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was with the Firefighters, the Police Officers, the Emergency Workers. I was there, watching each brave step they took.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me...this way...take My hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well.

Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go." I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

~~~ God ~~~

Written by: Stacey Randall

One More Day

2009-09-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day my sweet girl will be 2! Can you believe it? I am just still in shock. I have enjoyed this year with her so much and can't wait for the many more that are coming! Here are pictures of her through the Year.

December

February

May

July

August

Today: September 10
The last day she will be 2

2009-09-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

Things I've Learned About Having A Family of Six

1. Dirty floors don't matter.

2. The bath at the end of the day washes off the day's meals.

3. I hear "Wow, you have your hands full at least 100 times a day." It makes me smile.

4. My husband is the most patient man alive.

5. Groceries that would last other families a month are gone in a week.

6. Lots of "letting go".

7. Cherish the tiny handprints on the wall. They don't last forever.

8. Oxy Clean is my best friend.

9. With 4 kids who has time for the gym?

10. The more LOVE you give, the MORE LOVE YOU HAVE TO GIVE.

Things I've Learned About Adoption

1. It is a miracle

2. Patience

3. Your kids will find you.

4. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

5. Love is all that really matters.

I love being a family of six but I can't wait until we are a family of seven! One day closer to our sweet Andrew!

LID

2009-09-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Just rec'd the most wonderful email from our agency----Our Log In Date with China is Monday, August 31st!!! Woo Hoo! So very, very happy! One more step down in our journey to sweet Andrew in China.
Please pray with us that we will receive our LOA(Letter of Acceptance) in a speedy, record breaking time. We truly need to be able to leave for China on December 22, 2009 and it will take a BIG God size Miracle for that to happen-I believe HE can do it. This is the only way that we feel it will be possible for the kids to travel with us since we have to be in China for almost 3 weeks this time. The average to receive LOA right now is 60 days so we need it to be much quicker---Please pray with us. We want to bring our boy home.
Had lots of fun taking pictures to celebrate!

DTC

2009-08-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

Oh what a happy day!!! Just got an email from our agency and our dossier is on it's way to China! Praise the Lord! So glad to have this part of the process out of our hands. Now we need our LID(log in date) and LOA(Letter of Acceptance). Still praying and believing that our God can do miracles and move mountains and that we can travel by the end of the year. It will take a miracle but I believe. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1

Road Trip

2009-08-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to check our mail today and find our I-797C approval form! We immediately planned a road trip to Columbia! Me, Nana, Ashton and Anna Grace jumped in the car and drove to have it authenicated. We then overnighted it to Carol so that she could get the final approvals. It should be to our agency by Tuesday morning and we are praying it will leave for China on Tuesday afternoon. So very happy to have this part of the process over.

Praying that it is soon time!

2009-08-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

A child sat on Jesus' lap in the splendor of heaven.
The child asked, "Is it time?"Jesus parted the clouds, looked and said,"No, not yet child."
The child asked "When will it be time?"Jesus replied, "When lessons are learned,hardships endured, and loneliness lived,then it will be time."
Time passed. The child asked, "Is it time?"Jesus parted the clouds, looked and said,"No, not yet child."
The child asked, "When will it be time?"Jesus replied, "When maturity is reached,self-worth affirmed and spirits strengthened, then it will be time."
Time passed. The child asked, "Is it time?"Jesus parted the clouds, looked and said,
"Their love is strong and their hearts are open.Yes, now it is time-Your parents are ready."~author unknown

This entire process is in God's hands and I completely trust His perfect timing but I must admit that my mommy's heart longs to hold sweet Andrew. Hold on little one, mommy and daddy are coming as soon as we can.

