Blessings on White Horse Drive

My Sweet Izzy

2012-01-26T08:55:00.000-06:00

Today is our 2nd Anniversary of Isabella's Gotcha Day!
This may be one of my favorite days in my whole life!

We waited for over 4 years for a referral. The day after we filled out the special needs application our agency called and said they had a file for us. We took the full 2 weeks to think and pray about it. Actually, Trent didn't need to. He said he knew without a doubt she was ours. I had a hard time going from a "healthy" 2 year old to a 5 1/2 year old bilateral cleft lip/cleft palate child! I agonized over this referral. We told no one about her (except Lori- whom you all saw visit last week).

I had literally been praying for a "slap in the face" answer from God. And I knew the night Trey told me he wanted his sister to be 5 years old and with a cut on her lip that she was ours (he knew nothing of the referral!). That was my slap in the face! Trey had never mentioned age before. We had never talked about cleft lips (I had no idea he even knew what it was!).

Two months later we were in China.
I can't even begin to think about life without this ray of sunshine. It brings me to tears every time I think how BLESSED I am I get to be her MaMa.
She is the joy in our home.
She makes us laugh.
Everyday.

We love you Isabella Hope XiaoHua Richmond!!!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T22:53:00.000-06:00

No, this video has nothing to do with Chinese New Year.
But it is such a sweet song- so grab your kleenexes.

Josh Kelly wrote this about he and Katherine Heigl's adopted daughter from Korea.
So sweet!

Another First

2012-01-22T20:47:00.002-06:00

A couple days before I left for China to bring Hudson and Sophie home, I ran into my UPS man, Ben. I told him I was going to China! Bringing home a couple more!
He was surprised as he hadn't heard the news. (Usually in a small town everyone knows everything about everybody-- it seems.)
After I told him I was bringing home an 8 year old boy and 14 year old girl he looked straight at me and said, "You know- they have really good wrestlers in China!"
I didn't know.

You see, Ben was a wrestler, as were his boys.
Wrestling is a big deal here (along with a few other sports) in our little town.
I casually said, "Oh. Do they?" And thought nothing more of it.

Fast forward.

I knew within a few weeks of coming home that Hudson would be a wrestler.
He's got it in him.

So, yesterday was another first for Hudson.
And boy was he excited!!
His first wrestling tournament!

Both boys wrestled. Both did a GREAT job!
Trey's age division is much tougher this year so he really had to work hard for his medal.
I don't think Hudson cared what place he got as long as he got that medal to hang around his neck!

Trey has been the biggest help to Hudson. He goes to beginners practice with him to make sure he understands. He helps him at home practice the moves. And most of all he encourages him.
Hudson would not have had the confidence he does without his GeGe.

Hudson won 2nd place

and Trey won 4th!!!

Both winners in my book!!

What's Left

2012-01-20T17:38:00.000-06:00

This is what's left of an apple from a child that has lived in a country where food is sometimes hard to come by and then later in life you are put in a orphanage for far too long.

Never again will she have a shortage of apples.

Unless I've not been to the grocery store and we run out! : )

WAY TOO MUCH FUN!!!

2012-01-17T13:30:00.001-06:00

That's what this weekend was!!
WAY TOO MUCH FUN!!

It was so COOL to see all these Chinese children together!!
There was never a squabble, fight, disagreement, jealousy, bad attitude (except for my kids) or tears. Unless you count the time that Kate and Hudson ran smack into each other while playing baseball!

They ALL were the best of friends.

There was only one missing for most of the weekend and that would have been the blond haired, blue eyed boy, Trey! Was he feeling like the minority? No, he loves Kate, Ellie and was smitten with Rachel! He had a wrestling tournament on Saturday and was gone most of the day on Sunday. That is why you won't see him in any photos. He'll catch up with them at Kamp in June!

It was wonderful to finally meet Rachel and get to hold her and tell her how happy I am that she is home with her family. She is so precious! And smart!!
And her English?! Holy cow!!! She sounds like she's been home for years!!!!
She is absolutely amazing.

Hudson and Kate seemed to hit it off. They were together most of the time. Lori and I are definitely
pre-arranging these two! (Sorry, Sonia!!) ; )

Wesley and our nephew, Caleb, came home to meet the McCary's. Caleb hadn't met Hudson and Sophie yet either- so it worked out perfect. It was so good to have those two back home for the weekend. It has been awhile since they've come back together. They are so fun to be around and the kids couldn't get enough of them.

When I told the kids it would be another 5 months before we saw the McCary's again:
Hudson said, "Gosh!!" (as in really disappointed!)
Isabella smiled and said, "5 days?!" (as in really excited!)
Sophie just smiled sweetly.

So, the countdown to June begins!

Here are a few pictures of our weekend.

A Visit

2012-01-12T09:07:00.001-06:00

The Richmond's have been counting down the days for today to arrive.
Our awesome and very dear friends are coming from Florida to visit! They requested snow while they were here, but sadly that won't be happening here in Kansas. Only cold and windy!

Our husbands met while working with Men At The Cross a few years ago. When I traveled to Dallas with Trent for an event I met Lori and her two girls, Kate and Ellie. It was an instant friendship. I had not been to China yet to get Isabella as I was still playing the "waiting game". Lori encouraged me to check out the special needs kiddos. It took us a whole year to take her advice and do just that. When we did decide to switch to the special needs route we had our referral the next day! If we hadn't switched- I would have only been back recently with someone other than my sweet Isabella! Lori was the only one I shared my referral of Isabella with. She noticed her eyes and how spunky and joyful they were. I was still trying to get use to the idea of an older, special needs child rather than a very young (2 years and under) and perfectly healthy baby. Everyday I am so thankful I have my sweet, fun (and funny), loving, bossy Isabella!!! All I think is how lucky I am that I GET TO BE HER MAMA!!

The last time Lori and her family were here to visit was one week before I left for China to get Isabella.
She helped me pack. The girls tried on Isabella's clothes to see if they would fit and then helped choose which ones to take.

6 months later they got to meet Isabella at K-Kauai Family Kamp and our girls have been fast friends ever since. You see, Kate and Ellie are from China. Kate is a few months older than Isabella, and Ellie is a month older than Isabella. To see the three together makes me teary.

Lori has been with me through all of my adoption pregnancies. She is the one that encouraged me to bring Sophie home. Was "with me" in China (through Skype and on the phone) when it was hard with Sophie. She's been my constant shoulder to cry on and ear to listen to since I've been home. She is seeing me through the other side of the hard parts of adoption. I couldn't love her more.

2 1/2 weeks after Isabella and I got home with Sophie and Hudson, Lori and her family left for China to bring home sweet, sweet Rachel. You can read Lori's blog here: http://www.lori-immeasurablymore.blogspot.com/ . Don't go there without your box of kleenexes!!

So, today we will get to meet Rachel for the first time and I am MORE than EXCITED!! Isabella can't wait to see Kate and Ellie again. In fact, she thinks it's Kamp time since that is the only place she's ever seen them!! When I told Hudson about Kate, Ellie and Rachel he got excited until he found out they were all girls! Haha! And then he asked, "Why they no boy from China?" Hmmmm. How do you explain that one? When I told him that Doug (the daddy) would play Xbox with him that made him happy.
Sophie has been writing words on paper for Rachel and Trey is just as excited to see everyone.
We can't wait until they get here!!!

Kate and Isabella

Ellie, Kate & Isabella

Isabella and Ellie

Me and Lori

Ellie, Izzy & Kate

The McCary's

Tomahawks

2012-01-02T15:38:00.000-06:00

Remember this photos from the other day?

Hudson got a tomahawk for Christmas! He loves it! It is probably his favorite gift.

When they go down to the farm they do a lot of guy things like hunt, fish, play ball, eat frozen pizza's, built forts, chop down trees, and be smelly like boys.

Well, while Hudson was waiting for his Dad to take them down to the farm for Trey's birthday party (which consisted of 8 smelly boys and 5 of their dads), he was out back cutting trees.

Don't worry- safety instructions have been discussed.

As Trent and I were standing in the kitchen talking the front door opens and in comes a tree followed by and 8 year old Chinese lumberjack!

He was so proud of his tree that he had cut down!

This was my Christmas floral arrangement that got taken out with the tree!

The 8 year old Chinese lumberjack.
See how proud he is?

More Exciting New Around Here!!!

2012-01-01T15:04:00.000-06:00

Remember this sweet face?

The one that went willingly and happily to China with Isabella and I to get Sophie and Hudson?

She was upbeat, positive, happy, adventurous, helpful and encouraging.

I couldn't have made the trip without her.

It meant a lot to be able to share the miracle of adoption with her.

Well......she is officially engaged.

To none other than this guy!!
MY Wesley!!
Who will now be HER Wesley!
That IS the way it goes, right?

First he is mine. Then he is hers?
OR! MAYBE! I'll just claim them BOTH!!!!! : )

Congratulations Wesley and Kim!! I love you!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

A New Year

2011-12-31T21:14:00.001-06:00

I would like to start this post with a sincere apology to my friend Lori McCary for the lack of posts in the last two months.
Sorry, Lori.

Since it's 2 hours away from a new year and it's been 2 1/2 months since a post I figured now would be a good time to end 2011 with Christmas photos.

Christmas was good this year. To ALL of us. We had many "firsts" this Christmas and all were exciting.

It was Sophie and Hudson's first Christmas home. And from the sound of things- their first Christmas celebration ever. They had never received a Christmas present before. But, most importantly, they know that Christmas is all about Jesus.

Two weeks ago all four kiddos sang in the Christmas program at church. They did awesome and I was SO PROUD of them!!

We are half way done with our first year of homeschooling. I am loving it- although there are moments in the day when I ask myself, "WHY DO I DO THIS??!!!!"

The kids are doing good. There are still issues and struggles, but all in all it's going well. In the next few days I will share about each one and how they are adjusting. Yes....we are STILL adjusting and just might be for quite awhile.

These first three pictures are so funny! During the program Hudson was trying to show Isabella where I was and she gave him the evil eye. It was hilarious!!

Hudson telling Isabella, "There's Mom!"

