Loving our Ladybug

So sorry I haven't checked in!

2008-08-27T19:49:00.002-05:00

I'm so so sorry I haven't checked in since our referral pictures. Maybe one day soon I'll blog about everything that has happened. I just have to get my head on straight again from all the travel. First and most important is that Ariel-Layne is a dream! She is so perfect for us. We love her so so much and can't imagine life without her. She is happy most all the time with the exception of having her diaper changed and going to sleep. I'm sure her internal clock is on a whirl and it will take a bit for it to be normal. I know mine is as I've been sick for 2 days with fever, chills and just feeling awful. At least her not sleeping doesn't keep me awake because I can't sleep either.

We had our first doctors appt. and Dr. Montesi says she is healthy and happy! I'm so so glad! Anyway hoping in the next few weeks to talk about China and all that happened there.

PICTURES!!!!!!

2008-06-13T00:28:00.002-05:00

We just got home from a trip to Jackson and are so tired. I will blog more tomorrow but since so many people are asking, here is our GORGEOUS baby girl Ariel-Layne (That is her final name, haha)

We are beyond in love with her!!!!!

The box changed!!!!!

2008-06-10T12:25:00.002-05:00

Also quoting Bethany's Blog!

06/09/2008
REFERRALS!
Bethany Christian Services just received 7 female referrals from the Guangxi Province!!! Five are for our January 17, 2006 LID group and two are expedited referrals for families with LID's in November 2006. Congratulations! CCAA has confirmed matching referrals through January 20,2006. Our next LID's are: January 24, 2006, February 6, 2006, February 20, 2006 and February 22, 2006.Families will be seeing their children's referral information tomorrow. When CCAA updates their "referrals matched through LID" notice on the portal, we will update the blog. We did receive notification from CCAA that these June referrals will most likely not be able to travel until after the Olympics.

Love at first sight!

2008-06-10T11:50:00.002-05:00

Peggy sent us faxed pictures of Ariel today. They are a bit blurry and of course black and white but we are in love! She looks so chubby! She has a little double chin and is simply gorgeous! I just want to hold her in my arms and never let go!!!!

From everything I can tell all of her medical reports are normal. On her behavior report it says that she is a deep sleeper and very active. She would rather play then sit quietly and she is LOUD! It also says she is Impatient, just like her mommy!!!!!!!!!

We should have pictures in full color by Thursday. We are going to Jackson tomorrow to get her real colored pictures and then spending the night and picking John Cole up from camp on Thursday.

When he finally called me yesterday the call went like this,

"Hey Big Brother!"

"For real?"

"Yep"

"Wow, I'm not supposed to be on the phone but I snuck a call because I figured this was it!!!!"

"Sure is, do you want to know her birthday?"

"Yeah"

"September 18th, 2007!"

"FOR REAL!!!!!! That is the coolest thing EVER!!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!! WOW"

Then last night when he called his daddy he said "Wow, I'm a brother it hasn't sunk in yet, it's like it's not real." Believe me we know the feeling!!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!

2008-06-09T13:49:00.000-05:00

We just got the call!

Her name is Jiang Yi Yu she was born on 9-18-2007 and she is waiting for us in Guangxi Province! We are beyond thrilled.

We got the call on June 9th around 1:30.

We will have a lot of sharing birthdays in the future!!!!

I will post more later when I calm down!!!!!

I'm Scared and Excited and Nervous and Crazy!!

2008-06-09T00:36:00.003-05:00

Yep I'm terrified! It's 1:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. Tomorrow could be the day. I pray that tomorrow is the day because I think I might literally end up going nuts if it isn't. I don't know how to express the emotions that are going on inside me right now. We took John Cole to Jackson to Hinds to Natural Resource Camp and I hated letting him go. I want him with me during all of this. Anyway I've been shaking pretty much all day long. I ate dinner, got a little sick so didn't eat supper. Now my stomach is growling but I couldn't swallow food if I tried. Wow, I guess you miss all these feelings going through labor because of the pain. This becoming a new mommy through adoption has labor pains that are far different but no less fullfilling and rewarding although terrifying. Just like labor pains. With John Cole I was in labor for 18 hours. I've been pretty nervous for a few weeks now but I can honestly say the sheer terror/panic/excitement/shaking/not eating came on around 4:30 or so this afternoon. So as right now we are over 9 hours of labor. If anyone besides me is reading this I commend you because I am probably babbling and making no sense.

It's just really funny the similarities of labor with John Cole and now with Ariel.

With John Cole I looked forward to seeing him for 9 months. With Ariel it's been 28 months. Wow, big difference there!

Labor with John Cole started around 2 in the morning and with Ariel it was about 4:30 in the afternoon.

Labor with John Cole lasted 18 hours, with Ariel......................it could be tomorrow or the next day.

Labor with John Cole was painful because of real true life pain! With Ariel it's painful because of my nerves. It's a mental pain of I'm going crazy!!!!!

The expectation with John Cole and Ariel is the same. I'm awaiting MY CHILD! I will finally see my child's face! The love is no different. I was in love with John Cole from the moment he was conceived and I've been in love with Ariel since we knew God had our daughter waiting on us in China.

One thing that's funny. After John Cole was born the Dr. gave him to John to take to the nursery. Right after John had put John Cole in the nurse's hands he fainted. I'm really wondering if I will be the one experiencing the fainting this time, LOL!

This is truly going to be one of the most memorable days of my life and one of the most important. First was our wedding. Marrying my best friend and soul mate on March 9th 1991. Second was the birth of John Cole. Our first baby and our son. He is the world to us and growing into such an awesome young man. I thank God for him every single day. Now the birth of our second child, Ariel. Born in our heart over 3 years ago but finally hopefully tomorrow a face to put with the name. Our child given to us by God.

I think another thing that's so important for me tonight is to pray that God gives a certain peace to Ariel's birth mother. A women who we will never know but who is so important to us. Who loved her daughter so much and went through so much to bring her into this world. I just pray tonight that God gives her a kind of peace to know that her daughter will be introduced to her forever family tomorrow. God please let her know that her daughter will be loved and cherished and taken care of forever. Please let her know that we will protect her with everything that we are, and that we will love her with everything that we are. That she will have everything that it's humanly possible for us to give her. Lord just let her know how deeply deeply we love her and appreciate her and how Ariel will always know about her and the sacrifice that she has made. Two mothers feeling very similar feelings of fear and uncertainty but the universal feeling of true and deep love for a daughter.

I suppose I should try to sleep. Funny thing, sleeping during labor. At least trying. God I'm putting all of this into Your Hands! My fear, panic, excitement, crazyness. Lord this is a huge day for all of us. I put YOU in the middle Lord. I put my faith, hope, and trust in Your Hands. I know this is Your Will and again I know that Your Will will not take us where YOUR GRACE will not protect and lead us. I love you God. Thank you for bringing us this far into the journey for our daughter. Again I put my trust and faith in you to bring us through the rest of the journey and to help us in raising a wonderful daughter! She will always be brought up to love and trust you Lord.

Sleep now........Lord keep our baby girl close in Your Heart!

Rumor Queen and Agency Updates as of Friday June 6th.

2008-06-06T22:40:00.002-05:00

Well it looks like the cut off for the month of June is going to be January 22nd!

That means,

WE ARE IN!!!!!

Agencies are expecting the arrival of something Monday. Everyone thinks that it is proably referrals. According to Peggy, Grand Rapids will get the referral and then call her to let her know they are here. She will then call us and let us know. I hope that she has the information on who our daughter is, her name, her age, where she is, etc. Then I believe Grand Rapids overnights the package to Peggy and we will go and pick it up in Jackson either Tuesday or Wednesday! I can't wait! Finally after all of these years!

John Cole has Natural Resource Camp so he won't be with us to actually pick up the package but we will take her picture to him so he can see her!

Right now it's up in the air about whether or not we will travel before, during or after the Olympics. That's something that we will see what Bethany says. Of course we would love to get her as soon as possible but know that realistically it could get very expensive and hard to travel during the Olympics. Some people are saying that their agencies say that we can get there and back before the Olympics start. Others say that as long as we don't have to travel through Beijing that we will be fine. So we shall see.

I'm going to end by thanking God for everthing he has gotten us through. God please kiss our baby girl and let her know that we will know who she is very soon and hopefully will have her in our arms soon. Let her know that we love her more then anything and can't wait to see her. Let her know that she has a family who can't wait to get to her. Love you God, Amen.

A Sign from God

2008-06-06T22:34:00.003-05:00

So tonight John and I decided to go outside in the pool for awhile. We were actually looking to see if we could see the International Space Station but we never saw it.

Anyway I love floating around the pool and looking at the stars and the sky. Of course, living in the delta mosquitos are horrible. Anyway it was still beautiful. Finally John had enough of the mosquitos and he said let's go inside. It was about 9:30.

So as John was getting out and drying off I was floating around just thinking and decided to pray. I was thanking God for getting us this far in the adoption process and thanking him for everything. Then I said "God I love you so much, thank you so much for everything but if you could show me some kind of sign that we will finally see our baby next week. Show me that it will all be alright."

Well not 30 seconds later as I was floating there and it was all quiet a beautiful shootin star streaked across the sky. Immediantly in my mind came the words,

"Ask and you shall receive."

Oh wow!!!!!

Some more things I want to add!

2008-06-06T14:16:00.004-05:00

Today I want to add some pictures! The first two are from the Matching Room in China. This is where we are matched with our child. I think God is at work the hardest here. Or maybe it isn't so hard for him because of course he knows who our daughter is.

Songs

2008-05-26T00:03:00.002-05:00

These are some songs that I want to look at when I have the time. No new news on the referral yet. Jus hanging in there and being scared to death, LOL!

New News from CCAA

2008-05-21T16:50:00.002-05:00

Notice on Temporary Extension of the Validity Period of Notice of Coming to China for Adoption
Date of Release:May 21,2008　　Source:CCAA
Central Authorities and adoption agencies of adoptive countries, Considering that a number of people will travel to China for match-watching and tour during the Beijing Olympic Games, China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) decided to extend the validity period of Notice of Coming to China for Adoption from three months to five months for referrals in June and July in order to help adoptive families avoid the travel peak and have more time to arrange their journey in China for adoption. By that time, please check the validity period and remind the adoptive families to make proper arrangement of their travel to China for adoption. For those who plan to travel to China for adoption during the Olympics, please contact the provincial departments of civil affairs for registration at least 15 days in advance so that the adoption process here will go smoothly.
China Center of Adoption Affairs

What I see this as meaning is that we will have the choice to travel DURING the Olympics and hopefully skip Beijing if we want! I am so thrilled to read this. Maybe this is the start of good news for awhile!!!!!

I'm so ready to see our Ariel's face! Lord watch over her and keep her safe and be with all the people effected by the earthquake!

I'm so excited I'm shaking!!!!

Where will Ariel be from?

2008-05-15T16:11:00.003-05:00

Thought I would put up a large map of China to see where Ariel could be from. Because of the Earthquake we know she won't be from Sichuan or perhaps a few around there. So, where will our daughter be from?

China Earthquake so so sad

2008-05-13T01:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday China had one of the strongest earthquakes in their history. After being in the adoption process for so long I feel as if China is a part of my heart. My prayers have gone out to all of those in China. To record this historic event I thought I would copy and paste the updates from Rumor Queen from today,

Quake in ChinaMay 12th, 2008
Please scroll to the bottom of this post for updates.
A magnitued 7.4 or 7.6 or 7.8 (preliminary numbers at this point, but still big, no matter what) quake hit China last night, in Sichuan province. News reports say that there is no serious damage in the provincial capital of Chengdu.
They are reporting that cellular service has been disrupted. Knowing how communication channels work in China, I’m betting the land phones and internet are probably spotty as well. Which means that if you’ve got a friend or loved one there and you haven’t heard from them and can’t reach them, that is probably why.
The news reports say the quake struck 93 kilometers from Chengdu, which is around 58 miles, so anyone there likely got quite a ride from it.
Other news reports say that the Chengdu airport is closed, and flights are being rerouted to the Chongqing airport.
While there are reports of it being felt pretty strongly as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, so far I’ve only seen reports of damage in the Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality.
Here are some eyewitness reports from some of the surrounding provinces.
The sad news right now is that of the schools collapsing, and of the school that was buried by mud, and of the collapsing watertower. There will probably be more bad news as the news begins to find its way out of the area, but I really hope not.
I’m guessing that Half the Sky will have some sort of update at some point about the state of the orphanages in those areas, they seem to be pretty on the ball about that kind of thing. If anyone sees them reporting on it, please let me know.
Also, if we have any families in the area it would be nice to hear how they are. I doubt they can get to the internet, but if anyone hears from someone please let us know about it.
——————–
9:00 Update:
There are now damage reports in Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan provinces as well as in the municipality of Chongqing
Chengdu has power and water outages as well as communication problems. An underground water pipe ruptured near the city’s southern railway station and the immediate area is flooded. There are report of buildings with cracks in their walls but so far no reports of collapses.
—————-10:45 Update
I’m trying to report the stuff that isn’t on the news. We all know of the school collapses and the mudslides, I’m trying to give information that isn’t hitting the mainstream news so much.
Reports now have the magnitude at 7.8 or 8.0.
There are some reports of cracked buildings that have been evacuated in Chongching municipality.
Estimates of a death toll are now at three to five thousand in some reports and as high as 10,000 in other reports.
The epicenter was in Wenchuan county in Sichuan province. There are some pictures out there of collapsed buildings in Wenchuan county. I won’t point to them here, as most of them show bodies.
The water tower that collapsed was in Mianyang, in Santai county
There have been 44 aftershocks so far, and rain is predicted for the area. Most people are staying outside right now, out of buildings that could be unsafe.
There are also reports of fatalities in Beichaun county, where it is reported 80% of the buildings have collapsed.
—————-
11:10 Update
Fatalities also reported in Dujiangyan City.
Wenchuan County, the epicenter, is home to the Wolong Nature Reserve, China’s leading research and breeding base for endangered giant pandas. (In case someone has been there, you’ll know that’s where this is.)
Public transportation in Chengdu is said to be operational.
Electricity and water are said to be fine in the city of Chongching.
Eyewitness report of Canadians from Chengdu, seems to be okay where they are: http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/424499
——–
11:30 Update
Two chemical plants were damaged and the areas around them have been evacuated. This is in Shifeng, about 30 miles from the epicenter of the quake.
It is also being reported that the trembling felt in Beijing was from a second 3.9 quake located in the eastern part of Beijing. I don’t believe that’s been decided for sure yet, though.
Death toll is now reported at 7,600 for Sichuan province.
USGS list of quakes and aftershocks: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/Asia_eqs.php
———-
12:50 Update
After the country was paralyzed by the snow storms in February the leadership was criticized for a Katrina-like slowness in dealing with the problem. There is now prominent coverage of officials responding immediately to this disaster. Premier Wen Jiabao is in Sichuan. He gave a televised speech as he was flying to Sichuan on Monday. He said the Central Committee of China’s ruling Communist Party and the state cabinet had ordered party members and officials at all levels ‘work on the front line’ of disaster relief.
Wen Jiaobao stated he will be in charge of the relief work headquarters that has been set up with eight State Council departments.
More than 5,000 PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) officers and soldiers, and 3,000 police are being rushed to effected areas to assist and lead the rescue efforts.
There are reports that five schools have collapsed in Deyang city in Sichuan.
Death toll is now reported as “more than 8,500 in Sichuan province.”
The only way into the epicenter areas are by helicopter at this point. Roads are not passable and bridges are gone.
Sichuan has about 40 percent of China’s natural gas reserves and produces about 22 percent of the nation’s output. PetroChina is not yet reporting damage to any of the fields in the earthquake zone, but it may be too early for that kind of information.
Ford, Honda, and Nissan all have factories in Sichuan. At this time none are reporting damage to their factories.
WalMart in Chengdu is closed and will be closed tomorrow as well (it’s midnight there now). Items were knocked off of the shelves and must be put back. Also, the power and water supply is out to the store.
Since it is the middle of the night now, I don’t expect we’ll get much more new information until later tonight (morning in China).
USGS Info:Map: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/105_30.phpList: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/105_30_eqs.php
————-
1:50 Update
Besides the “more than 8500″ deaths listed in Sichuan, the national disaster relief headquarters reports 48 killed in northwestern Gansu province, 50 in the municipality of Chongqing, 57 in Shaanxi province, and one in southwestern Yunnan, according to Xinhua.
At least one of the two chemical plants in Shifang city (that were mentioned above) completely collapsed. Estimates are that it sent more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia into the air.
The U.S. Consulate in Chengdu had no apparent damage. No one is injured and all are accounted for.
Wenchuan, the county where the epicenter is located, has a population of 111,800.
——————
6:00 pm Update
LWB (Love Without Boundaries) is reported to be checking on some schools that they work with in the earthquake areas. I haven’t heard any news yet, though.
HTS (Half the Sky) reports that they have had contact with the Chengdu, Chongqing and Yibin orphanages and that all is well. The children were all evacuated until the tremors passed, the buildings suffered no great damage, and no children were injured. Half the Sky will reach out to other orphanages in the area today (our tonight).

