Fun Quilt Squares From My Yahoo Jan07 DTC Group!

Thank you so much to the Peters family in Minnesota and the Elble/Norwood family in Georgia for these beautiful quilt squares. We just love them.

It's Monday...Have a Good One.

Sunday Post...Can You See the Ladybugs?

Congratulations Tracey and Mike on the Referral of Your Daughter Rian Zhu Hinchberger!

Congratulations to Tracey and Mike from 'Becoming Five' on the referral of their daughter Rian Zhu Hinchberger. Isn't she beautiful?

Time Out Tired...

A good word to describe my 2 year old Darling Eli would be ornery. He is either the biggest love bug around or the most stubborn little child. Time outs seem to work well with him. The rule is to sit them down one minute for each year they are in age. So, after a little fit Elijah found himself in time out.


I put him in time out and started working on something around the house and happened to glance over at him. The timer in the kitchen hadn't gone off, so it was under two minutes and this is what I saw. He completely fell asleep.


His head kept lopping over, so I moved him onto his little couch. He crosses his legs a lot when he sleeps. I of course being the Mom think it's adorable! He also likes to sleep surrounded with his pillows and stuffed animals.

I love Saturday Morning!

I love Saturday Morning. Half of our house is still asleep. It's still hazy outside and chilly. Eli is watching Thomas the Tank Engine. I can catch up on my blogs and drink a great cup of coffee. Tim fell back asleep on the couch. All is well...

Congratulations to My Children!

Congratulations Zach, Katey and Tyler for your good grades and Honor Roll recognition. We are are very proud of you!!

You Are The Change...You See.

I was reading Kayce's blog 'Stories of Life In the Middle of Adoption' and she was talking about the great need in the world and her heartfelt desire to help.

It reminded me of a conversation I had with Steffie at our dinner. We were talking about how so many people were not seeing the needs of the orphans throughout the world.

It made me think about how easy it is for us to be comfortable citizens of the United States (or whichever wonderful country you are living in), and not be able to see outside of our own borders. It is so important to also be a citizen of this earth and to be aware of the needs and seek out where we can make a difference.

I really feel that the IA adoption community is built of citizens of the world. We are reaching out of our countries and welcoming children into our families to love them as our very own.

That makes me really happy.

Congratulations to Amy and Michael at 'When Love Takes You In' for receiving their LID 4/23/07!

Congratulations to Amy and Michael at 'When Love Takes You In' for receiving their LID!

IMPORTANT..This is Something for Us to Be Aware of...Not in Fear Of...

This is for families adopting from China:

I don't know how many of you have seen the blog 'Chinese Adoption Heartbreak..Soul Autopsy'. (Click on the blog name and you will be linked directly to it). If you haven't read it, I highly suggest that you do. It is the account of a woman who recently went to China to bring her daughter home and encountered significant problems.
I truly believe that this case is an exception, but there is some good information in here to be aware of in the event that you arrive in China and find that things are not as they should be.

Here is an exerpt from her first post:

April 16, 2007
Welcome to hell. My Experience with Great Wall China Adoption.
The Trusted Leader of China Adoptions?
Come with me dear Readers on an adventure you will never forget!
It is a summary told by a woman who after 2 failed IVFs, a couple of miscarriages and thousands of dollars lost, threw in the towel on infertility treatment and began to forge the rocky stream called International Adoption.
Yay!
Follow her and her husband as they embark on a once romantic vision of parenthood through supposed philanthropic interests! Laugh at our naivity! Share in the horror as they pour out over $50,000 on their Guatemalan adoption! Share the shock and awe of being stuck in a third world country for over 4 months because of a corrupt Guatemalan adoption attorney! Revel in the joyful reunion of mom, dad, and The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Us when I returned home with her!
But wait! There's more!
A China referral! What, you say? Yes, A CHINA REFERRAL! Even though we cancelled with the agency, the CCAA still processed our dossier and WE GOT A REFERRAL!
What Infertile in their right mind would turn it down?
Then comes....
The most heartwrenching experience of my life... a journey to China, a Gotcha Day —on Christmas no less— and then saying goodbye to our daughter-to-be a couple of weeks later.
Why? She had undisclosed and severe disabilities that made us not capable of parenting her. I wanted to. God, I wanted to. But we couldn't continue with the adoption. And I had to leave her in China.
I think I died inside that day.
Follow me home to the good ol' US of A to visits to the shrink...Xanax to sleep at night! Anti-depressants! Grief Counseling!
YAY!
This tale will not be well told, edited, spellchecked or sweated over. It will probably be rambly, bumpy and full of typos as I stare at the screen listening to the hum of a baby monitor, for a peep or gurgle from The Best Thing. I may not write for days because I just feel to damn crappy about it to even think about it, let alone write about it.
And they'll probably try to sue me over this.
Well, last time I checked, Bush hasn't gotten rid of the First Amendment yet, so I'm safe.
I think.
This is a "down and dirty" write it and weep accounting of our experience of adoption with Great Wall of China Adoption, about how they left me in China to fend for myself after I returned the child, about how they didn't give us another referral of a healthy child, about how they didn't give us a dime back of our money, about how I escaped an attempted robbery in Beijing because I was left alone by the Great Wall staff, about how they never passed on messages from the US Embassy to me after I tried to contact them for assistance, and how I will never, never be the same after this loss.
I have lost embryos. I have lost babies in-utero.
But I never felt that I lost a child until now.

