Safe and Sound (but Blogger is not cooperating)...

Hi everyone!

This is Heather's friend, Misty. She asked me to inform everyone they have arrived safely in Shanghai. Unfortunately, Blogger is blocked and she can not access her account. Heather set up a separate website before she left just in case this happened. Until she tells you otherwise you may follow their journal here...

Journey to Ash

If you can not access the youbelong site please feel free to leave encouraging messages in this post. She will receive them as an email which should be accessible despite the block on Blogger. They are traveling as a group of 7 (soon-to-be 8). Please continue to pray for the health and safety of all of the Olivet crew over the next two weeks.

Sincerely,
Misty

Can I Have a Do Over?

My alarm didn't go off at 3am like it was supposed to. I cut my knee in the shower shaving and now I look like a Friday the 13th reject. I feel nauseous. Can I have a do over?

We're leaving for the airport in a few minutes. Say it with me, "No quarantine!"

Man Move

Update: Dave woke me up this morning on his way to work. He said, "You might want to delete some video I uploaded to your blog late last night. I was making sure I knew how it worked before we leave for China." I thought Dave had put some adorable clip of our kiddos on the blog. Maybe Kai doing "broken bone gymnastics" or Piper playing the piano. Maybe it was JD running around with Skit and Skim (the rats.) But of course not! In a perfect man move, Dave has uploaded a 15 second video showcasing his guitars and his amps. Enjoy.

Mommy, I Did Good!

Broken bone gymnastics

#1 thing you do not want to hear on Father's Day morning when you have graciously offered to take morning duty with the kids: "Mommy, I did good. I didn't step in the poopy on the carpet!"

Yes, that was the statement I woke up to on Sunday morning. Kai was standing in our bedroom doorway, his legs smeared with poop. I'm completely crazy about my little man, but he sure can test the limits of love sometimes!

Less Than One Week

Asher Hudson HeJun (Ash)

In less than one week our lives will change...again. We will meet the newest member of our clan. At 3 1/2 years old, I imagine that Ash will be confused and scared. We're as prepared as any parents can be. Kai's adjustment was easy and we know it's unlikely that we'll be so lucky again. It doesn't really matter. We're more than ready to love on our little boy.

If you happen to be following along on our journey, please leave a comment (or 2, or 3.) During our last trip to China, I read my Blogger comments every night. It was my favorite time of day because it gave me such peace (remember, the first few weeks with a newly adopted child is no walk in the park!) I could truly feel all the good wishes and prayers that were being said on our behalf.

Here's a timeline of our time in China:
Thurs. 6/25 - Fly to Shanghai
Sun. 6/28 - Fly to Nanjing
Mon. 6/29 - Meet Ash
Tues. 6/30 - Adoption Finalized
Sat. 7/4 - Fly to Guangzhou
Tues. 7/7 - Consulate Appointment
Wed. 7/8 - Swearing-In Ceremony
Thurs. 7/9 - We're Coming Home (Party of 6, Please!)

Lemonade Stand

We have a dear family friend whose son, Will, has been diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome. In my very elementary understanding, children with Sanfilippo have an enzyme deficiency that causes their body to store harmful substances. These substances build up in the body and cause progressive damage and eventually death. There is no known cure for the disease. Life expectancy for kids with Sanfilippo is 10-20 years. Will is 6 years old.

JD, Piper, and I have talked about Will at length this summer. A few weeks ago, we stopped by a yard sale his family was hosting to raise money for Sanfilippo research. The kids decided that afternoon that they wanted to do something to help. Since they are both a little too young to mow yards or babysit (except for Kai), there weren't too many options. They finally decided to open a lemonade (or kool-aid) stand and set it up every few days in front of the house. Now, I must explain that we live on a cul-de-sac and get very few cars pass our house. It is also 95 degrees in Alabama so I don't let them stay out for more than a couple of hours at a time. So far, they have raised more than $18 for Miracle for Will. At 25 cents a pop, that's a lot of selling. I'm really proud of them.

