End of year

Hi folks, yes, you three.....thanks to the wonder of e-subscriptions...

I thought I'd update those of you in blog land on what has happened, oh, since September....

Appointments, appointments, appointments... Simon has had weekly teaching appointments, alongside of some PT, Speech therapy, and a quickie surgery to make him "special" biblically.  Madeline is loving kindergarten and Sara has her first BFF and hallelujah!  the feeling is mutual.

We've nicknamed the girls the "puppies", they are always curled up together.  

Sweet Henry, our original puppy, is dealing with what we think is a second round of skin cancer. You find these things out when you have a vet for a friend.  I've preferred to pretend everything is okay, but we've had him for 10 years now, and such is life. He has been AMAZING with all of our kids and I love him dearly. 

Our fall break weekend consisted of a amazing stay in Flat Rock, NC at the foot of this unbelievable apple orchard.  We downed 3 dozen apple cider doughnuts and felt no guilt.  Madeline thought this sign was the coolest and insisted on having a photo op. 

Talley ho!  

My sweet, like-minded, "tornado in the kitchen" aunt spent a solid 10 hours in the kitchen with me to process about 3 bushels of apples into sauce.  We ended up with 24 quart jars that I am unashamedly rationing.  I love my stainless steel countertops.  

Madeline lost her first tooth at school- "a lot of blood, mama, a lot of blood" 

Halloween- Nancy Drew, Dorothy, and the Bee

All of my kids have been the bee, generations of friends before us have been the bee, and now the bee has been passed down the line to new friends. Simon did not like the bee. 

Elves in the kitchen, clearly having too much fun.  Holly Jolly, get to work slackers! 

The men in my life; oh, they make me swoon.  

The girls wanted to be burritos and I used Simon as a very effective toothpick.  No real bites were taken.  

So there you have it, our last quarter in pictures, and I hope to blog more regularly in the new year.  I have aspirations of doing at least a monthly family update, and to share a few of my putterings around the house, books worth reading, and tips worth sharing.  Hold me accountable, okay? 

Sweet Sara September

  I love three year old birthdays.  

For a month straight, "Blueberries" was the only word in response to "What do you want for your birthday?" 

Precious answer, terrible to wrap.  Thank heavens for Etsy and some friends with great book ideas.    

Blueberry hand pies for the girl who doesn't like sweets.  

The other love in this girl's life is the movie "Wizard of Oz", so my family bought her these peg dolls from Etsy.  You must visit this seller, she is FANTASTIC to work with! 

 I'm talking individually painted polka dots, people!!  

Her "something to read" was this book from the 1950's "The blueberry pie elf"  about an elf who is invisible to people but tries to get noticed by doing good deeds around the house.  His hope is that they will bake another blueberry pie as a reward.  Lovely illustrations.  

Blueberry note card art from a seller on Etsy.  

Our Sara is a little tenderheart.  She noticed her first football game this season being played on TV. After a tackle, she sucked in a huge breath and said "Are you okay orange?"  You will often find her holding Simon's hand as they walk around together.  He will reach for her and just giggle.  

Ahem... back to school.. back to blogging....

Back to school for us was something akin to Groundhog Day...here in Knox County they do something called "Staggered Start" where the kindergarten students go just two days the first two weeks (I have since learned that staggered varies by school). So Madeline goes consecutive Tuesdays- just half days- and then started full time the end of August.  It was weird because she began her official school journey, and then would be back home in the afternoons building pillow forts during rest time.

We have begun a tradition of toasted pound cake with homemade applesauce for the first day- a Southern favorite of my moms.

Our neighborhood is just a five minute walk to the elementary school.  

This is our 2nd first day of school and this is what life really looks like for us.  All hands on deck (or on the stroller stations).  School starts at 7:45 and I have learned to leave our house by 7:20 to allow for "I don't wanna wear those shoes!!!" or miscellaneous tantrums along the way.  Don't let the picture fool you.  This also allows me to enjoy the walk (somewhat), chat with the littles, and just be in the moment.   

The school is just beyond the "rainbow bridge", but you have to pass through "spider alley" to get there.  Well..... it's spider alley for those of us over five feet.  

Sweet Sara finally had her day in the preschool sun once elementary school was in full swing at the end of August. I LOVE our preschool.  They have a "meet your teacher" day before school officially starts and the sweet director met us at the door saying, "I have been waiting for you all to arrive so I could meet your son!"  Amazing.  She knew Sara's name already, and followed us in to the classroom to get us introduced to the new teachers.  

Sara was literally doing a dance of joy and once the doors opened at 9 am, she led the way in.  Before the parents- or any returning kids- before I could catch up to her, she had her bag and lunch put away.  That girl is so thrilled to finally be in school.  

Summer in Review

May 21, the day after we arrived home from China- our little munchkins playing together for the first time.  

