Good news

We have spent the better part of the last three weeks trying to sort out the transfer of our dossier from our old agency to our new agency....and today, we got some good news! Our new agency's China coordinator is actually in China right now and has received the "green light" to have our dossier transfered from our old agency to our new one!!! Even though this news has been anticipated, it is exciting to hear it nonetheless. Once she arrives back in the States, she will send our old agency the information they need for the transfer to take place. Our old agency has been extremely helpful during this process, as they have done this before. They want to ensure all "I's" are dotted and "T's" are crossed so that the transfer is successful and goes off without a hitch. We are thankful for how thorough they are being, as too much has been invested to lose over a simple oversight.

On another note, we are still waiting for Pre-approval (PA). This is a preliminary approval China gives families who request to be matched to a particular waiting child. As soon as we get PA, we will be sending Madeline a care package, just like we did with Caleb. I am getting really antsy about this. But I'm trying to sit tight and be patient.

And after three years of collecting dust, my sewing machine has been put back to work! I bought some adorable dress patterns to make Madeline some cute summer dresses. I've already made the cutest little skirt with a flounce. And it just warms my heart to imagine her wearing it. ***sigh*** I'll have to post some photos once I finsih them. Until next time...

Exciting times

These last few weeks have been filled with lots of excitment. I know I'm a little late, but I still wanted to post about some Halloween fun. Caleb wanted to dress up as a fireman this year. He loved wearing his costume, even though it was so terribly hot! Our little local library put together a nice party for the children. They had games and snacks. Caleb had so much fun bowling and playing bean bag toss. He really worked up a sweat! Baba took him to the mall on Halloween, but he just wasn't interested in getting candy.

As usual, we waited until the last minute to get our pumpkins. Last Friday we walked over to the church across the street and let Caleb pick out two pumpkins: one for him and one for Madeline!

That's right...one for Madeline!!!!!!!!!

Last Friday, we accepted our precious daughter's referral. We still have some kinks to work out because she is not listed with our agency. That is the reason we have been so cautious about announcing our acceptance. But we are hopeful during this next week that we will have everything taken care and we can proceed quickly with her adoption. Otherwise, we will have to re-do all of our paperwork. We certainly hope it doesn't come to that, but we're willing if we have to.

So.....about Madeline....we can't post her photo yet until we have preliminary approval from China to proceed with her adoption. But I can tell you a little bit about her. She's almost 20 months old and waiting for us in Jingmen City, Hubei. She was born missing her left arm below her elbow and is just as cute as can be. We hope to travel late spring/early summer to bring her home. We are so blessed to be adopting her. Caleb is as excited as can be. He's already talking about all the things he's going to show her, like how to buckle her seatbelt and put on her bike helmet. It's just precious.

I can't wait until I can post her pictures, but for now I will share with you some from last week.

My little fireman

Caleb enjoying hot cocoa with Baba

Pondering in the pumkin patch

Caleb with his and Madeline's pumpkin

My Little Man

Well, I thought I would finally upload these photos to share because my precious son is growing up son fast. Earlier this summer, Caleb had some fun with Daddy at the beach. The two of them headed over there with Uncle Ham and Spencer to do some surf fishing. Caleb was mostly interested in watching the crabs moving about. But believe it or not, he was the only one who caught a fish...a baby tiger shark. He was pretty excited about, but I think mommy and daddy were even more so. Daddy called me at home and told me I had to rush over there to capture the memory of Caleb catching his first fish. I was more than happy to to drop everything on a moments notice and see my son's precious, smiling face.

{A fisher man...just like Little Bear}


Also, earlier this summer Caleb had the opportunity to attend a special party with Mommy and Daddy for Daddy's job. He needed to get dressed up, which is something he TOTALLY LOVES to do. When we go out to dinner as a family, he frequently asks us if he can wear his jacket and tie. Unfortunately, we have to tell him that he doesn't really need to wear them to all dinners. Well, as long as he can wear a button down shirt, he's all smiles. Seeing him all dressed up and looking so grown up makes me miss those first three years of his precious life that he spent apart from us. He's growing up too fast. ***sigh***



Just last night, he was out shopping with Daddy while I was getting some things done around the house. When they got home, I could hear him making his way toward me in the computer room. Then I heard him tell me to close my eyes because he had a surprise for me. Well, I opened my eyes, and what do you think I saw? My precious 4 year old son holding a huge bouquet of flowers! He said, "These are for you mommy!" And I just melted. Patrick followed into the room and told me the flowers were all Caleb's idea, and then I was beside myself. He is just so thoughtful and loving, it's hard to believe he lived in an orphanage for 3 years. I know marriage is a long way off, but boy, I can't help but think of how blessed his wife will one day be. I love you, Little Man.

A Long Time Coming

Well, I have been meaning to put together this photo montage for quite some time. And I'm excited to say, that it is finally done! It's been almost two years since we brought Caleb home from China...but it's better late than never. I've included some photos that highlight our trip, as well as a tiny piece of video from our Gotcha Day. I had some issues with the music and Youtube, so I've had to re-work it. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for watching.

China Travel Group Reunion

I have to begin by saying that this post is another one that has to be back dated. Back in August of this year, our China travel group had it's first reunion. We adopted our children from the Guangdong Province in southern China almost two years ago. Only two of the other four families that were with us the entire time were able to make it. Bob, Pam, Emma, Sandi, and Little Hannah....we missed you greatly and hope we'll all be able to get together next time.

