The Ball is Rolling Again

...or maybe I should say we are running on the hamster wheel again.  After receiving our immigration approval yesterday in the mail, we finally can move a little closer to getting our dossier to Ch*na.  Yippee!!  So thankful!!

Now we just need to get more paperwork certified, then authenticated, and then on to our agency.  I don't know if it's possible but I'm hoping that maybe we will be DTC by next Friday.  (dare I say it out loud???)

Whatever happens it will happen within the next two weeks sometime.

NOW...on a different note...

I realized last week that Florida has more than four seasons.  They have 5.  At least where we live, they have 5.  The Fifth season is...

FROG season.

We have a swampy area right behind our house so I'm  thinking that the abundance of frogs/toads can be attributed to that.  What's interesting is that we didn't see the population explosion of all these little critters last year when we moved here.  Must have happened before we got here.

This little guy is a pine woods tree frog.  Most of the frogs look like him.

This would be the Southern toad.  I can tell he's southern because his croak has a twang to it. 

Also, I can hear his 15 pound uncle causing a ruckus every night.  I think the uncle's name is Bubba.

This guy is the green tree frog.  These little suckers can jump through the air like crazy and cling to everything.

Ummmm...these are barking tree frogs.  I'm choosing to think that this is a momma frog giving her baby frog a piggy-back ride.  Or maybe they are playing leap frog.  Hee Hee

They are very tiny and they are EVERYWHERE!!  You'll find them all over the roads, the sidewalks (which make it tricky walking the dog esp. at night), on your cars, on the house, on the front door (yes we have had one get in the house), in the pool, on the screened lanai, etc...  YEP everywhere!!  It's kinda creepy.  I'm not really into amphibians or reptiles. 

The kids have been having fun with them though.  Here is their new past time...we call it frog flicking.

They flick the screen and see how far the frogs will fly errr..I mean leap off.

Those little dots are frogs.

And that concludes your Florida nature class for today.

I Refuse

I don't want to live like I don't care

I don't want to say another empty prayer

Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else

To do what God has called me to do myself

I could choose not to move

But I refuse

*by Josh Wilson

We Have Pictures

We were very excited to receive pictures from Hudson's First Birthday. 

This was his birthday cake. Yum Yum

He's looking at his stacking rings toy.  I can tell he LOVES it.

Here he is thinking..."just let me at that cake."

(you can see the picture pillow and the stuffed pandas that we sent him in this picture)

Uh oh...somebody swiped some icing.  Yep~ He's a Spangenthal.

Big boy...trying to use a fork.

He's thinking here..."dude, this is crazy good."

Now that's what I'm talkin' about.  Let's get down to business and eat this!

As you can see he's changing so much every month.  We can't wait to get our hands on this sweetie!! 

update on timeline....it seems that we are not alone in waiting waiting waiting for paperwork to be cleared at immigration.  I've seen on some chat rooms that I read that everyone else is in a holding pattern like we are.  (impressed with my pilot wife speak) :o)

We know that God's timing is perfect but it doesn't make waiting any easier.  Please pray with us that our paperwork will be pushed through so that we can be one more step closer to bringing Hudson home.  We cherish your support and prayers...we really do. 

Update on Birthday Gifts

Just like I told you, I've been obsessively checking my email just hoping for a note with pictures of Hudson celebrating his birthday.

FINALLY, today we got a note that said...."I made a call to Chen Fu Xing's orphanage.They got the gifts and had a birthday party for Chen Fuxing.They will send some photos to us,when they have time."

I'll  take that any day!!  It's better than not hearing anything.  I hope we do get pictures soon.

Okay...now for the CHEESE FEST....

I made a little confession to Bill and the kids the other night.

After we had decided to adopt, sometimes when I would be walking Pixie at night all by myself I would be thinking about our little guy who God had chosen to be in our family.  Even if you haven't been matched with a child yet, you know there is someone who belongs in your family an ocean away.  It's a weird thing that happens in your heart...you start to love them.  Even if you haven't seen their sweet little face yet, your heart gets bigger and you miss your little one.

Well....(here is where the cheese fest starts)...when I would be walking Pixie I would hum the theme song to the Un*versal movie An American Tail.  SOMEWHERE OUT THERE 

I love the lyrics to this sweet song and think it's the perfect theme song for our long wait to get Hudson.  In the movie, Fievel has been separated from his family and this song was sung by Fievel and and his sister when they are thinking of each other.

 Of course I had to go buy the movie after confessing this to the fam.  The kids and I watched it this weekend and now Emma is a fan.  We were both trying to hold back the tears during this song.

