Thank You

I can get all your comments to our posts, but cannot publish them. I cannot see or get to blogger at all. I am sending these messages via email. Thank you for letting me know that it works! Yes, I got all your comments, again, just can't post them!

We are here

In China, in Beijing to be exact, we leave for Tianjin tomorrow. It was a LONG trip. Dan is passed out on the bed and I am right behind him. We have been up for over 40 hours. I could not get the proxy sited to work here in Beijing will try later, that means I cannot see this blog at all and I am posting this from an email.

Hopefully this works! I should be able to get comments from my email, so let me know if this posts! OK? I will work on the travel site update in the morning (yes it's like 1 Am here in China) with more details soon!

Happy Birthday my girl!!

I am on my way to China today, but to you my blond haired baby girl, I wish you a very happy birthday!  SIX years old today.  I love you so very much!  I love your many faces!  I love your girlie-ness!  I am so glad you are part of our family.

I know it hasn't been the easiest for you to go from baby to big sister, but you have done it beautifully!  You are wonderful and I love your snuggles, you are the best snuggler ever!  I love that you still want to be held!
You have the most wonderful giggle, it's contagious!  Your laugh is infectious, simply put, you make me laugh often and for that I thank you!
You are my girl!  My life is so much better because you are in my life.  I love that you tell me you will live with me forever, even though I know this might not be true, I love that you think that way now.
I thank God for you, beautiful, blond, baby girl!!!  I can't believe you are six!  You have a wonderful happy birthday!  And please remember your Daddy and I love you SO MUCH!!!
Do something fun today Miss Loralei!!!!  We love you!!!!

Happy Birthday- EVE Eden!

Eden's birthday is really tomorrow. (watch for a post I have set to post then, as I will be in the air tomorrow)  We decided to have a birthday-eve celebration!

She got a little digital camera!
See!  Too cute!
We had a little cake and ice cream at church with family!
a few more presents.......

Singing happy birthday!

Then we said our goodbyes ......... it was hard.  ALOT harder than last time, because, well, we all know how long this is, we all know it isn't easy, and so it was hard.  It is hard to leave the other kiddos behind this time!  I will miss them so much!  See you all so soon!!!

Adoption news:  Well we didn't get our TA today.  Nope it didn't get here.  Nope .  We are still leaving.  I now do not hold any TA's as I leave.  The good news is that the CCAA* did release the other TA and it is waiting for me in China, our guide will have it.  The bad news is I am leaving the other one here somewhere.  The good news is our agency was able to request our second consulate appt.  The bad news, I won't know if we got it or not till I get there, cause I will be in the air when our agency finds out!  

Boy, it really doesn't get any more fun than this :)

I have a post that will post in the morning for my girl, but after that, it will be from China!!

Wordless Wednesday

Making it!

To say today has been stressful would be an understatement!  I just thought, yea, will go to China on Thursday!

I went to bed last night and as my head hit the pillow, I began to panic, OH MY GOSH, I DO NOT have the other TA!!  The one that my agency still has!!!  I HAVE TO HAVE THAT!!!  I emailed them 42 times, well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but close to that, and then I began calling them early this morning and left 2 messages, called again, then emailed them a couple more times!  

When they finally called me back, I think one of them may have been in just as much of a panic as I was, and that DOES NOT help, if you know what I mean?  She started spouting numbers and they were higher than we expected, ALOT higher.  Then there was in country prices and those two times as much higher.  I had dh on one ear spouting out numbers and our agency on the other ear spouting numbers and I was in the middle getting more and more stressed every second.  Finally, I yelled, loud.   I then said, hey maybe you two should talk to each other cause me being in the middle is stressing me out.  Dh calming quoted his numbers and they went back and forth, then he said, glad we got that straight you about gave me a heart attack!  Turns out we were ok, we were only off a couple hundred!  WHEW!!  We had already been to the bank to pick up our money, and well, we leave in t-minus just hours, you know?  OH and the other TA, it was overnighted to us today, so we should have it tomorrow............. OH dear Jesus please get that to us tomorrow, that is the only day we have to get it!

Dh was so calm, thank GOD, because I was NOT!  Still I have so much on my list to do and my time is running short.  I am trying to focus on the positive and not get stressed!  Turns out that traveling across the world on really short notice is not so fun to plan!  We only just last night booked our tickets and I could tell you all a LONG story of how challenging that was, but it's not mine to tell, really, cause dh handled that too!  Turns out I am really good at all this till the end, and then this time I folded, crumbled, if you will!

