Exciting news!!!

Our family felt led to ask if we could adopt another child at the same time we adopt Adam. THere is a girl from the same orphanage that we felt led to ask about. We just found out today that she is available for adoption. We cannot give out any information on her but I will ask you to pray for her. God know who she is and if she will be a member of our family someday.

Unfortunately another child also means added cost. Our adoption agency has estimated another $12,000 dollars will be needed for us to adopt her. Obviously we do not have that money laying around the house. We know that God can provide this money for us, we know that if God wants us to adopt this young girl that he will have to be the one to provide this money, we cannot do this on our own. Please keep us in your prayers. I will also ask that if you have a blog that you will either link to our website or post something to let others know about our need. Thank you all.

Beth

Please pray for my daughters...

I wanted to write a cherry, joyful Christmas post but today we gave away my daughters' puppies. In Sept we adopted two black lab puppies and our daughters were thrilled. We went through the normal puppy stuff but recently our 5 month old pups started fighting and drawing blood. They never showed agression towards the kids or our older dogs but, with no provocation they would start fighting and end up bloddy by the end. We thought we had figured out the problem but this morning they attacked each other and the boy had his sister on the floor with his teeth inches from her jugular. The time had come. I cannot rationalize having puppies who are this unpredicable with each other, especially when my kids are in the "baby gate" area with the puppies all day. Emily's puppy has already been adopted and someone should be here any minute to look at Abby's puppy. My daughters are sobbing and my heart breaks for them. Thank you for taking the time to pray for my daughters and the puppies that they love.

Beth

So thankful!

A family that we met through our adoption agency just got back with their son. We got a Christmas card from them yesterday and there was a surpise inside. They sent us a donation for Adam's adoption, right after they got back from China! We are so blessed! Thank you all! By the way, we put your card next to the pictures of Adam!

Beth

Waiting, waiting, waiting....

Right now we are waiting...we are waiting to find out when our dossier was/will be logged in at China. (From what I've heard a dossier can be logged in for two weeks before you find out your login date) It seems to take about 1-2 weeks for the dossier to be logged in after it is sent to China...hopefully our dossier was logged in sometime last week. We're also waiting for our LOA (letter of approval) from China which will allow us to be OFICIALLY matched with Adam. Once we have our LOA we can post pictures of Adam on our blog and we can send Adam a CARE PACKAGE! He will know we are coming for him at this point. I keep looking at the websites that send adoptive care packages and trying to decide which to send him. We definately want to send him a letter about our family, a photo album of our family/house/pets and a toy/art supplies for him. We recently sent out applications for more adoption grants and so we wait for the decision on those.

A friend from church has volunteered to do the puzzle for us...Mark and I are NOT puzzle people! So far Bonnie has put 450 pieces together (we had only gotten about 250 and that was after months of working on it!) So far we have had 763 pieces sponsored. As soon as Bonnie has the puzzle up to date on pieces she will take a photo and email it to me. Bonnie, thank you so much for doing this!!

We did have one family donate money as a Christmas gift for family members. I printed up cards for them to present to their family and I think they turned out very well. I printed " A donation has been made in your name toward the adoption of Adam Smith. Adam is an 11 year old boy living in Yueyang China. The Smith family is grateful for the donation and wishes you a Merry Christmas." If anyone else wishes to do this for a Christmas gift, please let me know.

Well, I think that covers all of our adoption news for the moment. I hope everyone has a good day.

Beth

Trying to trust...

We found out that we were not approved for one of the adoption grants that we have applied for. They told us we can apply again but right now they do not have any funds available. I am trying to trust in the Lord but, in my human-ness, I keep worrying about it.

We have two more grant organizations that we will be applying to this weekend.

I just need to keep remembering that we have all the money we have needed so far.

We are still waiting for the Letter of Acceptance from China and for our dossier to be logged in at China.

Thanks for all of your prayers.

Beth

Early Thanksgiving present!!

Cindy from our adoption agency just emailed me. She told me that our dossier was sent to China today(11/24)! Yay!! So, now we wait for it to be logged in and she said things should happen quickly after that. Keep in mind that "quickly" in the adoption world is not always the same as "quickly" in real time! Of course, God can make things happen at lightening speed, and that is our prayer.


Brian just told me that he wants to watch "Mu-wan" which in "Brian speak" is Mulan.


Emily lost her second tooth yesterday and reminded me several times to put the tooth under her pillow. (I had a hunch why she was so insistant.) When she lost her first tooth a couple of months ago she gave me her fifty cents to put towards the adoption. This morning she did the same thing. She has such a loving heart!

Abby is constantly trying to figure out new ideas for fundraisers! Such seweet kids we have!

I pray that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and that we spend time thanking God for all the blessings we have.

Beth

Christmas fundraiser!

A friend from our church suggested a fundraiser. I know some people donate to a good organization/cause in someone's name and then they can give a "A donation has been made in your name" card. I know it is getting late in the season to start this but if anyone is interested in this fundraiser I will print out a card to be given.

"A donation has been made in your name to help adopt Adam. Adam is an 11 year old boy living in China. The Smith family wishes you a Merry Christmas."


If you know of anyone who would be interested in this fundraiser please pass on our blog address.

Beth

AMAZING!!! Please pray for the Kambergers.

The following is from a blog for a family who is adopting a 10 year old girl from China. They now feel led to adopt a 13 year old boy who turns 14 on December 12th. He has to be adopted by that date or he cannot be adopted internationally. This family adopted a child from Adam's orphanage in 2007. If you'd like to follow their journey the blog address is http://www.afamilyforchristina.blogspot.com/

"Two weeks ago, on October 30, Dick and Cheryl Graham with Bringing Hope to Children advocated for a boy rapidly approaching his 14th birthday. We have been in process to adopt Christina DuJie since August and had just recently sent in our I800A after an extended wait for our Home Study. I don't usually open these emails, but was moved to see what the situation was. The moving has not stopped.

We are now PreApproved to adopt Zhang LuShi in addition to DuJie and are trying desperately to give this child a home. His 14th birthday is December 12th .... just 4 short weeks away!! China is willing to do whatever it takes to get this child a family. Our agency, CAWLI, is doing everything THEY can to expedite this process. And we see days flying by with little to no time to raise the money needed to bring these children home or give USCIS the time to process our case.

I am asking for TWO things from this fantastic adoptive community:

First - PRAY for God's will to be accomplished - if He is pleased to place LuShi in our home, then He can pave the way through this seemingly IMPOSSIBLE short time period to do so. Pray for USCIS to be moved by compassion or whatever it takes to truly push this file through. China is willing to have everything else in fax only and even to let us travel without TA in hand.

Second - help us is ANY way feasible and within your power to get to China and give this boy a chance. There is a chipin right here on this blog and a purse fundraiser (done by the lovely Kelly R!) at http://www.hopeandhealingfororphans.blogspot.com/ . We could use frequent fly miles to help get us there and back or help with our stay at the hotel. Spread the word to any groups you belong to!