Happy Birthday Hayne

2009-08-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby boy is 7 years old today! Happy Happy Birthday to Hayne! I am so proud to be his mommy. He is such a joy. He makes life so much fun. Years ago, Hal and I thought our family was complete with Ashton and Adam. Imagine our surprise when I found out I was pregnant(I actually thought that there was something terrible wrong with me, I never imagined I was pregnant). The pregnancy was extremely hard and I spent lots of time in the hospital and sick. I could never have imagined what a blessing I was carrying. Hayne has always been such a sweet and loving child. We have spent many years saying that God's plan is always better than ours. Hayne brings so much joy to everyday life. He makes us laugh out loud on a daily basis. He loves his Anna Grace and never gets upset when she calls him "Haynie Grace" He thinks Ashton is the smartest girl around and loves for her to draw him pictures. Everyday he tries to be more like Adam. He loves him so. Hayne is the one who kept crying and telling us that Andrew needed a family. Even when I explained that it would take time away from him, he still insisted that Andrew needed to be his brother. As Anna Grace would say "it makes my heart smile to hear him use Andrew's Chinese name. Only 3 years ago we came very close to losing our sweet boy. I am crying just typing those words. He was attacked by a dog but I firmly believe that God protected him. It was this same child who begged for a dog this year. I am amazed by him and how he recovered. Hal and I are so blessed with all of our children.
We have had a great day celebrating our little man. He has also enjoyed all of the special attention. He woke early to see the table that was decorated just for him and open his gifts. We went and had big desserts for lunch and then he chose to go to Build A Bear and he made a special dog named Lucky. He had so much fun. We are now waiting for grandparents to arrive so we can have cake and celebrate Hayne.
Thank you Lord for all of our blessings!

Still Waiting

2009-08-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

We have encountered a bump in the road of this adoption journey. A vital piece of paperwork is missing and we have yet to receive our approval. If we get it by this Wednesday, then our paperwork can still go to China on Friday. Please pray with us that this will happen. I understand that this will all happen in His perfect timing, but it is so hard to wait when I know our precious little one needs his mama and baba. A friend reminded me today that thankfully God loves him even more than I do and therefore He will protect him until we can be together. So grateful tonight that I serve a God who can move mountains and speak peace to my soul.

Approval-Woo Hoo!

2009-07-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

Can you hear us shouting all around? We rec'd GREAT news today! Our I800A has been approved-only 20 days since we mailed our application-woo hoo! I think this is one for the record books! I messed up our original package and tried to stop Fed Ex from delivering it to Chicago-I was unsuccessful-Lots of tears and worries on my part. Now I can see that God's hand was in the process all along. Because I had to call the office and explain my problem, I was able to reach a wonderful person who has helped me tremendously. She became my case worker. Today she called me to tell me that she rec'd my cleared fingerprints and that she will get my approval to me on Monday. Woo Hoo! What an awesome, Mountain moving God we serve! I am so thankful. We are driving to Columbia Tuesday to have our paperwork authenicated and then overnighting it to Carol in Washington that day. She will have my completed dossier to me by Tuesday, August 11th. I will hand deliver my dossier to Mei in Charleston on Wednesday. We will get to visit with some of our awesome travel buddies and hopefully we will be DTC by the 14th. One day short of 2 months since we accepted our referral of Andrew. I am in Awe of the miracle of this. Thanks for all of your prayers-please keep them coming! We are still praying and believing that we can meet our son before the end of the year! Hold on sweet Andrew, we are closer than ever!

Birthday Fun! Fingerprint Miracle!

2009-07-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

What a day we have had! Guess how we started our day? We drove to Charlotte and were able to walk in and get fingerprinted!! Woo Hoo! For those of you not into all of the adoption lingo and process, this is a HUGE step in the right direction. Our appt was not until August 19th-3 weeks from now. The kind people in Charlotte helped us so much. This means that we will most likely have our final piece of paperwork before our original appt-Once we have this we can be DTC(Dossier to China)At this point the countdown will begin. We are praying hard that we will be able to travel by the end of this year. Please pray with us that all will fall into place to allow this to happen.
While we were in Charlotte, Nana planned a party for Andrew. We went to her house tonight for pizza and cookie to celebrate our little man's 3rd birthday. You should have seen the presents. Andrew is one loved little boy. He is going to love his Nana as much as we do! It was so much fun-lots of people were there to celebrate--Johnny, BJ, Jesse, Craig, Jodi, Max, Cole, Kamden, Mema, Papa and all of us! I can't wait to celebrate his birthday once he gets home. We are saving all of the presents for him to open.
Happy Birthday to our sweet Andrew-I pray that 5 months from now, you are in your mommy's arms surrounded by your family! We love you!