Collapsing into a pile of books from the library

Time to get initiated boy...

Krispy Kreme, sweet tea, and biscuits within the first two weeks 

Many, many, many trips to the Doctor.

We headed to the Int'l Adoption Clinic at Vanderbilt, 

X-rays at ET Children's and um...other samples, 

evaluations at the pediatrician, 

early intervention services involving PT, ST, and teaching.  

a less than successful Father's Day photo shoot at UT gardens

catching up with dear friends who are no longer in town - boo hoo

You're never fully dressed without a smile Henry. 

A baptism seven years in the making, with our bonus chicks.  

A kitchen picnic sans mosquitoes

And.....

• putting up 8 gallons of strawberries for jam
• swim lessons for both girls at the UT aquatic center- wow, did I feel old as I walked into the locker room with 3 kids and a stroller.  I remember being there as a freshman and it is completely unchanged.
• Two rounds of antibiotics for me and Sara.  Sweet girl got her first ear infection on the 4th of July, which means a trip to the ER.  Yep.  Only thing that is open.  
• a killer recipe for peach popsicles- peaches, pineapple juice, and a spritz of lemon
• a petite attempt at gardening in the 1 foot wide strip of land between the drive and the fence.  We dropped in 5 roma tomato plants and another 3 basil plants.  Lots of pesto for the winter and tomato sauce.  
• a gentle facelift for an aging upstairs bath- more to come later
• my very favorite date- dinner and an old movie at the Tennessee Theatre- this time it was " Rear Window"
• a much needed break (though unplanned) from blogging

Sponsorship

We are now in the home stretch of our wait.  Paperwork is completely out of our hands and now rests with the welfare agency in China.  The next hurdle is to receive our travel approval, which then triggers our consulate appointment, and then our whole trip is set up around that.  We still anticipate traveling in mid-May, but much like a biological due date, you don't know until it happens. 

You may remember me writing that our son is in foster care.  I knew that our agency had started an orphan care program, but I sort of wrote it off as another one of those sponsorship programs.  I've actually been a part of an international child sponsorship for a long time- started in college, and my current "child" resides in Chile.  She was assigned to me as a two year old, (still have the picture of a curly headed girl in a Rug Rats sweatshirt) and she is now sixteen.  I receive updates on her yearly, with a few cards thrown in.  It's not that my sponsorship isn't making an impact, I know it is, and I'm glad to do it.  It just hasn't had a personal connection to me as of late.  

So, when I found out that our son was sponsored, I thought, "cool, he probably has clothes purchased just for him or maybe he has a new blanket".   I didn't realize that this was foster care:

CCAI knows that only a small number of orphanage children will ever find their forever family. While not a substitute for adoption, we have worked diligently to expand our network of orphan care families so that as many abandoned children as possible will experience the love of a family. CCAI’s orphan care program supplements the valuable work being done by over 300 state registered government orphanages. Our goals are to create a loving environment and provide the best possible care for these special children in the hope that one day they will be adopted. Donations to CCAI’s orphan care program allow for either one-on-one care from one of our trained orphanage caretakers or placement with a supervised orphan care family we select..  (read more here) 

These sweet babies are loved individually.  And these are the results...

a smiling, happy boy that is about to be added to our family.  He knows what it means to be attached to a caregiver, he knows his cries of distress are answered, and so much of the work that could be facing us has been done already.  I am so profoundly grateful for the sponsors he had prior to being matched with us (we have assumed his sponsorship, thereby allowing his previous sponsor to provide for another orphan).  I've copied the note that I wrote to them in gratitude:

Dear sponsor, 

It is with great joy that I introduce myself to you as An Xiao Ran's adoptive mom.  My family and I could not be more excited about bringing him home to be part of our home.  We have been "planning" to adopt from China for over six years now.  

We pursued China as we were unable to become pregnant on our own and pledged to follow through with the adoption no matter what may come.  Our "yes" meant "yes"!  We officially began our paper chase in the Summer of 2006, and received a log in date in the Spring of 2007.  I had returned to work full time to begin financing the adoption. By May of 2007 we had saved enough to finance the adoption in it's entirety.  By July of 2007, I learned I was pregnant.  March of 2008 brought the first member of our family, Madeline,  safely home. I confirmed with CCAI that our adoption could still go forward, and began the wait at home with our little baby.  

We waited and waited, and the process only became slower.  We wondered if we should move our file elsewhere.  CCAI had started up programs in Haiti and Ethiopia and we contemplated both of these options.  When the Haiti earthquake hit in January 2010, we thought for certain that was our new path.   Attributing our first pregnancy as a "fluke", we were dumbfounded when we discovered we were pregnant again.  We found this out just a week after the earthquake.  God clearly wanted us to stay with China.  Our second, Sara, came home in September of that year.  