Her experience is very powerful. I would appreciate you leaving a comment on what your feelings are after reading this. Thank you!

Congratulations to LaLa at ladybugs and dragonflies for receiving her LID 4/16/07!!

I am so happy for you LaLa! You are the first family that I know who is going to Vietnam and I am very excited to be able to watch your journey. LaLa's blog is 'ladybugs and dragonflies'.

Let Me Tell You What I've Seen...

I've seen people encouraging one another. I've seen people celebrating each others milestones. I've seen people praying for one another. I've seen people in pain have their spirits lifted. I've seen people share their hearts-and others respond with the same. I've seen families grow. I've seen strangers unite to support someone they have never met. I've seen friendships shine. I have seen dreams come true.
All of this has happened right here.

West Michigan International Mothers...

We are looking to start our own support group for West Michigan International Mothers and would like to see who would be interested in joining in. This group will meet monthly to provide support to mothers at any phase of the adoption process. We also would like to establish play groups for children who are already here.
Please comment if you would be interested in joining this group. You don't need to reside in West Michigan, but the meetings will be held in this area.
The group website is currently being developed.
We have our own professional photographer, Karyn May who was adopted from Korea in 1970. She will hold a photography session with each adopted child free of charge. That includes our children who are already here.
If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, let myself or Stefanie at 'Never Too Many' know.
I really think that this is going to be a fantistic group.
-Kimberley/RedMaryJanes

Prayers Please for Loraena and her husband Josh.

Please join me in praying for Loraena and her husband. They were chosen by a birthmother to adopt her twin girls. The girls were born on Sunday and Loraena thought that they would be invited to the hospital shortly after that to see the girls and they have received no call.
As many of you know, the birthmother has a certain amount of time to change her mind and I'm sure that this wait has been very difficult for this couple emotionally.
I'm sure that they would welcome any emotional support that you all could provide. Their blog is 'life in oregon'.

Congratulations to Todd & Kelly for Receiving their LID 3/21/07!

Congratulation to Todd and Kelly at 'Wonton Wishes And Fortune Cookie Dreams' for receiving their LID! I remember how great if felt to have that acknowledgement and know that you have your ticket in line.

The Thinking Blogger Award

Thank you Stefanie for nominating my blog for the thinking blogger AWARD. I try to put a lot of thought or at least a lot of myself into what I write. Coming up with 5 blogs that I would like to nominate in turn took a lot of thought and feeling for me. I am a person ruled by my heart first with my mind and spirit coming in a close second. The blogs that inspire me most are ones that engage any of those three in me. The blogs that most inspire my heart are Our Unforgotten Daughter and Chinese Starfish. Tracy whose blog is Our Unforgotten Daughter truly puts her emotions into her blog. She shares her joys and her sorrows for all to see. When I read her posts my heart just goes out to her over and over again. Amanda who authors the Chinese Starfish is truly one of the finest human beings I have ever known. I have the utmost respect for her and her mission to shelter as many special needs Chinese children as she can. The blogs that most inspire my mind are Dragonfly & Ladybug and Give Me Back My Slippers. Elizabeth at Dragonfly & Ladybug was one of the first people to reach to me in the blogging community. She is an unbelievably talented writer and a loving mother. Her words come straight from the heart with a little twist of whit that makes me laugh every time. "Glinda" from Give Me Back My Slippers is also a talented writer. Her words are laced in elegance. She is a closet poet who delivers her souls essence through words that cause reflection. The blog that most engages my spirit is Our Whole World in His Hands. Terri is a very spiritual and Godly woman. I am always touched at a deeper level when reading her posts and inspired to take a moment to connect with my God.