Letters to Andrew

2009-07-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

My Sweet Andrew,
Tonight you are sleeping in China. Do you know that tomorrow is your birthday? When you wake up you will be a 3 year old. I so wish that I could be there to sing Happy Birthday to you, sweet boy. My heart breaks that one more special day is passing and you are not with us. I pray that you will get your package tomorrow. I hope that the nannies will read your letter to you and show you pictures of your family. We are so ready to meet you. Your brothers and sisters love you so much already. Anna Grace has informed us all that she will be your mommy. She is going to hug you, kiss you and she told us that you will be so happy. I pray you can feel our love right now. I ask God often to whisper in your ear how much your mama and baba love you. We are eagerly waiting for the day when we can come to you. This wait is so hard. I want to hold you and tickle you. I want to have a huge birthday cake decorated with cars and trucks for you. I want to watch you open all of the presents we have waiting for you. I can't wait to see you and Hayne sleeping in your room together. Hayne loves picking out things for you and he wants to match you. He is enjoying helping pick out decorations for the room you and he will share. When we go out, all of the kids want to get things for you. We can't walk past anything "cars" without someone picking one out for you. You are loved-you are our special little boy and we cannot wait until we can all be together forever.
I love you more than words can say! Happy Birthday sweet one-We can't wait to celebrate when you come home!
Love, Mommy

Tomorrow is Andrew's Birthday but it is already nighttime in China so I wanted to send him a letter before he woke up on his birthday!

Care Package

2009-07-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

We just got this picture of our Care Package to Andrew! Ann at Red Thread is AWESOME! She is wonderful to work with-This package will be delivered to our little one on his birthday-I am so excited that he will finally know we are coming(we are praying that they give him the photo album) The orphanage will not accept a cake due to the Swine Flu worry so we sent packaged cookies instead. He will also get this panda bear and treats for the nannies. I pray that they will use the disposable camera and take his picture. What a treat it will be to get those pictures when we meet our boy. Praying that paperwork is moving in the right direction and we are able to be fingerprinted soon!

Video Update

2009-07-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Just rec'd the biggest blessing in the mail from our agency-A video of our precious boy. In the very beginning they are telling him to say Mama and HE DOES!!! Imagine my delight in hearing my son say Mama for the 1st time!! Gotta tell you it was a moment in our house-I remember jumping up and down and yelling for the kids to come. We had not heard it the 1st time we watched. I have been watching those 45 seconds over and over and memorizing all of the details of his precious little face. Can't wait to hold him in my arms. Thanks to our agency for such an amazing gift at just the right moment!

Travel Group Reunion

2009-07-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Lots more pics coming soon-must wait for Ashton to make me some cool collages since we have over 300 pictures of our wonderful weekend get away with our travel group-Wow-There is so much to say but for right now I will let this one pic do the talking-What do you get when you mix 9 beautiful little girls, there huge families and a lakehouse----boat loads of fun!!! Thank you to Gandy and Gil for an absolutely perfect reunion(it would have been beyond perfect if everyone could have been there-we missed you guys)

Guess who's Potty Trained?

2009-07-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of our big girl! She is now officially potty trained. All is took was a visit with Ella to make her realize that if Ella could wear panties, then so could she :) Thanks Ella! We have not had an accident in almost 1 1/2 weeks. Goodbye Diapers, Hello Pretty Princess Panties!!!! Go Anna Grace!

Beach Trip

2009-07-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Lots more pictures to come-Thanks Ashton for the AWESOME collages! You rock! I love all you do!

Gotcha Day Celebration

2009-07-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that today we celebrate that special moment when all of our dreams came true, the moment when Anna Grace finally joined our family. It is one of those moments that I will never forget. Anyone who thinks that adoption is a last resort is so wrong. Adoption is a blessing straight from God that forever changes all who are involved. I cannot imagine how different our lives would be without the joy of Anna Grace. There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't remind us how blessed we are to be her family. I can't imagine how much more blessed we will be once we are able to bring our son home.
Today we celebrated this special day at the beach. Nana went shopping and brought home cake, gifts and more. Anna Grace was thrilled. She kept saying "it's my gotcha day" So precious. She had a ball opening presents and eating cake.
So much has changed in two years. She is no longer a baby. She is growing into such a precious little girl. Thought I would make notes of all that she is doing now.
