Perfectly Imperfect

Just in case you have been wondering....

2009-10-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth!! I have not been kidnapped by aliens, nor have I abandoned all hope of ever blogging again! I have just been really busy, OK!!

Now that we have that settled. I can tell you about the last year. Wow, what a year. I would love to be able to say that the reason I have been so busy is because we have been doing so many fun things this year that I just didn't have time to blog. But the truth is, this has been a very difficult year for our family. We have had to deal with some major family issues that I won't get into, but we could still use your prayers. Thankfully, things are getting better, and the Lord has walked with us every step of the way, and continues to help us through our troubled times.

We have had some really great times this year also, and I will be happy to recap those for you in words and pictures. I will do a series of posts to catch up on the last year for you. Enjoy.

Cardboard Testamonies

2008-10-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Get the tissues ready!

Happy 4th Birthday Alenna!

2008-10-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Alenna's 4th birthday! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! She has grown up and changed so much in the last 2+ years that we have been home with her. She has been a blessing and a challenge and has helped me to grow in so many ways. Thank you Lord for giving me the chance to raise this beautiful, smart, sassy and sweet little girl!
P.S. As you can see, she is a future professional Ukulele player! :)

Sugery was a sucess!

2008-09-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Alenna had her surgery. She went in at 11:00 am and came into recovery around 12:15. The surgery went well, she had to have 7 silver caps done on her molars in the back and several cavities filled in her front teeth. She also had to have one tooth extracted. It was not the one that we thought was going to have to be pulled, the tooth the Dr. thought he would have to pull turned out to be OK, but the one on the bottom that has been hurting her so much was dead. When they pulled it they found a large abscess that they didn't know was there. I am so thankful that they found it and were able to treat it. I can see the Lord's hand in this from the very beginning. It truly was a miracle that we were able to get her into the Dr. so quickly and that she was able to have her surgery so soon. It might have saved her life. Thank you for praying for Alenna and us, she is doing really well and is already back to her old self!

Funny thing about Chinese names....

2008-09-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I was in the car with Alenna, Arianna and Brandon. Alenna was sitting in her carseat and calling for Arianna. For some reason Alenna was calling Arianna by her Chinese name, Xiao Wen. As Alenna was calling her Arianna was not responding to Alenna at all, so I told Alenna that Arianna was the name that her sister wanted to be called by and that Xiao Wen was her Chinese name. Anyway, I went on to explain to Alenna that her Chinese name was Xiao Yu. When I said that, Alenna said "Xiao Me?" No, I said your Chinese name was Xiao Yu. Alenna again said, "Xiao Me?" I not Arianna! I'm Alenna! I tried several more times to explain it to her, but I don't think she quite got it yet! I will keep trying though.

Follow up on story...The next morning we were in the car again, and the subject came up again about the Chinese names. I was still trying to get Alenna to understand that her name was Xiao Yu. After a few tries, Alenna gets fed up with me, points to Arianna and says "XIAO HER"!!! I just let it drop after that! Needless to say, Alenna is quite the character!

Please pray for Alenna

2008-09-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

We found out yesterday that Alenna was going to have to have dental surgery to fix her multiple cavities and to redo and try to save her tooth that was just filled last week! Her surgery is scheduled for next week. She is in pain from her teeth, so I am very thankful that she will be able to get in so soon. Please pray that all goes well and that they will be able to save her tooth.

School days have started :)

2008-09-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

So, now that school is in full swing, my life is starting to settle down a little. But not much! Bryan is a Junior! in high school this year, I can't believe where the time has gone. It was just yesterday that he was a chubby little baby. Brandon is a freshmen in high school, he seems to be enjoying it OK. Annika started middle school this year and really likes it. She's not to sure about the homework, but knowing her it won't be a problem. Arianna started school here for the first time. She wasn't too happy about going to school at first, I'm sure that she thought that she was done with school and work once she left China, ha ha! But now that she has been in school for awhile she seems to be happy and says that she likes it. She has a wonderful, sweet teacher who I think will be great for her.
Alenna is happy to have me all to herself pretty much full time now, and is enjoying some peace and quite around the house. Since I didn't have enough to do with my five kids, ;) I offered to babysit for a friend. So now we have a baby around the house again for a few hours a day. Alenna does really enjoy playing with her, so it is nice to have her here.
I am happy to have a routine again! I can now get my cleaning done without tripping over kids all day, and maybe work on some projects this fall.

Misc. cute photos....

2008-08-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Where to start?

2008-08-19T08:07:00.001-07:00

As you have propably already guessed I have been very busy lately! Since we have been home from China we have done VBS, had out of town company, gone to Sliverwood, and been to the beach! So, I will start with VBS and go from there...
This year was Arianna's first VBS and she loved it! Every day she would ask if we were going to VBS again tomorrow. She really enjoyed the songs and doing the hand motions along with it.
On the last day of VBS Arianna's best friend Lauren and her mom Deanna came to visit us! It was a really wonderful visit and I feel so blessed that they live close enough that we can get together, and that the girls' can see each other.
The day after Lauren and her mom left, we went up for a day trip to Silverwood. All the kids had a great time riding the rollercosters and playing in the water park.