LuShi is from Linfen, Shanxi and has urinary incontinence and was diagnosed to have a tethered cord 2 years ago (tho he has no history of spina bifada). He has only been allowed to go to school the last few years after LWB stepped in to support the cost of adult incontinence pads. There is no surgeon in China that feels skilled enough to do his surgery. He is nearly 14 and I am sure growing like any other 13 year old boy!! That cord could snap at any time, leaving him in a worse place than he is already in.

John and I are willing to do whatever the Lord desires regarding LuShi - we want to give him the opportunity for family, support, love, expert medical care and the chance to be told there is a God who loves him very much. Could you or your coworkers be looking for a great compassionate giving idea for the Christmas season? What a gift this would be for LuShi who has been overlooked for far too long. And what a story to tell him in future days of the support and love of a huge adoption community who KNOW what a true miracle this would be!!"


Beth

Dossier being authenticated!

Our dossier was received last week and is now being authenticated! I'm not exactly sure what all "authentication" includes but I know it is sent to the Chinese consolate to get some more of those offical gold seals! It is also translated at this point, I believe. This process takes 3-4 weeks.

Have a great day everyone!

Beth

Letters to my children

I got this idea from another blog. I think it is a great idea!

Dear Abby,
You are my firstborn child and you have a special love for those who are hurting. I love how you are quick to make a "get well card" or a picture for those who need a smile. You can get frustrated with your brother and sister but are quick to be their champion! I love you!!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Emily,
You have such a sensitive heart. Your "I'm sorry" has a sincerity that amazes me. Sometimes your tears come so easily that it frustrates me but your compassion was truely sent by God. Thank you for all of your hugs and kisses!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Brian,

You have such a quick mind! It's hard to believe you're only 3 years old. God has given you a gift to figure out how things work, I can't hardly imagine where that will take you. Sometimes I'm worried you'll dismantle something really important! Hopefully you won't do that until you can put it back together. You really are a snuggle-bug!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Adam,

I haven't been able to hug you yet, but I pray that day comes soon. One day soon I will meet you and start the journey to learn who you are. Right now I know that you have freckle on your cheek and when your eyes are sad I want to hug you and hold you until the sadness goes away. I will continue to pray for you and love you.

Love,
Mommy

145,000,000

145,000,000 is an estimate of the number of orphans worldwide.* When I see that number I am overwhelmed but then I realize that behind that large number there are children. Children who live in orphanages, foster homes and on the street. These children need us. They need us to pray for them, they need us to help provide food, clothing and basic necesities. They also need some of us to provide LOVE. Some of us are called to be parents to these children, some of us are called to embrace them in prayer. I don't presume to know what God is calling you to. I know that God has called our family to adopt Adam and possibly another child(ren) someday. (Mark is working on me!)

I ask that everyone who reads this blog will pray that God will open their eyes to His plan for them. That could be to pray specifically for an orphan, help financially support an orphan/orphanage, help out an adoptive family or to adopt a child of your own.


My dearest prayer is that our church will one day have many families who have welcomed adopted children into them.

*(This data is from UNICEF for 2008)


Beth

Pre-approval!!

We heard from our adoption agency that we have our preapproval to adopt Adam! This tells us that China knows that we want to adopt Adam and that they are considering us for his family! Also, we know that noone else can request to adopt him! Yay!!!

Beth

One year later

One year ago our family saw Adam's picture and heard about him for the first time. In that year we have decided to move forward to adopt Adam, met with a social worker to start the process, we completed a formal application, met with our social worker so she could write up our homestudy. We have applied for adoption grants. We have worked on our dossier and worked on our dossier and worked on our dossier! We traveled to Dover twice and we submitted our dossier to our agency. Then we were told that our medical forms for our dossier had to be rewritten so they will be within the 6 month window. So, after two weeks we had our medical forms and the kids and I traveled down to Dover, again! :smile: On friday I overnighted the final documents for our dossier to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Now I am working on our "LOI" which stands for Letter of Intent, which is a form that our agency will send to China to match us to Adam.

I know that we've gotten a lot of things done in the LONG list of things that need to get done. We still have alot that needs to get done but everything that we complete takes us that much closer to meeting our son!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. There are alot of things that we have to finish to complete this adoption. We also need to raise alot of money, we should find out this week about one of our adoption grants.
Well, gotta go take care of Brian who is getting pudding out! :sigh:

Dossier headed to Bethany!!

I just mailed our dossier to Bethany by express mail..they should get it Weds by 11:00 am! yay! One more step on our way to China!!!!

Beth

We will submit our dossier...

...on Friday. We should have all the money to submit the dossier on Friday. We need to submit the original dossier and three complete copies. I have most of the documents copied. I'm hoping I can finish everything tomorrow. Then we just need to wait for the money and I can overnight it to Bethany! Yay!!


Beth

Praying for our little man....

I wanted to post some of the prayers that I am praying lately...

Dear Lord, please keep Adam healthy and safe.

Please help him to know that someone loves him very much.

Please protect him from nightmares. (Since China is 12 hours ahead of us, he's usually sleeping when I'm praying!)

Please help him to learn alot in school.

I pray that he is having a good day.

Please help the workers at his orphanage to prepare him for his adoption and the transition to the USA.

Please send someone to him who will tell him about You.


Please keep this sweet little boy in your prayers.

Beth

Please pray...

We need to raise $1800 to submit our dossier. We need everyone we know to pray that God will supply the money. Mark is working as much overtime as he can but we cannot humanly raise that much money. We don't want to take out a loan but we have that as an option if necessary. We are waiting to see how God will provide.

We need to submit our dossier in about two weeks due to some documents that have to be submitted within six months of the date on the document. There is a definite time crunch.

Dossier is ready...

Our dossier is ready but we don't have all the money that we need to have when we submit the dossier to our agency. We are trying to trust in the Lord but it is very difficult. I keep having to remind myself, God owns the "cattle upon a thousand hills" Please keep us in your prayers. We cannot move forward until we have that money.

Thank you.

Beth

Traveling to Dover tomorrow!

Mark and I will be traveling to Dover tomorrow to get our Dossier paperwork certified with the Great Seal of Delaware!! The kids will be hanging out with a friend, who had kids their ages...and they just happen to be best friends with my kids. That works out well!

After I get everything state sealed I will post a picture of our dossier, with all those pretty gold seals!

Yay Yay Yay!!!

Mark and I got the I800A approval today! This document is the one from our government that says, "Yes, you can bring a child from another country to our country" This is one of the last steps in the dossier process. I will be sending our paperwork to be reviewed and then I have to travel down to Dover to get the "Great Seal of Delaware" put on all of our paperwork.


Another check on our great big checklist of steps in the adoption process!

Yay!

Beth

Birthday Cake!!

Ok, I want to warn you that this cake will not get any awards based on it's looks, but the taste is amazing...you'll have to take my word on that!