I can only imagine what she is wanting to tell him.

And since she knows she can't say it- she's going to ignore him!

Sophie and Emma (on the right) were angels and had a special dance.

Best Buds

Christmas Eve

WAY too much loot!

The first two awake!

Sophie and Isabella had to be woken up.
This was how Sophie came downstairs.

And this was Izzy!

The calm before the storm.

Hudson got a Tomahawk in his stocking and he was EXCITED to say the least.
I will have a post on this in the next couple of days.
It will be well worth the read!

The FAMILY

Tomorrow I have more FIRSTS!!
Very exciting firsts!

whew!

2011-10-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

That last post was not me.

That would've been Trey.
I told him I would post his FB games- but I guess I just wasn't quick enough.
Hmmmmm......reminds me of his dad.

So much goes on around here that my head is spinning.
I feel I can barely read my email let alone find the time to actually take pictures, plug in my camera, find the White Horse Drive blog button and then actually think of something to type!!

But, it's time.
Time for an update into what it's like to go from 3 to 5 kids in just a couple of months.
I'm not sure I even get to count Wesley since he's hours away and I never get to see him- but he's still mine, so he goes into the barrel with the other monkey's.

Where to start.
It's not the number of kids that make this hard.
For me it's the adjustment period.
The rules, expectations from both them and me, language barrier, lack of education. Learning things like basic hygiene, discipline, table manners, social rules, homeschool and a lot more that you would slowly and unconsciously teach your biological child from the ages of 0 on up.
Older child adoption is HARD!
The older the child the harder it is- at least in my case.

I say this not to be negative in any way- it's just the way it is.
I told God that if He wanted me to I would "do hard". I've never been afraid of hard. It's just not fun or easy. Yes, there are issues. But nothing major and nothing we can't handle at this point in time.
Who knows what the future will bring as healing begins for them.

Here are the positive things happening!

Trey is playing football and LOVES it!! His big brother will got to watch him play 2 weeks ago for the first time and Trey was so excited! He does an awesome job on the field.
Isabella is still the "love and joy" around here and can't wait to go upstairs everyday and have school!! She gets so excited when she finds out she gets to "go to school"!!
Sophie is doing great with her English and is doing well with school. It's not easy for her and she doesn't know much, but I can say with confidence that she is not slow- only uneducated and has no life experiences.
Hudson is sharp. He amazes me at how quickly he learns.
And for the first time, on our one month home anniversary (September 20th, 2011), he told me he loved me. Yes he did!!! And I'm pretty sure he meant it, because he wouldn't say it before. And like I said- he ain't no dummy! That boy knows what love is. He's had a lot of it in his short life by someone and my guess is his biological mommy. Just a guess.

In the last month we have had a lot of football, started school, had two birthdays, learned to ride a bike, watch Disney movies in Chinese, been to AWANA, rode a horse, dedicated our dark haired children to the Lord, been to the dentist (that in itself is a post!), the hairdresser, the chiropractor, the audiologist, the ENT and the ZOO!

The dedication service at church.
Hudson was pouting because he wanted Johnnye! There is something about her that he just loves!

The first touchdown of the season for the Junior Jays!!

I love the age where they still wave and say, "Hi Mom!"
Don't ever grow up!!

Yes. He is one of the coaches.
Maybe this is why the kids like him so much!!

No words needed.

Football

2011-09-21T22:42:00.001-05:00

This is trey playing football he plays tight end and scored the first TD of the season!!!

My Izzy,

2011-09-02T22:23:00.000-05:00

...she makes me laugh every day.

Double Birthday!

2011-08-31T22:06:00.000-05:00

Birthday pics from last night.
Isabella is 7 & Hudson is 8.

Short and sweet post, I know.
Who can find the time?!
Not me! Not now!
Maybe in a few days.
I'm very boring right now.

First Day of School!!

2011-08-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

In keeping with tradition I took first day of school pictures!

Here are my top students of the year.

Please pray for me.

We had a double birthday today!

It was a sweet day.

Pictures to come tomorrow.

Life at Home

2011-08-26T08:24:00.000-05:00

I didn't mean to wait so long to post again. I knew things would be busy, but I thought I'd have time at the end of the day! Not so when I fall into bed at 11 or 11:30! How does that happen when everyone is in bed by 8:30 or 9?

We left our hotel room in Guangzhou at 6:30am and when we found our hotel room in Hong Kong that afternoon I was exhausted! Our room stunk so bad and I was so grumpy that I told the front desk I either wanted a different room or a big discount on my bill! So, they moved us to the 8th floor and to top it off you had to pay for internet (which I didn't).
Up at 5am the next morning to get ready to leave for home! We were all ready, especially Isabella. For two days she had been telling me she missed her dad and brothers.
We flew to Tokyo and sat for a two hour layover. Then it was on to America! This was the only flight home that we all sat together. It's so much easier when I have all the kids in one spot!! It was long and boring. There was only one movie they could watch on the plane and they each watched it about 5 times. I have no idea what I did- I can't remember.
We finally landed in Salt Lake City and it was such a relief to be "home"! Because anytime you are out of the country and you hit US soil- you are home. No matter what state you are in! We had another two hour layover and then a short one hour tiny plane ride home to Denver where Trent and Trey were waiting for us!!

Of course Sophie ran to "Father" (as she calls him) and much to my surprise Hudson gave Trent a big smile AND a hug!! He's pretty shy so I wasn't sure what he'd do. I KNOW he was so happy to see other guys! He hasn't asked to sleep with Sophie or want to cling to her since we've been home.

We stayed the night in Denver and got home around noon on Sunday where Wesley and Kim and the rest of my family were waiting for us. Kim got lots of hugs- we missed her so bad after she left us!

The kids checked out their rooms and played for awhile.
Honestly I can't remember what the rest of the day was like. I tried to read a book to Isabella and I couldn't do it. My words were slurring and I couldn't see straight. I had to lay on the couch and take a nap. : ) I was so tired that I told Trent I didn't even care if we had McDonalds.

Miraculously, I have felt great everyday since then! It is hard to get up in the mornings- but once I'm up I feel fine! What a difference from the last time!!

For the last three days we have hung out and played in the mornings and when Trent comes home at noon we swim. The kids are doing so much better in the water. Hudson isn't afraid of anything and will soon be swimming without a life jacket. Sophie is also doing better- but still chokes on the water alot. She isn't afraid to try what the others are doing.

Trey is going through his adjustment period. His honeymoon was very short lived.
Just yesterday he told me he wished it was just him and Isabella. I remember when he told me he wished it was just him and Wesley when we got Isabella! Now he loves her so much and he missed her a lot while she was gone. As he was telling me how he was feeling he made a cute comment about Isabella. He said, "Mom, Sophie acts like she's 6 years old." I said I knew that and it's because sometimes that happens when you come from an orphanage. He answered, "Ya, but Isabella came from an orphanage and she acts like she's 40!" It was too funny.

Trey has started football.
Wesley was the same age was when they started this junior football league. Sometimes I feel like I'm reliving Wesley's life through Trey. It makes me wish I had done things a lot different back then.
Speaking of my sweet baby- he's 22 as of Wednesday the 24th. How in the world does that happen? Seriously! I can't believe how old he is! I love this boy with all my heart. It's strange how much we are alike.
Happy Birthday Wesley!! I love you more than life!!!

Our last day in Guangzhou we spent at the pool and packing our suitcases.

This boy was never so glad to see another male!!

Poor Sophie. She threw up 6 times on the 4 1/2 hour drive home.
I felt so bad for her!

Hudson LOVES watching Trey at FB practice and he gets as close as he can to the action.

This is what we do every afternoon!
It's wonderful to have Trent come home at noon and not only play with the kids, but relieve me just a little!

Supper

2011-08-17T09:14:00.000-05:00

As I sit here in the dark listening to Sophie snore, I wanted to show you what we had for supper tonight.

Those who know me, know it's not what I would normally feed my children.
But, hey! I did throw in some mixed nuts and yogurt for the protein and dairy!
At this point, I'm just trying to survive. The less I leave my hotel room, the easier it is to keep my children in sight.
I'm just sayin'......
(And remember....I've mentally checked out.)

Tomorrow is Thursday.
That means one more day until Hong Kong and two more days (or 3 if you count Saturday twice) till home.
But I'm not even going to think about it until tomorrow night when I'm packing my suitcases.
People in our group started leaving yesterday. They will all be gone by tomorrow.
I'm gonna miss them. Most of them asked me everyday how I was doing or if I needed anything.
A couple of the dads even helped with Hudson.

It's amazing how adoption can bring people together to form a special bond.

Another Day

2011-08-16T08:27:00.000-05:00

Yes it was.
Another day.
One more day to check off the calendar.
One more day closer to home.

I'm numb at this point.
I don't feel like home is close enough to get excited.
On Friday when I start packing for Hong Kong is when my heart will soar!
Until then, it's just another day in China.

Today we went to Shamian Island and shopped at Jordan's.
He is a sweet Chinese Christian man who owns a shop here where most adoptive parents come to buy STUFF. And he has a lot of stuff!
He walked us out the door with our STUFF and then he held each one of our hands at the same time and prayed for us right there on the sidewalk. What a sweet precious man.

Then the kids and I walked over to Lucy's and shared a BLT and Peanut Butter sandwich. After that we barely had enough money for a cab ride back to the hotel!

Tomorrow is our Consulate Appointment. Then on Thursday I will get the kid's visas. Friday we leave for Hong Kong and Saturday we fly home.

Yes. This blog is officially boring.
I feel like I have nothing to write about.
Probably because I've mentally checked out.

I'll try to have something more exciting tomorrow.
No promises though.

I'll leave you with a few pics of our day.

Our White Couch photo at the China Hotel. : )

My little man.

Jordan from Shamian Island

Stopping to see the Koi fish at the White Swan Hotel

They Came

2011-08-14T20:33:00.000-05:00

They came yesterday at the pool.
Again, last night more came.
Actually, it was a LOT!

The tears.
Hudson has finally let it out.

