2/24/2013

Unexpected Gift

Lucy Love,

Good Morning Love Bug!

Friday morning we woke up to the most precious videos of you that we were not expecting. This was the best unsolicited surprise gift from God that we have received this far in your adoption. We couldn't believe our eyes as we watched you dance and spin and clap an attempt to "sing" along to the music.

In your file, it says that you are growing up "happily and happily" in the orphanage. These videos are clearly evidence of that!

Just can't help but share these screen shots from the videos with all our friends and family so they can see your beautiful face!

On top of that we also got word Friday that we are not far from DTC.. Our Dossier is with the Chinese Consulate in Texas awaiting the final step of authentication before it can go to China! I've been praying for March 1st..so we will see!!





2/14/2013

Isn't it Ironic?

Soooo... if you read the post below from last night.. 
I typed this:

"We are waiting so patiently for that biometric approval from Homeland Security. 
Wouldn't it be ironic if it came tomorrow?"

You see, it would be ironic because we started our first Home Study exactly 1 year ago TODAY~~
on Valentine's Day.
And guess what??
It did.


I love it when dates and times line up...
I just KNEW it would come today.
And it did.
Not that God needs to show off.
But He does it just to show~ 
He LOVES Adoption.
And Lucy.
And Us.
And YOU.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'll say it again...

How Great the Love the Father has lavished
on us that we should be called Children of God.
1 John 3:1


2/13/2013

All for Love..

Lucy Love,
The table is set for Valentines Day breakfast in the morning..
The grandmas have sent some treats too.
Daddy and I layed out the "Love Big" t shirts from Created for care for the other kids.
You are getting a wild Olive T shirt with matching headband.
I am gonna be drinking coffee from the mug your "aunt Tracie" gave me with the mom/ baby panda.
There are lanterns hanging from the chandelier in your honor.
And your picture is there.
And a little white napkin embroidered with a ladybug just happened to fall out of the linen closet tonight when I was dragging out the decorations.
So we layed it out in front of your picture just for you.
We are not with you yet.
But you are with us and we love you big time.
1 year ago today we had our first Home Study meeting...
That day we were dreaming if you.
Now we see your face.
We are waiting so patiently for that biometric approval from Homeland Security.
Wouldn't it be ironic if it came tomorrow?

" How great the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called Children of God". 1 John 3:1














2/10/2013

Chinese New Year

Lucy Love,

We have a new holiday over here.. and we are celebrating it all because of you.
Even though you are far away, you are constantly on our hearts and minds.  Often Daddy and I will hear one of your siblings say "when Lucy comes home, such and such" or "she will do this", "we will do that with her", "she will sit here", " I will share my toys with Woo-cy"

This past week we have been celebrating Chinese New Year with some of our China peeps..

Last Saturday, we drove down with your bothers to Peachtree City, (Zoe was at a friend's birthday party)  to celebrate with some others from our agency.  They put together a night of food, fun, and celebration.  There was a wonderful Chinese meal, a photographer, games and a dragon parade for the kids..

They even took our picture :) We wore some red for China :)


This is our social worker, below~ Bekah Benke.. We were so glad to see her because we miss seeing her now that we are done with our Home Study.  She is our favorite social worker..  LOVE HER~
got to meet her husband and two of her cute sons.. She is a great momma and I can tell she finds humor in things too.. She must, because Henry said a couple of the darndest things and we still passed our home study.  Next time I see her I hope it is at the airport!!


Let's see here are a couple more favorites.. This is Jessica Walker.. 
She is also adopting from China through Lifeline right now.  We met on the Facebook page for Lifeline China families and I finally got to meet her at Created for Care a couple of weekends ago.
She has a son, Jian Jian waiting in China..
So here we are.. two mommas waiting.. 
and not we did not color coordinate on purpose but I think we look pretty cute ;)


Last but not least, here is my friend Andrea, the one that I have mentioned before.. She matched the China families with their children.. what an awesome job.. and she is so good at it.  She facilitated our LOI and gave me the news that we had Preliminary Approval to adopt you.  She cares so much for each momma and it is evident. 
Here she is pictured with most of her family, including little Emma Lael, whom she brought home a few years ago.  What a cutie.. Loved meeting husband Kent and daughter Natalie.. precious family..