***She loves Princess stuff more than anyone I have ever seen-You will not see her without a crown or high heel shoes. She always has on a princess gown. We have mortified my other kids letting her dress this way in public but I figure I will choose my battles :)
***She talks non stop. She tells you what to say during a conversation. If she does something good, she will say "say good job Anna Grace" It is quite funny. She also takes opportunities to tell us how our actions are affecting her heart---"you make my heart cry" "you make my heart smile"
***She loves her sissy, ammy and haney grace(these are her names for them) They still think she hung the moon
***She loves to get her nails "done" she makes the ladies at the nail salon laugh everytime
***Bop Bop(my dad) is her favorite person in the world. There is no place she would rather be than curled up beside him watching Barney
***Barney is her very favorite show-she watches it all of the time. She still loves Dora but noone compares to the purple dinosaur
***She has started swimming in the pool with just arm floaties. She is a little fish.
***She is potty trained-woo hoo! Ella came to visit us at the beach and that was all it took. If Ella can wear panties, then so can I!
***Anna Grace is a pure joy! She is a blessing straight from the hands of God!

PA

2009-06-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

We just rec'd a call from our agency that they rec'd our PA from China today!!! We are so excited-Can't wait to finish up our paperwork and send it to China!

Kisses for our sweet boy!

2009-06-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

KISSES IN THE WIND

We hold you in our hearts
and touch you in our dreams.
You are here each day with us,
at least that's how it seems.

We know you wonder where we are...
what's taking us so long.
But remember child, We love you so
and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze
and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always,
We blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand
until We can be with you.
We promise you, our darling,
We're doing all that We can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real,
not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always,
We blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms
and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses
that We send to you each night.

--- Unknown

Missing our sweet boy tonight and praying that things move quickly-

LOI

2009-06-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Today our LOI(Letter Of Intent) was emailed to China stating that we want to be parents to the little one waiting for us in China. This process is much different than with Anna Grace. Now we await China's approval (PA) Then we can officially know that China accepts us as his parents. I am knee deep in paperwork and online classes right now. It is crazy but we are SOOOOO excited! Can't wait until we can send our dossier to China and begin the official wait! Please pray that things go quickly.

Blessed with four-Bringing home one more!

2009-06-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

So much to share with you sweet friends-We have accepted the referral of a precious little one in China. We are not able to share info about him right now but I can say that soon it will seem as if we have twins running through our house. We are excited and blessed beyond belief. We ask that you join us in prayer during this time-Prayer for God to prepare his heart for us-Quick bonding and attachment----That God would continue to heal his needs---That our paper chase will go quickly so that we can bring this precious one home. It is our desire to be in China with him for Christmas this year. Can't wait to share more---Thanks for your prayers!

The 1st time we saw her face

2009-05-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that 2 years ago today, we saw the face of our little angel. Here is what I posted on our blog that day-
UPS delivered our baby at 10:15 this morning. Stork Chad was shocked to know he was delivering but he was a great sport! I can't put into words the pure joy of seeing my babies face for the 1st time. It was so much better than I ever imagined. Unbelievable-Amazing-Breathtaking! I am even more in love. In the 2nd picture we rec'd, she is holding a bear and it has the initial "A" on it. How neat is that? She looks so tiny and petite. Her lips are perfect and precious! I know that is the mommy talking but I think she is the most precious, beautiful thing I have ever seen! I don't know how we will endure the wait to go get her

Nothing could have prepared us for the joy of that moment-it was a love so intense that I could not believe I had to wait 2 months to hold my daughter-she was ours and we were thrilled and so thankful to God for orchestrating the entire process. I can't believe how much she has grown in these 2 years. It is as if she has been with us forever. We are forever changed by the beauty and gift of international adoption. I would go back again today if it were possible.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

What a blessed day we have had. He is Risen!! What could be more wonderful? I am so thankful that we can worship our Savior and celebrate that the tomb is empty!
We have had a wonderful weekend with our family. On Saturday we spent the day at Nana's having our annual Easter party. We dyed over 15 dozen eggs, hunted eggs, had a cookout and each child received a basket of goodies from the "Nana Bunny." Nana works so hard to make this a fun day for all of our friends. We had 17 kids playing and having a ball. Today we went to church and then had lunch at Nana's. The kids are enjoying a beautiful day in the sunshine. It has been such a great day. We are all sad that they have to go back to school on Tuesday. Hope you all had a blessed day also!

