Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day to us!
It's finally real! We have a Consulate Appointment in China now! We booked our plane tickets today! We leave for China on February 10 to go get our sweet little Lily and Hope!
The day we get them is called "Gotcha Day" in adoption terms. Our Gotcha Day is February 14!
We are so thankful to God that the date has been set. I feel a huge weight lifted off me. I know when I'm gonna get my daughters now!
ONLY 23 MORE DAYS!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
WE GOT OUR TRAVEL APPROVALS!!!!!!!!!!!
Next step: our agency is calling China to schedule a Consulate Appointment during the last part of our trip. If they are not all taken around the 20th, then our travel date will be February 10! The reason why it will be delayed is because of Chinese New Year beginning on the 3rd of February. We have our hope set on February 10! And our faith in God to work it out! What a big relief getting the call this morning! Praise God!
Monday, January 10, 2011
I'm so glad I cry everyday!
I usually don't cry very easily. Except when the song "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me comes on (yes, still i gets me, even after the billionth time)....it's hard to catch me crying. But that isn't the case lately. In fact, I cannot hold back the tears these days. I've never been OPPOSED to crying (although it does somewhat annoy me that lots of women are cry babies), it's just that I could separate the emotion or not even be bothered by the emotion. Some people have even called me UNSENTIMENTAL! (lol, it's true, I am unsentimental). But right now my heart is mush. In a good way though.
I always dreamed about the trip to get my adopted Chinese daughter. Would I like the way she smelled? Would she be somewhat attractive? Would I like her instantly? How long would it take for me to FEEL like she was my daughter? How long would it take for me to love her like Phoebe, Rob and Johnny? How different would the love for an adopted child be compared to the love I have for my babies I birthed?
These were questions that I thought...and Daniel and I MAYBE mentioned a bit....but since they all seemed to be a bit negative, it wasn't a hot topic. We just trusted that it would all work out. And in time, we would feel like they were really our daughters.
Well, it has worked out just fine and way ahead of schedule. Because the love I have for them is amazing and overwhelming to me. I love those two little Chinese girls with all my heart. And I am not posting this to boast or draw attention to me in a noble way that I could love an orphan or anything. In fact, I take absolutely no credit and I just wanted to write this because I am in awe of what God has done in me. I always knew He'd give us the grace to do this, and that He would help us love these girls as our OWN. But He has changed my heart. I am not the mother of three children. I am the mother of five. I would do anything for them. All five of them.
When I talk about our adoption and Lily and Hope and how much I love them I often feel like I am looking at myself or not even myself. When someone might say they are excited for me, I just think, yes, I am excited for me too! When someone says how great it is that we are adopting them I think yes! It is so great! When someone says how they are going to have such a great life and they are so blessed to be in our family I think, YES! They are blessed. Cause we will do anything for them. and we are happy together, me and Daniel! I don't take ANY credit for any of this. God began this work in me. He drew me to the idea of adoption. He sent me to China. He put Lily and Hope so deep in me that I could never get them apart from me.
It's a miracle really. Adoption is a miracle. We love our biological kids for many reasons. We carried them, we gave birth to them. They remind us of ourselves, except cuter. We would do anything to reproduce a little miracle that is part of us and our spouse. And I share in all those feelings. Every one of them. But have you ever considered if you could love a child that didn't look or act or smell like you? And did you just think that you could never do that....and you wonder how others can??? Well, I am telling you that the reason I can is because of God. He is our Provider. His Heart is pure and true and for the orphans. And when He calls someone to adopt, He gives them every resource they need. I believe that now. He is for me. He is for Daniel. He is for Lily and He is for Hope. He will help us raise these girls. He will help us love them they way they deserve. He will help us show them the way to eternal life through Him.
I just write in awe of Him. I am nothing but an empty vessel. A crying empty vessel at that. I cry because two of my children are away from me. I haven't seen them in 7 months. It's been too long. I have faith. My faith has been strengthened. I think I passed the test....or at least failed it and retook it. But now I think I got an A plus. I believe. I believe He will complete this work! I believe He will provide the money we need. I believe He will provide the medical care and surgeries. I believe He will help me to be the mother to Hope and Lily that HE would want me to be. I believe I can organize my house for five children. I believe I can cook more to save money and make my own soap like the Duggar lady!!!! Actually, that's not true. I will never make my own soap. Besides Chantel already told me that if I could ever not afford soap she would buy it for me. : )
I am happy and blessed and full of faith! Even if I cry everyday!
I always dreamed about the trip to get my adopted Chinese daughter. Would I like the way she smelled? Would she be somewhat attractive? Would I like her instantly? How long would it take for me to FEEL like she was my daughter? How long would it take for me to love her like Phoebe, Rob and Johnny? How different would the love for an adopted child be compared to the love I have for my babies I birthed?
These were questions that I thought...and Daniel and I MAYBE mentioned a bit....but since they all seemed to be a bit negative, it wasn't a hot topic. We just trusted that it would all work out. And in time, we would feel like they were really our daughters.
