SUPRISE SHOWER!

WOW! What a fantastic surprise! My oldest daughter Kayleigh is so very thoughtful! She planned and hosted a surprise baby shower for me! It was so nice. The day ended up being very snowy and the roads were getting horrendous, but we had so many people come to help celebrate the impending arrival of Eli! Ican't thank them all enough! We received so many nice things for our sweet boy! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and thoughtful daughter and friends!!

~~OUR DS230 is on its way to China~~

Our Letter from the National Visa Center came today! I had already sent our I800 approval, as well as our signed LOA & my travel info to FTIA on Monday! Betty looked over it today and it is now officially on its way to China to be walked into the American Consulate!! They will receive it on 12/9, it will be picked up on 12/23 and sent back to FTIA. This is called our Article 5!!! Then we wait on TA!!! I am so hoping we will travel in Jan! CNY begins on Feb 3 and the prices on flights and hotels will sky rocket!!I AM PRAYING BIG!!!!

Bring Me Hope

A TIME FOR THANKSGIVING!

I absolutely love the holidays! I love the sights, the sounds, the smells, the food. I LOVE it all! It is hard for me to understand where the year has gone to! It just seems like it was summer, and now here we are celebrating the holidays! This will be a very different Thanksgiving for our family. For the first time since I have become a mother, my oldest son Zach will not be home with us. Zach is serving as a proud United States soldier to the GREATEST country in the world! As hard as it is for me to not sit around and cry, I know that Zach is right where GOD needs him for now!

I have always felt that we should not just be thankful one day out of the year, but every day! This year I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my family. I have an awesome husband who loves God, loves me very much, is a hard worker, wonderful provider, awesome daddy, and has a heart for the orphan just as I do! My husband has given up many things for this family, and I love him for always putting his family first!

I am thankful that I have four children living on this continent! I have a son who I am extremely proud of, and a daughter- in- love that I adore! I have a daughter who is beautiful inside and out, and is my best friend! And then there are my 2 little daughters from China! What blessings they have been to this family! We love them both so much and we are thankful that GOD chose us to be their family!

And last but not least, I am so thankful for our baby boy that is waiting for us in China! He is beautiful and we can not wait to get him home! Thank you FATHER for breaking our hearts to the things that break yours! Thank you for our good health and all the blessings that you continue to rain upon us. We are undeserving, but ever thankful! May GOD bless all of you this Thanksgiving!!!

New pics & I800 Approval!!!!

A very inquisitive boy!!

Love those chubby little cheeks!!

My ALL time favorite picture of Eli!

He CAN smile!!

He is a pip squeak!

I spent my day Thursday at the hospital with my mom & dad. My dad was scheduled for knee replacement surgery. When I came home that evening what a surprise to find 5 new pictures of Elijah!! He is just an absolutely beautiful little boy! Then, what an AWESOME surprise and BLESSING to open my mailbox on Saturday morning to find our I800 approval!!!! 2 weeks is all it took! So it looks as if I might be traveling sometime in January! I can't wait!!!

I Believe in the power of ....

I have been doing a lot of praying! Praying that our I800 approval will come soon! I emailed USCIS and they said I could expect to hear something around the 15th! That is tomorrow!! Ephesians 1:19-20 says, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greaness of God's power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at GOD's right hand in the heavenly realms."

I must say that as I thought about the power of prayer I thought that if GOD has the power to raise the dead, he has the power to answer any prayer regardless of how big or small the request may be! We should be praying the BIGGEST prayers. NO prayer is too big for our GOD! No prayer is so big that in answering it, God wishes that we would have made it even bigger!! There is absolutely nothing too big for GOD! So from now on I am praying BIG!!!

What a great birthday gift!!

I received an awesome birthday gift in the mail! I received a notice from USCIS telling me they had received our I800 application and that we should be hearing something within the week! And to top it off, right there on the USCIS
Notice was mine,Craig,and Shao RenHe's names! It just made it more real seeing the 3 of our names together! We are getting close!!!!!!!

This free picture slideshow created with Smilebox

Oh how I love thee FedEx man!