I do know that Bethany does not have any families in this province but there are other agencies who do. God please be with these families and all of the people that this quake has effected.
As of now we haven't heard anything about the quake effecting the adoption. Of course I feel selfish for even thinking about it when so many thousands of people have lost their lifes or the lifes of loved ones. Beijing felt the quake but there has been little to no damage reported there. As of right now the CCAA has referred through January 12th. 3 whole days last month which was a real let down. We are still hoping and praying for a referral at the end of May or beginning of June but of course I'm guarding my heart for July. I just want our daughter home with us where we can do our best to try and protect her from any and everything.

On the name front we have been looking at the history of referrals and if possibly Ariel is born in late November to early January we are thinking of the name Noelle. It's a Christian name and not as common as Grace. Of course there is also Faith which is what we have had this entire time.

Anyway Lord please be with the many people in China as they are facing this devistation. Please keep them safe and help them to find a peace in their hearts. Lord be with our Ariel who we love so much. We are so ready to bring her home. Lord please let her little heart know that mommy and daddy love her and are coming just as soon as they will let us. Guard her for us Lord, keep her safe and warm and happy until we can get there. I love you Lord and I trust you and I know that you have our perfect daughter in mind and when Your time comes we will get her. I can't wait to hold and kiss her! Amen.

On the John-Cole front, 10th grade is over after the Awards Assembly tomorrow morning. My son is officially a Junior. Wow has time flown. I'm so proud of him and his grades! He is exempt from everything and was inducted into the Beta Club. I'm just so proud of him. This summer he is going back to Natural Resource Camp at Hinds Community College for a week and then he's taking the ACT. He says he's going to work on golf all summer and he also might go to a Football Camp for Kickers. He's so active in everything at the school and he's just such a danged good kid. I'm so so proud of him and love him so much!!!!!

Well I guess that's about it for now. I'm really hoping to be able to post pictures of our daughter soon!!!!

Copy of Rumor Queen's Predictions!

2008-05-07T00:11:00.002-05:00

Rumor Queen made new predictions today and we are in!!!! I'm hoping and praying that we will have our referral in June but still guarding my heart for July. But here is a post of Rumor Queen's Predictions!!

John Cole and his request today!

2008-04-23T18:35:00.002-05:00

So I pick John Cole up from school today and the first thing out of his mouth is,

"Oh mama, me, Dustin, Carver, Davis, Chris and Bryan are going to leave Saturday and spend the weekend in Helena and we will be home after the golf match on Monday."

Me,

"Oh really where did I hear an adult in there?"

Him,

"I don't think Logan is going, it's just going to be us."

Me

"And you would think I would be okay with this in WHAT WORLD?"

Just thought it was an interesting conversation and shows how the teenage mind works!

Update for April

2008-04-17T00:19:00.002-05:00

Well let's see, referrals are into JANUARY, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! As of today the CCAA has referred through January 9th. ONLY 8 DAYS AWAY!!!!!!!! The sad news is that it will probably take China until June to get to the 17th. We are so close though. We have never ever been this close! We are still up in the air about Ariel's middle name. When we see her face we will know though. I just finished reading a post on Bethany's Blog and thought that in years to come it might be interesting to have this information. It's about a referral. I just copied and pasted the information,

Several comments have come in requesting that we talk about “what is a referral”, the process, what to expect, etc. Although lengthy, we hope this blog post helps answer some of your questions. If you have more specific questions, we encourage you to talk with your social worker.Q: What is a "referral" and what is the process? A: A referral is the much anticipated answer to all of our prayers. It is the matching of an orphaned child with their forever family. Once your dossier is received and LID ("logged-in") at CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs), it gets translated. The dossier is then placed in the holding area until it enters the Review room. The Review room is where your dossier is closely reviewed to ensure 1) eligibility and 2) appropriateness. The dossier then travels into another holding area until it is ready to enter the Matching room. When it is time, the referral is made by matching families' dossiers with children's paperwork. God's Plan for your family is already in the works! The "referral" itself is the child's identifying information on paper.What's next?Note: Each branch may operate slightly differently in order to better serve the needs of their families. Depending on your branch office/social worker, your referral process may vary slightly from the process below. Please check with your social worker as to "what to expect."The referral process: When a referral arrives at Bethany-International from CCAA, it is a celebration of joy! The referral typically arrives among a group of referrals for Bethany families across the U.S. whom all share the same LID (log-in date).1. International sends an email to all the branches and social workers whose families are in the "batch of referrals." We notify them with your family name, the child's given name, gender, given date of birth, and the orphanage & province your child calls home. You then get "the call".... we hope you are ready!!! :o) 2. We review the paperwork and the referral is overnighted to your local branch office/social worker. You will then schedule a time in the next day or so to meet with your social worker to review the referral... and see your child's face for the first time!!!3. The original referral documents are yours to keep. Within a couple days, the English translation of the medical and social history section are emailed to your worker, who in turn, gets them to you! The Hague Convention states that a family can have up to two weeks to make a determination of acceptance. Families are not required to use the full two weeks, but are encouraged to have the referral reviewed by a medical professional.4. The acceptance documents are then overnighted back to Bethany-International.5. Once Bethany-International has received all of the families’ acceptance documents, they are forwarded back to CCAA. This prompts the preparation process for travel invitations and then travel.The referral presentation:When you meet with your social worker to meet your child "on paper," please bring the following:1) The name(s) you have picked out. Your child's new given name will officially be written on the acceptance document at this time.2) A check for the acceptance & referral processing fee. 3) A list of any significant changes that have occurred in your household since the home study has been approved. These changes may include but are not limited to; new employer, new job, decrease in annual income, criminal, health, moved to a new home, additional persons in the home, etc... your social worker will also ensure that your fingerprints and USCIS approval will be valid through travel. 4) A camera; some families like to document this long awaited moment!*Tip: In preparation for your referral and travel, please check your I-171H/I-1797C for the expiration date of your fingerprints. This date is located at the bottom of your I-171H/I-797C form. Fingerprints are valid for 15 months out from the date you were printed. These prints must be valid through your travel dates! With lengthening referral and travel timeframes, most families are re-fingerprinting at least once and renewing the I-600A at least once. Please check with your social worker for specifics.

We just got back from a bowling trip to Albuquerque New Mexico and had a blast. We went up Sandia Peak and went on a Ghost Tour. Just had an overall wonderful time!

Oh and the Mississippi River is at it's highest point in years. We are going to try and get some pictures this weekend. It's really high! For the first time that I can remember in my life they have actually closed the hard top levee down. You can't even go up there anymore.

John Cole is almost finished with 10th grade! It has been a great year for him. He won class favorite again and also most spirited or something like that. His class ring (almost 700 dollars) should be in soon and he got his letterman's jacket! Wow, he's growing up so fast. Their team made it to the State Playoffs in Basketball although they didn't win it was still an awesome experience. They also have made it to North State in Golf!

Humm, I can't think of much else right now. I just hope that CCAA has a large months worth of referrals this month and that we finally see Ariel's face in June!

Lord please keep her strong and healthy and let her know it's not long now. Please be with her birth mother and give her a peace that her baby girl will be loved and cared for and will have everything possible. Please be with John and I and John Cole and Mama as we prepare ourselves for this joyous addition to our family. Give me the strength to get on that airplane and not panic. Show me the true reason why I am flying which is our gorgeous daughter. Give me peace and calm while in China. Lord also be with the matching room at CCAA. Be with them as they choose the daughter that you meant especially for us! Thank you Lord for giving us the strength and endurance to wait 3 years for the perfect child that is your will for us. We love YOU and give you all the praise Lord. This is all because or You! Please help me remember that YOU would not take me where YOU would not protect me if we are fulfilling YOUR will in our lives. Amen.

Breath IN, Breath OUT

2008-03-03T01:14:00.002-06:00

Well I'm officially freaking out! There are rumors that they have made it at least through January 4th but possibly as far as the 6th. Wow, FINALLY they are in our month. After 3 years we are so close to seeing our baby girl! We have started seriously saving money and think that we will finally see her face in April or early May.

We have finally decided on a name and it will stick. Her name is going to be Ariel-Alayna Barbara Kirksey. Ariel after my love of Disney, Alayna after my daddy, Wayne and then of course Barbara after Dootsie. I'm so nervous. I'm a little afriad of flying but I'll be okay. God will protect us all!

I thought writing would calm me down but I'm so anxious. I just want her home!

Let's see, basketball season is over, our boys made it all the way to State before losing. How cool is that! John-Cole made pitcher on the baseball team. We are so proud. He hates baseball but had a great time pitching. He also made the Golf Team which he loves. Oh and he is serving at Prom. Gosh to be so popular, LOL!

I don't really know what else to say, just pray to the Lord that he is watching over our baby girl. That somehow he is telling her that mommy and daddy will be there VERY soon to be with her!

Compromise.......Possibly!

2007-11-21T01:21:00.000-06:00

So I think John and I have a name compromise. I wasn't and still am not crazy about Tessa Leigh so I think we are going to compromise with Ariel Tessa. She may be called both or just Ariel or maybe Ariel Tess. I really like the name Tessa and to me she has always been Ariel so joining the two makes sense.

On the Chirstmas front John bought John-Cole a laptop so he should be happy. He and Landi broke up so I'm not sure who he's liking now. Could be Emily or Charlie or who knows. He's such a good kid. He deserves someone who knows what they have when they have him.

I'm hoping to save enough money to get John a membership at the Municipal Golf Course. I just have to stop spending money on Ariel. I've found myself getting back interested in dolls and have bought three more for our collection. They are all 3 Middleton's and are so cute.

Thanksgiving 2007 is almost here and I hope and pray that by this time next year we will be having Thanksgiving with one more member of our family. As always we are praying for our baby girl and can't wait to go and get her!

More later....

Pictures of John-Cole and School 2007 10th grade 1st Half.

2007-11-09T00:56:00.000-06:00

Pictures from John Cole's Sophomore Year! I so freakin love these kids! First is John Cole and his gorgeous girlfriend Landi. I just love her! They are so good for each other. This is Homecoming 2007!

Next we have some of our Sophomore Girls. Chelsea, Abbie, Kaitlyn, Allison and Sam!

Here is John and our cousin Holly looking gorgeous just like always. She had the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen. She also made court her first year to be eligible and I have no doubt she will be back on her senior year! Gorgeous Girl!

John Cole at his 16th birthday party. Three of his best friends, Charlie, Morgan and Mallory trying to give him a kiss.

John Cole and one of his BFF's Chelsea. They have been together forever! I think this was Rock Star day which explains the red or pink haircolor and the stars.

John Cole and Jared on the Golf Course. Their team came in 2nd and Jared said it was all because of John Cole. He loves golf!

Finally the 3 most awesome 10th grade football players ever! John Cole, Nathan and Matt. These boys are super amazing!

John and John-Cole have lost their mind about our baby girl's name!

2007-11-09T00:34:00.000-06:00

Here is a pic of the doll I bought our baby girl for Christmas. Isn't she gorgeous!! Her name is Shu Ning and she is by artist Ping Lau.

I was reading the name boards night before last and saw a name I liked, Tessa. It's feminine, cute and beautiful at the same time. I really like it. So I mentioned it to John. I said something like Tessa, I really like that. You know like Tessa Beth or Tessa Leigh. John screams, "THAT'S IT!!!!!!" I said "What?" "Tessa Leigh, that's our baby, that's her name, that's her." Well John-Cole feel in love with it too and now they won't even hear of another name. It's Tessa Leigh or nothing. Now I love Tessa, I really, really like it. Leigh, however I don't like. I never liked my name being Leigh. It's to masculine for me. Tessa Leigh is cute but I just haven't given up on Ariel. Or even Arielle! So what about Ariel-Tessa, it's cute! It compromises both names! Nope John won't hear of it, his baby is Tessa Leigh. I think he's been around Emily Mobley's daughter Chrislee to long. So I don't know how this is going to turn out. I do really like Tessa so I'm hoping for Ariel Tessa. Then as she gets older if she would rather be one or the other then she could choose.

Of course John has all the kids at the school loving Tessa Leigh too. So we shall see.

John Cole had their first high school basketball game tonight. The Jr. High and High School Girls both won but the Jr. High and High School boys both lost by all of 3 points each. I think if they will slow down and take their time we could really have a good boy's team this year.

Coach Stompes said tonight that he was really going to start working with John Cole with kicking in football. John Cole loves Coach Stompes and it's so great that he is taking the time with the kids that he does. He also is going to put John Cole on a weight program and some protein to help him gain some muscle and some weight. He honestly is about the best thing that has happened to GCS in a long time.

I got to watch Coach Morgan tonight too and I'm impressed. He's very intense but there isn't a doubt that he knows what he's doing and that's great for our boys. I haven't heard him say anything about staying for a long time but I'm really hoping that he makes the boys the kind of promise that Coach Stompes did that he isn't going to be here a year and then leave them. They really seem to like him too! It almost seems to good to be true that we have a SUPER respected football coach and now the basketball coach seems good too. Heck I even like Mr. O'Rear the new headmaster! So I will say GCS seems to really be going in an upward direction and I'm so so happy. It's really the only thing that I'm going to hate to leave when we move. I would love to take the school with me and have the baby girl go to GCS. I know God will provide a good school for her though wherever we end up.

No new news on the adoption front in the last few days since December 8th was referred. It looks like we will be looking for referrals again at the end of the month or maybe the first few days of December. I am going to pay for one of her Christmas Presents tomorrow. It's an Asian doll and it's so cute. I added a pic at the top of this post.

So as always I'll close with a small prayer. Dear Lord please watch over our baby girl. Please watch over our family and keep us healthy. Please be with John Cole as he goes through these tough teenage years. We love you and thank you for giving us this wonderful family.

Oh I forgot to add.....

2007-11-06T15:20:00.000-06:00

Oh I forgot to add that Kevie, our social worker in Oxford retired in order to Home School her kids so we have been moved to Jackson. Peggy is our new social worker and she is great! John and I both really like her! It's been great having two great Social Workers in Kevie and now Peggy.

We do like traveling to Jackson better since it is about an hour closer to us then Oxford was. Of course anything for our baby girl!!

We will have to go have our fingerprints done again in December in Memphis for hopefully the last time! I don't think we will have to redo our 171 thank goodness! Anyway wanted to add this!

