We got something VERY cool today.
Kennedy sent her U.S. friend an email that is basically a reply to a couple of emails that we have sent over the last couple of weeks.
This is a huge deal for us. We already knew that she had read our emails and seen the pictures. Now, we finally get to hear her side in her own words.
The subject of the email translates to something like "Message writing to mommy, father." When we initially read the email, we weren't 100% sure that it was written to us. Some of the translations could have indicated a third person message written to her friend about our emails. But, this subject line seems to support a message written to us, through her friend.
In her message, she said that she was happy to receive our email and that she would like to see (meet?) us. Another translated clip says "I feel very fortunate to have such a good father and mother, I'm really happy." Some of the translations looked a little bit different, but that's the one we liked best! She also said that the photos we sent made her happy.
We had not received any feedback before today. We were unsure about how she felt when she read our messages. We are so relieved to know that she's excited about meeting us too.
A family that we've met during this process left today for China to adopt one of Kennedy's good friends. We will be praying for them during their trip. They were kind enough to take a small care package for our daughter on their trip. We shipped a box with some personal items and some candy and this family will deliver it to Kennedy in the next few days. If everything works out, they may even send us some pictures of her receiving the package. Very exciting!
FYI, the next big step in our process is Letter of Approval (LOA). We are asking for prayers that we get this quickly. We think that it can come anytime, and sooner is better than later. We really want to travel before the end of the year and can't do it without mustard seeds and mountains. The estimates that we've seen seem like we could travel 3-4 months after LOA. If we get it in September, then December is definitely possible. Pray, people!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Principle of Tithing
So, Charles has become addicted to blogging! I have tried to stay away from it since I returned to work full time because my spare time is pretty much OVER! BUT...I had to share!
Last Friday, Charles was off playing softball and I was home paying bills. (Uggh!) I was really stressing about HOW in the world we are going to come up with all of the adoption fees that are quickly coming due. Several years ago, we started faithfully tithing after a message we heard at church. The pastor illustrated the tithing principle with 10 apples. He explained that God gives us all 10 "apples", and He only asks that we give him back the FIRST 1 of the 10 apples. (10%) He pointed out that most people try to tithe AFTER all the other bills are paid, then usually run out of "apples" to actually tithe. He pointed out that God asks us to give back our FIRST 10%, not our last. He said that tithing is the only thing in the Bible that God says we can test Him in.
At the time, I had figured the budget every possible way, but never came up with 10% left over to tithe with. I went home that night and tried something new. I wrote out a list of the bills due at each pay period, but this time, I listed "tithe" as the FIRST "bill" to be paid from each check. Don't ask me how, but when I got to the bottom of the list of bills for each check, there was enough. Not lots of extra, but enough. I made Charles check my math because when I figured the SAME bills multiple times before without the tithe written in first, I never came up with 10% left to give back. Hmmm....
Since that time, we have always tithed first before paying any bills or buying any groceries. Somehow, we have always had what we needed. Again...not rolling in dough...but never late on a single bill and never without food on the table.
So back to Friday night...I was nearly in a state of panic about how we will pay for the adoption. I let a thought creep into my brain about maybe not tithing for awhile and putting that money toward the fees. I quickly talked myself out of it because I figured that robbing God would probably not be a good plan. I reminded myself that He has always provided, and I paid the tithe first, like always.
Later that night, Charles came home with an envelope and told me to look inside. It was a generous check from 2 dear friends as a contribution to the Bring Kennedy Home fund! I nearly fainted! It was as close as I have come to God actually speaking to me in an audible voice! Hours before, I had considered NOT tithing and using that money for adoption fees. After realizing that was NOT the answer, and faithfully tithing...we received a check for more than the check I had written as a tithe!!! Though we can't see how the money will come at this point, God showed us that it will!
We know that we personally do not have all the money we will need to complete this journey, but God put it in these friends' hearts to help. We have to believe that He will put the same desire in the hearts of others to help as well. Please pass our blog and our story along to anyone you know who might have a heart for adoption and may want to contribute to help us bring Kennedy home. There is a "chip in" bar on the blog page. EVERY bit helps!
If any of you can relate to financial struggles, I strongly recommend tithing! You will be amazed!
Last Friday, Charles was off playing softball and I was home paying bills. (Uggh!) I was really stressing about HOW in the world we are going to come up with all of the adoption fees that are quickly coming due. Several years ago, we started faithfully tithing after a message we heard at church. The pastor illustrated the tithing principle with 10 apples. He explained that God gives us all 10 "apples", and He only asks that we give him back the FIRST 1 of the 10 apples. (10%) He pointed out that most people try to tithe AFTER all the other bills are paid, then usually run out of "apples" to actually tithe. He pointed out that God asks us to give back our FIRST 10%, not our last. He said that tithing is the only thing in the Bible that God says we can test Him in.
At the time, I had figured the budget every possible way, but never came up with 10% left over to tithe with. I went home that night and tried something new. I wrote out a list of the bills due at each pay period, but this time, I listed "tithe" as the FIRST "bill" to be paid from each check. Don't ask me how, but when I got to the bottom of the list of bills for each check, there was enough. Not lots of extra, but enough. I made Charles check my math because when I figured the SAME bills multiple times before without the tithe written in first, I never came up with 10% left to give back. Hmmm....
Since that time, we have always tithed first before paying any bills or buying any groceries. Somehow, we have always had what we needed. Again...not rolling in dough...but never late on a single bill and never without food on the table.
