Trying to make time Fly!

I just wanted to update those of you who are waiting with me... no news yet. Marci sent me a message yesterday saying the woman in charge at CCAA was going to be out until next week so we won't hear anything until maybe Monday.

So much is running through my head. I had my homestudy changed to Taiwan, I had my 171 H issued to Taiwan.. I will have to change everything... on top of the expense it is more time that Wei will be away from our family. (That is my positive thinking!...she is IS COMING HOME!)

So please, we have a few extra days to call in our prays to get this baby home! Pray harder than you ever have before!

I stayed away from this computer yesterday... to keep myself busy and try not to think so I started a project in Chase's room. Started out just wanting to clean his room, bu that was impossible with what was in his closet.. so I took Jay to Ikea to get some closet organizers. That was a lot of work! Especially as I bought the stuff too big and we had to load it all back and return it to the store to get the right size. Jay said he doesn't need to go to the Gym, he does the Ikea workout...load, unload, load, unload... and believe me when I say those shelves were HEAVY!

I took some before and after shots as Ikea is having a contest... I am bringing my pictures there this afternoon.. hopefully we will win the $500!!!

Mallory wants her closets to look like this... so that will be my next project. My home will be an Ikea showroom... but the stuff is such a good price and it is neat stuff!!

FROM THIS...





TO THIS....

No news... is that really good news?

Nothing today. I kept very busy and tried to stay away from this computer. I am fighting back the tears as I type. They just can't say no twice! She was meant for our family!

Good news today is that Mallory has been working on a project with her favorite teacher at school. Mallory wanted to do some fund raisers for the kids in China or anywhere in the world for that matter... and her teacher made an appointment with the principle to ask permission for Mallory to start her organization through school.. it is called Kids for Kids.

They will be going to the elementary school and reading to the five year olds, doing car washes and t shirt sales to raise money to do bigger projects.. etc.. it is all in the works...

Well one of the teachers came up to her today and told her congratulations... that she was being nominated for the Doers and Dreamers through Disney!! We haven't confirmed it yet but she is so excited and I am just proud of her for wanting to help people!! Most of the time she is my GOOD KID!! (Mallory get that room cleaned!)

Sad News/ Happy News...my head is spinning!

I called Angie.... I had to tell someone. Sometimes keeping things in creates bad vibes and today I need the good ones. But Angie said I couldn't tell everyone that I had to keep it low key until we find out...as to not "stir the pot" And I also emailed three women that I love to talk to about adoption Patty, Vanessa and April. All mom's with China Children like me so they totally understand all of this craziness!! So that all four of my friends that understand me and international adoption could say a deep prayer for me tonight!

Yep, I knew last week what was happening but I didn't want to stir that pot either and I was keeping quiet... but when I started seeing families from my Taiwan groups dropping out because they were told their families were too large I knew what was coming... Marci at ASIA did not say my family was too large she said that 22 years ago, when a jerk guy that my girlfriend was dating started a fight with her and called his roommate for "backup" and I called the police, and he came at me and went to swing at me and I caught his hand in my teeth...and I was arrested and taken to jail and went in front of a judge who was almost laughing about the whole thing... and he fined me $200 dollars and it was over- that THAT is why Taiwan turned my family down for a child!! That was 22 YEARS AGO!! But because of that Taiwan felt we weren't a good family. But...

YEP THERE IS A BUT TO THIS STORY!!... because all weekend long I knew this was coming and all weekend long I searched the Internet for a country that wanted a 40 something woman who had an arrest record 22 years ago for biting a guy with five kids and a great husband ... and there aren't many countries that would take a woman in my position.... but......

In the first breath before Marci told me about Taiwan she also told me that Wei's file was going back to CCAA... that no family had come forth for her and that ASIA's woman in China actually went to CCAA and spoke to the woman in charge and told her that they didn't find a family that fit all the new rules but they did have a family that wanted Wei and that the England/Elliott family still wants Wei... and the director said she was going to review our file again... and that we still have a chance for the child we always felt was the right child for us!! I couldn't breath when Marci told me this.. I am still not breathing!!
Every day for the last three months I would tell Jay that it was so unfair that we wanted her and that she was meant for us and he would tell me there was nothing I could do about it that CCAA said no. And every day I would tell Jay that I will never give up hope that China would change their rules and that Wei would still be there for us when the rules changed and I was going to get her.

Now can I make it through the next 48 hours waiting on the call.. will CCAA make the one exception for a family that loves with all their hearts a little child we have never met but fell in love with because of her beautiful eyes??
Now I know God is watching over me!

I am not sure who reads my blog as I don't really push it on people, it is just there for me to vent and brag and pour my heart out... but tonight and tomorrow night if you are out there and you read this... please put my family in your prayers, please put Wei in your prayers that CCAA finds it in their hearts to let her join our family!!

Ali's Day

It was a very nice day yesterday... well at least after I got back from the doctor... long story and not here!! But I will live!
Amanda watched Ali for me so I could go.. the two girls went and had their nails done. Ali had a pattern on her big toe that matched Amanda's. Amanda must have told her her nails were wet because three hours later I tried to touch her nail and she gave me a scolding!! LOL
Mallory made a cake for Ali.. for which she couln't wait for a fork and ate like a dog! We all laughted and laughted.