November

2007-11-06T14:54:00.000-06:00

Well it's November! Referrels finally made it into December! Yay!! Right now the CCAA has referred families through December 8th. Thank goodness November is over! It took 5 months to finish November. Praying that it won't take that long with December or January!

Let's see whats going on with us. Football season is over! We had a terrific year and Coach Stomps is just the best! We scored more this year then we have in years and years. Now we are moving on to Basketball which starts this Thursday! I can't wait!

We are still up in the air about names. Our baby girl has been named about 3 times but we are revisiting all the names just to make sure we have the right name. Of course like John says we probably won't know exactly what to name her until we see her beautiful face! Right now some of the names in the running are,
Keira-Beth
Katey-Beth
Karleigh-Beth
Kara-Beth
Ariel-Beth
Alayna or Laney-Beth
Savannah
We just don't know! I found myself looking and browsing name sights. Just anything to do to help deal with the wait.

Of course we know God has our daughter and she isn't ready yet. He has the perfect little girl for our family picked out and in HIS time we will have our referrel.

Oh we added another pet to the family. One night I noticed something black near John's shop and it was a kitten. It was so funny, John rigged the cage for me and I put food and water in there and then we ran a rope into the den and when she went in we caught her. That's been quite a few months ago and she is now part of the family. Her name is Isabelle and she is so mischevious! She can be so mean but then at night she is so loving. We made the mistake of letting her out the other day and she went under the fence next door. Well the neighbor's sheepdog was out and chased her about 40 feet up a pine tree. Of course once she was up that high she was terrified and had no intentions of coming back down. So John had to pull the bucket truck into the backyard and go up and get her.

Back to the adoption, I've had so many dreams of travel lately. I am still so scared of flying for 17+ hours but I know God will get me through it. I'm so ready just to get her and get home and start her life here. I can't wait to see her at the football and basketball games.

I guess thats it for now. As always I thank God so much for leading us to our babygirl! We love her so much and think about her constantly. I know God is watching over her until we can get there to get her. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Costa Maya

2007-09-17T00:29:00.000-05:00

Oh,
I meant to add that Costa Maya, the place where John and I went on our cruise and also Mama and John-Cole and us in May was destroyed by a hurricane. It's really sad as you can see in the pictures in my other posts below it was a gorgeous place! The sad part was that the entire port of Costa Maya and the little fishing village of Majahual were dependent on cruise ship trade so when the hurricane came it wiped out almost everything. Thankfully it was more wind damage and not the absolute ahnialation that the Mississippi Coast got from Katrina which was from storm surge.

John said we went to New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast (Biloxi and Gulfport) a few months before Katrina hit and then we went to Coasta Maya and Majahaul a few months before a hurricane hit. So it looks like when we go on vacation the place gets destroyed a few months later.........well we went to Branson in August so lets hope that nothing happens there!!!!

Update

2007-09-17T00:20:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been such a long time since I posted. The sad thing is there really isn't anything to update. As of today China has referred through November 25th. That's right, it has taken 5 months and they aren't through November yet! There are times when it gets so hard that I want to scream but then I remember God is in charge of this, not me or John. I'm just so ready for our baby girl to get here. John-Cole turns 16 today! We started this journey when he was 13. I feel like he's not going to get to spend much time with her because he is growing up so fast. I can't believe my baby is 16. He has grown into such a wonderful young man. I'm so proud of him. He's just so all around good. He doesn't give us any problems and everything to him is funny. I'm so so proud of the person he is!

We did have a ladybug sighting yesterday. We were getting ready to go to Wal-Mart and John was standing in the door to the van and I was going to drive and a ladybug landed on John's shirt right in front of me. I watched John in the rear view mirror and the lady bug stayed on his shirt until he opened the back door of the van and then she flew off. Maybe that means good things are to come. I'm hoping that December referrals will go much quicker than November. According to everything I have read online December is much much smaller than November. So if they hurry with December there is a small possibility we could have our baby girl's picture by Christmas. That would be so awesome!

We are still up in the air about her name. Right now we are flip flopping between Ariel-Grace, Ariel-Beth and Keira-Beth. Her middle name is Barbara, that isn't changing it's just the first name. So we shall see.

Oh, John-Cole won President of his 10th grade class. After getting all the awards he got in 9th grade (Mr. Junior High GCS, Funniest Freshman, and Nicest) I'm just so proud of him. I think I've said that before, ha ha! I just love him so much!

I'll end as I have in the past just with a small prayer asking God to hold our baby girl in His arms until we can get there for her. God please shower her with the kisses and hugs that we can't give her yet and whisper in her ear that her mommy, daddy, big brother and granny will be there soon and we love her and miss her!

More Name Considerations!

2007-06-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

Well we are thinking again about changing names. We thought Ariel Grace was going to stick but now we are liking Keira. So as of right now we are thinking,

Ariel Grace
Keira Grace
Keria Elizabeth (Called Keira Beth)
Keira Beth
Ariel Keira
Keira Ariel

So............????

I think when I finally get to see my daughter I will just know who she is if that makes sense.

Nothing really new on the adoption front except that the CCAA is moving slower than Christmas. They are still referring early November so we aren't even sure if we will travel this year which stinks. I am so ready to have our daughter home!

We just got back from a crusie from New Orleans to Mexico. Had a blast. John-Cole is finished with 9th grade and is an official Sophmore now, wow that's hard to believe! He won Friendliest, Funniest, Class Favorite and Mr. Junior High G.C.S. this year. He is such a great child! He makes everyone laugh. I'm so proud of him.

Well I guess that's it. Just wanted to write about the name possibilities and the time frame which is as slow as ever! Still praying daily! God please hold our angel in your arms and tell her we wish we could be there NOW!

Adoption Update!

2007-02-08T01:03:00.000-06:00

Adoption Update!

There really isn't much to add right now. Finally February and part of March are out of the review room. As of now the CCAA has sent referrals through October 13th. What does this mean for us? Well it depends, if they keep this rate of referrals I'm thinking maybe September or October. I'm truly hoping that it won't be longer than that.

We actually have an appt. this Friday to get our physicals redone. We also have to get everything else updated for an updated Home Study and then an updated 171. Hopefully after that we are in the home stretch!

I'm so ready to get our daughter home. I was just thinking, I was 33 when I started this blog and now I'm 35. We never knew we would be waiting this long but it will be worth every second when we finally hold our daughter in our arms!!

If your reading this, please pray for us and Ariel-Grace. I know God kisses and hugs her for us and I know He has OUR daughter waiting on us which is why we are still waiting. We have to wait until our daughter, that God means for us to have is ready to come home!

So that's it for now!!!! Hopefully I'll update again soon with more! I can't wait to update with pictures of our daughter!

Cruise Part 2.......The Cruise and Ports

2007-02-08T00:02:00.000-06:00

Okay! Let's talk about the Cruise. As I posted before it was out of New Orleans. We were on board the Carnival Fantasy. Our room was a mini suite and our cabin number was V9. We had a great balcony! Here is a picture of the inside of the ship around the elevator! The elevators were funny though. You never knew when they would open and if you got on you really never knew where you were going to stop!These next few pictures are in the Cat's Lounge on the Ship. Of course knowing me if something has cats, I'm there!! First is John in front of a huge Ritz Cracker display!

Next is John if front of his favorite thing. I guess I should have said Hazel huh! Anyway if it's something to clean with my husband is there! He loves to clean!

Of course I had to take pictures with all of the giant cat displays!

Awww another kitty!

I think this is my favorite one!

We left New Orleans at 4:00 on Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday we were at sea. The rocking and rolling was weird at first but you get used to it. Our first port of call was Costa Maya. Costa Maya is further south then Cancun and Cozumel. It is miles from the boarder of Belize. Costa Maya is just a small place that really has been taken over by the cruise lines. When you get off the ship you either walk or take a shuttle thingy down this huge pier to a little area that was built by the cruise ships.........here is the pier!
All around the pier is a giant shopping complex with mostly stores that the cruise lines will tell you to shop at. There is also a small beach with chairs set up all around as you can see below.

John and I decided to rent a golf cart and go to the little fishing village of Majahaul. The little fishing village was true Mexico. There are places set up with all kinds of Mexican things, sterling, gorgeous dresses etc. There was also a huge light house on the way and also hornets nest hanging from the trees. Here is a pic I took of the Gulf in the background.......or the ocean or whatever...LOL!

After exploring the village we came back to the little complex nearer the ship. They have a huge wrap around pool as you can see below. The pink building is a bar that you can swim up to.

Since John and I aren't drinkers we just got a few chairs on the beach and relaxed for an hour or so. There were only 3 ships in port as you can see in the picture below. Ours is the one facing ahead. The pool here is small and closer to the gulf then the wrap around pool.

Okay, we left Costa Maya at 8:00 that night and were in Cozumel the next day by 12:00! We had to tender into port because one of the main piers was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma and they are rebuilding. We decided to rent a jeep and drive around the island. We stopped at a beach club and there were thousands of these Conch Shells along the beach. Honestly when I say thousands they were everywhere and you had to wear your shoes into the water to keep from having them hurt your feet!

This is a picture I took from the Beach Club of a storm coming up. It rained a little and then cleared up just about as fast as the storm came up. It's gorgeous watching a storm cloud come up from the ocean!

We left the beach club and drove around the island! The funniest thing was a sign that where you could ride horses. It said, Come, Ride Horses, WE HAW! (Not Yee-Haw, WE-Haw) I so wish I had taken a picture of that. Cozumel is a huge shopping town and I wish I had had more $$$$$ to shop with. If you are interested in Caribbean Topaz or Tanzanite or STERLING SILVER you can have a blast here! Since we had the jeep we were able to drive aroudn the entire island. I loved this little house sitting out on a small cliff!
Overall I can say that for Shopping, Cozumel definitely topped Costa Maya but for beauty Costa Maya had Cozumel beat! I would love to go back to both places! As we left Cozumel you could see the Mayan Pyramid Tulum in the distance. We could have gone here but it would have taken our entire day because you have to travel from the island of Cozumel to the main land (Playa Del Carmen) and then travel to Tulum. I was surprised I could zoom in and get this picture.

Let's see, a bit about the cruise itself! The food was okay. It didn't stand up to Disney standards for me but it was good. They had Lobster, Steak, Escargot, Baked Alaska and some nice offerings and of course you could eat 24 Hours a Day if you wanted. They had two main dining rooms which served the same food just at different times. They also had a burger/hot dog/fry buffet on the Lido Deck. They had another buffet called Windows on the Sea that had different cuisine everyday.......like Mexican, Chinese, etc. It was okay but the burgers were really good. They also had a Pizza place and a Deli and both were really good. I think John and I both loved the 24 hour ice cream and frozen yogurt though. OUT OF THIS WORLD! The yogurt beat TCBY and thats hard to do. Room Service was also free. We ordered Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches one night and they came toasted. We ordered Chocolate Milk to go with them. We also had good sandwiches from room service. John decided to surprise me and have these delivered (Picture!) They were only $3 for all 6 of them and they were SUPER YUMMY!!!!

Shopping on the boat was fun too. I saw some HUGE and I do mean HUGE bottles of alcohol. We played Bingo some and decided that we just aren't good at bingo at all. The shows were really good. They had a salute to Broadway, then a Salute to different decades, a Magician and 2 adult comedians. I would say the shows themselves were actually the best. The drinks were good but they were really to strong for me. We also went to an art auction which was interesting. Probably the funniest thing was after we left Cozumel that night the ocean was ROCKING. No one could keep their balance. It was something else! Oh we also played some deck games like Name That Tune and The Match Game. I won a ship on a stick and a medallion. Really cute! Overall we would take a cruise again! I have got to get my mother to Cozumel and the sterling shops!!!!!

Okay last but not least are my pictures. Every night they had different backgrounds set up and you could take as many pictures as you wanted. Of course we took about a zillion but I couldn't afford that many. Here are some of my favorites though!

I like this one with the ship in the background!This is really the only one where you can see my entire dress. It was so much fun getting all dressed up and formal!

As you can tell I liked all the weird poses. John-Cole said he could have taken the one below, all I would have had to do is lay on the couch, ROTFLOL!

This is John's favorite!! He loved the black and white ones!

Same picture as above but in color! I like the colored ones better!

I can't believe I actually bought the one below. This was on our Costa Maya day and I had been out in the wind and Gulf all day long and just did my hair different.

Okay this last one is my absolute FAVORITE picture! I think it just shows how much my husband and I love each other. Here is the story behind it. Most all of the staff of the cruiseline are foreign so they speak with an accent. So the phtographer keeps telling us to MOVE CLOSER, MOVE CLOSER to each other. Finally I'm so close to John that I lean up to kiss him. The photographer says, "No, NO KISSY, NO KISSY!" I busted out laughing and so did John and here is the picture!!!!!!!

So.......overall we had a great time. Oh wait I forgot to post the picture of Cruella! Okay so if you know me you know I love Disney! Well as soon as we walked on the ship John saw this lady! He kind of pointed her out to me and of course when I saw the black and white hair the first thing I thought of was CRUELLA!!!!!! So everytime we saw her I would laugh and tell John "There is your friend!" So I had to get a picture of that hair. So here she is, the real Cruella! Honestly she might have been the nicest lady ever but that hair and my love of Disney just screamed Cruella!

Okay so where was I........we had a great time. It isn't Disney because you don't go and do 24 hours a day! You definitely have some relaxation time on a cruise. Alot of people drank and gambled and if you don't do those you might be a little bored. We always managed to find something to do like playing bingo or just going back to our cabin and setting on the balcony. We did take a nap almost everyday! The ports were awesome and I would love to go back there! It was nice that we left from New Orleans which is only a 4 hour drive. So I think we will go back soon, I have to take mama shopping.

Now for the end and the funny story. We had plenty of money on our bank card but we weren't going to use it unless we absolutely had to. So when we got off the ship (After my 200 dollar picture shopping spree) we didn't have a lot of cash money left. We had promised John-Cole beads from New Orleans with Indianapolis and of course Florida Gators so we stopped by the French Market. Well there stood a man with a booth of FAKE Coach, Gucci, Dooney, Louis Vuitton and other knock off purses. Again if you know me purses bring me to a HALT!!!! So I find the cutest Gucci and asked the man how much. He told me $50 dollars. I asked John how much cash he had left. John had exactly $29 dollars......so I offered exactly $29 dollars and the guy took it. So back to the car we go. Me thrilled to get a knock off for under $30 dollars, John shaking his head because of me and my purses. So we still had more than a quarter of a tank of gas in the Bug (Volkswagon) and John said we will stop later and fill up and get something to eat. So we drive into Brookhaven Mississippi and are almost on empty. We pull to the first ATM, put our card in and it says "Can't process transaction." So I tell John that's probably because the ATM is out of money. We go to another ATM and it says the same thing. Okay I'm starting to panic. We go to the gas station, put our card in and it doesn't WORK! So now I'm in full panic mode. I call the 1-800 number because I know we have plenty of money. I was told, didn't you know you aren't our customer anymore. Well yes I knew the bank was being bought out but shouldn't our ATM card still work, I mean it is a credit card. Well no because we stopped all of those YESTERDAY! Okay wait a minute, why haven't I gotten a new card? Well you should have gotten those LAST WEEK! WE WERE ON A CRUISE IN MEXICO LAST WEEK!!!!! So we knew our bank was being bought out but there was NO notice that the Debit Card wasn't going to work and there was no notice that we would have a new card this soon! So here we sit, 200 miles away from home, NO CASH and our Debit Card won't work and it's SUNDAY! So we start scrounging money and come up with exactly $5.00. Thank goodness we decided to take mama's bug instead of our big hoopty van! $5.00 got us from Brookhaven to Vicksburg Mississippi where John-Cole and mama met us with gas money.

