Signing out....

I'm getting ready to head off to Oregon today, as I have a 7am flight tomorrow morning to SF, then on to Beijing! My sister in law will meet me in Portland, and we'll meet up with the rest of the team in SF. Please keep us in your prayers....pray for the heat and humidity to not be too miserable, team unity, travel safety, and that our time with the children and nannies is meaningful.

I am not taking my computer, but I will try and post here if I get the chance. Our team leader, Liz, will be keeping a blog of our journey, so if you want to follow along, you can do so at http://visitingorphanschaoyang.blospot.com/

God bless

4th of July

We had a great time celebrating the 4th! We met up with Grandma and Papa at a park in Everett. We also went to the fireworks show back home. We were smart and brought earplugs for Jaelyn. The only thing that would've made it better is if Kellen had been there. He'll be home from Mexico on Saturday. Enjoy the slideshow.

summer fun....potty training!

Not my vision of an exciting summer so far, but nonetheless a prosperous one. During the school year the girls showed no desire to conquer potty training. We tried everything under the sun, but finally realized we were fighting a hopeless battle, so decided to save our energy. Mike and Josh headed off for a week of wrestling camp, so I decided I would give it another shot. This time the girls were willing participants. In fact, I thought it would take until mid-summer to get where they are, but we haven't had an accident in two days now! Mike doesn't know what we've been up to yet, so he will be pleasantly surprised when he comes home tonight. I'm telling him it was his anniversary gift (our 19th anniv. was while he was gone this week)! The only downside I've found so far is that the toilet is a great stalling tactic for naps. They are to be napping as I am typing, but they've already got out of bed 3 times for the toilet (they're wearing pullups for naptime). It's hard to get mad at them though when they have actually produced something each time they claim they have to go. How do they do that?

Kellen headed off for Tecate, Mexico yesterday on a mission trip. As he was heading out for the airport at 7 am I asked him if he had his money belt. He held it up and rolled his eyes a bit, as only teenagers can do. About an hour later he called while heading down I-5. It seems it was my fault I didn't actually ask him if he had any money in his money belt! Duh mom! Oh well, less junk food and trinkets he can buy:) Less than two weeks until my trip to China!

What a Dad wants....

Today began with homemade Pooh-n-Piglet blueberry pancakes for Dad. The girls were up early, so helped me make them. The first picture is of everyone after breakfast. What a happy family so early in the morning! We had plans to take Mike to the Everett Aquasox baseball game (Mariner Minor League team), but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead Mike said he wanted to stay at home and veg on the couch watching videos with the boys (the girls were napping). Who says "Ghost Rider" isn't a good father/son video? You'll have to see it for yourself! Notice how happy they all look on the couch together, especially Mike with 2 remotes. Mike got a new Ipod Shuffle for Father's Day, something he can take on his runs with Kellen.

School is now over for the boys. Mike has tomorrow and I go through Tuesday. The boys had a good ending to the school year. Kellen lettered in track and Joshua was elected ASB president for next year's 7th grade.

Just 8 days until Kellen heads off for Mexico, and less than a month until my trip to China. Even though it is summer break now, things will seem as busy as ever.

the latest

It's been awhile since my last post. This time of year is busy in the life of teachers, not to mention stressful and hectic. This last weekend we were able to take a breather and hang out with family at my Great Aunt Beryl's 90th birthday bash. My Aunt Beryl had never met the girls before and said that they "made her day." They were quite the life of the party.

You may notice that my "Double Trouble, Shampoo Edition" video is no longer on the blog. You may remember I submitted it to AFV. Well I got a letter from them today and papers to sign. You wouldn't believe the legalize they make you sign! Anyhow, from what Mike and I understand we can't have it posted on the Internet (is that what "media entity means???), so I'm taking it off for now. All this and we're still not guaranteed a spot on the show. Guess we have just passed the first screening. We will definitely keep you posted on this one.

At last....

Here's a picture of the kids from Jaelyn's foster care. The woman on the far left is the foster care director from the orphanage. The lady in the back was Jaelyn's foster mom. The other two ladies are her daughters, and both are also foster moms. The one holding the boy in the pink pants lives with her mom and is taking care of the two boys in the middle, and both have cerebral palsy. The sister on the right does not live with them, but lives nearby and visits frequently. She is holding LiHao, who is thought to be Jaelyn's biological brother. See any resemblance??? I'm not sure who the girl in front is. I have made contact with Li Hao's waiting mother, and we will be staying in contact. They hope to be traveling to bring him home in July, which is when I will be traveling to China on a missions trip!

Amazing Story!

Okay friends and family, I am thrilled to share some unexpected news with you.
It's a bit lengthy, so bare with me.

After trying to get information for some time on a young boy in Jaelyn's foster care pictures, we found, through another adoptive families' inquiry, that he has not been made adoptable due to his Cerebral Palsy. My heart really ached for him. Yongmei, who was a fellow adoptive parent when we adopted Kaia in 2004, generously offered to make a trip to the orphanage when she went to visit her family in Changchun (where Jaelyn is from), to see what she could learn. I sent over a picture album and thank-you notes that she interpreted, to both the swi and foster care, and I tried to encourage them to make the foster brother available for adoption. I honestly did not think they would give Yongmei any information, especially since they did not allow us to visit. Who was I to doubt God and Yongmei?! She got to visit the swi and then the foster care director took her to the foster home the following day! But here's where it gets really interesting....yes, she got to see the boy in the picture, but she also got to meet whom the orphanage thinks is Jaelyn's BIOLOGICAL brother! She sent pictures and he looks just like Jaelyn, only he is 5. He is also missing his forearm, only his right instead of left. It gets better....he is being adopted by an American family soon and the director said he would give Yongmei the information, if we wanted. IF we wanted???? Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this would be how it would work out. Mike even said if this boy wasn't already being adopted we would be starting our paperwork right now (and that's a lot for Mike to say at this busy point in our lives). I am anxious to see how this all works out and thrilled to have a piece of Jaelyn's history.


I will keep you all abreast of the situation as I learn more. I am having difficulty posting the picture right now, so will try again later. You can judge for yourself whether or not Jaelyn looks like this boy.