Remember to follow us in CHINA, check the travel site, it's linked up over in the side bar and says , "two more e's"!   I know that blogger is blocked but have a couple proxy sites to work with and if I can, I will post here too!  We will see!  Also Eden has a birthday that we are celebrating tomorrow so next will be about that!  THEN WE LEAVE!!

I have never felt more crazy than I do right now!!!  

Here is the deal......

Apparently dh and I are huge risk takers!!  *smile*

Because here is what we are doing.....  We are leaving Thursday.  Oh yes, we are heading to China. This is all fabulous right??  Well, only if you like to take risks.   We are leaving with only one TA and only one CA!!!  OH MAN what are we thinking?  

Well, I just got off the phone with our agency, and while they are nervous for us, the contact on the ground over there (well, she isn't over there right now, she is here in the USA, that's another story)  said, "I don't know what the problem is, the TA will be waiting for them Friday when they get there."  Our agency asked her if she thought we should go, she replied, "yes, I told you, I took care of it, they should go!"  So, go we will!!  

There is still a chance of a fight with the US consulate and adding another appointment, but we will ask for favor and believe for the best, and get it, then come home in time for Christmas with all 6 of our "E's"!!  And so that is the plan!  Can I just say.........

We were crazy when we adopted the first time, then we chose to turn around and start another just a mere 6 months later after being home the first time.  Then we thought, hey how bout we add 2 more, cause well, that is crazy too.  So tell me why would the crazy stop when we went to travel??

Yep, just call us CRAZY!  We already knew it anyway!!!

The only sad part, and only a bit sad, is Thursday is my one babies 6th birthday!  We are going to party big Wednesday night!  And kiss goodbye on her birthday, other than that, I couldn't be more happy, or crazy, depending on how you look at it ;)

Nervous Excitement

UPDATE # 2.....  because it is never just easy :)  It seems the CCAA* has said they will issue the TA for Enick "very soon, beginning week" which we all know explains EVERYTHING!  lol!  Soon is a relative term.  We run the risk of not having the TA in time, our agency doesn't seem to think adding the CA is a problem, it's having the TA in time to do so...... so yet again, I say, we will know more in the morning.  Another problem is we have to decide if we purchase our tickets we have on hold, which expire this evening or let them go.  What to do, what to do??

If none of this works out, we can't leave till the 18th because the US consulate isn't issuing any CA's the week of Christmas so we couldn't leave the 11th.  We will have to wait for the CA for the 29th!  I am still hoping we can pull this off, it just looks more bleak the further the ticks go on the clock!

UPDATE, this ride is never over.  We have a confirmed CA for the 15th for one of our boys, the problem is the other appointment.  The consulate won't even acknowledge a second child with out TA.  The CCAA* has said they will fax it.  The rep for our agency is coming to the US this week which means she won't be in China.  There is a HUGE risk the consulate won't add the second child and we will be stranded for a LONG time in China.  Our agency is on the phone with those is China now................. can we pull this off?  Are we pushing it???

I have been up for a little while.  I keep hitting the refresh button on my email.  You see the consulate in China is closed now because their Monday is over.  My agency is not yet open though.  Will we get the CA we need to leave Friday?   We shall see.  I will keep you posted!

TA!!!!

IT CAME!

Friday, our TA arrived at our agency for Elijah!!  Our agency is requesting our CA (consulate appointment) for the 15th or the 16th, we will know for sure Monday if those are available, but as long as there is an appointment, we are leaving FRIDAY, a mere 6 days from now!!!  SIX DAYS!

Now some of you may wonder about TA for Enick, yeah, that is still in China, we will ask the CCAA* to just hang on to that for us, we will get that in person, when we are in CHINA!!

Now would be a great time to thank my WONDERFUL agency.  Seriously, who works Saturday of a holiday weekend to help a family get to China?  Who works it out when you only have one of your TA's to just get it when you get there, so you can get to your boys as quickly as possible?  They have, time and time again, gone out of their way for us and I couldn't be more thrilled with them!  I LOVE them!  The ladies there care about the families and they care ALOT for these kids!  IF you are looking for an agency I highly recommend them!  They just recently were in China for their 3rd camp this year and have A TON of SN kiddos on their list.  They range in age and SN's !  I try not to look but can't help myself!!  There are some REAL cuties, precious little ones!  Want to know more, head over to the MAA yahoo group!  

Yippee we are going to China!!