John says it's all my fault because I just HAD to have the fake Gucci Purse.......but I mean HELLO, a good knock off for under $30 Dollars!!!! No purse loving American Girl could have passed that up!!!!!!

So that was our trip......turned into a pretty long trip report! Those are just a few of the pictures I took! We had a great time!

Our Vacation Part One New Orleans!

2007-02-07T23:36:00.000-06:00

Okay part One of our Cruise Vacation! We left on Sunday and spent the day in New Orleans! Of course, the picture below is the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral!

When we got to our Hotel our room wasn't ready yet so we spent the day wandering around the French Quarter. We had been to New Orleans before Hurrican Katrina and the only difference I noticed in the French Quarter was a few less people and a few scaffoldings here and there. Katrina may have tried to take New Orleans but it certainly didn't kill her spirit! I love New Orleans! I love the history and the folklore and most of all the GHOSTS!

We stayed at the Place D'Armes which in on St. Anne Street in the Heart of the French Quarter. It is supposedly haunted and was the sight of the first school. It is supposedly haunted by a child who died in a fire. Unfortunately we didn't experience any hauntings except for the lights flickering a few times but I'm afraid if they had flickered once more that John would have left me there! We had a great room with a balcony looking out over St. Anne street! The Cathedral was right there on the corner! Awesome hotel and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Here are a few pictures, including our balcony..

Our Hotel, The Place D'Armes,

Our Balcony!
For Supper we went to Muriel's which is attached to the Hotel. It is also supposedly haunted. The food was fantastic and the decor was even better. They had a room (see below) that is called the Seance. It is decorated in deep reds and velvet. It reminds me of what a bordello must have looked like back in the early days of New Orleans. It was deserted and we were able to wander.

Muriel's is home to three ghost. They set this table up for their ghosts everynight with breat and wine! It is by stairs and always is under candlelight. Awesome! I would recommend eating here to anyone. The turnip greens were out of this world as was the Praline Bread Pudding!

It wouldn't have been a trip to New Orleans without stopping by the MOST HAUNTED HOUSE IN NEW ORLEANS! The Lalaurie House! If you want to be freaked out google it and read the story. Anyway I made John find the house and here is a picture in the daytime. This is the same house where I took the ghost pictures before......I've included those pics as well. Here is a picture of the LaLaurie House that I took when we were in New Orleans before Katrina. Now some peopel will argue that orbs are dust particles or moisture or even bugs but this orb is so huge and has so much detail that I think it's the real thing. What convinces me even more you will see in the next picture!
This is my ghost picture from the LaLaurie Mansion. If you will look on the left side, near the ground you will see the arms and legs of a person falling. They look to almost be hitting the ground. In reading the history of the LaLaurie Mansion it is well known that someone (a maid) jumped to their death running from Madame LaLaurie. Since this is the most haunted house in New Orleans and the history is true I can't help but think that I got a residual haunting on film. The one arm is so obvious and upon closer look the legs and body can clearly be seen!
So that's New Orlenas, all the grace and charm and Ghosts!!!! I would love to go back and just spend time in the city! It's awesome!

Happy New Year

2007-01-02T13:04:00.000-06:00

Well it's 2007 and not much is different then it was in 2006. It was a hard year adoption related. New rules were introduced about a month ago of which the one that really worrys me is the anti-depressent one. It says that you can't be on anti-depressants and I have been on Paxil since John-Cole was born. I won't lie and say I'm not really scared about the unstableness of China right now. I pray about this so often that if I didn't know my God loves me I would think He's sick of hearing about it. I just want our daughter home.

I will say that yesterday was amazing though. We went to Memphis to look at John's new dog and when we got to the mall and got our of the van the first people we saw was a family with 2 Chinese daughters. Then it seems for the rest of the day there were little Asian girls everywhere we looked. John said there is your sign from God that our girl will be here this year. I hope so. I do have to admit it was amazing to see all those gorgeous girls everywhere you look.

Reflecting back on everything else for 2006, it was a great year for John-Cole. He's thriving as a teenager and loving school and church. He's really coming into his own and I'm so proud of the young man that he is becoming. He still has that wonderful sense of humor but he also has a good heart, just like his daddy. He loves the Florida Gators and wears Florida clothes all the time. He went to the Sub-Deb Debutante dance with Terri Beth at the Country Club a few weeks back. He was so handsome!

Oh I mentioned that we had gone to Memphis yesterday. John has wanted a Miniature Pinscher forever and I found one in Horn Lake. So off we went and I don't think I've ever seen John so excited. He feel head over heels in love with that puppy. We don't have a name for her yet but here is a picture. She is the black and brown baby girl in the middle,

Well I guess I'll end for now. I'll update soon.

Ladybugs Everywhere!!!!

2006-11-05T21:27:00.000-06:00

Well today after chruch we went to Wal-Mart and came home. As we were putting up the groceries I glanced out the window and there were ladybugs everywhere! They were crawling on the window and all over the back porch. Then we went outside to get the recliner out of the van and one landed on John! I'm hoping that this is a great omen! Hopefully the CCAA will speed up and we will have our referral in March or April (one can dream!)

Screen Cap of CCAA

2006-11-03T11:54:00.000-06:00

I'm going to try and post a screencap of the CCAA websight! Yay!!!! Out of review!!!!

We are OFFICIALLY OUT OF REVIEW!

2006-11-03T02:06:00.000-06:00

Well I'm sitting here shaking and crying and my heart is racing. Tonight, November 3rd, 2006 the CCAA just updated their websight that January is officially out of the review room. So the way it looks we are approved. Everything is fine and we should expect our referral somtimes in the March-July time frame. I woke John up. I think I scared him to pieces. He hugged me and went back to sleep. I called and woke mama up and she was excited. I'm just shaking, I can't stand it. I want my baby girl home!

John-Cole is going to the Ohio State game at Illinois this weekend and he is so excited. He is going with Nathan Steritz. We took them, Matt McClelan, Kat, Nathan and John-Allen to a Haunted Corn Maze last Saturday and had a blast. On a sad note Kris Kelly passed away on John's birthday. It was such a long and sad fight for her. Mark is so stong. His faith is awesome!

Anyway Ariel we are one step closer to you! We love you so much and think about you constantly! We can't wait to hold you and love you. Referrals arrived today and were good through August 25th so we have less than 5 months until our referral. The sad thing is it is taking about 2 months to get through 1 month so 5 months could turn into 10 but we hope and pray it doesn't. If it is 10 more months that will be August. I hope it isn't that long but we know that this is God's timing and his Grace that is bringing us closer everyday to our daughter. I pray that God will take care of her and love her and hold her in his arms and just whisper in her ear that everything is okay! That we will be there soon to give her big bear hugs and butterfly kisses and love her and hold her. Until that time we put our trust in our Lord to take care of our daughter. Mommy, Daddy, Granny and Brother love you Ariel Grace!

Dream

2006-10-15T12:24:00.000-05:00

I had the weirdest dream last night and I'm trying to remember what I can about it. I just remember bits and pieces. I remember being at a large get together. There were tons of people there and all of a sudden a group of little Chinese girls walked out and were dancing in a circle. I wish I could remember the song they were dancing to. One of them looked at me right in my eyes and I started crying. Then they went away. I remember crying and going to leave and this fairy or angel lady stopped me. I told her I had to go and she said, NO, don't you want to come with me and have a baby. So I took her hand and all of a sudden everything around me started turning into like a fairy land (WEIRD I KNOW). Flowers started blooming and people were singing. I remember everything turning into Christmas and to angels or fairies saying have a wonderful Christmas. Then everything started blooming into roses and all these red and pink and orange flowers. I don't know if this means spring or summer? Then there were pieces of satin coming down from the ceiling which obviously represented flying. I remember them talking about flying and how easy it would be (I'm scared to fly). Then coming home with my baby. Then it was over. So weird but so real. It was so so real. I don't know what it means. I don't know if it means that we will fly in spring or summer. I don't know if it means maybe our daughter was born last night or this morning actually because this dream was after 9:30 a.m. I don't know if October 15th is an important day. I just know that was the most real dream I have ever had. I know there was water flowing and just flowers everywhere. At the beginning though there were Christmas houses and snow. Anyway I wanted to write about it so I would never forget it.

There is really nothing new. We are still in the review room. The wait is still predicted to get longer. I have seen the name Ariel everywhere lately. There was an Ariel at the Drs. office the other day, then I saw a baby named Ariel. It's just pretty obvious that our baby is supposed to be Ariel.

Oh, complete change of subject but we had our Freshman pep ralley last Thursday. It's all about the 9th graders since this was their last game and last pep ralley of Jr. High. It was cute. They blindfolded them and then had the moms come out and kiss them on the cheeks and told them it was the cheerleaders. They had to guess which cheerleader it was. John-Cole guessed Abbie....LOL! It was really cute. They got gifts. Then that night we played North Sunflower at Ruleville. The game was great! We were losing in the last 30 seconds and Nathan Steritz ran the ball on kickoff all the way for a touchdown. John ran the entire way with him....LOL! I'm so proud for him. We parents acted like crazy people! So our boys won the game, the first Jr. High game won in over 3 years in the last 30 seconds and a 9th grader won it. How great for them to go out of their 9th grade year knowing they broke that losing streak! The score was 26-22! I've got some great pictures that I need to upload and post. I'm so proud of them.

Humm can't really think of anything else. Just once again pray to God to keep Ariel-Grace safe and hold him in her arms until we can get there. Just tell her how much she is loved!

2006-10-04T14:05:00.000-05:00

Dreams and Name Change

2006-10-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

I didn't post about Ariel's name change and the two dreams that I had that led me to changing her name.

The first dream had to do with her name, Ariel. If anyone knows me they know that I love Walt Disney World. We try to go at least twice a year and I can't wait to take Ariel there. Well one night I dreamed that we were at Disney. Ariel was with us and about 2 years old. We were in a store shopping and there was an Ariel doll. I looked at my baby girl and said
"Who is that?"
She said in her little voice "Ariel!"
And I said, "Who is Ariel?"
She said "I am mommy!"
Well that sealed the name Ariel!

The second dream had more to do with the wait times. For any of you going through this process of adopting from China you know how horrible the wait times are now and that the predictions are even worse. What turned out to be a six month wait has turned into a possibly 14-18-24 month or longer wait. It's really frustrating to not have our daughter and to not really know when we will get her.

For those of you who read my blog and know me you will know that I love my Lord Jesus very much and that I pray to him often. Well with this wait we pray daily for the Lord to help us get through this. To protect Ariel until we can get to her and to give us a peace about this wait. Well one night I was just frustrated and when I talked to God I was frustrated. I just begged God to tell me how I was supposed to handle this wait. How I needed my baby girl and she needed me. Well that night I heard God's voice so clearly in my dreams.
He said,

It is by my GRACE that you will get your baby girl!

When I woke up I knew that our baby was to be Ariel-Grace. It was a clear as the sky that she was meant to have the name Grace. Because it is through HIS GRACE that we will have our daughter.

So the name Jadeyn is gone. I'm still thinking of whether to hypen her name or not. Our daughter will be Ariel Grace Barbara Kirksey. Or Ariel-Grace Barbara Kirksey. I personally like the hypen but don't know how many people will call her the entire Ariel-Grace and how many people will call her simply Ariel.

Humm I guess that's it for today. Nothing really new on the adoption front. The rumors are all over the place like always. Some say the wait is going to speed up, some say it will slow down even more so we have no idea. John did get a pension from Cox which will end up being close to $5,000 dollars. That's great and will go a long way with more expenses that are being incured because of the wait. We still have to have our last set of shots and we also have to redo our fingerprints. From that point on we may have to update our home study which would mean more physicals and more background checks and then possibly redo the I600 to get another 171. It really gets frustrating that China won't give us a straight answer on anything. If they would just come out and say the wait will be 20 months or whatever then we could prepare. With everything up in the air we have no idea. We just wait month to month to see what the CCAA says. At least we are in the review room. I so want to see January out of the review room. That will be one giant step!!!!

Oh, I wanted to tell a cute story I heard on one of the adoption groups so that I can put it in Ariel's lifebook later on. To think the wait is frustrating for us is one thing but thinking of little children who are waiting on their brother or sister is another. They are so confused. They know they are supposed to have a baby brother or sister but that brother or sister NEVER seems to get here.

So a mother said the doorbell rang and it was UPS with a package of something she had ordered off the internet. She said she brought it in, layed it on the table, opened it and looked at it, put it up and went back to doing what she was doing. Well her 4 year old was watching the entire time and she looked at him and he was just shaking his head. She said "What's wrong?" He looked at her and said,

"MOMMY IS THAT BABY GIRL WE ORDERD FROM CHINA EVER GOING TO COME IN?"

I thought that was hillarious and so true of the way a child would think!

Anyway I do want to ask the Lord to watch over Ariel-Grace and to wrap her in his arms and love her and let her know that her mommy and daddy will be there as soon as we possibly can!

We love you our baby girl!!!!

To long!

2006-09-26T16:19:00.000-05:00

It's been far to long since I've written. I have to admit to being depressed about the long wait and all the possible questions that could be coming from the CCAA. Rumors have run rampant about weight restrictions and I am scared to death.

We just got back from Disney World and I'm down 43 pounds. We had a blast there but I just couldn't stop thinking about how Ariel should have been there with us. We have decided on the name Ariel-Grace Barbara Kirksey. I had a dream where I realized that it's by God's grace that Ariel will come home to us. In that dream I knew that I had to include the name Grace. It was as if God was giving me her name.

As of right now December is out of the review room so we should officially be in the review room. Everytime I get an email alert or the phone rings my heart flutters a little thinking it could be Kevie with questions from the CCAA. I will breath such a sigh of relief when we see that January is out of reveiw.

On the home front John-Cole is having a super 9th grade year! He is playing both Jr. High and High School Football. He was elected to the Homecoming Court and will be escorting Halea Brown and Matt McClelan will be escorting Chelsea Stevenson. I can't wait to see him dressed up! He has grown so much over the past few months. He's turning into such a handsome young man. He still has his sense of humor though.

Its been a while again

2006-05-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

Well its been awile again since I posted. We have heard nothing new. CCAA seems to be slowing down and I'm afraid that what we thought would be September travel may very well be well after the beginning of the year. Of course we pray and we try to keep positive thoughts but sometimes its hard. Again I know that God has our baby girl waiting and that all of this is in His time but being human I can't help but mourn the missing link in our family at times. I just want our daughter.

There have been some concerns about weight so I'm still trying to lose weight so that if anything is said I can have proof that I've lost a good deal of weight before travel.

Lets see on the school front John-Cole only has a bit over a week left. We had the Athletic Banquet the other night and John-Cole won the track award along with a certificate for all sports and also a basketball medal. I'll try and post a picture.

What else......not much really. We have planned another trip to Disney in September and will be staying at The Wilderness Lodge. This may be the only time we'll ever be able to stay here. I'm really looking forward to it.

Just wanted to tell Ariel that I love her and am praying for her every single day!

Its been a while

2006-04-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

Well its been a while because there really isn't anything new to report from China. The rumors go up and down and can get to you sometimes. I read one last week that said CCAA said there is no way it will go past 12 months LID which would have us traveling probably February at the latest. I still hope we have our baby girl by Christmas.

Ariel's quilt top is finished. I'll add pictures of it. Its really gorgeous! I need to get it quilted and have to decide on a person to quilt it. Isn't it pretty!! I love the hearts, plus it has the little Asian girls as the boarder. Its queen size.

