Best Vacation Ever

January 2009
Breckenridge, Colorado

Sometimes the Stork Comes In a Van

I didn't post these right away.
I accidently deleted every photo off my camera card.
I was so mad I'm pretty sure a bad word was said. Thanks to a very good friend, who has a program on his computer that retrieves the photos you ACCIDENTLY DELETE, I can share them with you. More importantly, I will have them for Isabella's Lifebook.

Last Week's Blizzard

Jonah and Trey

Can't Slow Down!

Everything is going so fast!

After waiting 3 1/2 years (not to mention the 2 years it took to get all our paperwork finished), my head is spinning with all the approvals that have come back from China so fast.

We sent our Waiting Child application in on November 2.

Received our referral the next day November 3.

November 13 we accepted our referral of Long Xiaohua.

Sent our EA (Electronic Acceptance) in on Monday, November 23.

Received our PA (Pre Approval) back from the CCAA on Monday, November 30.

Two days later on December 2 we got our RA (Referral Approval) from the CCAA.

From November 2- December 2 the whole process of finding our child to becoming official ours has taken 1 month. If I had known this 3 years ago........

I am now working on getting TA (Travel Approval) which should come in the next 2 weeks.

We are being told that we will travel at the end of January.

My head is spinning with all that needs to be done before we leave!!

Long Xiao Hua

Here she is!

The newest member of our family.

Chinese Name: Long Xiao Hua.

Province: Guangdong, Shenzhen City

DOB: August 30, 2004

Height: 40"

Weight: 33#

Long Xiao Hua is 5 years old and likes to sing, read books and play with her toys and friends. She is described as active, talkative and outgoing.

Our prayers now are to help her grieve her losses. She will leave behind everything she has ever known; people, school, food, language, routines. We want to be here for her through discussion, tears and prayer. Attending to her grief is a critical element to integrating her into our family. With these things she will grow, change and become stronger.

Please pray that her transition into our family will be easy for her and us.

Trey is excited to finally know who his sister is and is glad she is 5 years old.

Wesley smiled, was pretty quiet and isn't sure about adopting an older child. We respect his concerns and pray that through this we can show others that adopting an older child is a true blessing.

Trey learns about his sister-

A Shoebox Christmas in China

Trey, Emma and I went shopping tonight for Operation Christmas Child.

Before we went in to buy our gifts I asked them what age of child they were buying for and is it a boy or girl.

Trey knew right away.

He was buying for a 5 year old girl and his shoebox was going to China!

He has waited so long for a sister that he can't hardly stand it!

Every time he sees an Asian person he says, "Look, they are from China!"

Every time he hears a foreign language he thinks it's Chinese.

Every time he sees a stuffed Panda bear he has to get it for his sister.

This boy has China on his mind and in his heart!

Trey Wants A Sister

The other night I was putting Trey to bed and told him we need to pray to bring Isabella home soon! So, after we did that I asked him what he thought his sister was going to be like.

He said he wanted a sister like Jenessa because she is funny!

And then he said he wanted his sister to be 5 years old. He's never really been age specific before, so I was surprised when he told me that.

I mentioned that we are going to get a little girl with a special need which means she might be a little different, but that would be ok and we will love her anyway.

He said, "Like, she will have a disease?"

Me: "No, not a disease."

Trey: "You mean like when they have a cut on their lip?"

Me: "Maybe. That's called a cleft lip. Would that be ok?"

Trey: "Ya. I want her to be 5 years old and have a cleft lip."