Happy Birthday Adam!!!

Today is Adam's 11th birthday. Last night the girls helped me make an ice cream cake. I pray that this is the last birthday where Adam isn't with his family. I keep seeing things on the news about the significance of 9/9/09 and all I can think is that Adam can't be with us on his birthday. In the Chinese culture the number 9 is a lucky number, so I see this as a plus for Adam in his birth culture. I didn't get a chance to type this up earlier and in China Adam's birthday is already over. They are 12 hours ahead of us so it is 4:45 am in China.

Dear Lord, please hold Adam in your arms. Help him to know that there is a family that loves him. I pray that he had a wonderful birthday and that the adoption process will go quickly so we can hold him in our arms soon.


Please keep our little man in your prayers. Please pray that the process goes quickly so we can travel as soon as possible.

(I will post a picture of Adam's birthday cake later this evening.)

Beth

Awwwwww!!!

OK, I just have to share this....first of all...I LOVE clearance!!! So, we were shopping tonight and I checked out the clearance boy clothes. For those who don't know I like to occasionally get matching tops for my girls. I found matching T-shirts for Brian and Adam! Ok, let's hear it ladies...AWWWWWW!!!! Guys, feel free to say it, "Oh brother!"

So, I had to include a pic. Basketball shirts (b-ball is big in China) and USA shirts. I can't wait until "my boys" can wear them!!

Almost Adam's birthday!

I forgot to mention, Adam's birthday is September 9th, so he will be turning 11 in one month. The girls are very upset that we can't send him presents or a cake (we're not at the point where our adoption agency will allow it) so we told them we can make a cake and celebrate here. We will be praying for Adam on his birthday but I wish we could hug him too!!


Beth

God's canvas!

We had a storm this evening and when it was ending I glanced out the window...this is what I saw. A double rainbow! The second is very faint and above the darker one. I don't think I've ever seen a double rainbow in real life. The kids were all so excited. When I saw it I said, "Come outside, quick!" They called both sets of grandparents and told them about it. God does amazing work, doesn't he?

Beth

Urgent prayers needed...also CDC contact needed!!!

There is a family in China right now who may not be able to bring their adopted daughter home with them. Here is their blog address http://jayscruggs.livejournal.com/ Their daughter is 4 and because she tested positive for TB she will not be allowed to enter the USA. (She has been on medication for 1 month and is not contagious) The family is trying to find someone at the CDC to allow them to bring her home. If this is not successful they will have to leave Harper at the orphanage and she will have to stay in China for 2-6 months. Her parents will have to leave this week and if something doesn't change they will have to leave their daughter in China. The recent change in testing of TB for adoptees was put in place for imigrants to the US. Please pray for Harper, Jay (dad) and Candace (mom). There are phone numbers to contact them if you know someone in the CDC. Check the blog entry for July 30 entitled "Very Bad News".

I don't have any more words, just tears.

Beth

I800A update!!

We got a letter yesterday saying that the USCIS has received our I800A application. They will be contacting us to let us know when we need to get our fingerprints done.

We have our dossier almost done, from our end. We are waiting for our certified copy of our marriage license. And on Monday we have to contact the police department to get our Police clearance letter. After we have everything together, including our I800A approval, we get all our Delaware documents certified with the Great Seal of Delaware. From what I understand we can take all our Delaware documents to Dover and get it in person. We have already sent off my Maryland birth certificate and Mark's Michigan birth certificate to be certified with their Great Seal.

After that we send our paperwork to Bethany Christian Services to be checked and they send it to Grand Rapids, main branch of BCS, then then it is sent to the Chinese consolate in USA. At some point in the process it is translated into Chinese and after all of this it is sent to China!!

The kids keep asking me to count down the days until Adam's 11th birthday....38 days until our little man's birthday!! Mark and I don't think that we will be allowed to send him a care package for his birthday. We have to wait for several different steps in the referral process before we cane send a care package and we just don't think we will be at that point before his birthday. Of course, Abby's response is , "Well, I'll send him a present if you won't!!!" We explained that we would love to send him a present and cake but that we weren't allowed to yet. His birthday is Sept 9....maybe everyone could send up a pray for our little man on that day. I think I'll have the kids decorate a cake for Adam on his birthday. Adam, we love you and can't wait to bring you home!!!

Prayer requests:

Please pray that all of the government paperwork (Chinese and American) gets done as quickly as possible, and maybe even that God does a miracle and it is quicker than ever!

Please pray that Abby, Emily and Brian do not feel threatened by all the time that we have to spend on adoption related things (time spent preparing the dossier, adoption reading "homework", preparations for Adam, etc)

Please pray that we are awarded several adoption grants, we have alot of money left to raise.

Please pray for Adam that he is prepared for the adoption and that he is able to transition to life with a family easily.


Have a great day!!!

New puzzle picture

Well, Mark and I set aside time to work on the puzzle today...we are STILL not puzzle people. LOL! We have 252 pieces put into the puzzle. We have had 472 pieces sponsored. We're getting there.

Yuan has a family!!!

The 12 year old girl from two posts ago has a family. I don't have any details but I did find out that she is in the process of being adopted. Praise the Lord!!!

Beth

1/4 of the way there!! Also, school news...

We have raised/been approved for 1/4 of the amount needed to adopt Adam. This is from the fundraisers, the grant from Bethany and the money we've saved. Right now I have several books listed on Ebay, with several more to be listed in the coming weeks. We have been listing "leftovers" from our yard sale on Craigslist. Mark is just looking forward to clearing out the garage again!! LOL!

On that front, we have had 470 puzzle pieces sponsored so far. We are, unfortunately, not as far along on putting the puzzle pieces together! If anyone lives in DE and loves to put puzzles together...I can give you our address. Yes, I am serious!...Either email me or call me (302-832-9036)

We mailed out our application for the I800A last week. We are working on the dossier, we're 2/3 of the way through our "checklist" for the dossier.

We have applied for one adoption grant and are working on several others right now.

On to the "school news", Mark and I have decided to homeschool Abby and Emily. There are definate financial reasons for this decision but I am feeling excitment about this new direction in the girls' schooling. This is something that I NEVER thought I'd been doing...and some of you have heard me say that!

Off to research homeschooling and work on adoption "stuff"!

Beth

12 year old girl needs a home!!

There are parents who advocate for children who are still waiting for families. Here is a message from a mom who is trying to find a family for this girl. I feel such a burden on my heart for this girl.

