The Ulrick Gang

My Wonderful Husband!

2009-04-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Audie sleeping.

Daddy being silly with Anna.

Daddy helping with Alenia.

Daddy sleeping with Avery.

Daddy who built this doll house from Santa in four 16 hour days.

Daddy who designed this Christmas Tree Halloween costume along with Grampy.

I know that many people may not agree with me, but I truly do have the world's best husband. There are many, many reasons but I thought I would list my top eleven reasons (hey, I couldn't leave out #11) and a few of my favorite pictures.

1. He helps with the kids, cleaning and errands. Now, I have heard of men that don't, but I cannot believe that there are women who tolerate this!

2. He loves my daughter Allison from my first marriage as if she were his "own" child. He even tears up when he states that the only thing he would change was that he was her (only) father.

3. He will clean out the oven for me, the one chore I really, really hate.

4. He comforts me when I need it. A few days ago I was in tears (rare for me) because I was missing my baby (dog) Princess, who has been gone 8 months.

5. He will rub my feet and back whenever I request it with no complaints.

6. He works hard at his job to give his family a nice life.

7. Before we adopted, I watched a show on Oprah with Lisa Ling about Chinese orphans. I bawled all the way through it and made him watch it that night with me again. He agreed with me right then and there that yes, we would adopt a little girl from China. When I came to him about Anna and Audie, he fully jumped on board.

8. He wrestles, tickles, and rough houses with the kids. Which, by the way they love!

9. He makes late night runs for ice cream, carpet cleaner or anything else that may be needed. in a bustling househould of 7!

10. He loves our children endlessly.

11. About one week before I left for China to adopt Audie, we realized we needed our POA certified AND authenticated by the Chinese Embassy in Chicago. He drove there the next day(11hrs) and was at their doorstep when they opened the following day. He then drove all the way home, another 11 hrs.

I love my husband and I do realize how blessed I am to be his wife!!

Becky

Become a Mifan Mommy (or Daddy)

2009-03-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

What is a Mifan Mommy? Please click on the link below to be directed to Kay Bratt's blog that explains all of the details.

http://kaybratt.blogspot.com/search/label/Mifan%20Mommy%20Club

This story really touched and deeply upset me. I cannot even begin to imagine my children or any child living like this. Please help if you can, it would mean the world to me!!

Becky

Pictures!!!

2009-03-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

Princess Sister Bear loves brownies!Princess Anna!

Priness Avery!!

Train conductor Audie with purple fingernails!!

A perfect tea party!

Avery and Audie driving!!

Anna and Avery

Audie's first time to play with Play Doh. He loved it.

So serious!!!

Do you think he'll hate me for this later????

What's a trip to the park without Sister Bear in time out???

Higher Daddy!!!

Daddy getting his butt kicked by four kids! A grand total of 160 lbs!

Anna loving her Fancy Nancy dress up dress for Valentines.

Sister looking like an angel in her Fancy Nancy dress for Valentines.

Tonight my husband went to see a movie that he had been really wanting to see. There is no way I was going to watch Watchmen, so I stayed home with the four little ones. Allison of course went out with her girlfriends. I think once she has her license, we will never see her again!! :(

Allison has joined the swim and dive team!! This means she gets up at 0430, goes to swim practice, showers at school, goes to school and then on M-W-F she goes to diving practice after school. She is doing fantastic, she loves her new school and is really starting to make some great friends. We are so proud of her!

I told the little ones we were going to have a tea party. First fingernails and toenails were painted, including Audie. He saw his sisters getting theirs painted and he wanted his done too. I don't make a big deal out of "boy" vs "girl" things. I will just let it occur as it will. Then the girls put their dresses on and Audie put on his train conductor outfit! The girls got a touch of make up and lip stick and then it was time for the party! We had lemonade and brownies to every ones delight. They were served using the finest Princess/Prince manners. The girls love it when I called them Princess Anna, Princess Avery, and Princess Alenia. Audie was only interested in the brownies on the serving plate. We had a wonderful snack, danced to Elton John and just giggled. All I can say is I am the LUCKIEST mom to have these fantastic five kids. I am in awe in God's choice to let me be their mother. I am blessed and forever grateful!!!!

Enjoy the pictures which date since we arrived home!