This last weekend, we left for the beach and spent three days there. In a interesting turn of events we found out that we would be going to the same place at the same time as Lauren's family! So, we decided to just stay together. We had so much fun! We spent one whole day at the beach, we had a campfire and roasted hot dogs and just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. It was really great! I came home feeling much more relaxed and calm. Now it is time to think about school as the kids' will be starting soon!

China Video

2008-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

My wonderful friend Deanna, also known as Lauren's mom, put together this amazing video for us of our first moment we saw Arianna in the Civil Affairs Office in China until the moment we flew off from Guangzhou, China. Enjoy!

First week home!

2008-07-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we have now been home for almost a week. And what a week it has been! It feels like it has been a month since we have stepped off the plane. So to recap what has been happening I will start with our flight out of Guangzhou, China.
We left our hotel the White Swan at about 5:45 am. We drove to the airport went through all the security and check in process and then sat and waited until it was time to board. When we boarded our first flight I told Arianna that she had to wear the seatbelt. She was not happy about that at all! She cried the first and only tears I have seen over the seatbelt! After about 10 minutes of trying to get out of wearing her seatbelt she finally realized I meant business and she was going to wear it whether she wanted to or not. She quite fussing about it and settled in. We never heard another peep from her the rest of the trip home. She was a wonderful traveler.
When we stepped off the plane at our final destination we had to go through US customs and Immigration. Boy, was that a pain! You wait and wait and wait in line only to be put into another line were you wait some more. When you finally get through the lines they take you to a room were, you guessed it you get to wait some more! About two hours after our plane landed we finally got to meet our friends and family that were waiting so very patiently for us. Arianna and her best friend Lauren also finally got to see each other again after a four month separation. They didn't rush into each others arms like I thought they would have, but they did have a very sweet reunion. We spent the weekend with Lauren's family and friends so that Lauren and Arianna could spend time together before we came home. I hardly saw Arianna the whole weekend, her and Lauren were having so much fun together. I was glad to see that they had the chance to see each other and spend that time together. I also enjoyed spending time with Lauren's mom. We have also become good friends, so it was just as enjoyable for me as it was for Arianna.
On Sunday we had a nice drive home and stopped and did some shopping along the way. The kids got some new back to school clothes, and I got some great deals on them. so we were both happy. After we got home we rested for awhile then went out to DQ to meet some friends to introduce them to Arianna.
On Monday I had to do some grocery shopping, I think that Arianna was pretty overwhelmed with the store and wasn't quite sure what to think. She was able to pick out some things that she wanted and hopefully will eat.
On Wednesday we went to the park to play, Arianna really enjoyed that! She just played and played. I'm sure we will be back to that park again soon.
On Thursday I introduced her to an online learning site and she spent most of the day working on her English. I was watching her and she was doing really well. I don't think it will take her any time to be fluent in English. She already has alot of words and understands quite a bit of what we are saying to her. Arianna is a very sweet girl and you only have to tell her once to do or not do something and she remembers it. She is picking up new words every day. She loves her sisters and bothers very much! It feels like she has always been here. The way they run around the house and play it makes my heart just melt. When she gives me kisses and tells me that she loves me, I am just a puddle on the floor. I am so thankful that she is our daughter, and that the Lord chose us to raise her.

Orphanage visit

2008-07-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Arianna's orphanage. It was an interesting experience. Arianna was very happy to be able to go back and say goodbye to her friends and to show off her new family. When we got to the city that she is from she recognised it right away. She directed our driver to the right road to go down to get to the orphanage. When we drove through the gates she saw one of her friends walking around. She jumped up in the van and wanted to get out while it was still moving! We had to tell her to sit down again and wait until we were stopped before she could get out. We could not get the door open fast enough! After we got out she lead us right to the orphanage office and she ran in and said hello to everyone. All the people in the office were just as happy to see her. We could tell that she was very well liked by everyone there. We then went up to a reception room and had some local fruit and tea and visited with the vice director of the orphanage. A little later we got to visit the children that were in the orphanage and specifically Arianna's friends. Her friends were very happy to see her too. We had brought some treats for the kids that Arianna and Annika and Tim handed out. The kids all enjoyed them very much. There was one little boy that Lauren's mom and I wanted to know about, because he is good friends with Lauren and Arianna. I was able to find out his name and his age and that his file had been sent to the CCAA already. We found out that his file and Arianna's file and three other girls' files had been sent at the same time, but Arianna was the only one of the five children that had a family. It just tore my heart out to know that these beautiful children might not have a chance to have a family. I know that I will do everything I can to find out were the file for this little boy is so that I can advocate for him and he can find a family also.
After we spent time with the older kids we went upstairs to see the babies and Arianna's old room. There were only a few babies and as far as I could tell they all had SN's. There was one tiny baby who was very cute, but I don't know if it was a boy or girl. I think it was a girl,if it was and she was healthy she will most likely find a home with a family in China. The orphanage that Arianna comes from does a lot of domestic adoptions.
Arianna's room was nice, in that it was clean and neat. Her bed was a youth sized bed with metal rails all around it and a wooden board for the bottom. On top of the wooden board was a bamboo mat and a couple of blankets. There is a major problem with mosquitoes there so the windows had screens, but I don't think it helped much.
After our tour of the orphanage and the grounds, we loaded back up into the van and drove a short way to a Chinese restaurant. It was a very nice place, and we got to eat in a private room. After some tea and chatting for awhile our food started to come out. The first dish looked really good, it was some fried meat and onions and peppers. We were given one small piece of meat each to try first. We asked our guide what it was and she told us that it was Camel meat! I tried it, it tasted pretty good but it was very chewy and the texture left much to be desired. After that they started bringing out more and more and more food. Some of our choices were eel with it head still on the plate, abalone in the half shell, massive shrimp with two inch legs hanging down, whole small crabs shell and all, cooked lettuce, mushroom with fish meat, and watermelon. After a very short time Tim decided that he was way to full to eat any more. I was pretty brave and tried almost everything. Some was good,some was not. We spent about two hours just eating lunch and visiting with the orphanage staff. When we were done eating, we went outside and got pictures of everyone with the director.
We headed back to Guangzhou at about 1:45 pm. On the way back we ran into some road construction that we had to go around, so we ended up away from the expressway that we needed to be on. We ended up getting very lost! Our guide and driver had never been to the city that we were in so they didn't know how to get back onto the expressway, so we ended up paying a motorcycle taxi driver to lead us through the city and back onto the right road. It was quite the adventure! The drive back should have only taken us about an hour and 45 minutes but it ended up taking us until 4:00 pm to get back. At one point our guide said that we may need to stay the night in the other city! When she said that I started praying hard! When we got back to our hotel I thanked the Lord many times for getting us back safety and on the same day!
After all that we just had a nice quiet evening and cheeseburgers at Lucy's.