So back to Friday night...I was nearly in a state of panic about how we will pay for the adoption. I let a thought creep into my brain about maybe not tithing for awhile and putting that money toward the fees. I quickly talked myself out of it because I figured that robbing God would probably not be a good plan. I reminded myself that He has always provided, and I paid the tithe first, like always.
Later that night, Charles came home with an envelope and told me to look inside. It was a generous check from 2 dear friends as a contribution to the Bring Kennedy Home fund! I nearly fainted! It was as close as I have come to God actually speaking to me in an audible voice! Hours before, I had considered NOT tithing and using that money for adoption fees. After realizing that was NOT the answer, and faithfully tithing...we received a check for more than the check I had written as a tithe!!! Though we can't see how the money will come at this point, God showed us that it will!
We know that we personally do not have all the money we will need to complete this journey, but God put it in these friends' hearts to help. We have to believe that He will put the same desire in the hearts of others to help as well. Please pass our blog and our story along to anyone you know who might have a heart for adoption and may want to contribute to help us bring Kennedy home. There is a "chip in" bar on the blog page. EVERY bit helps!
If any of you can relate to financial struggles, I strongly recommend tithing! You will be amazed!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
I never knew that was there...
We got some feedback this weekend that some people didn't know that there is a second page with pictures on our site. Right under the header there is a tab row. Click on 'Photos' and you can see some old pictures and some newer pics that didn't make the blog.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Today's "God thing"
Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." It goes on to say "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
When Annie and I got back into church six years ago, this is one of the first verses that I memorized. It was a cool one to think about and I thought that I understood what it meant. Today, I got a living, breathing example of this passage in action. A couple that I have known for a very long time helped Annie and me with something related to Kennedy's adoption that has very recently been buzzing in our ears. It was completely unexpected and unsolicited and no less than a small miracle. I will not embarrass them by identifying them by name, but I will say that they stored up extra treasures in heaven today.
When I told Annie about it tonight, she mentioned that she had been praying about it a lot lately. I had too, but we hadn't done much more than discuss it in passing with each other. We've tried leaning on our own understanding of how things can go, but when we prayed and trusted, we got some help. I guess that prayer does work. It may not work in ways that you expect, but it does work. Now, if we would just pray about it together, I suppose that we could move a mountain from here to there.
You know who you are...THANKS!
When Annie and I got back into church six years ago, this is one of the first verses that I memorized. It was a cool one to think about and I thought that I understood what it meant. Today, I got a living, breathing example of this passage in action. A couple that I have known for a very long time helped Annie and me with something related to Kennedy's adoption that has very recently been buzzing in our ears. It was completely unexpected and unsolicited and no less than a small miracle. I will not embarrass them by identifying them by name, but I will say that they stored up extra treasures in heaven today.
When I told Annie about it tonight, she mentioned that she had been praying about it a lot lately. I had too, but we hadn't done much more than discuss it in passing with each other. We've tried leaning on our own understanding of how things can go, but when we prayed and trusted, we got some help. I guess that prayer does work. It may not work in ways that you expect, but it does work. Now, if we would just pray about it together, I suppose that we could move a mountain from here to there.
You know who you are...THANKS!
Well, I thought it was cool, so...
The coolest thing happened at work today. I met a new co-worker this morning. We were having a get-to-know conversation in my office while I was trying to overcome Murphy's Law of Third-Person printing (if somebody else needs it quickly, the print server will go offline at that instant).
He saw a picture of Mia on my window sill and asked about her. You know the typical stuff...how many? How old? Etc? I told him that she was almost six and that I was working on another one. No big deal. Lots of people have kids, right? Then I told him that she was thirteen. Blank look. "What do you mean?" I actually had to tell him that Mia was adopted. How cool is that!?!?
I have to say that this was the first time that I was actually aware of somebody seeing Mia as my daughter and not my adopted Chinese daughter. Certainly it's happened before, but it's the first confirmation that I've personally gotten. I realized recently that I no longer see her as Chinese, but I've accepted the fact that most of the people that we meet probably always will.
I don't get that very often, because guys just don't have that conversation as often as our wives, in my experience. Usually, when it happens to Annie, people assume that she must be married to a Chinese man. Most people "get it" when we explain the adoption portion of our story. However, one Asian lady we met in a dim sum restaurant last year seemed almost disappointed that I wasn't Chinese. While I was paying the check, a lady struck up a conversation about Mia. She progressed to asking specifically if I was Chinese, right before I walked back onto the scene. You could see on her face that she was bewildered by the fact that this beautiful Chinese girl had two white parents. Normally, it's "lucky girl...she is so lucky" but not that day. My "anglo-ness" pretty much shut down the conversation. For me, today's conversation at work was the exact opposite of that experience and I will remember it for a very long time.
He saw a picture of Mia on my window sill and asked about her. You know the typical stuff...how many? How old? Etc? I told him that she was almost six and that I was working on another one. No big deal. Lots of people have kids, right? Then I told him that she was thirteen. Blank look. "What do you mean?" I actually had to tell him that Mia was adopted. How cool is that!?!?
I have to say that this was the first time that I was actually aware of somebody seeing Mia as my daughter and not my adopted Chinese daughter. Certainly it's happened before, but it's the first confirmation that I've personally gotten. I realized recently that I no longer see her as Chinese, but I've accepted the fact that most of the people that we meet probably always will.
