Will He Even Like Us?

This weekend I decided we will send a photo album to Liang even if we don't have LOA. Our agency said we could send one right after we received PA, but we felt there were so many hurdles to jump at that point. Now that we have US approval I decided to find some pictures to send.....

           Much easier said than done! Think about it, if you got to chose what your family would look like? What would you pick?

 I looked at our pictures, it took about 3 hours to find the "right" ones, do we look friendly?

Are there too many of us, will he expect a mansion?

Will he wonder why we dress differently than other American's he's seen? 

I really hope he gets the book before we come, so he has time to adjust his thinking.

Someone asked me the other day, "So you set up this blog to keep in contact with him?"  How I wish!

 

So we look friendly or sort of tired and saggy? The light was bright and I think we were squinting a bit.

  

 The boys thought we should send snow pictures, I think he has probably seen enough snow this year in Beijing.

 

Big brother is not very scary, his little sisters think he is very nice. 

 

  

Yeah we could add another one in this group

  

Do they look too silly, or just plain cute?

We are adding a bunk bed in the boys' room, but I don't know how to find that phrase in Mandarin. DH is building the bed. (You can't see middle brother laying on the floor on the far side of the bed)....I told him to get out of bed or lay real flat so he doesn't show on the picture, he chose to roll out on to the floor. In bed at 8:30 on a Sat. hmph!

 

The girls' wanted their room featured too.

And Little Sister thought the "little living room" looks bare without her. A smile would have been nice.

I must admit I have not done any shopping for clothing or "things" for him yet. I work better under pressure, I'll wait till we are ready to travel :^)

Last but not least  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Liang! He is 10 today.

I really wanted to be DCT by his birthday, but....

State Seals

Yesterday, the temperatures were warmer than initially predicted and we had rain, not snow Yaaay! My sister-in-law and I drove to the state capitol with the aid of Wilbur (Big Brother's GPS). His British accent did not lead us astray.
We had $2 worth of quarters and it gave us a 40 minutes of parking. I was sure we would have to come back and feed the meter another hunk of quarters, ah well.

Walked into the office to be met by a friendly clerk who immediately guessed our reason for coming. Told us to take a seat. We didn't even get to leaf through a whole magazine and they called my name. They were finished, wish I could charge $195 for 10 minutes! (most of those jobs aren't actually legal).

We were out of the city before the time ran out in the parking meter. We did a little retail therapy before heading home. Just fabric store and Salvation Army thrift shop, but I've not been shopping much this winter.


After parent teacher conferences, where the teachers described children who do not live in our house, I arranged all those precious documents and their copies on the table to make sure I have 5 copies of everything. No, I don't think I need 5 copies, but you never know :^)

Mailed the 13 documents off to Legal-eaze this morning, they have a nice fee for processing, but I hear they are good. We could not decide if we wanted to save the $195 and wait 15-20 business days for our documents to be returned or pay someone to carry them to the consulate and have them back in decent time. After doing some praying about it DH decided we should do all in our power to keep these documents moving.

We are hoping to be DTC in the next 2 weeks!

Our I-797 !!

Lately all the important mail....checks, fingerprint appointments, bills :^( come in small envelopes. So I was looking through them hoping to see another envelope from US*IS. I was starting to feel disappointed until I noticed the return address on the BIG envelope. Somehow that one did not look official, but it WAS!!!

We have one more approval, one more piece saying we can be parents to Liang.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, my sister-in-law and I will drive to Harrisburg and get the state seals applied to the 13 documents that make up our dossier. The weather, of course, is iffy, so we will see if the temperature stays above or below freezing before we battle the traffic.

Patience my dear, patience

Check out the new Page tab

Look at the top of the screen, click on the fund-raising button and see what my mom and I have been doing with our extra time.

Our Chinese New Year Party

Tonite our local FCC group had a CNY party. Food was good, children were rowdy, and the dragon was scary! Ask Little Sister.

I got the wild idea to make them new dresses....yesterday around 10AM. Actually got them finished.

