cantwaitbentons

PICTURES FROM GOTCHA!!!!!!!!!

2012-02-11T17:29:00.003-05:00

Pictures for you!

From: Bill and Toni Benton

Here's our pictures from gotcha and the week in Gansu Province. Enjoy

(1 of 198 pictures)

If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWNy

PICTURES FROM GOTCHA!!!!!!!!!

2012-02-11T17:29:00.001-05:00

Pictures for you!

From: Bill and Toni Benton

Here's our pictures from gotcha and the week in Gansu Province. Enjoy

Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton

(1 of 198 pictures)

If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWNy

Beijing Pictures

2012-02-09T09:38:00.001-05:00

Pictures for you!

From: Bill and Toni Benton

You're invited to view my pictures at Shutterfly. Enjoy!

Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton

(1 of 59 pictures)

If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWNj

Gotcha!!!!

2012-02-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

So sorry to be just now updating, but it's been a bit of a whirlwind, as I'm sure you can imagine. Gotcha day went well. We arrived in Lanzhou from Beijing on Sunday afternoon, and the "babies" were late arriving because of a 2 hour detour. Poor babies traveled 8-10 hours and then had to deal with the fright of a bunch of people wanting them to call them Momma and Baba. Anyway, our guide Steed (as in the horse) got us checked into the hotel and then walked us down to a Walmart-ish kind of store - wayyyy busy on a Sunday tho, so we didn't buy much besides water, and noodles for eating in the room, assuming the day would be hectic. When we got back to the hotel, we had a few minutes and then went to a separate room where they were waiting. I tried to take it slow with David, but the orphanage director/nannies were pointing to me and saying Momma and of course, he was getting scared. I went to him, but he was pretty worried, so I didn't pressure him too much. Then I went to see Andrew. It was kinda wierd being split between the 2. As expected, the whole day was pretty tough on David, but Andrew's a pretty laid back kinda guy (let's hope he stays that way), so he was just taking it all in. When it was time to part ways, we pretty much just had to pick David up and go, poor little guy.

Later that evening, when it was time for PJs, of course, David didn't want to give up his clothes for other clothes, smelling unfamiliar, but also meaning that he was staying with us... so we let it go. And when it was time for bed, he didn't want any part of that either. We had 2 beds next to each other for he and Sam. Sam was in one and when David was crying in his, Sam slid over into David's bed and was a great big brother.

The next day, we had to do more paperwork and that meant seeing the same people again and I was so worried about David seeing them again. Thankfully, it went pretty well and not too traumatic. We were there a long time, and after a while, Sam and David were chasing each other around and being silly, and each of them were calling each other brother. God is oh so very good!!

Andrew, as I said, is pretty laid back. He's tiny, as his measurements had said, but he's also got some catching up to do. He can't sit up yet, or crawl or stand, and he's still on just a bottle... but we're quite sure we can get him up to speed pretty quickly. Everytime we eat, I try to slip something in on him (congee/rice soup, a bit of egg, etc). He cried the first few times, but this morning (Wed), he didn't cry at all, pretended to block it, and then swallowed it down. This afternoon, we gave him some tiny bits of Ritz cracker and he actually liked it! The other little girl in our group is of similar age and similar ability - tho David's quite on target - so I'm not sure what all that means. I'll have to ask a few other parents of kiddos from that orphanage about their experiences.

Sam and David have been playing together very well, a few squabbles of course, and a sighting or two of the green eyed monster, but overall, very good. Andrew hangs out waiting for his next bottle, or playtime, or whatever. Faith's been pretty helpful, so long as you ask her to do it, and not expect her to just know to help. She's in heaven because right down the street is a place with some special noodles for about 50 cents US... she's eaten them everyday for either lunch or dinner. She hasn't found chicken feet yet tho. :o)

Speaking of dinner, it's a little tough around here. There's KFC and there's KFC and a bakery that has some odd creations, but if you get there early enough, you can find a pretty good sandwich or two (provided you're brave enough to try the unknown). There are plenty of Chinese restaurants, of course, but no English menus or English speaking workers... our guide didn't even recommend it, but is only a phone call away if we want him to have KFC delivered for us.

