tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465005605990393732024-03-04T22:08:03.730-08:00 Everything In BetweenAlliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-9748773243026645852014-08-20T01:20:00.001-07:002014-08-20T01:46:11.043-07:00Getting to Know JettI will warn you there is only one picture (and it's a great one!), but, today was probably one of my favorite days....at least a couple hours of it anyways. I was able to sit down with our CCAI rep and we went through the packet of pictures and updates that his nanny gave us! I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have this information....a little sneak peak into the heart and personality of our boy, given by the person who lived every day with him for the last 22 months.<br />
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We learned about when he had his firsts; such as rolling over, crawling, and walking. We learned his nanny's name and that he's been with his same nanny since he was 1-1/2 months old. We learned that he really does love to be outside....when he wanted to go out, and they wouldn't take him, he would sit at the door and cry. We also learned that she thought he was "lovely" and "naughty" a lot....sounds like a few other kiddos I know...I won't name any names though! The stories she shared of him were examples of his warm and kind heart, as well as, his stubborness, and some of his funny personality. So far I'm thinking that he and Jake are going to be best buds or at each others throat, competing for my attention. I'm sure it will be a little bit of both. <br />
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Going through this packet, I learned that he had two really good buddies that he would play with, eat next to, and dance with. I'm sure he is missing them as much as his nanny, but hopfully, his 4 siblings will change all of that...I just wish I had some pictures of them...who knows, maybe they'll be in the roll of film we need to develop!<br />
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Funny Personality:<br />
I also found out that in his orphanage they raised pigs, ducks, and chickens....apparently he loved them and would imitate their movements....when he would see the nannies laughing at him, he would laugh and do it more! Sounds like we have an entertainer on our hands! <br />
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Naughtiness:<br />
Apparently when the nanny would tell him "no", he would smile and laugh at her and do it again "on purpose" she wrote, which is probably why he is doing that same thing to me. When I tell him "no" or "bu" as he knows it, he looks at me and smiles, but at least when he sees that I'm serious, he doesn't try doing it again....ok, maybe sometimes! She said that he would also go around and take the crib sheets off the cribs and throw them on the floor....I had to laugh at that one....although I know what a pain it is putting those on!<br />
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Warm and Kind Heart:<br />
She wrote that one time when they were getting a snack ready for the kids, they handed it out to a few of the boys (one of them being him)first, and when some others didn't get theirs right away, they started to cry...he quickly gave his to one of the little boys crying....this makes my heart happy to hear. So far he is very good at sharing...maybe he'll teach Jake a thing or two! <br />
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Those are just a few of the stories I was able to hear today. More than anything I loved that his nanny wrote down how much she loved him and that he followed her around everywhere....he was her shadow, or as they say it over here, "her tail"! You can tell that he was well loved and cared for, and no gifts or words could ever be enough to say thank you for all she has done for Jett. I am so thankful that in the midst of caring for so many kids, she took the time to write down things that are important not only to me, but things that will be important to Jett one day too!!! <br />
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This is a picture of Jett with his nanny! I love this one...I think it shows how much love she has for him!</div>
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God, I thank you for his nanny, that she took such great care of him and most of all that she loved him. Thank you for placing her in his life until we could come for him! Why do I ever doubt you...why do I ever think that my plan could be better....I am overwhelmed by how perfectly you chose Wu Hao Jun, to be, Jett Wu Bramlett....that he gets to be apart of our family forever....and that we get to be apart of his...thank you for letting us be his parents....we are so honored! You have done far more than I could have thought or imagined and I am beyond grateful! My heart is full!Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-82997521243726832842014-08-19T01:34:00.001-07:002014-08-19T01:34:28.291-07:00A Day of Bargaining<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today we headed out for some shopping...and with shopping there is always bargaining! We went to the pearl market and looked at some salt water and fresh water pearls. We also learned how to tell a real one from a fake one, and what makes one worth more than another. It all was very interesting!</div>
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The kiddos decided to do some bargaining as well....they sat in their strollers and traded snacks with each other. It is probably one of the cutest things I've ever seen!</div>
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We also headed to a place called Shamain Island....and it is so much different and low key than the rest of the places we've been to in China. It was actually relaxing and you never worried about getting ran over by a car or a scooter. As you will see in the pictures below, it has more of a French European feel to it....maybe even New Orleans! It was absolutely beautiful! </div>
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We went to a restaraunt called Lucy's, and it was delicious! It had lots of American food, but we had sweet & sour chicken, rice, and Morris ordered onion rings as well!</div>
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Jett with his little buddy Kai....they are so cute together....and are awesome at sharing!!! Excited to see what these boys grow up and do in life!</div>
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More pictures of this pretty little town! </div>
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They also had a Starbuck's and I will say that it is hands down the prettiest/coolest Starbuck's I've ever been too! I absolutely loved it!</div>
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Hang'n with Daddy...listening to every word, and trying to understand whatever it is he is saying!</div>
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But not for long....cause he is busy like that!</div>
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It has been and great day....but we are SO ready to get home! We have our US consulate appointment tomorrow morning, and prayers are appreciated! Then we get our visas on Thursdays and leave Friday! We are almost there....again, thank you for all your prayers, and words of encouragement, we are looking forward to being home together as a family of 7...and looking forward to introducing Jett to all of our family and friends! We love you all!Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-53682030627174925772014-08-18T07:02:00.002-07:002014-08-18T07:44:16.949-07:00Drinking and Driving....and Just Like My Brother Jake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, while we are waiting in the lobby today, Jett want's his bottle, and so we go ahead and give it to him. Apparently he isn't too thirsty, but he needs a drink while he's driving his stroller around!!! He must get that from his Daddy and his Paw Paw....they always have to have some kind of drink when they hit the road!<br />
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We also noticed tonight that Jett is just like Jake, or Jake is just like Jett....they both are very mechanical! As you can see below he is checking out the wheels of his stroller!!! I think they are going to get along just fine!</div>
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This morning we had his medical exam. Thank you for all your prayers, we were aloud to go with him to each room as we saw two different doctors and one nurse! He did cry since he wasn't too thrilled to be checked over, but overall he did great....and he really liked the sucker we gave him when it was all over!!!</div>
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This wine vending machine was down in the lobby of the medical building....for real folks!!! I think some of us were tempted to snag a bottle on our way out as most of us (if not all) had crying babies through the whole process!!!<br />
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He had to get his photo taken first thing and did better than expected!!! No tears!!! All of the information taken today will be given to the US consulate for our appointment on Wednesday.</div>
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He was all smiles before the checkup....and it didn't take him too long to start smiling again after!<br />
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After the medical exam, we headed back to the room to put Jett down for a nap, and decided to get some laundry done....do you think he'll still do it for me when we get back home???? I may try and see if he'll do it....I mean really, at least he won't have to do it by hand!!!<br />
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The bathroom was our hang out while Jett napped....I'm glad we are out and about most days for naps. Being stuck in the bathroom for 2-1/2 hours wasn't all that exciting as you can tell by the look on Mo's face! He was a good husband and brought me a McFlurry though!!!! I also painted my nails and Morris made himself some tea and coffee! Fun times!<br />
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We also had some drama...we were about to leave to go kill some time at the little mall across the way, so I put Jett in his stroller and just as we were walking out the door, I happened to smell something....could be poop! So I we decided, being the great parents we are, I'll change him before we leave. I started to take him back out of his stroller and to my surprise, poop was pretty much everywhere.....and as we stripped him down, it was in even more places....so, a bath it was! This was his first time in the bath...he has always showered with me because he would scream and refuse to sit down in the bathtub.....yay for another victory!!!<br />
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Tonight, it was a Pearl River boat cruise and Papa John's pizza!!! Mandy Bramlett, I know you can and will appreciate that!!! It was amazing....we've been eating a lot of chinese food lately and last night is was a little risky....good, but risky! It can be hard to order when your menu doesn't have english on it! Tonights dinner was a welcomed change, and Jett loved it so much he ate two pieces!<br />
