Please join me over at our NEW BLOG: http://www.bakerssweets.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Saturday, June 09, 2007
I'm finally back!
Yes, I know... I have been a bad bloggin' momma. We have been back from China for 9 days and I am just now getting back on my feet and involved with my computer. Here are some photos from the past 9 days. I promise to be more diligent about posting!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
8 days and counting!!!
WOW!!! It has been a while since I have posted! SORRY!!! We have been running around trying to get all the last details in place for our trip. We leave on 5/18 so that is 8 days away!!!! I took some pics of the little kids room. The decorating is not totally done yet and the room is COVERED in the stuff we are planning to bring to China with us PLUS the luggage so excuse the clutter!!!
We plan to post daily to our other site so visit us there while we are in China!
www.myadoptionwebsite.com/Luke
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
WHOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
We take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to show everyone what happens when a teenager buys the LIGHTEST hair dye available on the market ("Beachy Blonde") and then dyes her hair in her bathroom with the lights dimmed so know one knows what shes doing.
The ends of her hair were colored last week courtesy of a red Sharpie. She said she was "bored" in class. Hmmmmm..... Imagine that.
This is what Kiah thought about Katelyn's new hair color.
Ditto.
A quick picture break.
I openned the guest bathroom door 2 Saturdays ago to see this.... the guilty has not yet come forward. It has been suggested by a certain 4 yr old that Luke probably did it.
Blowing bubbles on the deck.
You know you're tired when you fall asleep while you are talking on the cell phone.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
7 Years ago today and the miraculous journey that we are on.
In a previous post I mentioned that I really needed to make a proper post concerning all the blessings the Lord has given us. I'm going to try to do that here.
First let me back up a little bit. 7 years ago today, Brandon and I were checking into Fairfax Hospital's Women and Children's Center trying to prepare ourselves for the most difficult thing we (together and separately) have ever had to face.
In Jan 2000 I became pregnant. We found out mid-February and soon discovered we were pregnant with fraternal twins. My due date was Oct 2, 2000. Immediately afterwards we lost the first twin which we know through the Lord to be a little girl who we named Samantha Leigh. She left us on February 10, 2000. The pregnancy of the remaining twin continued to be troubled. I was on bed rest from that point forward. It was at this time that we discovered that the surviving twin was a boy who we would name Brandon "Connor". At this point I was still spotting even with the bed rest.
We had several ultrasounds and it was soon discovered that I had a complete placenta previa. My doctor seemed very hopeful that as the pregnancy continued that the placenta would move up and back and the previa would correct itself. 2 weeks later I had the Alpha-Fetal Protein blood test (AFP test). The AFP test is where a blood sample is drawn from the mother to check the levels of AFP. AFP is a protein secreted by the fetal liver and excreted in the mother's blood. It is generally used to provide a screening for neural tube defects like spina bifida and ancephaly. I didn't give much weight to this test as the test came up elevated when I was pregnant with Katelyn. Additional testing during Katelyn's pregnancy showed no issues and the theory was that my pregnancy dates were wrong which skewed the reading.
I had the test and as predicted, it came back elevated. I didn't sweat this since I had been through it before. My doctor scheduled a Level 2 ultrasound. During the ultrasound baby Connor was PERFECT. After the ultrasound we met with the tech for a few minutes and all seemed good. She did make an offhand comment that my cervix seemed short but that my doctor would get back with me in terms of the results. I WAS HAPPY! She gave us the proverbial "pat on the tush" and sent us out the door. My mother and I went to the store, bought some blue balloons and a card and placed all our little boy's ultrasound pics in there to give to Daddy. It took about 25 minutes to drive home and when I walked in the door, Brandon was on the phone with the on-call doctor. You know in the movies when something happens and you hear that record scratch noise??? Well, imagine that playing right about now.
My regular doctor was out-of-town so the on-call doctor proceeded to explain that although the baby was OK, my cervix was dangerously short (1.5 cm) and that I was to be on full and complete bed rest until I could be seen by the Antenatal Testing Center. To make a long story short, after many tests (blood work, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc.) we were ushered into a small office and the Antenatal Specialist explained that I had a placenta accreta.