Happy 1st Birthday Hudson!!

Happy Birthday to Hudson!!

 We are hoping that all his birthday goodies made it to him and that he got to celebrate with a birthday cake.  Sometimes you are able to get pictures but it's never guaranteed.  I'll keep checking our email obsessively for the next couple of days just hoping and hoping. 

We celebrated with our good friends John, Sonia, and all da boys by going to P*nda Express for Chin*se food and then we partied with some yummy birthday cupcakes cuz it isn't a kids party without cupcakes loaded with icing.

If you have either adopted from Chin* or have gone to Chin*, you'll get the peace sign..Ha Ha.

Yummy orange chicken and rice!

Some of da boys...

more of da boys....

aaaaaand more of da boys!!

Yay----we love celebrating Hudson!

We Heart Hudson Fuxing!!

We pray that your day was special sweet boy.  You were being thought of.

It's Almost Hudson's First Birthday

This Saturday, JULY 16, Hudson turns 1 year old. 

There is a great website,  Gifts To China With Love, where you can order birthday packages, care packages, etc....for your children waiting to be adopted and we were able to send some goodies to help Hudson celebrate his big day. 

We had so much fun deciding on what to include in his package. Here are some of our big boy's gifts.

This is two letters that were for the orphanage director and Hudson's foster momma and daddy.  Also, the pictures are actually a picture book that they make for us from downloaded pictures of our family.

Some more pictures from the book.  We wanted to introduce ourselves and the kids.  And of course, Pixie, our dog too.  We have heard that he likes puppies.

This is a momma panda holding a baby panda.  Ahhhhh!!! So sweet!!  And a pillow with our picture.

This is a wooden stacking toy.  Every kid needs a stacking toy. Right?!!

He also will get a Birthday Cake, a disposable camera that we hope we will get when we are able to go get him, and also a snuggly baby blankie.

There's a chance that we might even get pictures of him on his birthday receiving his gifts.  How exciting would that be?!!

We plan on celebrating Saturday by going to eat at a ch*nese restaurant with our favorite fellow adoptive family... the Amazing Martin's.  I'll post pictures.

It's The Little Things...

I've found since we started our adoption process that it's the little things that mean soooo much in this endless (it seems) wait until we can get that sweet boy home. 

Each time documents got sent somewhere I (we) would heave a big sigh.  I almost surprise myself each time how big the sigh is.  It's as if I've been holding my breath.  Or when something "official" is returned in the mail that we have been anxiously awaiting...another big exhale and a happy dance. 

I guess all the heavy exhaling is kind of like the birthing process.  Maybe I just need to start doing a lot of heavy breathing and this whole process will speed up.  Uh yeah...I didn't think so.  I'll just be very light-headed stumbling around.

Another one of the "little" things that really is very HUGE to us is when we are able to get updates on Hudson.  We've gotten 2 updates in the past few weeks and I can't describe to you how comforting it is to see pictures of him and find out what he is doing developmentally.

On the flip side of that, it makes the waiting so much harder and longer.  I get a lump in my throat so big that it takes a while for it to go away.  He changes so much in each update.  Each time I see him I think to myself...is that really him.  Of course, I know that it is but month to month the changes amaze me. 

This time there were pictures of him with his foster momma and daddy.  He was laying his head on his foster momma's shoulder all snuggled in and looking down at something so content.  I'm so thankful that he is so well cared for.  I'm so thankful that he will know how to bond with other people.  So many children that have been institutionalized have attachment issues when they come home.  They've never known the constant love and care from someone.

I found this poem on a blog earlier this week and it touched my heart.  It sums up what's in my heart when I get that great big 'ole lump in my throat. 

As a girl I had a common dream, to be a mom someday.
My baby would have eyes of blue and hair the hue of hay.
But now my dreams have been transformed. New visions fill my head.
Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead.
And in my dreams those are not so big or blue or round.
And in my dreams they’re almond shaped and colored cocoa brown.
And in my dreams my arms can stretch across enormous seas.
They reach half-way across the world and hold you close to me.
As you grow in your mother’s womb carefully knit together,
You also grow in my heart where you will stay forever.
And in my dreams the moment that your mother says good-bye,
I’ll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry.
Our features may not look alike; we’re as different as can be.
But still I know the Father has created you for me.
And though I’ve not yet seen your face or held your tiny hands,
and though we’re half a world apart in very different lands.
I’ll be right there to get you just as soon as God allows.
But ‘til he says the time is right, I give to you this vow.
I’ll pray for your protection every night on bended knee,
For God will hold you in his arms until you’re here with me.
~written by Gayle Leubecker