We got back from Disney. Had a wonderful time. Came home and found out they are offering Free Dining again in September so we will be going back. Hopefully staying at Coronado Springs! We will be there for John-Cole's 15th birthday. Seems appropriate since we always seem to go for his birthday. I'll add some pictures from Disney.

We also had the Beauty Revies. Jamie Luke won Jr. High with Sara McDaniel, Taylor Dobbins, Emily Newton and Morgan McGaugh being beauties. For high school Mary Lemonis won and the beauties were Jessica Stokes, Jennifer Seymour, Nicole McAdory and Kaylee Wilson. John-Cole was an escort. Here are a few pictures.

I've seen quite a few ladybugs lately. We actually rescued one last night from the ceiling of the bathroom. I also dreamed about a little Chinese Girl with pig tails jumping up and down on our bed. I hope she was our girl. John was cutting on some of the trees this weekend and talking about building Ariel a tree house with a slide and swing in the big climbing tree. We are so ready for our baby girl!

Oh heres something funny, I'm going to get my ears stapled tonight. Its supposed to help with weight loss and your hunger. Its supposed to work by pressure points. I hope so. I hope it doesn't hurt....LOL! So we will see. I've been on and off the diet since getting back from Disney but I am going to re-join Weight Watchers next Tuesday. So if the ear thingy works at all hopefully along with Weight Watchers it will be good!

A message to my baby girl. We can't wait to get you here. We pray for your comfort every night. We pray that God looks down on you and that he loves and comforts you until we can get there. I love you Ariel. Mommy and daddy can't wait to come and get you! Hopefully it will be soon!

Got our second round of Hep B

2006-03-07T13:04:00.000-06:00

We went this morning and got our second Hepatitus B shot! So now we go back in 4-6 months for the final round of both A and B! There are so many rumors floating around the internet that I really don't have a clue when we will get Ariel. I'm still secretly hoping for a referral in August but it looks like closer to October or November and traveling late November or December. I hope and pray we get her home by Christmas!!

Love you baby girl!

A dream I had

2006-03-01T12:43:00.000-06:00

I had to write about this. I hope it means that Ariel was born, or maybe this is the day her mother had to leave her or the day the orphanage found her.

Anyway on the night of Feb. 26th I had a dream that there were ladybugs everywhere. I was running through a field and there were ladybugs on the ground and flying through the air. Everywhere I looked there were millions of ladybugs. It was so real and so vivid.

So I thought I would write it down just to see if it means anything.

I love you baby girl!!!!

Rescued two ladybugs last night!

2006-02-21T13:46:00.000-06:00

We rescued two ladybugs last night. Both of them were in the upstairs bathroom. I guess there really is something to this lucky ladybug thing. We got our Log In Date and saw 2 ladybugs on the same day.
John-Cole went to work at the bowling lanes yesterday. His first day of real work! He will get paid on Sunday.
I bought Ariel the cutest little ladybug outfit off of ebay to celebrate our log in date. Isn't it cute! I can't wait to get my baby girl home.
Love you Ariel-Jadeyn!

Yay got our LID!!!!!

2006-02-20T12:53:00.000-06:00

Yay!!!! Our Log in Date is 1-17-06!!!! So 9-10 months we will have our ARIEL!!!!
Saw a ladybug last night so maybe that meant something. Also saved one last week! Its been really icy here and John-Cole is out of school today. Hes going to the bowling lanes to work for a little while this afternoon. I can't remember if I've posted a diet update but as of last Tuesday I'm down 20 pounds!! Its feels great getting into clothes! Even though we are going to Disney I'm not splurging. I'm going to watch what I eat. I don't want to gain much back. Love you baby girl! We are officially on our way!

We're going to Disney!

2006-02-13T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well after getting depressed because of the refferal rumors we decided to spend spring break, March 10-18 at Disney! We are going to stay at Pop.
I read a new rumor today which has referrals in August again, goodness I hope so. I want my baby girl home! Beside that we havne't heard anything about our LID. I emailed Kevie and she said it would probably be March before we heard anything but that she is sure we are logged in sometimes in January!
I can't wait to get to Disney and buy Ariel lots of stuff!!!!

No LID Yet and Ladybug

2006-02-09T14:20:00.000-06:00

Well still no Log In Date! SCREAM!!!!!!! I just want to know when it is!!!!!
John-Cole was sitting in the recliner last night and he said "Hello little ladybug!" He took her outside so maybe that means more good luck.
If anyone is reading this please join our family in praying that the wait time between LID and referral speeds up. Right now I have heard that it could be February before we travel. Goodness I hope not. I really want to have my baby girl home before Christmas. CCAA's websight says that they are through reviewing all applications for June but they don't mention any referrals past May 18th. I hope they speed up.
Love you babygirl, so so much and just want you home with us.
Dear Lord, I love you so much and would like to ask you to be with all of the employees at CCAA. Give them as much help as they need to speed the process up. Lord I know our daughter will be here with us in YOUR time and not ours. I know you have our daughter picked out for us and I know she is meant to be ours. Lord please just be with us through this hard wait and be with Ariel and let her know that we love her so much and that we wish we could have her right now but that You are there with her, loving her and comforting her until we can be there to get her. I love you Lord and I know You do things for a reason and for what is best. Amen!

We started our shots today!

2006-02-07T18:27:00.000-06:00

Well we started our shots today finally. We had Hepatitus A and B, one in each arm. I have to admit to being a little chicken because of that .00001 percent chance of an allergic reaction but it didn't happen. So now we take one more in a month and then the last 2 in 6 months which will be around August 7th. It was a bit on the expensive side. $240 for the three of us and then it will be a bit less in a month and then another $240 in August.
We still haven't heard of a log in date. Still waiting patiently. I know Bethany got a few referrals on January 4th and then none at the end of January so hopefully on the next batch of referrals we will get our LID.
I weighed in tonight and gained 2 pounds. Thats depressing. I know its either the Superbowl Party Sunday Night or the new vitamins that are making me gain. The leader said don't take the vitamins anymore so I'm not.
Humm...new goings on around here. Nothing really. We still need to get in Ariel's room and get things started. There are so many bags and things in there that need to be gone through. John also mentioned painting each of the walls a different color which would be cute and then using the stencils. We really need to get started now that basketball is over.
Purpose Camp's theme is going to be True Love Waits this year promoting virginity until marriage which I think is excellent! We just ordered John-Cole a very nice necklace. Here is a picture of the necklace,

I did see a ladybug today which makes sense since we started our shots.
We are getting there slowly but surely. I'm so ready to go!
Love you Princess!

Weight Watchers Weigh In Night

2006-01-31T19:11:00.000-06:00

Tonight was weigh in and I lost another 5 pounds! yea!!!! Thats 16 pounds in four weeks so an average of 4 pounds a week. I think thats super and hope it keeps up for awhile. Every pound off is a healthier me for the future.

Nothing new on the adoption progress. Still pulling our hair out waiting on that Log In Date!

John-Cole started weight lifting today and I'm so proud of him. He has lost almost 15 pounds over the last year with basketball and football. He also let it slip that they may choose him as quarterback for Jr. High football next year. Thats a scary thought but exciting for him.

I suppose thats it for now. Just wanted to update on the weight loss so I can keep track.

Love you Princess!!!!

Hi!

2006-01-30T21:32:00.000-06:00

Hi!!

Nothing much new lately. Just wanted to say Happy New Year to my baby girl. Its the year of the doggie! I wonder if you were born this year or last. I really think it was last year, maybe December of 2005 but that may just be because December is a special month with daddy's birthday being December 14th.

The CCAA rumors are flying as usual. Now they say 10-14 months but that isn't a fact its just rumors. All CCAA is saying is that they are through reviewing applications through June and through matching through May 13th. I still hope and pray that after Chinese New Year things will speed up some. I just want to get my baby girl home.

John-Cole's team beat Humphreys and did an awesome job in the tourney. They came in 2nd which is fab!!!!

I've been having a few back problems lately. Don't know what it has to do with but I'm hoping it will go away soon!

I'm going to weigh in tomorrow again and I'm hoping I've lost. I have tried to do really well. I have to get this weight off. Just losing this little bit makes me feel so much better!

I love you Ariel! Love you so much!! Just know when we can we WILL be there! Wish it was today! Wish you were home with your family!!

Had another Ladybug Sighting

2006-01-24T23:16:00.000-06:00

Had another ladybut sighting last night. I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed and there she was on the counter behind the tub. I of course called John in there and told him to save her. He opened the window and she flew off. I hope she is a sign that our Log In Date will be here soon!

We had our first game in the district tourney tonight and our boys beat Ruleville and our girls beat Ruleville too. So we move on. Our boys will play Humphreys and I'm honestly not sure who our girls will play. I think Deer Creek. I think our girls have a good chance to take this all the way! That would be awesome. Our boys play Humphreys Thursday night and they haven't beat them. Its possible and would be awesome so I can hope but say its not likely. But I will keep the faith for them.

John-Cole and April are liking each other again. I just hope they go very very slow. I love both of those kids so much and they are such super best friends! I just don't want them to ruin that and at this age the ""relationship"" think can be so stressful.

I've been flip-flopping on calling my baby girl Ariel and Jadeyn lately. I really think its going to take looking at that picture for the first time to know "who" she is. I already know shes my daughter sent to us from God, I just don't know what we are going to call her. One day its definately Ariel and the next day its Jadeyn. There are alot of Jadeyns' though, both boys and girls coming along and I don't want her to be One of Three in her class as she grows up. Kind of like it is with Madison and Abbie and Olivia. There are soooo many Maddie's out there. Ariel isn't very common so I may stick with that unless she is 100 percent Jadeyn when I see her.

There really isn't any new news on the referral front. I believe its still the 9-10 month waiting period which still puts us in a August-October referrel date. CCAA did update their websight to say that applications have been matched up until May 15th. So that will have them traveling in February. So thats a 9 month wait until travel time. That would be super. Of course with Chinese New Year coming up things may slow down. Hopefully they will pick back up mid-February though. I'm so ready to go and get my baby girl!

Oh, I didn't get to weigh in tonight because of the ballgame at Deer Creek. John-Cole wanted to stay and watch Humphreys and CDA so we didn't get home in time. I'm kind of glad because its ""that time"" and I know I have water retention. If I had gained because of fluid I would feel horrible. I haven't been off program at all but by next week ""that time"" will be over and hopefully at weigh in the weight will be truer than it would have been tonight. I'm still doing really well following the diet. Its really the easiest thing I've ever done. The water is getting easier and easier to drink except that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth which I can't stand. As for food its pretty easy to stay on. With the Weight Watcher Smart Ones and sandwiches and all the WW sweets you can just about have something for ever craving possible. I am thinking of getting some vitamins.....just a multi-vitamin and then maybe some fiber pills. I could live on veggies and I know I'm not getting enough protein in. At least I can feel my pants getting bigger. Hopefully I'll have at least 40 more pounds off by the time we travel. I'll feel so much better about myself and be so much more comfortable.

To my baby girl, as always mama and daddy love you so much. We can't wait to see you. Tonight at the ballgame we were talking about how this time next year you would be toddeling around and how John-Cole would be right there with you. He can't wait to meet you and neither can your granny! Honestly the entire town can't wait to meet you!!!! We talk about you constantly and think about you all the time. God wrap your arms around our baby girl, keep her safe and sound and whisper to her how much she is loved. Tell her we will be there as soon as they will let us.

Love you my precious angel!!

Its been a few days!

2006-01-21T21:36:00.000-06:00

Its been a few days since I've written. Really nothing new on the adoption front. I keep hoping that we will hear of our LID but not yet. We were supposed to get our shots last week but mama and I both got the worst cold ever and they wouldn't give them to us with fever. We have Matt this weekend so John-Cole has had a good time. They are at Kat's b'day party right now. I hope they have a good time. Humm basketball is the same. They beat Benton again which was awesome. Our tourney starts Tuesday at Deer Creek. It would be awesome if they would do good.

We bought Ariel loads of little outfits from Pennys today. So cute!!

To my baby girl. I love you! I miss you everyday and hope and pray we can get you as soon as possible! God has already blessed us with the birth of you in our heart and I can't wait to hold you in my arms!!

Ladybug Sighting!

2006-01-13T23:00:00.000-06:00

Its so funny when you see a ladybug on a really important day! We got our brown envelope from Guangzhou today and then tonight while I was working in Ariel's scrapbook I found a ladybug. Of course I took her outside and set her free. Ladybugs mean luck so I'm hoping this means our luck with Ariel's referrel will pick up. I'm praying for an August Referrel!

John went to pick John-Cole up from his basketball game. It was in Mark's the furthest away I think, maybe Tallulah is farther but its far enough. Of course they all lost with the exception of the Jr. High Girls who almost always win. Thats okay though they are having fun.

In closing I love you my baby girl where ever you are. I miss you everyday that you aren't here with us. God love our baby girl and keep her safe.

Got our Big Brown Envelope from Guangzhou!

2006-01-13T19:14:00.000-06:00

Well I never thought it would get here this soon but we got our Big Brown Envelope from the Guangzhou Consulate today! It was so awesome to see all of that writing in both English and Chinese. It was information and forms that need to be filled out for Ariel's Visa once we are in China so we have quite awhile before we need to fill anything out on it, but just having it makes it all that much more real. John had chill bumps!

We also had our taxes done today. We are well on our way to the money needed for travel. We will use a little of it to go towards shots and then pay Bethany for the authentication of the documents. After that its all in the bank to get what little interest in can before travel time.

Still don't know a LID. Waiting patiently but would love to know. All in God's time though.

I think I'm going to work on Ariel's scrapbook with her wishes tonight. I keep joining so many swaps on OHGWQ group that I'll have so many wishes that she will have five or six books. We joke on the board that we need to join swappers annonomous!

Love you baby girl! Going to work on your wish book.

Hi baby girl!

2006-01-11T13:47:00.000-06:00

Hi baby girl. Its been a few days since I posted. I've been down a little reading about delays in referral time. I know that I just have to trust in God to bring us together in his time but I miss you so much. I feel like you should be here with me right now. As I sit here typing on the computer and watching TV I feel like I should be taking care of you. You need your mommy and I need my baby girl. I know God has a purpose for both of us and I know His timing is perfect and we will be together at the perfect time. I'm just human and impatient.

We played Deer Creek last night and lost by one point. It was a really good game. I swear our boys don't know how to play a game without having people sitting on the edge of their seats. One point!!!!

I did weigh in for the first time last night and I'm down 5 pounds. I've got a long way to go but its a start. I can feel my jeans being loser which is wonderful! I also feel so much better drinking water instead of Diet Coke all the time. Don't get me wrong, I still love my Diet Coke but limiting them is really helping.

I wish I would hear from Kevie about our LID. I'm sure we are logged in by now but a date would be wonderful! I'm still hoping for an August referral and a late September travel date.

We should get our money back from our taxes sometimes next week. I have to send a check to Bethany for authentication, I also need to send the signed form that we read the travel information to Bethany. I need to send in the Tempo travel form and make appointments for our shots.

Here is something I don't want to forget as well. I would like to ask Tempo if there is a possible way to stay a few extra days in Hong Kong and go to Hong Kong Disney. I know it all depends on the age of Ariel but its a once in a lifetime opportunity. I wish we had the chance to go to Hong Kong first like we do Beijing. I think we leave from Hong Kong on the way back to the U.S.A. so I don't know how that works but I plan to ask.

I love you, mommy's baby girl. You daddy, granny and big brother love you too! We can't wait to hold you in our arms!! Never forget that and let God and your nannies take care of you until we can come get you.

Just wanted to say Goodnight

2006-01-08T23:17:00.000-06:00

Night baby girl.

Just wanted to say that we did our income taxes yesterday and if I did them right we are well on our way to having the $$$$ for travel. I really hope I did everything right.

