Just a moment to complain

I would assume most people who read my blog have some interest in adoption, perhaps adopted, thinking about it or maybe you are my friends and have walked down the adoption journey with me. I am going to say now that I am going to complain but I hope that once it is off my chest I will be done with my pity party and put big girl panties back on and continue the incredible journey that God has allowed our family to be on with Him.
We have our finger print appt set and the airline ticket purchased for PB to come home from college because the US government requires that any one over the age of 18 is required to have finger prints taken for international adoption. I sent an email to our adoption agency telling them that our appt is set and casually said , "just checking to make sure this is our last item that needs to be checked off before sending all the documents to China". Well I got back an entire page of NEW requirements that the US just initiated for adoptions. Are you kidding me?!?!? Nope she is not kidding!!!!! Believe me CB and LB keep me busy busy busy but the fact remains there is a little girl across the ocean that is part of this family!!! I am so very blessed to know that she is being loved and prayed for in China. But as she gets older each day I know it will be harder and harder for her to separate from the life she knows in China to the new life as our daughter. Her pain will be my pain.
What is going on with international adoption? That is not really a question , I do know. The secular anti God world that we live in is against all things good and right. But I do find peace in knowing that we are doing what is good and right. Nobody ever said it was an easy path.
OK I am finished complainig. tomorrow is a new day and I will get that list done from the adoption agency! Good night sweet friends!

One more step

We have our little check list of details that need to be checked off in order to bring Mia Caili home.
Recent items to be checked off-
1. We got our finger print appt, yeah! New requirement, PB and TB need to have their finger prints since they are over 18, even though they are in college. So we have to fly PB home from college for a day. Weekends do not work since government offices are closed weekends.
2. We went to one session of the parent/adoption education class. We are required 12 hours so 6 down and 6 to go. We drove 1 1/2 hours from home for the class. The info was actually very well addressed and the day was well worth the time and drive!
So two more things to check off, but neither one actually complete and so the list goes on...
But it will all get done.

Three years ago!

Three years ago, my have you changed!

Our sweet Cali was handed to us today for a 24 hour harmonious period. Well 3 years later I can say not every moment is not harmonious but every moment is RIGHT!
It is right that she is part of a family, our family,
right that she has 5 sisters(4 home, 1 waiting in China) and 1 brother,
right that our family has shades of different colors,
right that for her gotcha day lunch she will want Chick fila,
right that she her roots are from Southern China and she grows in the south of America,
right that her face, once thought of as a curse now lights up a room,
right that her giggle that was once silent now makes everyone giggle too.
Thank you God for making it right.

How can we help?

Every once in a while people ask me how they can help in our adoption or adoption in general. I know not everyone is called to adopt but you all know that I believe all of us are called to help the orphans of the world. First and foremost I would say pray for those who have no family, no warm bed, no one to hold them in the night. Support families who are called to adopt. Do not pass judgement on what may look different than the "normal" two child family in the USA. Another way is to financially support incredible organizations that are in the "trenches" helping these kids.
Half the Sky
Love without Boundaries
Show Hope
These are just a few great organizations. Check out their web sites.
If you want to know how you can help us specifically...There is a $5000 donation that we are asked to donate to Mia Caili's orphanage. This money goes to care for those children left behind. They need to be fed, clothed, educated and hopefully to training to their caregivers. I have had the incredible honor to visit Mia Caili's orphanage (it is the same as Cali's) and they really do care for these kids. There really was preschool for the younger kids, it was clean and they really do care about the kids. They are trying to improve the lives of the children there. Since we were there in 2008, Half the Sky is working there to teach the staff how to care for the little ones and educate the older children. If you would like to help us with the orphanage donation, you can send us a check and we will deposit it to our account that will be holding these funds until we travel. WE really need your prayers more than anything but if you want donate towards the orphanage donation, you will be a blessing to our family and the children left behind.

I 800A

It is in the mail. Our I800A has been sent off the homeland security,USCIS, the wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Whoever the packet is going to, please look at it, approve it, schedule our fingerprints. Another piece to the puzzle. One more step closer to our sweet Mia Caili.
Funny notes for today...
We went to Walmart to pick up some stuff. Did you know that footy pajamas are in the stores. Well they are. Cali and Lily both got a pair and wore them all day. Yes it is still 90 degrees. Yes we went on errands, no they did not get out of the car. When we picked Greyson up from school she asked the girls why they were wearing their PJs. Lily informed her that it was "wear your pajamas to school day!"