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He is also finding out that Daddy isn't so bad after all! He made some huge progress as you'll see later on!<br />
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There it is Mandy, Papa John's pizza!!! Bet you can't wait to have some of that!!! Or maybe they have it over there in Zambia too! <br />
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Wow!!! Would you look at that hair...I feel like a movie star in this pic....not too sure what Jett's doing though! When we went on the top floor of the boat, it was pretty windy....Jett kept covering his face and squinting....maybe he's never experienced wind before!<br />
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Not sure what the name of this tower is, but it is the 2nd tallest building in the world! The lights would change colors...pretty impressive!<br />
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Here it is folks....look who's letting Daddy hold him...and he's not even crying!!! Seriously, this is huge....huge for Jett and huge for me....I get a break for a little bit! </div>
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Thank you, thank you for all your prayers....he is hearing and answering them! Little by little, Jett is opening up to us and we are so grateful! Please continue to pray for him....we still need it!!!<br />
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Other ways you can be praying:<br />
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For flights to be open on our way back home.<br />
For our consulate appointment to go well.<br />
For our kiddos, mostly Jo, she seems to be having more of a hard time...at least when we facetime her.<br />
Energy for Lyn as she cares for all 4 kiddos by herself.<br />
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I just want to say thank you to those who have loved on our kiddos while we are away, especially to my mom and dad, and Lyn....we know it isn't an easy job, but we are so appreciative of your time and willingness to do it. Our kiddos love you all so much and so do Morris and I. To our friends and family that have helped fill in the gaps...thank you to you as well. I love your servant hearts and your willingness to help bring peace and comfort to our kids while we are away! We love you so much!<br />
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I'm off to bed...hope y'all have a great day!Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-82056054109964004672014-08-17T06:14:00.001-07:002014-08-17T06:15:37.623-07:00Chocolate Nose Slobber and Baby PicturesToday was another good day....lots of personality and even a few sounds....not sure if they were words or not, but something other than giggles! Tomorrow is his medical check up. I've had people say that we don't get to go with them when they are brought back to be examined, and others that say we do...so I guess we'll just have to see, but prayers are appreciated. <br />
We have one RN and one nurse practitioner in our group and Jett allowed the nurse practitioner to look in his ears and in his mouth a little bit! She said one ear looked like it could turn into an ear infection, so if you wouldn't mind praying for healing, we would appreciate it so much! <br />
Today I was eating some dark chocolate (thank you Krista Williams, I am finished with all my dark, almond chocolate! Obviously I didn't plan very well...I still have 5 more days!).....and Jett wanted some, so I gave him a little, and to my surprise there was some chocolate slobber coming out of his nose. We weren't sure if there was an opening that went all the way up....but after we saw that, I looked in his mouth a little closer and sure enough there is a small hole that does go all the way up to his nasal passage. Looking at the medical records that we were given before we had him in our arms, we weren't sure what to expect, but now as we re-read them, and have seen inside his mouth, it is all starting to make more sense!<br />
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There was another surprise today as well....I had heard from other families that have adopted kiddos from the same orphanage, that they had received a packet full of pictures from the time they arrived at the orphanage until the time they left. I asked our rep while we were in Zhengzhou if Jett had anything like that and she didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Anyways, when Morris was looking through and preparing all the paper work for tomorrow, he came across a packet.....full of pictures!!!! I was absolutely thrilled!!! It showed pictures from about the time he arrived and pictures of him before his lip was repaired....and pictures of him with other little boys from the orphanage too. There are also pictures of him with his same nanny, probably around the time he arrived at the orphanage!!! So you can imagine the bond he had with her was a close one! I am so thankful of the care he received...so thankful that she loved him! There a quite a few pictures of him smiling....which makes this mama's heart happy too!<br />
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My heart is sad for his birth mother....that she didn't get to experience this sweet little boy...that she was more than likely forced to make a decision that she really didn't want to make. My prayer is that her heart would be at peace...that some how she would know her son is being loved on and cared for...and more than anything, that she is loved by our Heavenly Father. I feel so privliged to be his forever mama and so thankful that God pressed this upon our hearts...this process has forever changed us....to him be all glory and honor!<br />
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Today I am just doing some random photos....Mo hasn't done his daily duty of uploading our pictures for the day! Maybe he should get himself a different duty!!! He has also figured out that it is easier just taking them on his phone and uploading them onto Facebook....which doesn't help me with my blogging! Anyways, enjoy!<br />
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I told y'all that I treated myself to some ice cream on the way back dow the wall...this one was for you Eva Means!!!</div>
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This is "Gotcha Day" before we left to go meet him!!!</div>
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This is another picture from the lovely Walmart in Zhengzhou...the carts have magnets on them so they don't roll down when you are riding the escalator up or down! They also have different snacks you can grab on your way in or out!</div>
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Well, that is it for today! Hope all is well back in the states....we are looking forward to seeing y'all when we get back!</div>
Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-66721803455851621962014-08-16T05:47:00.001-07:002014-08-16T05:47:19.419-07:00Shaolin Temple and Our Flight to Guangzhou<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I really haven't been doing a great job of keeping up with the blog....and in all seriousness, there wasn't too much change in his personality or how he was doing up until today! There were little...or maybe tiny changes, but what can you expect from a little boy who was taken from everything he's known and given to two strange looking white people, which I'm sure he had never seen before! However, last night was the first night that he started to really play and explore our room a bit! I think he must have played for 2-1/2 hours straight while we packed and got ourselves ready for our trip to Guangzhou! Bedtime is getting better as well, he will only cry for a minute or two and tonight, he just sort of whimpered. I would cuddle him if I could, but he wants nothing to do with being held before bed. </div>
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Tonight we had quite the experience at dinner. In fact we were shocked and surpised to see that our little guy has quite the throwing arm! We are coming to find out that his little personality is growing into a rather big personality! I think Jake may have met his match when it comes to busyness and being into everything....and I am quickly learning how full my hands will be once we get home!!! Anyways, back to dinner....we got him settled into his highchair, and gave him some of his favorite snacks in a bowl as we waited for our dinner to be brought to us (he is not a boy that wants to just sit in his highchair with nothing to do). He ate one and before we knew it he was throwing one after the other across the table at Morris....it sort of reminded us of the movie "Elf", when Elf was throwing snowballs at the kids! They were fast balls to say the least and if a major league scout were to have seen that, he may have been signing a contract!!! However, we needed to figure out a way of gently telling him that it isn't ok to throw his food. That is next to impossible since Morris and I can't speak a lick of Chinese! </div>
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We are so thankful that the Lord is softening his heart towards us and that he feels safe enough to start showing us some of his personality! He did give Mo a kiss the other day, yet still refuses to let Mo hold him...please continue to pray for his little heart and also for wisdom on how to handle situations such as the food throwing. It is a fine line and we need his wisdom to help us navigate through this process!</div>
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Below are some pictures from our last tour in Zhengzhou at the Shaolin Temple and also our flight from today down to Guangzhou. Hope ya'll are doing well, and thank you so much for your prayers and support!</div>
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Entrance to the Shaolin Temple....built in 495AD. The Buddhist monks live here and they also used to teach kung fu. There were lots of boarding schools on the way up there that were the kids would learn kung fu.</div>
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Jett and his new friend Kai sharing some snacks! I need to get a better picture of Kai, he is so darn cute and has the cutest dimples and voice! He is the only other boy in our group.</div>
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Learning that it's ok to smile and laugh!</div>
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The mountains over here are absolutely beautiful...one might actually think this picture was taken in Washington!</div>
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Jett's first plane ride! (Eva, thanks again for letting me borrow the Ergo...it has come in very handy, and he likes it!)</div>
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Another family selfie...-4 of the kiddos!</div>