"I've advocated for this girl before, but no family has come forward for her. I met her last year when I was adopting two of her foster home "sisters." She begged me to take her too, but understood when I told her that my paperwork was only approved for her sisters. I've been haunted since that time with her request "Tell your friends and family in America about me! Tell them I want to have a family too!" So I am trying again, in the hopes that Yuan does have a family out there somewhere.
Yuan is a soft spoken, very sensitive, 12 year old girl who will be 13 soon. She loves to sing, play with babies, and works hard in school. She is blind, as are all of the children in her foster home. She speaks fluent English and knows both English and Chinese Braille. She has been studying very hard the last few months after some of her friends were adopted. She said she wants to do well so she can be adopted too. She is very helpful and likes to take care of the people around her. She was shy when everyone was crowding to see me, but was thrilled to sit quietly and talk to me at length. She just has such a sweet, gentle spirit. It just shines out of her when you speak with her. She knows she is close to aging out, and desperately wants a family before it is too late.Her orphanage does not believe she is adoptable due to her blindness. Her paperwork has not been prepared for adoption, and will not be unless a family comes forward for her. Thus she has no chance to be seen on waiting child sites or to benefit from any advocacy from adoption agencies. However, should a family come forward, her paperwork can be forwarded directly to the adoption agency of the family. This is the procedure that we used to adopt her foster sisters. If we were in any financial position to adopt again, we would go back for her in a heartbeat. Having adopted two of her "sisters", I can testify that they were very well prepared for adoption, and that living with children who are blind is simply not as hard as one might imagine. There is much more information available on Yuan to interested families. Please feel free to contact me for additional information. Also, please feel free to crosspost. I would really love for Yuan to find a family.
Velleta
vtscott @ cox . net"

Homestudy complete!!!

We have been on vacation for the past two weeks but while we were on vacation our social worker emailed us the homestudy to check to make sure everything we accurate. It was so they finished it up and it was waiting with the rest of our mail when we got home!!! Yay!! So, Mark and I will be finishing up our I800A application, which is for the document that we need to bring Adam to America. It generally takes 3 months for this application to be reviewed and to get the document to us. While that is happening we will be working on more paperwork for the dossier which will be sent to China for their review.

Thank you all for your continued prayers.

Beth

Something to "watch out" for...

On Saturday we had our yard sale to raise money for the adoption. After the yard sale we took the kids out for dinner. I asked Abby if I could write something on her coloring page and she said, "I bet it's about Adam!" So, I started to wonder if we focus too much on Adam and the kids are feeling left out. (I actually wrote "I (heart) Abby")
I asked Abby if she feels like we talk about Adam too much and she said yes. This could be because we talked about Adam and the adoption to pretty much everyone who came to the yard sale. But it is a bit of a wake up call to make sure that the adoption doesn't take over our life. There is so much to do to adopt internationally that it does feel like it takes over sometimes so I just need to be aware of that and make sure that we also focus on Abby, Emily and Brian.

Anyway, thanks for "listening"!!

Beth

Puzzle picture!!

Here's our first picture of our second puzzle! In this photo we have 193 pieces in place. We have had 391 sponsored...as you can see we're not caught up yet! We're chipping away at the difference.

On the homestudy front, we are still waiting for it to be completed. Once it is we can submit our I800A- this is the document that has to be approved for us to adopt a child from another country and bring him to the USA. Step by step...it's all getting done. We cannot submit the I800A until we have our homestudy.

Please pray for Adam as we wait to bring him home.

Here are some of our prayer requests:

Pray for the funds- we need to raise/earn or be approved for grants - the amount is between $27,000-$30,000. There is a bit of variance because our oldest daughter Abby is coming with us and because some of the fees are based on the Chinese Yuan, so those fees can flucuate depending on the exchange rate.

Pray for Adam- that he will be safe, healthy and that God will prepare his heart for us as his family and prepare his heart to be open to His Word.

Pray for Abby, Emily and Brian- that God will prepare them to fully accept Adam as their brother. They say that they are ready but this is something that they can't fully prepare for as they've never experienced anything like this before.

Please pray for Mark and me as we prepare the dossier. There is a lot of paperwork and we're about halfway through but I don't want anything to slip through the cracks as we do this.

Thank you all!!

Our new puzzle is here!

Our new puzzle has arrrived. Mark and I put the outer edge together and now we are going to work on some of the inner pieces. I will post a picture as soon as I have the 242 pieces together.

Beth

Have to make a change...

Well, I have to edit the post that was here. I was a little premature in my former post. Everything is the same but I don't want to say anything before I am allowed to say anything....

Off topic, please praise the Lord with me, a friend told me that her daughter was almost run over by a car today. Thank the Lord that he had her mom yank her out of the way in time.

Also, our church is mourning the loss of a 2 yr old boy who was run over by a car. His relatives formerly attended our church. Please pray for his family.

Have a great evening.

Beth

Puzzle snafu!

Well, I was so excited today to work on the puzzle. We have 242 puzzle pieces sponsered! I planned to work on the puzzle today until we had 242 puzzle pieces put together. Abby and Emily were hanging out watching me put the puzzle together. Things were going great, I was putting sections together, I got the bottom edge done, I got the left side done. I was working my way up on the right side and working on the top edge at the same time. I was practically jumping up and down I was so excited....then it happened. There weren't any more edge pieces, but we weren't finished yet!!! Did I tell you all that I got this puzzle on Ebay? That it was used but "all the pieces are there"? At least that's what the seller said....he was wrong! We frantically dumped out all the pieces in the box, in case we missed it. Nope! Well, my motivation just drained out of me!

I have my motivation back, we've ordered a new puzzle and as soon as it arrives I will post a picture of our new puzzle, with 242 pieces put together! Our puzzle is still 1,000 pieces and the picture is still a panda. Just a small setback.

Also, I wanted to thank all the generous people who have donated to our puzzle. I am constantly in awe of the generosity and love everyone is showing to our family. Thank you to Josh, Jen, Dave, Luke, Bruce, Lorriane, Suzanne and Marc. We received a donation from someone who doesn't even know us...thank you so much!! So far we have raised $1,215...Praise the Lord!

Our homestudy should be completed this week. After that we continue to work on the paperwork for the dossier. Someone we met recently said it best...adoption is "hurry up...then wait....hurry up....then wait"

Our yard sale is scheduled for May 30th. If you have anything you'd like to donate (and you live close to Delaware) let me know. Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated.

Time to go....

Beth

Mother's Day...

I got some wonderful things from my kids. Abby made me a card, paper flowers from school and another set of paper flowers that she made at home. Emily made me a card (the glue is still wet!), Brian made me a bookmark in church! So sweet!

Mark bought me a pink dogwood tree and a lilac bush! (I've been wanting them since we moved in -Oct '08) I love them!!

I just want to publicly say how much I love my kids. Abby, you are so caring about others! You can be one of the "cuddliest" kids I've ever known! Emily, you have such a tender heart, I hope it always stays tender! I love your sweet hugs! Brian, you are my "wild man" but I love your awesome laugh...so infectious!

The kids and I had a photo session on Saturday. I'm posting my favorite photo of each kid.

Even though today has been a great day I've been a bit "teary" throughout the day. I'm hoping this is Adam's last Mother's Day without a mom who can hug him everyday! Dear Lord, I pray that you will hug my sweet little man until I can do it in person. Please enfold him in your love every day. Please help him to know that there are people who love him and are praying for him every day.