He had to sit with me at the pool yesterday because he did something I told him not to.
He knew he was in trouble and his eyes welled up with big tears and when they fell he wrapped his arms around my waist and needed a hug. I didn't see this coming.
While in the pool he wanted to splash or hang on Sophie. I won't let him near her because he'll drown them both (remember neither one can swim!). Again, for just a sec- he teared up. He never cried though.

Since I've had him I've noticed he really likes to watch TV. Especially at night. When I shut the TV off he immediately wanted to get in bed with Sophie. I told him no and he didn't like that. Every time he asked and I said no he would thrash his little stout body (it's a very weak thrash I might add) for about 2 seconds.

It started out with just tears in his eyes.
Then the tears fell, no noise though. Lot's of sniffing. I could tell he was holding back.
Every minute or so he would ask to go to Sophie and every time I said no. After awhile he started crying and then it turned into wailing. It probably lasted an hour.

This morning he took the remote from Isabella and when I told him to give it back (gently) he started crying again and wanted me to hold him. I think a breakthrough has been made! He didn't ask for his JieJie!! He has the sweetest heart. I understand now why he wants TV at night. It takes his mind off of being homesick.
The shock of being with new people has worn off and now the new fun has worn off. Reality has hit and this just might be the hardest part for him.
Please pray for his sweet heart. He is a sad little boy right now and even though I keep telling him it'll be ok he just doesn't know it. And it breaks my heart to see him cry (although I know this is a good thing).

The Countdown Has Begun!!

2011-08-13T08:25:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday night here.

The countdown has begun!

7 more days!!

We flew into Guangzhou last night and I'm glad to be here.

Kim left us yesterday morning (VERY early) and I miss her terribly!

She flew to Hong Kong to spend one night and then on to the States this morning.

So far we've done pretty good.

We had our physical examinations this morning. Both of them did great.

No tears or meltdowns.

Sophie had to have 2 shots and she didn't even flinch! Very brave.

We will go back on Monday to have their TB tests read.

Our hotel is very nice here.

5 minutes after walking in the room Hudson had broken the shade to the bathroom window.

This kid is very hard on things!

We went swimming this afternoon.

Neither one of them had ever been and they both swallowed a LOT of water.

It was fun to watch them get use to the water and see how different they are from each other.

Sophie took it nice and slow. Walked around without making much of a splash.

Hudson started out slow and by the time we left (and I had to make him get out!) he was bouncing around and going all the way under. One of the dad's in our group would toss him to me and I'd bring him up quickly. He loved it. It won't take him long to learn to swim at all. He's a bit of a daredevil. I wish I could take pictures of them swimming, but I don't dare leave him unattended in the water yet. Maybe by Thursday!

Sophie is doing a better job of listening to me, yet she still wanders to all the mom's in the group to hang on. I was told they do this to all the nannies in the orphanage so it is normal for her. Not to mention this girl needs a LOT of attention, affection and affirmation. The language and culture barrier make it hard for me to tell her that it's not always appropriate. With Isabella, I could control that behavior. It will be very hard with Sophie.

We are going to skip the tours tomorrow. We need a break from going here and there (and the squatty potties) on a bus. So, we will swim and watch movies.

It's been hard not having a normal schedule. I can't always control the environment or behavior here. It's hard to keep 3 kids safe and under control in a very crowded, foreign country.

I'm ready to come home.

I had our guide tell Hudson his name yesterday. He was pretty uninterested and but thought it was fine. I also had her ask him if he remembered before he came to the orphanage. He does remember and didn't want to talk about it. It made him very quiet and sad. When she left she told them to help Mama pack for our trip to Guangzhou. All I can say is that he was like a tornado!! He packed like a madman!

I couldn't even keep up with him. It was stressing me out because I like to pack MY way- and not anyone else's. Right, Trent? : )

I'm leaving with a few pictures from our last full day in Zhengzhou. We visited the Shaolin Temple. This is where they study KungFu. We saw a KungFu performance and it was amazing.

Best part of the day.

Also pictures of Hudson's first plane ride. He loved it!

And our medical exams from today.

It was K-State day today!!

Our group for the tour. These people are wonderful!

The KungFu show was amazing.

This place is also like a boarding school for young boys who want to learn the art of KungFu.

Hudson hung with our guide at the Temple. Does this mean he's tired of us girls?

Monk at the Shaolin Temple. I loved his suitcase and pink bag.

On our way to Guangzhou.

He LOVED his first airplane ride.

This is what Isabella was doing while we were waiting for our turn at the exams today.
That look on her face is SO Isabella. Everyone here gets a kick out of her. She makes us all laugh.

Sorry it's not a good one of Sophie. But it's the only one I had of our first day of swimming.
It was fun! I just wish we were at home doing this! This boy needs a dad!!

Another day in Zhengzhou

2011-08-10T01:55:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday afternoon here in Zhengzhou.
Just another day.
One day closer to home.
12 more to go.

I feel like we are boring now.
No more Gotcha Day's.
We are getting use to each other.
So what else is there to say?
Hmmmm.

We went to a park down the street this morning with a couple of other families.
It got us out of the room. The rest of the group went to Luoyang to see their kid's orphanage.
They also get to tour Maria's Big House of Hope. I SO BADLY wanted to go!! But it is an 1 1/2 hour drive there and back and Sophie gets car sick and I don't think Bao Yun Fei could sit still long enough.
He's so much boy!

So, at the park we walked around and then let the kids run in a grassy spot and pick flowers.
All Bao Yun Fei wanted to do was climb trees and torment his sisters. It's so fun to watch him come out of his shell.

Sophie is maturing already. I see it in the way she interacts with with Isabella and Bao Yun Fei.
But she still needs a lot of attention, affection, affirmation and love. She craves it.
Bao Yun Fei doesn't need it constantly, but every now and then he will slip me a hug. He is so very sweet.

Kim went with the group to Luoyang. She wanted to see where Wesley had been when he went with Show Hope a couple of years ago. Even though she has no idea who Steven Curtis Chapman is she was excited. I'm so glad she's getting to see it.

Art class at the park!

This poor boy needs a little more testosterone in the room!!

Happy Adoption Day

2011-08-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

It's done!
It's official!
He's mine!!

Hudson and I traveled back to the registration office today to pick up our adoption certificate.
Not until we left the same building where we were the day before that was so traumatic to him did he start smiling. It's bedtime now and he is very comfortable with us.

He always holds my hand when we walk somewhere.
A couple of times today he has come over and put his arm around me.
Not for very long- but it counts.
This morning when we woke up he looked at me with a big grin and put his hand on my cheek. Twice.
He is sweet. He is ornery. He is ALL BOY!!

He only talks in chinese. Knows no english.
Sophie on the other hand is picking up english great!
She is also acting like the older sister at times. When Isabella doesn't listen right away Sophie tells her what I just did. It's very sweet. She still roams to other's in the group that she doesn't know. Knows no boundaries yet, but will come in time.

We are tired and are off to bed. It's 9:30pm and we were up at 5:30 this morning (thanks to Sophie).
I'm SO ready to come home and there's still 12 days left.
Ugh!

Other exciting news flash:
Isabella lost her first tooth!!!
She let Joel, a dad in our travel group pull it (but she wouldn't let me!). And when it was all over and the pictures had been taken she gave him a big hug and told him thank you. That's just like her.
I LOVE that girl!

Do you see the picture below?
He smiles most of the time now.

I tried to post the pictures last night, but the internet is so bad here it wouldn't let me.
More later today.

Boa Yun Fei (by Kim)

2011-08-08T21:44:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

This little boy is THE cutest little boy EVER!

I'm so glad I got to witness another adoption! This experience has been so amazing and life changing!

Bao Yun Fei is awesome. He is soo cute and smart.. and cute!! haha!! The poor thing was so scared when he saw his mama and sisters for the first time. I don't think he knew quite what to think.. He was so sweet though!
The room was total chaos except for him. He was calm and quiet and just taking everything in.

I wish I would have gotten the part where he ran outside to go to the bathroom on video! It was HILARIOUS!! Stacy and I really thought he was running away! Neither of us were expecting that at all!

When we got back to the hotel stacy had to go to do some more paperwork so I stayed in the room with all the kids. Isabella and Sophie were watching Beauty and the Beast and I was helping Bao Yun Fei put together a little lego race car.. or trying to. He stopped to watch a part of the movie that apparently was really funny to Isabella because she would laugh and laugh and then rewind it and watch it over again. They watched the part together and about the third time they watched it, Bao Yun Fei started to giggle a little bit. The 4th and 5th time he started laughing right along with Isabella. It was was soooooo cute! He has the sweetest little giggle!!

All while that was going on, I finished putting together the little lego car and gave it to Bao Yun Fei. He took it, looked at it really funny and said something in chinese. He looked at the directions and shook his head a little bit and started taking it apart! I guess I put it together wrong and didn't even know it!! haha! He put it back together the right way and held it up and smiled! He is very very smart! Smarter than me when it comes to putting together lego cars!

I can see why Stacy is so smitten with him! She is a very lucky mother to have a son like him and he is a very lucky son to have a mother like her. He will finally be loved :)

I can't wait for everyone to meet him! He is absolutely wonderful. If you think he is cute in the pictures, just wait till you see him in person! You will be in love the first time you see him!

A Girl In LOVE!!

2011-08-08T06:27:00.000-05:00

OH.
MY.
GOODNESS!!!!

I
AM
IN
LOVE!!!!!

I want to maul this boy with hugs and kisses!!!!
But, I'm not. I'm refraining myself.

He is the most adorable chinese boy I've ever seen.
Sorry to all you MaMa's out there with your cute chinese boys, but mine tops them all.
: ) Seriously.

It feels good to have a boy again.
It feels natural.
That must be why God only birthed me boys.
I wonder what that means for my future with teenage girls.
Oh, right. I'm gonna find out.
Soon.
Like REAL soon!!
: )
I'm still smiling.

Ok,
Hudson.
Only he doesn't know about Hudson yet. He's still Bao Yun Fei.
Only I've been saying it wrong! It's pronounced Bao RIN Fei! Who knew?!

