Friday, March 29, 2013

Easter

Happy Easter!
Next year there will be two more in this picture.  It is always hard having a child half way around the world on a holiday.  You already love them and can picture them at home with you.  I am just so thankful that both girls are in loving foster homes!  That makes the wait just a little easier!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Baby pictures

It sometimes makes me sad that I don't have baby pictures of some of my kids.  At the same time we are very lucky to have as many pictures as we do.  We have none of Mia before the age of 1 but the orphanage took a lot when she was 1 1/2 and moved there and we love having them.  We have Max from his hospital pictures on.  We have so many of him and treasure them all.  Meilin was abandoned at the age of one but after that we have seen a lot pictures of her.  Molly was abandoned around the age of 6 so we have nothing before that but a lot after!  Many if not most orphans are thrown in orphanages and people are lucky to have one picture total.  Though we don't have baby pictures of several of them I am beyond thankful for what we have.  All of our adopted children were in wonderful places when we brought them home.  They all knew what it meant to be loved.  They may have had hard lives before that, some very hard, but they knew true love when we got them or will get them.
Meilin was probably around 1 here and so adorable.  I have a feeling Molly's baby pictures would look a lot like hers! 

Molly has grown up so much from the first pictures we have of her!  Such and adorable girl that is growing into a beautiful young lady!!!

I just can't get over how blessed we are.  These girls are so beautiful inside and out and will touch many more lives when they come home!


Monday, March 25, 2013

One step forward two steps back!

One step forward two steps back, that seems to happen a lot in the adoption process.  We had a mess up with the way our physicals were notarized.  It cost us money to redo them and more importantly a couple weeks.  I hate losing time.  Our girls are ready to come home now and it is hard to not feel like we are letting them down.  So, I was very frustrated on the error that was found but last night as we were redoing it we found out the forms were filled out wrong in more ways than we thought. It was so much better to have caught it now!  So it was a blessing in disguise and another lesson on having Faith in the process and God's timing.  So this morning we got it redone and notarized.  Making progress again!!!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Fundraiser

Be sure to check out the Fundraiser tab at the top to see so neat bracelets and necklaces that we are selling!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Larry's birthday!

Today was Larry's birthday!
These two were in charge of making and decorating the cake.
so that explains the blue frosting!
These two didn't mind
Then we got a nice surprise and New Day Foster home had a post and pictures about Meilin!
Oh my goodness she is so adorable!  I can not wait to hold her and Molly in my arms!


Molly wished him Happy Birthday too!  We are going to have a great time
celebrating birthday's next year!


We had a snag in the adoption process with some paper work.  Basically it is putting us two weeks behind now.  That is never easy to find out but I just have to remember that this is on God's timing not mine and it will work out.  These beautiful girls will come home when the time is right!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

WDSD

Today is World Down Syndrome Day! We are so blessed by Max and Mia and their extra chromosomes!  Someday I may get a picture of them looking at the camera and smiling at the same time.  Until then these pictures will have to work!









These two keep us on our toes but they are totally worth it!  They are very special little ones!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Donations

We are humbled and blessed to see our donation amount continue to rise!  We were so thankful that we were able to pay for the last two adoptions ourselves.  This was our biggest leap of faith yet starting the process with China so quickly after Max got home.  We are doing what we can to save and have been able to pay for a lot of this adoption already.   Honestly I don't know how we do it some days but when we have needed the money it shows up which is more proof that God will provide! 

The hardest part will be closer to travel this fall.  The orphanage fees we owe China will be $11,000 and then airline tickets/hotel/ travel expenses.  The good news is we still have time to raise those funds.  With each donation it puts us closer to reaching that goal though!  It is amazing how many people care about our girls and are doing a part to help them come home.  I tear up each and every time I see that someone donated.  It is so touching and we really appreciate it more than you know!  It is so wonderful to be a part of bringing these two special girls home and have so many other sharing in the journey with us through donations, prayer and support! 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

There is one thing that I am certain of.  When these girls get home, our grocery bill will go up!
From the wonderful collection of pictures we have of Molly and Meilin, I see a trend.

They like to eat!
 
(And, we need to work on using chopsticks!)
 



 
Molly seems to have the same tastes as we do!
 


But they aren't alone in their love for food:


And now we have two more reasons for birthday cake a year!


Who doesn't get excited over birthday cake?!

And if money gets tight, we can always feed them snow!  There is plenty around for all of us!


Monday, March 11, 2013

Adoption is such an amazing thing.  Half way around the world, in a foster home, sits this little girl,


and this little girl.

Who one day will be walking hand in hand as brothers and sisters
with these guys!
 
 

They will have many cousins to play with.  These are just a few but they are so excited for Molly to come home and hang out with them!
All these children have come together, or will come together, as brother and sister.  All with different pasts and history but together as one family!

They will be silly together.

Play in the snow together.

And just be together.  Since we have pretty much adopted back to back since we brought Mia home, someone is always missing.  What a feeling of peace it will be when Molly and Meilin will be home and we will all be together.  Well sort of, now we will have the older to moving on to college this year and next!
We will need a bigger couch for family pictures but I am so ready to bring them home.  Please pray for all our hearts as we wait the next several months to finish up this process!