For our first reunion, we planned a week long Disney vacation. Lisa, Russell, and Analise drove all the way down from Carrollton, Mississippi while Rebecca, Jay, Ben, and Hannah flew down from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Because of Patrick's busy schedule, he decided that he wanted to have a bar-b-que at our house for everybody over the weekend. It was the first time we had all seen each other since we said good-bye at the White Swan Hotel in November 2007. Ben, Hannah, and Analise had grown so much since that time. We were all filled with so much joy at seeing all the children flourish with their forever families.

All of the kiddos had a blast running around the house and splashing in the pool. Their laughter just melted our hearts. Patrick prepared a fabulous feast of surf and turf (lobster and steak). And naturally, we had a bunch of different desserts for everyone to share. We had such a nice, relaxing time together.

Since Lisa and Rebecca's families had traveled so far, they really spent their time checking out all that the Walt Disney World Resort had to offer. Caleb and I had the opportunity to join them one day at Epcot. We spent a lot of time in China, naturally. And I have to tell you....I really wasn't expecting to be moved as much as I was. But seeing the 360 degree movie had me in tears. I really felt like I was right back in China. In part of the movie, they showed the Temple of Heaven. And when Caleb piped up, "Mama, look! There's Beijing!" I almost totally lost it. It just felt like home.

One of their last days here, Caleb and I joined Lisa, Russell, and Analise at the Magic Kingdom. We had to leave early and sadly missed getting to see Rebecca, Jay, Hannah, & Ben. They had big plans at Cinderella's Castle in the morning, so it just didn't work out. :( Although somebody took Analise's stroller, Russell and Lisa managed to track it down at one of the stroller parking locations....it was a pretty stressful moment. Caleb and Analise had fun on the Aladin ride as well as the steamboat ride. It was so wonderful to see the two of them together. Although Caleb is "all boy" and can be a bit rough sometimes, Analise handled it well.

It was truly so wonderful to see everybody after such a long time. We are greatly looking forward to our next reunion when we hope that all of our Guangdong families can get together. We love you all!

First photo together since being in Guangzhou (l to r: Analise, Caleb, & Hannah)



All the kiddos in our travel group, including Ben (Hannah's big brother)



Analise with Mulan in Epcot



Analise flashing me a smile while "window shopping"



Caleb & Analise



Analise kissing Caleb good-bye

Summer fun in Connecticut

I was really hoping that I could be a regular blogger, but it hasn't been in the cards for me lately. Consequently, I will be back dating this post because I have so much summer fun to catch up on.

Back in July, we took a trip to Connecticut to visit Patrick's sister, Michele, our brother-in-law, John, and our precious niece, Lydia. John surprised us with a VIP tour of the ESPN facility in Bristol, CT. What a huge campus! Being an avid sports fan, I truly appreciated this tour. We even slipped by the SportsCenter studio while they were filming. I've included a photo below from the studio next door to SportsCenter, maybe Mike & Mike....not sure.

Across the street from ESPN is Lake Compounce, a beautiful amusement park situated on a lake. Although we had some slight drizzle on and off, we had a wonderful time. Lydia enjoyed the carousel, and Caleb went on a kiddie rollercoaster with Patrick. Michele and I even managed to ride on a rollercoaster and had a blast.

A trip to Connecticut isn't complete without dinner at Pepe's Pizza. There's no other pie like it. We also had the chance to roast some marshmallows in the firepit in the backyard at Michele and John's. The kids really enjoyed that. Thanks so much, Michele, John, and Lydia, for a wonderful vacation. We can't wait to see you again.

Caleb and Baba waiting for the tour to begin at ESPN

The studio next door to SportsCenter

Lydia and John enjoy the carousel

Sweet and precious Lydia


Having fun blowing bubbles

Being a silly boy, as usual

Lydia enjoying her marshmallows

Vacation at Hammock Beach

Well, if it's any indication as to how busy life is right now.... we actually went on vacation a month ago. And I am JUST NOW getting around to blogging about it. Patrick had a business meeting last month in Palm Coast, FL. We were really looking forward to the trip, as neither one of us had been there before. Since condos were the only option for accommodations at the meeting, we decided to get a 3 bedroom and invited my sister, brother-in-law, and Leah to join us.

The Ginn Hammock Beach is a lovely resort situated right on the beach. It has two beautiful golf courses and an assortment of water/pool activities. Unfortunately for us, it rained for 4 straight days. So it was difficult to get around and see much. We decided to take a drive over to St. Augustine a couple of times, just to get out of the condo. When I said that it rained for 4 straight days, I really meant it. It rained from the time we woke up in the morning until we went to bed at night. The only time that the rain managed to briefly stop was right before dinner. So we hurried out to the water park and let the kiddos splash around.

Caleb had a blast going down the slide with Baba. And Leah enjoyed splashing around in the zero entry area. One afternoon, we happened to run into an old neighbor/friend of ours who also happened to be at the meeting but we had no idea. He and his wife have two tween daughters who just adore Caleb. So they had a blast going down the slide and making waves. It was so heartwarming to see.

On our first night there, we found this great little Thai restaurant. So naturally when Deb and Andy finally joined us, we had to bring them, too. Caleb loves Thai food, just like his Mama and Baba.

Well, wouldn't you know that it finally stopped raining on the day of our departure. Go figure! Well, at least it made for a nice brunch boat ride up and down the intracoastal. Caleb loves shrimp and ate some much of it, we just couldn't get over it. He is such a seafood lover.

I hope you enjoy a sampling of the photos from our trip.

Caleb in St. Augustine

Caleb and Baba on the boat

Leah splashing around in the pool

Deb and Leah get some cuddle time while dodging the rain