A placenta accreta is a condition where the placenta grows THROUGH the uterus and into surrounding internal organs. The placenta is considered to grow like a cancer. My placenta was growing through the floor of my uterus into my bladder area and dangerously close to major arteries. It was also breeching the sides and back of my uterus and may have already invaded nearby organs. Essentially, the placenta was growing out of control and it did not know to stop. With the seriousness of my condition we were told that without surgery I would surely not make it through another week. And our son, who was only 18 ½ weeks along, would have to be born early. We were told that his little body would not be prepared for life outside of the womb and that at 18 ½ weeks, our son would not even qualify for any type of neo-natal intervention. They were not sure but they felt by the images they had seen that I would have no choice but to have a hysterectomy. I immediately told the doctor that a hysterectomy was not something I would consider. I WAS ONLY 29!!! She told me the other option was to leave the uterus but I would then need to visit an oncologist. They were afraid that they would not be able to get the pieces of placenta growing within the wall of the uterus and that the placenta would then begin to grow again. Did you say the "O" word??? Ok, a hysterectomy will be fine.
By this time my cervix was no longer visible and I was 60% effaced which meant delivery was imminent. On May 1, 2000 Brandon and I packed up and checked into our private room where we were visited by many specialists. We were surrounded by my loving family.
On May 2, Brandon Connor Baker was born silently into this world amidst 12 doctors and nurses and while he was still warm, he was quickly taken to the arms of my waiting family. Our Reverend came the next day to baptize our son. My internal organs were saved and I was released from the hospital 3 days later. In the middle of chaos, God blessed us immensely
The following days, weeks and months were the hardest.… grieving for our son, grieving for our fertility, the absolute dark days of depression. EVERY DAY was a struggle.
Through a series of absolute miraculous events that were guided and orchestrated by the Lord, 2 1/2 years later we were blessed with the adoption of Jacob and then 2 1/2 years after that we were blessed with Kiah. We are now waiting to travel to get Luke.
Now let me show you a little something…. Our adoptions have all circled around dates. I think the Lord uses dates to confirm His will for us in terms of the adoptions. There have truly been so many "red threads" through our processes that I would have to say that even a non-believer would have to say these adoptions were the hand of God. The most recent instance was so glaring that I was stunned.
In the Bible it says that what has been lost will be restored. What you seek, you shall find. Knock on the door and it will be opened.
Look at this:
Samantha Leigh: due to be born in October but arrived in February
Kiah Faith Mackenzie: born in February and arrived to our family in October
Brandon Connor: due to be born in October but arrived in May
Luke Kellan Gabriel: born in October and will arrive to our family in May
We were officially matched with Luke on 8/22 (me and Brandon's birthday)
We got PA for Luke on 9/28 (my sister Danielle's birthday)
We received our INS approval exactly 4 months from the day we first saw Luke's face
We were DTC exactly 4 months from the date we first saw Luke's face
Our Consulate Appt of 5/29 is my Mom's birthday.
Luke was born on Oct 26, 2005 while we were in Yingtan, Jiangxi adopting Kiah. In fact the day that he was born we were touring Kiah's hometown of Yingtan and visiting her finding location. Little did we know that a couple of provinces away, our new son was being born. He was abandoned ofn 10/30/05 as we were flying to Guangzhou to get Kiah's VISA.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight....Prov. 3:5-6
Psalm 138
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
There is no doubt that the Lord has blessed us far and above what we are worthy of or what we could ever imagine.
We continue to pray that Lord continues to place his hands over this adoption as we prepare to travel to China on May 18th to bring Luke home.
My final words for this post for everyone are... pray, pray, pray - Let God direct your steps!
First let me back up a little bit. 7 years ago today, Brandon and I were checking into Fairfax Hospital's Women and Children's Center trying to prepare ourselves for the most difficult thing we (together and separately) have ever had to face.
In Jan 2000 I became pregnant. We found out mid-February and soon discovered we were pregnant with fraternal twins. My due date was Oct 2, 2000. Immediately afterwards we lost the first twin which we know through the Lord to be a little girl who we named Samantha Leigh. She left us on February 10, 2000. The pregnancy of the remaining twin continued to be troubled. I was on bed rest from that point forward. It was at this time that we discovered that the surviving twin was a boy who we would name Brandon "Connor". At this point I was still spotting even with the bed rest.
We had several ultrasounds and it was soon discovered that I had a complete placenta previa. My doctor seemed very hopeful that as the pregnancy continued that the placenta would move up and back and the previa would correct itself. 2 weeks later I had the Alpha-Fetal Protein blood test (AFP test). The AFP test is where a blood sample is drawn from the mother to check the levels of AFP. AFP is a protein secreted by the fetal liver and excreted in the mother's blood. It is generally used to provide a screening for neural tube defects like spina bifida and ancephaly. I didn't give much weight to this test as the test came up elevated when I was pregnant with Katelyn. Additional testing during Katelyn's pregnancy showed no issues and the theory was that my pregnancy dates were wrong which skewed the reading.
