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.

Happy New Years!

We received our last update of Ruthie Joy. I cannot wait to have her in my arms and see her cuteness in person. This update was by far the most difficult one to receive. We are so close, but I feel like our departure date will take forever to get here. I was also sad to see the little sores and bruises on her head. I am ready to leave today.

Beautiful

Precious Smile

We are looking for our TA any day now. OUR plans are to travel February 1st. Please pray for sweet Ruthie this last leg of the journey.

This New Year is going to be so very big! Happy New Year my sweet Ruthie Joy!

Terrible Blogger!

Okay I INTENDED to complete the Christmas countdown. I INTENDED to journal leading up to Christmas. I INTENDED to post the fun and exciting pictures of the children leading up to Christmas ~ but I didn't. I am sure that does not surprise anyone who reads this blog ;)

This Christmas was truly one of my fondest memories with my family. We celebrated Jesus' birthday and the blessing of my stepfather's full recover from just a few weeks post brain surgery. We met my parents and brother in Tennessee at the cabin on the Cumberland Plateau. I left on the Monday before Christmas and Skip came up the following Wednesday with a packed sleigh.

The air was crisp and cold, so perfect for Christmas. We all (including my stepfather!) walked through the woods, rode four wheelers and fished. At night we all sat by the fire and enjoyed the exhaustion and just being together. This little town has stopped in time and the cabin does not have internet, so for Christmas our lives slowed down enough for us to just be together. It was such a sweet time.

The last Christmas we spent together was 12 years ago, Olivia was 1 and Annabel was on her way. Five children later, we had all the chaos and laughter I remembered dreaming of wanting as an only child. My brother, who is 24 years younger, has also grown up basically an only child. I am still not sure if he also dreams of a lively Christmas, but that is exactly what he got!

My mother has set up a room for Skip and me in the cabin. This is the first time since I got married that Skip and I did not use the guestroom. The room has a beautiful very tall heart of pine bed and the most beautiful quilt. The linens are so comfy and the room is sweetly decorated with pictures of our precious little ones. The room is a perfect gift!

Santa found us! Thanks to the luminaries we set up on Christmas Eve. Christmas day was alive and full ~ Just like Jesus.

Joy to the world! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Countdown!

13!

The number of years this precious girl has been my daughter.

13 years ago you entered the world at 9 lbs and 22.5 inches long and our lives have never been the same.
Olivia you are a treasure. You have such an ability to touch lives in a powerful way. Your love for Christ continues to point every one in your path towards Him. Many time I have heard people call you an angel and I must agree. You are very smart and have such clear vision of right and wrong. You are very tiny and at the same time extremely strong minded and determined. I know how powerfully He has used you in 13 short years and I cannot wait to see how your passion for Christ will continue to make a big impact. Your name means olive branch, which represents peace. It is the perfect name for you. I have loved the last 13 years as your mother! You are growing into such an amazing girl. You bless me more than you will ever know.
I love you!

Christmas Countdown!

14 !
The number of shoes that will very soon line up at the door.

Christmas Countdown!

15
The number of times I pleaded with Amelia to help her with the frosting.

"Ooopps mama, I did not know it would come out the top."

A gingerbread house with a pool which is what she intended to do from the start.

Grace's masterpiece

Quinn's masterpiece

Micky Mouse

We have been able to enjoy 7 years of my parents living in Orlando, Florida or as my children say, Pop and Grandma Lulu live at Disney World. My step father's surgery was in North Carolina so I came down to watch over my teenage brother, Kurt. Pretty easy job. The condo my parents live in is a retirement golf community and let's just say my littles have livened up the neighborhood!

Yesterday was our big adventure at Disney World! Although outnumbered and a bit intimidated, 1 to 4, I managed to keep track of everyone. We had such a great time and it really kicked us into the Christmas spirit. The park is so beautifully decorated for Christmas and Cinderella's Castle is breathtaking.

The carousel, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan and Splash Mountain were the favorite rides. We had a packed 12 hours of fun and beautiful weather. Tomorrow we will head home to Daddy and the two older girls. We are ready.

Praises!

The surgery went very well! He was able to respond to everything they asked during the surgery and the entire tumor was removed. He woke up from the surgery with his same sense of humor. We are so grateful for this blessing! Thank you for praying.

Please Pray

Tomorrow my step father is going to have brain surgery to remove a tumor resting on his major motor control panel. 9 years ago he began experiencing symptoms of loss of feeling in his leg. A back injury was his diagnosis 7 years ago and he had surgery to repair a disk. Thankfully his tumor is very slow growing, it has only effected his one leg and there is a very high chance it is not cancer.

Tomorrow morning he will have surgery . He has a wonderful surgeon, but he will have to endure surgery awake. The surgical team will stop the surgery if they begin to see any signs of loss of speech or gross motor function. As you can imagine, he is fighting off a lot of fear.

Thank you for your prayers!

The Bug

We have the stomach bug making the rounds in our house. As each 24 hours pass, someone else begins to get sick, but it is very predictable because it ALWAYS begins around 1AM and continues until about 4:30AM. Why?

Now to my agenda,

I have the "get organized" bug because soon we will have seven ! I want to clean out every closet, pull down all the Christmas decorations, finish all sewing projects. All today!

Instead I will hang out in the laundry room and serve gatorade and crackers. All kidding aside, I would not trade this job for all the jobs in the world. I love serving this precious group of children. I am so grateful for my generous husband who can survive on 2 hours of sleep.

Clorox is my best friend this week!

It Came!!

LOA! ~ Day 68
Praises