At this point, we wondered if we should continue our adoption.  The traditional program was even slower than before, but the Waiting Child program was growing by leaps and bounds.  I don't think I could have considered  this path prior to becoming a parent- it seemed so overwhelming to consider a child with "special needs" but as my husband reminded me, "they just need love".  He is right.  We began our paper chase again last Spring, and filed our checklist in the Fall with our immigration status in order.  

Just over a week ago, we laid eyes on An Xiao Ran.  My heart leapt with joy and melted all at the same time.  I knew that this was our son.  We doubled checked his health status with our pediatrician, but I don't know what she could have said to keep us from bringing him home.  Nothing at all.  Sarah Harmon informed us that he was in a foster home, and sponsored by CCAI!  It was unbelievable.  

So I type this note to you with my most sincere thanks for his sponsorship.  I want you to know that you have played a part in our adoption story as you have cared for him.  We are so very grateful.  God has used you in our lives, though we have never met, and had all this planned from the very beginning.  

I have found Psalm 34:1-10  particularly dear these past few months:

    I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
    My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
    Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

    ^{I sought the Lord, and he answered me}    and delivered me from all my fears.     Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.

    This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
    The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

    ^{Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!}    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
    Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
    The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Truly, we lack no good thing.  

Sincerely, 

Ashley, Jeff, Madeline, and Sara



Have you ever considered sponsorship or do you have money for a one-time gift?  If you have the time, please go to this link and check out the videos on the left.   Read more about our agencies commitment to improving lives in China under the "orphan care" drop down menu.  Thank you so much.  

Five

My oldest turned five yesterday.  I dare not post any baby pictures for fear of my tears short circuiting my keyboard.  With all of the paper shuffling and cost of the adoption, the birthday was a very simple affair.  She and a friend met up at Lilly's Bead Box for a little necklace crafting time. 

 I have to confess that at first I wanted to "control" the crafting time- but I quickly saw the light and let the girls pick the beads in all the colors that there little hearts desired- red, yellow, orange, bright pink, a touch of aqua, and a silver ladybug and butterfly.  The 10 cent bead bowl was an instant friend and all the $5! individual beads were averted.  The sweet owner tried to help the girls along a little bit by adding some dangling bits, but we both concluded that they were happy just creating on their own. 

I think it worked out great.

Two doors down, a cupcake shop gave the little ladies a chance to giggle at a table all to themselves.  

A simple, sweet affair that I would easily do again.  

Her actual birthday fell on a preschool day, and I decided that would be enough of a party with her friends.  

We brought homemade cupcakes that Madeline decorated herself and it was funny watching the kids choose  their cupcakes based on the decorations.  Not to mention the various eating styles.  Some ate all cake- no icing, and some licked the icing off the top only to lay aside the cake.  I caught one of the teachers sneaking an abandoned candy egg from a munchkin's plate.  

 Did you know that Fab 5's sing Happy Birthday interspersed 

with shouts of "Eat more Chicken!" and "Cha Cha Cha!"

If I had one word to describe you right now it would be "fierce".  

Fiercely independent

Fiercely loyal

Fierce in determination

Fiercely opinionated

Nothing holds you back, your curiosity abounds, imagination is limitless, never a dull moment.  

Where to begin?

I've been meaning to put together this post for weeks on end... but wanted it to be just right, the post I have been imagining publishing for years, and here we are almost two months later, sharing our news in blogland for the first time.

WE HAVE A SON!  WE ARE MATCHED!  HE IS ADORABLE! WE ARE COMING!

I was shocked to find out how much paperwork has to be shuttled around upon receiving a match.  A little frustrated too.  I wanted to spend my time buying polos, khakis, and all things blue.  I wanted to start packing. I wanted to flaunt his picture to anyone who would glance my direction.  Instead, I spent time at FedEx, my e-mail screen, multiple notaries, and the copy machine.  I am grateful, do not misunderstand, but I wasn't prepared.  I would move like fire through paperwork, turning it around within a week, take a breath, and find more the day after I sent it off.  One week I went down with strep- yes strep!  And the following week, the rest of my family comes down with the stomach bug, one - two -three!  We are in a bit of a holding pattern right now as we await the next batch of paperwork to come through, so I am busy doing anything else I can- buying gifts for the officials and orphanage workers, and prepping the house for our families to come and care for the girls in our absence. 

But back to little handsome.  Our fella is just over a year old, crazy cute, and in foster care!  In fact, we are now sponsoring him- but more on that in another post.  He has a special need- a left ear that is "closed" as my pragmatic husband calls it- so, no hearing on that side, but perfect hearing on the other.  To me, it looks like a flower that hasn't unfurled it's petals.  We anticipate traveling to get him in May.  I am desperate to scoop him up.  

So, this post is not perfect, not at all what I imagined, but I am at long last finally typing the words that we are going to China!  

Snow