Tomorrow we will go and find out and I'll update. I love you baby girl! Bought you the cutest little coat today. It's leopard fur and a size 24 months so it should fit you for quite a while.

Love you my princess Ariel! I'm still trying to get your daddy to learn how to spell your name. Its funny, he writes Areil Jadyen........instead of Ariel-Jadeyn! He'll learn though.

In Wal-Mart today there was a Chinese family who had the cutest little girl with them. I wanted to just follow them around to look at the gorgeous little girl!!!! Can't wait to see you and hold you in my arms!

Ms. Mary had pictures of Natalie today. She is so gorgeous and she looks so so happy! This time next year you will be too!!!!

Again God just hold our baby girl tightly in your arms and whisper in her ear that her mommy and daddy will be there to get her as soon as possible! Tell her how much we all love her and can't wait to give her kisses and snuggles and hugs!!!!!

Started Weight Watchers Today

2006-01-04T21:41:00.000-06:00

We won't go into how awfully FAT I am but I did take the first step and joined Weight Watchers last night. I don't ever think I will forget the number on that scale. It was sad and scary. So I started today. Eating all of the points is pretty hard to do and I'm starting to think that maybe thats why I'm so big. I don't eat enough of foods that are good for me to keep my metabolism running right. I will eat sweets or bread or something fattening but when I eat healthy, veggies, fruit etc. I can eat alot of it and it doesn't hurt me. So I have 8-12 months I'll say before travel. I hope to get at least the first 50 pounds off and hopefully more than that!! I remember when I was on Diet Center a few years ago I felt sooo much better even being a bit littler. Its so worth it not only for John, John-Cole and my health but for Ariel. There is no way I'll be able to chase her around at this size.

Tomorrow is my birthday....uggh I feel so old! I can't believe I'll be 34! It seems like yesterday I was a teenager and now I have a teenager!!

Oh I have a funny story that I'm keeping to myself for now but one day John will read it and hopefully laugh. I mentioned that John got a new laptop right at Christmas Time. Well hes been all over me to take care of it or hes taking it to work and not bringing it home. So I've done really good at keeping it clean and not downloading *MUCH*. Well John-Cole called today to come and pick him up from school. So I sat the laptop on the floor and left it open. Well when we got home Isis was laying in the middle of the keyboard asleep! I guess it was warm! John would have killed me and ISIS!!!! So .... then I start it up and it won't work. Scared me to death! I can't get on the internet at all!!!! I called John and acted dumb. I have no idea why its doing this. So after Straight X we came home and it took him about 10 minutes to figure out that if you mash the function key together with another key it turns the internet connection off. Well Isis probably had every key mashed as he was ASLEEP on the keyboard! So its fixed, John doesn't know, I took the blame and Isis is INNOCENT I TELL YOU! I do love my cat!!!!

Hummm no new news on the adoption. Alot of LIDates seemed to come today but I haven't heard from Kevie and it would be beyond awesome to be LID this soon after we were DTC. So I'll just say I love you baby girl!!!! God keep our baby girl safe in your arms and let her know we will be there to get her as soon as they will let us!

Great Basketball Game!

2006-01-02T21:40:00.000-06:00

We had a great basketball game tonight! Our boys played in Inverness and were losing for the entire game. I think they must like to play under pressure or something because they won the game by one point in the last second of the game. I think they are going to give their coach a heart attack if they don't quit playing last quarter, or heck last minute games!

I joined two Yahoo DTC groups, the December group and the January group. I was also made co-moderator of the December group which looks like its going to be pretty confusing at first but I'll learn. It looks like both groups are going to be busy with exchanges, secret pals and such for the months until we can go and get our daughters.

I finally finished reading all of the preliminary travel information from Bethany and some of it is pretty funny. For example it says that you have to have new money with no bends but even then China may request another bill. I have to go right now and fill out the preliminary travel info so mama can mail it all out tomorrow.

I also need to talk to mama and John about the Hep. A and B shots and I need to call the health dept. tomorrow and see if we can get them here in Greenville or if we have to go to Greenwood. We need to start this as soon as possible since you have to wait one month between the first two shots and then six months for the last one. That will be cutting it pretty close!

I got up and spoke about Ariel in church last night. I was proud of myself I only cried a little bit. Without God in our life there is no way we would be where we are now. I give God all the praise for taking us where we are in our journey for our China Princess!!

Love you Ariel-Jadeyn!!

Happy 2006 !!!!

2006-01-01T00:06:00.000-06:00

HAPPY 2006 !!!!
This is the year we come and get our baby girl!
Love you!!

Happy New Years and thoughts of 2005!

2005-12-31T22:30:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year Baby Girl !!!!

I guess I want to write a little about the year 2005.

2005 was the year you were born in our hearts. In January we began the year long process that would bring us to the point we are now. Physicals, background checks, social worker visits, question after question after question, F.B.I. fingerprints, police clearance, documentation, authentication, norarization, you name it. Your all worth it and more!!!!! From day one you were our baby girl. 2005 is the year that we fell in love with you. We have bought you so many material things but you have given us so much in our heart. We love you so much already and we are counting down the time until we can hold you in our arms. 2005 was the year of dreams being born. Our dream of a baby girl to laugh, and cry, and fight with her big brother. Someone to hug and cuddle on cold nights and to nurse through sickness. A little girl who will be her daddy's princess and her mommy's heart. A little girl who will be her granny's angel and her brother's love. A little girl who will be the entire world to all of us. 2005 has been a hard year. Its been a frustrating year jumping through hurdles and having all our i's dotted and t's crossed. The waiting has been horrific and there have been times when the thoughts of hijacking a plane to get you has crossed our minds. 2005 has also been a year of buying a baby crib, buying princess outfits, buying little baby dolls and scrapbooking, attempting 100 Good Wishes Quilts and hanging an extra stocking. 2005 was the year you were born in our heart and became a part of our souls. 2005 has been a wonderful year! We love you Ariel-Jadeyn Barbara Kirksey!

Now lets talk about 2006! 2006 will be the year we meet you. The year we hold you in our arms and give you eskimo kisses. 2006 will be the year of crawling and babbling, laughing and smiling, crying and tumbling. 2006 will be the first time we hear your voice, the first time we see your face. You of course will have no idea why these two people are crying their eyes out and you might cry too, but it will be because we have our dream. We finally have the missing link to our family. 2006 will be the year you realize that you have had us wrapped around your little finger since the day you were born. 2006 will be the first year you see your brother play basketball. 2006 will be the first year you get to tear into a birthday cake and get it all over your face. You'll get to play in the mud and play in the rain. You'll know that screaming one note will bring us running and you'll figure out how easy it is to get whatever you want. Yes, 2006 will be the year you realize that you were born a princess and will be treated that way. 2006 will be a year of seeing your first Christmas Lights and hearing your first fireworks. A year of hair bows and frilly dresses, of joy and excitement. Most importantly 2006 will be the first year you hear about God and you hear how he is the one who brought you to us. He is 100% responsible for bringing us our princess!

As I end this entry tonight and as we end 2005 and go into 2006 a new chapter of all of our lives is opening. The chapter with our baby girl, the chapter which makes us a family of 5. Which makes John and I parents of two children. Which gives us a son and a daughter! You are worth the world to us, and we love you more than you can imagine!

Goodnight Ariel-Jadeyn Barbara Kirksey wherever you are! God look down on our baby girl as the old year ends and the new year begins. Let her know that this is the year mommy and daddy will be there to get her. Let her know that she will NEVER have to be alone again. That she will have a forever family and will never want for anything ever again. We love you our little princess and can't wait to see your face!!!!

Happy New Years Everyone!

DTC Presents for our Princess!!!!

2005-12-31T22:28:00.000-06:00

We bought presents for our baby girl today. Tons of little outfits to take to China with us. We bought some six month and some nine month outfits. John even picked out the cutest little Bunny Rabbit outfit!! She is going to be so rotten.

I can't tell you how excited we are to be DTC! Its such a huge milestone. Now there isn't much we do but wait and wait and wait and wait. Hopefully though the time will fly by!

I joined a December DTC group on Yahoo Groups and its going to be nice to get to know people who are DTC around the same time we are.

Night

2005-12-30T23:15:00.000-06:00

Goodnight baby girl, mommy and daddy love you!

WE ARE OFFICIALLY DTC!!!!!!

2005-12-30T13:52:00.000-06:00

We are officially DTC as of December 29th, 2005!!

Just got the email from Kevie which says the following,

My oh My! You are on the fast track! I just got an email saying that your dossier was mailed to China already! It went out yesterday!! Your log-in date will probably end up being about 3 weeks from now. I'll let you know when we hear, but it probably won't be until the end of January/first of February (or later due to the Chinese New Year) when the next batch of referrals get sent in. Let's see. Add 9 months to Mid-January, and you would expect the referral in September '06 based on PAST experience...can't predict the future of course, but that would be our best guess.

I have a family near Memphis (Coldwater) who are probably going to be in the next batch of dossiers to China. They don't use email, but they said to please give you their phone number.
Her name is Glenna 662-233-2936 if you'd like to call them. If you want me to give them your number, let me know.

Kevie O'Haver, LCSW
Northern Mississippi
662-801-1211

Now to Him who is able to do immearsurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! AMEN.

We are so excited. John even got a bit teary eyed. We are there!!!! We are really out of the U.S. and on our way to China!!!!

It seems so unreal and right now my emotions are on a rollercoaster ride. I'm shaking, my heart is racing and I want to cry everytime I think about it!!

Kevie also mailed our Indroductory travel information that we need to sit down and read!

So it looks like by August-October we will be on our way to get our daughter!!!!!

Got Travel Information

2005-12-29T14:57:00.000-06:00

We got Travel Information from Kevie today. Haven't heard that our Dossier has left the U.S. yet though. Wish that would hurry up but as always I know God knows whats going on and everything will happen as he wants it too.

Went to the Dr. this morning. I ended up in the E.R. the other night with bad back pain and also horrible pain in my breasts under my arm. Well Dr. Montesi seriously suggested breast reduction surgery. It's funny because a bulletin board friend just had this done so I've asked her to email me. How wonderful would it be not to have these big old things anymore....LOL! I know its a serious surgery but how awesome would it be to be that comfortable! We'll see I guess.

I'm bored, John-Cole is asleep and I don't have to much to do. I guess I need to start working on Ariel's quilt and scrapbook again. I did finally get the Wish Book in from the auction back in October but I'll probably re-do the entire thing. I had to take apart the quilt because it was way to uneven. I bought a rotary cutter and pad to be able to do the cutting correctly. I just haven't felt like having the patience to do it. I ordered some really cute stickers off of ebay to do the scrapbook with. I also bought some at Wal-Mart and dollar tree that are Christmas since some of my wishes are christmas. I'm trying to remember the swaps I've signed up for,
Classics
Fairy Tale
American/Asian
Ladybugs
Bugs in General
I think thats it.......thats enough.....LOL!

I'm really hoping to hear from Kevie soon about our Dossier going to China!!

Sad update to my above post about Kris and her cancer. Kris is our youth pastors wife. She is probably mid 30s. Her cancer is back and it is worse than before. God does everything for a reason and we have to keep our faith in him even through the rough times. So if you pray, please pray for the Kelly family, Mark, Kris, Caden and Cassidy. I strongly believe in the power of prayer and this wonderful family really needs our prayers right now.

I suppose thats all for right now! John still hasn't mentioned anything about going to the Bowling Lanes on New Years. I don't know what will come of that, I'll just keep quiet and let him make his choices.

Night Baby Girl

2005-12-27T21:49:00.000-06:00

Nothing new to report today, I just wanted to log on and say goodnight to my baby girl Ariel-Jadeyn wherever she is. Hope God is looking down on you and the angels are whispering in your ear about your mommy and daddy who love you more than anything and can't wait to get to you! I love you my little princess!

Merry Day After Christmas!!!!!

2005-12-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

Well Christmas is over for another year! I can't wait for next year!! I can't wait to have Ariel here!

John-Cole actually got up and went shopping with mama and me this morning. It was so funny because on Christmas Eve we wanted to hide some Disney Christmas Stockings and some perfume and John-Cole hid it all for us. I told him last night he needed to go with us so he could find everything he hid. I wasn't serious but he was up and went. He found everything too....LOL!

We hit Wal-Mart first and stocked up on perfume and bath sets. I also bought the other three Disney stocking they had. So we have Ariel, Aurora, Belle and Snow White. I need to see if I can find Cinderella although we bought John-Cole a basketball stocking so we really don't need another one.

Then we went to McRaes. I got a Fossil watch which was an additional 50% off. I think it ended up costing $29 dollars. Its really cute. Here is the sweet part. John-Cole had some money and he found something Ariel just had to have. He picked it out all by himself and used his money to get it. Its the cutest little pink onsie and on the front it says,

I'm the Princess which means we're going to do things MY WAY!

How true is that going to be!!!!

We took Dootsie to the vet. She isn't feeling well at all. I hope shes okay because she has really gotten under mama's skin. The vet sent off tests to Memphis and we should know something by the end of the week.

Thats it for now!!

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T19:17:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Last night was fun, John-Cole was thrilled with his Bass. I fooled him so good! He opened the amp and still didn't realize that the actual guitar was here. So he did good. He bought a CD/MP3 player, got Kelley Clarkson on CD, got a basketball (which he hasn't put down yet), his Bass, a Guitar Stand, his amp and an Ole Miss chair. Also another $30 in his stocking.

Tomorrow is SHOPPING!!!!!

I wish my baby girl was here. Next year she will be though if thats God's will!

Now the hard part, dieting and getting myself ready to go to China. I hope to lose at least 50 pounds before going to China. I'm going to start the diet on the 2nd and then join the program at church with Amanda and Shirley.

Well I guess thats about it for today. Merry Christmas!! I hope to have news that our Dossier has wings soon!

I love you Ariel-Jadeyn and we can't wait to bring you home!!

Merry Christmas Eve

2005-12-24T22:21:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve!

I'm sitting here waiting on John to get back with John-Cole's guitar. We ended up going to Buster and Vicki's today. Had a great time. John-Cole got $50 and bought a CD/MP3 player. We went to Kenny's too. I'm glad John got to see James and I really hope he decides to work things out with Ann and Kenny. They are his parents and he misses them whether or not he wants to admit that. Its up to him though, I'm not going to push him to do anything he isn't comfortable with. It would be nice for Ariel to have other grandparents IF things work out.

I'll post more later, going to wrap!

Good news for April!

2005-12-23T20:07:00.000-06:00

April got her test results back and there is no cancer! Thank you Lord for that! She does have some fluid on her lungs but they are giving her steroids to help get rid of that. I'm so happy that shes okay!

We haven't heard anymore on Kris but I'm praying she will be okay too!

Happy Christmas Eve Eve

2005-12-23T20:02:00.000-06:00

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

We didn't do much today. John-Cole's Guitar came in thank goodness. I really hope hes surprised but hes so sneaky I have no idea. He may know hes getting it, I have no idea.

We got him a Ole Miss Chair, Kelley Clarkson C.D. and a new Basketball yesterday, oh and I also got him a Guitar Stand.

Bought John 2 shirts, a pair of pants and a really cute jacket.

We go to Buster and Vicki's tomorrow. I guess I need to wrap the presents for the little kids. Autin, Kelley, Emily, Stephanie, Carolyn and Laura Leigh.

Mama is cooking trash and Buck Eyes, shes going to make chess squares tomorrow. We got an Italian Cream Cake and a Lemon Ice Box Pie from Connie's Kitchen. Joel is deep frying a turkey for us.

This time next year our baby girl will be here with us! I can't wait to tell her how much I love her and to spoil her rotten just like her brother!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve!

2005-12-22T13:42:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve, Eve!

