What a big boy!!!

We got an update on Audie and oh my is he a big boy!! He is 103 cm and 17 kgs!! I think I will have to take back the 3T pants I have and get 4T instead. He just turned three!! We are so excited to being so close to bringing him home. Oh, how I can hardly wait to meet him and get to know his personality. What a trip this will be!!!

Anna and Avery are getting very excited about traveling and are ready to pack their suitcases. Sister Bear says that she is going to be Daddy's helper and go to the duck park and big girl school. Oh, I will miss my little girl. Even though she can be quite the PITA sometimes! ;)

Enjoy the new pictures and I will update the blog as often as possible in China.

Becky

Dare we say????

We're going to China!!!!! We were tentatively going to go on Dec 16th with the whole gang, but the darn stingy airlines had doubled the airfare. This left us with a really hard choice-there were three options.

1. All of us go and have about $1o K of debt afterwards. This about made my husband have a coronary!!!

2. Steve and I go and leave the girls here with his parents. This was not an option for me, be away from my girls on Christmas??? No Way, No How!!! Of course, I know Audie is in a great SWI and is loved dearly.

3. I travel alone in January to bring him home. Of course, I really couldn't disappoint Anna and Avery so they are coming with me!! I know I'm traveling by myself half way around the world with a 5 and 4 year old to adopt a 3 year old. Call me crazy, but I know we will have a wonderful trip of a lifetime!! I know the girls will help with Audie a ton and don't they have happy hour in the hotels each night?

So, we are leaving on January 7th and visiting Anna's first SWI, then going to Hangzhou and then Guangzhou then H~O~M~E!!!! Daddy, Allison and Alenia will be staying home with the dogs. Allison cannot miss more school and Alenia is already excited about being Daddy's helper when we're gone. She loves school and as much one on one time as she can get, so I think she will do well. I hate to leave her, but I am at peace that she will be at home with Daddy.

Audie's Family Day will be January 12, 2009 @0900!!! Yippee! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a smooth transition. We will then go and visit his SWI the next day and the rest of the time we have minimal appointments. There will be lots of bath time, coloring, playing in the room, going to the park and SHOPPING!!!! Oh, how I love to shop in China. I will be buying many items for LWB's Art Auction in April.

Stay tuned and I will update you as we go and I will do my best to blog in China!!

Becky

TA!!!!

We finally received our TA last Tuesday!!! We are so excited. The girls and I were doing the TA dance and song!! I don't think they really knew what this meant, but they were happy to join in.
We are now awaiting our CA appt and then we can book airfare and actually make our paper chain to help the girls count down and go get our boy!!

It is definitely going to be different having a little boy after having four girls!! I'm thinking Super Hero/Princess Tea Parties???? Dinosaurs getting a make over???? Trucks delivering much needed supplies of bottles and diapers to three little girls and their babies???? At the very least it will be interesting to watch!

Becky

My Birthday Boy!!!!

Yesterday was Audie's 3rd birthday. Never in a million years did I believe it would take this long to bring him home. I really thought we would be in China by his birthday, but now the hope is for Christmas. We had a good day yesterday and tried to stay busy with the girls while sending Audie good thoughts for a great day. Then I awoke to the most wonderful pictures of Audie enjoying his birthday party in China. Once again, the boy has frosting on his forehead and nose, he will definitely fit in around here! I was startled by how much he has grown. He no longer looks like a toddler, but yet a very handsome little boy. Oh, I cannot wait to hug and kiss him, to tell him that we are his forever family and well, to spoil him just a little.

Please let our TA come today!!! I cannot imagine not having him by Christmas.