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He polished this bag off on the way to the hotel...thank goodness we found more of his favorite snacks! What will we do when we get back to the states! (Sue Henry...They are basically like chips with ketchup on them....I think you two will get along great!)</div>
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Happy Boy!</div>
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One more week and we'll be coming home! We will hopefully know more details in the next couple of days regarding our flight and what time we will arrive on the 22nd....we would love to see you at the airport if you can make it! Stay tuned for more details!</div>
Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-33586030219571606742014-08-14T01:29:00.002-07:002014-08-14T01:29:58.931-07:00His City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I am a day behind on my bloging....but it is what it is! Yesterday was a great day, for two reasons, first of all, it was the love of my lifes 31st birthday! I couldn't imagine sharing this life with anyone but him! And being together in China to bring home our new son has only brought us closer! The second reason it was a great day, was because we were able to go to Jett's hometown and see where he spent the last almost 2 years of his life! To have some pieces to the puzzle feels amazing...some day he will have questions and we will be able to answer and show him pictures to some of those questions. </div>
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We started off taking what they call the "Bullet Train", which goes 186 mph. I was actually pretty cool. I may even like it better than an airplane because you actually get to see places along the way. I felt like I got to see what most of China looks like, and it is beautiful!</div>
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Me and my boy...I am loving that he is loving the ergo!!! Thanks Eva!!!</div>
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A family selfie...minus 4!!!</div>
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Just one picture of the views on our way....I think it may be greener than the NW!</div>
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We were able to get back our photo book that we sent him...he seemed to light up when he saw it! We also received the camera we sent, and a photo album that Morris' parents sent!</div>
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This is where we applied for his passport...Thank goodness he didn't have to have his picture taken! They had it done the week before...</div>
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and this is it....so sweet!</div>
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This is Jett's nanny...she was very sweet! I would have taken a picture with her and wanted to, but poor Jett was losing it! He was sleeping in the front pack when we arrived and I covered his face up too just in case he woke up, however, when he heard his nanny's voice and all of the kiddos, his pretty little head popped right up! So off I went outside! I did get to hug her and tell her thank you!</div>
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This was his orphanage, the place he has lived for almost two years...has probably never seen outside of it until now. We were able to see his finding place and the crib where he slept, but I feel like those he may want to keep to himself and share as he feels led...but at least we have those for him to see one day...answers to probably a few of his many questions some day!</div>
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I am honored to be his mother...I am still amazed at how God has orchastrated every detail from beginning until now....and while we may be changing his life, he will change our life far more...I am convinced of this.</div>
Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-79442229396300898882014-08-12T14:04:00.001-07:002014-08-12T14:06:11.815-07:00Arrival of Our Newest Bramlett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sorry this post is so late...it's like any other time you throw a kid in the mix, things take a lot longer. So the first few pictures are from "Gotcha Day". What an emotional day. We all met down in the lobby of the hotel at 9:30...everyone was packed and ready to go. We headed to the registration office where we would all meet our kiddos for the first time!</div>
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When we arrived, 3 little girls were already there waiting for their families. One was pretty calm and the other two were screaming their pretty little heads off! I started crying right away as well. It's a lot to take in. </div>
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About 20 minutes into the waiting, our rep told us that our little boy and the orphanage officers that were bringing him had missed the first train because there were too many people. She said we would be meeting him back at the hotel around 12:30. This allowed us to be able to video and take pictures for other families just receiving their sweet babes. Every single one was emotional, and their were 6 of them.</div>
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We waited in our hotel room for the phone call. Othere people waited in the little lobby on our floor right next to our elevator. We waited......and waited....and waited, for what seemed like forever. About 12:50 the phone rang...and we headed out the door to go meet our son. When those elevator doors openned, I was a mess....the orphanage officers could tell who his new mama was immediately!! I had been waiting for this moment for so long....or so it seemed. He smelled so good! He didn't cry or show any emotion really....he is one that tries to hold it together. I could see tears welling up in his eyes, but he never full on cried till hours later. It wasn't how I was planning on meeting my son, but it was so much better.</div>
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This was yesterday, the day after "Gotcha Day", and that piece of paper states that he is officially a Bramlett!!! How exciting, a day that we have been praying for has come full circle. Isn't he just a handsome little guy?<br />
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We would covet your prayers...yesterday was hard on Morris and I both, I'm just the one that can't hold myself together. I know he is bonding, especially to me, but the only time we really see any personality at all is at meal times. He seems pretty depressed and out of it most of the time, and everytime we head back to the room it usually is worse. Just pray for his little heart....it's gone through so much already. Pray that he will learn to trust us and over time feel safe to be himself with us. We know there is no quick fix....his world has been turned upside down, but my heart aches seeing hime like this....pray for Morris and I that we can hold it together and be strong for him. <br />
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We are headed back to his city to apply for his passport. I am hoping to see his orphanage and possibly getting some pics for other mamas waiting. Not sure if it will happen, but we are going to try! I think we are also going to try to see the place where he was left, apparently they have a record of it and if it's not too far, then we may be able to go. It is going to be a long day, an emotional day. <br />
Please pray for us today as we venture to his city and thank you so much for all of your prayers thus far!Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-84417356119438421522014-08-10T06:04:00.001-07:002014-08-10T06:04:17.141-07:00A Little Note to Jett and some Walmart Super Market SweepsToday we flew down to Zhengzhou, the capital of the province where our son is from! I am beyond excited! I literally can't stand it any longer! Believe it or not they have a Walmart here....we went there and picked Jett up a few foods that he likes. When we first landed, our CCAI rep gave us a piece of paper that had his schedule and what he ate, as well as different things about his personality! I can already tell he is going to fit in just perfect! God knew what he was doing when he picked him for our family! We also picked up some diapers, wipes, and a stroller. There is another gal that is with our group who is also adopting a little boy and we got them matching strollers! They are the only two boys in our group so I'm pretty sure they'll be buds! <br />
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I will also say that we have a pretty awesome group...I am so glad that there are other families with us on this journey. They are all so great and we have really started to bond with all of them!<br />
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Below are some pics of our plane ride to Zhengzhou and our Walmart shopping experience! I also included a little note that I wrote to Jett while on the plane today. My heart was and is overwhelmed knowing the things he will face tomorrow. It helps me to write them out and I hope someday he will be able to look back on this journey and get a picture of not only the things that we did down here, but also, all the emotions that were felt as well! <br />
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Sweet Jett, <br />
Tomorrow is the day we get to meet you for the first time! Right now Mama and Daddy are on a plane, flying down to your province. We left all the tourism and distractions of Beijing and are on our way to get you...the real reason why we came to China! I was hoping to get a little shut eye on this flight to Zhengzhou, but my mind is racing....there are no distractions, nothing to do, so I sit here and think of meeting you, precious boy! It brings me to tears thinking about how you will be packing up soon to come meet us...by now you are probably sensing somthing is up! All the things you experience tomorrow will be brand new, strangeg, and frightening. All I want to do is hug you and tell you that it is all going to be okay. I'm sure we won't be of much comfort the 1st day and night, or even the 2nd, but I hope you will know very soon how much you are loved...how much we loved you even before we saw your sweet face...how much you are prayed for and loved by so many family and friends...and even more, how much you are loved by your Heavenly Father. We have gone to great lengths to bring you home and adopt you into our family, but He has gone to even greater lengths to adopt you into his eternal family. I pray with all my heart, that above all else, you will know this to the deepest core of your being. That you will love and follow him with everything you've got!<br />
He has orchastrated all of this....not one bit of this journey has gone untouched by his hands. We love you so much and we are so excited to be your forever family! We will be forever changed by you!<br />
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Love,<br />
MamaAlliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-16665721495006586312014-08-10T01:15:00.004-07:002014-08-10T01:15:41.889-07:00The Great Wall of ChinaWell, I've already tried to write and post this blog about 3 times and I am out of patience! I will just let the pictures speak for themselves!<span id="goog_11298072"></span><span id="goog_11298073"></span><br />
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At the bottom ready to start the trek!</div>
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Morris about half way up...the mountains were breathtaking!</div>
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Notice that the climb is pretty steep...and the stairs were never the same height.</div>
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A view from the top.</div>
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We made it....finally!</div>
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Eva Means....I know you would fully appreciate that I treated myself to an ice cream bar on the way back down....yes, that's correct, I ate ice cream on The Great Wall of China! You know you would've to Eva! I'll have to show you the picture when I get back since I haven't downloaded it yet...or maybe it'll be in some random post!</div>
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<span id="goog_11298072"></span><span id="goog_11298073"></span>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-4475758388153443942014-08-08T05:44:00.000-07:002014-08-08T05:49:28.884-07:00"My Dogs Are Barking Today"Today we saw pretty much everything except The Great Wall of China! There probably won't be too many words to this post, mostly pictures...and you will see why I titled this blog, "My Dogs Are Barking Today"! These pictures won't do any of these places justice, but I'm sure you will get some idea of how much history is here in China! I am loving that I get to see all of this and hoping that Jett will one day experience it too! Hope you enjoy!<br />
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The Forbidden City - They started building it in 1406 and it was finished in 1420.<br />
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At the south entrance of the Forbidden City</div>
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One single slab of stone</div>
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This is how people carry backpacks over here....and he is fanning himself with a fan. Once again another great look for Morris!</div>
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A rickshaw ride and lunch with locals - I think this was by far my favorite part of the day! We were able to see how people live in most areas here in Beijing, and probably most of China. The food that the local family prepared for us was by far the best food we've had so far....I don't think I could ever get sick of eating it!</div>
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Yes, they really do sleep in their rickshaw...I'm guessing it's between rides!</div>
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A family taking care of their baby.</div>
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At lunch with our group.</div>
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Had to post a better pic of the style down here!</div>
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On the same street there are so many nice cars like this one....</div>
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and then there are also women doing their laundry in buckets. Our guide was telling us that you can tell who are the wealthier families and who are commoners by how many beams there are above the door to their home and how many steps there are leading up to the door. So crazy!</div>
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Tian'anmen Square - This was pretty amazing as well. So much history.</div>
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This was one big TV and there was another one just beside it!</div>
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Peking duck for dinner - So I've heard Peking duck is great....and it was, but it was way over priced. However, at least we can say we tried it and we tried it in China! The strange thing is after the chef is all done cutting it up in front of you and putting the meat on the plate, he then proceeds to cut the ducks head in half, rip off the beak, and lay it open on another plate with the brains of the cooked duck in full view! Not my favorite thing to look at while eating my dinner!</div>
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In front of the restaurant.</div>
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I'm sure now you know why I gave this post it's title.....we walked a ton and are exhausted! My feet are aching and I am more than ready to go to bed! While walking around today, I couldn't help but notice all the little boys, wondering if they were Jett's age and size! We have all of Saturday and all of Sunday until we meet him....I can hardly stand it and my heart starts to beat fast whenever I think about it! While I am wanting to meet him so badly, I am enjoying this time I get to spend with Morris, just he and I. It doesn't happen to often! </div>
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Tomorrow we are headed to The Great Wall of China and then we will see an acrobat show as well! Thanks again for sharing this journey with us! </div>
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-31277016805436451842014-08-07T04:44:00.000-07:002014-08-07T04:44:34.007-07:00We Are Here!!!We have made it to Beijing!!!! I know we said we were leaving on the 6th, but that quickly changed with a phone call from the hubby! In the past week he was home for a day and the day he arrived back home he gave me a phone call on his way home from the airport and told me that he would like to try a flight that would be leaving in 4 hours and oh by the way we need to pack in a carry on! Say what???? That about wrecked me! After preparing all week by myself with 4 kiddos to look after, I wasn't sure I could take the news. But that's what comes with flying standby! You save A LOT of money, however, you take on A LOT of stress....maybe not everyone, but I do! <br />
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We dropped off the kiddos at my parents house and were off to the airport. Luckily the plane was running a tad bit late and gave us enough time to get there! Not only did we make it on, but they upgraded us to first class!!! At this point, this was exactly what this mama needed. I felt like a queen....it was amazing! A regular size pillow, down comforter, free drinks (as in wine, beer, cocktails...), 2 meals, snacks, and movies galore! Oh and the seats reclined all the way back, so when you sleep you can lay down flat! It was an 11 hour date with my husband that went by way to fast!<br />
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Sitting next to me was a sweet woman and her 7 month old baby who was so precious and so so cute! I felt like I should be helping her with something....being without your kiddos is weird. I really didn't know what to do with myself at first!<br />
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We made it to our hotel by the airport. My godparents said that they would get us a hotel if we were going to be arriving early. It was such a blessing! Because they are "diamond members" they upgraded us to a suite...it was lovely!!! <br />
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We have been able to facetime the kids twice already....and they don't seem to be missing us at all! They've already told us some pretty fun stories about being with "mimi" and "papi" and. Hoping this time with their grandparents will be something they'll remember forever!<br />
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We made our own arrangements and took a taxi downtown to our hotel where we will be staying with 6 other families who are with our agency. <br />
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We checked in and decided to do some exploring and it was definitely an eye opening adventure!<br />
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We walked around to see if we could find the "noodle place" that our guide had mentioned to us over the phone, however we had no such luck! We found a McDonalds and decided to try it.....all they had was fish! So we decided to pass and keep walking! Came to another McDonalds....decided to see if they had anything else besides fish and they did! I had chicken nuggets with fries and a coke and Morris, he had a grilled chicken sandwich with fries and a coke. He took one bite and about threw up! Apparently it wasn't quite like the picture, so he just ate the fries!<br />
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I'm sure y'all are probably aware of how hot and humid it is over here. Men over here seem to think that pulling up their shirts and letting it rest on their bellies, helps...Morris decided to try it too!!! Such a great look, don't ya think?<br />
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Notice the gentleman holding the stroller has his shirt up!</div>
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We also ventured over to what they call "snack street" and all I can say is WOW!!!! I loved how it had so much character....it's what I think of, when I think of China. However, the smells that lingered on this street were HORRIFIC!!! I don't know how people can walk up and down this street and be hungry for a snack!!! <br />
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scorpions....</div>
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starfish....</div>
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Reminds me of Nacho Libre....</div>
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I'm not sure what type of bird this is...</div>
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Out in front of the entrance of "snack street".</div>
We are looking forward to eating at the "noodle place" since our guide has showed us where that is.<br />
All in all, it was a great day exploring and we are excited to do some more sight seeing in the morning! <br />
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A catholic church next to our hotel.</div>
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All the women walk around with umbrellas!</div>
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Out in front of our hotel.</div>
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Only 4 more days till we meet our little man. Please continue to pray for us! I will do another update tomorrow evening after our day of touring some more of Beijing! Love to you all!Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-21229609937230317282014-07-28T23:04:00.000-07:002014-07-30T06:57:18.434-07:00Travel Approval!!!!We are so excited to announce that we received our TA (or travel approval) today!!!!! I've been horrible in keeping this blog updated and have missed a few other milestones!!!! Maybe I should just start from where I left off in regards to our adoption. <br />
<br />