We went to a dinosaur museum yesterday and out for the famous beef noodles of Gansu province (or is it from Lanzhou?) for lunch and they were pretty good. Today to a cool park and the zoo (our animals just don't know how good they've got it in DC!). Tomorrow is "a day off"... not sure for whom, but we're pretty sure we're gonna have to get creative to not be too bored. The passports should be back by tomorrow night and then we fly for Guangzhou on Friday (YAYYYYYYYYYY GOD!!!!!).

We were supposed to go to a local park for the end of Chinese New Year (the Lantern Festival) one evening, but it's been too cold at night. Our first night here was the actual end of CNY, and the last night people could legally set off fireworks... and boy did they. All night long from about 7pm until at least 1am... constant from both of our rooms (across the hall from each other, so on both sides of the building). It was great... for about an hour... but at least the boys liked them and it took David's mind off his troubles.

We've been able to Skype with the kiddos at home several times, and thanks to some awesomely wonderful ladies, they're doing great. They couldn't wait to see the boyz! Please pray for them too.

That's about it for now. I've got lots of pictures to share, but have just included these 3 for now. Since tomorrow's "a day off", I should have some time to go thru them and post some good ones, but wanted to post these important ones now. Thanks so very much for praying for us - we're very aware of it and God has been so very gracious to us every step of the way.

Love you guys - see you soon!!

The Benton Bunch on location

Arrived Safely - TYJ!!

2012-02-03T18:34:00.000-05:00

We arrived safely in China and are very thankful for your prayers!! All went well with our flights and no real problems at all.

Well, except the minor problem of a forgotten suitcase, that is. ;o) Yep, the airline didn't lose it, we just left it in our van. All morning long, I'd been thinking how easy it was going with getting our carryon's thru the airport and such, and JUST before boarding our first flight, I started taking stock and discovered why. My hero Bill raced all the way back thru the airport, all the way to security, as we racked our brains trying to remember where we'd left it... way back where we checked our big suitcases?... at security (amidst getting the stroller thru, the laptop (netbook, btw, so pardon all typos), Faith's CI, shoes, etc)?, at the bathroom?... where did we leave it?... and did TSA now have it with bomb sniffing dogs? Thankfully, no, it was safely tucked away in our van in front of Sam's carseat. When we arrived at the airport, we let Sam out on the other side of the van (out of traffic, of course) and just never saw it there. Very very thankful that as we were trying to get the car loaded up, since my carryon was full with clothes before I'd finished with toiletries, I went ahead and sent it out and put toiletries in another suitcase. So quite literally, the ONLY thing we're missing is my clothes... yes, very essential, but very make-do-able. Found both a sweatshirt and a sleepshirt at the Chicago airport... ON SALE... at an airport, no less!! And, since we've BTDT to the Great Wall and such, we're doing a slightly different tour in Beijing, which will afford us some time to shop... and a girl can always use a new pair of jeans, right? Thankfully, we usually only pack a few items anyway, along with some Woolite for washing, so it's really not even much to replace. You can pray that we'll fine some American sizes tho. :o) Special thanks to my good friend and now travelmate (so excited to be traveling with them!) who had just bought new unmentionables for the trip, so I even have something to wear to go shopping in!! Is God a great Provider or what?? Talk about being a God of the details.

When we arrived and joined up with other families, Faith even discovered a teen friend to chat with... who can sign a little and is a great learner... daughter of said good friend mentioned above. They've hit it off already (TYL!) and cool thing is, their new daughter is at the same orphanage as David and Andrew, so we'll be together the whole trip!!