I had the test and as predicted, it came back elevated. I didn't sweat this since I had been through it before. My doctor scheduled a Level 2 ultrasound. During the ultrasound baby Connor was PERFECT. After the ultrasound we met with the tech for a few minutes and all seemed good. She did make an offhand comment that my cervix seemed short but that my doctor would get back with me in terms of the results. I WAS HAPPY! She gave us the proverbial "pat on the tush" and sent us out the door. My mother and I went to the store, bought some blue balloons and a card and placed all our little boy's ultrasound pics in there to give to Daddy. It took about 25 minutes to drive home and when I walked in the door, Brandon was on the phone with the on-call doctor. You know in the movies when something happens and you hear that record scratch noise??? Well, imagine that playing right about now.
My regular doctor was out-of-town so the on-call doctor proceeded to explain that although the baby was OK, my cervix was dangerously short (1.5 cm) and that I was to be on full and complete bed rest until I could be seen by the Antenatal Testing Center. To make a long story short, after many tests (blood work, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc.) we were ushered into a small office and the Antenatal Specialist explained that I had a placenta accreta.
A placenta accreta is a condition where the placenta grows THROUGH the uterus and into surrounding internal organs. The placenta is considered to grow like a cancer. My placenta was growing through the floor of my uterus into my bladder area and dangerously close to major arteries. It was also breeching the sides and back of my uterus and may have already invaded nearby organs. Essentially, the placenta was growing out of control and it did not know to stop. With the seriousness of my condition we were told that without surgery I would surely not make it through another week. And our son, who was only 18 ½ weeks along, would have to be born early. We were told that his little body would not be prepared for life outside of the womb and that at 18 ½ weeks, our son would not even qualify for any type of neo-natal intervention. They were not sure but they felt by the images they had seen that I would have no choice but to have a hysterectomy. I immediately told the doctor that a hysterectomy was not something I would consider. I WAS ONLY 29!!! She told me the other option was to leave the uterus but I would then need to visit an oncologist. They were afraid that they would not be able to get the pieces of placenta growing within the wall of the uterus and that the placenta would then begin to grow again. Did you say the "O" word??? Ok, a hysterectomy will be fine.
By this time my cervix was no longer visible and I was 60% effaced which meant delivery was imminent. On May 1, 2000 Brandon and I packed up and checked into our private room where we were visited by many specialists. We were surrounded by my loving family.
On May 2, Brandon Connor Baker was born silently into this world amidst 12 doctors and nurses and while he was still warm, he was quickly taken to the arms of my waiting family. Our Reverend came the next day to baptize our son. My internal organs were saved and I was released from the hospital 3 days later. In the middle of chaos, God blessed us immensely
The following days, weeks and months were the hardest.… grieving for our son, grieving for our fertility, the absolute dark days of depression. EVERY DAY was a struggle.
Through a series of absolute miraculous events that were guided and orchestrated by the Lord, 2 1/2 years later we were blessed with the adoption of Jacob and then 2 1/2 years after that we were blessed with Kiah. We are now waiting to travel to get Luke.
Now let me show you a little something…. Our adoptions have all circled around dates. I think the Lord uses dates to confirm His will for us in terms of the adoptions. There have truly been so many "red threads" through our processes that I would have to say that even a non-believer would have to say these adoptions were the hand of God. The most recent instance was so glaring that I was stunned.
In the Bible it says that what has been lost will be restored. What you seek, you shall find. Knock on the door and it will be opened.
Look at this:
Samantha Leigh: due to be born in October but arrived in February
Kiah Faith Mackenzie: born in February and arrived to our family in October
Brandon Connor: due to be born in October but arrived in May
Luke Kellan Gabriel: born in October and will arrive to our family in May
We were officially matched with Luke on 8/22 (me and Brandon's birthday)
We got PA for Luke on 9/28 (my sister Danielle's birthday)
We received our INS approval exactly 4 months from the day we first saw Luke's face
We were DTC exactly 4 months from the date we first saw Luke's face
Our Consulate Appt of 5/29 is my Mom's birthday.
