"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!

The Forbidden City - They started building it in 1406 and it was finished in 1420.

At the south entrance of the Forbidden City

 One single slab of stone

This is how people carry backpacks over here....and he is fanning himself with a fan.  Once again another great look for Morris!

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!

 Yes, they really do sleep in their rickshaw...I'm guessing it's between rides!

 A family taking care of their baby.

 At lunch with our group.

 Had to post a better pic of the style down here!

On the same street there are so many nice cars like this one....

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!

Tian'anmen Square - This was pretty amazing as well.  So much history.

This was one big TV and there was another one just beside it!

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!

 In front of the restaurant.

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!  

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!  

We 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!

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!

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!

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!!!

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!

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.

We checked in and decided to do some exploring and it was definitely an eye opening adventure!

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!

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?

Notice the gentleman holding the stroller has his shirt up!

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!!!

 scorpions....

 starfish....

 Reminds me of  Nacho Libre....

 I'm not sure what type of bird this is...

Out in front of the entrance of "snack street".

We are looking forward to eating at the "noodle place" since our guide has showed us where that is.
All in all, it was a great day exploring and we are excited to do some more sight seeing in the morning!

 A catholic church next to our hotel.

 All the women walk around with umbrellas!

 Out in front of our hotel.

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!

Travel 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.

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!!!

DTC (Dossier to China)- 2/14/2014
LID (Log In Date)- 2/19/2014
Matched with Jett - 2/21/2014
LOI (Letter of Intent)- 2/24/2014
PA (Pre-Approval)- 2/25/2014
LOA (Letter of Acceptance)- 6/11/2014
I800 Filed - 6/13/2014
I800 Approval - 6/25/2014
NVC Letter w/PDF - 7/3/2014
Article 5 Drop Off - 7/7/2014
Article 5 Pick Up - 7/21/2014
TA (Travel Approval)- 7/28/2014

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!!!

 And those little hands and fingers.......

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.
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:

*Clarity of mind as I prepare for this trip and for the kiddos here at home....that I would not forget anything major!!!
*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!
*For Delaney, Brooke, and especially Josie Jane and Jake, that they wouldn't miss us too much!
*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.

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.

"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

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!!!!

Sunshine

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!

 They all had fun on the slip'n slide...and Jo has improved greatly in this area since last year!!!

 Nothing like doing school outside in your bathing suit...perks of homeschool!!!

 My sweet Brookie....just smiling....because it's her favorite...and she's like her Auntie Sue!

 Chickens are getting bigger and loving being out and about !!!

 Sister fun!!!

 When daddy is home he is a daddy's boy!!!

 Just enjoying a cold Popsicle.... 

 Sister too.....

They all did!

 Jake wasn't too sure about the slip'n slide...but I'm sure by the end of Summer, he'll be a pro!

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!

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? 

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!

OOT

We 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!

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!

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!  

Look at that sweet face! I stare at him all the time!

This one shows a little more personality! Jake makes this same expression!

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!

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.

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.

30+ Days and Still Counting

So, 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.

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!