Becky

Birth Mother

2009-02-14T10:54:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post. We are still adjusting to having four little ones and me from jet lag. Uhhhhh.....................

We were in the Guangzhou airport at the Japan Airlines counter getting ready for the long flight home. We walk up with two luggage carts loaded, three kids, me and our guide. The line was very long and we were already starting to push the time due to another families trouble with their seats on another flight. We wait patiently while the line moved very slow. I noticed a young and chic woman with a hand held radio monitoring the line. She was wearing a uniform for the airline and had her hair cut short to chin and very modern. She kept watching us and I kept thinking, why don't you go and open up another counter!! We finally made it to the front of the line and had our bags weighed, pass ports checked and our guide escorted us to security and said good bye. The young chic woman who was monitoring the line was "herding" us through to security. I figured she was thinking no way can this woman board this plane by herself with three kids. She would walk a few steps ahead and then stop and wait. She kept staring at the kids, which by this point I almost completely oblivious to (see earlier post on Avery and the attention she attracted). As we approached security she told me "Thank you for adopting our Chinese children". I was taken back slightly and said that I was grateful for the opportunity and very lucky to be their mother. Then she said, "No, thank you very much, they are very lucky to be adopted by you". She was looking at Anna and Audie; Anna more so and I looked at her face and I saw tears. She quickly dried them and then went through security herself and handed us off to another manager who helped us get on the plane first.

Everything happened so fast and I was dreading the three flights home and how the kids would do, especially Audie who completely disagreed on sitting down and wearing seat belts. Oh, how I wish I would've taken five minutes to talk to her. I bet I could've gotten the details from her. Did she have a boy or girl? When was she born? When was she abandoned? Where was she abandoned? Why was she abandoned? Did she have a special need? When we arrived in China I saw so much poverty, unlike anything we have here in the US. I felt a deep level of sympathy for the parents who have had to or had the choice made for them (by their parents) when deciding on keeping a child or not. I had envisioned most parents who abandon their children as farmers from the country side or poor market and factory workers. Not a chic, beautiful, modern woman who had a professional job with the airlines. I know, how did I KNOW she was a birth mother? I just did and my heart ached for her as she obviously ached for her child and wished her a life as she saw my children living.

As much as I hate the one child policy in China, after visiting you can understand how the government made this decision. There are sooo many people (1.3 billion) and less farm land than we have in the US. They import a lot of rice, wheat and soybeans from the US. Also, they help supply food to North Korea.

My perspective has changed a lot since meeting this birth mother and I pray that her child is living the life she wishes for her. I have a new image to add to the one in my head on what my children's birth mother looks like. I hope to be lucky enough to return one day and talk to her, which I know is very unlikely. I will use this lesson to not make harsh judgements on people having to make decisions few ever have too.

Becky

Thank Heaven for Home Sweet Home

2009-01-26T02:25:00.000-08:00

Heading Home!! Of course we are being videotaped at this moment!

Audie and Sister Bears first meeting!

Three cuties dressed up at the White Swan.

Our travel group "red couch" picture.

Our red couch picture. Can we saw little Emperor??

Giving Jie Jie a kiss!

Getting a kiss from Jie Jie.

The reaction of having to sit AND wear a seat belt. What is this woman thinking??

My little Prince.

We have made it back home and there really are no words to describe how wonderful it is to be home again!! We had a very busy last couple of days in China with the medical exam, consulate appt, shopping on the island and off, the swearing in ceremony and packing to come back home. The medical appt went fine until they wanted to look in his mouth at his cleft and then when they were verifying that his testes had descended. He did gain all of the male understanding from our travel group men. Then we went to the park, dinner at Lucy's and a little shopping. The next day we basically repeated the eating at Lucy's and playground and then took a taxi back to the hotel. We had one day left to shop, so we borrowed a stroller and hit the stores. I was buying a present for each one of Audie's birthdays until he turns 18. This way he receives a special present from China each year. I was also doing a little shopping for me and friends and the rest was for the LWB Art Auction. I spent my last Yuan and called it a day. The next day we had the swearing in ceremony at the US Consulates office. Audie was not happy to be having to be still, but as soon as it was over he was great. The sad part was they said that they did 3,590 Chinese Adoptions last year. It was 6100 2 years ago when we adopted Anna. To tell me that there are less children to adopt is true, but definitely there are more than plenty to be adopted. Most of the adoptions we saw were SN kids, which was great. Our favorite part of the last part of the trip was playing at the playground, seeing the older, SN kids play with their American parents sitting with them. It was truly beautiful.

