LOA is here!!

That is short for Letter of Acceptance. It is finally here!!! This the official agreement between the CCAA and myself for the referral of Chen Qianxue!! Now we await travel approval. We are still hoping to travel in Novemebr.

Too cute!

This is a picture of Emmie and Livvie from Chinese New Year 2006. This is one of my favorite pictures. Not only are they sisters, but they are the best of friends.

Mermaids!

My Olivia is in love with the Little Mermaid. The other day she was praying and even asked God to turn her into a real live mermaid. AS luck would have it, there is a large aquarium in Qingdao, Celia's home town. The aquarium hosts a mermaid show twice a day, so of course, we are going to do everything we can to get Olivia to the aquarium to view the mermaids. Here ae a couple of pics I found of the mermaid show. After Olivia saw these pics, she was absolutely certain that mermaids were indeed real. Emma Rose on the other hand, wanted to know why they were wearing masks.

Where is Celia?

Well, yesterday I received my PA (preapproval) for Celia. That's a step in the right direction. Now I wait for the official agreement to come from China asking if I accept her referral. Hope it comes soon as I want to leave today to get that sweet little girl! In the meantime, I can show you where she is waiting for me.



Celia is Qingdao City in Shandong Province. It is SW of Beijing on the Yellow Sea. Shandong is shaded light purple.

My Celia

Well, on August 7th I completed an application with my agency to consider a waiting child as a referral. On August 17, as we were leaving church, my agency called with a possible match. They knew I was actually only considering heart babies (either mild or repaired.) I had done a lot of research and felt good about the medical report. We locked the file as I had a cardiologist and pediatric cardiologist on stand by (both through 2 different friends in the medical field.) Both gave a good report and said that it looks like the surgery corrected everything for my Celia. I submitted my letter of intent on August 19, 2008 - on the 26 month anniversary of having my papers officially registered in China to start this long journey. I now must wait for Preapproval and Letter of Acceptance/Letter Seeking Confirmation. I have been asked to not post any pics or specific info about Celia until then. I can tell you the she is 15 months old right now and very beautiful...a sight for sore eyes. I will post pics and details once I receive my official approval. Hoping to hear something in the next week or 2. I am in love...again!

Wild Life at Honey

While vacationing at Honey, the girls got to see alot of wildlife that they don't normally get to see. They also got to enjoy the woods, rocks, and beautiful trees of the Pocono Mountains. These are a wonderful treat for my Texas girls and like going home for me. Here are a few pics of the deer and turkey we saw. We missed the Mama bear and her 2 cubs by moments.

Vacation

We recently got back from our vacation. We spent 2 weeks in the Poconos at our "bungalow" in a resort. We call our place "Honey" as that is the name of the maker on the trailer. Many of our family members from the east coast have places there. They usually go up on the weekend. Since we live in Texas, that is not an option for us. We only get to stay at Honey during our vacation, atleast until my mom retires and is off for the summer like the rest of the family.

The girls had a wonderful time. They played with their 7 cousins, fed deer up close, swam, and of course ate ice cream atleast once a day (but usually twice!) Here are a few pics of our fun.