Oh and I almost forgot! Our China in country director's daughter wrote the kids' names in Chinese characters and wrote the English translation of how you pronounce their names in Mandarin.
Here are the names for all of our four children.. WOW!! :)


So, that was last weekend.. Then yesterday, we celebrated with our North Metro China families.  
I cannot even begin to tell you what a sweet time this was.  We gathered at Rob and Denise Mc Dowell's house.. he and his wife Denise have two beautiful girls from China.
We had some Chinese food and lots of amazing TEA selections.  There were chinese decorations and the other little girls who are already home from China, dressed in the traditional outfits.  
The women had such a wonderful time visiting inside and drinking hot tea while some of the littles played. The big kids ran around outside while the dads traipsed through the woods and did man stuff.  

At the end, the kids did sparklers and we took pictures. 


My friend Rebecca took this cool picture of our family.. and I am holding out a picture of you so that one day you can see that we celebrated Chinese new year before you came home. 


I mean look at these PRECIOUS China adoptive mommas that the Lord has blessed me with in this season.  All of them new friends that I feel I could have known for much longer.  Part of that Red Thread.  Beautiful women with beautiful hearts.



And here are all the children of those mommas.. 8 out of the 15 pictured here are adopted.  
And really that number is 10 because the picture frames represent two more!! You, Lucy Love, and one more Radicchi who has yet to have been discovered.  But Jesus holds you two in the palm of His hand.


Crazy Babies doing silly.  Love it.  Finn is not amused. 


Until Next year.... 

We're Waiting here for You!!














2/04/2013

A taste of Heaven

Lucy Love,

Today your daddy and I came one step closer to holding you. Call me cheesy, but I believe that The Lord gave little winks along the way to confirm that He is with us and for us and for YOU becoming a part of our family.

This morning we had planned to walk in for Biometric Fingerprinting. This will get us the last slip of paper our agency needs in order to authenticate our Dossier and get those documents to China. Daddy asked his men's group to pray and I texted a few adoption Mommas to please pray the security guard would let us in early today as our appointment is not until Friday. Our neighbor, Cynthia, took carpool so that we could get a head start and away we went.

When we arrived at USCIS on collier road, I remembered we couldn't take anything in but out docs and ID. So I slipped a small picture of you into the inner pocket of my coat. The security guard was a super nice guy with a big smile of gleaming white teeth. He let us right in and even joked with us!
After checking in we sat down to wait. Since we didn't have phones to distract us, we took out your picture and just marveled at you. Then they called our numbers. Sparing you all the details, we were in an out in 20 minutes. Daddy did love taking to the Asian man that took his prints. His name was Vo and he was from Vietnam. He asked how many kids did we have already? Sean said 3..and it's a busy life. Vo laughed in agreement and replied ..happy life!

Since we got done so quickly we decided to have breakfast at flying biscuit on Northside. These adoption tasks have provided multiple opportunities for your dad and I to come away and spend a little time together that we otherwise would not have had. This breakfast was a happy time. I sat down and looked at my menu and it read, "A taste of heaven". Lucy, today has felt like a taste of heaven because we have sensed the Lords presence going before and behind us each step of the way.

Next your daddy wanted to take my picture at the restaurant, so he did..and when he showed me my picture there
Was a field of sunflowers painted in the background. My sister, your aunt Bekah, died at age 21 about 5 years ago. Her favorite flowers were sunflowers. She was winking a us. Another taste of heaven.

Then we decided that since we were still so much earlier getting done than wed imagined, that we would run over to CHOA and visit a friend of ours whose little girl Mallory is in the hospital with respiratory distress. There just happened to be a cute toy store there in the parking lot with Flying biscuit so we ducked into the shop and bought Mallory a princess sticker book. While in the store we met a mother who told us that she had adopted her son and he is your same age. So we told her about you.

When we drove into the parking lot at children's, it dawned on me that this is where you will (hopefully) have your cochlear implant surgeries one day!
They have a garden, multiple play rooms, a library, an little wagons where parents can give their kids a ride. I imagined us coming there with you.

When we arrived at the room, My friend Mindy was so excited to see us. She had secretly hoped this morning that someone would come visit her. Not only that, but Mindy was also going to call her mother shortly to ask her to bring - guess what- some stickers!! Had we not gotten through fingerprinting early, we would not have had this opportunity to spread the love. To have breakfast, to be by the toy store, etc etc

Today had been another day for me to see how living and active The Lord is in all the silly little details of our lives.

I am amazed at how even though you are on the other side of the world snug in your bed sleeping right now, you are still touching lives. And above all else, because of you and our preparing for you to come home we are slowing down just a tad and being blessed in more ways than we can count.

I have more to say, but I'm on my way to pick up your (twin) brother Finn from school.
Love,
Mama