Youngest Brother's Bible quiz team got into the final rounds and came in around 9th out of 52 teams. Middle Brother's team didn't make it to the finals...so more studying this week.

Of Spelling Bees, Bible Quizzing, and Chinese New Year Parties

And also of Income Taxes, Grant forms and FA*SA forms.

I feel like I've been spinning in circles this week. This was the week I was going to accomplish all that did not get to last week because the kids were home from school.

Yeah well…

Yesterday we finally had the long awaited Valentines/CNY party at school. Big sister had ordered the menu Egg Roll, wonton soup, and dumplings. I used my veto power and changed it to eggroll, spicy chicken, rice and stir-fried veggies. At the last minute she remembered in inform me about the rescheduled spelling bee "It's this afternoon at 2" I was planning to be at home sewing by that time! But since she was one of the 4 finalists in second grade…I really needed to stay and see the results. The day was a good one

Most of the kids loved the food, the red envelopes were "neat" and SHE WON THE SPELLING BEE! It was just 2^nd grade but…


 
Tomorrow the 3 boys head to Phila. for Bible Quizzing. Big brother is a coach and the other two are competing. The passages are from Matthew, chapters 1-10 but they skip the genealogies. They use the King James version and answers must be word perfect. I hate watching, I get too competitive and that doesn't look good at a Bible quiz :^)


 
Last night we took our paperwork to the accountant and when he heard we were working on FA*SA forms he finished the 1040's by tonite! So glad the tax stuff is done, this year was dismal. Hoping 2010 looks better.

I helped big brother fill out the rest of his forms and actually had a lot of the info together because I was working on adoption grant applications. I can't decide if I am wasting my time applying for grants at the beginning of the year, maybe I should be working on the quilt orders I already have. Those forms take a lot of time! Each one asks for your financial info in different break-downs, one considers your phone bill as part of your utilities another wants it listed separate.

Maybe I'll just curl up in a chair and read my new book "Parenting is Heart Work" by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. It sounds like such a good book if I could only stay awake!


I'll add a picture of Little sister learning to blow bubbles

Public Service Announcment

One week ago I mailed a package via priority mail to Adeye. The package contained 2 pocketbooks for her online fundraiser auction. It should have taken 3 days to arrive. I was  wondering why she didn't say anything about receving the pocketbooks....Today, one week later I find a crumpled package stuffed in my rural mail delivery box!

My package had lost the label I carefully printed and placed on the ty*ek, waterproof,tough-as-nails envelope.
Apparently in all the careful handling the U*PS gives to their priority mail, no one noticed they lost a label.

So if you are using those tough envelopes, skip the handy label and write directly on the package, I am just glad it did not contain any of our dossier!

What Are Christians For?

This really has nothing to do with adoption, but it is something that came to my mind especially after reading Katie's blog .
Today we had a wonderful sermon, the text was Luke 12. It has the reminders "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than mean, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowl?" Luke 12:22-24. A later verse says "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these…..how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

It also had the verse that troubles/challenges me…"Sell all that ye have and give alms"

Anyway, the main points he pulled out of the sermon had to be with things that cause Christians to lose sight of their goal (Heaven)…1. Getting involved the world's politics. In all of Jesus' teachings He is only recorded mentioning the government in terms of paying taxes and respecting them. 2. Getting too involved in the world's sports and entertainment…that is self-explanatory. 3. Depending on the government to take care of us…we must realize that God is in charge of our future.

It is very easy for me to get caught up remembering the things we should NOT be doing and I find myself concentrating on those things. Today I got to thinking "OK so what should I be doing?" so I decided to just look over the Book of Luke to see what specific things Jesus told us we should be doing.

In Luke 9 Jesus sends out his disciples to preach the kingdom of God and TO HEAL THE SICK. Later on in the same chapter when there was a crowd and it was lunch time He said "Give them something to eat"…"Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me…" Chapter 10 again "Heal the sick that are therein and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come near unto you." Chapter 10: 30-37 tells the story of the Good Samaritan and says "go
and do likewise" verse 42 tells Martha to calm down and be more like Mary.