I don't get that very often, because guys just don't have that conversation as often as our wives, in my experience. Usually, when it happens to Annie, people assume that she must be married to a Chinese man. Most people "get it" when we explain the adoption portion of our story. However, one Asian lady we met in a dim sum restaurant last year seemed almost disappointed that I wasn't Chinese. While I was paying the check, a lady struck up a conversation about Mia. She progressed to asking specifically if I was Chinese, right before I walked back onto the scene. You could see on her face that she was bewildered by the fact that this beautiful Chinese girl had two white parents. Normally, it's "lucky girl...she is so lucky" but not that day. My "anglo-ness" pretty much shut down the conversation. For me, today's conversation at work was the exact opposite of that experience and I will remember it for a very long time.
Monday, August 23, 2010
First Day Of School
The great poets Phineas and Ferb said "There's a hundred and four days of summer vacation. Then school comes along just to end it."
Today was day 105. It was Mia's first day in Kindergarten and Annie's first day in PPCD. Mia was extremely excited about the first day of school. Annie? Not as much. She has seen it all before...
Mia had a great time in Pre-K last year, so she was not at all scared of school. Her mom was with her and she'd seen the routine last year, so it's no big deal. I was lucky enough to have a vacation day to burn today, so I was able to drop the girls off at school. We went to Annie's room first to drop off some things and sign in, then we walked to Mrs. Montagne's class for the obligatory photo op and some get-to-know-the-room time. For me. They had both seen it already.
Annie has been a little bit anxious about today for quite a while. As a teacher, the first day is always a bigger deal and more stressful than the rest. However, this one has some extra pressure as the day that our baby girl officially outgrew her "little kid" phase. Sure, she was in school last year, but it was a half day and Annie spent the other half hanging out with Mia. This year, it's a full day, and what we normally think of when we think of the first day of the school career.
For Annie and me, it seems as though we just got back from China with a teeny-tiny toddler. I guess for every parent the time passes too quickly. It is just so hard to wrap our minds around the idea that this girl is going to grow up. Annie actually choked up a little this morning when we dropped her off at her class. No tears for either of them, but one hug too many might have taken Annie's breath away. Luckily, we were first in the room, since Annie had to be there early for her own class.
Anyway, day one started well. Let's hope that the rest of the year is great.
Today was day 105. It was Mia's first day in Kindergarten and Annie's first day in PPCD. Mia was extremely excited about the first day of school. Annie? Not as much. She has seen it all before...
Mia had a great time in Pre-K last year, so she was not at all scared of school. Her mom was with her and she'd seen the routine last year, so it's no big deal. I was lucky enough to have a vacation day to burn today, so I was able to drop the girls off at school. We went to Annie's room first to drop off some things and sign in, then we walked to Mrs. Montagne's class for the obligatory photo op and some get-to-know-the-room time. For me. They had both seen it already.
Annie has been a little bit anxious about today for quite a while. As a teacher, the first day is always a bigger deal and more stressful than the rest. However, this one has some extra pressure as the day that our baby girl officially outgrew her "little kid" phase. Sure, she was in school last year, but it was a half day and Annie spent the other half hanging out with Mia. This year, it's a full day, and what we normally think of when we think of the first day of the school career.
For Annie and me, it seems as though we just got back from China with a teeny-tiny toddler. I guess for every parent the time passes too quickly. It is just so hard to wrap our minds around the idea that this girl is going to grow up. Annie actually choked up a little this morning when we dropped her off at her class. No tears for either of them, but one hug too many might have taken Annie's breath away. Luckily, we were first in the room, since Annie had to be there early for her own class.
Anyway, day one started well. Let's hope that the rest of the year is great.
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| Kindergarten girl! |
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| Walking with Kennedy (the friend, not the sister) |
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| That's me! |
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| Good luck, Mrs. Montagne... |
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| Purple table! |
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Promotion Weekend
This weekend was Mia's first week in the next group of kids' classes at church. She has been in Small World since we brought her home and everyone knew her name and her situation. She had grown up in the little kids' classes. This week she moved up to Planet Kids and is with the bigger kids for the first time.
Annie wanted to cry last week when we dropped off and picked up for the last time in Small World. Mia, however, couldn't wait to move on. I guess her emotional attachment to her original classes was pushed aside by her enthusiasm to graduate to what she sees as the "big kid area."
This week, Mia practically ran to her new room, even though we didn't know exactly where to find it. We got her checked in and she never looked back. "Bye mom", "bye dad", and that was it. She went off to color like she had always been there. Good for her.
Walking away, we remembered the first time that we took Mia to church right after we got home from China. She did not think that we were coming back to get her, so she cried her eyes out. She was SO relieved when we came back to get her every week. I think that it probably helped her to trust us. We left her with people who helped her have a good time and we came back to take her to her home. After a few weeks, she had no fear, even if she didn't know the adults in her room. Now, she does the social butterfly thing and jumps right in with both feet.
Annie wanted to cry last week when we dropped off and picked up for the last time in Small World. Mia, however, couldn't wait to move on. I guess her emotional attachment to her original classes was pushed aside by her enthusiasm to graduate to what she sees as the "big kid area."
This week, Mia practically ran to her new room, even though we didn't know exactly where to find it. We got her checked in and she never looked back. "Bye mom", "bye dad", and that was it. She went off to color like she had always been there. Good for her.