Hopefully I didn't overlap anyone here, I tried to check other nominated blogs so as to not re-nominate someone twice.

I truly enjoy the friendship that I receive from all of the blogs that I follow. It's hard to choose only a few for nomination.

I think that this is very powerful...

Dinner with Steffie B.

This past Friday, Stefanie and I took the big step and met for dinner at Yen Ching which has been each of our favorite Chinese Restaurant for many years. We were both a little hesitant meeting someone we had met over the internet. But, it worked out to be a fantastic evening.

Over the past 4 months Stefanie has really been kind of a mentor for me since she has adopted before from China. She is able to answer my questions and calm my fears about our adoption. She has come to be such a great internet friend. I guess that my greatest fear was that when we were finally face to face, that we would be so completely different that we wouldn't really like each other and I would lose the person I really look forward to talking to every day. That fear was completely ridiculous because as I sat across from her, a comfort just came over me.

We talked for hours about our families and adoption. She is a very real person. It was like having dinner with someone I had known for a long time. The hours flew by.
It was also a lot of fun because we both know different members of the family who owns the restaurant and they were very surprised when we shared with them how we had met and why we were there.
Stefanie's blog is 'Never Too Many'. She has more pictures than I do, hopefully she's posting the one where the owner and waiter are posing with us.

Above are the two fortunes I got. The first one I relate to our adoption. The second I attribute to the Chinese New Year Dinner at the restaurant that both of our families are attending next year.

She also gave me this wonderful gift. The CD is one that she listened to while waiting for her first daughter from China named Sophia. Funny that I also am naming my daughter Sophia.
I love the bag, so I had to get it in the picture. The CD is wonderful. We have been listening to it all weekend.

I am looking forward to many more wonderful conversations and days spent keeping each other on our toes, watching our children play and following our diet!

Update on Family Reading Month..

Family reading month has turned out much differently than I thought it was going to be-it's one of the most wonderful times of our day. I thought that everyone would go into their own corner of the house and read individually. What has happened is that we are reading together or to each other.

Eli our 2 year old is being read to by different family members each night. Tyler my 11 year old is reading his book report book to me out loud every day which gives us some special one on one time. I'm still trying to fit in my own personal reading time, but that's still suffering.

Wait for the Lord...

Welcome Home to Your Forever Family Katya!

Welcome home sweet girl! Congratulations Rachael to you and your entire family on the adoption of your daughter from Russia. Your children look beautiful together.

Katya is second from the right with her new brothers Ben and Jack and her big sister Kristen.

Rachael's blog is 'Always Wanted Four'.

You See My Reflection...A Lot About the Real Me...

Lately I have seen quite a few of you revealing more personal information about yourselves in an effort to help us all come to know who you truly are. So, I am willing to do the same.

Here is my expose:

I am a Christian Woman but I am not conservative. I love God and I talk to Him every day. I live my life large and loud. There is not a Def Leppard song that I do not turn up, I enjoy a nice glass of wine and I have many juicy stories to tell about my life when I am an old woman.

My children are the essence of who I am. They are my heart and soul. There is nothing that I would not do for them or to keep them safe. That includes my daughter Sophia who I am waiting for.

My husband Tim is the quiet man who stands beside the loud independent woman and does everything within his power to make all of her dreams come true. I love him completely and worship the ground he walks on for making me so happy.

I am a loyal and dedicated friend and I expect the same in return. I am not an acquaintance type of person. That is not to say that I do not care for those around me because I truly do. But, I do not invest in relationships that are not the real thing. I do not worry or wonder about my close friends talking about me or betraying me behind my back-it doesn't happen and I don't do it. There is no room for lies or deceit in my life, if it becomes a habit, I'm done. Don't cry or send me cards. It's not that I'm angry, I'm just not investing anymore.

I am not the shiny happy friend who tells you what you want to hear. I say it like it is. I respect my friends who do the same. If you are in an abusive relationship, I'm the friend in your mans face. If your mother passes away, I'm the friend on a plane to be by your side. Whatever is going on, it's going on with me too-we're in it together.

I am dedicated to the evolution of women. I truly believe that each of us is on a journey of our own that involves our spiritual, physical and mental selves. Who we are in our 20's is not who we are in our 30's and may not be who we are in our 40's and so on. Life keeps coming at us and we're working through the good and the bad, which together is what is making us amazing women. I love to see women standing strong and overcoming adversity. I love to see their dreams come true and to cheer them through whatever comes their way. I'm on my own path and enjoy every kind word you send.