After a looooooooong LOA wait, and I mean long....like 107 days worth....it finally came on June 11th and I could not have been more relieved!!! Everything before and since that milestone has seemed like a piece of cake! I don't think it helps when your agency (who is very conservative) tells you that it'll be a 60-90 day wait.....and then you surpass that by 17 days!!! It is by far, worse than being pregnant!!! Since all the other milestones are significant, but not really, I'll just go ahead and list them out for you....that way any of you going through this process that are crazy like me, trying to find any hint of a pattern, can knock yourself out!!!<br />
<br />
DTC (Dossier to China)- 2/14/2014<br />
LID (Log In Date)- 2/19/2014<br />
Matched with Jett - 2/21/2014<br />
LOI (Letter of Intent)- 2/24/2014<br />
PA (Pre-Approval)- 2/25/2014<br />
LOA (Letter of Acceptance)- 6/11/2014<br />
I800 Filed - 6/13/2014<br />
I800 Approval - 6/25/2014<br />
NVC Letter w/PDF - 7/3/2014<br />
Article 5 Drop Off - 7/7/2014<br />
Article 5 Pick Up - 7/21/2014<br />
TA (Travel Approval)- 7/28/2014<br />
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Well there it is.....as you can tell the longest wait was the wait for our LOA. It was so hard looking at his picture daily and not knowing when we would be bringing him home....but after we received it, everything has flown by and now we are so close!!! So close to this little guy!!! I know I'm pretty bias, but isn't he just so handsome??? I can't wait to kiss those cheeks!!!<br />
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And those little hands and fingers.......</div>
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We could be leaving next Wednesday, the 6th of August, but we won't know for a day or two until we hear back about what day our consulate appointment is scheduled for. While this is super exciting, I feel like there is still so much to be done before we leave and not to mention leaving all of our kiddos behind is hard in and of itself. <br />
Again, I just want to thank ALL of you that have supported us through your prayers and finances......God has used each and every one of you in such a unique and special way to "Change One"....our "one"! If you would continue to pray for us and with us, we would greatly appreciate it. Here are some specific things:<br />
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*Clarity of mind as I prepare for this trip and for the kiddos here at home....that I would not forget anything major!!!<br />
*For the family and friends that will care for our kiddos while we are away....it is a HUGE undertaking, taking care of 4 kids or in some cases, taking on 4 more kids! We appreciate you so very much and know that our kiddos will be well loved on while we are gone. Thank you!<br />
*For Delaney, Brooke, and especially Josie Jane and Jake, that they wouldn't miss us too much!<br />
*This one is HUGE folks, for Jett, that God would prepare his heart for this big transition.....that God would make us familiar to him in some way. That he would know deep in his heart that we love him and will forever take care of him.....that he would learn to trust us.<br />
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God has been, and will continue to be faithful as we finish this part of the journey.....there is another journey ahead of us once we bring him home and I know he will be faithful in that as well.<br />
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"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21<br />
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Jett, my sweet boy, I am so, so, so, very excited to meet, hold and kiss you!!!! I can hardly wait to see if we can get a smile on that face of yours!!! I am feeling so blessed that I will get to be your forever mama very soon!!! We are praying for you several times a day!!! Just wait till you see the brother and sisters, cousins and friends that already love you!!! For you, we have loved, cried, prayed, longed and waited for.....I love you little man......mommy and daddy are almost on their way!!!!<br />
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-14697074945525114482014-04-30T15:13:00.000-07:002014-04-30T15:13:54.310-07:00Sunshine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today we had some amazing weather and were able to spend some great quality time together as a family!!! Unfortunately I wasn't the best mom....thought it was going to only be around 70 or 75....the sun wouldn't be too intense since we are still in the Spring months, but I was wrong...it was 81 and 2 of my little girls saw the effects of that with some minor sun burns. Why do I ever not put sunscreen on....it should be automatic! But they had fun and aren't in too much pain!</div>
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They all had fun on the slip'n slide...and Jo has improved greatly in this area since last year!!!</div>
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Nothing like doing school outside in your bathing suit...perks of homeschool!!!</div>
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My sweet Brookie....just smiling....because it's her favorite...and she's like her Auntie Sue!</div>
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Chickens are getting bigger and loving being out and about !!!</div>
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Sister fun!!!</div>
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When daddy is home he is a daddy's boy!!!</div>
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Just enjoying a cold Popsicle.... </div>
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Sister too.....</div>
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They all did!</div>
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Jake wasn't too sure about the slip'n slide...but I'm sure by the end of Summer, he'll be a pro!</div>
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His favorite place to be is on a lawn mower or tractor! He plays for hours on end up there!!! It's like a built in babysitter!</div>
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I am excited to see how Jett will fit into the mix! I wonder what his obsession will be....will it be tractors like his brother? </div>
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I miss you Jett Wu...it's days like these that make me wonder what you'll be like...what you'll be interested in....what your personality will be like and how you'll fit into our family....I know that you will...God chose you to be apart of our family and I am exited for that day! It is also days like today that distract me from the fact that we are still a ways off. I love you Jett! Can't wait for the pictures that you'll be in on days like these! A little bit closer baby boy!</div>
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-87259877192089914202014-04-17T15:38:00.001-07:002014-04-17T15:38:26.880-07:00OOTWe are now 58 days past our log in date and I received an email that said we are OOT (out of translation)!!!! While this is still in the normal range of waiting, it is on the longer side! I'm sure my agency was happy to inform me of this new status, considering I have been hounding them every week for the past 4 weeks to see if we had made it out of translation! We now go into the process of review before we receive our LOA (letter of approval), this could be another 30 days give or take some. I'm just excited that our dossier wasn't lost or misplaced....knowing that there has been some progress gives me relief! <br />
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I realized that I didn't even post about the day we were given our sons referral.....I'm chalking that up to lack of focus and being completely brain dead from the excitement of seeing his sweet face for the first time! It really came as a shock to us considering we were logged in 2 days prior. I had called our agency to ask some questions, one being "how long is the wait for a referral"? She put me on hold and when she came back she told me that she had one for us.....wait, what?????? Yes, that is correct, I called for our referral! She said we were on her list to call today, and we beat her to the punch! Of coarse Morris was on a trip, but luckily he was on the ground and we had a conference call to discuss all the details of our little boy! Once we were off the phone, we both headed to our email to look at his file and see his sweet face! <br />
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Of coarse you can't see his little face in this picture, but we were all so excited! Jake doesn't know it yet but he is getting an older brother (by 2 months)! I'm sure they will be best buds, and be very mischievous! </div>
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Look at that sweet face! I stare at him all the time!</div>
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This one shows a little more personality! Jake makes this same expression!</div>
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And this one straight up reminds me of Jake, the look on his face and the way he is squatting down. Like I said, they'll be buddies, maybe not at first because Jake might have some jealousy issues, but hopefully in time they will love each other to pieces!</div>
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We are so looking forward to bringing this boy home. Words can't express how much I long to just hold and kiss him....I'm sure he won't feel the same as he is being handed over, but I pray daily for his heart and the transition that he is about to endure. I pray that some how God will prepare him...that maybe we won't feel or look so strange to him. He has a rough road ahead and I ask that you join our family in prayer and lift little Jett up to the God who heals....to the God who cares.....to the God who knows all our needs....and to the God who provides FOR all our needs. It is he who heals the wounded and brokenhearted.</div>
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Jett, sweet one, we are a little bit closer! Praying that God will not only prepare your little heart, but that he will also prepare ours as well....to be able to know how to best care for you....how to best love and support you through your transition into our family, and in the years to come. We love you sweet boy....beyond words.</div>
Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-67566657180739000042014-03-26T16:16:00.004-07:002014-03-26T16:16:56.769-07:0030+ Days and Still CountingSo, it has been 31 days that we have been locked in with our sweet boy Jett! Everything up to this point has seemed to fly by so fast......and then you see his face and come to the all too real, realization that you'll be waiting 5-6 months before you hold him! The days all the sudden seem like they are being lived out in slow motion! Which is maybe a good thing for me....I get to enjoy all my other little's before we add another to the mix. But, some days are just pure torture! Some days I just can't seem to live in the moment and I think that all my interaction and time on facebook reading everyone else's timeline will somehow speed up the process. Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!! In fact all the obsessing just makes me all the more aware that it isn't speeding up at all, and I'm depriving my kiddos out of having a present mom....a happy mom....a grateful mom. I find it hard to find a balance between obsessing and trying to make myself SO busy that at the end of the day I realize that I haven't thought of him at all.....and when I realize this I feel awful. Does this make any sense at all? Or am I just straight up crazy? That is a good possibility! Anyways, to say the least, I am feeling the conviction of not being present, and also trying to make myself so busy that I don't hardly think about him. When I think about him, it hurts....it hurts to know that I am here and he is over there and that I can't pick him up and hold him. I know he is well taken care of, but I just miss him if that is even possible to miss someone you've never met! I can't do it on my own though....in my humanness I will fail over and over again. I need to be completely reliant on my Heavenly Father to help me through these next 5-6 months. <br />
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Jett, I love you more than words can say and I miss you....I look at your face when I wake up, when I do the dishes, when I open my bible, when I look at the calendar....I frequently look at what time it is in Xinyang to see what you might be doing, nap, snack time, dinner........I pray for you daily little man, and pray that you will come to know how much we love you......I pray even more that you will come to know how much your Heavenly Father loves and cherishes you! I seriously can't wait to see you for the first time and hold you!!! Praying our LOA comes soon! Love you sweet boy!Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-38111301473541596362014-02-25T07:49:00.002-08:002014-02-25T07:49:28.069-08:00God's TimingI Can't tell you how many times I have thought a certain something would go a certain way, but God has different plans. We thought for sure that my husband would get hired with a bigger airline, everything seemed to line up perfect. The interview couldn't have gone any better, etc....But God had different plans. It was a No! Another job opportunity came up...another NO! When my heart was stirring and broken for the orphans of this world, I thought it was another definite NO for my husband....But, God had different plans, and he changed my husbands heart in a matter of days! So, now we are on this journey of adoption, if any of those jobs would've happened, we wouldn't have been able to adopt. We wouldn't have met the requirements.<br />
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We thought we would've had all our paper work done by Jake's 1st birthday (Nov. 18th), but we sent our dossier to our agency at the end of January. With the Chinese New Year, it didn't go to China until February 14th. Human timeline told us that it would get there in 3-5 days, and be logged in within 3 weeks....BUT God's timeline was again, different. Our dossier was received on February 19th and logged in on the same day! We found this out on Thursday, February 20th...Awesome news! Excited was an understatement! While talking with our agency, the gal told me that it would be soon, and I should have asked, how soon is "soon"? But don't worry, I called the next day (Friday the 21st) to ask that question (and some other questions so I wouldn't seem so obvious)!!! Wouldn't you know that "soon" was in fact that day....YES! We received our referral during that phone call!!!! I was floored! And apparently calling for your own referral doesn't happen all that often! It could have possibly been the first for them!!! Something that should have taken around three months, took one week. God sped things up for a reason and I believe the reason was that this little boy was the one he had picked out for our family from day one. I believe this to the core of my being. <br />
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He was 2 months old when Jake was born (adoption wasn't even on our radar). He was 8 months when we had made the decision to adopt, and 9 months when we took this picture. <br />
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I am completely overwhelmed and amazed at how much God cares for us, his children. When we have no idea, or understanding of what is going on, he does! He is omniscient and sovereign...But, above that, he is loving, and I feel so blessed to live this life knowing him.....it's hard to contain!</div>
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As we move forward, human timeline is telling us 5-6 months, but we know that his timeline is different. It could in fact be 5-6 months....it could be longer....or it could be shorter, but we trust that his timing is perfect. We look forward to bringing our son home, and we look forward to loving on him, but for now we will love on him from afar. Please join us as we continue to pray for him. For his health and safety, for his ability to bond, and for him to know how deeply he is loved by his Heavenly Father! </div>
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We are one step closer sweet boy! We love you so much and were so excited when we saw your face for the first time! You are a precious gift and we look forward to holding and hugging you! Hopefully it won't be too much longer! </div>
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-74747297449684762652014-02-09T15:27:00.003-08:002014-02-09T15:27:34.018-08:00"Beautiful Things"<div style="text-align: left;">
"Beautiful Things" was the title to one of the songs we sang this morning in church. I have also been watching way more "gotcha day" videos than I should and this song has made its appearance in quite a few of them. Here are the lyrics to the song:</div>
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<b style="border: 0px none; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">"Beautiful Things"</b></div>
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All this pain<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I wonder if I’ll ever find my way<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I wonder if my life could really change at all<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />All this earth<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Could all that is lost ever be found<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Could a garden come up from this ground at all<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of the dust<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of us<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />All around<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Hope is springing up from this old ground<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Out of chaos life is being found in You<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of the dust<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of us<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of the dust<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of us<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make me new, You are making me new<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make me new, You are making me new<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of the dust<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />You make beautiful things out of us</div>
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As I sang the words to that song this morning, I immediately thought of adoption and all the videos I had watched in the last couple of days. How those little lives will be changed in a huge way. "<span style="text-align: center;">You make me new, You are making me new"....these words hit me this morning....</span>how in a few months we will receive a picture of a little boy or girl who's life will be forever changed...who's life will be made "new" in several ways....but what struck me even more was that I feel like this journey of adoption is more for me being "made new" than it is for this child. He is teaching, and pruning, and shaping me....he is making me new. It's a constant changing and making me "newer", than I was before. I hope that this experience and the things that I have learned and am learning will be poured out in the lives of my kids and this child I have yet to meet. That they will want God to be continually making them new....continually making them more like him, even if it is hard and painful. It's out of pain, suffering and sacrifice that he makes something beautiful! </div>
<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-46253066437801299052014-02-07T12:12:00.000-08:002014-02-07T12:16:29.422-08:00Let the Waiting begin!It has been SOOOOO long since I have posted anything at all! I am not the best when it comes to blogging. With four kiddos and homeschooling, I find myself doing laundry, lesson planning, cleaning, etc. in the hours after the kids have gone to bed. So, I apologize for the big gap! I will try my best to be better at it!<br />
The past few months since we have started the adoption process, it has been a ton of paper work....well, not so much for me, my husband did all it all!!! He is amazing! We would still be doing paper work if I were in charge of it! There hasn't been to much to report until now! The paper work is out of our hands....it is in the hands of our agency and soon to be in China's hands in a couple of weeks or less!!!! Then we wait to be logged in....then wait to receive a referral...and then wait some more to travel to bring home our child!!! My patience is about to be pushed to its limits!!! It is all becoming so real as we get closer and closer to seeing our child's face. I can hardly contain the excitement! I know once I do see my child's face, it will be even harder to be patient as we wait to go and get him/her!<br />
Although there has not been a whole lot to report as far as the process goes, it doesn't however mean that I haven't been feeling, thinking, praying, for and about this child that we will be introduced to in the near future! I am excited to see his/her face...to hold, kiss and hug him/her for the first time, yet I know how scared they will be when they meet us. It breaks my heart that they will have experienced so much pain in such a short amount of time here on earth. I long to make that pain stop. I long for them to know their forever family, and I long for them to know their heavenly father. Though they have been abandon, He will never abandon them. His love for them is not based on their gender and physical appearance....it is unconditional and it never fails. <br />
So as we wait, and wait, and wait....I will continue to think about him/her. But more than that, I will continue to pray that this child would come to know the love that God has for him/her. That yes, there will always be pain here in this imperfect world, but He is the one that we can take that pain to. He takes that pain and heartache and makes it into something beautiful!<br />