Walking away, we remembered the first time that we took Mia to church right after we got home from China. She did not think that we were coming back to get her, so she cried her eyes out. She was SO relieved when we came back to get her every week. I think that it probably helped her to trust us. We left her with people who helped her have a good time and we came back to take her to her home. After a few weeks, she had no fear, even if she didn't know the adults in her room. Now, she does the social butterfly thing and jumps right in with both feet.
Can we go, already?
I can't wait!
Hurry up!!
Nametag on the FRONT!!!
Tell us all about it...
Saturday, August 14, 2010
OMG! The JoBros are SO Cute!
I don't think that this really needs an explanation...
She hugged the display and I'm not so sure that she didn't kiss it. Can anyone tell me how we got here from Tigger and Pooh?? It really wasn't that long ago.........
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Back to the Beach
I took a day off last week and we went back to the beach. It's weird. We hadn't been to the beach in three years and now we've been there twice in three weeks. Mia has been itching to go back, so we hatched a plan to go back before school started.
The water was a lot different this time. Before the waves were higher and faster. This time, they were much slower and not as choppy. Mia liked the "scary" waves better, but she enjoyed herself quite a bit.
We had the plan worked out this time, so it was a much better experience all around. We left home earlier and got to Galveston several hours earlier than we did last time. We put on our swim gear an sunscreen before leaving home, so we didn't have to spend lots of time in the sparkling public restrooms. We brought an umbrella, so the $25 rental wasn't necessary (ouch) and we packed a cooler full of snacks. It was far superior to last time, which was actually pretty fun.
The water was a lot different this time. Before the waves were higher and faster. This time, they were much slower and not as choppy. Mia liked the "scary" waves better, but she enjoyed herself quite a bit.
We had the plan worked out this time, so it was a much better experience all around. We left home earlier and got to Galveston several hours earlier than we did last time. We put on our swim gear an sunscreen before leaving home, so we didn't have to spend lots of time in the sparkling public restrooms. We brought an umbrella, so the $25 rental wasn't necessary (ouch) and we packed a cooler full of snacks. It was far superior to last time, which was actually pretty fun.
End of the road:
(Mia had a hard time with that concept before she saw it in person.)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
So...where is Guiyang anyway??
Just in case you aren't completely familiar with the geography of China, here's a map to get you up to speed:
Guiyang is 865 miles northwest of Guangzhou. It's the capital city of Guizhou province. It's on the map near Kennedy's left arm. Annie was quick to point out that it's to your right. : )
Based upon this picture, we think that we are meeting up with a kid that has a sense of humor. She will fit right in with our crowd!
Guiyang is 865 miles northwest of Guangzhou. It's the capital city of Guizhou province. It's on the map near Kennedy's left arm. Annie was quick to point out that it's to your right. : )
Based upon this picture, we think that we are meeting up with a kid that has a sense of humor. She will fit right in with our crowd!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Ladybug Sighting
Sunday was errand day this week. After I mowed the yard and Annie worked on various back-to-school projects, we left our house for several hours of this and that. One of our stops was FedEx Office. Annie need to enlarge a chart to serve as a poster in her classroom. While we were waiting for the print, I looked at the counter and there was a ladybug doing not much.
For those who haven't taken the double-secret initiation into China adoption, the ladybug is seen as a symbol of good luck. We can all use some of that, whether it's delivered by a ladybug or not.
Some of you may remember that when we were waiting for Mia, we had a significant ladybug sighting exactly one year before we left China with her. Anybody wanna take a bet that something cool happens soon with Kennedy on the 8th of a month?
Some of you may remember that when we were waiting for Mia, we had a significant ladybug sighting exactly one year before we left China with her. Anybody wanna take a bet that something cool happens soon with Kennedy on the 8th of a month?
Friday, August 6, 2010
A Little Says A Lot
Annie and I had just finished an email and we were about to hit SEND when the song on the computer smoothly sounded out "A little says a lot when writing from across the world." It would have seemed so average on any other average day. However, that evening, we were sending our first ever email message to our daughter Kennedy, who's waiting for us in China. We had just spent about an hour writing and rewriting just the right words to say what we wanted to say, in a way that could translate clearly into Chinese. We initially wrote a much longer message than we eventually sent. We realized that we were working on an overwhelming message with, ultimately, life changing impact for both sender and receiver. We were so nervous about getting it just right that we found that the best way to say the most, was to be brief. We had whittled our email down to a couple of paragraphs and converted it to acceptable Chinese, when "Disappearing World" by Fair came on. Annie's eyes got really big and she just looked at me in disbelief. I heard it but didn't really process it at first. We talked about how timely and cool that was, considering what we are about to do. Seriously, how can a world this big, be so small? Thank you RadioU, for being at the right place, at the right time.
After listening to the song, we sent the message. Now we are waiting on pins and needles for a reply. Will she be nervous, like we were? Will she know what to say? Will she write in Chinese and translate online, like we did? What will she want to know about us? Is she as anxious to meet us as we are to meet her?
This strikes me as another in a growing list of "God things" that have become associated with this adoption process. I can't wait to see what happens next.
After listening to the song, we sent the message. Now we are waiting on pins and needles for a reply. Will she be nervous, like we were? Will she know what to say? Will she write in Chinese and translate online, like we did? What will she want to know about us? Is she as anxious to meet us as we are to meet her?
This strikes me as another in a growing list of "God things" that have become associated with this adoption process. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Just another day at the beach
While it's not totally destroyed anymore, you can still see the effects of Hurricane Ike on Galveston Island. We had not been to the island since well before the storm hit, but last month it was evident that the restoration is still incomplete. We did a day trip and saw some homes and businesses that are still unoccupied or in various stages of repair. Lots of work has been done in the two years that have passed, but it was kind of sad to see the visible projects as well as those things that were missing.
