Happy Birthday!

Precious Ruthie is waking up to celebrate her 2nd Birthday and her mama is a little sad. Wish I could have been there.

Happy Birthday my precious one!!!

Hopefully we will have birthday pictures soon from Adoption Help.

Please pray a special birthday prayer for Ruthie today.

Thank you!

Oh My!

Today as I drug my three youngest children, Grant, Amelia and Quinn through the Dixie in on a hyper focused mission to find stacking cups. We had been to FOUR stores looking to cross this item off my list. As we went down the isles looking for the baby section, an employee laughed and commented on the trail behind me. Wanted to say, this is nothing! Anyway, I FOUND THE STACKING CUPS!!! VICTORY! CHECK! As we were walking towards the check-out Quinn asked for the umteenth time if he could play the itouch. Over and over again I said no, finally his 5 year old sister piped in with great confidence and said, "start arguing with her, then you'll get it. IT ALWAYS WORKS FOR ME!"

Oh My! Do I even try to reign it all in before next week? I sure am going to be prepared to travel, in the meantime . . . Someone please come take these lists away!!!!

Lantern Festival ~ Travel Plans

On February 6th China will celebrate the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival celebrates the reunion of families. Isn't that just perfect! That is Ruthie Joy day!!!

We have our trip planned. The excitement will start in Beijing at New Day. This is a dream come true for me. For a very long time I have wanted to visit all of our friends and love on the precious children and babies being fostered there. In addition to being at my most favorite place in the world, Kari, our Chinese friend and her mother will join us at New Day. Kari is an amazing woman who lived with us last year. She left to return to China in May. Kari is like a daughter to us. I have never met Kari's mother so I am looking forward to spending time getting to know her.

We fly to Shanghai on Sunday and Monday morning is RUTHIE JOY DAY.

After spending five days in Shanghai, we will leave for Guangzhou. AND THEN, you are not going to believe this!!! we meet up with our dear friends here from our town. They started out on their adoption journey around the time we did. Their daughter, Willa, is waiting for them in Wuhan. Only God could have orchestrated such a perfect plan. We will spend the last week of our trip with our friends from here and friends I have met online who will also be traveling. I CANNOT WAIT I CANNOT WAIT I CANNOT WAIT!

I am busy packing and washing Ruthie Joy's clothes. Our weight limit is only 44lbs. When you are packing for two different climates that is very difficult. I know less is better, but it doesn't seem that way from here.

The other big job on my list is making a book for our sitter ~ an Instruction Manuel, because I am confident that I have all the answers. LOL!!!! I am so grateful she is willing to watch our children. I know they will be very well taken care of and loved. My mother will come and take over caring for the children the last part of the trip and welcome us home.

It's going to be a full week! I am so grateful to be on this journey and overwhelmed by God's precious gift to me.

What day is today?

Yesterday Skip had the day off to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King day. I loved having him home, but this means that all day long I will struggle to believe that today is Tuesday. This week I will have to follow my calendar very closely to avoid missing any routine activities. By Thursday, I will recognize the next day as being Friday and the week will have flown by.

Things are very quiet on the adoption front in regards to approvals coming in. It is amazing to Skip the bond I have with other mothers from the different adoption groups. He calls them my "cyber friends". I'll never forget the sea of adopting parents in the Chicago airport waiting to travel to Beijing. Across the room I saw someone I had met on the adoption sites. I told him we needed to go speak and he began to plead with me about approaching strangers. I drug him over and it did happen to be my friend Rebekah and her husband and daughter! I loved having the opportunity to meet her face to face and travel together. We ended up spending time together in Guangzhou and infact, we celebrated Skip's 40 Birthday with them.

Again, I (we) have friends who are looking for their travel approvals very soon in hopes of traveling the week we travel, some cyber and non-cyber (LOL). I would love to continue to share the journey and celebrate together in China. I am praying we will see some shouting, "TA!!!!!!" very soon.

We Have A Due Date

On February 1st we will have known she is our girl for 9 months. On February 1st we will depart to China and on February 6th I will have the honor and privilege to hold her in my arms. I have prayed for this day to hold my daughter for four years.

Upon the announcement of TA, life feels like it has been turned upside down. My concentration level is shot and my children are taking full advantage and loving it! I wish I could say I have lists, but I do not, and I really would not have anything to cross off if I did have a list except perhaps that my visa paperwork has been sent.


The Lord has met us at every single step and I trust He has done the same for sweet Ruthie Joy. Our older girls, Olivia and Annabel will be traveling with us and I look forward to seeing China through their eyes.

January 26th Ruthie will celebrate her 2nd birthday and the ocean between us seems to be getting smaller every minute. Her life is such a precious gift.

So we begin the countdown with great anticipation and I continue to pray that she will know the depth of my love for her. This journey has been such a sweet reminder to me that God is in the details and JOY comes in the morning.