Two days!?!?!?

We are leaving in two days! Can you believe how times flies?

I still have some packing to do. I'm trying to get my house in order so that it looks good when we return.

The chain link is done and is at Grandma's house. Here are some pics and cute Mei Mei in the background, and of course the kite flying pictures.

I miss Ms. sassafras already. I cannot imagine being away from her that long. I know she is in good hands, and that comforts me. Thank goodness for Skype. I'm trying to envision saying our goodbyes to her, and I will need to keep it together for her sake. I have been trying to be very positive about the whole trip - how much fun she is going to have with her grandmas and grandpas, lots of activities to keep her busy. But then she tells me, "Mommy, I'm gonna miss you.. And Mommy, I'm gonna cry for you..." Breaks my heart.

Please pray for a safe journey, and for us to be prepared for our son's needs, as he becomes part of our family. And please throw in a prayer for Ms. sassafras, that she will cope without her parents for the eighteen days we will be gone, and will be a good girl for everyone taking care of her. Of course I know there will be at least a little drama.

Test post

Okay, so we leave in ten days, and on one hand I am overwhelmed, and on the other I feel like I am making progress in getting things prepared for the trip.   This is a test post from my email.  The hope is that when I email my blog account, my posts will be sent properly to the blog.  And to see if a college educated girl like me can follow simple directions.  :)   Then I can mark this task off my list.  I will post another time in the next couple of days to try out a picture with the text.   We had a fun weekend of Daddy and Ms. sassafras flying a kite.  And we couldn't get away without singing the song from that Disney classic Mary Poppins:  "Let's go fly a kite!"  Sing it with me everyone.....   Up to the highest height......   Kite flying pictures to follow soon.

Tickets and reservations and research, oh my.

We got our tickets to fly late last night. Just looking at the flight itinerary with our son's name on it for the return flight is a good feeling. This is it. Our lives are about to change.

I keep trying to imagine how things will go when he meets us. How he will react to his new parents? Have his foster parents told him a lot about getting a new family? I thinking about him grieving and his foster parents as well, and I get a little sad. An amazing thing is about to happen, for all of us, but he might not be able to see it for a while. Like anyone, he will learn to trust us, in his own timing.

We splurged on our Hong Kong hotel. You only live once, right? Besides, it will be a nice getaway for hubby and me before placement. We've heard great things about Hong Kong, and we can't wait to sight see. Last time we were there, the only place in Hong Kong that we saw was the airport for a five hour layover on our way home from China - not much fun.

This upcoming Monday we will apply for our Chinese visas and they will be ready early the following week. We leave two weeks from this upcoming Wednesday already. And I know the time will fly.

I still cannot believe this is finally happening. We are just so excited!

Consulate appointment, check.

Each day that goes by gets us one day closer to meeting our son. Today, we are moving forward at a fast pace. Funny how waiting and waiting makes you feel lax, and then when things are getting closer, a sense of urgency sets in. I am thankful to God that this time has finally come.

We got our Consulate appointment, the main appointment that among others, is the basis of when the trip is scheduled.


Right now, here are some details:

Gotcha day is scheduled for May 4th at 2:30pm! This the day after the Chinese Labor Day, and exactly three years ago to that day we held our baby girl for the first time!

We'll sign the final adoption paperwork on May 5th at 9am.

The Consulate appointment is May 12th at 9am.



The itinerary is pending (hopefully we'll get it tomorrow or early next week), and we will book the flights after it is finalized.

Hooray! Time to research Hong Kong and find some fun things to do there!

Big announcement!

Today was a great day! We got our travel approval and hope to book our trip this week!

It is getting more real now. Our son's future is bright. And we are lucky that we are his parents.

Spring is here.

The birds are chirping.

The earth is changing into beautiful shades of green.

We are happy.

Life is good.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all! He is risen! Let us celebrate with family and friends!

A life forever changed

In a few short weeks, two parents will be on a plane to meet their son. Never in a million years did they imagine they'd have a son. Never in a million years did they know that they would be on their way to a foreign country for the second time to meet their child. And never in a million years did they know that their precious boy would be seven years old when they would meet.

But God knew.

All along.

These two parents were planners. Type A people. Had their life completely planned out, you see. Fell in love, madly. Got married. Next, kids. When fertility treatments were unsuccessful, they knew they were still meant to be parents. They decided to adopt a little girl from China. And they met that little girl on May 8, 2007.

That little girl has brought so much joy to these parents, and to her grandparents, many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. How could one little girl change the lives of so many people? How could they be so lucky?

So now, as we get ready to pick up this precious boy, we pray for him in his transition. We know that his life will be changed from the moment that we meet. And we are up for the challenges, and look forward to loving this boy with all of our hearts. Forever.