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Merry Montage Christmas

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Countdown

• 5 more sleeps to TingTing  (AK's way of counting down)
• 4 packed suitcases (but I think we're going to have to suck it up and pay for 5 checked bags in China.  It's HARD to pack for both snow and 75 degree temps, plus all the gear needed for a 3 year old and a 10 year old!)
• 3 excited people ( me, Mark, AK)
• 2 exhausted parents  (Who needs sleep?? )
• 1  more day until we leave for CHINA and our Olivia Ruth YuTing!!

Olivia Day should be Monday, 2/28!!  

If you want to follow our journey, please check out my new blog @ 

http://fromchinatonorthcarolina.blogspot.com  

It's Here!!

Our Letter of Approval arrived today!!  It is so exciting to have the official adoption approval in hand.  It is already on it's way back to China... no wasting time on moving forward!

We are anticipating traveling to China in later February or early March.  Now we wait for immigration approvals from US*CIS and the Invitation to Travel from the CC*AA.  I'm glad we have lots of holidays to distract us from more waiting since March seems awfully far away!

Anna Kathryn is ready to go get her sister now.  We went out to dinner to celebrate (Cracker Barrel.  Sure hope Olivia develops a taste for biscuits and chicken and dumplings!)  and we told her at dinner.  She got SO excited- her eyes got real big, and her mouth made an "o" and she just said, "Ohhhhhh, Ting Ting, my sister!"

The best part is... we can finally start communicating with our girl!!!  And we believe the orphanage will tell her and begin to prepare her now, too.  Please be praying for her as she begins to learn about us, and faces so many changes to come.

Off to scope out Care Package options now... woo hoo!

Introducing Olivia Ruth YuTing!

We are THRILLED to announce (officially) that we are adopting again!  We are planning to adopt a nine-year-old girl from Hunan Province, China, to be called Olivia Ruth YuTing.  Yes, she's another Spicy Girl!! 


Olivia is active and restless (exactly what AK's referral said about her-- and boy was that true!), enjoys playing games and singing, and is a good student.  We cannot wait until we have our Referral Approval so we can finally begin communicating with her.  We are so excited to add another daughter to our family, and Anna Kathryn is really looking forward to having another big sister-- and traveling to China to meet her.  

It took about a year of adjustment for all three of us, but Mark and I began to seriously discuss adopting again last fall.  However, we had no idea how we could afford to adopt again, and we originally felt led to request to adopt a child younger than Anna Kathryn.  

Last January, I decided on a whim (so I thought) to look at our agency's waiting child list.  When I saw Olivia's picture I felt my heart just leap; I began to cry and told Mark that I felt very drawn to this photo of a young girl with sparkling eyes and a shy smile.  I wanted to know more about her.  We prayed and agreed to take things a step at a time, as we felt the Lord leading us.  The Lord kept opening the doors to proceed, including providing the first 1/3 of our adoption expenses so we could start gathering our documents and get our home study done.  Gathering our paperwork has taken longer than we anticipated (honestly, doesn't it always??), but even in our impatience we are confident that the Lord's timing is perfect. 

We sent our dossier to China on September 10 and were logged in on September 17, and now are waiting for all the remaining approvals.  We are hoping that we will travel by the end of the year (miracles can happen!).  

We are praying specifically that no matter when we do travel, we will be home before Olivia's 10th birthday in mid-February.  As well as being an older child, Olivia has a manageable but significant medical need, and she has been waiting a very long time for a family.  We feel a sense of urgency as we prepare to adopt her and bring her into the family.

Please join us in praying for Olivia as we prepare to bring her home, as she faces a huge number of changes and adjustments.  We are also praying for a kindred spirit between her and Anna Kathryn; that Mark and I would be wise and compassionate as we deal with the parenting challenges before us and we walk through this new territory together.   

We will keep you posted as we get closer to bringing Olivia home!

Two Years Ago...

... we rejoiced over Anna Kathryn. In our arms. At last.

And today-- two short years later--

Today, she is even more firmly embedded in our hearts. Our home is noisy with laughter, games, reading, singing (and because she is a hard-headed toddler, a good bit of wailing), filled with toys, and always time for snuggling. Life continues to be SO GOOD with our Snickerdoodle.

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.

If you feel like a trip down memory lane, read about our first family day here.

Been a Long Time Gone...

I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I posted, and this isn't even a current photo in the screen below!  (It is one of my faves, though.)   I am testing out this super-fun tool, VoiceThread, for a project at school that I am collaborating on with another teacher, and realized that I could post VoiceThreads here really easily .  I made this in about 2 minutes, no joke, and uploaded it to Blogger in no time.  This is the busy mom's way to blog:  upload a photo, speak, and voila:  a post!   Hmmm, I may start blogging again after all!  

Anyway, M and AK and I are having a wonderful spring.   We are heading into the home stretch of another school year, I am finishing my third-to-last class for my Master's degree, and AK is potty training sloooooooowly.  Busy days, for sure!  

And, we have a few other things we are working on...   but that's another post for another day!  

Three Little Words

Guess what they were? 

For the first time, Anna Kathryn said the words to me in response, rather than being prompted.