Becky

Birthday Season

Birthday Season???? Yes, at my house that is what it is called. Currently three of the four girls have their birthdays within 8 days of each other. I always want my kids birthdays to be super special, so I vow to do my best. Each girl had a dinner, presents, balloons, decorations and a cake on their birthday. Anna and Alenia had their own cake for their bouncy party and Allison had a cake for her party with the grandparents while they were in town. Too much cake!!! And this is coming from a cake person! ;) My house was overrun with toys, extra cake, Princess decorations, balloons, and just junk! It was really starting to drive me crazy! This was after spending 6 days and 5 nights at the glorious hospital with oldest daughter! We were released 4.5 hours before the said bouncy party (so glad I was smart enough to plan it somewhere besides home this year!). I had relatives in town, kids who had thoroughly missed their mommy, and an exhausted husband who was once again kissing my feet for the job I have staying at home with the little ones. I'm thinking, I will get caught up on Monday. Well of course, this is where God's sense of humor came into play, I got sick. I was home, but was exhausted and felt horrible for four days. My house is now a disaster and I'm pretty sure we're fixin to get nominated for Oprah's clean up your messy house series. My big plan was to do everything Sat morning after Museum school. Well, we were all exhausted after being in a dysfunctional funk for two weeks, the whole family took a four hour nap!! Since, when does this happen with the PITA??? So, on Sunday my poor family knew they had better pitch in or deal with a stressed out and grumpy mom. Then we treated ourselves to dinner and seeing MadagascarII. Now you ask when is Audie's birthday? November 23rd of course!!! Like the lady in Wal Mart said, "You need to find something better to do in February!!" . Well, two of them are adopted!! ;-)

Becky

PS, I promise to post she made it to three next time. Look for the PITA series!

MIA!!!

I cannot believe it has been a month since my last post!! We have been sooooo busy, it is unreal. The good news is we have received our LOA on day 117 for Audie!!! We are very hopeful that we will travel by the end of the year. I think celebrating Christmas in China sounds wonderful!!

We have officially entered "Birthday Season" at our house. Four birthdays in 18 days! We started the festivities last night with Anna's family party at home complete with a Snow White cake. She loved all of her presents and really loved being the center of attention. I took cupcakes to her class today and she loved having Princess and Spider man Cupcakes to pass out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnlspJFVPQ0

Allison has been in the hospital since Monday afternoon with blood in her urine and intense back pain. We have been filling her with Morphine and Loratab and still only have mediocre results. We are hopeful that we will have a more definitive news shortly.

Well, I must run as I have a few hours home before I return for my fourth night of sleeping in a hospital! Joy!! ;-)

Please, look for the "She made it to her third birthday" post coming soon!

Becky

The Pumpkin Patch, Sisters, and a Purple Blanket

On Saturday, we met with the local FCC to go too the Pumpkin Patch. The girls had a blast riding the train, the zip line, slide, and of course picking out a pumpkin. Sister Bear, threw several fits as she insisted that she be able to play in the gravel as if it were a sand box. Anna was a HUGE hit with two other girls there. They kept picking her up and playing tag with her. I think she is just so cute and little, that she demands attention where ever she goes! Enjoy the video and pictures!

This morning I was awoken by Miss Avery Grace crawling into my bed sometime during the wee hours of the night. I tried to talk her into going back to bed, but she was persistant and even threw in a tear to cement her spot. I relented and then when I was getting ready for the day I heard Anna crying. I went in and she was crying and telling me that she could not find Avery (they are sharing a room right now). How sweet!!! I had to take her into my room to show her that yes, Avery was in my bed. She was fine after that. This just confirms Avery's recent request to share a room with Anna. She even wants the room purple AND pink as these are her's and Anna's favorite colors. Anyone who knows Avery knows that this is huge! Just, this morning Avery was mad that she had to wear denim pants and not purple. These girls couldn't be closer to one another and I am still amazed that we were lead to the perfect girl for our family.

Now here is the most shocking news, Avery has informed me that she no longer needs her purple blanket!! I gave it to her this morning to put back into her room and she told me that she is now a big girl like Anna and she no longer needs it and I should put it into the trash!!!!!!!!!!! Once again, anyone who knows Avery, knows that she has slept and "chewed and smelled" on her purple blanket since she was about 10 months old. Therefor, her favorite color that she is absolutlely obcessed with is purple. We will see how tonight goes and see if I need to return it to her. Needless to say, I was stunned and shocked and ever so hopeful that this will cause Sister Bear to give up her binkies just as easily.