Luke was born on Oct 26, 2005 while we were in Yingtan, Jiangxi adopting Kiah. In fact the day that he was born we were touring Kiah's hometown of Yingtan and visiting her finding location. Little did we know that a couple of provinces away, our new son was being born. He was abandoned ofn 10/30/05 as we were flying to Guangzhou to get Kiah's VISA.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight....Prov. 3:5-6
Psalm 138
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
There is no doubt that the Lord has blessed us far and above what we are worthy of or what we could ever imagine.
We continue to pray that Lord continues to place his hands over this adoption as we prepare to travel to China on May 18th to bring Luke home.
My final words for this post for everyone are... pray, pray, pray - Let God direct your steps!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Videos of Luke from early April.
A huge THANK YOU goes out to Amy Heymann who traveled in early April to adopt her daughter Sarah from Nanjing SWI. Amy got back from China a couple of weeks ago. She posted pics of the waiting children while she was in China and this morning she posted the video that she took during her SWI visit. There were 3 of Luke!!! THANKS AGAIN AMY!!!
LUKE BABY... JUST A COUPLE MORE WEEKS AND WE'RE THERE!!!
THANK YOU LORD!!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
TRAVEL PLANS!!!
WOW!!! It has been a very hectic exciting wonderful 2 days!!! We received our Travel Approval on Monday and then we received our confirmed Consulate Appt on Tuesday around 11:30am. By 3pm we had an itinerary and we were booked for our international travel!!!
Here it is:
Leaving 5/18
Arriving in Nanjing 5/19
Gotcha Day either 5/20 or 5/21 depending on the SWIs schedule
Consulate Appt 5/29
Flying home 5/31
YEAH!!!!
There are so many wonderful blessings from the Lord that I want to list but I want to do it in a proper post. So stay tuned!!!
I will also be updating Luke's website soon. We will be posting there daily when we are in China.
Luke baby.... WE ARE COMING SOON!!!!
Monday, April 23, 2007
TA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Fly Baby Fly!
FLY BABY FLY!!!
No TA this week. I am confident that it is on its way!!!
We are desperately praying for NEXT WEEK!!!
(Just in case you're wondering.... our agency is located in Birmingham, Alabama.)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Day 101.
It's DAY 101. I kinda stopped counting once we got our LOA since families know their TA should be following behind shortly. I"m not complaining about 101! Trust me... there are families who have been waiting a lot longer. The more important number to focus on is that today is day 16 since our LOA. Travel Approvals seem to have been coming back within 2 - 3 weeks after LOA so I have been anxious since Monday.
Last night there was a post on the Waiting Children China yahoo group of a TA announcement for someone with the same LOA date of 4/2. That means TAs are starting to come in. AHHHH!!!! So, each time my cell phone rings I get anxious!
Here are our dates:
Letter of Intent (LOI): 9/1/06
Letter you send to China petitioning to adopt a SPECIFIC special needs child.
Pre- Approval (PA): 9/28/06
China's response to your LOI where they say you have been pre-matched with the specific child and you may submit your dossier.
Dossier to China (DTC): 12/22/06
The date your agency mails your dossier to the CCAA in China.
Log-in-date (LID): 1/8/07
The date your dossier is officially logged in to the CCAA. (Time keeping starts here).
Letter of Acceptance (LOA): 4/2
Additional document the CCAA sends you to reconfirm you commitment to adopt the child you were pre-approved for.
Travel Approval (TA): HOPING AND PRAYING IT'S SOON!!!
OFFICIAL invitation to come to China to adopt the child.
Consulate Appointment (CA): comes within 5 business days after your TA.
This is your official appointment at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China where you will receive your child's US Visa. Once you and your child land in the US, the child is a US Citizen.
No matter how many times you go through the adoption process, you still feel the same emotions! COME ON DHL!!! FLY THOSE TAs FROM CHINA to the USA!!!
Waiting on the Lord's perfect timing!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Luke's Measurements!!!
Age: 17 months
Weight: 8kg = 17.6 lbs
Length: 75cm = 29.5 inches
Head: 42.5cm=16.7 inches
Chest: 43cm=16.9 inches
Foot: 10cm=3.9 inches
Teeth= 14!!!
Today we received new measurements for Luke from Karla our social worker at Lifeline! This is a WONDERFUL surprise as we had not received any updated measurements for him since we received his referral in August. He is a little bitty man!!!
His weight puts him in the LESS THAN THE 1st percentile and his height put him at the 2nd percentile for his age. His little foot is registering in the 0 - 6 months size but he has 14 TEETH!!! 14!!! I think Kiah weighed this much when she was 8 months old!!! HA!!! Well.... Kiah has never really been a SLIGHT little girl!!!! She's always had some CHUNK to her!!! Jake was even chunky when we brought him home at the age of 7 months. I'm finally getting my little "chicken wing" baby (meaning very small) vs THE WHOLE CHICKEN!!!