Oh how I love thee FedEx man! For thou art the man that maketh me happy today...  You bringeth me my LOA!  Oh how I love thee for promptly at 3, my LOA you bringeth me!

WHERE IS THAT DARN FEDEX MAN????

Where in the world is that FEDEX man?? I have been waiting on his little truck ALL day long! I don't think he realizes just how impatient this momma bear is! That package has our LOA in it!! What was he thinking when he threw it to the back of the van? I have checked the status of that envelope a thousand times today! Always the same message....IN TRANSIT! UGH! Do you think it has anything to with the fact that I am always stalking him? Always watching for him from my front porch? Maybe the neighbors have warned him of the numerous times I have yelled from my front door "FEDEX MAN!! WHERE ARE YOU??" Maybe he thinks I am deranged! :) MUWAHAHAHAHAHA If he does not get here soon, he is going to drive me deranged!!! Don't they know adoptive parents deserve special treatment!!!????   HAHAHAHA I am FEDUP!!!! :):):):)

HIP HIP HORRAY!! WE RECEIVED OUR LOA!!!!

The day started out with a gentle whisper from GOD telling me that our LOA would be on its way! I went outside this morning  to throw some things into our recycle bins and the air smelled of sandelwood and jasmine! It was such a strong fragrance, and I felt as if I were walking the alleys and streets of Guangzhou! I made the comment to my daughter when I came in that it smelled just like the streets of Guangzhou, and hopefully that was a sign that something great would be coming my way from China! As the day wore on I had not heard anything, so I thought perhaps it might come later in the week! I left the house at 3:20 to go get Olivia from school, and then I needed to run by the bank. I decided to take my cell phone with me. I NEVER take my phone, so I know that it was a GOD thing!! I picked up Livvy, and then we drove to the bank. I was just getting ready to shut the van door when my cell phone rang. I assumed it was one of the kids or my hubby! What a HUGE surprise when I heard  Betty on the other line with AWESOME news! I actually let out a huge scream in the bank parking lot!!!  39 days from LID! GOD is so good!!!! One step closer to bringing our precious son home!!

AWESOME NEWS!

I can tell she loves Eli very much!

His foster mom looking at him with such pride!

We received some awesome news this week! We found out our son is in foster care! What a blessing for our son! His foster mother loves him very much and said that out of the 5 children she has fostered, Eli is by far the most clever! When asked about his missing rib, and whether she did anything special for it, she waved her hand and said that it was absolutely no big deal and it is a non issue! We are so thankful for this very specail lady. I pray that I get to meet her while we are in China!

We received 7 new pics of our sweet Elijah Craig!

This morning I opened my email to find 7 new pics of our sweet son! He is beautiful....

Sometimes I must be hit over the head, but really????

WOW! Sometimes I know I can be pretty daft, or get so busy that I don't hear my kids requests, or even just forget what they want! But I have a 7 year old, who NEVER allows me to forget anything! I walked into the kitchen Friday and this is what I found.....

An affirnation from the MAN upstairs!

God speaks in some very mysterious ways! This morning I got up with so much joy and happiness spilling from my soul! I checked my email and there was an email from our angel in Hangzhou who told me she would be seeing our son very soon! As I continued to get the girls ready for school, I continued to pray and praise GOD for all of the many blessings he had rained upon us! I began to cry out to HIM once again to move mountains on our behalf with the CCAA. I felt like Hannah crying out to GOD! I ended my prayer with the assurance that GOD knows when HIS time is right and I must surrendar this wait and allow HIM to move his miraculous hands and perform only miracles that HE can.

     Well, this morning I dropped both girls off at school and went to pick up my mom for some much needed girl time! My mom wanted to go do some Christmas shopping so off to Wally World we went. Has GOD ever spoken to you in Wal*Mart?? It was at the jewelry counter in Wal*MArt that HE spoke to me! He did not say that that beautiful diamond would look great on my finger, or that those earrings were me, or that I needed that new watch! HIS words were spoken loud and clear,  so clear that I knew it was from my mountain moving, miracle working GOD! We did our shopping, and as we got ready to leave,  something on the jewelry counter caught my eye. There on display were these beautiful spin rings. Stainless steel, Very pretty, Not expensive, but the message on one particular ring just took my breath away! The ring had three words engraved in it. FAITH, TRUST, & BELIEVE! 3 simple words....coincidence??? I thnk NOT! I bought that ring! As I wear it it will be areminder to me...that GOD is working on getting my son home to his forever family! And all we need to do is continue to have FAITH,TRUST HIM, and BELIEVE! And we do!
 