The poor boy was scared to death!
No.
No tears. But the furrow in his brow was there for a LONG time.
In fact, I don't think it left his forehead until we got into the hotel room.
Although, we did get one smile while at the registration office. He must've forgotten to be worried.
I felt so bad for him! He didn't say a word until later on in the room.
Now he's laughing and saying a few words.
And his voice is like music to my ears! It's deep for a boy. He's smaller than I thought he'd be.
But smarter than a whip.
He likes Bionicles and Legos-( so Trey, you will get along great!!).
He certainly likes Isabella. He called her over to watch TV with him. And he called her MeiMei.
It was so sweet.
I missed his first giggle while I was out doing the paperwork (Kim was kid sitting).
But she got great pictures.

So,
I guess you want to see pictures?
Sorry. I forgot my camera.

Just kidding!!!!

Brace yourself. He's darn cute!
I mean handsome.
Wait....he's adorable.

I am giddy with joy, excitement, happiness, love and something else, I'm sure.
: )

Here he is!!

The story behind these next three pictures are TOO funny!
He sort of wandered off towards the front door. When he put his hand on the door handle I thought to myself, "Self. What is he doing? Where is he going? Oh dear. I think he's leaving!"
I got up and ran to the door (which he was already outside) and practically jumped down the steps to catch him! There was a parking lot he was running into and I just knew he was going to get hit by a car, van or bus!
Well, he stopped at the bushes.
And went.
Pee.
I died laughing!!
I just wonder what all the chinese people outside on the steps must've been thinking.

When you gotta go- you gotta go!!!

Moving On

2011-08-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

Not much to say today.

We are so ready to move on.

Some of you have asked about the provinces we will be (have been) in.

Sophie is in Chengdu which is in the Sichuan province.

It's known for it's bracade (silk embroidery) and pandas. It's the only place in the world that still has wild pandas.

Tomorrow morning (6am) we leave for Zhengzhou which is the capital of Henan province. Hudson is from Zhoukou city. The orphanage director will bring him to us. Don't know yet what his province is known for.

I get Hudson on Monday and will post as soon as I can.

I'm so excited!

Everyone is in bed. It's late.

Good night from Chengdu, China!!

Past and Future

2011-08-05T08:34:00.000-05:00

When reviewing Tang Ting's file it told us that as a 14 year old she was in the 4th grade.
To be honest, I didn't like hearing this and it concerned me. I told myself I can't raise a mentally challenged child. But what I really meant was- I didn't WANT to raise a mentally challenged child.

First things first.
Sophie is NOT mentally challenged and I don't think she is what would be considered "slow".

This is her life as I "know" it:

She was abandoned at the age of 10 years old on November 23, 2005.
It's chilly here in November. Somewhere around 50-60 degrees. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt, jeans, white sneakers and had a red traveling bag. Her abandonment was planned.

In China, when a couple divorces, it is most likely the new spouse will reject the child. Thus, abandonment will occur. Something so foreign for us to ever even consider!!
Our guide seems to think this is probably the scenario for Sophie. When asked what she remembers she will either stay silent or say she doesn't remember. Maybe one day she will feel safe enough to share what she does remember.

When her first anger outburst happened I had our guide, Susie, ask her if she was missing the orphanage or her foster mother and father. She said no, that they weren't that nice to her.
As a 10 year old she was put into the first grade with 6 year olds.
She has been told she is not smart. Lazy. Brain not working.
Don't we all tend to believe something if we are told it long enough?

The first two days were very hard for me. She is so immature. Hangs on me, holds my hand, hugs, kisses, head on my shoulder all the time. Yes. It is sweet. But it drove me crazy!! (and still does) I am shocked by my feelings on this. (Isabella was completely glued to me 24 hours a day when I got her!) I think the difference is that she is 14 and not 5. She is not a baby or little kid. She's a big girl!
Probably the hardest thing to discover is that she is not at a 4th or 5th grade level. She is behind Isabella academically. So....we will start with A, B, C and 1, 2, 3 when we get home. There is no way I could send her to school. God knew this and I am seeing now how these 2 adoptions and homeschooling is all starting to come together and make sense.

UPDATE

We learned a lot today.
We went back to the Notary Office today to pick up our paperwork.
Sophie came clean.
She does remember her mother. She also has an older sister, although she can't remember her name.
They were poor and her mother didn't have a job. She never knew her father.
And all of this explains to me why she is at a kindergarten/first grade level: her and her sister never went to school. They were too poor. She didn't have an education until she was 10 years old and in the orphanage. I am so relieved to at least know something.

The two are in bed now giggling like crazy.
We are off to bed. Repacking our suitcases tomorrow to leave for Zhenghou at 6am.
I can hear Isabella telling Sophie to listen and think about it. She is teaching her the ABC song.
I may not have to teach Sophie anything!! Isabella just might be the homeschooling sister teacher!!

Sophie

2011-08-04T10:06:00.000-05:00

What shall I say?

I haven't gotten her completely figured out yet.
She is very sweet and wants to please. Yet, over the last two days she has pushed the limits to see what she can do and where I will draw the line. Last night it came out of nowhere. We were looking for tennis shoes for her and when I reached down to hold her hand she jerked away from me quite mad. I was shocked. There had been no incident to set this off. At least none that Kim nor I could see.
When I asked her what was wrong she would not look at me and would not let me touch her.
I grabbed her arm not knowing what she would do and made her walk with me. She yelled at me in chinese and tried to get away. I could feel my face getting hot, my butt started tingling and my legs felt like jelly- you know like when something bad is happening and you don't know why or what exactly to do?
We walked on and found some shoes. The first place we stopped at I sat her down and we asked the people for some shoes for her. The all started laughing and wouldn't help us. They said they didn't have her size. I was so mad! I raised my voice and said, "Then where can I get her some shoes?!" The thought crossed my mind that they know she is an orphan and won't sell to us.
We finally found someone who would sell us some shoes. Kim went back to the store where the jerks were to look again. I sat her down on the bench and she started to cry. I got her a kleenex out and she took it from me. Isabella sat down beside her, put her arm around her neck and said several times, "You have to listen to mom." It was the sweetest thing to watch Isabella do that.

We got the shoes and left for the hotel down the street. She didn't want me touching her or holding her hand so I grabbed her wrist and held on. While in the elevator I held up the door key and asked who wanted it. She smiled and said she did. When we got into the room she went to her bed threw her stuff down and completely ignored me. Only when she wanted something did she acknowledge me.
Kim and Isabella fell asleep quickly and while I was working on the computer I noticed Sophie had crept to the end of her bed to watch me. She was trying to make up. I let her come sit by me at the computer and it was then that she hugged and kissed me. When I put her back in bed I asked her in chinese if she was sad and she said yes. I told her we were her new family now and that it would be ok. She nodded and smiled. With all that happened- it was the first night she's slept all the way through and not gotten out of bed in the middle of the night to play with the hairdryer or play the Leapster!

We had a similar instance happen again tonight. Earlier Kim had bought a new purse and let Sophie carry her old one while we were shopping. We stopped to eat at Dico's (a Chinese McDonald's) and she wanted to play on the playset after supper with Isabella. I told her she had to leave the purse at the table and she said no. I told her again and she got up (thinking she would set it down before she walked off) and left. I followed her and tried to stop her and she did the same thing as last night. Jerked away from me and walked off. I got her turned around and she walked over to the playset. I sat her little butt down (I was mad at this point!) and told her she WOULD listen to me! A chinese employee came over and asked me if he could help me. Are you kidding me?! I said NO I don't need your help! He proceeded to tell me that if I wanted to play I had to take my shoes off. Geesh!!!
I grabbed her by the arm and took her back to the table, sat her down and told her she will listen to me!
She eventually stuck her fingers in her ears and tried not to. We sat for awhile and Kim and I talked. I asked Sophie if she was done and ready to go. She said no.
Isabella came back quite confused by Sophie's behavior. She just doesn't understand why she doesn't do what she's told. A few more minutes pass by and I ask her again if she's done and ready to go and she nods yes. Turns around and gives me a big hug. Whew!

Last night at the mall her behavior really scared me and I thought to myself- "I can't do this. I don't WANT to do this." But after tonight and a couple of other small pushing the limits from her- I see that she is just a normal kid who is trying to find her place in her new family. She doesn't know me and I don't know her. This will take time and work. And I'm positive it will work out beautifully.

More tomorrow on her past and why her road ahead won't be easy.

I don't even know what to say about this girl.
She is the most fun, sweet, wonderful, hilarious, awesome little girl!!
More on her this week.

Dancing at the park.
When Kim saw this she was in awe!!
What a wonderful sight to see.
Why don't we Americans do this?

A beautiful gazeebo.

This guy was getting his ears cleaned out. At the park!!!
He kept yelling HELLO!
Too funny.

I LOVE this girl!!

At the end of our tour through the park Isabella begged me to dance with her.
So, I did and we ended up getting Kim and Sophie in on it, too.
It was actually really fun!!

This was a sweet picture.
Isabella was asking Sophie what the signs in Chinese said.
As Sophie told her Isabella would say the word. She so badly wants to speak Chinese!

My Experience

2011-08-04T02:24:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have never written a blog before so you will just have to bear with me. Stacy wanted me to write a blog post about my experience and my point of view. I wrote a really long post a few days ago but when we went to post it the internet was down so I lost alll of it. So this time I am making sure to save it before posting it :)

The start of my trip was a little rocky.. I made sure to get to the airport an hour and a half early just in case. When I gave my ticket to the lady at the airport she looked at it funny and said '$25 dollars for your bag" I didn't think anything of it because I've never flown Delta before and I knew they charged for bags so I handed her my card right away. When I went to get my boarding pass the screen kept saying 'error error'. I got really scared. I was thinking oh great it's not going to accept my passport! Something's wrong! I'm not going to get in to china! The worst things were going through my mind. I went and stood in this line for help and thank goodness for a guy who knew what he was doing!