Becky who is on day 93 for her LOA!!!

Pictures and a new haircut for Anna!

O.K, so I am not a professional photographer, but I thought that I could take the girls to the Botanical Gardens and take pictures for Avery's fourth birthday there (a little late, yes I know). I have all of the girls dresses, bows, socks, shoes, a water spray bottle (for Sister Bear's curls), a brush, hairspray, Avery's panda bear dress, one moody teenager and my camera. When we arrive, I get Avery into her birthday dress and Anna and Alenia into their panda bear dresses. As we walk in, I start telling myself, I could take pictures professionally for children. I love to go to a beautiful outdoor area and I know to take into account the colors, blooms, shade and sun. I am brilliant!! I have a new career!! This is what I can do pt to keep myself employed and still able to convince Steve, that yes we can adopt more children! Then reality sits in. Avery is giving me her "cheese" smile and is looking away from the camera to look at all of the beautiful flowers. I am calmly trying to get her look at my eyes and then I try to get her to say something funny to crack a grin. Then her eyes are shut as she focuses on smiling. I take her to a few different spots and now I am just hopeful that I have one good picture. Now it is time to change Avery into her panda bear dress. We go to a secluded place and proceed to change. Now Alenia sees what we are doing and tries to undress. I quickly put out that fire and get Avery changed. Now here comes the fun part, getting three little ones to all look at the camera and smile at the same time. I laugh at myself for my earlier thoughts. Of course Anna is giving her plastic "cheese" smile, sister is saying "cheese" while looking away and Avery is almost done with the situation. Allison, aka moody teenager, tries to get everyone to look in the same direction and well, here is the best I was able to get. Soon after this, Alenia is mad and demands to either cry and walk (perfect for such a nice and peaceful area) or that I carry her. She is a very solid 39 lbs. I tell myself that maybe I got one good one and if not, then I guess I will have to go and get the pictures taken professionally. Well, you be the judge!

Maybe nursing isn't so bad after all. ;-)

Becky who is still waiting for her LOA

Happy Family Day Anna!!!

It so hard to believe that Anna has been with us for two years. It seems like just yesterday when we met her and it also feels like she has always been with us. Looking back over the last two years, Anna has grown and changed so much. She was initially not a fan of daddy in China, but now begs to be tickled by him and/or wrestling with him. She loves her sisters, but is especially close to Avery. It is so unbelievable the bond that these two have. They are best buds 95% of the time, which is remarkable. Anna is still a mama's girl and loves when she gets to help mom with dinner or to go to the grocery store with just mom and Anna. She still cries at the drop of a hat, which is frustrating, but she does now try to stop before going into full meltdown mode. An example is she was served chocolate ice cream and she wanted vanilla and viola, tears. I told her that she could tell me this without crying, but as they say Rome wasn't built in a day! She is a true sweet heart and charms the pants off of everyone she meets, and I have had many people ask me about China adoptions after meeting her. She is very petite weighing in at 29 lbs and 38 inches, about an inch shorter than Sister Bear who is 2 years younger. Above are some photos that show her evolution since she has joined our family! Enjoy!

Becky

Papa John

Well, last Wednesday I received the call we knew was coming, but still was sad to get. Papa John had passed away. He was at peace, ready, and had his family with him. Papa John was my first father in-law and we have maintained a special relationship through my first marriage ending. I was talking one day on how I wanted to go back to school and bridge from LVN to RN, but my current job wouldn't allow for anytime off to take the classes. The next time I went over to Papa and Granny's house, while I was still married to his son, he said that they wanted to pay for me to go to nursing school! I couldn't believe that, then he added that this had nothing to do with my relationship with his son, he wanted to give me my education as a way of letting me know how much they appreciate me as Allison's mom and to ensure that Allison would always be taken care of financially. So, back to school I went and I always showed him my grades so he could see his money at work. He was so nice, proud and supportive, even as my first marriage ended to his son. He was a hell of a guy who was funny, stubborn, a jokester, loving and the "boss". He would tell me that he was the nicest guy as long as you agreed with him! :) There were many funny stories told about him at his funeral, some shockingly that we had never heard. He was Papa John to my children with Steve and he was asked about Audie the last time we talked. I love you Papa and we will all miss you deeply.

