I got nothin'.....

So, we REALLY thought we would have TA by now, as everyone else on our timeline has gotten! To say that it has been a disappointing week, is an understatement, but we both woke up today feeling much better about the situation, realizing that even though we aren't traveling in January, our travel is only pushed about a month past what we hoped for. A month is not that long to wait, but it took us a couple of days to come to the point of being okay with that! I had "leaky" eyes for about two days, but can now talk about it without dissolving into tears! I joked with the boys that every time I cried, I would run to the Oreo package and have another. Tonight we were talking about Gracie's orphanage, and I got teary eyed again, and the boys said, "better go get the Oreo's, Mom's crying again".... what can I say? :o)

Adoption is a long process with lots of ups and downs! You get your heart set on something, and when it doesn't go our way, it's frustrating! But we know, that in all things, we continue to rely on God's timing in everything, and sometimes OUR plans aren't His plans! We are okay with that, and only want to go when the time is right! Our TA should be arriving any day, and the next available Consulate Appointment dates look to be Feb. 23rd, so we will aim for that date as soon as our official TA comes through. In the mean time, we have asked for another update on our girl. The orphanages don't always respond to update requests, but we are hoping for just one more picture and some definite mesurements on our girl, so we can start packing for her! Thanks for checking in, and to all the awesome families who ARE going next week.... we are disappointed that we won't get to spend the week with you all, but you all will be in our prayers as you add your little blessings to your families! We're comin' in right behind ya!!!

I'm off to grab another Oreo......

BOOMER SOONER!!!

We live in the Pacific NW, but our Sooner Spirit is strong!  So proud of our team!!  And we have the cutest fans at our house! 

Still waiting for Travel Approval....

If we are going to travel in January, we need to have our TA by January 5th, so come on TA!!!!!  My hubby really wants to turn 40 in China!  :o)   If we don't hear by then, we have to work around Chinese New Year, so it will be mid February before we could go. 

From our family to yours......

MERRY CHRISTmas!!!

Brad, Shelly, Caleb, Jacob, Allyson, and of course,

GRACIE!!!



A little walk down memory lane.....

I've been going through my pictures, and just had to share some of the cuteness!  I absolutely can't believe that my babies are so big now, and I see these pictures and just want to run back and capture some of the time that has flown by!

Caleb...... Christmas 2002

Jacob - same Christmas, 2002

Our little family - 2003

Allyson's first Christmas - 2006

We had no idea back in 2002 how God would grow our family to our dream number of 4 kids!  I'm so thankful for each moment with these precious ones, and can't wait for Gracie to come home and join the annual Christmas pictures!  How we will miss her this year, but anticipate with JOY the day that she is coming home!  So soon!!!



Article 5!!

Whoo Hoo!!!!  Article 5 was picked up on Monday and sent to the CCAA!!!  Next step will be our Travel Acceptance, which we should be hearing about in 1-4 weeks!  Of course, we're hoping for the 1 week, but are just happy to be seeing an end in sight!

We have some dear friends who live near San Francisco, who hand delivered our Visa Applications today at the Chinese Consulate.  We ran into a snag, as Brad's "occupation" caused a red flag to go up, and they will not process our visa application until we have Travel Acceptance.  Normally, you can go ahead and apply for a visa under "tourism" and have the visa ready to go by travel acceptance, so that you don't have anything else to wait on to go.  Because we listed "tourism" as our reason for travel, and because Brad is a pastor, the lady processing our paperwork refused to grant us a visa, even after we submitted letters stating that we will abide by all Chinese laws.  So, once we get our travel acceptance, we can apply for our visa's again.  We are so thankful that our friend, who is very knowledgeable about international travel, was able to be there when all this went down.  He was able to gather all of our paperwork and passports and take them safely back to his home.  Our agency has NEVER had this happen before, so it caused us some concern, but we know that God is in control and hopefully our visa's will be issued quickly once we get our TA!

We've had a busy December, like everyone else, so the blog has been quiet!  Here's a few pics to update you. 

Allyson had her Pre-K Christmas Program.... she kind of LOVES to sing!

We made a trip across the mountain to visit my grandmother's before Christmas.

Allyson has been helping me alot in the kitchen..... here's her first experience at doing dishes!  (She didn't learn this face from me while doing dishes!)

We had the JOY of having one of our Host Students from 2007/2008 come and visit us for a few days!

Santa came to visit!

I plan to post our Christmas letter on here in a couple of days, but we pray that you have a Merry Christmas!

Nothing New....

as far as the adoption process, there is nothing new to report!  We are still awaiting our Article 5, which should be ready on December 20th.  After that it will take 1-4 weeks to get our final Travel Approval, so we are still looking at a January travel date!  It's coming, but these last few weeks of waiting seem to be d.r.a.g.g.i.n.g..... such is the life of adoption!

Thanks for continuing to check in on us!  Believe me, we are eagerly anticipating news, as well!