Had dinner from an Irish Pub last night... yes, I said Irish Pub... in China. Of course, the only thing Irish was the pub part - the menu had pizza, chicken/FF's, hamburgers, etc. I'm sure the name is exactly what gets people to come in - it worked for us. The chicken strips were sorta rubbery, so I have NO idea what to make of that, but it filled the empty spot and we all crashed by 9 pm local (8am our time). Believe it or not, I think we all actually slept until at least 4am, so that's maybe even more sleep than I usually get.

This morning after breakfast, we're hoping to Skype with the kiddos - :o) - miss. them already!!! (Hi guys!!! We love you!!!) Then today, we do a Hutong tour, not sure what that is, but it's not the Great wall (btdt 4 times), so that's good. I think its something like a tour thru a typical Chinese village, meeting real people etc, rather than the fancy touristy stuff you'd usually see, and shopping. We will still get to eat lunch, and the famous Peking Duck dinner with the other families, so we're excited about getting to know each other.

I think that's about all for now - tomorrow we fly for Gansu and meet David and Andrew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so very much for praying - it's VERY apparent that you are!!! Please also include the kiddos back home.

Please someone check our blog to see if this is posting ok - www.cantwaitbentons.blogspot.com.

Love,

Toni for the Benton's

Re: Benton Adoption Travel - Blog Update Email

2012-02-01T19:12:00.004-05:00

Aack – forgot to say, we do hope to keep our blog www.cantwaitbentons.blogspot.com (if we can get through the firewall in China), but if not (and also) we plan to post to our ancient yahoo group, as I won't have this list of emails in China. If you're not already a member and would like to be, you can subscribe by sending an email to: BENTON_CHINA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (it'll ask you to put a comment in – just give me your name, I'll know who you are).

Thanks again for praying for us – we leave tomorrow morning – better get PACKING!!

Love,

Toni for the Benton bunch

Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 12:14 AM
Subject: Benton Adoption Travel

We got our travel approval!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You Lord, David and Andrew will be in our arms on Sunday, 2/5!!!!!! We're so excited, we can hardly stand it!!! PLEASE pray for them on Sunday morning when you wake up, as we'll be putting them down to sleep for the first time (7am here is 8pm there) and I know they'll be emotionally exhausted and wondering what in the world is going on.

Flights are arranged, US Embassy appointment made, hotels and in-country stuff done, at home logistics making good progress, aack!… gotta get packing!!!

Also praising God that since our last update, dear ol' Uncle Sam finally came through with our tax refund!! And of course, as always, it was just in time… God has a funny way of doing that, doesn't He? So, our remaining agency fees are paid, our flights are paid, in-country costs (hotel, transportation) are paid, the orphanage "donation" is… well… with Uncle Sam and your wonderfully generous contributions, and other back-up measures… is about covered too.

Yayyyyy God – David and Andrew are coming HOME!!!!!!!!

Regarding the Samaritan cards – I wanted to tell you that I'd looked online for something in particular a few weeks ago, and was starting to have slight doubts – that maybe I'd been too exuberant in describing them to you. But just last weekend, I bought two $25 gift certificates for the perfect restaurant… for how much? … $20! Yep, we paid $20 and saved $30 - using a card that only cost $20 in the first place!! No hassle, no fuss, no muss… just keyed in the zip code for the person the gift was for and viola, it gave me all the participating restaurants nearby and I found the perfect one. And yes, we do still have a few left that we'd really like to… well, you know… get rid of… wait, that doesn't sound right… how about… unload?… no, that's not it either… um… a few left that we'd really like to … um… help you out with… yeah, that's it… help you out with. Just kidding – if you already bought one, no need to buy another (they're good for 1 year after activation), and you really don't need more than one per household, but if you're interested, let me know.