Love,

Becky and the girls

Video of Audie!!!

Thanks to my good friend, Michelle I have some video of Audie. Michelle was at the Civil Affairs office adopting her handsome son and was kind enough to get some video for this anxious Mommy at home. I am happy to say that shortly after this video he has received his family book and we are on day 63 for LOA!! I cannot wait to meet this little shy guy and see what he thinks of having four big sisters. Sister Bear just told me that she is still my baby and Audie is my baby too! How sweet, especially for the PITA!

I just returned from a funeral and am exhausted. I will post more soon on my "one in a million" guy who just left this world.

Thanks Michelle, you are AWESOME!!!

Becky

Video of Audie in Hangzhou

Shopping for a Audie!!

On Saturday evening, our family went and had some real fun!!! We went to a big toy store and shopped for a boy! I know this may seem ordinary, but we have four girls who are very much girly girls and so this new section of toys was quite an experience for us. We got some blocks, a train conductor ensemble, Cars and Thomas books, a Pirate ship, baseball and bat, a leap frog game (can you imagine if Audie didn't have one and the girls did???), and a space themed toddler bedding set. Daddy picked out the bedding, then had to quickly stop looking at as it had Binary on it and then his OCDness would take over and he would have to solve it. ;-) The girls were so good and never once complained that they didn't get any toys. They were very excited to be shopping for Audie! They especially love the Pirate ship, rrrrr matey as Sister Bear would say. That is actually how we saw the ship, we heard Sister Bear around the corner quoting her favorite Pirate phrase. Daddy did see some really cool space themes toys, but resisted buying them because he doesn't want to force his ideas on Audie and because he wants to take Audie to the toy store and see what he likes. Sounds good to me.

The girls are so excited about Audie, they keep asking about him. I just recently had to start giving bath's in shifts as the girls are getting big and there just wasn't enough room for anyone anymore. Today, Avery said that she would gladly take a bath with him! Today is day 50!!! Yes, I am counting every single day!

Becky

Big Girl School

The girls were soooo excited to go to "Big Girl School", that they just could hardly stand it. Everyone woke up happy and happily agreed to a shower!!! Anna always does great getting ready. Avery, it depends on the day and definitely do not rush her. Alenia, is almost always grumpy upon wakening while still sucking on her binky. So, imagine my true happiness from the morning! Everyone got dressed, ate breakfast, made sure mommy fixed their hair and grabbed their back packs. Avery did say that she was really going to miss her purple blanket and sister at school! How sweet! First I took Allison to high school, which is getting easier for her. Thank goodness! Then the three little ones and I went and dropped of Sister Bear first, she was thrilled. She dropped her back pack and went straight to the kitchen to play. She did allow me and her sisters to give her a kiss. Lucky, aren't we??? Then it was Anna and Avery's turn. They were so cute, holding hands and posing for the camera. We went in, checked in and washed our hands and then they split off and went to different stations. Avery wanted to color, purple of course and Anna went to the craft area. They happily told me good bye and then I found myself in the parking lot with no kids in my car. I truly did not know what to do. This is such a rarity and if it does occur, it's usually because I'm going to the grocery store and the kids are home with daddy. So, I grabbed some breakfast went home and read while I ate, uninterrupted I might add! Then I cleaned house at a nice leisurely pace and then I met Steve and we had our first meeting for our new house. All in all, a busy day, but very good for mommy! When I picked up the girls, they were so happy to tell me all about their day and to give each other hugs and kisses. They are so sweet and best friends (mostly), it will be very interesting to see how Audie interacts with everyone. Well that's all for now!!

Becky on day 45 for Audie, but who's counting???

