It finally hit me!

Today was the day....the day that it finally hit me. We leave for Ch*na next week. Did you hear that? NEXT WEEK!!! We will board a plane on Wednesday of next week to go across the world to meet our daughter. I am excited, but it's also overwhelming at the same time.

It finally hit me today....I will be halfway across the world while my boys are here. I will miss those boys more than words could ever say. My boys are my life. They mean THE WORLD to me!!! And those two weeks without them will be very difficult. I know they will be well taken care of. I'm not concerned about that. My mom will have them half of the time, and Jeremy's parents will have them the other half. They will also be with friends of ours for a weekend. I can't even begin to tell these people what they mean to me. I appreciate them all for taking care of our boys.

I packed Aubrey's clothes today.....14 outfits. I was thinking about her so much today while getting her clothes together. I feel like she is a part of me. This girl has such a special place in my heart. I feel like I know her so well, yet I don't know her at all. I look at her picture everyday. The boys and I pray for her every night. She has become such a big part of our family. But she doesn't even know it. I can't wait for the day that I get to meet this little girl! Please pray for her heart. We will be taking her away from the only thing she has ever known. This is what has been on my mind today. I know we are doing what is best for her. But it will still be difficult.

Now, let me quit crying.

We leave next week. I didn't even tell you when we will be coming home. We will arrive in New Orleans on Friday, March 22. Yep! On her birthday!!! How cool is that?! We will arrive at 10:30 that morning. Anyone is welcome to meet us at the airport that day. The boys are so excited. Not only do they get to make "Welcome Home" signs, but they also get to make "Happy Birthday" signs.

Also, don't forget about our puzzle fundraiser. Look to the right and you will see a donate button. Or just message me on Facebook. Any donation is more than appreciated!

And let me leave you with this little comment made by Bradley the other day. Oh, I love this kid!
"If bacon was never invented, it sure would change a man!!"
(We were having bacon that night)

Getting Closer!

We are getting closer!!!! I can't believe it! When we started this adoption in December of 2011, the end of it seemed SO FAR AWAY!! And now.....oh my goodness! I still have so much to do.

Everyday I am checking things off my "to do" list. But somehow my list keeps growing. I scratch something off, but then add two more things to it. At this rate I don't know if it will all get done. But at least I'm trying. Today has been pretty successful. I actually got a lot done. Go me!! :)

I would like to do one last fundraiser. We haven't done too many for the adoption. We had two garage sales and a t-shirt fundraiser. I think that's all. I had all these great plans for fundraisers, but then time got away from me. All money from this fundraiser will go towards our orphanage donation, which is around $5,600.

So, I saw this great idea on one of my Facebook groups. This family was doing a puzzle fundraiser. How neat is that?! So, right now I am searching for the "perfect" puzzle. I want it to be very special to Aubrey.

Here's the concept:
You can sponsor a piece of the puzzle for $10. (If you would like to donate more, go right ahead!) We will write your name on the back of the puzzle piece. You can sponsor one piece and have your family name on the back of a piece, or you can sponsor a piece for each family member. Once the puzzle is complete, we will assemble it, have it framed and hang it in her room.

To sponsor a piece:

~ You can give your donation to me in person.

~ Mail a donation (please send me a private message on facebook for mailing address)

~ Look over to the right of this page. There is a "Donate" button that you can click on. It will bring you straight to my paypal account.

Don't forget to let me know the name you would like on the back of the puzzle piece!!

I just want to thank everyone that has helped with any kind of donation, whether it has been large or small. Every single dollar adds up. If you think about it, if every single friend on my facebook page gave $10, it would be more than enough for our orphanage donation. So, if you would like to help us out, go on over and sponsor a puzzle piece for my girl! Thank you!! :)

 

I can't even begin to tell you how excited (and nervous) I am to meet this sweet little girl!

We have TA!!!!

Friday night we took the boys to the parade with some friends and their boys. Halfway through the parade I decided to check my email. (Honestly, I have no idea why.) But I had over 30 emails! I glanced over them to see if any were important. And then there it was. An email from our adoption agency. The subject read "Happy Chinese New Year! TAs are Here!" My heart skipped a beat, to say the least. I read part of the email and then handed my phone to Jeremy to see what he thought. I was confused. No where in the email did it actually say that WE received TA. So I was confused. Jeremy thought it meant we had TA. I didn't want to get my hopes up. So I emailed her back asking if we, in fact, had TA. She replied with "Yes!"

That's when it started! I was screaming, jumping up and down, and crying. We were all hugging one another. I just could not believe that we had Travel Approval. Most people wait around two to three weeks for their approval. We only waited seven days. Did you hear that?! SEVEN DAYS!!! Definitely God providing a miracle for us! Because I so desperately wanted to have our girl home with us for her birthday. Now she will be! And for that, I am so thankful!!

We are currently waiting for our CA - Consulate Appointment. Things are closed in Ch*na right now, due to Ch*nese New Year. So we are hoping to hear something either on Thursday or Friday, but might have to wait until Tuesday of next week before we do.

Ladies and gentlemen.....we are going to Ch*na in a few weeks!!!! Can you believe it?!