Oh, and we found out who the 3 online contributions from people we didn't know were. It's the sweetest story ever – I've just gotta tell it. The 9-year-old daughter of some dear friends we traveled with to get Abby in 2004 had a birthday party. She (with Mom's help, I'm sure) put on her birthday party invitations that in lieu of gifts, she'd like friends to give a gift towards bringing 2 orphans home to their new family. How sweet is that?!?!?! The friends did, and now David and Andrew are that much closer to changing from orphans to beloved sons!!! John 14:18 says, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" and oh the amazing ways He's done so for our kiddos, and for all of us! Please know that our agency is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (and belongs to the ECFA), which means any adoption contributions would be tax deductible for you. You can do so by clicking here, https://www.awaa.org/forms/payment.aspx, using the dropdown to choose "Eternal Family Program," and putting "Benton family" in the Notes box. Thanks so very, very much for considering it.

Many of our original prayer needs are ongoing, some have obviously changed/transitioned:

Please, please pray for us and for Davey, and Andrew too. Please pray that they're both warm and well fed, loved on daily, and that they'll know their Momma and Daddy are coming… soon! Please pray for our family - that we'll make wise decisions about finances, about travel, about parenting and life in general. Please pray that God will indeed provide the funds to get these boys home. Please pray we'll be able to properly care for all our kids and their needs. Please pray for all the orphans in the world, over 143,000,000. We can't adopt them all- obviously - but we can pray for them all. They each have a very special place in God's heart - He says to "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." in Psalm 82:3 NIV

Please also pray for us as we prepare to travel and get all the home logistics worked out. Please pray for safe traveling, no sickness, on-time flights. Please pray for our Gotcha Day!!... that God will comfort David and Andrew's tender hearts, that we won't be scary to them, and that we'll soon bond together and be as madly in love with each other as we are with all our awesome kiddos. Please pray for Theresa, Abby and Alex on the home front (emotional needs, homework, fears and worries, and all the logistics of it all), and all the wonderfully awesome ladies who are caring for them while we're gone. Thank You God for Family!!!!!!!!

And speaking of family - you may know I teach K-5 Sunday School at church. This week's lesson was on Abraham and Sarah having their son Isaac at the age of 100 and 90 (no comments from the peanut gallery). Before the kid part of the lesson, each week opens with a short Bible study for the teacher. This week, it starts off with, "What does family mean to you?" In Genesis 17-18, God promises Abraham specifically that he'd be the father of many nations, and both Abraham and Sarah laughed at this (yes, because they were old, but I said no comments from the peanut gallery). Later it asks, "Have you felt God leading your family to do something that seems incredible or unbelievable? God's plan for families is a plan that He can accomplish when those families willingly give themselves to Him." Psalm 127:3 says, " Behold, children are a gift of the LORD..." - take a moment to thank God for the blessing that each child brings to you (your kids, kids you teach, kids in your extended family - they're all a gift from the Lord!). God is definitely leading us on this incredible, unbelievable journey and who knows the nations He'll reach through them!!?!?!

Thank you for the many ways you've helped us bring our gifts of the Lord home!!!!!! WE CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See attached all of us at a local Chinese New Year celebration - we SO planned to be holding photos of David and Andrew in the picture, but it took so long to get the lady to understand that we wanted her to take our picture, that we just plain forgot. That's alright - by this time next week, they'll be in our arms and we'll have a whole new set of pictures!! Also attached, see that thanks to Rona and Pat, sweet little Andrew is packed and ready to go!! David's got plenty of clothes, but Andrew's still tiny and needed 12 month clothes... and since we were so DUN, we'd given them all away!!

God bless you all - and please don't forget to pray!!

Love,

Bill and Toni and the Benton Bunch

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2012-01-29T15:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Benton Adoption Update

2011-12-16T00:55:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Ok, surely it must be time for an update on our adoption front.

First off, a HUGE Thank You to all who supported us in our Samaritan card fund raiser!! We made enough to pay for the next phase of immigration (extra fee because it's 2 children) and for the boyz visas, along with some other fees due. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! We do still have about 10-12 left, so if you thought you missed out and wanted to pick one up (they're like the Entertainment Book from the 90's, but for the 21^st century – discounts galore, all online), they're just $20 and you can get it back in savings in no time.