Visa Pictures and Medical Checkup day

2008-07-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty quiet day, all we had to do today was the Visa pictures and Arianna's medical checkup which is required to get a visa from the US consulate. It was very hot today, so we mostly stayed inside and rested. I also had to do the consulate paperwork today and that took about 1 1/2 hours to do with our guide. Tim stayed with the girls and they played a game or two and watched TV. This evening we went out again with our group to dinner at the Cow and Bridge. We also had three new families join us from their children's provinces. There is one little boy and two baby girls now in our group besides the families that are from Guangdong like us. I don't really have any pictures from today as there was not much to take pictures of. I wanted to get pictures of Arianna going through the different medical stations but it was very full in the clinic and I was busy with helping her. So the only picture I got was of her standing outside the clinic.
It was just another nice day, we are really enjoying ourselves but we are also getting homesick and missing our kids at home alot. I will be ready when it is time to go home.

Day 5 with Arianna

2008-07-11T05:17:00.000-07:00

Boy, what can I say? It was just another wonderful day! Each and every day has been so wonderful and Arianna is so good and each day she gets even better. This has truly been one of the best experiences of my life. I just can't say enough good things about adopting an older child. Sometimes I think back to the beginning and think about some of the fears I had with adopting an older child, but Arianna has just blown out of the water any fears or thoughts of fears I had. She is just amazing! Her laugh is just so beautiful to hear, and when she kisses me and tells me that she loves me, I am just a puddle on the floor! She is truly a joy and is so much fun! Her and Annika get along so well, and play together all the time. She is also getting better with her English every day. Today she told me that she wants to be an English teacher. I thought that was very sweet. She also knows her ABC's and can read some English. She comes up with a new phrase she has learned every day also.
I think the highlight of her day though is getting to talk to her best friend Lauren. When it is time to call, she just lights up and is almost bouncing off the wall she is so excited. I love to hear Arianna and Lauren just chat away in Chinese. They get so animated when they talk. Well, it is time to get two tired little girls to bed!

Day Three with Arianna

2008-07-09T04:19:00.000-07:00

Today was another wonderful day with Arianna. She is such a joy and so easy. I feel like I am on a very nice vacation. Today was a pretty quiet day, we mostly stayed in the room because it was raining all day. The weather has been really nice. Not to hot, but still very humid.
Arianna has warmed up to us today. Last night she would allow us to hold her hand and hug her, but she really didn't seem to want us to get to close. This morning when she woke up, I got down on the floor next to her. She said "MaMa" and grabbed my hand and held it close to her. After that she just opened up and by this evening she gave me a kiss on the check and was happy to give me a hug. We also had a lot of fun today playing tickle with her and Annika. She has the sweetest laugh. Arianna and Annika also chased each other around the room including over the bed. After a few minutes of that we decided it was time to get out of the room! Today has been such a good day and I know tomorrow will be even better. I know that life will never be the same again, it will just be better!

Sisters

2008-07-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Annika and Arianna have very easyly moved into their roles as sisters. I love watching them walk around holding hands. I think they already have their own secret language. Arianna and Annika talk all the time, and Annika seems to understand her very well. I am so glad that we had the chance to add another child to our family. The people here ask how many kids we have and when we tell them that we have five children they say that we are a very lucky family. I agree.

Pictures!!!

2008-07-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures from our day. I wrote a post on our Journey to Me website, so I won't repete here. I will say that she is just wonderful and we could'nt be happier!

We have Arianna

2008-07-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

Today has been wonderful! Arianna is just too cute for words. She is a very happy little girl. Arianna and Annika have hit it off well, they are almost joined at the hip. We are having some technical difficulties in posting pictures, so I will get it figured out and post tomorrow. We are also very tired!