Paper work update....finally!

I haven't written any updates about the adoption because well there was not too much to write about : (( But finally I can see some advancement of the collection of papers stacked on the dining room table are moving! They are being certified, authenticated, homestudy was just approved and checks are to be written. Yes did I mention checks. That is just another piece to the puzzle. There have been new regulations put in place by "the Hauge" that makes this process several months longer than our previous adoptions. You really can't fight it but I just have to say some of it is ridiculous! But we are getting there. Once all of our papers are in China which I would think will take another 2 months, it will then take another 4-6 months for China to review all the documents and then allow us to go to China and bring Mia home.
I went to an awesome adoption conference this past weekend. Great speakers and super worship music by Geoff Moore. Did you ever watch someone sing who looked so happy so then it made you happy? It was just him on stage with his good friend playing guitar. I hope it inspired some people to adopt and others to continue to support adoption through prayer,financial contributions and foster care.
I loved the quote "adoption is tragic beauty" you can't really deny the fact that adoption includes tragedy. Someone has been given up, abandoned...due to
many circumstances, could be poverty, disease, unwed mother, shame, politics.. Many reasons but all tragic. But the beauty comes when we can see the gospel come alive. Just as we were adopted out of our diseased flesh and soul, we became a new creation in Jesus Christ so do these children when they have a family to call there own. There is the beauty! I am honored, literally, to be a part of this beautiful plan designed by the greatest artist of all.

Missing in the picture

As I have mentioned before I never pictured myself with 7 kids. Maybe 7 kids in my class but not in my nest. But God had different,better plans. I made myself a family collage for mother's day. On the frame it is written "life takes us to unexpected places...love brings us home", when I found it I thought perfect! I spent that weekend carefully arranging our family photos. Some old, some new. Placed it on the shelf. I was happy, satisfied.
At that point I had already known about Mia Caili . I knew there was beautiful little girl waiting for her family in Xiamen,Fujian, China. I was praying for her since January. Praying that her family would come and bring her home and she would no longer be an orphan. Honestly I prayed some during the week but on Sunday when I was still sitting church, I dedicated that time to sit and be still and pray for Caili. I got up at the end of the service and walked out with the other 1000s of folks who were walking out of church that same Sunday somewhere in the world. Even walking out with the 100s at our church I felt like my private time with God and Caili was over. Back to the hustle and bustle of life. But that quiet time was precious. Wow, that was stray walk from the post...any how where was I?
Mia Caili is not an orphan any longer but she is missing from my collage (temporarily) . When I take our beach photos there is someone missing. I imagine her running with the girls or being thrown up in the air by her big sisters and brother. I look at my Mother's day collage and some how now I am less satisfied because some one is missing. God is not finished with the collage yet. God is not finished with any of us yet, now that is exciting!

Mia Caili

That is it her name is picked out. Mia Caili (pronounced ki lee). Her name in China is Caili so we are leaving it as her middle name. It is kinda like half Cali and half Lily. Mia Caili has the same birthday as my mom. She turned two in May. She is from the same orphanage as Cali. She has a cleft lip and palate. Her lip has been repaired in China. Her palate is open and will require surgery when we bring her home. I wish I knew when we were traveling but there is an incredible amount of paperwork that needs to be completed. And then approved by both China and the US. I am hoping to travel in December but the reality is it so hard to anticipate some of the things that need to fall into place in order for us to get on that plane. I am blessed to know that Mia Caili is being well taken care of right now. She is currently in foster care and is brought back to the orphanage each day for "preschool". Since Cali has come home, a fabulous organization called Half The Sky is operating the preschool. I better get to schooling Cali and Lily so that their little sister is not ahead of them in school : ). Please continue to pray for all of us...lots of changes ahead!

Happy Birthday America!

Cali has a slight obsession with birthdays. I have tried everything.last year when it was Lily's birthday I actually bought two cakes, one for Lily one for Cali. This year we had a big gymnastics party for Cali. At lily's birthday, offered Cali to open her presents with her and Cali still ended up in tears. At least once a week Cali asks "whose birthday is next?" In our family there is always a birthday coming up! We were at the grocery store yesterday and there were lots of decorations and cakes for July 4th. Ofcourse Cali wanted to know"whose birthday is it?" My answer it is "America 's birthday! Cali you are American!" Cali says, "I am from China!" yes my dear you are from chinaand you are Chinese-American. Will that always be a struggle for my girls? Am I Chinese , American, Chinese-American, American-Chinese?