I have to do a quick puzzle update: we have 90 puzzle pieces sponsored. Thank you Rachel, Debbie and Susan and Jim. Thank you everyone. I will try to get an updated photo on soon.

Praise: A church member is donating clothes and toys for Adam. Thank you Trish.

Beth

Puzzle update!!

Hello everyone,

Thanks to Katie and Nathan, Jim and Linda. We now have 68 puzzle pieces!! Thank you all so much! Every bit helps.

Mark and I were at an adoption training on friday. Including driving time, we were away from the kids for almost 12 hours. When we got home the kids were so excited they were jumping up and down. I told my mom, "Imagine how Emily and Brian will react when we get home from China...a two week trip!!" They'll be over the moon excited! I am not looking forward to leaving them for so long. Having Adam home will be worth it, though.

Have a great day everyone!

Beth

Wow!! Wow!!

That's what I kept saying after we received two large gifts towards our puzzle fundraiser. Last week we had 30 puzzle pieces sponsored...now we have 56!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Two families in our church have donated significantly towards our puzzle. So, I will be working on the puzzle this week sometime, I hope! My goal is to post another puzzle picture this weekend. We'll see if it actually happens.

Mark, Abby, Emily and I shared info with the Kids Klub for both church services today. I was so nervous, I don't do well with crowds...even if they are kids!! The kids were very interested and it went well. We did veer off into tangents a few times, the ones who can use chopsticks all wanted to let me know! There was a boy who came up to us afterwards and told us that he'd like to help us with Adam. I assume he wants to help by being his friend, they are only a few years apart. So wonderful!!

Thank you everyone who prayed, it went very well.

Have a great week!

Beth

So, Brian got into the pantry...

...and he found the flour. They say "a picture is worth a thousand words" but I think this one is worth more than that! Just so you know, I brushed the flour from his hair before I thought to take the picture! Have a great day everyone!

Beth

If you are thinking about adopting....

...there are so many children who need families! There is an adoption agency, Madison Adoption Associates, that is based in Wilmington, DE. They are taking a trip to China this summer to help with a camp that has the purpose of helping orphans. Children who need families will come to the camp and spend time with the social workers, do tradition crafts, sing, etc. The social workers are able to get to know the children so that they can be more effective in finding them homes. This camp was held last year and 20 children found homes through it. There are still more children from last year's camp who need homes. The adoption agency has sent this email out and asked people to share it with as many people as possible. I am posting it on my blog...hopefully someone's heart will be stirred by one of these children. (When a Chinese orphan turns 14, they are no longer eligible for international adoption. Some of these children are very close to the deadline, they need a family very soon!) If adoption is not what you feel led to do then, please pray for these children. My personal goal is to pray for at lease one child each day. Please join me in this. They need our prayers and they need a family!

"We are thrilled to tell you that Amy has a family!!!!!That means as of today, 4/22, 20 of our Ox children are matched or on hold! We are so excited!!! BUT- it is not enough! In going over there, we made promises to these children that we would do whatever we could to help them find a family. We HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH! We literally lie awake at night and wonder what we can do to help get these kids a home... We did establish an agency grant program, but we are realizing that the possibility of a grant is not enough to make people look.

THUS, we have decided, that MAA will offer an addition $2000 grant for all remaining waiting children. This is in addition to our automatic $1000 grant/fee reduction for all waiting children.

Additional grants may also be available for our 12 and 13 year old boys...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ADVOCATE AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE FOLLOWING CHILDREN WHO ARE STILL AVAILABLE!

Here is a little blurb from me about our still waiting angels...

Wayne- 12 years old- Awesome singer! Kind and handsome! Very sweet- Bilateral Cataracts

Gary- Just turned 13 on Saturday!!!! Let's give him a present!- Loves to swim and make new friends. Gary is the type of kid you can always count on~- Left eye cornea blockage

Kenny- 10 years- Loves sports- A true angel- This is the boy that asked me to adopt him... Oh how I wish I could! He is SO SWEET AND KIND!- Cerebral Palsy

Jimmy- 9 years- Smart, active, loves outdoors and Operas.. 5 kids said HE was their best friend- meningocele- post surgeryToby- Just turned 11- LOVE HIM! Incredible friend- loves to share- very witty and friendly. ADORABLE BOY!- Cerebral Palsy

Michael (aka Tim) -10 years- A true class clown! Loves to goof around and laugh- Lights up a room with his laughter and bubbly personality- Cerebral Palsy

Brad- 8 years- Serious and intense- Loves sports and helping others- spinal meningocele

Trent- 8 years- Beautiful, sweet child!!! Quiet and timid, but lots of friends! We ALL fell in love with Trent!- Repaired Hydrocephalus

Josh- 11 years- A true performer! Very talented and outgoing. Incredible singer. He and Dottie are the regular emcees at performances- Cerebral Palsy

George- 11 years- Shy and sweet. Very artistic. Loves meat and trying new foods! (A boy after my own heart!)- Meningocele- post surgery

Chet- 11 years- Loves to draw and read comics. A true animal lover- Gentle and kind, smart, mature and creative- Deaf/non-speaking

Marty (HOLD)- 12 years- Shy, sweet and gentle. True intellectual- loves chess!- Repaired imperforate anus

Alan- 13 years- Kind, honest, loves to sing and perform. Very polite and gentle- Sequelae (Cerebral Palsy I believe?)

Eddie- 13- TURNS 14 IN NOVEMBER- PLEASE LOOK AT EDDIE- Intelligent, kind-hearted, has a "grateful heart"...- Deaf/non-speaking

Patsy- Turned 12 last week- Artistic, happy, kind, beautiful- LOVE THIS KID!- Cerebral Palsy

Tammy- 9 years- Extroverted, helpful, kind and honest. Loves to dance and sing- Sequelae from brain injury

Emmy- 12 years- Quiet, sweet and shy, but loves people- Smile that lights a room- Spinal meningocele- post surgery

Carrie- Turned 11 YESTERDAY!- VERY SPECIAL CHILD!!!!- Smart, incredible artist, beautiful. Kind and very special.- CCAA and the Civil Affairs Director has personally requested we find an incredible home for Carrie. Please look at her- See for yourself how special she is! Cerebral Palsy

Lynn- 7 years- Had surgery during Ox camp so we did not get to meet her. We hear that she is doing great though and that she is WALKING! We have requested new medical and photos- She loves dolls and games- Meningocele- post surgery

Kristy (HOLD)- Kind, active, lots of friends. Loves basketball and team sports. An adorable tomboy!!!!- Neural cystostomy- post surgery

Derrick- 5 years- Sweet, tiny, adorable! Active and polite- The photos of this little guy do not do him justice! HE IS ADORABLE!- cl/cp repaired

Hank- 11 years- SO SWEET! Loves hugs and affection! He was always hugging and loving on our group. Has lots of friends and is very well liked by all. Again, the photos do not do justice to this child. He is a total love bug!- Delayed mental abilities.