He will:<br />
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"comfort all who mourn, </div>
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and provide for those who grieve in</div>
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Zion-</div>
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to bestow on them a crown of</div>
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beauty</div>
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instead of ashes,</div>
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the oil of gladness</div>
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instead of mourning,</div>
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and a garment of praise</div>
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instead of a spirit of despair.</div>
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They will be called oaks of </div>
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righteousness,</div>
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a planting of the Lord</div>
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for the display of his splendor."</div>
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Isaiah 61:2-4</div>
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For you baby Bramlett, as we wait, my prayer is this:</div>
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"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,</div>
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may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better.</div>
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I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may </div>
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know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious </div>
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inheritance in the saints." </div>
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Ephesians 1:17-18</div>
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I love you so much and can't wait to see your sweet face. I look forward to the day when I get to hold you for the first time! </div>
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So until I write again (hopefully there won't be such a gap), please pray for our child who waits that they will be comforted and cared for....and pray for us as we wait, that God will be at work in our hearts, continuing to make us more like him!</div>
Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-3841754950859991212013-09-12T14:54:00.003-07:002013-09-12T14:56:20.556-07:00Let God Amaze You<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I think I've said this in one of my 3 or 4 posts that I've written....I tend to forget just how BIG God is. I tend to limit Him to my human capacity. Not only do I forget how BIG he is, I forget that he is a God that so desires to be in relationship with us. He gave up everything to be in relationship with us. He is enthralled with us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today, like many other days, I have a song stuck in my head....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You dance over me while I am unaware<br />
You sing all around but I never hear the sound</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lord I'm amazed by You<br />
Lord I'm amazed by You<br />
Lord I'm amazed by You<br />
And how You love me</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You paint the morning sky with miracles in mind<br />
My hope will always stand<br />
For You hold me in Your hand</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How deep how wide<br />
How great is Your love for me </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This song just speaks to me over and over of his great and awesome love for me and for ALL the people in this world. I know there are times when I've sinned and I think to myself, " why would he want to be with me or interact with me when I've done (fill in the blank)," But he says in Romans 5:8, " <span class="text Rom-5-8" id="en-NIV-28056">But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." So even while, I have messed up, he is there, wanting me to repent and run to him. His arms are always open. The song says, "How deep, how wide, how great is your love for me"! There is no limit to his love for us. "You dance over me, while I'm unaware...you sing all around but I never hear a sound"...does that sound like a god that doesn't want to be in relationship with us? Absolutely not!!! Today it just puts the biggest smile on my face knowing that he dances over me!!! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-5-8" id="en-NIV-28056">But, we don't just stop there, today I read in Ephesians 5:1-2(The Message), </span><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">"Watch what God does, and then you do
it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly
what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of
love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but
extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to
give everything of himself to us. Love like that." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">Wow! Not only do I need to know and comprehend Christ's love for me....I need to imitate him! I need to love him with the same love that he loves me with..."extravagant love". I need to love my husband with the same love. I need to love my kids, my neighbors, my friends, my enemies, etc. with the same love that Christ has for me. When we truly follow Christ, we have to put this into action....and please don't think I am perfect, I have and am going to mess up....but he cares about my heart, not perfection. I read this same verse to my kids this morning, and tried to put it into words they might understand. We talked about imitating Christ. But in order to imitate Christ we need to know what he does....which lead to the question....What does God or Christ do? Here were some of their answers:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">He loves</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">He serves</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">He provides/gives</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">He protects</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">He sacrifices</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">He does all these things....and now we need to do the same. We need to love God and love others. We need to serve God and serve others. We need to give back to God (because he has provided for us) and we need to give to others. We need to protect and care for the orphans and widows. And we need to give even when it hurts...we need to sacrifice. Hearing and teaching these things are one thing, doing them is completely different....but it is my hearts desire to do them and to instill them in my kids.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text Eph-5-1-Eph-5-2">So, today be amazed by God and his love for you and then let that carry into imitating Christ and loving others, whatever that might look like! And remember, he dances and sings over you! He delights in you!!!</span></span><br />
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-31170088426711796912013-07-16T23:09:00.001-07:002013-07-16T23:12:51.851-07:00Adoption: Yard Sale Fundraiser<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we had our first fundraiser for our adoption! I honestly didn't know how tired you could get trying to put one on! It is such a relief when the sign finally gets put out and people start walking down your drive way. At that point...well...it is what it is! And you can let out that big breath that you feel like you've been holding for a long, long, long time!!! We not only did a yard sale, but we did a bake sale(Thank you Maggie, Lauren and Kennedy for working the stand)....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thank you so much to everyone who donated goodies....they were all so tasty! I would know...I think I tried them all! We also sold our adoption t-shirts(thank you Shannon and Jaclyn for rolling all of them)...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes, that cutie patootie is my little miss Jo Monkey!!! I really don't know how anyone could resist buying a shirt after seeing that pic! But maybe that's because I'm her mamma and I just looooove every bit of her!!! Well, enough bragging...below is a link to my Etsy shop where you can purchase one of our adoption t-shirts! I'm working on getting set up for people to buy one off of my blog, but that is just far more than I can try to accomplish right now! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> https://www.etsy.com/listing/156388200</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My friend Kristen Dacey over at thedaceylife.blogspot.com designed them...didn't she do a fantastic job?!?! I love them! One of our long time family friends had them printed...she is the owner of Mulberrytreemarketing.com, Mary Pearia- She is really like a second mom to me and I can't say enough thank you's to both of them for helping us make this t-shirt thing happen!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weekend was packed with selling lots and lots of "things" and we can truly say that it was a huge success! Thank you friends, family and friends we made, for all your support. We are humbled and blessed by your generosity and we truly could not do it without y'all!!! We are that much closer!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On another note and probably which is why my blog is titled "Everything In Between", I learned something this weekend as well....I think seeing friends go through the adoption process I have maybe come to think and perhaps expect that God will work in the same way with us as He did with them. If I am truly honest with myself, I think I had expectations because of that. It hit me in my quiet time yesterday that, we are all on our own journey, and they are never the same...maybe the lesson He is trying to teach us is the same, but His way of going about doing it is so very different. So while many of us are going down the same road and feel God calling us to adopt, the way we get there is different. I have to remind myself not to compare our situation with others! He brought us here and He will continue to lead us down this road and I pray that I won't miss all of the things that He wants to teach me in the midst of it. I pray that I won't miss time with Him because I am so caught up in trying to figure out how to raise money, or get all the paper work done...I have seen him work the HUGE miracle of bringing Morris and I's hearts into agreement over adoption, He won't leave us hang'n to figure out the rest...He is our provider and He proved that this weekend! Thank you Lord for you blessings...You are worthy of all honor and praise...to you be the glory both now and forever! Amen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And little one, while we are still plugging away on this journey to get to you, we are talking about you, dreaming about you, praying for you, missing you, loving you, and.