Second – we got our RA on 10/24!!! YAYYYYYYYY GOD!!!! An RA (Referral Approval) is the next step in the paper-trail – the one prior to the TA (Travel Approval), and then we go!!!! Well… then we (our agency) ask for an appointment at the US Embassy in China, and then we (our agency) make the trip arrangements, etc. The TA should come around 10 weeks after the RA (can't think of a better Christmas gift) and then travel shortly after that – the agency guesstimates mid-January. Yes, we really wanted to be home by Christmas, not January, but we know God's got the master plan well in hand and that He knows far better than we do.

And third – in case you're wondering how we know He's got the master plan (besides the fact that He's never not been faithful) – if we were traveling before Christmas, we'd be in deep trouble because … we STILL don't have our tax refund. Yep, a full TEN months after we filed, and we still don't have it. Yep, Uncle Sam owes us more than $20k and if we were this late paying them, I can't imagine what the interest and penalties would be. You certainly can pray for dear ol' Uncle Sam, if you would.

We did hear rumor that it would be coming soon, but until it's in the bank, we're not shouting from the rooftops just yet. Of course, even when it does come, it's not going to cover it all, so if you're looking for some year-end tax deductible gift ideas, please know that our agency is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (and belongs to the ECFA), which means any adoption contributions in our name would be tax deductible for you. You can do so by clicking here, https://www.awaa.org/forms/payment.aspx, using the dropdown to choose "Eternal Family Program," and putting "Benton family" in the Notes box. Thanks so very, very much for considering it.

Some folks have already done this, and again, a HUGE Thank You to all who have. We've even gotten 2 contributions from people we don't know, and on top of that, an anonymous gift too. If it was you, Thank You!! Those funds have gone towards paying the last of the US immigration fees for David and Andrew – thank you!!

Don't forget we've got a ton of books listed on Amazon.com, that were given to us for the yardsales. Check us out at our Storefront Link: www.amazon.com/shops/AdoptionMomma. If you're local to us, it'll save you some shipping and time to have a look and then just email and let me know what you want.

Prayer news:

And again, please, please pray for us and for Davey, and Andrew too. Please pray that they're both warm and well fed, loved on daily, and that they'll know their Momma and Daddy are coming… soon! Please pray for our family - that we can make wise decisions about finances, about travel, about parenting and life in general. Please pray that God will indeed provide the funds to get these boys home. Please pray we'll be able to properly care for all our kids and their needs. Please pray that our last round of paperwork will arrive soon so we can travel before Chinese New Year (when the gov't offices shut down for a week or more). Please pray for all the orphans in the world, over 143,000,000. We can't adopt them all (we're done [again;]), but we can pray for them all. They each have a very special place in God's heart - He says to "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." in Psalm 82:3 NIV

Oh wait – I almost forgot – with our RA, we also got updated pictures… of David and Andrew together!!! How cool is that, they're already getting to know one another!!!… already becoming brothers!!! See attached. :o)

Thanks for praying, and for all else you do/did to support our almost-controlled chaos. Thanks for "Care[ing] for orphans and widows" with us.

Christmas lovin',
Toni for the crew
www.cantwaitbentons.blogspot.com
Storefront Link: www.amazon.com/shops/AdoptionMomma (Buy books/Help fundraise)

Who would've thought... Updates!!

2011-08-09T06:06:00.005-05:00

Lots of good news to tell - God is awesome! - thought we'd update you, since it's been over a month.

Best news first:
Friday, 7/15, we got a call from our agency with news of who Andrew is!!! He is 14 mos old, his name is Fu Fan (pronounced Foo Fahn), and has a somewhat similar special need as David. He lives in the same orphanage as David too, so that'll make the trip much easier/less expensive!! He's way cute - but tiny (14 lbs) - can't wait to get him home. Email us for a picture (can't post it publicly yet). We're so blessed!! Thanks for praying about this.