Please take a look! We are Madison are committed to finding homes for our children. If you are interested in a child but something is holding you back, please call us to discuss. We make no promises, but will help with anything in our power.PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

Thank you!
Diana Bramble, MBA, MSWMadison Adoption Associates
1009 Woodstream Drive
Wilmington, DE 19810
302-475-8977
www.MadisonAdoption.com
www.MAAOxCamp.blogspot.com

He has a bed!!

We've been searching for a bed for Adam. Someone gave us a bed frame. Someone else gave us a box spring. Today someone called and asked if we need a mattress! Yay! We have a place for Adam to sleep!!! Thank you Lord!


We need to paint Adam's room white and as soon as the bed is here and together his room will be ready. We want wait until he arrives to find out how Adam wants to decorate his room. We have a few clothes but we aren't really sure of his size. There is an assortment of size 8, 10 and 12 in his closet and dressers!

We have had alot of people donate things for our yard sale. Thank you all, we appreciate everything.

Mark and I are speaking to the "Kids Klub" at our church on May 4th. Please pray as we talk to the children about adoption and Adam. Kids Klub has 1st through 6th grade (I think it's 6th grade) I want to make sure what I say is easily understood by the 1st graders and still interesting for the older kids. Mark and I work with the Cubbies for AWANA, 3 and 4 yr olds, so I'm also hoping I don't revert to "Cubbie language!"

Speaking of Cubbies, I better get dinner ready, we'll be leaving in a couple of hours.

Thanks for your prayers everyone.

Beth

Addition to last post

Since I had a headache last night I didn't thank the people who donated to our puzzle in the past couple of weeks. So, I wanted to make sure I thanked you all. Thank you to Meredith, Mike, Skylar, Kody, Gracen, Rachel, Sam, Sarah and Bonnie. It is such an encouragement that everyone is so willing to help us bring Adam home. Our church family and our friends are such a blessing to us!

I hope everyone has a great day and a wonderful week!

Beth

Another puzzle picture!!

So, I haven't had a lot of time to work on the puzzle...but I took some time tonight. We have 30 pieces sponsored so far. Through this fundraiser I have discovered something about myself, I am NOT a puzzle person! Especially the BIG puzzles, all those pieces look alike and there are about two pieces that "could" fit but don't quite fit. Wow!! I spent quite a bit of time tonight and it is starting to actually look like a puzzle....

I'm fighting a pressure headache, not from the puzzle, so I think I'll head to bed.

Beth

Final documents for homestudy!!

Well, we have the final documents for the homestudy almost ready, we just need to update a few amounts and mail them in. Yay!!
After this we move onto the MAJOR paperwork...the dossier!

In a completely unrelated topic...we almost finished our garden today. Abby, Emily and I planted the seeds and we just need to plant our new strawberry plants. I told the girls that in about 10 days we should be able to see our little plants poking their little heads up.

I am always on a quest to find birthday gifts that are not "toy" gifts. My girls are very interested in butterflies and ladybugs. I bought them caterpillars and ladybug larvae and now we are watching them grow and soon they will enter the pupa stage. Abby received permission from her teacher to bring both in to class...but on separate days, I don't want her to drop them! She is taking the ladybug larvae to class tomorrow and the caterpillars on Tuesday. I love that they are so excited by these gifts!

Brian will be getting a "non toy" gift for his birthday as well. He has really become interested in Superman lately so either I or one of the grandmothers will be buying him Superman sheets for his bed. He loved the Diego sheets he got from Grandma and Grandpa last year! I may even ask for a set of Thomas sheets...he loves that little engine!

If anyone lives in the DE area, we are having a yard sale to raise money for the adoption, if you have items that you'd like to get rid of you can drop them off here. We have a lot of things but "the more the merrier"!! You can email me for our address if you find something that you'd like to donate to our yard sale. beth_c_smith!@hotmail.com

In the prayer request area, we have a twin bed frame and a twin box spring but we don't have a mattress for Adam. That is a big need right now. I am hoping to get a bed set up in his room by the time we are officially matched with him so we can send him a picture of his new room.


Well, I must sign off. Have a great night.

Here it is!!

Here is the first photo of our puzzle! It is in a couple of sections but right now we have 21 pieces! Thank you to those who contributed since our last post. Bonnie and Russ, Karen's sister-in-law and Bob and Theresa. Mark did some work for some friends and they paid him more than he asked for...so Mark was able to "sponsor" 8 pieces of our own puzzle! Yay!

I told Mark this week that it is very humbling to have people donate to our adoption when they don't even know us! Thank you all!

When you are with your kids everyday you tend to forget how amazing they are. My parents took care of our girls when Mark and I had to take Brian to the ER this past week. (He's ok...needed some stitches but he's healing well.) My parents put the girls to bed while they were here. My mom talked to me the next day said that she got "teary" when the girls said their prayers before bed and both of them prayed for Adam. My girls have been praying for Adam since November and it is becoming "routine" for me to hear them pray for his safety, that he will have a good night sleep and that "we can adopt Adam." This reminds me that prayer should NEVER become routine. I admit that sometimes my prayers can become somewhat of a "checklist." My kids are such an inspiration for me, they want to pray for EVERYONE! Abby regularly brings prayer requests home from school. I love that about her! Her tender heart is so amazing, unfortunately tender hearts bruise easily.

Back to our fundraising efforts, we will be having a yard sale in the next month or two. Last summer Abby and Emily had a lemonade stand to raise money for, what else, toys. I am so thrilled that this year they want to have a lemonade stand and bake sale, on the day of the yard sale, to raise money for Adam's adoption and for Kay's Camp. Kay's Camp is a camp for children who have cancer. Kay's Camp was the idea of Kaylyn Warren. Kaylyn was a teenage who attended our church, she was diagnosed with cancer in her junior year of high school (I believe that is correct) A week or so before she went to be with her Lord in heaven, she told her family that she wanted to establish a camp for kids with cancer. Abby's class is raising money for Kay's Camp and when I suggested that they split the money from the lemonade stand/bake sale between Adam's adoption and Kay's Camp, she was thrilled!!

Prayer requests:

We should submit the final documents for our home study next week, if all goes well. Prayers for that please.

Once the home study is completed we will be able to apply for adoption grants, please pray that we will be approved for enough to complete the adoption.

Please pray for Adam, orphanage life is not easy and I ask you to pray for his young heart that God will protect it from the harsh things of life.

Please pray for whoever is adopting their child at this moment, that the transition will be easy.

There are so many older children who need homes, children who have mild medical needs, or moderate or severe medical needs. There are also children who are completely healthy...just "older". Please pray that people's hearts will be moved to either adopt these children or to pray for these children.

Thank you all for your support, whether it is emotional, financial or prayer support.

Beth

Puzzle update!!

Hello everyone!