****WANTED****

Can you tell I REALLY want that LOA????

LOGGED IN FOR ONE MONTH!

Well, we have been logged in for one month today! The CCAA was closed the week before last, so no new news! I am really hoping for something within the month! I do know we will be getting some new updates from our special angel that is in Hangzhou at Eli's orphanage sometime this week! The waiting is getting harder for me. The month has flown, and with the holidays coming the time will go by  quickly, and before I know it I will be in China! At least I keep trying to convince myself of that. Prayers are needed as we wait for that Letter of Acceptance. The letter telling us ,"Yes, this child is yours...now do more paperwork!!!" hahaha I would appreciate your prayers dear friends! I know that I serve a GOD who is still in the business of performing great miracles! I am trusting HIM!!

Where O Where is our LOA???

Where O where is our LOA O where O where can it be?? To be honest I am about ready to go NUTS! This is the hardest part about the new Hague guidelines! I know they say they expedite SN adoptions and it could be worse, but I am getting sooooo impatient! I pray every day that GOD will give me the patience to get through this! The only good thing to report is that we have a very special angel who will be visiting our son's orphanage this week! She has promised to love all over him, get lots of pics, and hopefully some video for us! I can't wait to get them! I was sooo hoping to have him home for Christmas, but that is not going to happen! I know that GOD's hands are in this and that HE will bring Elijah home when HIS timing is right!

****LID September 17, 2010****

We received something beautiful....

On Thursday we received new updates and a picture of our beautiful little boy! He is so beautiful! I know he would not like me calling him that in a few years, but he truly is beautiful! He looks so much like our Olivia at that age, and then so much like Ellye when she was a baby! Isn't it amazing how GOD works!!?? Look at those eyes! I asked the orphanage not to shave his head anymore, which they said they would not, but I do LOVE his hair like this! I can't wait to get there to love all over that precious boy!  See more below........

We know that he is a tiny little guy! He is only 16 lbs! I believe all of the clothes I have bought for him so far are going to be way tooo big for him! He now has 4 teeth, can walk with support, loves cake, soft noodles, congee & steamed eggs! He is still on a bottle and takes formula 3 times a day! Please storm the gates of heaven with prayer! I know that MY GOD is bigger than the CCAA and that if it is HIS will, our LOA will come soon! I just want to be able to kiss those squeeze-a-licious cheeks of his!!!!

THE SOLDIER'S PRAYER

If ever there was a time for a prayer to be heard.
And now is the time, to hear every word.
Now that our boys called soldiers have gone,
Please march with them and keep them strong.
Stand beside them if they have to fight,
...And in the darkness be their light.
Don’t desert them, march in their faith,
So they’ll be here when the morning breaks.

Bring them home safe and sound,
Across the waters to peaceful ground.
Home to loved ones, mother’s wives, daughters, sons,
Bless them all, each and every one.

They stand for freedom and make our flag true,
These boys called soldiers for the red, white and blue.
A prayer for a soldier, please let it be heard,
And please Lord, hear every word.

A prayer for a soldier, with the job to be done,
Please bring them home, these soldiers your sons.
Please bring them home, the soldiers, your sons. AMEN.

Momma bear has a hole so deep in her heart....

Today has been a hard day for me. I am missing my son Zach so much! I have only seen him once since June, and that was for 6 hours one Thursday. I feel like I have a hole so deep in my heart ....and it hurts. I rarely get to talk to him as he has many things to do. He has class, and then has duties that he must do. I love the military, but boy it is hard on mommas! I wish I could hear his voice, touch his face, hear him laughing, watch him playing with Livvy & Ellye. I wish I could feel his arms around my neck. I support him 100%, but boy do I miss him. I won't see him until Christmas. Then he only has 10 days! Then he will be gone again! GOD is watching after my little bear cub. I guess Zach is not a little bear cub at 24, but to me he will always be my little baby! I just need a hug from my precious 24 year old baby boy!