We did finally try and have Anna use the Chinese tolilets. I figured she really had to go, she is Chinese and sits in that squatted position often. We go and she immeditaly wets her dress, socks, shoes and underware. We throw the underware and socks away and put on one of Audie's pullup on him. Great problem solved. Then we are ate Subway as the kids were not very intersted in many of the interesting dinner choices tonight and Avery tells me she really has to go potty. There is no "western" toilet in sight, I have no more pull ups as Audie hasn't had any accidents, so what do you do???? Why you remove Anna's pull up and tell her she is now in Comando and to be very careful with her dress, pull Avery's dress up, panites down and apply pullup and then pull her underware back up. All in the middle of Subway!! Thank you very much, we are now almost a traditional Chinese family.

Back to the hotel to pack all our luggage, make sure I have each child's suitcase and back pack filled with endless toys, snacks, and changes of clothes. I went to bed at about 1045 pm and the was up at 0415 am for the 38 hr day!!!! The kids were not happy to be waking up so early, but to hear we were going home to Kansas made their frowns turn into smiles. Audie of course was oblivious to what was going on. We made it to the lobby on time, had breakfast on the bus and made it to our first flight flying Japan Airlines. They were very nice and helped escort this mother of three to the express boarding line and the wonderful flight attendants helped everyone get situated. Anna sat across the aisle from me where we could still hold hands and I could help her as needed. Which was fine and then a very tall Asian man had the seat next to her and the first and only tears of the trip went off. And it was a big one, of course the flight attendants came and offered her everything under the sun to make her happy. Eventually a Handy Mandy episode did the trick. The flight went well for everyone. Audie and I had our expected battle of having to stay sitting down with a seat belt on, but he was perfect aside from that. Next, Tokyo to Atlanta. The plane was nice, big, spacious and thank goodness it had individual TVs for each seat with many different choices. Anna and Avery quickly figured this out, but Audie was not interested. They had the option of Cantonese or English, neither which he understands. I did give him Benadryl and had a very restless nap trying to sleep on me. This is just another small reminder of what orphanage kids go through, they are not held while they sleep. Never!! My bio kids would just melt right into me, as well as other kids who have love and nurture from day one. Avery woke up and I laid Audie down in his and Avery's seat for a stretched out nap and he did that for about 3 hrs which was nice. He did enjoy the classical music we were listening to with shared headphones. Anna on the other hand had the seat next to her empty and she sprawled out and slept 8 hrs!!! Boy if I could bottle that and sell it, we'd be rich! I unfortunately cannot sleep in airplanes! How people do that is amazing to me. I try every time I fly and the longest I make it is 2-3 minutes top. Needless to say when we got off our last flight from Atl to Wichita, KS I was almost euphoric. I hadn't slept in 31 hrs and there was my husband and daughters Allison and Alenia waiting on me. Audie met everyone with a hug and kiss, Sister Bear was no longer mad at me for being gone and even Allison was happy to see me and meet her brother. We went home and had Taco Bell and then everyone crashed. Audie and Alenie slept in their beds in their shared room and it was precious. The next morning, Allison begged to take Audie to her school in his Chinese Outfit to show him off and he completely ate it up!!! Then he happily went back to Daddy! This kid is amazing!

All the kids took a nap that day while Daddy and I tried to unpack my mess and wash 10 loads of laundry. We had Chipotle for dinner and it was fabulous! No cumin or chipotle seasoning for over 2 weeks! Then I took my sleeping pills and went to bed. Audie woke up at 1230 and I gave him some Bendaryl and then slept until 7 am. We are all still out of schedule on our sleep schedules. That day we took all four kids to get their hair cut, to target-2 baskets and then back home. This evening Audie was up from 1230 to 4 am, I benadryled him again and he finally went back to sleep at 4 am. I am one tired Mama. This evening everyone was benadyrled about an hour before bedtime. Audie cried immediately when he figured out it was time for bed. I told him firmly in English and ESL that it was bedtime and not to cry. He stopped for about a minute and then did it again, I repeated myself and he's been asleep since then. We'll see what tonight brings.