Last Sunday a couple from our church stopped to talk to Mark. They were asking about the adoption and gave him $5 for the puzzle! Mark said they were getting "teary-eyed" after hearing about Adam.

My mom just called me. She was getting a massage...not something she does but she had a gift card. She was telling the masseuse about Adam and the story of how we felt led to adopt Adam. Then she told her about the puzzle fundraiser and when my mom was leaving she gave her a tip. The masseuse gave it back and said, "Use it for puzzle pieces. I wish I could do more." So, we now have three more puzzle pieces from her. I know she'll probably never see this blog but, I still want to thank her for her kindness. She also asked my mom to stop in again to let her know how the adoption is going.

We now have seven puzzle pieces. I will probably post a picture on Monday or Tuesday.

Thank you everyone who has donated.

Beth

Our puzzle is here!

Our puzzle arrived in the mail today,gotta love Ebay! We have come across a bit of a snafu...we have to find a place to set it up where Brian won't get to it. A 1,000 piece puzzle and a 2 year old boy do NOT mix! Brian is a typical boy- he loves trucks, tools and sports and there is something to be trashed- he will do it! I'm thinking we might put it in the garage on a small table we have, now I just need to make sure Mark doesn't let Brian follow him into the garage! I'll check with Mark and see what he thinks.

Good news...we have three puzzle pieces "sponsored" Yeah! Thank you Kristin, Mom and Dad. Only 997 to go! LOL! I printed a flier about the fundraiser and posted on our church bulletin board.

Last night before bed I was wondering what Adam's reaction will be when the orphange staff tells him someone is adopting him. I imagine there will be anxiety, some happiness and probably a lot of fear. I need to remind myself that while his adoption day will be a happy day for our family, it will probably be a scary day for him. We have some pictures that other adoptive parents have shared with us. We have been in contact, email, with three other adoptive parents from Adam's orphanage. We have gotten about 12-13 photos with Adam in them. Some are as early as 5-ish. It's so wonderful to see these small snapshots of him. There are a few where he looks very sad and it just breaks my heart...I want to reach out and hug him right now. I just need to pray that until I can comfort him that the Lord will comfort him for us.

Mark and I are leaders at our church's AWANA program. We work with the "Cubbies" group (3 and 4 year olds!) One of the Cubbies' fathers stopped to talk to me after and he told me that his daughter has been praying and talking about all the orphans she has been hearing about in church time (one of the leaders goes on regular missions trips to help out orphanages and talks about the children). The father asked if we were adopting and I was able to tell him a little about the process. I told him that he and his daughter could see a photo of "our son" on a bulletin board that was put up in the church hallway. It has pictures of all the children that our church profiled for "50 Churches 50 Children." I can't count the number of parents that have come up to me and told me that their kids are praying for us and for Adam. Thank you so much everyone...every prayer is appreciated!!

If anyone needs specifics to pray for: please pray that Adam will be healthy, safe and happy. Please pray that someone will be able to tell him about God's love for him, Please pray that we can finish up the homestudy soon. Please pray that the dossier process goes amazingly fast. Please pray that we can find a bed for Adam (we have his dressers). Please pray that we can raise the money to pay for the adoption. Please pray that Adam's adjustment is easy. Please pray that we will be prepared for whatever may happen. Please pray for Abby, Emily and Brian that we will make sure to make time for them.

Thank you all for all that you have done to help us with this adoption.

Beth

Puzzle fundraiser!

We found a puzzle for our puzzle fundraiser. It should be here in a few days. It is a panda puzzle and it is 1,000 pieces. We will be posting pictures of the progress every week or two.
Anyone who wants to donate towards our puzzle fundraiser can email beth_c_smith@hotmail.com for our address. For every $5 donated we will put 1 piece in the puzzle. Our goal is $5,000. The money we raise helps to bring Adam home to his forever family. Thank you everyone who can help out.

Grant!!

We got a grant from our adoption agency! I am so excited!!! It is for $5,000! Wow, thank you Lord!!! What a blessing....

As soon as we get the final paperwork for the homestudy we can apply for grants from other organizations.

We're also planning on doing a "puzzle fundraiser" We will buy a puzzle with something that has to do with China and for each $5 we raise we will put a piece of the puzzle in and when we are finished we will let people know how much we have raised. We're hoping to find a 1,000 piece puzzle. We will post pictures of the puzzle every couple of weeks so everyone can see the progress of the puzzle. I've seen 500 piece puzzles but not 1,000 piece puzzles. Off to search the internet again!

Have a great day!

Beth

Snow Day!!

Well, we finally got our "big" snow for the year! Abby was able to stay home from school and I took the kids out to play. It's amazing how "Mommy" only wants to stay out for about 10 minutes but the kids could stay out forever....by the way, we compromised,20 minutes! LOL! It was frigid, I couldn't see letting them stay out...especially when Brian's nose started running. The girls went out later while Brian took his nap. I'm going to put my first photos on today.

The girls love doing snow angels,but I missed Brian's snow angel. But, here he is "exploring"!

God is amazing....

I haven't posted a blog entry for a little while. I've been feeling very "down" about the adoption...the process takes so long, are we doing the right thing, "what are we doing?", etc. I've been worried about the money to pay for the adoption and all of those "practical" concerns.

I read a Jeanette Oke book called, "Too long a stranger" At one part in the book the main character is thinking over her life and realizes that she should have been relying on God instead of running herself ragged to do it all herself. Also, I was reading a blog by a woman who has adopted three girls from China. During the process, she questioned if she should be adopting a third daughter. She said that it is amazing to realize that not only did she feel led to adopt this particular girl but her husband did as well.

To read this, when I am so filled with doubts, is just amazing! God will provide all we need, whether is it encouragement or more practical concerns. I know I will probably be doubting again through this process but I just want to say, "Thank you Lord!"

We are almost finished with the homestudy, we have to complete a few more forms. We are also starting to collect the documents for the dossier. My (Beth) birth certificate came in the mail today. We are waiting for Mark's to arrive as well.

This past weekend we bought some things for Adam's care package: a blanket, a few toys and picture albums to send to him.

Please continue to pray for Adam. We pray for his health, safety and that someone will share the gospel with him until we are able to arrive.

Beth

Interesting tidbits...from the dossier

We have started working on our dossier and I learned a few interesting things last night.

#1 It costs less to order a certified birth certificate from Maryland than it does to get one from Michigan! (yay MD!)

#2 You can get two Maryland birth certificates for the price of one Michigan birth certificate...and have $2 left over!

#3 It IS possible for a 31 year old and a 37 year old to not know the name of the hospital where they were born! And, they also won't know the name of the county that said hospital is located in.

I am sure as I go through the dossier process I will add more interesting tidbits to add.