Mia had never been to the beach before this summer. We took her to Moody Gardens in 2007 but she was not a big fan of sand at that point. When it came time to see the ocean, we stuck to the seawall. This time, she had no fear of sand and was interested to see what the big deal was about the ocean, since she really didn't remember it. Annie has told her about Jaws and she has somehow developed an irrational fear of being pinched by a crab, that we can't blame on SpongeBob. So, she initially had some reservations about going in the water. Mia told Annie that she didn't need to put on her swimsuit because she was only going to get her feet wet. She just wanted a pair of shorts and a tank top. Well...we weren't driving all that way just to dip a toe in, so Annie talked her into the swim suit and we made our way south.
We checked online and decided to go to Stewart Beach. I guess that's been the family tourist beach for as long as I can remember, so we went for it. We went on a weekday, so there was not a big crowd. We got a good parking spot and found an area to sit that was right by the water. We changed clothes and shuttled our gear to the sand. Once we got settled, I realized that I had left something in van and went back to get it. By the time I returned, Annie had gotten Mia into the water up to her knees and she was grinning from ear to ear. Mia, that is. Annie still has the Jaws thing and wasn't too keen on any of us becoming shark bait. So, I took Mia and Annie watched us nervously as we waded out into the water. We got about chest high on Mia and Annie got really nervous. I looked back and she wasn't looking at us. I found out later that day that she "couldn't watch us go out that far." Mia was loving it. We came back to the shore and she yelled to Annie "I SUPER love the beach!!" Yes she did. About that time, I somehow realized that I still had Annie's keys in my pocket. That was just awesome. I knew that the keys wouldn't be a problem, but I panicked a little bit when I thought about the remote. I just really didn't want to buy another one of those. Fortunately, I tried to unlock the van and re-lock it and the remote still works. Apparently, it is water resistant to at least two feet. Regardless, it was pretty embarrassing!
We ended up going back out about chest high to me and floating back to shore with the waves. I had to teach Mia to jump on the waves at the right time and to keep her mouth closed. She got a mouthful a couple of times and you would have thought she had a mouthful of crude oil (possible, I guess) based upon the look on her face. Regardless of the nasty salt water taste, she did not want to come back to the shore. She was having the time of her life. I held her up and we did our best to keep from getting knocked over by the waves. It wasn't exactly the north shore, but there was enough water to keep us on our toes. She's learned how to swim now, but I really didn't want her swimming on her own in the ocean just yet.
After a while, I got too tired to carry Mia out into the deeper water. So, we decided to come back in and built a few sand castles. Mia had been looking forward to that all week. It's all she really wanted to do before we left our house. Of course, that was before we found out that she was a beach bunny.
On the way home, we got caught in the rush hour traffic south of downtown. So our trip home was quite a bit longer than we'd hoped for. About twenty minutes from home, Mia commented that she was too hot and asked us to cool it off, which we did. About nineteen minutes from home, I turned around to ask her if it was better and she was stone cold asleep. Nice. A power nap at dinner time. How cool is that? She felt great after she woke up. And at 9:00pm. And 10:00pm. And 10:30...
When I got home and took my shower, I noticed for the first time the beautiful tapestry on my back. I (sort of) applied my own sunscreen, so it was far from expertly done. I missed quite a few spots in a seemingly random patter. Luckily, I somehow didn't get completely burned. However, I did have a really crazy patternn on my back that was a different color than everything else. Repeat after me...ask for help with sunscreen. Or as Mia used to say, scunscreen.
All in all, in spite of the tiny tragedies, it was a great day. One of the coolest parts of the day was getting Kennedy's file from China while we were on the causeway bridge. Josh sent it right before we got to the bridge.
Mia had never been to the beach before this summer. We took her to Moody Gardens in 2007 but she was not a big fan of sand at that point. When it came time to see the ocean, we stuck to the seawall. This time, she had no fear of sand and was interested to see what the big deal was about the ocean, since she really didn't remember it. Annie has told her about Jaws and she has somehow developed an irrational fear of being pinched by a crab, that we can't blame on SpongeBob. So, she initially had some reservations about going in the water. Mia told Annie that she didn't need to put on her swimsuit because she was only going to get her feet wet. She just wanted a pair of shorts and a tank top. Well...we weren't driving all that way just to dip a toe in, so Annie talked her into the swim suit and we made our way south.
We checked online and decided to go to Stewart Beach. I guess that's been the family tourist beach for as long as I can remember, so we went for it. We went on a weekday, so there was not a big crowd. We got a good parking spot and found an area to sit that was right by the water. We changed clothes and shuttled our gear to the sand. Once we got settled, I realized that I had left something in van and went back to get it. By the time I returned, Annie had gotten Mia into the water up to her knees and she was grinning from ear to ear. Mia, that is. Annie still has the Jaws thing and wasn't too keen on any of us becoming shark bait. So, I took Mia and Annie watched us nervously as we waded out into the water. We got about chest high on Mia and Annie got really nervous. I looked back and she wasn't looking at us. I found out later that day that she "couldn't watch us go out that far." Mia was loving it. We came back to the shore and she yelled to Annie "I SUPER love the beach!!" Yes she did. About that time, I somehow realized that I still had Annie's keys in my pocket. That was just awesome. I knew that the keys wouldn't be a problem, but I panicked a little bit when I thought about the remote. I just really didn't want to buy another one of those. Fortunately, I tried to unlock the van and re-lock it and the remote still works. Apparently, it is water resistant to at least two feet. Regardless, it was pretty embarrassing!