I am devoted 100% to the adoption of my daughter. I love my babygirl and I'm going to take whatever life lays before me, the good and the bad to bring her home.

Have a Wonderful Friday Everyone!

Through faith, we will find the courage to get through anything. That's all I can say about the rumors regarding the increase in wait time. I truly believe that we will not be hitting the 30 month mark, but if we do we'll make it through it. We have to, our children are waiting for us.

Congratulations to Loraena at 'life in oregon'...they are adopting twins!!

A big congratulations to Loraena and her family at 'life in oregon'! They are adopting twins who are due to be born this Saturday!!

A Perfect Family of Two...I am So Happy for you Liz!

I was just fine reading along Liz's blog and following her as she finalizes her adoption of Ava Grace. I was perfectly ok until I saw this picture and then I just fell into a pool of tears. Liz is such a beautiful person and I'm so glad to see her dream come true. I think that these two ladies look absolutely perfect together. Liz's blog is 'My Red Thread to Ava Grace YaHan'.

Congratulations to Julie at 'Wishing for Lia' for Receiving her LID 4/10/07!

Congratulations Julie!! I know that you posted this last week, but I wanted to acknowledge your special day. I sent Lia's quilt square out in the mail today!

Congratulations to Mommy Spice and the Entire Spicey Family for receiving their LID 4/17/07!

Wonderful News!

Congratulations to Mommy Spice and the entire family over at 'Hunan Spice' for receiving your LID!

Congratulations to Stefanie and the Beckering Tribe for Receiving their LID 4/4/07 Today!!!

Congratulations to Stefanie and the entire Beckering Tribe for receiving their LID today! Stefanie's blog is 'Never Too Many' and is on my favorites list.

Something to Applaud...Adoption Tax Credit Raised for 2007 in the US.

Great News! The Adoption Tax Credit Increased this Year in the US.

This is a post from Laura Christianson's Adoption Blog regarding the adoption tax credit.

Adoption Tax Credit Raised:Good news for those who are adopting or finalizing an adoption in 2007:The Federal Adoption Tax Credit limit is being increased to $11,390 for a child with special needs and the maximum credit allowed for other types of adoptions has also been raised to $11,390. You can exclude this tax credit from your gross income for qualifed adoption expenses paid or incurred by your employer under a qualified adoption assistance program in connection with your adoption of an eligible child.The credit begins to phase out if you have modified adjusted gross income of $170,820 or more and is completely phased out if you have modified adjusted gross income of $210,820 or more.Source: Internal Revenue Service

A Strong Woman

I just want to say how much I have enjoyed getting to know all of you. Each one of us is different in our own unique way, but the majority of us are united on the same path to our daughters. Some of us are ahead of others on the path, but we all do the best we can to help everyone along.
I consider myself a strong woman and you all help to keep me that way. I admire your honesty and your willingness and ability to share your thoughts and feelings. Everyday I see a snapshot of your lives and there is so much more of you shining through your words than you know. You are a very inspiring group of strong women. Have a great Wednesday!

Thank You to my Secret Buddy!

Big Thank You and Hugs to my Secret Buddy!

I really enjoy being a Secret Buddy and having one! It is a lot of fun to shop around looking for just the right thing to send that will be meaningful. It's also great waiting with anticipation for your gift to arrive in the mail and find something wonderful inside. I was thinking about it and with the wait being so long, I'll probably end up with everything I need for the baby by the time she gets here (just kidding). SMILE!

Have You Ever Met Someone for the First Time....Who Your Soul Already Knew?

Every once in a while when I meet someone, I get this feeling (I guess that it is more of a knowing) that they will have an impact on my life. When my husband took me to dinner for the first time, I looked at him from across the table and I knew that I was going to marry him. Also with my very close girlfriends I had this knowing that they were going to be pillars of support in my life.
I don't remember the first time I saw Stefanie's blog or the first comments that we exchanged, but I do remember knowing that she was going to be someone who I was going to come to know as a true friend.
We are meeting for dinner this Friday and I am so excited to get to see her for the first time. But, I already know her.

Thank you Stefanie for the wonderful cards. They mean so much to me. I can't wait until Friday!

Dear Lord Jesus..Accept These Souls Into Your Kingdom and Comfort the Families.

