IT CAME! IT CAME! IT CAME!

FINALLY! Our 800A approval came in the mail today!! Yeah! I do have a correction to make! I quit looking at the calander a few wees ago out of pure frustration, so I got off a alittle somewhere - it's NOT exactly 7 weeks, today marks 6 weeks and 6 days since we mailed our application so I'm off a little! I think for simplicity, I'm claiming a 7 week wait! But who cares?? Mike overnighted the approval to DC so HOPEFULLY we will be DTC (dossier to China) sometime next week! Keep your fingers crossed! We will be celebrating tonight my friends!!!

He did it again!!!

If you look back at my old blog (or you may just take my word) I remember so many times when I would get REALLY down about the process, teary, irritable, just had enough and then God would send me a sweet something or somebody to brighten my way. Sure enough, it's happened again!! I don't want to whine tooo much - my poor RQ friends have probably had enough - but we are into week 7 waiting for our 800A approval, this is the LAST step to send our paperwork to China, and that is WAY to long!

The good news? An "old" cyber friend from Huaian that I connected with during Sam's adoption discovered she had a bunch of pictures of Will and her daughter Leah taken when they were babies- and she emailed them to me last night...Let me tell you they were both just darling babies! My favorite is of Will and Leah sitting on the table Leah with flowers in her hair and Will glaring a hole through a bowl of meatballs! He's obviously a hungry boy! I know they were "Chinese" meatballs, but I can't help but think it's foreshadowing to his future as an Italian! :)

Hope these pictures make you smile like they have me!!! By the way, if you click on any of the pictures, it makes them alot bigger and even cuter!

Happy 1 Year Gotcha Day Sammy!

Time flies....boy does it! It's truly amazing to think back that's it's been a full year since Mike and I walked into Civil Affairs to find a very brave, happy little guy sitting there waiting to see what the heck was going on today. He was full of curiosity and concern for the other crying babies and really just wanted to play cars. It's amazing to think the transition he's been through, the transition we've all been through. Describing adoption is like describing childbirth or marriage to someone who's never been there, it's so unique and so powerful. I have not one regret, not one....he's yet another love of my life. Mike and I believe in our heart adopting is a calling God ment for us

Once our eyes are open we cannot pretend that we do not know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know, and holds us responsible to act.
Poverbs 24:12


It's a difficult thing for some to understand, but we decided long ago, we weren't doing this to please others, we were doing this to grow our family and please God. Some of those we love the most I don't think understand completely, but that's ok, we are all unique people, with unique experiences and values. With all things in life, there are no guarantees it will be easy, and adoption isn't always, it's just been sooo worth it!

Happy Gotcha Day!!! We couldn't love you any more!!!!

I don't know how....and I don't know why......

but our fingerprint appointment notice came yesterday from immigration!!!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!! I so desperately want to get our dossier to China....and I realize when I really think about it that things have progressed pretty quickly, but I've been pretty stinkin impatient. I think it's part of it you can't help, we ALL want to get our children home ASAP. For us, we are waiting on immigration clearance right now to be DTC and they've been pretty slow processing our paperwork. I called Friday and they said we weren't even in the computer yet and it would be another 10 days or so before we received our appointment notice, so when I opened the mailbox and found it there, well....I did what anyone would do...I did the HAPPY DANCE!!!!!

Once upon a time.....

a few weeks ago at our local neighborhood pool, something magical happened!!!!! Brynn and Syndney happily played babydolls in the wadding pool. Mike contently played cornhole practicing for the upcoming tournament. Jessa and her friends, laughed, and dunked each other, and Sam and his pool buddy Ethan (whose just about the cutest little guy ever and I threatened to kidnap and take home every weekend) rolled their cars and boats around the edges of the pool and I SAT DOWN AND DRANK A MARGARETTA!!!! It was truly magical and I had to share and capture the moment in photos!!!