We ended up going back out about chest high to me and floating back to shore with the waves. I had to teach Mia to jump on the waves at the right time and to keep her mouth closed. She got a mouthful a couple of times and you would have thought she had a mouthful of crude oil (possible, I guess) based upon the look on her face. Regardless of the nasty salt water taste, she did not want to come back to the shore. She was having the time of her life. I held her up and we did our best to keep from getting knocked over by the waves. It wasn't exactly the north shore, but there was enough water to keep us on our toes. She's learned how to swim now, but I really didn't want her swimming on her own in the ocean just yet.
After a while, I got too tired to carry Mia out into the deeper water. So, we decided to come back in and built a few sand castles. Mia had been looking forward to that all week. It's all she really wanted to do before we left our house. Of course, that was before we found out that she was a beach bunny.
On the way home, we got caught in the rush hour traffic south of downtown. So our trip home was quite a bit longer than we'd hoped for. About twenty minutes from home, Mia commented that she was too hot and asked us to cool it off, which we did. About nineteen minutes from home, I turned around to ask her if it was better and she was stone cold asleep. Nice. A power nap at dinner time. How cool is that? She felt great after she woke up. And at 9:00pm. And 10:00pm. And 10:30...
When I got home and took my shower, I noticed for the first time the beautiful tapestry on my back. I (sort of) applied my own sunscreen, so it was far from expertly done. I missed quite a few spots in a seemingly random patter. Luckily, I somehow didn't get completely burned. However, I did have a really crazy patternn on my back that was a different color than everything else. Repeat after me...ask for help with sunscreen. Or as Mia used to say, scunscreen.
All in all, in spite of the tiny tragedies, it was a great day. One of the coolest parts of the day was getting Kennedy's file from China while we were on the causeway bridge. Josh sent it right before we got to the bridge.
Now we're trying to figure out now how we're going to get back to the island before school starts.
Monday, August 2, 2010
WOW!
Annie sent this message a couple of weeks ago in an email to some of her friends. It is such an awesome description of our latest adventure that I thought it best to share it in its original form. There is no way that I could explain it any better than this.
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I can't thank all of you enough for your overwhelming responses, prayers and words of encouragement! I had NO idea how many of you were actually following our story! When we are in China, we will have a daily blog, including pictures, for the entire adoption trip! I guess it will get lots of hits!
Many of you have encouraged me NOT to stop or shorten these updates. I will try to go somewhere in the middle! BUT...since there is so much interest, and so many of you are believers too...I must share a little more. (OK, not really a LITTLE....this one is LONG!!!!)
First, some people lovingly ask us if we are crazy for CHOOSING to adopt a TEENAGER!!! Fair question! We did not wake up one day, look at eachother and say, "Hey, honey...let's adopt a 13 year old from another country who speaks no English!!" As if the teen years are not hard enough, we thought we would throw in a language barrier for extra fun!! :) Seriously, we ARE scared out of our minds, but we know God will carry us through this. We truly feel that this is what God has led us to do. Also, in James 1:22, we are instructed to "Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it!" further down in verse 25, it says, "God will bless you in everything you do, if you LISTEN and OBEY, and don't just hear and forget." Finally, in verse 27, it clearly states, "You must help needy orphans and widows..." We know now without a doubt that the reason Charles and I were unable to have biological children is because God's will for us is to form our family through adoption, and He has called us specifically to adopt His chosen children, orphans.
You all know we adopted Mia 4 years ago this coming December from China. You also know we attempted to adopt a precious baby here in the U.S. through CPS last fall semester. That did NOT work out, and it was truly gut-wrenching and heart-breaking. I asked God OFTEN during those months WHY???? Why are we going through this pain????
One of the last days we had with our foster baby, she was sitting on my lap at my mom's house while I was surfing the site that hosted our adoption trip to Mia, thestoryofyou.com. (If you go to that site, click on find a family, then scroll down on the left under we're home blogs to we're home websites, then click on Mia Grace-China... you can see a video clip of the moment Mia was placed in my arms , SCREAMING!!!! and see pics and entries from each day we were there. We will have a blog site there for this next trip.) ANYWAY...God had me stumble on to one of the blogs on that site (Kennedy "Ohana"...you can see their blog on that site as well. If you go to December 2009 on their blog and click on Gotcha Day, you can see pics of their daughter with our Kennedy...named after that precious Kennedy family. Kennedy is the one in the pink coat.) When I first saw the picture of this family's new daughter, standing beside her best friend who came along with her to meet her parents for the first time, I was drawn to her. On that day, while my heart was hurting for the loss I was about to go through of the baby sitting there playing on my lap...and I felt my heart literally BREAKING to the idea of ever attempting a "baby" adoption again, God began softening my heart to the idea of adopting an older child from China.