(CNN) -- A lone gunman is dead after police said he killed at least 21 people Monday during twin shootings on the Virginia Tech campus -- the worst school shooting incident in U.S. history.
"Some victims were shot in a classroom," university police Chief Wendell Flinchum said during a news conference in Blacksburg.
Police believe there was only one gunman, Flinchum said.
"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said university President Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified." (Map of Blacksburg)
The shootings mark the deadliest school shooting incident in U.S. history, topping attacks at Columbine High School in 1999 and at the University of Texas in 1966.
The Associated Press quoted officials saying more than 20 people were wounded. A hospital spokeswoman told AP that 17 Virginia Tech students were being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries.
Sharon Honaker at the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in nearby Christiansburg, Virginia, told CNN that four patients had been transported there, one in critical condition.
One person was killed and others were wounded at multiple locations inside a dormitory about 7:15 a.m., Flinchum said. Two hours later, another shooting at Norris Hall, the engineering science and mechanics building, resulted in multiple casualties, the university reported. (Campus map)
The first reported shooting occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a four-story coed dormitory that houses 895 students. The dormitory, one of the largest residence halls on the 2,600-acre campus, is located near the drill field and stadium.
Amie Steele, editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, said one of her reporters at the dormitory reported "mass chaos."
The reporter said there were "lots of students running around, going crazy, and the police officers were trying to settle everyone down and keep everything under control," according to Steele. (Watch police, ambulances hustle to the scene )
Kristyn Heiser said she was in class about 9:30 a.m. when she and her classmates saw about six gun-wielding police officers run by a window.
"We were like, 'What's going on?' Because this definitely is a quaint town where stuff doesn't really happen. It's pretty boring here," said Heiser during a phone interview as she sat on her classroom floor.
Student reports 'mayhem'
Student Matt Waldron said he did not hear the gunshots because he was listening to music, but he heard police sirens and saw officers hiding behind trees with their guns drawn.
"They told us to get out of there so we ran across the drill field as quick as we could," he said.
Waldron described the scene on campus as "mayhem." (Watch a student's recording of police responding to loud bangs )
"It was kind of scary," he said. "These two kids I guess had panicked and jumped out of the top-story window and the one kid broke his ankle and the other girl was not in good shape just lying on the ground."
Madison Van Duyne said she and her classmates in a media writing class were on "lockdown" in their classrooms. They were huddled in the middle of the classroom, writing stories about the shootings and posting them online.
The university is updating its more than 26,000 students through e-mails, and an Internet webcam is broadcasting live pictures of the campus.
The shootings came three days after a bomb threat Friday forced the cancellation of classes in three buildings, WDBJ in Roanoke reported. Also, the 100,000-square-foot Torgersen Hall was evacuated April 2 after police received a written bomb threat, The Roanoke Times reported.
Last August, the first day of classes was cut short by a manhunt after an escaped prisoner was accused of killing a security guard at a Blacksburg hospital and a sheriff's deputy.
After the Monday shootings, students were instructed to stay indoors and away from windows, police at the university said. (Watch the police chief explain where bodies were found )
"Virginia Tech has canceled all classes. Those on campus are asked to remain where they are, lock their doors and stay away from windows. Persons off campus are asked not to come to campus," a statement on the university Web site said.
Before Monday, the deadliest school shootings came in 1966 and 1999.
In the former, Charles Joseph Whitman, a 25-year-old ex-Marine, killed 13 people on the University of Texas campus. He was killed by police.
In 1999, 17-year-old Dylan Klebold and 18-year-old Eric Harris -- armed with guns and pipe bombs -- killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves.
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Monday Starts My Diet With Steffie...

Today starts my official diet. My goal is to lose 15 pounds in 2 months. I have a plan of what I am going to eat and how often I am going to exercise. I went to the grocery store on Sunday and bought everything that I need. I have the best diet partner around, Steffie from 'Never Too Many' and we're going to be HOT MOMMA's this summer!!

My Weekend Project...

I have spent this weekend getting prepared for my Yahoo Jan 07 DTC Group's Quilt Square Exchange. I have been cutting fabric squares and making the wish cards that I am going to send out. I think everything turned out pretty cute~

Dannye, Chynna's will be in the mail tomorrow. Jonni, I will have Sofia's in the mail tomorrow as well. Liz, I cannot bear for Ava Grace to have one that came unglued, so I made her a new one and it will be mailed tomorrow also.

If there is anyone out there who would like to exchange quilt squares, let me know!!

Turn Your Worries Over...

I really do this. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or worried by something, I ask God to please take this burden from me and handle the resolution. He always does.