So on to the funny part of this story. The other day Piper was sitting outside in the scorching sun at the lemonade stand. She sat and sat and not one car stopped. I felt so bad for her that I wanted to call my neighbors and beg them buy a drink (but I didn't!) From the window, I saw Piper grab her sign and start to walk down the driveway towards the house. I thought she was sun burned, frustrated and giving up. When she got inside, she huffed up to me and asked me to look at the new sign I had made for her (sidenote: Piper and JD had previously made a beautiful handmade sign that Kai had just torn up.) Take a close look at the sign I made:

Twenty-five dollars! Uh-oh. Mommy made a mistake. No wonder no one bought a cup of the dang Kool-aid. I wouldn't spend $25 on a glass of wine from the Last Supper.

I know, you guys thought I was perfect and here I go bursting your bubble (again.)

Evel Knievel, Part Three

First Sutures - May 2008

First Major Bicycle Accident - August 2008

Offending Footboard (aka Balance Beam)

First Broken Bone - June 2009

Kai decided that we didn't have enough to do in the last full week before we leave for China. He also decided that the foot board of his bed looked a lot like a balance beam. What do these two things have in common? The answer is disaster. Yes, our little Evel Knievel decided to channel Mary Lou Retton by doing a balance beam routine on the footboard of his bed. He fell and now has a broken arm (ulna, to be more exact.) So Kai will be travelling to pick up Ash in a long-arm cast. I just pray the nannies don't think I abused him!

Last Family Photo of 5!

I'm still on cloud 9 today. Even after 70 agonizing days, getting our TA was a true surprise. We're hoping to leave in a little over 2 weeks. That's not long since I am a horrible procrastinator and haven't done much at all to plan for the trip.

Last night I had everyone come out onto the back porch and take a "TA picture" (since no one else was around to photograph us, I put the camera on the grill and we all squatted!) I know, it's cheesy but it made me happy so everyone obliged. The picture turned out horrible. Kai has a ridiculous smile, Piper thinks she looks possessed and I look like I've aged 10 years (which I might have after all this waiting.) Regardless, I love it because it is officially our last picture as a family of 5!

It's Here!

We've got it! Thank you, Lord! I have no idea when we'll travel but I'm hoping to leave within the next 3 weeks. Any longer and (you guessed it) I'll flip out. I am sooo ready to meet Ash. I hope he likes me because all I want to do is squeeze him like a teddy bear. We're finally coming to get you sweet boy!

Poor Man's Pool

It's getting hot here in the deep south. We've just finished the first two weeks of summer and I've already pulled out the big guns (it sounds like I'll be in trouble by week 4 or 5!) Yes, we purchased a luxurious, fun-filled, 60 foot swimming pool. Oh, sorry typo - 60 inch swimming pool. It's the perfect size for a family of gerbils. Nevertheless, we're learning to having fun with what we have (a good lesson to learn for a one-income family of 6.) Although I can not fit my fat splendidly curvy body into the pool, I can dip my feet in it while I'm reading a good book. And on that note, I should mention that I got 5 books yesterday from a used book store for free! I've been selling my books to this store for over a year and I finally went and used some of my store credit. I had such an awesome time too (maybe that had more to do with being childless for a few hours than the actual book store.) Thanks Grandmama!

No TA yet. Of course, I'll let you know when it comes.

Frustrated

I'm frustrated. Really, really frustrated. We have been waiting 65 days for our TA (travel approval) from China. Just to compare, we only waited 19 days to receive our TA for Kai. International adoption has radically changed in the last year and the new regulations are making it longer and longer to bring these kids home. I am beginning to lose my mind. I promised the kids that I would not freak out or break down until June 12th. If we do not have our TA by that evening (Friday, June 12th), I am not responsible for what I might do. Okay, that's probably a little extreme - no felonies will be committed but everything else is still on the table. Let's all pray that we get some good news by then.