Hannah's the hero

Short post today as we had a long day sightseeing and need to pack for an early flight tomorrow. We will meet Moses soon! We can't wait! Hannah made it to the top of the Great Wall today. Our guide said she was a hero if she made it to the top. We also saw the Forbidden City. Next post...you will see Moses!

Sightseeing and Sleep

Today we were up and at em pretty early. Thankfully Hannah slept from 8:00pm-5:00 am without waking up.  Julie and I maybe not quite as well, but all and all a pretty good night.  We had an unexpected opportunity to be able to Skype with Mary and Michael, Ava, Jesse and Noah this morning which was really cool - sorry Abbey and Mom we missed you guys.     After a really nice breakfast at the hotel we headed out to the Summer Palace, which is a 700 acre area outside of the city where the emperor would spend his summers.  It was an incredibly beautiful place filled with a lot of history and a lot of walking which was really good for us.  Hannah has been a real trooper enjoying every minute of it - even all of the walking, thankfully.  After a really nice Chinese lunch of beef noodles, chicken and beef entrees and tomatoes and eggs we headed over to the 2008 Olympic park.  We saw the Birds Nest and Aquatics Center, which was also very cool.  Now, we are settling in for the evening.  We pray that everyone is well at home and thank God for all of our friends and family - we miss and love you all.  Tomorrow we are scheduled to go to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. 

Greetings from Beijing

We are here in China! Hannah was a trooper on the long trip....even doing better than Jason and I at times. She was so nervous on the first flight and then, when we landed in Beijing, she said that she just LOVES flying. We think it may be because she watched all kinds of movies and Disney channel shows and had food served to her about every few hours. We are so tired (didn't sleep much on the plane), so this is just a post to let you all know we made it!

Tomorrow's the Big day!

We are all packed and ready to go! Even as prepared as I thought we were and that we were packing lightly, today we have been shifting things into different bags trying to get the weights right. Think we got it now! We are so excited! Please keep Noah and Abbey in your prayers, too, as they stay back with their Grandmas and Aunt and Uncle. There's a birthday cupcake in the freezer for you, Moses!

Happy Birthday Moses!

Today Moses is two years old! It has become a tradition to make a birthday video for the kiddos around our house. This one's for you, Moe!

Get ready....Here we go!

We are leaving in about a week and a half!! This week has been busy making travel plans, shopping for the trip, starting to pack a little, but mostly just trying to process that we are finally here at this point. We are so excited!! Please keep our family in your prayers as we work out the details of everything and for Moses, too. Thank you!

The phone call came!!!

Today, as we were in the middle of our school day, the phone call we had been waiting for finally came! We have travel approval from China to get our Moses! Our family coordinator told us that we could be leaving 2 weeks from tomorrow if we can get a consulate appointment. Yay! We are thanking and praising God for this news! We will keep you posted and would love your prayers for when we go, for Moses, and for the things that we still need to do. Thank you so much!

There goes that alarm clock AGAIN....

It was back to school for us this past week. Gone are the days of sleeping in, going to the pool, and watching full seasons of the Cosby Show just because we wanted to. I have just as hard of a time starting back to school as the kids do. There were tears (by me, too!), but we made it through week 1! Noah is taking a Consumer Science class this semester, aka Home Ec, and we all have been really looking forward to him taking this. We enjoyed some of his homework this week....cinnamon applesauce muffins. Yum!

Summer Camp 2013

Summer Camp is very special at our house. My kids talk about it all year long and can't wait until August when they get to go. I love seeing their excitement as they pack up and get ready to go and picking them up is even better because the hour drive seems so short hearing all the stories and fun they had. Noah and Abbey had another awesome time at camp! Remember when I said that camp is special at our house....Jason and I met at summer camp and have wonderful memories of growing closer to God there and are so thankful that our kids are making those memories, too!

Mommy/ Daughter Day and another step forward!

My friend, Tammy, invited Hannah and I to go to Kings Island and Great Wolf Lodge. We were celebrating Dulce's sixth birthday and we had a blast!(Thanks Tammy!!) The last adoption document came in the mail and was sent to China this week. Now, we wait for travel approval which should come in the next few weeks! Please continue to pray for all the travel plans and timing of when we should go. We can't wait!!!!