Back to School!!!

Well, I am officially OLD!!! My oldest daughter started high school. I just cannot believe that this beautiful, smart, funny and sensitive teenager is the same little girl I use to rock to sleep. Allison is such a great kid who truly does not know how beautiful or special she is.

Allison was almost in tears before she got out of the car to go inside. I knew that walking in for the first time would probably be the hardest moment for her and all I could do was send her lots of positive energy for her to have a great day. She had a good day over all, especially since she was a Freshman and a new student altogether. She made a couple of friends and everyone was very interested in the fact that she was from Texas. I asked her how many times she said y'all??? This is her favorite "Texas" word! :)

Then later that evening we took the three little ones to "Big Girl School" to meet their teachers. It looks like the girls are going to have a blast there and yes, I warned Sister Bear's teacher about her strong will spirit. I look forward to hearing all about their first day next week. I will actually have some true free time!!! I have tons of digital scrap booking to keep me busy, so that is where I will be. Maybe the gym too, I want to make sure I am strong as can be for our coming trip to China!

We are having a great time watching the Olympics and Anna is very proud that they are in "her" China. I cannot wait to see her reaction to actually being back in China and what people will think of us. I should be interesting.

Blessings,

Becky

New Pictures!!!

We received five new pictures of Audie today! Wow, what a cutie!! To celebrate, I took the three little girls to Target and they helped Mommy pick out five new boy toys. I have four daughters and this whole boy thing is new to me. I feel safe picking out cars, trucks, and trains, but beyond that I am a little lost! I will have to enlist my husbands help. He did ask me why I didn't buy any airplanes or space shuttles!?!

I cannot wait to meet Audie and discover his personality. He sounds like he has a little temper, which should make things interesting with him and Alenia, aka Sister Bear. Sister Bear had a very good last two days, yesterday she didn't throw one fit or "no way"!!! I think the key to her is to keep her very busy, keep things new and to give TONS of positive reinforcement when she is being good. I just tell myself, she won't take any crap off of anyone when she is older and that is a good thing!

I leave you with my favorite new picture! Enjoy!!

Becky

An update on Audie!!

I received an e-mail this morning giving some more information on Audie!! Yeah!! I was told that he loves sweets (he'll fit right in here), is almost 38" tall and weighs 33 lbs! He is a big boy. It also said that he is very extroverted, lovable and has a temper, but he soon gets over it! Sounds like Alenia, only not as bad. ;-) They should be very interesting virtual twins! We are so ready to bring him home!!

We went and bought new luggage for our upcoming trip to China. The saleslady asked why we needed so much luggage!! We are getting ready to have 5 kids lady and we're all going to China for two weeks! Ohhh, she said. However, I think she was secretly thinking we were nuts to have so many kids! Probably true, but oh my do I LOVE my kids!!!!

Tonight I am leaving to take Anna to a cleft clinic. I'm looking forward to spending some mommy and Anna time with my little Princess! Then we return home to celebrate Avery's birthday party and our parents will be here for the weekend!!

I will post pictures of Avery's party soon!!
Becky

Avery's 4th Birthday!!!

My baby girl turned 4 today!! I can hardly believe how fast the past four years have gone by. Avery is so sweet, funny, bossy and strong willed! She has the biggest smile that can light up a room, she loves to tell me that she loves me and that yes, she will always be my baby!

Happy Birthday, my Avery Grace!! I love more than I could ever say. I am so blessed to be your mommy and I will always be here for you!

Tonight, I am making her favorite dinner that will be followed by a family Cinderella birthday party. On Saturday she will having a Cinderella Chuck E. Cheese birthday party with family from out of town. Yeah!!! Finally a party somewhere else besides at home, maybe I can relax and enjoy this one just a little!

Avery's 4th Birthday!!!