I started on Ariel's Wish Scrapbook last night and its really going to be pretty! I have to buy new stickers so it won't look like the same ones over and over. I really wish my baby girl was home this Christmas!

John was talking last night and he said, you know, Ariel is going to be daddy's baby! She probably will! She is going to be so spoiled. I just wish we had her here with us.

John-Cole's Christmas Present is on its way. John is supposed to be calling UPS to see if they will hold it at the hub instead of delivering it here. I thought it might come today so I got up early and wouldn't you know it, I hadn't been in the den 10 minutes until out of the bedroom he comes. At 7:30!!!! Hes so sneaky! I think I'm going to tell him that Musicians Friend emailed me and told me they were sorry but his guitar was out of stock and that it won't be in until February! Will serve him right for being so darned sneaky!

Mama has gone to Oxford for the day. I'm hoping she gets back in time to run to Judge Littles and pick up the Basketball and Cones. He also wants a Kelley Clarkson C.D. and if I can find a cheap CD Player I'll get it for him.

Oh remember I mentioned that I had started Ariel's 100 Good Wishes Quilt? Well it was soooo uneven that I ended up taking it all apart and will start over once I buy a rotary cutter at Wal-Mart and try to make it more even. I think I'll sew it in squares rather than straight lines. That may have been one of my mistakes.

Oh here is a funny story. John can't spell Ariel's name. I've been asking him and he will say A-R-E-I-L to which I say, No, I before E! Then he will say okay A-R-I-E-L. So then I say spell her other name and he says J-A-D-Y-N.....Nope! J-A-D-E-N....Nope!! I say J-A-D-E-Y-N to which he says why did you add the y in there? Because J-A-D-E-N is a boys way of spelling it. So why did you add the E? Because she may want to be called Ariel-Jade so I wanted the actual spelling of Jade to be in her name. Its so funny!!

Talk to you all later (if anyone is reading this....LOL!)

We got our Return Receipt from Grand Rapids!

2005-12-20T18:11:00.000-06:00

Yay!!!! We got the returned receipt today from Grand Rapids. So we know they have the Dossier in their hands. Now if they will process it as quickly as possible! What a wonderful Christmas Present that would be to have our Wings to China before Christmas. I don't really think thats possible but it would be awesome!!!! Maybe early January though!

Eloise comes on tonight....LOL! John-Cole has been yelling about it all day. We of course are recording it so I can look forward to hearing, I'm Eloise, I'm Six for the next year! He swears he wants to name Ariel - Eloise.... Nope not happening!

We got an email from Mark last night saying that Kris's cancer is back. If anyone is reading this please keep Kris Kelly in your prayers. April is scared to death because she goes back to the Dr. tomorrow. She should be in Memphis now as a matter of fact. We pray that its God's will that her cancer not come back. I know shes terrified because Kris's is back.

On another note, we have flurries in the forecast. That doesn't happen much in Mississippi! I wish it would snow and snow and snow! I can't remember the last time we saw any signifigant snow! That would be awesome!

We ordered John-Cole's Christmas today. I didn't think there would be a chance of it getting here before Christmas but they said it could! Hes really going to be surprised! We are also getting him some basketball stuff!

I would love to work on Ariel's quilt more tonight. Its time to sew the rows together. I guess I need to iron them out and get started.

OH! We made Christmas Cookies last night. It was so funny! John and I were decorating ours so pretty and neatly and we look over and John-Cole has the frosting (which I bought in a can like Cheese Whiz comes in)....anyway he has the can in his mouth and is squirting all the icing in his mouth!!!! So we told him to stop and he starts putting loads of icing on the cookies. John asked him what on earth he was decorating and he said it was abstract art. Crazy kid!

Two more things to remember for Ariel's Lifebook.

2005-12-19T14:22:00.000-06:00

These are two more things I love for Ariel's Lifebook. One is the Red Thread Poem and the other is a Wish Card that I love and explains our feelings so perfectly,

Cute John-Cole and April Story

2005-12-19T14:08:00.000-06:00

Nothing much new is going on, I just thought I would share a cute John-Cole and April story that I don't want to forget.

John-Cole and April have agreed that they can both date as many people as they want until its time to get married. Then they are going to marry each other. Thats fine with us because they are so close. I would never want them to date right now and then break up and end up not liking each other. The closeness they have is awesome and something that doesn't happen very often.

Anyway Wednesday Night at Straight X Heather Azar was showing off her engagement ring from Drake Colilns. April looks at John-Cole and says, "See that ring? You remember what it looks like because thats what I want!" John-Cole was like.......oooookay!!!!!

Then at the Basketball Game Friday Night John-Cole had been playing the entire game and the coach pulled him out to put some of the "B" team in. Well John-Cole had just sat down when April and Jennifer were leaving. April yells.......JOHN-COLE! John-Cole didn't hear her so she yells again. The coach looks at her and she says,
"I don't care if the coach looks or not I'm not leaving without telling John-Cole I love him!"

I do love that baby girl though. I would be thrilled if they did marry down the line or at the very least if they keep this close friendship throughout high school. I look at John-Cole and April and realize that John and I started dating at the same age April is now (9th grade). John-Cole will be the same age John and I were in less than a year. What a scary thought. My baby is growing up!! Its so hard to think of him dating anyone seriously but if he finds the right one, like I did then thats wonderful! If that person is April then its more wonderful. Now if he reads this he will kill me and if April reads it she will LOVE IT!!!!!! LOL!

Lets see, on the adoption front I was hoping that we would get the return address slip in today but I guess thats asking for a little much since it was only delivered on Friday. Maybe tomorrow. Being my father's daughter I would love to call Grand Rapids and say "DID YOU GET OUR DOSSIER????" "ARE YOU WORKING ON IT????" "WHEN WILL WE BE DTC????" "I WANT TO HIJACK A PLANE AND GO GET OUR DAUGHTER!!!!" Okay I'm not hijacking a plane....LOL! I just wish Ariel could be here with us this Christmas! Again I just pray God wraps his arms around her and holds her safe and tight and lets her know how much we love her, and that we will be there to bring her home as soon as we can! Oh after this post I'm going to post a picture of an Adoption "wish" card that I love. It says it all.

Humm as for Christmas we won't be doing much, John-Cole still wants the Bass Guitar which we are going to get him. He is going to love playing in the Youth Band. Alan says it won't be hard for him to learn.

Buster and Vicki called and Christmas has been changed to Saturday afternoon so I guess we will see all the Bingham's then. Christmas we will go to church and I guess stay home and fix Christmas Dinner. No plans for New Years unless we do something at the church.

Oh, John-Cole has been home all day today. He hasn't shut up since he woke up. He has sang and banged and danced and gone in and out and in and out and is pretty much hyper beyond control. I'm surprised Matt isn't over here or he isn't at Matt or John-Allen's. John came home for dinner and told him to go outside and rake leaves......yea thats gonna happen.....LOL! Anyway I'll end for now!!!!

Pictures of John-Cole and April

2005-12-19T13:51:00.000-06:00

PICS of John-Cole
and April!
Beauty Review Last Year
EBC Youth Trip
Last Sunday at Church!

Some more things I want to keep for Ariel's Lifebook

2005-12-18T14:30:00.000-06:00

Some more information I found on another blog that will be perfect for Ariel's Lifebook!

CHINESE MOON FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 17, 2005 The Chinese Moon Festival (or the Mid-Autumn Festival) is on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese. The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. For example, legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. The moon cake, which is pictured above, is the food for the Moon Festival. The Chinese eat the moon cake at night with the full moon in the sky.

CHINESE NEW YEAR JANUARY 29, 2006 The Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday celebrated among Chinese people. It is often referred to as the spring festival because it signals the beginning of spring. It is a time when families and friends get together to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. The Chinese believe that as they enter a new year, they should put behind them all things of the past. They clean their houses, pay off debts, purchase new clothes, paint their doors and window panes, and even get new haircuts. These activities symbolize new life and new beginnings. Homes are decorated with flowers and paper lanterns stating wishes of prosperity, good luck, happiness, good fortune, wealth, and longevity for the coming year. The dragon is another popular symbol for Chinese New Year. It is a symbol of strength, goodness, and good luck, and supernatural forces. A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without fireworks, which are supposed to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes, preventing them from coming into the New Year. Because Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, rather than the solar calendar used in the US, the holiday never falls on the same day. On a lunar calendar, the New Year begins the first night of the new moon after the sun enters Aquarius. This date is anywhere between January 20 and February 19.

THE LANTERN FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 12, 2006 The Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao Jie is a traditional Chinese festival, which falls on the 15th of the first month of the Chinese New Year. It is the last day of two week long Chinese New Year cerebration. Everyone gathers to enjoy the beautiful lanterns. Children will carry their own lanterns to participate in the showcase. Usually there is competition for the most beautiful lantern. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL MAY 31, 2006 The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in China on the fifth day of the fifth moon or month of the lunar calendar and for this reason is sometimes called Double Five Day. The celebration is held in honor of a former scholar and official, Ch'u Yuan, who lived in the third century B.C. According to legend Ch'u Yuan tried to advise his king wisely but the king did not want to hear what he was saying so he banished Ch'u Yuan to an isolated village, where he lived for seven years writing scholarly books. When, on the fifth day of the fifth month of the seventh year, he heard that his predictions had all come true he drowned himself in the river in an act of despair. Some fishermen who had seen him leap into the river took out their boats and tried to save him while their wives wrapped cooked rice in banana leaves and threw the rice balls into the river hoping that the fish would eat them instead of Ch'u Yuan's body. On this day, the Chinese still eat special rice balls called tsungs, throw some of the rice balls into the river as an offering to the spirit of Ch'u Yuan, and hold dragon boat races to the beat of drums as they re-create the search for the body of Ch'u Yuan.

HUNGRY GHOST FESTIVAL AUGUST 8, 2006 Just as Halloween is for Americans, the Hungry Ghost festival is for the Chinese. For those who have never heard of this festival, here are the essential spooky facts on this festival. Hungry Ghost festival is a popular occasion that is taken very seriously by the Chinese. It is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives. The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. They also feel that offering food to the deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck. Throughout this month, to keep the angry spirits amused, people stage street operas and other forms of public entertainment. In the past, people did not view the street operas as they were performed only for ghosts. Other rituals（典礼，仪式）are performed to help souls enter into heaven. People burn bundles of joss sticks, paper hell money, food, and other offerings by the roadside. Communities along rivers or near the sea float lanterns in the shape of the lotus or carved from fruit or gourds in the water to guide them away from their homes. They follow the lanterns from the river bank or sea shore till they can no longer be seen. This is done to redeem the soul of those who died by drowning. The most important days of this month are the 14th and 15th, the days of the great feasts. On the 14th, a great feast would be held to honor family ancestors. Prayers and offerings would be made at family altars. On the following night, the 15th, they would feast for the hungry ghosts. Held outside under the full moon, these feasts feed the evil spirits so that they will leave the living alone and bribe（贿赂） the ancestors for luck with money and the harvest.

Ultrasound Photo!!!!!!

2005-12-17T22:26:00.000-06:00

I love this

List I found and didn't want to lose, 90 things.....

2005-12-17T22:20:00.000-06:00

A list I found online, and didn't want to lose. The 90 things to do while you wait for referrel!

90 . Learn to say please and thank you in Child's language.
89 . Find the cities you will be traveling to on a map.
88 . Watch videos about Child's country - check at library.
87 . Little list: pocket dictionary, travel book, sketch book.
86 . Double check with employer about adding child to insurance policy.
85 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
84 . Distraction Day - Do something else - REALLY! Watch a movie, read a book, etc.
83 . Little List: Tylenol, Motrin, (adult and child) extra dropper, Benadryl, Tums, Metamucil
82 . Visit international grocery store - if available. (Get catalog, view website?)
81 . Free Day!!!
80 . Little List: Neck Pillow (for sleeping upright) door block, stain removal packets, sink stopper (flat circle)
79 . Work on current projects day.
78 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
77 . Distraction Day - Do something else - REALLY! Watch a movie, read a book, etc.
76 . Evaluate your shoes - are they good for walking? If getting new ones, make sure you break them in!
75 . Try to make at least one food your child may be eating.
74 . Little List: Stacking cups, toy mirror, travel Kleenex, toothache med, baby gas drops, rash cream, pacificiers
73 . Read/look through a cookbook from your child's country. Some have great photos!
72 . Find the hours, price and location of the nearest children's museum/zoo.
71 . Little list: flashlight, Swiss army knife, duct tape, sewing kit, eyeglass repair kit (backup glasses.)
70 . Work on current projects day.
69 . Get diaper Dooley and refills.
68 . Get Hepatitis shots
67 . Read/review developmental milestones for age of child.
66 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
65 . Get wills made or updated.
64 . Make laminated "adoption" card in Chinese, English and Pinyin explaining why you are in China.
63 . Arrange to get new $100 bills.
62 . Distraction Day - Do something else - REALLY! Watch a movie, read a book, etc.
61 . Get 2nd round of Hepatitis shots (30 days, check with Dr.)
60 . Make copies of tax returns
59 . Begin one "starter" suitcase.
58 . Work on preparing child's room.
57 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
56 . Make Photo album for caretaker. Part 1: take photo's that you don't already have.
55 . Find, meet pediatrician
54 . Childproof house
53 . Work on current projects day.
52 . Little List: Lice shampoo, scabies med, Oatmeal Bath, Caladryl, Pepto, Visine, vitamins, thermometer.
51 . Make Photo album for caretaker. Part 2: Decide on photos and get necessary translations.
50 . Work on preparing child's room.
49 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
48 . Distraction Day - Do something else - REALLY! Watch a movie, read a book, etc.
47 . Get visa photos.
46 . Get 3rd round of Hepatitis shots - if necessary (check with Dr.)
45 . Review child's clothes. Make list of needed items.
44 . Free Day!!!
43 . Make Photo album for caretaker. Part 3: Print/develop photos and assemble book.
42 . Work on current projects day.
41 . Make sure you have enough of your medicines (and they won't run out before you leave.)
40 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
39 . Buy gifts for caretakers. (Don't wrap for airline security checks.)
38 . Collect wrapping paper, tape, etc. to pack.
37 . Buy calling card or arrange to get Panda Phone.
36 . Get country calling code for China and USA.
35 . Review luggage. Buy / borrow luggage needed.
34 . Free Day!!!
33 . Apply for Back-up credit card (NOT debit card.)
32 . Little List: diapers, pull-ups, baby soap, child nail clippers, wipes, a few small towels to trash.
31 . Baby-sit a child of the same age as the one you will be adopting.
30 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
29 . Distraction Day - Do something else - REALLY! Watch a movie, read a book, etc.
28 . Little List: hand sanitizing wash, sippy cup, bowl, thermos, spoon, formula, snacks, blanket.
27 . Gifts for person to get mail, newspaper, water plants & fish.
26 . Buy Adoption announcements, collect addresses needed.
25 . Review electronic needs if taking digital camera, laptop, etc. Batteries? Converter? Extra memory? Passwords?
24 . Make a dinner with your favorite comfort foods.
23 . Get Visa (after referral/TA)
22 . Arrange to have the lawn mowed while gone.
21 . Work on current projects day.
20 . Library / appointment / shopping day.
19 . Put a stop on your mail / arrange to have someone pick up mail.
18 . Get reservations at Kennel, stop newspaper.
17 . Free Day!!!
16 . Review documents.
15 . Practice getting items out of carryon bag if crammed under seat in front of you. Practice carrying luggage and child.
14 . Get money orders.
13 . Register for out of country www.usembassy.state.gov - print contact info
12 . Get antibiotics from Pediatrician.
11 . Arrange to have someone come in and check on house/apt., water plants, feed fish. Give them KEY and your travel info.
10 . Send travel info to friend/relative.
9 . Practice making formula (with hotpot if taking.)
8 . Write out bills that will be due while you are gone. Arrange to have someone mail them.
7 . Call Credit Card Companies and let them know you will be traveling to China.
6 . Call airline to request special meals and infant meal on return.
5 . Have special night with spouse/children. Especially if children will be staying with family/friends.
4 . Pack carryon, make list of things that need to go in at last minute, put inside bag.
3 . Eliminate unnecessary items in suitcase!
2 . Confirm travel info - Take pets to kennel at least a day early!
1 . Confirm travel info

Started Ariel's 100 Good Wishes Quilt

2005-12-16T13:41:00.000-06:00

Started Ariel's 100 Good Wishes Quilt last night. If I can get it somewhat even its going to be really pretty. Its going to be much bigger than the last one I made.