Second best news:
Friday, 7/22, we got our last document in the mail (immigration approval) and could finally send that inch-thick stack of paperwork to China and finally get the [real] ball rolling!!!
Friday, 7/29, the agency shipped it all off to China. We should get China's approval in 2-3 months, and then travel approval 1-2 mos after that!! The boyz should be home by late fall!! Thanks for praying for our paperwork.

Fund raising news:
The yardsale went well - the weather was wonderful, the girls were pretty helpful (esp. Faith afterwards), some awesome friends from church took the boyz for a few hours in the heat of it, we had a pretty good stream of customers, and some awesome church friends also just handed us straight-up cash.... all to the tune of just about enough to pay for the last round of paperwork authentications!! We ended up with a lot of stuff leftover, so we're planning another yardsale on Labor Day weekend (customers and contributions of "stuff" most welcome!!). Haha - still got a tanning bed for sale - are ya interested?? ;o)

A friend (or 2?) contributed a LOT of books to our yardsale and many sold, but we still have a ton. I found out that you can sell your books on Amazon, so we've got about half of them listed online, and hope to finish entering them this weekend. We already had our first sale - someone in Indiana. Check us out at our Storefront Link: www.amazon.com/shops/AdoptionMomma. If you're local to us, it'll save you some shipping to have a look and then just email and let me know what you want.

Three other awesome friends contributed to our Eternal Families fund online (see below) and another by check... that went towards translating our dossier into Chinese. AND... I got a nice atta-girl check from work for something I apparently did well. :o) God is good... allllllllllllll the time!! That finished paying for translation and our second set of agency fees.

Also got a grant notice from Show Hope (Steven and MaryBeth Chapman's orphan care foundation) for wayyyyy more than we were even hoping for!! Ephesians 3:20-21 all the way, baby (beyond all we can ask or imagine)!! We're not sure when we can start using the grant monies (it was just the notice that came), but we've got some fees due this coming week (filing fees for Andrew, translating his info into English, etc), so hopefully...

So again, here we humbly are. If you'd like to help financially, our agency is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (and belongs to the ECFA), which means it would be tax deductible for you. You can do so by clicking here, https://www.awaa.org/forms/payment.aspx, using the dropdown to choose "Eternal Family Program," and putting "Benton family" in the Notes box. Doesn't have to be a lot - any amount is very much appreciated!! Thanks so very, very much for considering it.

Prayer news:

And again, please, please pray for us (pasted from below with updates). Please pray for Davey, and Andrew too. Please pray that they're both warm and well fed, loved on daily, and that they'll know their Momma and Daddy are coming... just as soon as we can (we're getting closer). Please pray for our family - that our kiddos won't think we've absolutely lost our minds (and that God will keep us from doing so). Please pray that God will indeed provide the funds to get these boys home (He's certainly proving Himself faithful). Please pray we'll be able to properly care for our kids and their needs (again and again, He's proven Himself faithful). Please pray that our paperwork will get done in a timelier manner than it's been so far (thank You Lord!). Please pray that we'll find out who Andrew is soon (thank You Lord!), and that he'll live in the same city/province as David (thank You Lord!). Please pray for all the orphans in the world, over 143,000,000. We can't adopt them all (we're done [again;]), but we can pray for them all. They each have a very special place in God's heart - He says to "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." in Psalm 82:3 NIV.

That's all for now - we'll update again soon. Thanks again for caring.

Let's Roll,

Bill and Toni, etc, etc, etc

http://www.cantwaitbentons.blogspot.com/ - got this thing cranked up again

Storefront Link: www.amazon.com/shops/AdoptionMomma (Buy books/Help fundraise)

Train, Cowboys and Crabs

2011-07-23T13:05:00.007-05:00

So Sam decided to jump on board the Potty Train last month and hasn't looked back since!! I am now a HUGE proponent of waiting till he's ready... this has by FAR been the easiest potty training EVER. He even slept all night last night in his big boy pants!!

He also recently discovered Johnny's (yes, Johnny's) cowboy boots and if it wasn't 100 degrees outside, he'd be wearing them all the time!! Thankfully, he hasn't discovered the damage he can do with a skillfully placed boot in his big sister's shin yet, and we're trying to keep it that way.