I'd just laid her down in her crib after tooth brushing, two stories, bedtime prayers, and some milk.  The past few nights we've had a popcorn and dance party after dinner.  We pop some popcorn and watch all the songs on The J*ungle Book.  (I'm going to try to catch some video of AK dancing this weekend because it is maybe the cutest thing EVER.) 

Anyway, as I laid her down she said, "Pop?  Jungle Book?"  

I said, "We'll do it again tomorrow night.  I love you." 

And Anna Kathryn said, "I love you." 

My mommy's heart absolutely overflowed.  Wow.  Such sweet words to hear.  She said it!!  

Edited to add: I just read this post.  How blessed I am to be able to hear my daughter tell me she loves me!  May I never take it for granted.  

Happy Birthday, Anna Kathryn!

Dear Anna Kathryn,

You are 2 years old today!  We celebrated you today:  with hugs and kisses, a cake, gifts, and more.  Even though you were sick, and we had to change our plans to have a quiet day at home, you had a great day announcing that you are now two years old!

Somehow, that seems terribly old.  Mommy thinks time is slipping by too fast.  

Two years ago, it was all different for all of us.  Daddy and I spent the day with family, at your cousin Natalie's memorial service.  It was such a sad day... we cried a thousand tears.  Halfway around the world, just as we said goodbye to our sweet Natalie, you were born.  Your Aunt Hillary and I believe she was watching over you as you were born, and as your China mommy said goodbye to you, and as you waited to be found.  We all lost part of our family that day, and yet, there was so much for us all to gain in the future.  God had a very specific plan for us to become a family.  Today I spent time talking with you a bit, about your China mommy and daddy, and how I think they are thinking of you today. How could they not?   I thought of them all day long.  I wish they could know what a wonder you are. 

There were a few rather sassy moments today that may not bode well for the days to come, but I'm blaming that on the fever and yucky congestion.  You definitely like to share your opinion and assert your independence whenever possible nowadays.  You are helpful and sweet, and proudly ask for things by saying "please," "thank you," and even responding "yes, ma'am."  You love reading books, and constantly demand, "Read, Mommy!"  I happily oblige.  Your babies are your favorite plaything these days, and you take very good care of them (other than letting them hang out naked a lot of the time!).   Bobo, your lovey, is always with you in any situation.  He is basically a member of the family these days.   You already know your colors, that "A" is for Anna, and how to jump very high.  

You are the utter delight of your daddy and me, every day.  What joy to celebrate you in a special way today!

Love, Mommy  

Pictures to come...

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Well, October came and went in a blur of silly toddler moments, rainy & cool weather, and weekends that were just packed!  Most of the really fun stuff -- or at least the stuff worthy of a photo opp- happened at the end of the month.  

We visited the pumpkin patch on my birthday and had a fun time romping amidst the pumpkins and hay!

The girls with their choicest pumpkins.

I can jump now!

A hay maze, just the right size for the girls.  Maggie zipped right through and AK kept up with her!

 This year, AK wasn't quite as eager to be licked to death by the apparently starving goats and sheep in the petting zoo/barn.

The super sillies struck Anna Kathryn during our photo session:

Maggie might be immune to the sillies... or maybe she is just used to AK's wild ways!

Halloween was fun!  Anna Kathryn really enjoyed it this year-- last year she was too little to really join in the fun.  We had supper with Allison & co., then wrestled the girls into their costumes for trick-or-treating.  

The lion says, "Roar!!"  

AK's lion is a fancy lion-- note the necklace.  

Costumed girls, ready to trick-or-treat!

(BTW, have to brag:  I hit the costume jackpot at a local consignment store and paid just $7 for her lion costume!  A frugal costume is just as fun as a pricey one!)

It didn't take AK long to get the hang of this.

I've got to figure out a way to upload some audio of AK saying, "trick-or-treat" and "thank you."  Her voice is so high pitched and it is just the cutest. thing. ever. 

She barely noticed that she was pouring sweat since it was about 78 degrees and 100% humidity on Halloween night.

Sweet reward.  

I think I enjoyed the trick-or-treating as much-- or more-- than AK did.  I absolutely loved seeing her get so excited about seeing the other kids in their costumes, asking so sweetly at each door, and riding with Maggie in the wagon.  There are a lot of aspects of Halloween that Mark and I do not care for and work to avoid, but trick-or-treating was just plain fun.  

Hope you had a great Halloween!  

A Conversation

On the way to day care this AM:

Me:  "It's mocha day, Anna Kathryn! We're going to meet Maggie and Allison after I pick you up from school."  

(Mocha Day, FYI, is our once-a-week outing to enjoy some girl talk and shopping at out local Star*bucks & Tar*get.  We started weekly mochas when Allison was home with Maggie on maternity leave, as a way to help her avoid cabin fever,  and this is Year 4 of the tradition.)

AK:  "All-ah?  (Asking if Allison would be at mochas.) Hoo-ray!"

Me:  "That's right."

AK: "Hooray!  Mah-mah?"  (Maggie)

Me:  "That's right."

AK:   "Hoo-ray!  Mommy?

Me:  "That's right."