Chapter 11 has the verses about "Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened" verse 41 is interesting to me."But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and behold, all things are clean unto you."

Chapter 12 "Be not afraid of them that kill the body….but fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you , Fear him." "Take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." "Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat…or put on" "consider the ravens" "consider the lilies" "seek the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." "Fear not little flock" "Let your loins be girded" (means be wearing your working clothes or be ready to do battle)

Chapter 18…to the rich young ruler.."Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me." "Things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

Chapter 24 at the very end Jesus gives the command "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem"


 
ANYWAY, I have my work cut out—

I should not be worrying about the future.

I should not worry if my clothes do not have the right label; as long as they cover me decently.

The food that we NEED will be there. (How many dead ravens do you see lying around?)

Giving money so the poor have something to eat and have medical care sounds like it falls in Jesus' guidelines.

Being ready to physically work for the "Kingdom of God".

Don't be afraid.

Then…. to calm down and sit at the feet of Jesus- like Mary.

This is by no means a complete job description for Christians and it is not the way to become a Christian, it is just things that came to mind as I scanned the chapters of Luke.


 
Wilbur Reeves wrote: "I would like three dollars worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a warm cup of milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of Him to make me love a [man of a different race] or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not the new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please."


 

Getting Out of the House

This is what it looked like on Wednesday, I know....a little snow, but our road crews are not sure what to do with that much snow.


Yesterday I was rejoicing...the schools were going to be open Fri, two hour delay, but open  Yaay! (I really should have planned more projects for a snow storm, but I really didn't think the forecasters would be right two times in a row!)

Well this morning we get the phone call that schools are closed today...guess some of the secondary roads were still not in good shape.

We/I still needed to get out of the house...

We made it to our local Wa*mart along with most of the local population, got the groceries and made it home with 4 kids and no tantrums. Maybe they needed to get out too.  I still need to stop for ice cream (a staple at our house) and someone should stop at the farm for 50 lbs of potatoes and we will be set for the next snow storm....aaack!

I really need to be working on this

I need to finish 120 blocks like this and have about 20 finished..get to work!!

A Pocket book for Chinese New Year!

This is one of the sewing projects I was working on this week. It's a little pocket book just in time for Chinese New Year. It measures 10-1/2 x 8-1/2 and has an inside pocket. Fastened with a button. Not recommended for children under 3 (because of the button).  $15 plus 6% PA sales tax.I'm including shipping in this price.

A Pocket book for Chinese New Year!

Same description as the previous one, but the colors are reversed.   $15 includes shipping  add 6% sales tax

Pocketbooks for Chinese New Year! (or Spring)

I'm going to re-post these I have a few left of each design.


A pocket book to help chase away cabin fever. Lady bugs on the bottom with your choice of red or green fabric on the top.  The inside has bamboo print fabric and a small pocket. Fastened with a button. Not suitable for children under 3 (because of the button) .  $15  plus 6% PA sales tax...price includes shipping.

colors

green on top red on top Option 3

What Else Would I Do on a Snowy Day?

Since there was nothing else to do ( yeah right) I decided to wrap and freeze the eggrolls for the Chinese New Year party at school. Since school is cancelled for tomorrow and we might get more snow on Monday. I have no idea when we will actually have the party...but I have 75 egg rolls waiting in the freezer to be dropped into hot oil.

Tomorrow we will see if the snow plows find our dead end street, so we can go out into the real world again...I know it has only been a day and a half, but goodness we need ice cream.

Pray for our volunteer firemen tonite, they are fighting a fire and will probably be there all night. A local church is burning....the first calls said there were flames showing through the windows, but the roads were impassable and the trucks were stuck behind snow plows.
I'm just glad it was not a house with people inside it.

Clean Up!?

Tonite I told everyone to clean up for 15 minutes. I set the timer and gave orders to see how much cleaning we could do in that time.
Big Sister came running up and asked "Why? Is grandma coming?"

Now does that girl think we only clean up when grandma is coming? Hmmm, maybe we need to make this a more frequent occurance.