I live with a bunch of sickos!

I live in a house of sickos! No, not twisted or sick in the head kind of sick, but in a not healthy sick and puking kind of way! The flu bug has bit this family in a bad way!! It all started last Wed. with the daycare kids, and it has been nonstop puking, and umm...well, the D word!  Yes, you guessed it....Diarrhea!!!! First it was Livvy! She woke up on Labor day vomiting and with a low grade fever. Then it hit Kayleigh 3 days later, and Craig the next day!I hope and pray that Ellye & I do not get it! I do not have time to be sick! I have 3 jobs, my family, and a home to attend to! And it is only the first part of September! If we get it now, hopefully, just hopefully, we will be done for the winter!!! Hmmm, something tells me that ain't gonna happen!!!!

AND IT IS ON ITS WAY........

And it is on its way to CHINA! Our dossier that is! We drove our dossier to Evansville on Sept. 2, 2010, it has gone through 2 reviews and it is now on its way!!!!!!!!!!! WHOO HOOO!! I feel like 100 lbs has been lifted from my shoulders! We are praying that the CCAA starts to speed things along! Right now we are looking at traveling around Feb./March! YESTERDAY would have been better!!!!

Dossier is in Evansville!

We were fingerprinted on August 18th, received our approval the same day, and received our notice in the mail 2 days later! I sent our approval to Chicago to be authenticated, received it back on Sept. 1, and we traveled to Evansville on the 2nd day of Sept. to turn in our dossier! Now that FTIA no longer works on Fridays, our dossier will not go to China until Thursday, Sept. 9th! It feels as if 100lbs has been lifted from my shoulders! We received an email from our coordinator telling us that the 1st review was finished and everything looks great! Now it goes through a 2nd review, and if it passes, it will be off to China!I am so glad to be done with this part of the adoption process! Now we wait on LID and then LOA! I hope that China kicks it in gear and that we have our sweet boy home soon!

How does one describe the word PROUD???

Zach & his own platoon of women!

Craig, Zach & his Grandpa Hawkins!

Zach & his proud dad!

For me there are no words. No words to describe how proud I was on Thursday, August 26, 2010 as I watched my oldest son, SPC Zachariah Anthony Michael Schrink, graduate from the United States Military basic training program at Fort Knox, KY! All I had were tears! Tears of happiness, sadness, joy, pride!The pride I felt as I saw him raise his right hand and take the oath to protect this wonderful country! The pride as I heard him chanting the SOLDIERS Creed! The ceremony was nothing short of spectacular. At most, it was emotionally overwhelming for me.  My son, my child, my baby, was now a proud member of the United States military! It will ne a moment in time that I will never forget! EVER! Please continue to pray for our military. For without these brave men and women we would not be able to lay our heads down at night without the reassurance that we will get up the next day and live our lives in a country where we are FREE to move about, work, go to school, church, anywhere our hearts desire! I LOVE you SPC Zachariah Schrink! You have always made me proud! This is just the extra iciing on the cake!

New Pics of Elijah as an INFANT!

Getting examined and hating it!!Eli with his Nanny!

We were blessed beyond measure to receive an email out of the clear blue from a very sweet lady. She had visited Hangzhou Children's Welfare Institute in Oct. of 2009. She was so kind to tell me that Eli was a wonderful child and that he was a healthy boy! She sent me 7 pictures of him as a 4 month old!!! I had actually been on her website in June and found a picture that I KNEW was my baby boy! It had never been confirmed, but a mother just knows!! A mother knows her baby! I had studied every little detail about his beautiful face, and I KNEW it was him! No DOUBTS! And lo & behold...she sent me that pic! I just can not believe how blessed we are to be chosen to be his parents! He is such a beautiful baby and I will cherish these pictures always!