He said the lady that checked me in didn't transfer my luggage from Detroit to Beijing. She had it stopped in Detroit because she didn't know I was going on to Beijing. She also wasn't supposed to charge me for luggage for an International flight. So this guy had to go find my bag, put the right sticker on it so it would go on to Beijing, figure out how to refund my $25 back into my bank account, and print off my boarding pass. By the time I was done with that and through security, it was 9:45 and my flight left at 10:15!! That whole ordeal took an hour and fifteen minutes to figure out! Now, I am SOOO glad I got there early because you never know what can happen!

alright now on to CHINA! I think this place is amazing! I am loving every minute of it! I love traveling and experiencing new things so I do not want to go home yet although I do miss Wes and my family very much!

a few things I've noticed that are WAY different than in America

1. It's okay for chinese children to go to the bathroom on the sidewalk! I've witnessed this a few times! gross..

2. There is NO personal space. I guess it is not rude to bump in to somebody and not give an apology in China

3. They serve octopus at their Pizza huts :) that one was just a little fun fact

4. There are no traffic rules and pedestrians do not have the right-a-ways.. I had to cross the street with Susie to get an SD card for my camera and about had a heart attack. It was quite scary!

5. Slurping food and eating with your mouth open is normal. I sat by this guy on the plane to Chengdu and he was slurping his noodles very loudly.

6. I have become used to being stared at because I am not from here.. but what I thought was the most interesting was that the people that stared at us the most were other white people... I mean like turned around in their chairs staring! Kinda funny.

I hope i'm not making this too long or boring...

The first day in China was pretty amazing! I can now say I climbed the Great Wall of China!! It is something that I've always wanted to do and it was more than I expected. The view from the wall is breathtaking!! It was pretty tiresome though.. when they mean climb the great wall.. they really mean it!! We also visited a jade factory where they showed us how to tell the difference between fake and real jade, the olympic stadium, and an amazing chinese acrobatic show.

The next day is when we got Sophie. I have to hold my tears back when I talk about "gotcha day". It was something so special and amazing and I was not expecting to feel all those emotions! When I saw Sophie peek around the door with a huge smile towards her new family members I knew it was going to be hard not to cry! Sophie threw her arms around Stacy and gave her a big hug. It was hard to get a good picture of it because it happened so fast! Sophie took to them right away. She smiled at Isabella and grabbed her hands and held them and smiled. Isabella was so excited to see Sophie too! They hugged each other and held hands and it was the cutest thing! Finally sisters! I could see she was happy! Her smile was so vibrant and excited! I am glad I got to be the photographer because I was able to capture every moment and emotion on Sophie's face.

Sophie is a very sweet girl and quiet and lovable. She loves to hold hands and hug and her smile is beautiful!! I can tell she is in love with her new family! She may be homesick a little bit or miss what she is used to sometimes, but she loves her new mommy and father (as she would say it) and Isabella, Trey, and Big GeGe.

These people are amazing and I am blessed to even know them let alone travel to China with Stacy and Isabella! Sophie probably doesn't know it yet, but she is very very lucky to have a family like the Richmonds! They truly are a gift from God to everyone that knows them.

- Kim Haberman

Pandas

2011-08-03T08:22:00.000-05:00

We saw Panda's today. I'm not going to write much tonight because everyone is in bed and I have a very sad 14 year old girl tonight. I think I'll go try to make her feel better. We did get to see a baby panda that was born July 24th. This only happens once a year and we got to see it! He only wanted to show his hind end though. Very cute. I will write more in the morning on how Sophie is doing.

Kimmy

2011-08-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

......is such a great help!!

She has waited in airports for me and with me.
Made sure I didn't lose a ticket or passport or room key or whatever else I might lose.
Watched me cry waaaay toooo much and didn't ask why.
Let Tang Ting hug her and hold her hand.
Listened to Isabella talk her ear off when I couldn't keep my eyes open. (actually they were half open and it was freaking her out just a little.) : )
Climbed the Great Wall with a lot of sweaty, stinky people in way too close proximity.
And played cards with Isabella all afternoon yesterday.

I'm so glad she's here.

14th Birthday

2011-08-02T09:35:00.000-05:00

Today was Tang Ting's birthday. We had an awesome Sichuan chinese meal and then had birthday cake.
She got a camera for her birthday and LOVES it.
Pizza Hut for supper and Haagen Das for dessert.

Kim wrote an extra long post for the previous one and when we clicked to publish it- it was gone because the internet had gone out. SO FRUSTRATING!! I will have her post it again.

This is a slice of chocolate that says Tang Ting in Chinese.

She loves her camera!

I'm still alive in China!

2011-08-02T03:08:00.000-05:00

First of all- I have no computer skills.
Trent should have been here at least to keep me online!!
And to make sure I get where I'm going on time.

I will post pictures of Gotcha Day first (since that's why you're all here) and explain after that.

She is the sweetest thing ever. I wasn't sure how this was all going to go down. Had no idea what to expect. But the pictures speak for themselves. Details after pictures.

Isabella ready to meet her JieJie!

Inside the front doors

First meeting

Tang Ting and Isabella took to each other right away.

She had the photo album I had sent her and pulled it out to show me she had gotten it.

And then she wanted us to see the pictures of her.

Kim got out from behind the camera to get her photo taken also!

Waiting to leave the orphanage.

The first 2 days were traveling. We left at 5am Thursday morning and arrived in Beijing around midnight Friday night there which would have been 11am on Friday at home. Long travels.
We got about 3 hours of sleep and left the hotel room at 7am for breakfast and to tour the Great Wall, Jade Factory and the Olympic site. After all that we saw the Chinese Acrobat show which was amazing! Kinda gross, too. No body should ever bend like that.
We got back to our room around 8:30pm exhausted. To bed around 10pm (which was when Trent called and chewed me out for not calling him, which I had but he didn't answer, because he was worried and then he almost bought a ticket to China. I don't even think he know where in I am in China) and up at 5am to leave for Chengdu.
So, I feel like for the first 4 days all we've done is sit in a car/van/bus, plane or airport. And when we aren't, we are so tired that I don't have the energy physically or mentally to blog.
Sorry everyone! I know I hate it when bloggers don't post their Gotcha Days and after!!
I am better now and there is still one more Gotcha Day to come- so hang with me.

We got to the airport in Beijing and waited for our flight which left 50 minutes late. As soon as we landed we found our luggage and guide, went to the squatty potties and then headed straight for the orphanage. They had never let one of their kids go on a weekend, without a TA in hand and were hesitant to do so. But with the 24 hour harmony period they were willing to let her go with the understanding that she stay in the hotel room for safety's sake.

As soon as she saw us she gave full hugs and called me "mother". She had smiles and showed us all she had in her backpack. She kept touching Isabella's face. Very sweet.

On the way to the hotel (which was an hour ride) she fell asleep. I'm assuming it was a very long and stressful day for her. Now I know that she get's car sick!! That happened yesterday on our way to the Notary Office.
I am officially her mother- I cleaned up her puke.
We checked in (under Kim's name because my passport was missing) and ordered room service.
She is sweet and loving, has a small quiet voice when she talks, and is taking it all in with courage.
When we left the orphanage she told the orphanage director that she wasn't going to cry.
And she hasn't.

Today is her birthday and I will post pictures our time tonight. Which is your morning.
Stay tuned!!

Here we go!

2011-07-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

Ok. Here's what it looks like.

Thurs. 28th Leave US for Beijing.
Friday. 29th Arrive in Beijing
Sat. 30th Tour Beijing (Great Wall, etc.)
Sun. 31st Leave Beijing, go to hotel, then go to Chengdu orphanage and get Sophie!!
Mon. 1st Adoption registration, notarization and apply for her passport.
Tues. 2nd Happy Birthday Sophie!!
Wed. 3rd Tour Panda Preservation Site
Thurs. 4th Tour Wuhou Temple
Friday 5th Receive notarized adoption documents & registration certificate.
Sat. 6th Tour Kuan Zhai Alley
Sun. 7th Leave Chengdu for Zhengzhou
Mon. 8th Gotcha Day for Hudson!!!
Tues. 9th Adoption paperwork
Wed. 10th Free day
Thurs. 11th Free day
Fri. 12th Receive Hudson's passport and leave Zhengzhou for Guangzhou
Sat. 13th Kid's physicals and visa photo taken.
Sun. 14h Free day
Mon. 15th TB test read
Tues. 16th Free Day
Wed. 17th Consulate Appointment
Thurs. 18th Free Day
Friday 19th Leave Guangzhou for Hong Kong
Sat. 20th Leave Hong Kong for HOME!!!

We have way too many free days because we bought our tickets before we had TA. I wanted to make sure we had tickets to get there! I know I will be ready to come home long before it's time. When I think about how long I will be there it makes me homesick. 24 days is too long!

Gotta go pack. Again.
Or unpack. Again.
Because my luggage weighs too much.

TA!!!!

2011-07-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

We got our TA today!!
I think I will classify that as a miracle!

I will meet her on Sunday.
That's all I know.

Details coming soon!

Oh, and horsey pictures. I was too exhausted both Saturday and Monday to post any.
Sunday I packed ALL day.
And now it's Tuesday and I'm still packing and trying to put my house back together.

Be back as soon as I know anything else!

Article 5

2011-07-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

Our Article 5 was issued in one day at the Consulate in Guangzhou, China yesterday and was picked up by our agency's rep and sent directly to the CCCWA in Beijing. This is where they will issue our TA (travel approval) and we really need it by Wednesday. If it comes before that it will be a miracle. I'm praying for a miracle!
Travel Agent Todd has been working on our flights the last couple of days. It's a little nerve wracking buying tickets before you get TA. There is a slight chance that they won't issue it in time- which means Sophie won't be adopted. Or they might only issue TA for her and not Hudson. I'm pretty confident I will get TA for both kids. And I'm praying for Monday or Tuesday. : ) Anyone want to join me in praying for a miracle?

Horse show tomorrow!!
Pictures to come later in the day.

Trey and his new sweet, sweet horse, Blaze!

2011-07-21T23:37:00.000-05:00

I want everyone to know what I think of my immigration officer.

I LOVE her!
She is so sweet.
Patient.
Understanding.
Hard working.
Speedy.
Dedicated.
Professional.
Kind.
Prompt.
Honest.
Sweet and kind!