We are in China!!!!

2008-07-06T18:45:00.001-07:00

We got into Guangzhou at about 10:30 last night and arrived at our hotel at around 12:00am. We were very tired and ready for bed. Tim did mostly OK on the flights but his leg got very swollen. It is still a little swollen so we would love it if you would pray that would get better. We will be getting Arianna at about 2:30 today. It was so nice this morning to hang up her clothes and get things ready for her. I am praying that she will have a good trip to Guangzhou and that she will feel comfortable with us. I will post again after we get her settled in.

4 days to go and a bump in the road!

2008-07-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we are 4 days away from leaving for China! I am so excited that we are so close! I keep wondering about what Arianna is doing these last few days and what she is thinking about as she gets ready to leave the only home she has ever know forever. Is she maybe a little sad to leave her friends, but also happy knowing that it is her turn to have a family? Probably some of both and maybe some fear of the unknown. I have spent many hours over the last months praying for her and for us as we become a family.
We have also had some unexpected excitment this week because my husband Tim and our daughter Annika had an accident on Tim's motorcycle. On Saterday they were out on a fun ride on some country roads and came up on a stop sign without any warning. Tim looked both ways to make sure there weren't any cars coming and then grabbed the brakes. The front tire locked up and they hit some gravel on the road and rolled the bike. Both of them have pretty bad road rash, Tim tore up both his arms, fractured his pinky on his left hand and tore up his knee and leg on the left side. Annika scraped up her elbow and arm and possibly fractured her elbow. She has a few scraps on her back but otherwise is doing fine. Thankfully, things were not worse then they are and this will not delay our travel. But, I am about done in trying to deal with their injuries, caring for them, keeping up with Alenna, running errends, and taking them to the Drs.! I feel tired just writing it out! Tim and Annika do seem to be feeling better today, so I'm hoping they will be able to do more for themselves today and I can get back to getting ready for our trip!

What is she thinking about?

2008-06-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Arianna. There is just something about this picture that makes me wonder what she is thinking. Her eyes are so beautiful and I wonder what is going on behind them. When this picture was taken she was just reunited with her best friend Lauren after a three day separation. We have a video of the reunion and you can tell how much these girls love each other. At the time this picture was taken I don't think that Arianna knew if she would ever see her best friend again. This was a last goodbye for her, as far as she knew.
I also wonder how she is feeling right now, knowing that her family is just days away from coming to get her. She has waited her whole life for this moment. She has seen many younger children come in and then leave a few months or years later, and yet she is still there waiting. I know that I have had many struggles with waiting for our paperwork to go through and waiting to go to China to bring Arianna home, but there is no comparison to what it must be like for her. It gives me a whole new appreciation for Arianna and for all that she has been through in her life. I also hope it will be a reminder to me to be patient when things don't always go the way I want them too. Because, even though Arianna didn't know that she would be reunited with her best friend, she was truly happy for Lauren and knew that someday soon her family will be coming for her too. And now that day is almost here!!

China trip website

2008-06-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

I will be posting on this blog and on our new website at www.journeytome.com under the name Arianna Sumner. I hope you all will continue to follow along!

I'm happy to report....

2008-06-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

That we finally have travel dates!!! We will be leaving for China on July 5th, and we will arrive in Guangzhou on July 6th!! We will then have our "Forever Family Day" with Arianna on July 7th. I am so glad that we can now count off the days until we receive our precious new daughter! I hope that you will all pray for us as we travel, that things will go smoothly and pray for Arianna as she is being prepared to join her new family. We will be posting on this blog during our stay in China.

Give me a T, Give me an A...

2008-06-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

And what does that spell? TA!!! YAY!! We heard from our agency today that our TA's are winging their way to us. So that means that we will most likely be leaving for China July 4th and receiving Arianna July 6th. In some ways that feels like forever, but I know the time will pass quickly and we will be in China before we know it! And then you all will be able to see new pictures of our precious daughter with her family!