Faith on the other hand, crabby girl that she can be sometimes, caught her first blue crab at Uncle Bob's party recently. The guy in the picture with she and Theresa was so excited at her excitement, he arranged for her to have enough to actually cook and we all enjoyed a wonderfully crabby supper that night!!

Exciting news in the next post - stand by.

Let's Roll,

Toni and crew

Blessings

2011-06-27T23:09:00.004-05:00

God's got big plans for these boyz!!

The yardsale went well - the weather was wonderful, the girls were pretty helpful (esp. Faith afterwards), some awesome friends from church took the boyz for a few hours in the heat of it (tho Alex was a pretty good lemonade salesman), we had a pretty good stream of customers (and only 1 who wanted to bargain over everything), and some awesome church friends also just handed us straight-up cash.... all to the tune of just about enough for the last round of paperwork authentications!! That's not counting the 2 other awesome friends who contributed to our Eternal Families fund online (see prev post)... that'll go towards translating our dossier into Chinese.

AND... I got a nice atta-girl check from work for something I apparently did well. :o) God is good... allllllllllllll the time!!

Now, if we could just get that 171!... please?!??

Let's Roll!!
Toni and fam

Alllllmost done!!!

2011-06-22T21:13:00.006-05:00

We're alllllmost done!!! See here our dossier is almost done - just waiting for that stinkin' 171 (Immigration approval)!!! And you thought I was kidding when I said it was an inch thick stack of paperwork (and it's missing the 171). ☺

Our passports arrived today - yes, we've been on this road for more than 10 years and our first ones expired. Thank You God for sending them - we need them before sending our dossier to China, so we were getting kinda worried. Now, please pray that Uncle Sam gives up that tax check (he's stalling because he owes us a LOT - adoption tax law changed - it's almost half of our adoption costs!!). We need it for the next round of agency fees and to have our dossier translated into Chinese. Also pray our 171 comes soon!!!

Let's Roll,

Toni and crew

Who would've thought... (email)

2011-06-12T20:16:00.001-05:00

Most of you know some of this story... some know none of it... but none know all of it (including us... yet:). Check it…

"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us." James 1:27, NLT

So back in February, we heard about this new program in China where if you'd only been home with your child for a year or less, you could use your inch-thick stack of paperwork again to adopt another child w/special needs... but of course, Sam had been home for 12.5 months. What!!?!... we're so dun!! Ok, ok, it's only 2 weeks over, and I know it's absolutely insane, but let's just see if they'll make an exception. How cool would it be to be able to bring another child HOME and not have to do all that paper work again? That's like pregnancy without the pregnant part!

While we waited (for-ever) for the exception decision, we found a sweet little 2.5 yo boy named YiNan (pronounced Enon) and fell in love. ♥♥♥ Also while we waited, we realized that MD law requires a new homestudy anyway (half the paperwork, half the wait) and of course, we'd need new immigration approval (half the wait), so it wasn't quite as cool as we'd thought. And by the time they said no (now 14 mos), we were already in love and committed to bring young Davey home. ☺ It really wasn't that much savings in time - or money - afterall, just effort, and how could we live with ourselves always wondering what his life would've ended up being (what our lives would've ended up being) if we had been too busy to make the effort? So, off we go on what seems like for us, the perpetual paperchase (homestudy, immigration, birth certs, marriage cert, background checks, employment, physicals, etc). Do we think God used a "bait-n-switch" scheme on us? - absolutely not - but we do know He used it to get us looking again... we were so DONE. Sam's been our "caboose" since before he even got home... really, we were done!

So, about 2 weeks later, God started poking again. So you can't use Sam's paperwork again… ok, but why not use David's paperwork twice!??!?!... and that would be all in one trip too (now THAT's time AND money savings!).

