Gosh these two kids sure make me happy!!

- Get Your Own

Today was hectic. I have so many thngs to do at school and at home before I leave!! I got a lot of things done at school today, but my list is still so long! Keep your fingers crossed for me that I somehow find a way to get it all done before this Sunday, when we go to the airport! We will stay the night there and leave the hotel at 3 am to be at the airport 3 hours in advance.... It worries me that this trip seems so exhausting before I even get started!! I am sure I will find the energy somewhere!!

Tonight the kids went to the Church Trunk or Treat and had way too much fun. (Yes, I had to put "my" list on hold! ) Andy was a fireman clown and he had the dickens of a time keeping his little nose on and his fireman hat on! He was just too cute though! Aubri was a beautiful Ginny Weasley. With her red hair, it was absolutely perfect! She had wanted the wand when the last book came out and she kept her word that she would use it for Halloween! My baby is growing up!! I am so proud of her! She was so good with Andy and helped him play all the games and do his Trunk or Treating and then came back to the car and helped me pass out candy. I am so grateful that my kids are not greedy and were more excited to pass out the candy and see all the costumes than to get it :-) The sugar high will not be too bad here tonight. In fact they are in bed calmly listening to a book and CD and falling asleep right now. All the screams of excitement are packed way in the treat bags for the night.

I am on my way to bed to join them now. The rest of the things that must be done will just have to wait until tomorrow.

There is a plan!

We are getting close to leaving and I received our intinerary yesterday afternoon. At first it kind of scared me, but I am now adjusting to the idea of some pretty fast traveling before I get Sera. I am taking donations to the IAAP foster centers and will be going to Changchun, Siping and Shenyang in one day, before going to Taiyuan to get Sera on the 8th!!

5th- Leave at 6:15 am
6th - Arrive Beijing 3 pm
Fly to Changchun- arrive 850 pm
Stay in the Chang Baishan Hotel in Changchun
7th- Go to the Changchun foster center in the am
Drive to the Siping foster center in the afternoon
Stay in the JiPing Hotel
8th Leave Siping at 7 am and drive to Shenyang ( Andy's home town of over 7 million people!!)
Fly to Taiyuan at 10:50 am and arrive at 3 pm
Receive Sera at 4:30 pm and sign the bonding agreement
Stay at the YuYuan Hotel
9th Finalize adoption, notary, passport etc...
10th Wait in Taiyuan- walk around and sightsee around hotel ? There is a big park close by! I hope it is warm enough to go there!
11th Wait in Taiyuan-walk around and sightsee around hotel ?
12th Wait in Taiyuan-walk around and sightsee around hotel ?
13th Fly to Guangzhou
14th Medical appt for Visa
15th Consulate appt with paperwork
16th Oath Ceremony
17th Fly to Beijing
18th Fly home!!!!

Whew!!

We are on a tight countdown now!!! 9 more days until Aubri and I are on a plane!!!

Yesterday, after cleaning my bathrooms and bedroom and doing loads of laundry and making more lists of things to do...I had two huge kennelog shots in my knees so that I am not hobbling when I stand up while in China. Andy finally got his kindergarten physical filled out due to not getting it filled out when we actually went for the physical... and got a different medicine to help with his attention in class. It is extended release and will hopefully also keep him calm when he is at Grandma and Grandpa's. We shopped for last minute meds, Easy mac, oatmeal, Gerber puffs, more Space Saver bags, more toys for the kids in Changchun, stuff for Halloween etc. It was a very long day with kids happily teasing and playing with each other just enough to distract me and make me exhausted! We have more to attack today! I have already cleaned out the refrigerator and put away laundry and am starting on the freezer. ( I am taking a break here ;-))

We also shopped for my dad and some unforeseen needs there with my step mom. She has been very ill with a UTI and having a worse time understanding what is happening to her. I feel so badly for her. It is the pits to be sick, but to not remember why you are so sick is just so sad... She is so sweet about it all though. I think she will be on the mend and Pop will be able to keep Andy during the week. Andy being around seems to help her keep her spirits up. He is a little clown after all!

Deb will be taking care of my house and dogs, and she and Rae will help with Andy on the weekends. Alice will bring Andy to school and bring him home. Andy's kindergarten teacher has also offered to help if needed. I feel so much better knowing he will be well cared for , even if Pop has more difficulty with Evelyn and cannot keep him. He loves them all and will be happy! That means so much!!

Some absolutely amazing friends and family have sent financial help which has really helped!!! It covered the cost of Aubri's and my flights over!!! I have had a friend send some hand me downs for Sera which are absolutely gorgeous!! I also had another online friend send me a baby carrier which is going to be an absolute God send! Even Aubri will be able to use it to help carry Sera, who will probably like Aubri much more than me initially.

I have co workers at school working together to help keep my classroom running smoothly and dealing with potential crises which may arise. They are all so wonderful and caring about my kids and classroom staff, who are also going to be carrying extra weight while I am gone. I have amazing paras who are all so good with the kids, but is is hard when there is no one to make that final call in a crisis decision and subs will not be able to either since they really won't know the kids and their histories. I will be able to reach them all via email, but they will be in the thick of it so to speak. I know it is tough to step in on a class like mine and I am ever so GRATEFUL for all their help!!

I have online friends to write to for support when things get tough.. and I know they probably will at some point. That is just the nature of international adoption, or kids, period ,for that matter ;-) I know they will not be judgmental and I so value their input!

Our family is so extremely blessed to have so many people in our life who are willing to help this little one come home.

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!! (You all know who you are ;-))

Mom to 2, soon to be 3, little monkeys

- who needs to go do more laundry, put up Sera's bed and go out and get a car set, duct tape, dog food, quart ziplock baggies, small tupperware for restaurant leftovers to eat when we don't want to go out and what ever else I forgot yesterday!! I am taking my list this time!!! ( andy pulled it out and drew on it yesterday.... ;-) Please pray my kids will walk with me quietly! Ha!! Have I mentioned that I HATE packing for these trips!

What a grin!!!

We will see this bright and cheery smile again SOON!! These photos were taken while Sera prepared to leave Changchun and travel to Datong with a nanny! I am so happy that she traveled with someone she loved! She looks so happy and healthy and has been so well loved!!! Cheryl knew how sad I was to see her sad little face in Datong. I know it made them sad too. She sent me these photos and when I opened them, my kids all heard me scream and we all laughed as we opened each one. There is no better way to start a day!!!

Well.. I bet there will be ONE thing....I cannot wait until I see that smile in person!

Sad news....

Seras SWI, or orphanage, insisted that she come back to Datong to be prepared to be adopted.... My poor baby was taken from the only people in her life who have seen her as special and worthy of attention and placed back into the place which ignored her and let her withdraw from the world to the extent that they labled her as mentally retarded....

A family was there today and took photos. She had just arrived there. She appeared to be very confused and afraid, BUT she did interact! She held the doll we sent her and kept it close to her. I am so glad that it is comforting her.

It is going to be a very long 3 weeks before I hold her... for both of us now!

Way too much fun!

1st time skating- Hockey style!

We went to our local hockey team's home game Saturday evening. We all had a lot of fun! Andy was so happy. He loved being loud at the hockey game, and after it he got to skate! Aubri skated too but her skates hurt her feet. Andy was such a trooper! Every time he fell he got up laughing! The hockey players really had fun skating with him! But not as much fun as he had!!!

BTW... the funy look on Aubri's face was because she was uncomfortable with the teenage boy odor from having played a hard game.... In other words, she was really trying to keep from telling a really nice guy that he stunk :-)