Spring Break

2009-04-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

We have had a great Spring Break around our house. We started our break with a family trip to Edisto Island. We have not been since Adam was a baby-the years fly by! It was so much fun. We went shelling on a private beach and the kids were able to take some beautiful shells home. We watched dolphins play in the bay, played with crabs on the beach and saw an alligator outside of the indoor pool. It was an exciting weekend. We also got to visit with Ella and her family. Thanks guys for a great time!

Gettys Talent Show

2009-03-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Last night Ashton sang in the talent show at Gettys Middle School. This child has way more confidence than I ever did at this age. She took to the stage like a pro and sang her heart out. It was spectacular! Unbelievable! She opened her mouth and blew us away! It was so awesome when the audience would start clapping and yelling while she was singing-She received 2nd place and we are so proud. I see American Idol in our future :) Papa says he is volunteering to take her since he has never been-he says he can picture her giving him all the credit for getting her there(of course BJ has plans too)
We are blessed with such a supportive family. The boys loved holding the signs that Nana made and Ashton had an arm full of flowers from Nana and Mema. I think she knows how proud we are of her! We are blessed! Way to go Ashton!

Swim Regionals

2009-03-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to leave the block!
With 2 of the Greatest Coaches ever!
Getting some last minute advice!

Ready to swim
Way to go-He just nailed his flip turn!
How many people does it take to get a cap on? :)

Filling up on a good breakfast at Cracker Barrell
We spent our weekend in Raleigh for Swim Regionals. Adam swam on Saturday and Sunday. We had so much fun with the rest of the team. The YMCA took 7 swimmers to compete. We had 2 great coaches go with us-Thanks Larry and Ce'line-We appreciate you! They are such great encouragers to ALL of the swimmers. This is such a great family sport and we can't wait for the season to start again.

Long Time No Update!

2009-03-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

As you have noticed I haven't updated in forever! We have had lots of sickness in our house and are praying it will soon end!! Since I have updated we have been to the state swim meet which was lots of fun and got a big surprise..... SNOW! We never get snow and this was a great surprise! We only got 4-6 inches but the kids were ecstatic! I will be posting lots of pictures within the next few days but or now enjoy these!Snow Day!!Swim Meet

New Blog Design

2009-01-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have the best daughter in the world! Don't you just love this new blog she designed for me in honor of Chinese New Year? She is the greatest. Her talent amazes me. Head on over to her blog at www.ashtonsmeimei.blogspot.com and let her know how awesome her work is! I can't wait to post all of the beautiful pics she has photo shopped for me-I love you Ashton!

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

Our little Chinese Princess quite enjoyed her photo shoot with all of her "China" goodies. She kept holding her tea pot and cup saying "Mommy I love my China set, mommy I love my China umbrella, ect." She is very much loving anything that came home from China with us. It makes me smile. I hope that we will always be able to encourage her and teach her how blessed she is to have such a rich heritage. Tonight we are celebrating with our family at our favorite Chinese restaurant. We are a day early but they are closed on Sundays to be with family and we wouldn't miss celebrating with them.

Anna Grace Day

2009-01-21T13:27:00.001-08:00

Here is a rough draft of our sweet Anna Grace's Gotcha Day! Tell me what you think!

2009-01-21T05:50:00.001-08:00

This is a VERY rough draft of our Gotcha Day video of Anna Grace. It has taken me almost 19 months to get it downloaded from my video camera to computer. I am having a video made but I wanted to share this with those of you who have continued to ask. I did add music but I could not figure out how to silence the video so please bear with me. I love this song-I clung to it during our 2 year wait knowing that it would be worth it. I find it amazing that my favorite part of the song is when Hal gets to hold his daughter for the 1st time. This precious man waited for his girl for 15 years. He prayed and waited patiently for me to hear the call to adopt. I am so grateful that he was so faithful to the call and willing to wait for the right moment. Our lives have forever been changed. I would go back to China tomorrow if I could. Hopefully soon we will have the professional video to share with you.