We always wanted to adopt again from Mia's homeland, but it is an overwhelming and expensive process. However, after our foster/adopt failure, we knew we had to follow our hearts back to China. We STILL have NO idea how we will pay for all that is still ahead in fees and travel, but we KNOW God will provide. He does not call us to do something just to watch us obey and not be able to complete it due to financial reasons. We began discussing the adoption of perhaps a child between the ages of 4 and 8. However, we were both continually drawn back to the photo of the sweet, at that time 12 year old. Her file had not even been created yet in China, so we didn't think it was really an option anyway. We checked into the situation, and the agency said it was possible that her file and our dossier might not even physically be able to be created and logged in to make an adoption possible before she would age out. We decided that door was closing. Yet, we continued to feel drawn to her. About 2 weeks after our foster baby left, we decided to move forward with our paperwork, and request that hers be completed. We knew her file might not be ready in time, and if not, we could adopt another older child. But deep down, we "knew" she was our daughter. We submitted our application in the beginning of Feburary...and fast forward to last week when her file was not listed...again we thought the door had closed. We have asked God all along that if this was NOT His will, close the doors, but if it WAS His will, open the doors and we would continue to walk through them...even though this is scary. As you now know, just 3 days after the door "closed", an unheard of miracle threw it back open, and we are now matched to her, and will complete this adoption before she ages out!
When we were adopting Mia, we were actually waiting for a referral of a child 1 year old or younger, no special needs. God put Mia in our path. She was about to turn 2 and was considered a "special needs" adoption because she had crossed eyes that would require surgery. We consulted a surgeon to determine it was an easy fix, but I was so worried about her being "older". While we were trying to decide if we should move forward, my best friend, Corrie, looked at me and asked, "Would you love a 2 year old any less than you would a 1 year old?" OF COURSE NOT! God gave her those words to say to me to make it so clear to us! BTW, when we got to China 2 months later (as it turns out...more than 3 YEARS earlier than we would have gone if we had waited for a "healthy 1 year old or younger")...Mia's eyes were NO LONGER CROSSED!!!!!!! Never needed that surgery! God put her on the special needs list so we could bring her home immediately! No special need. Hmm...
So...why are we adopting a TEENAGER by choice? Because she is our daughter. Would we love a 13 year old any less than a 4-8 year old? OF COURSE NOT!!! Every orphan, regardless of age, deserves a family to love and care for them, and show them who God is. Kennedy is growing up in a place where Buddhism is the norm, so join me in praying that God will prepare HER heart to know and love Him!
OK, now this is WAY too long! But hopefully somewhere in this email, at least one of you was encouraged or inspired! Please excuse any typos! My fingers are tired!
---
Brilliant!
---
I can't thank all of you enough for your overwhelming responses, prayers and words of encouragement! I had NO idea how many of you were actually following our story! When we are in China, we will have a daily blog, including pictures, for the entire adoption trip! I guess it will get lots of hits!
Many of you have encouraged me NOT to stop or shorten these updates. I will try to go somewhere in the middle! BUT...since there is so much interest, and so many of you are believers too...I must share a little more. (OK, not really a LITTLE....this one is LONG!!!!)
First, some people lovingly ask us if we are crazy for CHOOSING to adopt a TEENAGER!!! Fair question! We did not wake up one day, look at eachother and say, "Hey, honey...let's adopt a 13 year old from another country who speaks no English!!" As if the teen years are not hard enough, we thought we would throw in a language barrier for extra fun!! :) Seriously, we ARE scared out of our minds, but we know God will carry us through this. We truly feel that this is what God has led us to do. Also, in James 1:22, we are instructed to "Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it!" further down in verse 25, it says, "God will bless you in everything you do, if you LISTEN and OBEY, and don't just hear and forget." Finally, in verse 27, it clearly states, "You must help needy orphans and widows..." We know now without a doubt that the reason Charles and I were unable to have biological children is because God's will for us is to form our family through adoption, and He has called us specifically to adopt His chosen children, orphans.
You all know we adopted Mia 4 years ago this coming December from China. You also know we attempted to adopt a precious baby here in the U.S. through CPS last fall semester. That did NOT work out, and it was truly gut-wrenching and heart-breaking. I asked God OFTEN during those months WHY???? Why are we going through this pain????
One of the last days we had with our foster baby, she was sitting on my lap at my mom's house while I was surfing the site that hosted our adoption trip to Mia, thestoryofyou.com. (If you go to that site, click on find a family, then scroll down on the left under we're home blogs to we're home websites, then click on Mia Grace-China... you can see a video clip of the moment Mia was placed in my arms , SCREAMING!!!! and see pics and entries from each day we were there. We will have a blog site there for this next trip.) ANYWAY...God had me stumble on to one of the blogs on that site (Kennedy "Ohana"...you can see their blog on that site as well. If you go to December 2009 on their blog and click on Gotcha Day, you can see pics of their daughter with our Kennedy...named after that precious Kennedy family. Kennedy is the one in the pink coat.) When I first saw the picture of this family's new daughter, standing beside her best friend who came along with her to meet her parents for the first time, I was drawn to her. On that day, while my heart was hurting for the loss I was about to go through of the baby sitting there playing on my lap...and I felt my heart literally BREAKING to the idea of ever attempting a "baby" adoption again, God began softening my heart to the idea of adopting an older child from China.