Enjoy the last couple of days of pictures and hopefully my next post will be about me sleeping like log (and my children)!

Becky

A beautiful day!!

2009-01-18T04:03:00.000-08:00

A very happy boy!

Cute Panda!!

Ice Cream!

More banana's please!

Two goof balls!

Today was the second best day we've had in China!! The first being Audie day of course!! We woke up this morning and we're able to talk to daddy and all of the grandparents! The kids were very excited to talk with everyone and the grandparents we're very happy to talk to Audie for the first time. We then went to the Safari park with our travel group. We took a 45 minute train ride through a safari like setting seeing everything from camels to zebra's and everything in between. The kids LOVED it. Of course Avery attracted some more attention. We then divided up and the kids and I went exploring on our own. We feed elephants! You buy banana's and toss them a small distance and then the elephants eat them. Once they realize you have banana's to feed they stand there with their trunks up and mouths open!! It was so much fun, and elephants are Avery's favorite animal. We then went and saw the Panda Bears!!!! They were just so cute. Anna and I agrees that we should take them home!!! The kids got panda bear hats. Needless to say a Caucasian women pushing a stroller (best decision made all day was to rent a stroller) with one blond child and two Chinese children all holding pinwheels and wearing panda bear hats attracts a lot of attention. We then went to the safari's nursery and saw baby white tigers, baby black bears and baby chimpanzee's. Too cute for words. Then we joined the Chinese tradition of using the bathroom. We just sat down on a bench and Audie starts to cry (his signal he needs to go to the bathroom when he doesn't know where one is). I have two choices, gather everyone and everything up and look for a bathroom or have him pee into the bushes!!!! Just as I tell him to go and I look away so it looks like I don't know what he's doing, our guide walks up. She just laughed and said it was fine. I think we did better than the one woman I saw today who took her daughter JUST outside of the eating pavilion to have her pee on the sidewalk. Whatever it takes to make me feel better!!

We then went to island and ate cheeseburgers again at Lucy's. FYI, NEVER order the "beef stroganoff " at Lucy's. I have the cutest video of Avery and Audie. Wow, can we say "Little Emperor"!!??!! Then it was off to the play ground. The kids had a blast. They definitely needed some time to run wild and burn off some energy. There were also many other adoptive families with their newly adoptive children which is always so nice to see. Audie was a little tentative at first, but he quickly followed the lead of his sisters. Avery made new friends, most of which did not speak English. We then did a little souvenir shopping for our family and some for LWB's art auction. Then we went and a had dessert next to the White Swan, we had a wonderful strawberry tart and a not so wonderful chocolate dessert. The chocolate dessert had a unique taste to it and even Avery didn't like it and if she didn't like it, it must have bad. However, Audie had no problem finishing it off!! We picked up our laundry which was wonderful to know we had clean clothes for the rest of the trip. The girls at the shop helped me get a taxi and the girls took a bath first with the new duckies we acquired and then Audie followed. All three are now in the bed watching The Little Mermaid. I truly could not have asked for a better day. Of course if my entire family was here that would've been better.

Enjoy the pictures!

Becky

Guangzhou

2009-01-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

He LOVES chocolate ice cream!

Cotton Candy!!

Three cuties!!

How many "Victory" signs do you see?

One tired boy!! The first night with us!

First bath with us!

We left our hotel early this morning and headed for the airport. I finally got our luggage down to 5 bags and didn't have to pay the excess fee for being over weight. Yeah!! The kids looked really cute all pulling their suitcases through the airport, of course we attracted a lot of attention once again. Audie was not impressed with the fact that he had to leave his seat belt on for the flight, but other than that he did really well. We arrived at the Holiday Inn and got situated in our room and then took a taxi to Shaiman Island and dropped off laundry then headed to Lucy's!! If anyone has ever been there, then you understand. The cheeseburger was great, but the Ketchup was very sweet and had a unique flavor. I would guess maybe all spice or cloves??? The kids were happy, it was a beautiful night so we ate outside. It was so nice seeing so many other adoptive families. Not to be the only one was very nice!!

Audie continues to do very well, he did get mad at me twice on the airplane and once in the hotel room. I timed him on the second cry on the airplane~20 seconds and he was over it!! He will completely ignore you if you have just made him mad. ;) It's kinda funny. He still hits anytime something doesn't go his way. We have a little work cut out for us!!