Happy New Year

2009-01-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is 2009. Wasn't it only last week that we were home from China with our newest little one? Time has flown. I remember a time when "time" was measured by initials. DTC, LID, TA--- now we have been home with Miss Anna Grace for 18 months. Time has flown by. I don't get to update my blog as much as I would like. I am going to attempt to do a better job. Becoming a mommy to 4 children has been wonderful but very bad for scrapbooking days. I am so grateful to have my blogs to remember exactly what has happened during the last 18 months. When I do have time to scrapbook, I will have a tool to help me remember dates, milestones and more. 2008 was wonderful for our family. We are so blessed. We have done so many fun things and I am looking forward to 2009 being even better. I have so many plans and dreams but I must remind myself that most days I do well to dress everyone, check homework, plan dinner of some sort and get everyone to bed. As I read Mary Beth Chapman's Christmas letter, I was reminded that I need to enjoy the little moments. Stop cleaning and play a game. Enjoy bedtime routines and listen to my children. Stop trying to just get through a day and actually enjoy it. These are hard things for me. I spend most of my time just getting by. I want to be a part of my children's lives in even the smallest things. I am going to strive to put them first. My house will be here long after they are gone(mind you I do not have a spotless house, I just feel like I spend all of my time trying to keep it from getting completely out of control) Laundry piles up daily and I have a hard time getting it put away. I need an organization fairy to come to my house and smack me with her wand. I dream of Clean House choosing me as their next project-a girl can dream! I am spending this week doing my best to organize and clean while the kids are at school so that our evenings can be spent together. Next week it will be back to work selling t-shirts. I am enjoying the break and praying that my fairy will show up(think Princess Aurora singing "Someday my prince will come" except it is me "Someday my fairy will come, someday I'll find someone who can clean through the clutter and help me be a good mother" ha ha!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful New Year. I will be back this week to post lots of new pics of all the kids. We had a wonderful break from school and have lots of pics to prove it :)
Here's hoping 2009 is all that you dream it will be!

Christmas Fun

2008-12-28T11:14:00.001-08:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas with our family this year. It was full of laughter, fun and food. We started Christmas Eve with Hal's family at our house. We enjoyed lunch and some gift swapping. My family came over later in the evening to celebrate my brother Johnny's birthday. It was so wonderful to have him home this Christmas. The kids had a ball and we gave them their gift from us(Guitar Hero Bundle). It was quite hilarious to see the adults play guitar and sing. I think we may have enjoyed it more than the kids. Uncle Johnny seemed to really enjoy helping the kids decorate cookies for Santa. Hayne ate every one that he decorated-poor Santa :) We are so very blessed. We were able to spend a very special day with all of our brothers, sisters and parents. There is not much more in life that you can ask for.
Christmas morning, everyone was at our house again to see what Santa had brought. We had a huge flashback moment as we watched Anna Grace cleaning in her high heel shoes(Many years ago, Ashton did the exact same thing-I am going to have to dig out our old photos and show you) Mema and Hal cooked a yummy breakfast and everyone had a great time. Next we headed to Nana's to see what Santa Bop-Bop and Nana had left for the kids. We spent the day there and it was so much fun. No rushing around - we actually relaxed and enjoyed our time together. It has been a wonderful Christmas. It is so nice to celebrate with those we love most.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and yours a VERY Merry Christmas and a VERY Happy Birthday to my little brother Johnny!!! Happy Birthday!!

Christmas Joy

2008-12-17T12:00:00.001-08:00

Hayne is such a joy! He is so excited about Christmas. He loves his jammies and his Christmas animals. What a precious boy! We are blessed.

Prayers for Pappy

2008-12-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

Jodi's daddy, AKA Pappy, has been re-admitted to the hospital. His chest has opened up and the wires have come loose. He will have surgery on Friday to repair the damage, graph muscles and clear away possible infection. Please pray that there is no infection and that he recovers quickly. There is a possibility that he will have to go back to the ICU and be on a ventilator so please join us in praying that it doesn't happen. Our prayer is that the surgery is quick, no infection is found and he is able to return to a regular room so that he can be home for Christmas. Please also pray for peace and comfort for Jodi and her mom. This is such a hard time of the year to be sick, especially when Jodi has 3 kids at home, school parties and Christmas preparations. She loves her daddy so much and wants to be with him but her kids need her also. We are enjoying our time with her kids as she is with her daddy. My kids love having them over-Hopefully I will have great news to post soon.

Don't forget to scroll down and see all of the new pics I have added!