Older Child Adoption

2008-06-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

I would like to spend a few minutes talking about older child adoption. Last fall, when I was starting to feel the pull to adopt again I spent alot of time looking for a baby that was younger then Alenna. I was hoping to find a baby that was around a year old or younger. I brought the information about several babies to Tim hoping that he would feel that one of them was our new daughter. He never did. At the same time the Lord was using several different things in my life to help me open my heart to an older child. Not to long later Arianna became available. When I showed her information to Tim he told me that he would consider it. After much prayer we decided to adopt her. Even though she was completely different then what I thought I wanted for a fifth child I couldn't be happier. But, I do want to talk about some of my reasons why I was so hesitate to adopt an older child and why I now feel so strongly about older child adoption.
One of our biggest fears were that she would not want to be adopted. We were afraid that we would go through the whole process, get to China and find out that she didn't want a family. Another fear was that we would not be able to understand her and that she could not understand us. I also wondered whether she would accept our religious beliefs. I also had to consider how I would feel knowing that we had missed out on so much of her life, and the fact that we probably would not have any pictures of when she was a baby or younger child. On top of all that, there was the issue of attachment. Will she attach to us, or will we be just another caregiver for her? These were all very real fears for us and things that we had to consider and work through. In spite of these fears we took the step of faith to adopt an older child. Now that we are so close to bringing her home I can see how the Lord has worked to calm our fears and show us that it is OK. I know from the bottom of my heart that we will be so blessed that we decided to have faith in where the Lord was leading us. One of the ways that the Lord has shown us that this is right, is that our biggest fear was that she would not want to be adopted. Through the contact of Arianna's best friends family and the person that sent us pictures this week, I can say with assurance that she does want to be adopted and is very excited about her new family. The person that sent me the pictures from this week had this to say about her" Her eyes tell the story" Finally I have someone to love me, finally someone has chosen me". Those words are so precious to me. I truly can't imagine what it would be like to be an child growing up in an orphanage seeing younger kids come in and stay for awhile and then leave for their new life with a family. It would be so hard wondering when it was their turn to be adopted and wondering why it hadn't happened yet. Every year getting older and knowing that someday time would run out and they would be too old to be adopted. My heart breaks for those whose time has run out and now they are without hope. If in reading our story, your heart is opened to the idea of adopting an older child, I hope you will. I am glad that there are so many families that are wanting to adopt babies, I think it is so important to get these kids out of the orphanages as soon as possible, but there are just as many if not more wonderful older kids who need homes and families too. And their time is swiftly running out. If anyone has questions about older child adoption, please feel free to ask me. I would be happy to answer and questions.

New pictures from TODAY!!!!

2008-06-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

This morning when I checked my e-mail I was thrilled to find new pictures of Arianna from someone who had visited her at the SWI today! He had many sweet things to say about her and it was such a blessing to know that she is doing well. He told us that her favorite subject in school is English! She is very happy to have a MaMa and BaBa, and is excited that we will be there soon to get her. I have been so blessed with this adoption that we have been able to get so many pictures and video of Arianna and to have people that have met her, to tell us what she is like and how she is doing. I am also thankful that when I needed some encouragement the most the Lord provided that in the form of these new pictures. God is Good!!

Life in fast forward!

2008-05-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

So, why is it when you are waiting for something time seems to stand still but after you get to what you are waiting for life goes in fast forward? It has already been two weeks since we got our LOA and I can't believe how fast it has gone. I do have to say that I am very thankful that I have the time to get ready for our trip. I have already got most of Arianna's bag packed and ready to go. I have been doing "some" shopping for her, and she is going to be one well dressed little girl! I am just so happy to be able to do things for her. Now all we need is our TA and we will be off to CHINA BABY!!!

LOA Baby!!!!!

2008-05-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today at 12:35 pm our agency called to tell us that we got our LOA!!! I can't believe this wait is finally OVER!! I am so over the moon happy about it. Now I have to get busy and get all our stuff done! And get ready to bring our girl home!!!!

2 Year Forever Family Day!

2008-05-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, in a hot, stuffy Civil Affairs Office in China, a smiling nanny brought in the tiny est, sweetest, baby girl I had ever seen. I walked over to her and held out my hands. She reached for me, I reached for her, and we have not let go of each other since. Alenna has brought so much joy and laughter into our lives. I can't imagine what life would be like if she wasn't a part of it. I feel blessed every day that I am able to be her mom.

New old pictures..

2008-05-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week my friend Deanna told me that they had disposable cameras that they had sent to Lauren before they adopted her. She was going to take them and get them developed and see what was on them. Last night she scanned and sent me a couple of the pictures that were on there. Arianna was in them! These were taken many months ago, and maybe even before we started the process to adopt Arianna. So it was pretty exciting to see this little snippet of her life. On a sad note I noticed the older girl that is standing behind Arianna and Lauren. She looks so sad and without hope. She is probably too old to be adopted, so I wonder what will happen to her. It is so important to find homes for these children before it is to late. I really hope that our story will help someone who might be thinking about older child adoption.

I'm trying to figure this out...

2008-05-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out how to take this blog private. I think that I know how to do it now. What I need is for you all to send me your e-mail and then I will send you an invite to read this blog. I have my e-mail listed now so you will not have to leave a comment. Thanks for understanding!

CCAA and changes

2008-04-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Because of the many changes in the China adoption process and the new requirements from the CCAA I feel that I need to change my blog to be more protected. So, starting next week I will change my settings to invited viewers only. If you would like to be added to that just e-mail me and I would be happy to add you. Thank you for understanding. Christy

What a wonderful weekend!!!

2008-04-21T09:09:00.001-07:00

This last Saturday I had the chance to drive up and visit Arianna's best friend Lauren and her family. It was such a great visit! We had the hardest time leaving. Lauren is such a sweetheart and it is amazing to see how well she has adjusted. Deanna, Lauren's mom and I have become very good friends and she was the one that has put in all the hard work to give me new pictures and video of Arianna. I feel so blessed to know her. We got to meet all of their family and friends and I really enjoyed it. I am just so thankful that Arianna and Lauren will be able to continue their close relationship after Arianna comes home. I can hardly wait to see the girls together again. Annika and Alenna really loved Lauren also, Annika was carrying Lauren around and Lauren was carrying Alenna around. It was just too cute!