Tomorrow we are going to the Safari Park, which I'm sure will be interesting. I'll try to post again tomorrow night. Until then, enjoy the pictures.

Becky

Finally pictures!!

2009-01-16T05:01:00.000-08:00

Today was our last day in Hangzhou and it was a perfect day. We went out to the lake and for lunch with the Vedder family, Benjamin's family. The lake was beautiful and the temperature was wonderful. Of course once again we attracted many, many people's interest. Most over Avery's hair. I was told over and over again how beautiful she is, "like TV star" one person told me. Another said she looked like Barbie. The Vedder family said that they have attracted a little attention when they have been out this week, but nothing compared to what we had today with Avery. I felt like an animal at the zoo, where everyone stands, stares, takes pictures, points and then starts talking in a language that I don't understand. I promise next time we're bringing a card board cage and a sign that says 10 RMB per picture!! ;) I have several pictures of many people taking her picture. One police man actually came up and started touching her hair without asking!! Needless to say Avery is DONE having her picture taken. Forget about a pose, esp with the Victory hand sign.

Audie has been simply amazing. He is very easy going, has modeled his sister's behavior and is very happy. This is one of the main reasons I brought the girls, to help Audie adjust and it has worked out better than I could've hoped for. He did get mad at me twice today, once for me insisting that he wear his hat and mittens and another for making him sit down when we went to watch the light show at the lake. Mean mommy!!! ;-) He does have some orphanage behavior, but nothing I didn't expect. I can also see these starting to get better. He has a lot of energy, loves to take a bath, to push every button he can find, turn the lights on and off endlessly, eat chocolate ice cream and just about anything else, esp sweets and pork. It will be interesting to see how much he grows this first year home. The boy can eat!!

Tomorrow morning we leave for Guangzhou and I am ready. This means I am step closer to being home. We were able to talk to daddy, Allison and Sister Bear today using Skype and it was wonderful and sad at the same time. They got to talk to Audie and the girls which was great but I miss my Allison and Sister Bear!!! I cannot wait to be home just enjoying things together as family~all SEVEN of us. Of course, please keep me in your thoughts to get over the jet lag as fast as possible. Last time it took me a month!

Here are many pictures, enjoy and I will post more once we get to Guangzhou.

Becky

He's ours!!!!

2009-01-14T03:20:00.000-08:00

We met Audie Monday morning and he was sweet as pie. He ran around, played with his sisters and talked to me occasionally calling me Mama. When all the paperwork was done and his Director left, he cried for about 2 minutes. I was shocked at how quickly he turned stopped and went with the flow. He was letting me hold him, smiling and playing with his sisters immediately. He was very attached to his Director, so I was amazed and happy at the same time.

His personality is very sweet, laid back and happy. He does of course have some orphanage behaviors that need assistance, like pinching and hitting, but over all I am shocked at how well is doing. We just returned from visiting his SWI and that was a long day. It was wonderful and sad at the same time, seeing the kids that do not qualify for adoption due to their special needs.

We have never been so happy to have Pizza Hut for dinner!!! Once again, I am not an adventurous eater and neither is Avery. She ate 4 pieces of pizza and Anna ate 3!! Audie ate 2 pieces and seemed impressed! He then ate 10 small oranges, faster than I could peel them. He is sleeping and eating well, he travels well, and loves his sisters. We have amazed everyone that I CAN handle three kids! They all hold hands going down the hall and it is precious!!

My battery is about to die, I will try to post pictures when I can find a way to charge this thing!!

Becky who is very ready to go home!!

We're here!!!

2009-01-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

Well after a rather adventurous trip consisting of 3 flights, an extra 4 hours in a lay over and about 1.5 hrs of sleep the first night here; we're all doing great!!! I have to brag on the girls, they were EXCELLENT on all three flights, the extended layover, a brief nap the first morning here and sleeping upright in the airplane. I couldn't asked for better behaviour, cooperation and mood. Anna cried once when she woke up suddenly and needed to go to the bathroom. They really are angels!!