There.
Now you know.

Once she was able to get her hands on my I800- she got it done.

The NVC office is another story.
Good gravy!!
Or.....mylanta!!! (as Lori would say.)

Article 5 has been picked up and I'm praying for a quick TA.
Although I'll be getting on a plane with our without it.
Sophie's birthday is only 12 days away.

I will finish packing tomorrow, finish painting the boys' bedroom, put the bedroom back together,
put the girls' bedroom together.... and then starts the County Fair!

2011-07-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

I called my Immigration Officer yesterday.
She doesn't have my paperwork. Said she should've had it a long time ago.
?????????What?????????

Agency is saying there is barely enough time to get there with the last few steps needed to get done.
And it's Friday again. Two days of no work for the government. Two days lost to get on it.

So.....I'm asking for prayers.
Pray that my I800 provisional approval is expedited to the NVC which then needs to be sent immediately to the Consulate in Guangzhou.
Pray that we get TA as soon as possible for BOTH kids! There is a chance they will make us turn around and make a second trip to get Hudson.
Pray that I can get everything done I need to before I leave for 3 weeks.

Mostly, pray that all this paperwork flies through at lightening speed so that Sophie has the chance at life with a family who already loves her.

2011-07-12T19:17:00.003-05:00

I'm weary.

Weary of wondering when.

Weary of thinking.

Thinking what, how, how much, what, who, how.

You know....all those things that run through your mind while you're waiting.

Waiting to double the amount of kids at home.

I'm weary and just want to hurry up and go.

Hurry up and get my kids.

And then hurry up and come home.

It seems for the last 2 months my life has been at a stand still.

It seems all I do is fill out forms.

Notarize documents. Certify documents. Authenticate documents.

Read instructions. Read lists. Make lists. Check off lists.

My garden is a jungle of weeds.

My house is a mess.

My kids watch too much tv.

But, I'm packing. And moving bedrooms around. And painting bedrooms.

And buying beds.

(Only not in that order.)

I just want to hurry up and go and come home so I can have my life back.

I'm weary.

4th of July

2011-07-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

It was a great day here on White Horse Drive!

We had family and friends here to celebrate my favorite day of the year.

Rodney, Joyce, Steve, Lisa, Wesley, Caleb, Colin & Chloe:

WE MISSED YOU!!!!!!

Trey and Jonah rang the bell at Kamp this year.

That means that they accepted Jesus into their hearts!

They could have been baptized at Kamp but wanted to wait and do it at home with family and friends.

Jace did this 3 years ago after he rang the bell at Kamp.

It was the highlight of the day.

Johnnye also made the decision to get baptized this year.

She chose to do it at Kamp and have Joe White do the honors.

She is a beautiful young lady both inside and out.

We had Sack Races!...

...lots 'o love...

...sweetness...

...daredevils!...

...beauty queens....

...good looking boys...

...adorable little girls...

...family...

...crazy people!....

...hot dogs...

...and Wiffle Ball.

We ended the evening with Show & Share and Smores.

And it was a wonderful day.

Summer

2011-07-02T15:52:00.000-05:00

This is the reason I LOVE summer.

Because I hate cold.

These are Trey's jeans wet and stiff from a cold day here in Kansas this winter.

So, on Monday, when it's over 100 degrees, you won't find me complaining.

2011-06-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

Kamp was GREAT.

This might have been the best year ever.

It was our 4th time at K-Kauai and it seems to only get better.

I'm too tired to write about what all we did because getting ready to leave for China is kicking my butt.

I have so much to do it isn't even funny.

At all. Nope. Not even kidding.

So, enjoy a few pics of our awesome week at K-Kauai!!

My new friend Jenny Markmiller. She actually left the pool to help me do adoption paperwork!!

She has two beautiful girls from China and I can't wait to see them back at Kamp next year.

Kyler and Diana decided after many years of being friends
that they were in love and decided to marry.

They are the funniest, cutest, nicest, most talented people ever!!

This is Brandon from California who plays football at Tabor in Hillsboro, Kansas.

He was a favorite Kamp Counselor of Trey's.

Isabella loved Emily. She was hilarious!!

Isabella and Ellie

Ellie and Isabella with Jennifer. She was their counselor for the week and they LOVED her!!

Jennifer and Amanda with the 3 BFF's.

The only picture of TR and I of the week.

Me and Ollie.

I love that my family goes to Kamp with us.

The truth behind these two.

LOA's

2011-06-19T14:03:00.000-05:00

Our LOA's (Letter of Acceptance) arrived Friday!!....

....an hour after we left for vacation.

We were told to print and sign the LOA's and FED EX them back asap.

OK.

Luckily my sister was still home packing the car to leave for the same place we were headed.

So, I forwarded everything to her (via TR's iPhone hot spot!) and had her print me several copies of our LOA's and I-800's. I always need several copies as I ruin a few during the paperwork process.

So now I am on vacation trying to do very important adoption paperwork with none of my info from home, no scanner, printer or fax machine. And the nearest FED EX store is in the town 30 minutes away!

Not to be undone by all this- it will get to my agency as soon as possible!

Now, if I only knew how to answer the questions on the I-800!!!

Izzy

2011-06-16T23:10:00.000-05:00

She is LOVING all the attention she is getting with her brother gone this week.

On Saturday we go to Family Kamp and reunite with our good friends the McCary's.

Isabella, Kate and Ellie can't wait to spend the week together.

Watch for pictures of these 3 beautiful Asian sweeties!

Summer is in full swing!

2011-06-16T22:52:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday TR and I took the 3 Amigos to Kanakuk.

It's their first time.

We've seen pictures everyday on the website and it looks like they probably won't want to come home.

Their having waaaaayyyyy too much fun.

Fortune or Faith

2011-06-09T22:01:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago on a Sunday we went to the chinese restaurant after church for lunch.

We ate our rice.

We drank our Oolong tea (well, the girls did anyway).

And while I was STILL eating Trent paid the bill and brought us our fortune cookies.

Now, I do not believe in "horoscopes", "crystal balls", "palm readers", "fortune cookies" or any of that garbley gook, but I did have to pick my chin up off the floor after I read BOTH of his fortune's.

First it was Lori's idea.

Then it was mine.

: )

and......

He had already made the decision a few days earlier.

Now, the reason this is so relevant is that we have been working hard at getting our
home study ammended, filling out more forms for immigration and getting a file transferred to bring 2 kids home!

As of today I can officially announce that not only will we be bringing home
Bao YunFei, but we will also be bringing home Tang Ting!!

She will turn 14 on August 2, so we are working hard and FAST to get our immigration approval through to travel sometime in July.

The plan was for all of us to go back to China together- but it's bad timing so Trent and Trey will stay home. We are a 4-H/FFA family and fair is always the last week of July. Trey has a sheep, horse and chicken to take to the fair and he is SO disappointed he can't go to China. He loves China.

So, I will be taking Isabella, Wesley and his girlfriend Kim with me.

And I am SOOOOO ready!!

Ok, not literally, like packed ready, but heart ready. : )

Introducing Tang Ting!!

Boys

2011-05-29T23:22:00.000-05:00

We have a big pond across the road in our pasture where the horses are.
This is where the boys go to catch frogs and "bow fish". Trent was coming home from work and found Trey and Jonah crossing the fence on their way back from the pond.

This is what he picked up:

The funniest part of the whole thing~ Isabella watched Trey get a wash down

and quietly to herself said, "Ooooo, gross!" Hilarious!!

Then it was Jonah's turn.

Still not sure why he wasn't nearly as dirty as Trey.

Boys! You gotta love 'em!!

Our Trip to Denver

2011-05-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

Isabella and I had her annual Cleft Team Appointment a couple of weeks ago. It's such a long day- seeing all those people who have their opinions on what we/they need/should do with her. I'm so glad that we love and trust our ENT who is also a plastic surgeon. He makes the long day worth it.

The night before we also got to have supper with Savannah (Long Qi) and her family. These girls are so funny together! While they don't remember each other (which is SO weird!) they act like long, lost, best friends.
We are going to miss them!

Busy Busy Busy....

2011-05-26T11:29:00.000-05:00

is life!

We have been all over the map, it seems!
Life is always changing and is about to change some more.

I've been busy planting the vegetable garden, flower pots full of flowers, cleaning out bedroom closets and painting Wesley's room for the boys to move into. Isabella had her annual cleft visit last week in Denver where we also got to see Savannah and her family before their move to Houston. We will miss them.

A stop in Lincoln, NE (on our way home from Iowa) to watch Kim, Wesley's girlfriend at her track meet was fun and loved seeing both of them.

Now baseball/tball has started for Trey and Isabella, not to mention Jace, Jonah, Emma, Jarrett and Jenessa, too! It's going to be a ~~busy~~ fun summer!

Here is proof that I haven't been sitting around doing nothing!

Kim is on the track team at K-State. She's awesome!

This girl LOVES her Big GeGe (as she calls him)!!

Trey and Isabella had their own track meet!

It was FREEZING!!! and windy!

Isabella was awarded the Kindness Award!

Isn't it sad that we have to award them for this?

I'm thinking it should be expected!!

Sad days we are living in.

Anyhoo, I'm happy that both of my kids are KIND.

That's all for now! More coming tomorrow!

The Doughty's

2011-05-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

The journey of adoption gives you life long, deep connections with those who experience it with you. Richard and Jennifer Doughty are very dear friends of ours because of adoption. We traveled to China together to get our girls. When I found out they named their daughter Wesleigh, I was elated!!
They brought their 3 sons, one of which was Trey's age and they became fast friends.
Trent and Richard couldn't stop talking about hunting! Too funny!

Like us, they are going back to China. We tried to time it just right- to travel together again. Not sure that will happen as we are a month behind them. But, nevertheless, we will once again experience the miracle of adoption together- even if it is a month apart.

Richard and Jennifer were interviewed for a video that was used for Adoption Sunday in their church. They are already making an impact in their church and community because of this!
Watch their video~it is amazing!!

