ARTICLE 5 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One step closer!

Just got this email from our agency:

We just received an update from our Guangzhou staff stating that they have picked up your family’s Article 5 (signed 2^nd acceptance letter) from the Consulate and now it is off to the CCAA.  The Article 5 typically takes about 2-3 days to be delivered to the CCAA. Once the CCAA receives this document, they will have all that they need to issue your family’s travel approval.  The CCAA typically takes about 2-4 weeks to issue a travel approval.  We see this update as great news for your family as you are one step closer to getting you to your little one in China!

Brandon and Brayden we will be coming soon! 

Friends & Family-- Please pray with us that God will provide the funds that we need to quickly bring our boys home.  The airfares are going up with summer coming so we hope to travel early in May to save a little-- but it is still way more than last trip so please pray that God will provide what we need.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!  Your notes mean so much to us!

A great quote...

Never thought I would be quoting him, but I read that Steven Tyler said this at the end of American Idol and I love it!  He said-- "Sometimes it takes a little crazy to make a difference in this world."  I hope that we can make a positive difference in the lives of these two little guys and our precious girls at home. 

We often get comments about being "crazy" and I hear others saying the same thing as they work through the process to decide if they will adopt.  And the answer is "Yes- we are crazy" and yes it is crazy to ask for more work and more expense and more diapers and more stress and more mess!  So if you want an easy life, don't do it.  But if you want to make a difference in someone's life and in the process get more laughter, more hugs, more kisses, more smiles, more life and more fun-- then go for it!  Crazy is good!

We have our NVC Cables!!

GREAT NEWS on a day that started out pretty scary-- Scary because we have a son serving in the military in Japan-- but he is safe. So glad to find out he is OK and a nice surprise to get the email after just getting a email a few days ago that they did not have our stuff and then a call yesterday that it was not approved yet and to check bnack on Monday--- SO now our agency will deliver them probably on Tuesday and we will wait about 2-2 1/2 weeks for that to be complete and then about 2-4 weeks later China will give travel approval and then we are cleared to go bring our boys home.  There is a lot going on in our lives right now so we may have to delay travel til June, but we could be able to go as soon as the first of May so please pray that we will have wisdom about the right time to go.  And pray for the hearts of our boys to be prepared to meet us and join our family!

What is a Special Needs Child?

Another blogger here:  http://fiveofmyown.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-is-special-needs-child.html  challenged those of us who are parenting "special needs" children to write about who these children really are-- so here is my special needs girl (soon to be joined by 2 handsome SN boys- see previous post):

Our beautiful Lily had been waiting on a special needs list from China because she had a birth defect-- nothing that was visible to most people but it would have meant that she had no future in China.  With the right medical treatment in the US she is now living a normal life for all but about one hour a day-- AMAZING!  I will be honest-- it was scary when it was just words on a page and even her first little picture did not do justice to the incredible little girl that she has become...

And when I realize that there are many other little ones who wait-- with labels and confusing diagnoses and no guarantees of outcome (as if any child comes with a guarantee!)  and they grow older each day without the love of a family simply because they are not 'perfect', it breaks my heart.

So if you have figured out that you are not perfect (like I have) and you are not looking for the perfect child, then maybe you will find that there is a child who waits for someone to take a chance and give them a forever family, and maybe - just maybe that someone is YOU!!!!

   

AN UPDATE ON THE BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brayden and Brandon are growing well and seem to be doing great.  They are 26 and 29 pounds - the girls are 32 and 35.  They are 33.4 and 38.6 inches tall-the girls are 40 and 41 inches tall.  So it looks like we will have stairsteps!

And finally new pictures of the boys.  I saw an update of Brayden just a few days ago, but this is the first picture of Brandon since referral so he has changed soooo much!

Here are the boys...Brayden first and then 2 pics of Brandon...

Joy & Sadness

Joy- Today our official I800 Approvals came in the mail so that means that everything should be at the NVC being processed-- so things are moving along to bring our boys home.

Sadness- news came that my friend is battling cancer and the cancer appears to be winning.  My heart hurts for my friend and her family.  She was there with us in Romania working with orphans when God first birthed the idea of adoption and she encouraged me and supported me through each adoption since then.  She was with me when we worked side by side in a chinese orphanage.  We have shared so many special moments and she has become a dear friend.  She has an amazing husband and 5 incredible children.  She has so much to offer the world.  I want her to be here for a long time.  So please pray for her and for her family and that God will intervene.

Joy & Sadness- such is the fabric of our lives.  I don't like it and I don't understand why it has to be this way.  But I realize that God never intended this-- sin messed up God's perfect design, but He will restore and make all things right one day.  That longing that we feel for things to be right- is put in our hearts by God.  One day it will be only joy and peace and comfort....one day we will celebrate around the throne.  What a day that will be!

Nice Surprise

What is a cool way to start your day?  An email with pictures of your waiting child!!!!  A nice AP visiting the orphanage where Brayden is waiting was kind enough to ask for him and they let our son get up from naptime to smile for a few photos!  I can't wait to get my hands on this cutie!!!!

And this is what the AP said about him..."He's a major cutie! It was nap time and they woke him up for us, but he didn't mind. He seemed to have a ton of personality and enjoyed hamming it up for the camera."  Looks like he will fit right in with our gang!