AK:  Sucks Bobo.  No hooray whatsoever.  

Hee.  

Arrival

Last year at about this time we were sitting on the tarmac on Washington, D.C. on the last leg of our trip home from China, praying we would be home soon (we later found out our flight delay was due to the demo seat belt-- you know, the one they use during the safety info?  Was missing and had to be replaced.)  

Anna Kathryn had just become an American citizen upon crossing through customs, but I'm afraid the moment was kinda lost on all of us.  I was desperate for a real American Starbucks mocha, Mark was desperate to get us all on the last plane since time was tight, and AK was desperate for a chance to wiggle and not be confined to a plane seat or lap.  

After 30+ hours of travel, at the end of a two-week "trip of a lifetime" and having survived the transatlantic flight with a very mixed-up 11 month old baby-- we were so ready to be HOME.

We arrived at our home airport to a Welcome Home party like no other!

I'd joyfully welcomed Maggie home 2 years earlier, and of course had read plenty of blogs with accounts of other families' homecomings--- but ours was wonderful.   Family and friends galore. Especially considering our flight was late and it was midnight before we landed... that's when you KNOW that you are greatly loved, when folks will spend their whole Saturday night hanging out at the airport for you.  

Here's a bunch of homecoming photos I didn't post on my travel blog because I was too jet lagged to bother last year.  Thanks for tripping down memory lane with me and the Snickerdoodle.  

And then it was time to go home... to begin the next part, together.

I wish I could quit you, grad school

I just spent waaaaay too many hours of my weekend and have stayed up much too late tonight finishing a totally mediocre paper for the MLS degree I hope to get before I am 87 years old.  

Ugh. I loathe homework.  That's one reason I became a school library media coordinator, which is why I am slogging through graduate school.  Which is called irony, I believe.  

On the other hand, BIG congratulations to my husband who just received his diploma for his Master's degree the other day!  (He refused to go to graduation so they finally just mailed it to him.  No matter, it's the real deal and he earned every bit of it.)

I'm so jealous!  And proud!!!

Toddler Parenting FAIL (and the rest of Forever Family Day anniversary)

So this weekend it finally hit me that Anna Kathryn is into EVERYTHING and cannot be left alone for even one minute or else disaster will befall us.

Little Miss Curiosity, lunging for the camera

Just last week I could leave her playing in the living room (or dumping out a drawer in the bathroom, more likely) while I dashed into the laundry room to move a load of towels, or into the kitchen to check on dinner, or something like that.  We've child proofed the house so we're good, right?  And it's an open floor plan of only 1600 sq. feet so it's not like she's far away from me at any moment.  Generally she follows me around the house as I do things anyway, but lately she's been adding a dash of independence to her big girl skillz. 

Apparently I am also a slow learner in the supervision category of motherhood.

Yesterday, I was doing a load of her clothes, which means everything needs to be blasted with at least 3 different stain removers.  My laundry room is A.) teensy and B.) has horrible lighting, so I usually do this on the dining room table where the lighting is good.  I had a brand-new, BIG jug of color safe bleach out on the table, and stepped away for maybe a minute when Mark called out to me from the bedroom.  

Did I mention one of AK's hobbies these days is climbing up into the dining room chairs, and sometimes the table too?  Oh, and she's suddenly back to putting everything in her mouth again? 

So it should come as no surprise that I walked out of my bedroom to see AK coated in purple C*lorox 2, along with my table and some of the carpet below.  (Yes, we have a carpeted dining area, and yes, I detest it.)  Sigh.  At least the spots are now gone from that part of the carpet. 

And at least she didn't ingest any of it.  I spent the rest of the day with one eye glued to her doings and chasing her around the house.

So today, I'm loading the dishwasher and AK is of course attached to my leg.  I opened the (locked, childproofed) cabinet to get the detergent, poured it into the little cup, and immediately capped the bottle and shoved it back into the cabinet because I don't want her to get into it.  Forgot to close the little cup... and I turned back towards her (this is just seconds, people) to see her take her fingers out of her mouth and make a horrible face.  

Oh, no.  

After I ran around frantically trying to decide if I should try to make her drink something, find the ipecac syrup (which we do not even have), or just head to the ER, I remembered what 911 is for.  They referred me to p*oison control, where the rather jovial worker assured me that she probably had ingested an extremely small amount, told me to give her lots of fluids,  and that this happens more often than you'd think.  We spent the next 30 minutes eating popsicles and drinking water, and I said a lot of prayers of thanksgiving that she seemed to be fine.  An hour later she was running around on the playground, and she ate a ton of dinner tonight. 

I'd heard from other moms that if the house if ever quiet that usually is a sign that something is up with the kids.  Lesson learned! 

Here are a few snaps from the weekend and our Forever Family Day celebration last week:

Chillin' with Elmo

On the move

Little Mama

Opening her Family Day gifts

We looked back at the photo album that we got of some "outtakes" from her referral pictures and the pictures we were sent in her update last Aug.  She got a big kick out of seeing herself as a baby.  

This was the outfit she was wearing when she was brought to us in Nanchang.  It was a bit big on her last year.  She has grown-- and grown up- so much in the past year!  Love that smile!