Trey and Cade in China

Doughty Story from Healing Place Church on Vimeo.

2011-05-18T22:38:00.000-05:00

New favorite song.
Working on bringing my children home.

In Tha Muthahood

2011-05-04T20:42:00.000-05:00

Too funny!
Anita Renfroe back at it.

One Step Closer

2011-05-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

We now have a LID!!
(Which means Log In Date for international adoptions.)

4/28/11

The timeline for travel has been 4-5 months from LID which puts us in China September or October.
I'm VERY happy with that!!

Boys

2011-04-27T19:53:00.002-05:00

I can't wait until mine comes home!

Zia Jian From Marco Island!!

2011-04-15T22:13:00.000-05:00

We spent our last two days soaking up as much sun as we could, seeing how we heard there was snow coming down at home today!

We will definitely miss these days of 85+ degree days.

Both kids have decided they LOVE the beach.

I decide that every November through May!

Thursday

This was taken Friday.

Trey found sea sponge?

I'm not sure what to call it- although I know I learned that somewhere in Biology class one of those years!

It was spongy. Just like a real sponge!

And the color was beautiful. Why is it "they" turn them yellow or blue?

Zia Jian from Marco Island!

Wednesday On The Beach~ All Day!

2011-04-14T08:32:00.000-05:00

More Marco

2011-04-14T08:11:00.000-05:00

Tuesday Night Photos

I know these aren't the greatest pictures ever taken.

But dolphins around here are like deer at home.

They are everywhere!

My camera has been focusing on the lint inside the body instead of what's beyond the lens,

so the zoom isn't working like it should.

I think it's time to take a trip to the Camera Doctor!

Deep Sea Fishing

2011-04-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

The one that got away picture.

Marco Island

2011-04-12T11:06:00.002-05:00

This is the first time Trey and Isabella have ever been to the beach.

And they are loving it!!

This whole beach is made up of sea shells. It's beautiful!

Trent mostly watched the Masters beachside!

Then left us to watch it with the guys inside.

Trey gave me a sea shell skin scrub.

I thought it felt good!

Trey- not so much.

This not a staged photo. She really does do this on her own!

See?

So Much To Tell!!

2011-04-08T21:03:00.002-05:00

I've been gone for a LONG time.

Way too long.

So long that you will have to ~~endure~~ enjoy seeing ALL that has been going on around here.

I had to post all these because next week is going to be BLISS.

Marco Island here we come!!

High 80's.

Sun.

(Hopefully) No wind.

The beach.

Great food.

I won't have to cook or clean!

During our spring break, Isabella and I took a 3 1/2 hour drive to the east and met up with our social worker to do our LAST post placement report!

And of course see Big GeGe.

Two days later, we packed up and drove 5 hours to the west and saw our very sweet audiologist and had hearing tests and a new tube put on her hearing aid. The tests weren't good, so two weeks later we went back to Denver and saw her ENT and found out her hearing loss is very likely genetic.

The GOOD thing about driving that far is that we got to meet Savannah and her family.

Savannah and Isabella are 6 months apart. They grew up together in Longgang, China.

They are China Sisters. Although, they don't remember each other- they played like they were the best of friends. It was so heartwarming to watch the two together.

Their family is moving to Houston in May and we are so sad as we just don't know how often we'll get to see each other.

Savannah and Isabella around the age of 2 or 3 in the orphanage.

Ya, I don't look so great. I had a headache from driving all day and

getting bad news about Isabella's hearing.

Isabella and I got home and found out that Trent's grandma was not doing well. Lisa, (Trent's sister) called on her way to stay the weekend with her and wanted us to be prepared for the day Jesus came to take her home. She died two days later. She was a very loving, sweet, sophisticated prayer warrior of a woman.

So we traveled to Trent and Lisa's home town to see family and friends

and to celebrate Gma Z's life.

The FB stadium that my hunky, quarterback husband played on.

Nice, Trey.

Trey had my camera and got a few fun ones of Isabella and Wesley.

We've also had two BB tournaments.

Basketball tournaments are a little more fun than wrestling tournaments because they don't last

ALL DAY LONG!

This is Trey's first year playing organized 3 on 3 and it was so fun to watch!!

Isabella was so funny! Every time someone scored and the scoreboard changed- she would write it down on her little pad of paper. Does this mean she'll be the manager when she gets to Jr Hi and Sr Hi?

Wesley was home for his spring break and got to watch Trey play in his first BB tourney.

Trey is in the, "i don't want my picture taken" stage.

It's very frustrating for me!

The next three are from his second tourney.

They got first place!!

Last weekend we (along with Grandma, Grandpa and all the cousins) went to pick out our 4-H sheep.

Those babies are SOOO cute!!

Yes, Jenessa and Isabella are cute, too. : )

This one is the lucky winner! He has already named him A.J. Jr.

(After Wesley's favorite 4-H sheep)

Then there was the annual FFA Banquet!

FFA is big in our family. Our step dad is the Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor at our high school.

He has a VERY successful program and is a mentor to SO many young people.

Wesley loved FFA and was very successful in it. It's such a wonderful program!!

Trent and I

Johnnye (my gorgeous niece) and Wesley (my gorgeous son).

Johnnye is the second grandchild to be in FFA.

My beautiful "little" sister, Ollie. She's like 6' tall.

Emma and Isabella

My other beautiful little sister Jennifer (She's of normal height) and her hubby John.

The boys.

Jonah, Trey and Jace

I keep telling my sister (Jennifer) that this boy needs a blog written after him.

He is one of a kind. I've considered giving him equal time on here he's so funny!!

And these three are whom we call "The Three Amigos"!

They are all within 8 months of each other.

And all of our kids act like siblings.

In every way possible. Loving and fighting.

This is Trey's FFA PAL.

Once again, FFA is such an awesome thing.

Trent and I with our sweet nephew, Jace.

He will one day adopt.

No doubt.

Now........

to more EXCITING NEWS!!!

The dossier is finished!!!

It's been notarized, (THANKS TRISH!!), certified by the state and authenticated by the Chinese embassy!! And sent to CCAI to be checked over and over and over and over............

It's been there 11 days and should be on it's way to China.

Like yesterday!!!

Isn't that so cool?

Look at all that Chinese!!

And even more exciting news............

LOOK!!!!!!!

SWEET new pictures of Boa Yun Fei!!!!!!

And he's actually smiling!!!

Is he not the most handsome little dude ever?!

I'm in love.

They gave us updated measurements and he's grown!

Something I thought was cute- his report said, "Sometimes when he is naughty, he is also the kind of little boy that just makes people love him."

How funny is that?!!!

Not only does he share a birthday with Isabella, but they call him Xiao Fei.

Isabella's chinese name is Xiao Hua.

Yep, he's mine.

And I'm in love.

Oh, I said that already.

THIRD DAY

2011-03-09T08:32:00.000-06:00

Third Day has ANOTHER great song.

Adoption: physically and spiritually.

Nice Pill

2011-03-01T11:17:00.000-06:00

Last night Trey was playing very sweetly with Isabella.
They wrestled around and he would make her laugh by being silly.
Usually he picks on her so much that Trent or I are telling him to stop (ALOT)!

As he was walking out the door for wrestling practice he told Isabella goodbye
and then ran back to tell me with a big smile on his face, "Hey, Mom, I think I took my nice pill today!"

It was very sweet.
And encouraging.

Bragging.....

2011-02-24T17:32:00.002-06:00

is what I am doing today!

Yesterday was Parent/Teacher Conferences.
Miss Izzy's teacher had nothing but great things to say about her.

She called her amazing and bright.
A fast learner, ENERGETIC, obedient,

and yes

bossy.
She is still as bossy as she has ever been. But that's not always a bad thing. : )

Her test scores have shown tremendous growth and she is right up there with her classmates.
The most fun part has been seeing her learn to read! She has caught on so fast!

Speech still continues to be the hardest part for her. While she has also made huge improvements there- she still has a long way to go. Thankfully we have the best speech teacher ever. I don't know what we'd do without her.

Last Saturday Isabella was invited to a Tea Party.
She loved being with other girls her age, dressing up and drinking tea from a real tea cup!
The sweet mommy who hosted the party sent each of the girls home with a box full of goodies including the tea cup and saucer they drank their tea from.

These pictures are from 1 week ago.

The weather was so beautiful!!

Today we had 9 inches of snow.

I'm so ready for SUMMER!!!

2011-02-21T10:27:00.000-06:00

Time gets away from me.

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since a post.

Days just fly by. I feel busy all the time but can't figure out what I've been doing.

Anyone else have this problem?

Fingerprinting went great. I was very worried about having to go to this USCIS office as the last time I had to deal with them it was a nightmare. We were 30 minutes early and were out of there in less than a half hour. As usual, my fingerprints are barely there. These nice ladies had some magic lotion to rub on my fingers to get a better scan. I will be buying some of that Husker Lotion (if only it was Wildcat Lotion) to bring with me on all other fingerprinting field trips.

Trent says I worry too much and make mountains out of mole hills.

But, he doesn't deal with the paperwork and doesn't understand a mother's natural instinct to have her babies with her to love, nurture and protect. I want to go to China yesterday!

Here are a couple of days that we had since our 1 year Gotcha Day anniversary.

We went to another wrestling tournament. Trey got 1st place!!

He does so good for this being his first year in wrestling.

For those of you who can't tell Trey by his butt cheeks. He's in the blue. Pinning the kid in yellow.

Winner!

He really does think wrestling is fun.

I don't know why.

Trophy and Bracket

We had snow!

This is the only day we've been sledding. More than snow we've had FREEZING temperatures which makes sledding short lived.

Trey thought he'd try to surf the snow.

Later he got out Wesley's snow board.

That didn't work so well either.

This was Isabella's first time EVER sledding and she LOVED it!!

Jack had fun, too! He loves to play.

Happy President's Day!

Happy New Year!!

2011-02-03T20:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a great Chinese New Year!
I received fingerprint appointments today from the USCIS!
Yea!

The cool thing about it is........they are scheduled for February 14th.
VALENTINES DAY!!

So.....Trent and I will be having a date at our nearest USCIS office.