We arrived at our hotel in Guangzhou at 4 am. I was pretty wired knowing we had to leave our hotel at 10 am the same morning. I rearranged our suitcases, took a much needed bath and slept 1.5 hrs. Then we got ready, ate a very quick breakfast and we're in the lobby ready to go when the beautiful Connie arrived to take us to the airport. We paid a small fortune for our luggage weight and we were off to Anna's SWI. We arrived and then there was a small problem with Audie's adoption...the SWI didn't know it was happening on Monday!! Who else does this kind of stuff happen to??? We must have a sign on our forehead!! ;) Luckily everything got resolved about 3 pm China time with 2 hours to spare! We dropped everything off at the hotel, gathered my donations for the SWI and a special gift for a special girl and we were off. I dropped off all of the donations at the office and we we're taken on a very special tour of Anna's second SWI. All of the teachers and teenagers remembered her. They were sooooo happy to see her. It was amazing they all remembered her, one of her Ayi's noticed a small scar Anna has on her face that she got over a year ago. It was very, very clear that she was well loved. They try to get as many kids as possible the wonderful gift of adoption. I tell you, you will NEVER be the same person once you visit an orphanage. There were several new arrivals, not more than a week old crying. Oh, how I would love to have spent hours in there rocking, feeding and singing those sweet babies. The toddler room, where Anna spent a lot of time in was wonderful. The kids were soo cute and very eager to check us out. Anna and Avery were very interested in all of the kids. It was eye opening, saddening, and wonderful all at the same time. It was very clear that all of the kids were very well loved and cared for, yet that can never replace parents and a home. The wonderful lady who guided us told me that they want all of the kids to have wonderful parents who love their kids like we love Anna. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. The donations and gifts for the Ayi's were very well received. All in time for the CNY. We gave some money for the older kids to get KFC~their favorite and some money that we we're told would be used to help buy CNY outfits for the kids. It is very important to receive new clothes at the CNY. I cannot wait to see pictures. Then I had the honor of meeting a very special young girl who will soon be adopted to give her special present from her family. It was beautiful!!! Wendy, I have video and pictures I will give you when I get home!! :)

Then we went to McDonald's for the girls and back to the hotel as we we're all EXHAUSTED!!! I think I had had about 4 hrs of sleep over the last 48 hrs in broken pieces. We we're all asleep by 7 pm!!

The next day we traveled to the original SWI where Anna lived. She was blessed to have been brought to her (second) SWI that did her adoption. It was heart breaking. We finally found the orphanage (SWI) and were told we cannot go in. We brought some small gifts for the Ayi's and cleft bottles. First, we were told that she was even more beautiful than before, then it has been a very long time and they didn't remember her and then they came after she left. This was all from the same person. This is a very small SWI and I know there were few, if more than Anna who was taken to another SWI for adoption as this SWI does not do adoptions. I don't have anything else to say about this. We then went and did a little sight seeing and ate at a very traditional Chinese restaurant. I am NOT an adventurous eater. I don't even eat meat off of a bone. All kinds of interesting things were served, not sure what everything was but I do know that chicken feet was one of them. I tried my best to eat a little(dumpling, rice and noodles) and make it look like I ate more than I did. Whew, then there the sound of heaven rang in my ear as I ordered a pepperoni pizza for dinner at Pizza Hut!!!! Back at the hotel we had a pj and pizza party. The way I look at is I liked American Chinese (PF Changs) and I know most Chinese would not like American Chinese. It is just different. But, I tried and didn't gag (that was noticeable)!!!

To say that we have received a lot of attention is an understatement. Everyone stares and some comment. No one can understand how an American woman has a child with blond hair AND a Chinese child. Some will keep staring as if you are not there until you say Nihao, which usually reminds them that you are real. ;0 Avery has been a HUGE celebrity here with her blond hair and "big eyes". Many smile, want to touch her hair and take her picture. Including our driver who took a picture of her trying to eat noodles with one chop stick!! Our guide has answered many questions, I just try to smile and to keep going.

Today we are going to go do some shopping and then we fly to Hangzhou. Tomorrow is Family Day for Audie. The girls and I are so excited to meet him. They keep telling me all they want to do is go get Audie and are we going back to Kansas today??!! We are less then 24 hrs away to meeting Audie!!!

Hopefully I can get the laptop working in Hangzhou, apparently I am not equipped properly to do this myself. ;) I will post when I can, depending on how hard Audie grieves and the mercy of some poor unsuspecting victim who can "help" me with the computer. Then I can post pictures.