We always wanted to adopt again from Mia's homeland, but it is an overwhelming and expensive process. However, after our foster/adopt failure, we knew we had to follow our hearts back to China. We STILL have NO idea how we will pay for all that is still ahead in fees and travel, but we KNOW God will provide. He does not call us to do something just to watch us obey and not be able to complete it due to financial reasons. We began discussing the adoption of perhaps a child between the ages of 4 and 8. However, we were both continually drawn back to the photo of the sweet, at that time 12 year old. Her file had not even been created yet in China, so we didn't think it was really an option anyway. We checked into the situation, and the agency said it was possible that her file and our dossier might not even physically be able to be created and logged in to make an adoption possible before she would age out. We decided that door was closing. Yet, we continued to feel drawn to her. About 2 weeks after our foster baby left, we decided to move forward with our paperwork, and request that hers be completed. We knew her file might not be ready in time, and if not, we could adopt another older child. But deep down, we "knew" she was our daughter. We submitted our application in the beginning of Feburary...and fast forward to last week when her file was not listed...again we thought the door had closed. We have asked God all along that if this was NOT His will, close the doors, but if it WAS His will, open the doors and we would continue to walk through them...even though this is scary. As you now know, just 3 days after the door "closed", an unheard of miracle threw it back open, and we are now matched to her, and will complete this adoption before she ages out!
When we were adopting Mia, we were actually waiting for a referral of a child 1 year old or younger, no special needs. God put Mia in our path. She was about to turn 2 and was considered a "special needs" adoption because she had crossed eyes that would require surgery. We consulted a surgeon to determine it was an easy fix, but I was so worried about her being "older". While we were trying to decide if we should move forward, my best friend, Corrie, looked at me and asked, "Would you love a 2 year old any less than you would a 1 year old?" OF COURSE NOT! God gave her those words to say to me to make it so clear to us! BTW, when we got to China 2 months later (as it turns out...more than 3 YEARS earlier than we would have gone if we had waited for a "healthy 1 year old or younger")...Mia's eyes were NO LONGER CROSSED!!!!!!! Never needed that surgery! God put her on the special needs list so we could bring her home immediately! No special need. Hmm...
So...why are we adopting a TEENAGER by choice? Because she is our daughter. Would we love a 13 year old any less than a 4-8 year old? OF COURSE NOT!!! Every orphan, regardless of age, deserves a family to love and care for them, and show them who God is. Kennedy is growing up in a place where Buddhism is the norm, so join me in praying that God will prepare HER heart to know and love Him!
OK, now this is WAY too long! But hopefully somewhere in this email, at least one of you was encouraged or inspired! Please excuse any typos! My fingers are tired!
---
Brilliant!
Table for Four, Please
Most of our friends and family have already heard our news, but for those who haven't, it's time to share. Annie, Mia and I are excited to announce that we are adding a new member to our family. We have submitted our letter of intent and are waiting for a pre-approval that should arrive this week. Her name is NiuNiu and she's living at the Guiyang SWI in Guizhou province. She's 13, and we've been rushing paperwork for months, trying to meet her before she ages out.
Many of you already know that we tried a foster adoption in late 2009. While that has worked well for lots of people, it failed miserably for us. Looking back on it, we've realized that God used the experience to put our hearts right to go back to China. We considered a couple of files before the foster, but chickened out for one reason or another. Anyway, we found our way back to China with some help. Annie has been following families from The Story of You since before we traveled to meet Mia. She found the Kennedy family and the story of their trip to Guiyang to meet their daughter. One of their blog posts showed a great picture of their cute-as-a-button daughter with a beautiful girl that was her best friend. There was a note describing her and asking people to consider an older child. Annie showed me the picture and we both had the same thought...sounds great! The thought of a middle-school aged child was somewhat scary, but it felt right to both of us. Annie sent an email and asked a few questions. Within a few weeks we had gathered our initial documents and started the application process. Our application was approved in February and a little over a week ago we submitted our letter of intent to adopt NiuNiu. Based upon the serendipity that led us to her and the blessings that have been popping up at every turn, we decided that it was right to present Kennedy Faith as her American name. We cannot wait to move the paperwork to the point where we can communicate with our daughter directly and get her input. We want to hear all about her and find out what she's like. So far, we have seen the file provided by the CCAA and heard some great descriptions from the Kennedy family. Now, we are counting the minutes until we can email her!! And we are counting the weeks until we travel to Guiyang to meet her in person!!!!
Many of you already know that we tried a foster adoption in late 2009. While that has worked well for lots of people, it failed miserably for us. Looking back on it, we've realized that God used the experience to put our hearts right to go back to China. We considered a couple of files before the foster, but chickened out for one reason or another. Anyway, we found our way back to China with some help. Annie has been following families from The Story of You since before we traveled to meet Mia. She found the Kennedy family and the story of their trip to Guiyang to meet their daughter. One of their blog posts showed a great picture of their cute-as-a-button daughter with a beautiful girl that was her best friend. There was a note describing her and asking people to consider an older child. Annie showed me the picture and we both had the same thought...sounds great! The thought of a middle-school aged child was somewhat scary, but it felt right to both of us. Annie sent an email and asked a few questions. Within a few weeks we had gathered our initial documents and started the application process. Our application was approved in February and a little over a week ago we submitted our letter of intent to adopt NiuNiu. Based upon the serendipity that led us to her and the blessings that have been popping up at every turn, we decided that it was right to present Kennedy Faith as her American name. We cannot wait to move the paperwork to the point where we can communicate with our daughter directly and get her input. We want to hear all about her and find out what she's like. So far, we have seen the file provided by the CCAA and heard some great descriptions from the Kennedy family. Now, we are counting the minutes until we can email her!! And we are counting the weeks until we travel to Guiyang to meet her in person!!!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
GRAND OPENING!
Thanks for checking out our new blog. We've decided to close down our old page for a few different reasons. We hope that you enjoy the new format. We'll try to share more news with you this way. Thanks for taking the time to read our tales.
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