Slideshow of Arianna

2008-04-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

2008-03-24T19:09:00.001-07:00

Easter Traditions

2008-03-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the girls and I went to my mom's house to dye Easter eggs. It brought back many memories of years past, I love how these sweet traditions are passed from one generation to the next. I also love to see how much our girls have grown and how close they are to each other. It is bittersweet in that Arianna is not here yet and missing out on this, but I know that next year when she is here with us it will be even more special.

Well, here's what you are waiting for...

2008-03-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

NEW PICTURES!!!! I had a wonderful conversation with Deanna the mom of Arianna's best friend. She told me that they had a very good day at the orphanage and that they really enjoyed meeting Arianna. Deanna told me that Arianna was a very sweet, smart, helpful, and outgoing little girl. She also said that she couldn't be cuter. She also told me that her daughter Lauren and Arianna are best friends! They did everything together, including sleeping and eating. I am so glad that they will be able to continue to see each other and talk to each other after they are both home. I was very happy to hear that Arianna is being well cared for and loved at the orphanage and that the Director of the orphanage was a very caring person. This is really one of the best days! I can hardly wait to go and get my girl!

I can hardly breath!

2008-03-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited!!!! There is a family that I have become good friends with that is in China right now getting their beautiful daughter! Their daughter is from the same orphanage that Arianna is at, so they are going to the orphanage tomorrow to visit. They are going to take pictures and video of Arianna for us and give her the care package and photo album that I have sent. They have had a long hard wait to get their daughter and I am so happy that they are finally in China getting their girl, I am also happy that they are able to visit the orphanage and get pictures for us. It will help me so much with this wait. So, check back soon to see the new pictures!

Happy Birthday Annika!

2008-03-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

Annika turned 11 years old this last week! I can't believe how fast my baby girl is growing up. Annika has been a blessing to our family from her first moment. I am so thankful to have her! I love you very much!

Good news today!

2008-03-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our agency just e-mailed me to let me know that we have our LID (log in date) and believe it or not it is today! Our dossier headed over to China on March 6, and was logged in today March 14th! It came much quicker then I expected so I am very excited now! And having a much better day!

Hard day

2008-03-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am having a really hard day today. I don't know if I just don't have enough things to do to occupy my mind or if it is just the emotional letdown now that we have our paperwork sent off. Some days I can handle the wait and some days I just want to pull my hair out. Today is a hair pulling day. I look at the calender and count the days and I just feel so depressed that we will not be able to travel in May like we are hoping too. I know that if we don't travel by May we will most likely have to wait until September to travel and it hurts too much to think about. I know that the Lord is in control, but when I think about how hard this is for Arianna, waiting for us to come and get her, it makes it harder for me. I am so ready to go and get her! It does seem like things might be speeding up some, but I don't know if it will be enough for us to travel in May. I could really use so prayers right now and maybe a new project to keep me busy.

Drumroll please.....

2008-03-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

The big day is finally here! We are DTC!!!! Our agency just let me know today that our dossier will be hand carried by our agency director to China this week! I can't believe how fast things are going! On another note, Annika got her passport this week. Guess, how long it took? One week! That's it! Just one week! When we received it in the mail, I about fell over! This same thing happened when we were in the process to adopt Alenna. Everything happened for us so quickly. I really hope it continues and we will be able to travel in May to get Arianna. I am so ready to bring her home.

Father Daughter Ball

2008-03-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Last night my husband took our daughter Annika to the annual Father Daughter Ball. It was a wonderful experience for Annika and I know that Tim enjoyed it also. After the party was over Tim and I were talking about how wonderful it is that he was able to take Annika to this Ball and be treated like a princess. It is very important to us that our daughters know how they should be treated by the men in their lives. As they grow they will know the love of a father, and the main man in their life, so that when they are grown they will be able to find a loving, caring husband that will treat them like queens. Before the ball started I took some pictures of Tim and Annika, and I have posted a few of my favorites. I can't get over how fast Annika is growing up, she is such a lovely young lady, and you couldn't ask for a better daughter!

Happy Birthday Sweet Arianna!

2008-02-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

Today is Arianna's 10th birthday. It is a very important birthday, this is the first year of her life that she is in the double digits, and this is also the first birthday that she has a family waiting for her. Even though we can't be with her we are thinking about her all of the time. I hope it is a good birthday for her.

New Pictures!!

2008-02-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to share the new pictures that we recived today. The pictures were taken in the last week. I just want to sit and stare at them for the longest time. Arianna is sooo cute! I can tell that she has lots of personality and she looks happy and well cared for. I am so glad to see these new pictures.

Adoption update

2008-02-13T20:46:00.001-08:00

So the reason that I have been so busy lately is that we have finally sent our dossier to our agency. We should be DTC (dossier to China) by the end of the month. YAY!!!! After we are LID (logged in date) we should be able to travel about three months later. So, we are looking at May-June to travel to China.

All about Alenna....

2008-02-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

Were do I start? Alenna has taught me so much as a person and as a mom. To say that I am in awe of her would be an understatment. From the very first moment that we met each other she has welcomed me into her heart with open arms. She has been through so much hardship in her short life, but yet she is the most trusting and loving child. Just the other day she came up to me and put her arms around be and said "I wub you mommy" I was just a puddle on the floor. She is so full of life and personality. When Alenna is around you know it! Life will never be boring or quite with Alenna in it. She loves her friends and rejoyces over the simplest things. Her current favorite thing is Misson Friends at our church. Every week she asks me if she gets to go to Misson Friends again, and when I say yes, she goes "hurray"! I feel so blessed to be her mom.