Becky

Arrival in China!!!

2009-01-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

Becky, Anna and Avery are safely in China! After a 4 hour unscheduled delay in Tokyo, they finally made it into Guangzhou at 2:30 am. They should currently be asleep in a hotel in Shan Tou, but I'm waiting to hear from her again on that one.

This is Becky's husband Steve, as Becky hasn't yet gotten the laptop to connect to a WiFi location. Rest assured that she will be more verbose than I once she is back on-line!

We're going on an airplane!!!

2009-01-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

It is unbelievable to me that in 12 hrs I will be on my way to China. This adoption has taken so much longer than Anna's due to having to wait until May to submit our Dossier to China (5 year marriage rule) and then the slow down at the CCAA. This adoption has taught me patience, persistence and to have faith in God. I cannot wait to met my son!! Oh, how I LOVE saying that.

Tonight Steve has the amazing job of getting all of my luggage to weigh less than 50 lbs each and to hold all of our orphanage donations and clothing. I am a little anxious about the flights to and from China as I CANNOT sleep on the plane. How do people do that??? I am incredible envious. This was one more thing I knew I could manage bringing the little ones with me. I know everyone thinks I am VERY BRAVE. I know it will be hard at times, but I know it is a trip of a life time and they will help Audie's adjustment greatly.

So here we come China and Audie!! Like Steve said we're ready for Audie, but is Audie ready for us????

Becky

The Binky Fairy

2009-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Our youngest daughter, Alenia has been a Binky girl from day one. She was sucking her fingers in utero and about 30 seconds after delivery. She has always been a very particular girl. The rules were: the Binky must be in at all times (unless there is a bottle in her mouth of course), she must be swaddled with just the right tension and to be held while sleeping or if you were lucky rotated at 27 degrees. Let me just say this made for one very tired Mama!! Once Alenia turned one, I only allowed the Binky's when sleeping. My pedi told me not to try and take them away until she at least 2 1/2. Once she turned 2 1/2 I tried to get her to throw them in the trash-NO, I tried to get her to give them to the little babies-NO, and I even tried the Binky Fairy idea before-NO again! Did I mention her nickname is PITA?????? Well, she just finished up her potty training and did amazingly well. She hasn't had an accident in several days. :) I am very close to traveling to China to bring home her "baby brother Audie" (who is an inch taller and 12 days younger) so I knew we had to get the Binky's gone before Audie came home, or she would be taking them on her honeymoon. I told her the Binky Fairy was coming tonight and she would have to find all of her Binky's and put them into the basket. If she did a good job and slept all night without them, the Binky Fairy would bring her a present. Alenia informed me that yes, she would surrender the Binky's to the Binky Fairy so she could give them to the little babies who needed them. When the time came she cried, no MY BINKY'S!!! I let her know that she was now a big girl and it was time for her to leave them for the Binky Fairy. She eventually helped collect them and into the basket they went. She went to be and then cried at her door for about 20 minutes before surrendering to her bed. The next morning, she woke up and yelled that she was a big girl and slept without the Binky's and there was a present waiting for her. We went out into the living room and sure enough there was a present just for her and the Binky's were gone. The Binky Fairy had left her a nice letter, a Tinker Bell doll that you brush and style her hair and "Fairy Dust"!!! She was so tickled with the fairy dust, she kept showing everyone, even after I vacuumed.

We have conquered the potty, the Binky's and next is the PITA!!!!! We have made it a week without the Binky's and she hasn't asked for them in last several days.

On Wednesday I leave for China, I cannot begin to express how excited I am. I wonder if I will be able to sleep the next several days. We have waited over a year since seeing Audie's face and now with it being so close, I just am soooo happy and thankful to God for connecting me with my son!!

Becky

p.s. The picture of the three girls was Alenia's due date and is Audie's birthday. How awesome and meant to be is that?????

What a big boy!!!

2008-12-29T09:17:00.001-08:00

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????

2008-12-19T22:22:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2008-12-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2008-11-24T06:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-11-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-29T11:58:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-09-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

Shopping for a Audie!!

2008-08-25T08:05:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-08-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-08-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-07-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Avery's 4th Birthday!!!

2008-07-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-07-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-07-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-14T21:20:00.001-07:00

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!!

2008-07-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

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.