I had picked Chase up from school early and in the car I kept singing "Let's go Outback tonight" so when Jay got home Chase said, "Dad, mom keeps singing that we are going to the Outback!" So that is where we went and all the servers sang to HB to her!
And the best part is before bed, because she hates to go so bad, she convinced Jay and I that she needed a bowl of popcorn in our bed while she watched her cartoons! And she got her bowl of popcorn!



I can't wait for her party next weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALEXIS!!!

Well she is finally two! Not that I wanted time to fly but it is just nice to say we made it to this special day! We have a crazy day today because it is also Jay's and my third wedding anniversary... he says with each new kid he goes farther and farther down the line for attention... now even his "anniversary" is no longer his!! LOL
We are going to do a small Happy Birthday with just us today and then next weekend have a big fun party for the girl!! She is really something! I am told by my family that she is spoiled (pot calling the kettle black)... she is not spoiled just attached...to ME!! She loves her mom!! And she is very determined... like her big sister. The whole family was here for the last five days and it was so crazy... Ali had to put her two cents in also when the big kids were giving her a hard time!

Also I got news today from one of the other families that was in line for Taiwan through our agency... this has me very concerned. She had gotten two referrals and they turned both of them down... now Taiwan told them they only qualified for an older child...which they didn't want, because they had too big of a family. We have one more child then them plus Jay's two kids so that makes us in a not so good position with the orphanage in Taiwan.

The woman did say that maybe Taiwan was just upset with them because they kept turning down the referrals...but then if that isn't going to work for a family isn't it better to turn the referral down then to take a child that won't "fit in"

With this family pulling out of the program that just moved us up one spot... making us Family Number 2. It is all so confusing as I just read an email from a family that put in their Home Study to Taiwan in January of 2008 that already has a referral yet there are families in Taiwan that have been waiting for 28 months! It just doesn't make any sense!!

So to wrap up three good things today... we are family number 2 and it is Ali's Birthday and my husband still loves me after three years of calling me his wife!!

Chinese New Year Party in Tampa

I am posting this not in order but will make it jump into my blog on the right date.. we have had company all week and it was hard to keep up!
The CNY Celebration with our agency Great Wall China Agency is held in Tampa each year... but this was the best! First because we have been going for the last few years and only got to admire the other families kids... this year we had our Ali!! and second because over the last year I have been blessed to meet a few families that are dear to my heart!! and they were all there!! So we had a great time.

We had planned on going down on Sunday just for the CNY but then Christine, Gene with Connor and Lily said they were doing the Busch Gardens thing on Saturday... so we decided to join them. After this fact my sister called to say she and her family were coming down from Georgia so we invited my brother with his family and my mom. It was a huge group. The park was busy but we were able to do a lot! and the weather was GREAT!

We had a wonderful, tiring day! Then Deb took our kids back to the hotel and mom, Kevin, Jay and I hit the one big casino in Florida... we didn't win! LOL

On Sunday we did the CNY celebration and it was a lot of fun. The food is never good but the company was wonderful!! And the kids were so cute in their silk, dancing around, taking pictures on the Red Couch!

Fund Raisers To Begin

Moya, the moderator and woman that runs Dianjiang Kids International, www.dianjiangkids.org has asked me to help with the website. I have no idea what I am doing computer wise but flyers, banners anything like that is my cup of tea... so with the help of my brother I am learning a new project, writing web pages! This should be fun. So I am emailing Moya till she is blue in the face with "give me more to do, give me more to do!!" and she asks me if I am bored. HECK YEA I AM... I have finished yet another paper chasing Dossier period in my life and EVERYTHING has come to a halt... I am driving myself up walls!

So I decided tonight it is time for the all mighty fundraising and grant search for this adoption. I never thought I would need help but as we all know the real estate market is sooooo bad right now and everything in my world of making money has come to the same halt as my paper chasing dossier days!

So with my girlfriend, Angie, who is also waiting on her referral from China- logged in October 2006 and has a long wait ahead we are going to do some fundraisers to help offset a second adoption in 18 months.

For those of you who know me, I did a huge fundraiser for Dianjiang Kids International at Christmas called The Santa Bus... those who went LOVED it and those who didn't go realized, they missed the best night out ever! So to take this to the next step, Angie and I are arranging A Bunny Hop. Yes, that is what I said!! LOL
We are going to hold this event on May 8, 2008 starting at 5:00 PM at Sun on the Beach, in Kissimmee, Florida.

Now that I am learning to write websites, I am hoping to get my HOP on line in the next few weeks... so please watch for this website!!

We are also going to do a huge Neighborhood Garage Sale, ALL DONATIONS ARE WELCOME, on March 11 and 12, 2008.. starting at 7 AM... yep that is right... Angie says 7 AM!!

And then we have two car washes planned in the next few months.. hoping to use the A&W on 192 in Kissimmee... more to come on that one!

If nothing else, we are going to have a good time, and that is what family and adoption is all about!!