All about Arianna....

2008-02-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

What we know about our new daughter is that she likes school, treats her friends like sisters, she very excited to be adopted and is very pretty. We don't know much about her yet, but I am so looking forward to getting to know her and to know what her personality is like.

Wow!

2008-02-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since I have posted! I have been pretty busy lately but I will tell you about that later. Now it is time to finish my posts all about my kiddos.

All about Annika....

2008-01-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

Annika was my first and much prayed for daughter. I spent two years asking the Lord to bless me with a daughter and He decided to bless me abundantly. Annika is a bright and beautiful young lady, with a bright future ahead of her. She is sweet, kind and very smart. She has been such a blessing to me from the day she was born. I couldn't ask for a better daughter and friend. I so much enjoy spending time with her. Like her older brother Brandon, she has a dramatic side that is very fun to be around. Annika likes to play with Alenna, spend time with her best friend, read, watch her favorite TV shows, and play games. She also has a wonderful heart for the Lord. When she was just three years old she asked Jesus into her heart and from that time on she has been a dedicated Christian and has always had such a sweet spirit about her. She has a servant's heart and loves to help others. I am very blessed to have her in my life.

All about Brandon...

2008-01-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

Brandon was the second child to enter our family. Brandon is also the one that taught me the greatest lesson in motherhood. That a mother's heart grows with each new child, and that you can love each child equally. Brandon is a charming handsome guy, he has lots of friends and enjoys spending time with them. He is also very tenderhearted, he helped out in our Church's VBS program last summer and I was told by the teachers that he was helping, that he was very good with the younger kids and they all looked up to him. Brandon enjoys acting, playing video games and playing games with his family. He is also a great big brother to Alenna. He has a wonderful heart for the Lord and for people who are hurting. He has been a huge support in our efforts to adopt and even gave up his room when we brought Alenna home so that she could have her own room. He is a deep thinker, and I always enjoy talking to him and seeing what he thinks about things. I am always surprised at what he comes up with. I am very blessed to have two such wonderful teenage boys. We really don't have any problems with either of them.

All about Bryan

2008-01-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

Bryan is my first born. He is the child that made me a mom. As my first born he will always have a special place in my heart. Bryan is the kindest, most gentle and helpful person you will ever meet. He loves to help others and is always the first to notice when someone needs help. He has a heart for the Lord and is a real sweetheart. I am very lucky to have such a great teenage boy! These are some of my favorite pictures from the last year. As you can see he is also a great big brother.

It's time...

2008-01-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

to introduce each of my kids. I will start with our oldest Bryan and end with our youngest Alenna.

We have PA!

2008-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Finally after 7 weeks of waiting we have pre-approval from China to adopt our precious girl. I know that I didn't have anything to worry about, we didn't have any reason for China to reject us, but I still worried. A lot! It is like a huge burden off my shoulders to hear that we have been approved. I don't know why I worry so much about these things, but I know that for the last week and a half I have been hard to live with. But now I feel like the sun has come out and life can go on.

Pictures of Arianna

2007-12-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the few pictures we have of our daughter. We hope to get more soon, but until then I will just have to admire the few I have. I love how she looks like she has so much personality. I think that she is going to be alot of fun. I can hardly wait!!!!

I've got mine...

2007-12-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

do you have yours yet? I purchased this really adorable outfit from another adoptive mom, who is fundraising for their adoption. I just love it and Alenna looks so cute, of course. ; ) You can find the blog for this mom here. //http://www.hopeyfopey.blogspot.com/

First Snow

2007-11-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a beautiful snowfall, so today Alenna got to go outside and play in the snow. She really wasn't sure what to think of it. But, I think in the end she liked it ok.

We have news!

2007-11-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

My DH and I have decided to adopt another little girl from China!! Her name is Arianna and she is 9 yrs old. We are beyond excited about our new daughter. I hope to be able to post pictures soon. We think that she is the most beautiful little girl.

Trick or Treat

2007-10-31T22:17:00.001-07:00

Carving pumpkins

2007-10-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was time to carve the pumpkins. This is Alenna's first time with this great holiday tradition. Last year we had too much going on to really get into pumpkin carving. Thankfully this year is much calmer. Alenna was not to sure about sticking her hand into the pumpkin to get the seeds out. So instead she turned her pumpkin over into the bowl and pushed on the bottom to push the seeds out. She is very good a problem solving but in this case it didn't work too well for her. We ended up helping her with the seeds, but I did get some cute pictures of her trying to push those seeds out. You have to give her points for trying. :)

Trip to the Pumpkin patch

2007-10-30T09:46:00.001-07:00

On Sat. we went to the local pumpkin patch. Annika and Alenna had a great time. Alenna got to visit her first petting zoo. I think that she liked the rabbit the best. Then Alenna carefully picked out her pumpkin. It was a great day for all.