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My heart aches just to see a picture of your sweet face....to hold you in my arms...to love and squeeze every bit of you, to hear you giggle, to wipe away your tears and to hold you when you sleep. I had no idea how hard it would be to wait for you....your mamma loves you!! Actually, this whole family loves you! We are a little bit closer....</span>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-73897760964455938942013-07-01T23:10:00.000-07:002013-07-01T23:24:27.164-07:00Adoption: Why China<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We said, "Yes"...now what? We needed to figure out international or domestic. Although each avenue is important and needed, we were leaning towards international. Then comes, what agency and country? We did some research and through that we had it narrowed down to China and Ethiopia. We met the qualifications for each. However, even with these two as our options, many of the agencies we looked into were not taking applications for Ethiopia. So, that pretty much leaves us with China! The agency we decided to use is CCAI (Chinese Children Adoption International) , and I can't say enough wonderful things about them so far!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Through this process I would look at the "waiting children" list of kids in China, I new in my heart this is where God wanted us to adopt from. It broke my heart knowing that many of them were abandon because of their special need or minor corrective need. We also came to realize that a majority of China's population are atheists. So if a child was never adopted, they would be put on the streets at 14 and most likely never hear about Jesus Christ. This solidified our</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">decision even more. This is a verse that keeps making its way back to us:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for <span style="color: red;">one </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew 25:40</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The orphans of the world are overlooked and ignored. I am sure almost all of them to some degree don't feel cherished, valued or loved.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I would like them all to be able to feel and experience these things, but I can't physically do that...I can however, start with one. So down this journey we go....China...he/she may not look like us, but he/she will be apart of us to the core!</span>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-57072051258613039652013-06-26T14:47:00.000-07:002013-06-26T14:47:07.458-07:00Adoption: How We Came to Say "Yes"!Warning...this is a long one. I guess you could say that I've always been open to the idea of adoption. That was it, though. Over the past three years we've had a couple friends go through the adoption process and that opened up my eyes. I had no idea how HUGE and how LONG this process was! I knew from conversations with my husband that adoption probably wasn't in our future, however, I wanted to be involved some how. After all, that is what scripture teaches us: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27. Over the past few years, this teaching has been coming up over and over again. With all this, my heart still wasn't broken over it. I had compassion, yes, but it wasn't breaking my heart like it was breaking His. <br />
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Time went on. At this point we have 4 amazing kiddos! I am sleep deprived more than ever and beautiful craziness fills our house! My husband is gone 4 days out of the week and we have very little (more like zero) time to ourselves! I home school our oldest and so I am with little ones all day....I love it though!!! Yes, there are times I want to pull out my hair, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! My husband and I, however, were looking forward to having more time to ourselves and doing things with the kiddos that having a baby doesn't allow you to do. But, just when you think that is what you want for your life and your family, God has something different!<br />
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I'm in a women's Bible study on Friday mornings. This last spring we were doing a study on Nehemiah-A Heart That Can Break by Kelly Minter. The title should have been a warning to me, because that is exactly what happened to mine!!! I can't say enough good things about this study. There was one day that especially got my attention. Session 3 Day 2: Laying Down Our Rights, was the title. Here is a quote from that day that started to break my heart for the orphans of this world.<br />
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"Our rights don't get to be god, our privileges are never the final word. Even if we deserve what's coming to us, if the end result is not the love of God and the love of others, what lies inside the lines of permissible is no longer beneficial. This is gospel living, as opposed to a life driven by getting whatever is rightfully ours." Kelly Minter<br />
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Inside, I thought I had earned the right to have some "my" time. That our plates were full raising 4 kids. I wanted to get to a spot where I was comfortable and rested! And after reading this it hit me, He doesn't call us to comfort, to be rested at all times, to make life as easy as possible once you're a certain age or have however many kids. He calls us to be uncomfortable, to be sold out...spent. I sat in church this last Sunday and sang the words to this song:<br />
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"Love so amazing, so divine. Demands my soul, my life, my ALL.....Oh the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross, bids me come and die and find that I may truly live..."<br />
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He demands ALL of me....I don't get to decide when I've done enough....and like that song says, if I'm obedient to His calling and give my ALL, I'm going to be blessed by Him...I'm going to "truly live"! So, sometime in the spring, my heart started changing. But that was me, not my husband. I never talked to him about it because I was pretty sure I knew where he stood. Throughout the rest of the study, my heart kept aching over these children. At night, before going to bed, I would go up and look and pray over my kiddos. With each one, all I could think about was how children out there will never be loved, held, prayed over, cherished, tickled, kissed, hugged and the list goes on and on. My heart was burdened and I didn't know what to do about it. <br />
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Around this same time, an old high school friend of mine partnered with an organization called SowingRoots (to learn more about them go to <a href="http://www.sowingroots.org/">http://www.sowingroots.org/</a>). Their organization is set up to love and care for orphans. I thought that this was something that I would love to get involved in. I told my husband about them and that I wanted to help promote their organization and help any way that I could. He supported me in this. They had a kick off fundraiser coming up in May. My husband and I, as well as some good friends decided we would go to it! Even being involved in small ways, it wasn't helping my heart with this burden that was weighing heavily. I honestly have never experienced anything like it. I guess you could say that He had broken my heart for the orphans of this world. It was a horrible feeling knowing I wasn't able to do anything about it. The event for SowingRoots approached. I was telling my husband one day how I felt over the phone, his words to me were, "I will support others in their adoption or however else I can financially, but I flat out don't want to adopt". There was no convincing him. All I had left to do was pray (which I probably should have done in the first place). So, the day before the event, I started praying that if adoption was something that God wanted for our family, he needed to change my husbands heart.<br />
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The next evening, we all went to SowingRoots kick off fundraiser. There were two speakers and both were really good....it fueled my passion for these kids even more. I didn't want to bring it up with my husband. I figured if he had any changed feelings about it, he would let me know. He brought it up some and by the end of the weekend he was more open to it. He left on another trip and I continued to pray about it for the next few days. Little did I know that God was working on him in his quiet times. We continued talking about it. After five or so days of praying and seeking God, our hearts were united! I remember getting off the phone with my husband and tears just started to pour down my face because I had just seen the work of God in such a mighty way. We had both said, "Yes"! For the next couple of days I think we were both in shock. <br />
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God is way bigger than I ever give Him credit for. He amazes me time and time again and I am so glad He does. I am beyond excited to walk down this road of adoption. I can't tell you how excited I am to see my next child's face. What a day that will be. What an awesome picture of how God feels towards each and everyone He has created. We are coming for you "Bramlett of My Heart"! I love you so much already! I can't wait to hold you in my arms!<br />
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246500560599039373.post-64658719950608093502013-06-25T16:03:00.000-07:002013-06-27T13:47:59.039-07:00This Blogging Thing is Complicated<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, I am starting to blog for several reasons, but three reasons primarily. The first being that, I have been wanting to journal about our kids and different events that happen within our family. There is a lot that goes on around here and I'm afraid this brain won't remember all of it. The second is, I want to journal about our adoption. I want the child we adopt to have something to read and look back on. To know that they were thought of, prayed for, and loved even before we knew them or saw their face. The third reason is simply this, I want to be able to share our life with others. My hope is that this blog will be a help and encouragement to friends, family and people I don't even know! With all that said, I had know idea how HARD it would be to set up and design a blog....and I'm almost certain I did the most simple thing out there! So that should tell you just how computer illiterate I am! So here is to blogging....let the adventure begin!!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Allie</span></span>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01990490815846233673noreply@blogger.com8