We also bought the Stephen Curtis Chapman CD All I want for Christmas, of course I cried when I saw the pictures and heard his daughter read the Christmas Story. I so want my baby girl home! Bethany in Grand Rapids should receive our Dossier today so again saying prayers that everything is the way it should be and that it will be authenticated and sent to China soon!

John-Cole plays at Washington tonight. It would be awesome if they could win! Then they play Manchester tomorrow at the school. We also have to find John-Cole some kind of Christmas Present. Its going to be a small Christmas this year but thats okay, especially since the outcome of saving all the money is Ariel.

Oh and I've got a cold.....LOL! I feel horrible, all stuffy but I guess that can be expected from the crazy weather we have here. John-Cole finished exams today and hes home for 2 weeks so at least it won't be boring. Nothing is ever boring with John-Cole!

Okay thats it for now! Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Its Gone! Prayers that its right and will be DTC soon!

2005-12-15T13:10:00.000-06:00

Well its gone! We mailed our Original Dossier yesterday, on daddy's Birthday, how appropriate I think. I'm praying that the authentication that they need to do in Grand Rapids will happen quickly and we will get a note that its gone to China soon!!

Just wanted to say a bit about how much I miss my daddy. Yesterday he would have been 66, wow hes been gone over 5 years. I had the greatest daddy in the world. He was so funny and silly. I miss that so much. He always loved Christmas because he was such a big kid himself. I can remember him playing with John-Cole's new toys until John-Cole would get mad. He would have adored Ariel. I know hes looking down from Heaven on us and hes watching our for us and praying for Ariel as well. I love you daddy, I love you and miss you so much and wish I could give you a great big hug!!!! I wish you could see how much John-Cole is like you. Hes just like you! He acts like you, talks like you and has your personality. He even looks like you. You would be so crazy about him!! Love you daddy!

Humm well I guess thats it. Lord please look down on us and help with the quick expadite of all this paperwork. Please look down on Ariel in China and wrap her in your arms. Please let her know that we are on our way as soon as we can and God keep her safe until we can get there to get her. Thank you God so much for being the awesome God that you are!

Did it myself and FOUND A LADYBUG!!!!

2005-12-13T17:47:00.000-06:00

Well to save the lady at the Clinic I decided to type the letter up myself and I had John fax it to her. Now all she has to do is make a copy onto the Clinic's Letterhead, have Dr. Montesi sign it, have it notarized (which is there in the Clinic) and thats it. I decided to wait until AFTER dinner time, after picking John-Cole up from school to go and get it. So hopefully that will be enough time.

On a WONDERFUL NOTE! I was cooking supper, looked up and there is a ladybug crawling across the stove. I picked her up and took her outside. For those of you unfamiliar with Chinese Adoptions, ladybugs are said to be and bring good luck. I needed that ladybug today! I think God sent her to me as a sign that its going to be okay!!

Now I'm going to pick out some pictures from our trip out West and from Disney and make up new paper then get the ORIGINAL DOSSIER in the mail to Grand Rapids!
I'm so excited to be at this point in the process. I can't wait to bring Ariel home!!!!!!!

VENT!

2005-12-13T15:07:00.001-06:00

Yay! Kevie called, everything looks fine except she wants a copy of the letter from Dr. Montesi in my file saying my health is fine.

So I call the clinic and Vicki is out.....(I need a crying smiley here!) The girl I talked to seemed less than interested about anything I said. I told her it had to leave tomorrow and I really needed to pick it up tomorrow morning. She could care less. All she needs to do is change the date. Thats it, just change the date, get him to resign it and have it notarized.

If I haven't heard from them by 4:30 I'm calling back!

2005-12-13T14:04:00.000-06:00

Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting......

Wish Kevie would call with news on the Dossier. Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting..........

I got all my quilt squares cut last night, now I'm contemplating whether to try and piece and start the quilt or not. I don't want to ruin it but I also think I'll do okay. Its going to be a good bit bigger than the first one I made.

Also contemplating what to get John-Cole for Christmas. He really wants a Bass Guitar, I don't know. He needs a new bed but we don't have the $$$$ for that right now with saving for Ariel.

Oh I got the cutest stocking. Its light blue and has Ariel from The Little Mermaid on it and has Ariel embroidered on it. Its darling! I can't wait for my little girl to get here.

Humm what else, just brain storming here......we play Washington Friday night and Manchester here on Saturday. John-Cole has exams this week. I suppose we will be studying Science and English tonight. I really hope he has good grades. Basketball is so important to him and he really wants to be in Beta Club.

I guess its not possible to will the phone to ring! So I guess I'll end for now. I'll update tonight if I hear from Kevie. I really want to get the Dossier off to Grand Rapids this week!!!!

Oh still trying to decide if Ariel will be Ariel, Ariel-Jade, Ariel-Jadeyn, Jadeyn or what. Guess we will have to look at her to know "WHO" she is. We know shes Ariel-Jadeyn Barbara but beyond that don't know. John-Cole swears hes going to call her A.J. but I don't think so!!!!

Sent our Dossier to Kevie this morning!

2005-12-12T14:22:00.000-06:00

Well we overnighted our Dossier to Kevie today, she should have it tomorrow afternoon! We are praying that everything is okay and that we can send our original to Grand Rapids by the end of the week!

I'm thinking we will be DTC by either the end of the month or beginning of January! I'm so excited to get this milestone behind us! I'll update when I hear back from Kevie.

We had a good time this weekend at all of our Christmas Parties! Friday night was our Couples Party at the church! I ended up with a candle and John ended up with......oh a plug in heated and cooled travel mug! Mark's Straight X Party was Saturday night. It was fun as well. We got a massaging head pillow, lol!

We helped with the Spaghetti benefit at church last night. I believe we raised around $2,000 dollars. Wow would that be awesome if later we could have a supper to raise money for the adoption.

Speaking of money, we are hoping everything turns out okay. We have IRS refunds coming plus a little saved money but it still looks like we will be short. We are thinking of asking Mark if we can do a spaghetti supper. I really didn't want to ask for donations but it looks like we are going to have to. I'm trying to think of things that we could auction off or possibly other fundraisers. We will get there somehow though, even if we have to sell everything we own....LOL! Things aren't that dramatic but it is time to start thinking of the money we are short.

Anyway, I'll update when I hear from Kevie!!!!!!! I can't wait to get things DTC for Ariel!

Still need one state seal.......

2005-12-08T13:07:00.001-06:00

Well we had one State Seal missing so I called at lunch and Nan at the Secretary of State's office said she had just mailed it out so it should be here tomorrow, Saturday at the latest. So it looks like it will be the beginning of next week before we can get the Dossier overnighted to Kevie to have her check over it.

Our party at Garfield's was fun last night. We talked about the official United States approval and how it looks like 8.5 - 9 months now before refferal. I joked that I guess I'm officially pregnant now. Everyone joked with John and said now he had to treat me like I was pregnant and do everything I say, to which he said I already DO THAT....LOL!

Its icky and rainy and cold here today. We had hoped for some snow but it doesn't look like thats going to happen! Guess thats it for today!

Got our State Seals!

2005-12-07T15:28:00.000-06:00

Yay!
We got our State Seals in today! It moved so fast from getting our 171 to getting the Seals. We have to go tomorrow and make copies of everything and then go and get some passport photos.

I'm hoping to have everything overnighted to Kevie by Monday. Then maybe everything can go to Grand Rapids by the end of next week. I have no idea how long authentication will take but I'm praying for DTC by December 31st.

Oh I also found out that people who are traveling right now were DTC the very end of March so it looks like if we are DTC by the end of December we will get a refferel around mid August and then travel around the end of September! So it looks like right around the time John-Cole goes back to school everything will be coming in!

Now we have to start raising money for travel and China expense. I know we will have some from the IRS refunds and then some from mama's retirement that she is giving us. So we will see! We also have to go and get the Hepatitus shots started. I'm still up in the air about Typhoid and especially the Malaria pills as I've heard both have horrible side effects. I think we should be fine if we drink NOTHING but bottled water. How oh how will I do without my Diet Cokes.....LOL! Do they have Diet Cokes in China? I'm being silly now!!!!

This week are Christmas Parties. We have one small one tonight at Garfields and then our couples party is Friday night and our Straight X Party is at Mark's Saturday Night. We are playing Dirty Santa at both parties which should be alot of fun!

Hummm I guess thats about it for now!! If anyone reads this Merry Christmas!! Oh I also wanted to mention that Forrest and Robin finally have their Homestudy found and we are so hoping to be DTC with them. It would be so terrific to go with people who have been to China and who know whats going on. Maybe they will calm me down as getting on that plane is going to be some task!! Ariel is worth it though!!!!! Can't wait to hold and love my China Doll!

2005-12-03T20:34:00.000-06:00

WE GOT OUR 171H TODAY!!!!

John had gone hunting and I checked the mail before going to John-Cole's game and there it was! Of course John wasn't there to scream and yell and cry with, but I cried on my own. I'm so so excited!!!! I went yesterday and had our physicals and other paperwork notarized. Next week will be calling Kevie and getting everything in order to go and have everything state sealed. We still have to go get passport photos and copies of our passports to add to the Dossier.

I'm so so excited!!!! I can't wait to get our baby girl!

After Thanksgiving!

2005-11-28T19:10:00.000-06:00

Hummm lets see, not much to talk about. We've all been feeling bad lately but thankfully today everyone feels better. Today was Dootsie's B'day and we had cake and ice cream. John-Cole has a huge basketball game tomorrow against their rivals. Its the most looked forward to game of the year. I hope they can pull it off!

Nothing new on the adoption front. I do need to get off my butt and get the letters typed up and notarized. I also still need to go to Indianola and get the physicals notarized. We also need to start on the Hepatitus Shots. I need to make that phone call this week!!!!

I still find my self running to the mail box looking for the 171 which I know still has probably a month. I'm just ready for this milestone to be over and get closer to our daughter.

Our pastor preached on being adopted yesterday and it made me cry. I know God has this precious daughter waiting on us and I pray that he holds her in his arms and loves her and lets her know in HIS way that we are on our way just as fast as we can!

Humm well I guess thats it for now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-24T19:47:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Today has been a pretty slow day. We had Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Corn, Beans, and Rolls. For dessert we had German Chocolate Cake and Carrot Cake.

Tomorrow is the all famous Black Friday. I think we are going to leave around 4 and drive to Jackson. Going to look for a sewing machine for Ariel's quilts. Also going to get John-Cole a Ping Pong table and go to Michaels and Hobby Lobby.

We may end up spending the night but haven't made up our minds yet.

Hopefully by this time next year we will have our baby girl home with us.

We love you Ariel, our China Princess, and are thankful for you already wherever you may be.

2005-11-17T14:14:00.000-06:00

Here is Dootsie in New Orleans before Katrina. What an amazing city with such charm and such history! I hope they rebuild bigger and better than ever!

Above is my silly goober boy. He turned 14 and was way too old for the cupcake and hat but being the clown that he is he hammed it up quite well!!!!

This is one of my favorite pictures. My two men together at Disney! I just love this picture!!!!

Here is "us" in Disney World in September of 2005. John, me, John-Cole and Dootsie! As I said we love Disney and try to go at least once a year. I can't wait to have my Princess here to go with us!

Not much new Today

2005-11-17T14:10:00.000-06:00

Not much new today. Got an email from our social worker just reminding us to copy the backs of all the papers for the Dossier. I also got the name and number of the lady who does the official state seals in Jackson so once the 171 gets here we are going to call her and go the next day if possible.

John-Cole has basketball games all weekend. We play a really hard team tomorrow and then go out of town Saturday to play.

Next week is Thanksgiving so I guess I need to go look up some receipes!

Oh John lost his keys and hes spazzing about it which is funny. Wonder if hes found them yet. I do love that husband of mine!!!! Hes so funny!

Post number one!

2005-11-15T21:40:00.000-06:00

This is my first post so I guess I'll say a bit about us and our family and our adoption process so far.

My name is Beth and I'm 33 years old. I'm married to John who is also 33. We have been married for 15 years and together for 18. We have one son named John-Cole who is 14. My mom Dootsie also lives with us. We live in Mississippi. I'm a stay at home mom. John is manager at our local cable system and John-Cole attends a small private school.

Lets see a little bit about me. As I said I'm a stay at home mom. I enjoy, no I am a bit obsessed with Walt Disney World! I love planning trips and saving money on Disney vacations. I always challenge myself to find a cheaper way to go and I've been very successful in the past. I just started scrapbooking and rubber stamping and I am going to "try" to learn to quilt. I'm very talkative and outgoing and also very truthful to a fault at times. I also enjoy working with out youth group at church.

John enjoys watching T.V. LOL! He loves CSI or NCIS any type crime drama. He usually enjoys hunting although he says the "bug" hasn't bitten him this year. He also enjoys working with the youth at church and enjoys working with lighting and sound for one of our church bands. He also loves working with electronics.

John-Cole is 14 and in the 8th grade. He plays Football, Basketball and baseball and also weight lifts. His major love, though, is basketball. Hes lucky enough to be on the 2nd string in the 8th grade and is first in if one of the starters can't play. We are so proud of him. Hes very involved in everything to do with church and school. Hes in the Beta Club, Student Council, SADD and other clubs. Hes a great kid and we are so proud of him. Hes also the class clown.

My mom is a very active grandmom. She works at a loan company and is church pianoist at a local church. She loves shopping!! Her hobbies are.....shopping! She is much more active than I am and enjoys roller-coasters and thrill rides which amazes me! John-Cole would also much rather have her help him with school work than anyone else.

ADOPTION!!!!!!!

In January of 2005 John and I started our adoption journey. Today is November the 15th and we have finally finished all of our paperwork. It has been a long and hard journey with home visits, counselors and page after page of paperwork. We've also had to deal with the Government which is always a pain. It will be well worth it in the end though!

On October 14th, John, Mom and myself went to the USCIS office in Memphis and were fingerprinted. We are currently waiting for our 171 to come in. After that comes in and we get everything state sealed our Dossier will finally be on its way to China. We have waited so long for our Dossier to get its wings! After that we should recieve a Log In Date and then we will simply wait on a refferel.

ABOUT OUR DAUGHTER TO BE!

After much talking and considering we have chosen the name Ariel-Jadeyn Barbara for our daughter. Since I love the name Ariel and John loves Jadeyn we decided we just wouldn't know who our daughter was until we saw her for the frist time. The only compromise was a double name. Her middle name, Barbara, is for my mother Dootsie. Barbara is her real name. When we see our baby for the first time we will know if she is Ariel or Jadeyn or perhaps both. John-Cole likes A.J. but we don't! He also liked Eloise (Eloise at the Plaza) which was VETOED quickly.

So as of right now we are waiting on our 171-H. We have started the nursery and I am gathering materiels for Ariel's 100 Good Wishes Quilt. I'll try to keep this updated as time goes on.