Thursday, February 28, 2008

TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to announce that we received our travel approval today.
Our agency should have travel dates the first part of next week.
They said Jeff & Grandpa Ed could leave as early as March 10th.
OH MY.......... we have A LOT to get done! Yippie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think he is ready to come home........

*Just in case you missed it..... there is another new Ty picture in the post below.*

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Happy Birthday Jeff

Today is Jeff's 35th birthday! Talk about a great birthday gift.... we received some wonderful pictures and an update about Ty.

The families that are part of the orphanage Yahoo group are just amazing! They do what they call "Pay It Forward". Each time a family makes an orphanage visit they take pictures for all of the waiting families. What a wonderful gift and blessing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you have asked when we will travel, etc.......
Well, we are still waiting on Travel Approval. We THINK that travel will be the end of March.
For some that have just started to follow our blog..... Jeff is traveling with his dad. I am staying at home with Lily. This was NOT an easy decision by any means but one that we feel was an answer to prayers.

Here is a little update from the dear mother that took the picture below.....
Now... can I describe your little man a bit.... he is irresistible!!! He "fought" for my full attention while I was there... he climbed, made noise, laughed, blinked his eyes, smiled... and finally climbed out of the crib! He is a teeny tiny little thing and I could just love on him all day!!! And cute... oh my goodness... he is cute and what is so funny... he KNOWS it!!!! He uses that cute little "head tilt" and finger in his mouth with a grin....



Monday, February 25, 2008

More DIVA Lily

Lily has a look that is all her own. Even at 3 she has her own ideas about fashion. The funkier the better. Check out the polka dot pants and ladybug shirt. She picked this out for playing dress up. Notice her tiara is upside down.... hee hee

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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Ty Baby

These are the latest Ty (or as Lily says... Ty Baby) pictures.
We noticed in many of his mealtime pictures he is very serious..... eating is very serious business!
Look how happy he is in his little bed!


Thursday, February 21, 2008

Chinese New Year

OH MY..... She is such a Diva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll be posting more pictures very soon to back that statement up.

This is Lily all ready for our FCC (Families with Children from China) Chinese New Year (this past weekend). She LOVES her Chinese outfits but seemed to especially like this pink one! When I got my camera out to take her picture she insisted that these Hello Kitty glasses (a birthday gift) be part of it.

I call these her "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" glasses....


Sunday, February 17, 2008

Lily is 3

FINALLY.... birthday pictures.
Sorry for the delay!!! Last week was BUSY, BUSY.

Last weekend we had a little family party for Lily's big 3. It was A LOT of fun!!! Hello Kitty and her colors (pink, white, black) were the theme.
Lily loves Hello Kitty or Miss Kitty as we call her.

We celebrated Lily's birthday all weekend and even days later she still wanted to blow out candles for her birthday.

I can't believe our Lily is 3. Watching her grow and change is so much fun. I love all of her little stages (well......some more than others). Although, there are days that I just wish I could freeze time or slow it down a little. Our baby is growing up so fast and is becoming such a big girl.

Lily is such an amazing little person! She is spunky, sweet, sassy, smart, cute, fun, funny, loving, and just so beautiful inside and out. I tell her that she is my right hand girl.... she is by my side a lot and she is my biggest helper! She makes every day an adventure. She makes me laugh more than anyone and makes each day so exciting! I thank God for her each and every day!




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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day and 10 years

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have always loved Valentine's Day! It just so happens that Jeff and I also got married 10 years ago on Valentine's Day!!!!!!!

(this picture came out of a scrapbook that is also 10 years old)

Monday, February 11, 2008

Happy Birthday Lily

I can't believe our baby is 3 years old! Where did the time go?


Thursday, February 7, 2008

Happy Chinese New Year

I am one of those people that loves to celebrate!!! I love all the decorations that go along with holidays and parties.

Our FCC (Families with Children From China) doesn't have their big Chinese New Year celebration until next weekend. So, I figured we might as well celebrate at home today and each year.
We have a big lantern hanging... with a boy and girl on it. Lily thought this was great fun to get out the ladder and hang it way up high (her words). She says that the boy and girl are Lily and Ty.
I also found the cutest throw pillows with a boy and girl on them... again Lily and Ty.
Lily had her one and only RED Chinese outfit on (we have several pink ones that fit but only one red). She started the day off with a Red M & M and a Rat ornament for her Christmas tree.

Tonight Jeff is bringing home some Chinese food from one of our favorite restaurants and I have a red envelope for Lily with a coin for her PIG (her word for her piggy bank).

It appears that I am not the only one who loves to celebrate..... Lily is loving it and has told anyone and everyone Happy New Year!

She thought maybe next year Ty could reach her up to hang the lantern. I told her he probably wouldn't be tall enough and she looked at me as if to say, "I realize that mom".
She said, "He is going to be very strong MOM... he can do it". Looks like she has it all figured out.


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Tuesday, February 5, 2008

LOA is here!

This morning I was making breakfast and also trying to get a ziploc bag of frozen chili out of the freezer when the phone rang. I am quite sure my mind is going or it is gone. I do the craziest things...... the other day I made a BIG pot of chili and decided to freeze some of it. I put it in Ziploc freezer bags and put it on the shelf in the freezer. Being a liquid in a bag it sort of formed to the shelf and the spaces in between (it didn't leak... it is still in the bag). Needless to say it stuck. So, I was in the freezer with a hammer trying to loosen it (another genius idea of mine). That is when the phone call came from our adoption agency. Mind you the whole time Lily is yelling in the background.... I WANT BREAKFAST MOM...... I SO HUNGRY...... YOU HAVE HAMMER IN FRIGADATOR..........
Of course she sees me answer the phone and proceeds to yell....... I NEED M & M.... I NEED FRUIT......
Normally I wouldn't have answered the phone (with so much noise going on from Lily) but I saw the call was coming from our adoption agency.
I am sure they wonder what in the world is going on at our house.

SOOOO back to the call...... we received our LOA (Letter of Approval) today. What an exciting surprise and a HUGE step in this process. This is our official approval from China to adopt Ty.
Our packet of paperwork is scheduled to arrive from DHL tomorrow. Then we wait for Travel Approval. If all goes according to recent time trends we are thinking and hoping travel will be the end of March.

Can I just say YIPPPPEEEEE!!!!!!!

Now I better really get busy!!!! OH MY!

****Check out our new family pictures below****

One of my favorite Ty pictures taken in August right after we got our referral.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Happy Family

Lily LOVES it when we all match..... including Miss Kitty (her Hello Kitty). She especially loves it when she and Miss Kitty match. In fact, whenever she wears this dress she puts Miss Kitty in her matching outfit. It is the cutest thing when she talks to her and tells her how pretty she looks. She will say to Miss Kitty, "You look so pretty like Lily does".

She also loves it when I set up the tripod to get a family picture. The part she loves is running back and forth to see each picture.


With both kitties! Marshall is not as happy to have his picture taken. He was napping where we decided to do the picture. Poor Marshall.... he puts up with so much!