Weight: 8kg = 17.6 lbs
Length: 75cm = 29.5 inches
Head: 42.5cm=16.7 inches
Chest: 43cm=16.9 inches
Foot: 10cm=3.9 inches
Teeth= 14!!!
Today we received new measurements for Luke from Karla our social worker at Lifeline! This is a WONDERFUL surprise as we had not received any updated measurements for him since we received his referral in August. He is a little bitty man!!!
His weight puts him in the LESS THAN THE 1st percentile and his height put him at the 2nd percentile for his age. His little foot is registering in the 0 - 6 months size but he has 14 TEETH!!! 14!!! I think Kiah weighed this much when she was 8 months old!!! HA!!! Well.... Kiah has never really been a SLIGHT little girl!!!! She's always had some CHUNK to her!!! Jake was even chunky when we brought him home at the age of 7 months. I'm finally getting my little "chicken wing" baby (meaning very small) vs THE WHOLE CHICKEN!!!
COME ON TA!!!!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
MORE new pictures of Luke
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!
As I stated in a previous post, traveling families have been bringing a list of waiting children with them when they go to China to pick up their child. We just received the above pictures from one of those families. These pictures were taken LESS THAN 24 HOURS AGO!!!
Let me praise the LORD here!!!
He is absolutely GORGEOUS, his lip repair looks wonderful and he obvious has a wonderful personality!
COME ON TA!!!! Waiting for the day I can hold this precious boy in my ARMS!!!
"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Jake's 4 yr GOTCHA DAY
Referral pic - received 10/31/02 
Trip 1
Trip 1
Trip 1
1st night together - Trip 2
On Saturday April 7th we celebrated Jake's 4 year Gotcha Day. It was on this date in 2003 that Jacob Dillon Ivan Baker officially became our son. He had spent the first 7 months of his life in an orphanage in St. Petersburg, Russia. We feel SO BLESSED that the Lord has chosen us to be his parents. He is more than we could of ever hoped for in a son. He is a beautiful, smart, witty strong little man. THANK YOU LORD for blessing us so greatly.
Friday, April 06, 2007
New Pictures of Luke!!!
Another shining moment for this week!!! (The first shining moment is in the post below!!!)
Today I logged into email after work and there was a post from a family who had recently traveled to Nanjing to pick up their new daughter. Before she left about 3 weeks ago, she asked for names of children that were waiting for their families so that she could try to get updated pictures for us. This is a common practice for this specific group of families. This is how I have received 85% of the pictures that I have of Luke! Since she asked for this information about 1 month ago, I had forgotten about submitting it since I had received other pics of Luke in the meantime. This nice family took pics of all 13 of the kids that she had on her list and she got a great one of LUKE! I had to laugh when I saw it! Anyone that has seen Luke's pictures knows I thing.... HE HAS BIG HAIR! We have watched it grow and grow over the months!
In the 2 pictures we received after his cleft surgery, it looked like the left side of his head had been shaved a bit. I know it is sometimes common practice in China to place IVs in the head when the kids have surgery. So, when I saw his hair in those previous pics I figured that's what had happened. They didn't shave the other side of his head so the hair on the other side was LONG. I guess to fix this.... they have started putting his hair in a PONYTAIL!!! A PONYTAIL! HA! He looks SO CUTE!
Not saying we will start a trend when we bring him home but it did make me chuckle!
He is beautiful. And a wonderful site to this mamma's eyes!
Can't wait to hold him in my arms!
COME ON TA!!!!!
Again.... GOD IS GOOD!!!!
NEWS NEWS NEWS!!!!
SORRY I have not posted recently!!! It has been CRAZY!!! Work has been beyond crazy the last 2 weeks.
Despite the craziness, we had a shining moment this week on Tuesday, 4/3. My phone rang at about 3:15pm and I noticed the area code was from Alabama. I answered the phone to hear the fabulous voice of our wonderful social worker Karla at Lifeline Children's Services telling us that.......................
WE RECEIVED OUR LOA!!!!
WE RECEIVED OUR LOA!!!!
YES!!!!
WOO HOO!!!
ON DAY 85!!!!