Today, my sweet girl turned 4 years old. I just can't believe that she is 4 or the fact that we are in the process of adding a fifth child in four years!!! Avery is so funny, she definitely will be the class clown. She can be a little bossy, strong willed and a sweet heart. She will forever be my baby girl!!! I love you to the moon and back Avery Grace. I make her promise me that she will always be baby and she replies, "Yes, mom I promise because I love you"!! You cannot ask for anything sweeter than that! Tonight I will make her favorite dinner followed by a Cinderella party at home and then on Saturday a Cinderella party at Chuck E. Cheese!! Yes, finally a easy birthday party for mommy!!

Audie's Family Book

We have been busy taking pictures for Audie's family book this week. I straightened all the kids rooms, made sure everybody had on a nice outfit, complete with matching bow (per their request) and a beautiful smile. I took several different pictures of everyone and every room. I wanted everything just perfect. Why all the fuss? This is the book that will be the window to his new life. Here, he will see his sisters, parents and grandparents for the first time. It will forever be a treasured keep sake. Anna, who was adopted almost two years ago (wow) still loves to look at her family book and tells everyone that this is what Mommy and Daddy sent to her in China!! Last night, Allison my 14 year old daughter tells me that the pictures that she just took of Steve and I, look "fine" and then she steps back when she sees "the look" on my face and then gladly takes them another. Yes, I do get a little, hmmm what's the word I'm looking for??? Maybe detailed oriented or just realizing that I want everything for Audie to be just right. I want him to know how much we love and care for him and he is our cherished son. Oh, how every child in the world deserves to know this!!

We have our LID!!!

Terri at CHI e-mailed us to let us know we have a 7-7-08 LID!!!! Yeah, I really hope that we are closer to the 60 day mark rather than the 100 day mark. Who knows how the Olympics will play into the timing. I just wanted to announce our wonderful news!!!

Becky

Well, we finally have our blog created and customized!! Thank you Becky for all of your hard work, we love it. If anyone else needs their blog customized, please click on the link below. Becky is customizing blogs to help with her second adoption.

We are having a wonderful summer so far. We are doing our best to take advantage of the down time of summer. We have been being a little lazy, which sure is nice as we know that once school starts again, I will go back to being Mom's Taxi Service.

Allison is doing great! It is so hard to believe (and accept) that she will be going to high school this year AND learning to drive. I cannot believe that my "baby" is growing up so fast. I tell you it was just yesterday that I was rocking her to sleep. She is nervous about high school and driving~which is good. She is ready to resume her ballet classes and to meet some new friends.

Anna is doing wonderful. We have an appointment next week to get her ST resumed since moving to Kansas. She no longer cries when I leave, which is a big improvement. Anna is so sweet, very sensitive and a "little Mommy". We are now guessing how many children she will have as she loves helping and taking care of everyone else, including me!

Avery is growing so tall, just last week someone thought she was 5 or 6! I made sure to look at the ladies face when I told her that nope, she was 3! Of course, Avery will be 4 very soon and has decided to have her party at Chuck E. Cheese, which makes Mom and Dad very happy! Yes, I will happily show up with a cake, have fun and then leave the mess to someone else. Avery tells me daily and anyone else who will listen that she is having a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, she is a little excited!

Alenia, well is Alenia. She is either totally happy or totally NOT happy. She also has the courtesy to let everyone else around know when she is not happy. She is VERY stubborn. We know that this will be a good thing when she is older, but right now she can be such a pain. Lucky for her we love her. ;) We also know that she will be a leader, not a follower. I try to remind myself of this daily.

Audie, we received PA last week and we were DTC in early July. We hope to travel Oct/Nov, but we will have to see. A friend of mine got to meet him when she was in China adopting her son, and she said that he was very shy and had the longest eye lashes she has ever seen on a little boy. I cannot wait to scoop him up and love on him. Little does he know that he is going to have four big sisters, one being his virtual twin! We are working on adding some boy toys and color to our Princess decor.

Well, off to bed I go! Blessing to you and your family!
Becky

Finally a blog!!

I finally have my blog up and running!! Thank you Becky, you did a fantastic job and she is We recently moved from Ft. Worth to Andover, KS and I wanted to be able to keep family and friends updated with our family.