Anyway, I was impressed what we managed to accomplish. We will need to do it tomorrow again, since all schools have been cancelled and you know Kids home from school =chaos

Fingerprinting is now a done deal....although Big Brother needed to have his done by the old style ink prints. The office was over-flowing, I think they had too many walk ins because of the weather forecast. We did ours yesterday and there was one person ahead of us.

I hope it doesn't slow down our paperwork.

My New Job

This morning I told Little Sister to use the bathroom before we leave for church.

She sat on the potty and said "Oh it is nice and warm".

I answered, "Well yeah, momma just used it."

As she popped back off the potty, she said "Thank you mommy".

I'm glad I'm appreciated.

Snow!!

This is the kind of snow that is falling at our house...might explain some things....just sayin'

Ramblings of My Mind

Jen over at www.storm-the-castle.blogspot.com  got me to thinking about "fixable special needs". I understand what people are saying…in a way. But I am left wondering…what happens when the parents find out that their "fixable SN" …isn't? I think prospective adoptive parents ( PAP's) should think about that possibility…I'm talking to myself here. We are hoping to bring Liang home this summer; we know he has scarring that will need surgery. We have doctor's opinions that he will be able to walk on his feet, not his heels, after surgery and they will possibly be able to repair his right hand…a little.

BUT what if they are wrong? I am trying to wrap my mind around this. I am trusting God to do the leading. BUT I am very human, and I have a GREAT imagination! Maybe his feet will be the least of our worries. After all, he will be 10… years, not months. I'm getting tired of the look on people's faces when I say that. How can we actually prepare for all the possibilities? I feel like I've read so many books. I will most likely be like the story about the new interns "When they hear hoof beats ( see a symptom), they look up expecting a zebra and are surprised to find it is only a common ordinary horse, clip-clopping down the road." What will stop us (me) from over-diagnosing my son?

Another mom, Amy at http://lotsokidz.blogspot.com is sitting by her son's side while he goes through procedures similar to what Liang will face. She voiced a concern that I have… "If I'm tired or discouraged and allow people to know, will they just say 'well you signed up for it'?"

At least we know, we WILL be facing hospital stays. Up to 20 procedures according to one doctor (gulp). Some people have this come as a surprise when their child is born to them…so at least I can try to prepare my mind.


 
If you don't read any other blog today….check out http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com read at least the last two posts….I wish I could have been skilled enough to write that.


 
About the fingerprints you all were right. Talked to our case officer at Lee's Summit and she said we can pick the date that works best. We are going Mon. unless they don't get our foot of snow off the roads by then.

I am praying the weather forecast is WRONG! Son#2 has been carving, painting, and rigging fishing lures for the past couple of months and planning to sell them at a fishing/hunting/camping show on Sat. The lures are little works of art and they actually "swim" The best/worst part, he was going to give all the money to the adoption fund. I may need to sell fishing lures on the blog… so please pray that it stops snowing by Fri 
afternoon.

 

Here are his hand carved lures I am actually impressed (well I am his mother)

How Many Fingerprint Appointments Do We Need?

On Friday I was going to post the glad news that we got our fingerprint appointments. There was only the small glitch of two separate appointments, one for the 18 y.o. and one for hubby and me. Of course, Big Brother had the appointment on the 8^th and we had ours on the 16^th??! We had decided we would risk it and all of us go on the 8^th, the office for fingerprinting is only one hour away.

Today we receive three more envelopes from the US*IS, I opened them with a sinking heart, thinking something must be wrong, but aren't those envelopes pink or something?

I opened them and guess what? We have two MORE appointments! Now we also have appointments on the 10^th and the 11^th. I finally found a phone number to call our case manager, but of course he is out of the office for 30 days and the person taking his cases did not answer…I left a message. The one thing I noted on this second set of notices is we have a different case number on these…trying to decide if I should be worried or not…guess I will chose …NOT.

I still vote we go on the 8^th, armed with all the papers smiling so politely they will be happy to fingerprint us and get us out of there.