I burst into tears!!! The LOA or Letter of Intent is the piece of paper that the Chinese Gov't sends you right before they issue your Travel Approval (TA). The LOA is a document you must sign that reaffirms your commitment to adopt a specific child, in our case, Luke!!! Once the LOA is sent back the Chinese Gov't works to issue you your TA which is your invitation to come to China to pick up your child! So... we are now waiting for our TA!!!! We hope to receive it in about 2 - 3 weeks. Karla said we probably won't be traveling to China until the end of May due to the Chinese Labor Day holiday the first week in May. During this holiday all Chinese gov't offices are closed.
So we now wait patiently for our TA.
GOD is SO GOOD! We are praising the Lord!!!
ON DAY 85!!!!
I burst into tears!!! The LOA or Letter of Intent is the piece of paper that the Chinese Gov't sends you right before they issue your Travel Approval (TA). The LOA is a document you must sign that reaffirms your commitment to adopt a specific child, in our case, Luke!!! Once the LOA is sent back the Chinese Gov't works to issue you your TA which is your invitation to come to China to pick up your child! So... we are now waiting for our TA!!!! We hope to receive it in about 2 - 3 weeks. Karla said we probably won't be traveling to China until the end of May due to the Chinese Labor Day holiday the first week in May. During this holiday all Chinese gov't offices are closed.
So we now wait patiently for our TA.
GOD is SO GOOD! We are praising the Lord!!!
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the doors will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.
— Matthew 7:7-11
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Easter Egg Hunt #1!!!
Kiah's not too sure about visiting the bunny so she decided to just run past him several times
Jake's favorite part of the afternoon.... THE MOONBOUNCE
BASKETS are ready!!!
Today we went to the 1st of 3 Easter Egg Hunts. This one was sponsored by a local campsite that I never even really knew existed! The Easter bunny was there and they had egg hunts set up for 2 different age groups. 1 - 3 yr olds and then 4 and up. The only problem with this is the 4, 5 & 6 year olds were RUN OVER by the 8, 9 and 10 year olds as they were hunting for eggs. Jake was crushed to only get 4 eggs. However, he was pleased that there was CANDY in each of them!!!
Kiah did a little better with 9 eggs. My mom actually found the SUPER DUPER SPECIAL egg which she knew was a big deal but graciously pointed it out to another child since he didn't have many eggs. My mom made mention of the egg during the hunt but I was so involved with making sure Kiah got some eggs that I didn't realize what she had said. Shortly after the egg hunts were over the mom of the little boy walked up to us and handed this very special egg back to my mom. The lady said, "Please take this. It is really yours." My mom handed it to me and as I looked down at it I noticed that inside the see-through plastic was a scrap of paper that read: You've won $25.00. It was so nice for this lady to give the egg to my mom. My mom is one of the most generous, giving, loving people I know. I aspire to have this quality. She is a great role model. I immediately decided that I would donate the money to a child's cleft sugery though Love Without Boundaries. When we claimed the prize I made sure that they knew that was where the money was going. It was wonderful to see kindness was returned with kindness especially during this special season of Easter.
What was McDonalds thinking???
Last night we took the kids to McDonalds for happy meals. (I promise we DON'T do this often!) Jake quickly noticed that they were handing out new toys. They had both girls toy and boys toys so we, of course got one of each. Jake got a super cool Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. When the turtles head is smashed down (who thought of this???) a little motercycle guy spills out of his turtle shell.
Kiah on the other hand, was not as thrilled with her toy. Evidently they are giving away Wizard Of Oz figures. When I first saw the advertisement on the big ordering board... hey... I thought it might be pretty cool. HOWEVER, when we pulled the figure out of the bag and opened it... Kiah took 1 look at it, tossed it on the floor of the car and starting crying. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING when they made these horrible versions of the characters!!! Kiah is scared of it and Jake simply said "EW!". This thing has been picked up and thrown down more times than the plastic kicking balls we have in the backyard! Right now it is laying face down.... on the carpet.... in the far end of the family room. Unless it gets up and walks by itself (by looking at it... this MAY happen)... I think it will be laying there for awhile as NO KID in this house wants to look at it let alone PLAY with it!
Next time Kiah will be getting a boy toy.
Saturday pics.
Kiah and her "FAITH" necklace
All dressed up and no where to go.
Accessories include: ducky easter basket, sunglasses, glamorous clip-on purple earrings, HELLO KITTY bandaid box with MANY various size hello kitty bandages plastered all over her body covering her imaginary boo-boos and of course.... her Hello Kitty underwear.
The pictures below are of Kiah putting on her Hello Kitty band-aids.
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