Disney Cruise

Chilling out with Chip and Dale.

Pressley had as much as he could take at Castaway Cay today and fell asleep while we were waiting for dinner.

Rion, Sophie and Pressley with Minnie on Castaway Cay. It was a beautiful day, and they were able to snorkel and just enjoy playing in the water in February!

Sophie, Pressley and Rion posing with Captain Jack Sparrow on the Disney Cruise. Do they look tough?

We're at DSS!

Our home study that is. It made it! Please pray that it gets moved quickly through DSS and CIS. I have great hopes of traveling for Cate in June. That's my prayer. George came home from the hospital on Tuesday and we are very thankful. He still has a chest tube but I hope that when that comes out next Tuesday he will be more comfortable. We really miss our George, and are ready for him to feel better. Today, Sharon, who is the director at our home study agency, left me a message on my phone and she ended by saying, It is so great to see your determination and hope because when you were waiting domestically it was more fear and uncertainty. She was exactly right, and it doesn't compare to the joy of knowing that we are following God's plan for our life.

Just rambling

I don't have too to report about our journey to Cate. We are waiting on our DSS child abuse clearance, and our home study will be ready to go to DSS. After DSS reviews it, they will send it to the USCIS office. When they are done, they will send us our I-171 H form which is the very last thing we need to make our dossier complete. I am so ready to know that our dossier is in China, waiting for travel approval. Please pray for us that everything goes smoothly AND quickly! Speaking of praying, we have been praying for George really hard. Praying that his lung and heart are healed and that he can come home from the hospital soon. He has been there too long, and I know he is feeling down. His biopsy came back negative, and for that we are so thankful! Please keep him in your prayers. For those that don't know, George is my stepfather, but I leave out the step, because he is my father. He is the one who has raised me and been there for us through thick and thin. And he is absolutely the best grandfather in the world. He would do anything for us. I'm going to learn how to post pictures soon, because I have some of our Disney Cruise this past weekend. We had a really nice time, and the weather was beautiful! It is so neat to think that maybe by our next vacation, Cate will be with us too!

How we met Cate

After many years of prayer, Greg and I decided that we would start the process of domestic adoption. International was not a choice for us, we thought, because Greg cannot take the time off from work. Last January we found a wonderful Christian agency in our state and started the process. In December, we both agreed that maybe we should not renew our home study, and although I still wanted another child, it didn't seem like it was going to happen, and I started to accept that fact.That's when my friend, Jan, called to tell me about this little girl in China. It was Christmas Eve and a busy day, and when I finally had a chance to look at her, Jan called to tell me she had a family. So, two weeks later Jan called back to say that she was back on the waiting list again. I went straight home to look at her, and she melted my heart. Jan informed me that only one parent must travel, so we asked for more information on her and that's when we were told that her agency had a recent video of her. They overnighted the video and.....well, that's all it took. Greg was much more hesitant since we were completely switching gears; we talked and prayed and talked and prayed. It was a scary step for me too- I mean, China- across the world. But her little face kept popping up, and I could envision her running around our house-and the thought that she was 2 years old with no mama and daddy. I prayed to God one morning and said Lord, I'm going to need a solid answer for this, I'm scared and I just want to do your will. I called the agency after work that day , and Cheryl told me that another family had accepted her. My heart broke, and it was that afternoon that I realized how much it was Her that I wanted- not just any child. So, the next morning, I e-mailed the ageny to tell them that if anything happened with the first family, we wanted her. Ten minutes later they emailed us to call the office-that she was available, and the rest is history. I knew in that moment that she was suppose to be with our family.

My favorite passages

Do not be afraid, for I will bring your children from the East and gather you from the West. Isaiah 43:5

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Children are a gift from God, thay are a reward from him. Psalms 127:3

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gifts! 2 Corinthians 9:15

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. James 4:8

For God has said, I will never leave you, I will never abandon you. Hebrews 13:5

These are some of my favorites- there are many others I look to for encouragement, hope, and praise. One of my all time favorites though is, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord". Joshua 24:15 .The older I have become and the longer we have become a family, I know how important it is that we spend time each day with God as a family and to pray for one another and others. It's so hard in this crazy, busy life, but it's really why we're here, you know? To love others. Please keep Cate in your prayers. I pray for her leg, and that she will adjust to us quickly!

Meeting Cate in 2008!!

I have many firsts to report. It still seems surreal that we have a daughter in China! We spent the entire weekend filling out forms, making lists, and calling around trying to find answers to questions I didn't even understand. This week will be very busy. I have something to do everyday so that we can get these papers to China ASAP! I am going to have graet expectations and pray that we can get her before the children start back to school inAugust. Another first -this blog! Thank you Sharon!!! Now, I have to learn to post pictures, so that our family can keep up with us while we are in China. I have met the kindest people in the last week through yahoo groups who have so much support and advice. Jan and Sharon have been life savers to me. Thank you both!! It feels so strange to me to be on this adoption journey to China-maybe because it happened so fast. It was a miracle, I think, and now that it is sinking in, I am a mad woman on a mission to bring our little girl home as soon as possible to join her family.