I just have to say, I LOVE my kids!!! Our girls are so excited about the adoption. They pray for Adam almost everyday. They also pray for "all the other children without families" Abby is 6 and she regularly prays for the people in China, "that they can learn about Jesus and they won't go to jail" It's amazing how this process is helping them to become more globally minded. Even Brian, 2 years old, is getting into it...he is learning Mandarin along with the rest of the family. He says "Ni Hao" and "Wo Ai Ni" (These are "Hi" and "I love you" respectively)

Please keep us in your prayers as we trudge through the paperwork of the dossier.

Beth

Dossier...forms, forms and more forms.....

We have started the dossier section of our adoption....wow!! There is a TON of paperwork. I am getting exhausted just looking at it. I guess we need to take it one form at a time.

As soon as our social worker reviews our homestudy we can start applying for adoption grants. We are in full fundraiser mode. I keep going over and over different fundraisers and which will raise the most. We will probably do a yard sale, maybe a bake sale and a fundraiser at a local restaurant. I am also a Tastefully Simple consultant, if you want to place an order the profits will go towards our adoption. Email me for more info on placing an order. beth_c_smith@hotmail.com :smile: I'm working every angle I can! LOL!

I've read alot lately about adoptive parents getting gifts of frequent flier miles to offset the cost of the flight....hint,hint....if you've got frequent flier miles...I've got a place to go..... ;-)

Well, now that I've begged online...I think it's time for a rest. Abby has strep throat and Brian is just getting over a stomach bug....please, let Emily stay healthy!!!!! When it rains, it pours.

Have a great night everyone. Keep our little man Adam in your prayers.

Beth

Ni Hao!

Ni Hao! That is Mandarin for "hello"! We are all trying to learn Mandarin so we can speak to Adam in his own language...although I'm sure we will butcher it EVERY time! I hope we get some points for effort! So far we can say, "Hello, How are you?, I love you, Thank you, Mom, Dad, little sister, little brother, Do you want water?, Are you hungry?, Are you tired?" We're getting there.

I just love Abby's sensitive heart. We've explained that some mothers in China can't take care of their children and have to leave them to be adopted. Almost every night for the past few weeks she has prayed for "all the mommies in China who have to give away their kids, that they won't be too broken hearted" She also prays for all the children "that they will find mommies and daddies" I love how sweet she is.

So, we've finished the Homestudy. I have to meet with our social worker tomorrow to go over all the paperwork for the dossier.

Brian has been fighting some sort of stomach bug, he's been vomiting since 9:30 this morning...right before we left for church! Mark and Brian stayed home. My poor baby was soooo hot this evening, his temp shot up to 101.2 degrees. He hasn't thrown up since 2:00 pm...so I'm hoping the worst is over. I should have know he was sick when all he wanted for breakfast was raisins.

We have the flower border removed from Adam's room. Somehow I don't think a 10 year old boy would appreicate a flower border! Now we need to paint and find a bed! We're going to paint the room white and let Adam pick out a border, etc.

I was completely shocked last week when I was looking for the kids' snowboots, I found a box of boy clothes that should fit Adam! I must have gotten them as hand-me-downs for Brian. Don't you love surprises!

Well, I guess I better get back to watching the Super Bowl commercials. Yes, that is why I watch the Super Bowl!!

Have a good night everyone...remember to pray for Adam!

Beth

I am in SHOCK! (good shock)

I was reading a blog of someone who adopted an older girl from China and she posted some photos she found of her daughter on the web. So, I started to wonder if I could find some photos of Adam .....I DID!!!! There is a blog from someone who adopted a boy from the same SWI last year. I've looked at this blog before but never looked at the posts from before they traveled to China. So I started at the beginning and found two photos of Adam with a group of kids from his SWI. I was so excited I was trembling!!!! Yay!!! I emailed the family, just to verify it is him but I am 99% sure it is our "little man". Happy Day!!! (SWI is what some orphanges in China are called) I can't post pictures of Adam yet but I will as soon as I can.

Keep Adam in your prayers!!!

Beth

Pray for kidnapped children in Yueyang China

I got the following from an email list I am on. Please pray for the families, children and that these suspects will realize what a horrible thing they were doing.

"Police in Yueyang have broken up a gang that abducted children in Yueyang to sell in distant Chinese provinces, state media reports.The children were mostly toddlers aged two or three years old. They were sold for between 860 yuan ($125) and 26,000 yuan ($3,800), according to news sources.Five children had been rescued and 13 suspects arrested. The children were snatched in broad daylight by gang members on motorbikes.Child trafficking is seen as a growing problem in China, despite government attempts to crack down on it.Please pray for families in Yueyang who have experienced the tragedy of having their child kidnapped as well as families who live in fear of the schemes of evil ‘men.’Pray that the gospel will go forth into all of Yueyang and that the society will be transformed as hate is replaced by love, greed is replaced by charity, and fear is replaced by peace."

Beth

Always learning!

When I was a kid I heard someone say "People never stop learning" Of course, being in school at the time this was not something I wanted to hear. Yes, we know it's true...we might not have tests and quizes but we are always learning something new.

Well, right now most of my "learning" is focused on the adoption. I have been reading books about adoption, going to seminars about adoption and now I am researching the educational options that are out there for when he arrives. Our oldest daughter attends a private Christian school but Mark and I are considering sending Adam to public shool for at least a year. I would love to send Adam to the same school Abby attends but I think that public school will have more resources to help him while he is learning English. Please pray for us as we research things to help his transition. I will need to be an advocate for him to make sure he gets every resource available to him.

Right now it is 9:50 am here and it is nighttime in China. Please pray that Adam sleeps well and that he has a good day when he wakes up.

Beth

I have a confession....

Brian and Emily had a snack of cheese crackers and afterwards Brian kept asking for more....so, I distracted my son by asking if he wanted to dress up in my daughters' Princess costumes! And he said YES!!! So much for gender identity! LOL! J/K
Gotta love 2 year old boys!!

On the adoption front, we finished our second homestudy meeting...the last one is at our house on Tues....gotta get cleaning!!

Please continue to pray for Adam's health and safety....as soon as he is officially "ours" I will be able to post a picture.

Beth

Homestudy meeting #1 - check!

We had our first homestudy meeting, we have two more. Yesterday it was all about me....fun, fun! Talking about my childhood, my relationships with my parents, my relationship with my sister, etc. It wasn't too bad. We also had to turn in a stack of paperwork....did I mention I LOVE paperwork! LOL! But, you know what, Adam is worth all the frustration and work.

On a happier note, I've started writing a letter to Adam. I can't send it until he is officially referred to us but this way I can work on it and have it ready to send. I also want the kids to write a little something in the letter as well.

I was searching for all our official papers (birth certificates, SS cards, marriage license, etc) and I found my passport....it expires in 14 days! I would need to get a new one anyway because it has my maiden name on it....I don't think they'd let me use that now! It has a pretty good picture, I wish I could use that one.

Well, I think that's all for now....please pray for Adam that he will be safe and healthy. Also, I've had a heavy burden on my heart to pray that someone will be able to witness to Adam until we are able to go get him.

I hope everyone has a great 2009!