Getting Closer!!

On Thursday night, Jason opened his email to find that we had received the 1800 provisional approval which is what we had been waiting for in this next step of the adoption journey! For many of you who have been asking, this is the paperwork done here in the US for Moses to come home. This paperwork is then sent to China to be processed and then we should be receiving travel approval. So, all that to say, we ARE getting closer!!! Hannah had VBS this week and loved every minute of it. On Tuesday, they could dress like a princess and she spent a lot of time coordinating this outfit and accessories. On Friday, we drove to Hocking Hills for a family getaway. We met a friend and spent some time on his property, and then were planning to hike. Our plans changed quickly when this crazy storm came. Thankfully, we found shelter in this little country store. After the storm, there were trees down on the roads and it was pretty messy. Needless to say, we changed our hiking plans and went to see Jason's helicopter since his work base was on the way home. So thankful for God's protection!

While We Wait......

So while we wait, it has rained almost everyday! While we wait, we have tried to stay busy with indoor projects and have squeezed in some precious time having picnics with family and friends. While we wait, we have been trying to raise the money needed for the adoption through a garage sale at my Mom's house. And lastly, while we wait, two little girls and a little boy have raised $221.00 to bring home their little brothers by saving their money, making duct tape projects and cookies!!!!!

More Moses Pics!

We heard that he is a "happy boy" and as you can see by the pictures...Moses likes to smile! Please continue to pray for the rest of the paperwork to process quickly as we are ready to go get him!!! And, for his little heart to be ready for his new family. Looks like there may be another delay as the Chinese Consulate is moving buildings and will be closed for over a week. We'll keep you posted:)

New updates today!!!

Here's our adorable Moses.... He's about 31 pounds and 33 inches tall. The last picture we posted was dated December 2012, so he has changed so much! What a gift it was to receive pictures today! We can't wait until we can finally see him. Praying these next couple months fly by!

A package for Moses

Yesterday was a fun shopping day online looking for the right care package to send to our little guy. We finally decided on this one after several hours of looking. We were remembering the package that we sent to Hannah 7 years ago and we treasure the pictures we got back that her Nanny took with the camera. Hoping Moses gets this soon and praying that we get some updated pictures, too!!!:)

This little Cutie Pie is OURS

After 124 days of seeing this picture for the first time....we have been approved by China to adopt Moses!!!!!! It was hard to wait, but we are rejoicing and thanking God for this gift today. There is always more paperwork, so now we work on what needs to be done here in the US for Moses to come home. He should be home by September/October and we can't wait!

A June birthday and more!

Hannah turned 8 on Wednesday! It was a wonderful celebration. We have been enjoying our summer break, too. Here are some pictures from the Zoombezi Bay Water Park and the Arts Festival in downtown Columbus. We are still waiting for the papers from China to move forward in bringing home Moses. Thanks for your prayers!

A REALLY good mail day!

Last week I went to the mailbox like normal, but stopped as I saw the envelope with Show Hope's address in the corner. Show Hope is a foundation that Steven Curtis Chapman (Christian musician) set up to help families with the costs of adoption. We applied for the grant in February so I knew we should be hearing soon from them. We are so excited to share that we received the grant and are thankful to God for His provision in helping us bring Moses home!!! What an incredible blessing! We are still waiting for the paperwork from China to come(it's been 3 months now). Please pray that it comes soon, as we still have a 3 month wait to travel after we receive this. Thanks!!

The LONG wait.......and a road trip!

You may think that the title "The LONG wait" refer to how I am feeling as we wait for the next step in the process to get our Moses home,(which is true!), but actually, it is how Hannah was feeling waiting to get her ears pierced. She had to wait until her 8 year old birthday which is in June. We decided to give her an early birthday gift and she was a happy girl! Our road trip was a few weeks ago when we went to IKEA and the Air Force Museum. We had such a great time away! My beautiful girls danced this past weekend at an event and they did an amazing job!

A New Brother!!!

A few weeks ago we received a wonderful phone call about our new son!!! He is 18 months old and so adorable! We are working on the new paperwork to get him ready to leave China and come home. We are so excited and praising God for this new addition to our family! We plan on traveling sometime this summer. Please pray for our little Moses as he waits for us and we wait for him.