Well, it has worked out just fine and way ahead of schedule. Because the love I have for them is amazing and overwhelming to me. I love those two little Chinese girls with all my heart. And I am not posting this to boast or draw attention to me in a noble way that I could love an orphan or anything. In fact, I take absolutely no credit and I just wanted to write this because I am in awe of what God has done in me. I always knew He'd give us the grace to do this, and that He would help us love these girls as our OWN. But He has changed my heart. I am not the mother of three children. I am the mother of five. I would do anything for them. All five of them.
When I talk about our adoption and Lily and Hope and how much I love them I often feel like I am looking at myself or not even myself. When someone might say they are excited for me, I just think, yes, I am excited for me too! When someone says how great it is that we are adopting them I think yes! It is so great! When someone says how they are going to have such a great life and they are so blessed to be in our family I think, YES! They are blessed. Cause we will do anything for them. and we are happy together, me and Daniel! I don't take ANY credit for any of this. God began this work in me. He drew me to the idea of adoption. He sent me to China. He put Lily and Hope so deep in me that I could never get them apart from me.
It's a miracle really. Adoption is a miracle. We love our biological kids for many reasons. We carried them, we gave birth to them. They remind us of ourselves, except cuter. We would do anything to reproduce a little miracle that is part of us and our spouse. And I share in all those feelings. Every one of them. But have you ever considered if you could love a child that didn't look or act or smell like you? And did you just think that you could never do that....and you wonder how others can??? Well, I am telling you that the reason I can is because of God. He is our Provider. His Heart is pure and true and for the orphans. And when He calls someone to adopt, He gives them every resource they need. I believe that now. He is for me. He is for Daniel. He is for Lily and He is for Hope. He will help us raise these girls. He will help us love them they way they deserve. He will help us show them the way to eternal life through Him.
I just write in awe of Him. I am nothing but an empty vessel. A crying empty vessel at that. I cry because two of my children are away from me. I haven't seen them in 7 months. It's been too long. I have faith. My faith has been strengthened. I think I passed the test....or at least failed it and retook it. But now I think I got an A plus. I believe. I believe He will complete this work! I believe He will provide the money we need. I believe He will provide the medical care and surgeries. I believe He will help me to be the mother to Hope and Lily that HE would want me to be. I believe I can organize my house for five children. I believe I can cook more to save money and make my own soap like the Duggar lady!!!! Actually, that's not true. I will never make my own soap. Besides Chantel already told me that if I could ever not afford soap she would buy it for me. : )
I am happy and blessed and full of faith! Even if I cry everyday!
Favorite Family Photos!
For years I've enjoyed reading other people's adoption blogs. They are beautiful! They are real life. They are real families! And I've come to love family photos of biological and adopted kids more than anything! It just makes me happy. It just looks so natural to me. I thought I'd share some of my new friends and their family photos and blogs with yall. It's people like these who I watched years ago and said, "If they can do it, we can!" And maybe you might feel the same way after peeking into their fun, amazing, beautiful lives!
Here is the blog of a friend who adopted a little boy that I held in June in the orphanage! And now look at him now in a happy family!!
This is my cousin! I love her and her ever growing family!!!! Her blog is Zimel Zoo!
Here are some great friends of ours from our church! They are expecting a referral for their second and third soon!
Here is Suzanne and her family! I met her on the June trip. She and her husband have twins and are in China RIGHT NOW getting Jonathan!
This is the blog of Robert and Karen! I met them in June too! They are in China RIGHT NOW too and this is their FIRST BABY so they are brand new parents as of TODAY!!!!!!! And here is Robin!
Here's Gina and her family! We've gotten so close since our trip in June! Her baby's name is now Myla but I will forever call her her Chinese nickname YaYa!!! They got their baby (which makes four for them) TODAY!!!!!!!
I just met this girl thru Kerri Kaste. It's her relative....and when I went to her blog I see she used the same adoption agency and had the same tour guide we had in June! And already I'm enthralled in her blog and her beautiful family! She just went to China in December to get her little China doll! Here is a photo of them, minus their four other children not pictured!
One of my favorites to read. Ni Hao Y'all
Here is the blog of a friend who adopted a little boy that I held in June in the orphanage! And now look at him now in a happy family!!
This is my cousin! I love her and her ever growing family!!!! Her blog is Zimel Zoo!
Here are some great friends of ours from our church! They are expecting a referral for their second and third soon!
Here is Suzanne and her family! I met her on the June trip. She and her husband have twins and are in China RIGHT NOW getting Jonathan!
This is the blog of Robert and Karen! I met them in June too! They are in China RIGHT NOW too and this is their FIRST BABY so they are brand new parents as of TODAY!!!!!!! And here is Robin!
Here's Gina and her family! We've gotten so close since our trip in June! Her baby's name is now Myla but I will forever call her her Chinese nickname YaYa!!! They got their baby (which makes four for them) TODAY!!!!!!!
I just met this girl thru Kerri Kaste. It's her relative....and when I went to her blog I see she used the same adoption agency and had the same tour guide we had in June! And already I'm enthralled in her blog and her beautiful family! She just went to China in December to get her little China doll! Here is a photo of them, minus their four other children not pictured!
One of my favorites to read. Ni Hao Y'all
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