What a great New Year and Valentines Day!!

I also received this week my dossier back from the Chinese Embassy! I will be sending it off to my agency in hopes that they can start translating it.
The only thing left waiting on is my I-797.
Ahhhh. Relief.

Oh, here is a sweet picture of Isabella on our first Gotcha Day Anniversary.

Trey's Turn!

2011-01-31T10:22:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Trey competed in his first wrestling tournament.
The last time I went to one of these Wesley was the same age and now he's 21!
Wow. That means I'm old.

Here are pictures of my skinny boy in his tight little singlet.

My sweet nephews also wrestled.

Trey got 3rd place

Jonah got 1st place

Jace got 4th place

All the buddies-
Connor, Judson, Trey, Camden
Jonah, Tucker, Kade

Gotcha Day Continued....

2011-01-28T08:53:00.007-06:00

As we arrived at the hotel.

After "THE BATH"!

We drove to the medical building where they do all adoption physical exams for someone to check her chicken pox. She sat on my lap the whole way. When we got out of the van she didn't want to be held- told me she would walk- but held my hand the whole time. She really "knew" she was going back to her "home" at the orphanage.

She checked out fine. We left- she held my hand and sat on my lap all the way to the Carrfour to get water and snacks. She walked in and then let me carry her. We bought water, pringles, oreos and chinese cartoon DVD's for her. Drove back to the hotel. As soon as we walked in and she realized this was not where she intended to go, she turned around and told Rosa something in Chinese. Rosa looked at me and said, "She knows this isn't where she wants to be", then told us to hurry to our rooms. I held her and let her cry it out. She cried in the room for 15-20 minutes and then quit. I don't remember what happened directly after that- I think she looked around, went through her new backpack, etc.

She had to go to the bathroom so I took her and she wanted to take a bath! She got in and played and smiled. Let me wash her hair. She was great. We put her new jammies on and she LOVED her pink princess slippers. She posed for many pictures. We ordered room service and she ate fruit. Mosts of the fo

od was yucky. She played with her new things and was even a little silly with Trey and Trent. Wow- after her bath she was so different!

I know my grammer is bad- but I typed what I had written. I didn't take the time to make sure I had it all correct- as I was on call 24/7!!

So, that's it! Starting on day 2 she woke up happy and has stayed that way ever since!

When I said she's never looked back- I meant it. This girl is the happiest, silliest, most fun and loving child I've ever known. Life is waaaayyy better with her in it!!

Day 2

Happiest Girl In the World

One Year Ago Today.....

2011-01-24T21:28:00.010-06:00

on January 26, 2010

Long Xiao Hua became part of our family.

Something she wasn't sure she wanted.....until the next day. And she's never looked back.

It is still surreal to me that my little girl comes from a very distant land.

The love I have for her is fierce and abundant, deep and overwhelming.

I am privileged to be her mama.

I've been reading back through my journals of how this day played out.

Here is what I wrote one year ago.....

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Didn't get much sleep.

Up early-bed late. Didn't get here until 11pm. Bed at 1am and up early to eat breakfast at 8am.

We needed to be ready to go at 1:30pm. Rosa is young and very sweet.

We needed to bring XiaoHua's backpack, $6,000, passports and extra passport pcitures. Coudn't find extra passport photos and had a little panic. Rosa said it was ok and that we could get them taken at Civil Affairs office. Trey was so upset with me because he thought they wouldn't let us have her. He was in tears.

We went to the bank across the street from the hotel.

TR took a picture of Rosa and I and the bank police jumped up and started talking Chinese to us.

Scary!

We then went to the Civil Affairs - drove a little ways down some alleys- got out and walked down several more alley's.

Went into a nice building, rode elevator to 8th floor, got out turned left and went into a nice area.

Red cushion seats with black and white polka dotted pillows. This was the Adoption Registry of Guangdong Province.

We didn't know that XiaoHua was in the next room. All of a sudden she came out and it was so surreal!

Like meeting someone you've always wanted to- not really sure what they would look like in real life!

Two pig tails and in the most gorgeous pink coat! PINK! She is definitely my daughter!

She was with the two nannies and the director.

They said to her, "This is MaMa", she looked at me and said, "MaMa" and looked at Trent and said, "BaBa"

and smiled. When they told her to come to us she walked toward me and then she changed her mind.

She clung to the leg of one of her nannies and cried, "No!!" The all wanted her to sit by me. I got out a few

of her things for her- none of it worked.

She did take the suckers and cheerios from me.

She was very upset.

After awhile the orphanage workers left- I didn't know they were leaving until I saw them standing at the elevator.

I did not get to ask any questions at all.

XiaoHua cried, yelled, kicked, arched her back and threw her suckers. She wouldn't even listen to Rosa-

but definitely preferred her over us.

I picked her up and went into the other room (holding room) with her and just held her while she cried. She didn't like it at all.

I tried talking chinese to her, singing to her, looking out the window- nothing helped. I had Trey

bring in her bag that she came with. She didn't want me touching any of her things. I opened it to

distract her and she was furious! She put her things back in and wouldn't let go of her bag.

Trent came in to take over while I signed the paperwork. She tried to dodge Trent and Trey to get out

of the room. It was horrible and I felt so bad for her!

At one point she got her bag and decided she wasn't having any part of it and was leaving. She walked behind

the front desk wall where the bathrooms are to leave. Rosa went to get her- was pretty much dragging her out.

I went to see if I could help- she put her hand up to her face and shut me up and

shut me out yelling, "no, no, no, no, no!!!!"

After this, we decided to leave and finish paperwork tomorrow because she was so upset.

The whole time we were there, there were two ladies cleaning the room. They watched as they cleaned.

When XiaoHua realized we were leaving she quit crying and let me carry her. I remember smelling her hair.

A strong, pugnant, stinky smell. Hard to take, but did so anyway, because it's her and I want to remember

everything about this day.

*Continued tomorrow because it's long and I have to go to school and pick up my wonderful (now sweet smelling)

Isabella Hope XiaoHua!!

GONE! GONE! GONE!

2011-01-10T15:19:00.004-06:00

What a day.

First off.

It's a snow day. Which means the kids were home.

Sort of.

I made Trey call some friends to find somewhere to go. Usually that's not allowed.

Because I'm still having anxiety, irritation, moodiness and slight depression from adoption paperwork, I needed to get rid of at least one of my kids.

For the other one, I brought in an older, more reliable friend in need.

Emma. My 8 year old niece.

She brought her manicure kit and along with Isabella's face paint ( I mean make-up), they will be busy for awhile.

Do you hear that?

I don't either.

It's sooooo nice!

No nerf guns being shot.

No screaming sister.

No yelling mother.

Ahhhh, quiet. : )

So, after checking and checking and REchecking, the VERY IMPORTANT documents have been put into big mustard yellow envelopes and taken downtown. I've been to the local UPS drop off, aka Endzone and got rid of all notarized documents for my dossier to be state certified.

I also got rid of my I-800A!! (Sorry Jen- I missed Friday's pick up. So I'm a day behind you)

These 81/2 x 11 pieces of paper give me grief!! My hands shake. I get all nervous just handling them. I know- it's crazy. I may need to be committed after this. Trent already thinks I should be.

Like my friend Jennifer said she was going to do, I prayed hard over these outgoing documents!

And now I feel goooooood!

Like a weight has been lifted!

Ahhhhh.

Dang. I should've taken a picture to show you.

I also (finally!) sent my box of goodies to Yun Fei. $45.50 just to send a small box to China!

It's crazy. But worth it.

Here you go Johnnye!!

2011-01-09T18:24:00.003-06:00

Johnnye and Isabella are the family hairstylists.

I promised the girls a blog entry.

Aren't they beautiful?!!

Unexpected....

2011-01-08T10:55:00.003-06:00

....photos!!

I checked my email yesterday morning and this is what I got!!!

Ann, at Red Thread, is SO AWESOME!!!

She is also the one who let me know that Isabella was in foster care right before we got her.

She comes highly recommended. LOVE HER!

Ok, back to the real reason I'm posting this.

Look at my little man.

He's even grown!

She sent me his new height and will send me his shoe size when she gets it.

When I look at Yun Fei I see a little boy who looks sad and dirty.

I see a little boy who needs....

1. his MaMa to come and get him. FAST!

2. lots of love and hugs and kisses.

3. a good nerf war with his GeGe.

4. to wrestle with his BaBa.

5. a bossy Chinese MeiMei to keep him in line. : )

6. Big GeGe (that would be Wesley) to throw him in the pool

and teach him to ride horses.

He just needs to COME HOME!!

He's so handsome.

Check him out.

Kousins Kamp

2011-01-06T19:25:00.002-06:00

You'll see lot's of weird children here on this post.

One handed boy trying to do what he's told.

"Shape that clay into a ball and then a bowl!"

You wouldn't believe the mess they left me to clean up.

Believe me, when they got done it was much worse than what you see here.

"What the heck is that on your face?!"

(I'm sure I'll be asking this in about 10 years.)

"Nice sculpting, Jenessa!

What the heck is on your face?!"

Don't all artists sport bed head?

This little/big dude is almost too old for kousins kamp.

But I'm going to make him keep coming. I adore this kid!!

This is what I woke up to the next morning.

SEE?! See all these weirdly wonderful children?

That is a word, isn't it?

They are so sweet when they are sleeping.

And I love every one of them.

On it's way to China.....

2011-01-06T18:57:00.003-06:00

Gifts to the orphanage for our little buddy.

I also ordered him a winter coat, hat, gloves, new outfit,

shoes, and a photo album of his new family.

I had to make it good as

this will more than likely be how and when he learns

he has a family waiting for him.

As I pick which pictures to send I wonder what he'll think.

Are we scary? Ugly? Weird looking? Does he know what soccer is? Swimming?

Will Jack (our dog) scare him like he did Isabella?

Will he be happy he has a family? Will he change his mind when he sees us?

Or will he be glad that someone has chosen him?

So many questions and unknowns.

Honestly, I can't get to China soon enough.

(And I wish I had a hidden camera when he gets his package!)