Ride for Matthew

2007-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

On tues. my DH was part of a motorcycle ride for a little boy named Matthew. Matthew is 9 years old and has terminal cancer. Friends of his family wanted to do something for him as a memory, so they organized this motorcycle ride in just three days. Over 125 motorcycles where in the event. After riding down the street to his house each rider parked and then walked up and presented Matthew with a stuffed animal. It was an amazing thing to see. My DH was glad that he had the chance to be a part of this event.

Open House at our local firestation

2007-10-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

On Sat. our local firestation had an open house. My DH and I took the girls and went to it. I think that they had a good time.

Alenna's quilt

2007-10-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

We are very fortunate to live next door to a wonderful lady that is not only a good friend, the mother of Annika's best friend, but is also a excellent quilter. She made this lovely quilt for Alenna recently and Alenna just loves it. She will only sleep with this quilt on her bed. If you try to put any other blankets on her bed she takes them off and sets them on the floor outside of her bedroom door. I don't know why, but she does. I guess it's just another one of her cute little quirks.

I love taking pictures....

2007-10-06T10:12:00.001-07:00

with my new camera and I can't help wanting to share them. Enjoy!

A perfect fall day

2007-10-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Baby Girl

2007-10-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

Monday was Alenna's 3rd birthday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday that she welcome us into her life with open arms. I have to say that very few children embrace life like she does. She has gone through so much struggle and pain in her short life but it has not broken her spirit. Each day she teaches me something new. She brings so much life into our home and no one is ever bored around her. I can't begin to say how blessed I am to be her mom, and I must have done something right for God to have chosen me for the job.

Goin' Bye Bye

2007-05-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

One of Alenna's favorite activities it to make up and outfit of things that she finds around the house. She then grabs her purse and says bye bye to me and heads out the door. It is just too cute and I love it when she does this. Toddler hood is such a wonderful time and flies by just too fast.

Fun pictures of Alenna

2007-05-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been trying some new things with my camera. These are few of the photos I have been taking. I am pretty happy with the results. What do you think?

One Year Ago Today

2007-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

We were handed a tiny, sad little girl.My heart just broke when I saw how small and underfed she was. Over the course of this last year she has blossomed so much. She is not so tiny anymore, she is very well fed, and she is an amazingly happy little girl. Such a difference a year can make!

Pretty pictures of my girls

2007-05-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures last Sat. at our local park. I think that they turned out pretty good.

Housecleaning

2007-03-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, I hate housecleaning. It is my least favorite thing to do. But lucky for me a have a little cleaning fairy that loves to do it for me. I caught her in the act a couple of times and took pictures to prove it. Don't you wish you had a cleaning fairy like me? ; )

The sweetest thing...

2007-03-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

happend to me today. I few days ago I was asked to speak at my oldest son's high school class because they had just done a study of China. I was happy to come and speak and tell the kids about my trip to China and the things that we experenced there. I brought Alenna with me and the kids just loved her. Anyway, today my son brought home a large package of letters for me from all of the kids in the class. They had handmade Thank You notes for me that were just wonderful. I was really moved to see how much they had learned from what I had told them, and how great they thought Alenna was. I will be saving those notes for Alenna for when she is older.

Before and After pictures

2007-03-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

These are the before and after pictures for Alenna. The first was the referral picture taken in China. The second was after we brought her home. As you can see in the pictures, you really can't tell that she ever had a clelft lip.

My Sweet Alenna

2007-03-11T22:49:00.000-07:00

I would like to tell you about my little Alenna. She is truly one of the greatest joys in our lives. When I first saw her referral picture, she has the sweetest smile on her baby face. She was about eight months old in the picture. She had not had her cleft lip surgery done yet, so there was this big hole in her lip, but I thought that she was the most beautiful little girl. I knew that when her lip was repaired that everyone else would be able to see the beauty that I saw. It is truly amazing what can be done with a little surgery. Now she is a very healthy happy little girl.

The beginning of our Journey

2007-03-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

Our Story began many years ago, when I was just 17 years old. A lady from our church was the sister of Bertha Holt from Holt International. She was very active in telling people about the needs of orphans around the world. The adoption program in China had just opened up, and agencies were seeking families for the children. As she was telling me about this I decided that someday I would adopt a little girl from China. The years passed and the Lord blessed my husband and me with three wonderful kids. Two boys and one daughter. After our daughter was born I remebered my dream of one day adopting a little girl from China, but I was way too young. I still had many years before I would be old enough to apply to adopt. Plus my husband was not interesting in adopting. EVER! So I prayed, cried, and prayed some more. After many years of praying, the Lord put it on my husbands heart to adopt from China. YEAH!!! I had spent many of those years researching China adoption and looking a Waiting Child lists. For those of you who don't know, Waiting Child lists are files that adoption agencies have of children that have minor to major special needs, like cleft lip and palate, or heart defects or Hep. B+. So, when we decided to adopt I knew that my heart was open to a special needs child. But my husband was not too sure. I had found this beautiful little girl with a cleft lip and palate that I just fell in love with. With much prayer though my husband realized that she was our daughter and we proceeded to adopt her. She has been one of the greatest blessings in our lives. This blog is about her, and it is a way for me to avocate for other wonderful special needs kids that just like her need special homes and families to love them.