What are You trying to do, God!!?!? Adopt TWO?!?!? Don't You know how may kids we already have?!?!? Do You know how many seats our van has!!??!? Yes, He said... I know all that, and I have a plan. Do You know how many shoes we need for all those cute little toes running around our house??!? How about college?... and weddings?? Oh, and don't You know how old we are??!! Yes, He said... I know all that, and I have a plan. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Part of His plan includes a change in the adoption tax law, in that we're getting a huge tax refund this year (better than half the adoption costs!). Part of His plan also seems to be fundraising - so here we humbly are.

If you think you'd like to help financially, our agency is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (and belongs to the ECFA), which means it would be tax deductible for you. You can do so by clicking here, https://www.awaa.org/forms/payment.aspx, using the dropdown to choose "Eternal Family Program," and putting "Benton family" in the Notes box. Thanks so very, very much for considering it.

We're also planning a huge yardsale on Saturday, 6/25 - so if your spring cleaning left you with some "junk" you'd like to part with, we'd be happy to help out (we'll even pick up:)... and if you're local to us, please stop by to pick up someone else's "junk" for the cause.

But even more important than these, please, please pray for us. Please pray for Davey, and Andrew too. Please pray that they're both warm and well fed, loved on daily, and that they'll know their Momma and Daddy are coming... just as soon as we can. Please pray for our family - that our kiddos won't think we've absolutely lost our minds (and that God will keep us from doing so). Please pray that God will indeed provide the funds to get these boys home. Please pray we'll be able to properly care for our kids and their needs. Please pray that our paperwork will get done in a timelier manner than it's been so far. Please pray that we'll find out who Andrew is soon, and that he'll live in the same city/province as David. Please pray for all the orphans in the world, over 143,000,000. We can't adopt them all (we're done [again;]), but we can pray for them all. They each have a very special place in God's heart. "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..." Psalm 68:5-6a NIV

Thanks again for caring enough to care,

Bill and Toni, etc, etc, etc

www.cantwaitbentons.blogspot.com - guess we'd better get this thing cranked up again too

Wow - a month

2010-03-07T23:05:00.003-05:00

Really need to get a better post up - we've been home for a month for pete's sake, but I had to post this picture!! I swear, I turned on the water, got the temp right, remembered I needed towels and pj's, told Alex to go potty and stepped out of the bathroom. Their bedroom is right across the hall... and JUST THAT QUICK, Sam was in the tub, clothes and all!!

For now, enjoy the picture, know that Sam's doing great and we're praying this weekend's weather continues!!

Also please pray for some family friends of ours - Husband/Daddy died suddenly, leaving 3 young kiddos, and of course, a grieving wife. Thank you.

From GZ With Love

2010-01-25T09:39:00.001-05:00

Ok, we've got Sam - can we come home now?

Today we went shopping, and did we ever shop. We had several friends who asked us to pick up a few things, and I think we accomplished that. Then we had a few things we wanted ourselves, esp. since Sam is our caboose. Shamain Island is under massive construction, because GZ is hosting the Asian Games next summer, so everything was torn up, but that didn't stop the shop owners from dragging you in. We liked the last shop we went in the best, and wished we'd started there... but we did pretty good with what we did. Young Miss Abby started the day out saying she didn't want anything... like when Theresa was picking a tshirt, she said no thanks. We thought it was sweet, but by the time the day was done, she had at least 2-3 items, so maybe she was just smart-shopping.

We didn't make group dinner plans but ran into 3 families enroute and wished we had made plans... they'd ordered pizza (Papa John's is actually in China... and delivers!... and no more Danny's) - can't wait to hear if it was really Papa John's. We ended up going to a restaurant highly recommended by our guide Amy. It's name is 1001 Nights, and I just assumed it was Chinese, but it was Arabian. The food was interesting - mine was good... but even more interesting was the actual belly dancer that came out just before we got done eating. Yes, a belly dancer. The kids were quite amused, but I was glad we were almost done.

Tomorrow we're free until 3pm when we go to the US Consulate for the oath taking, promising to love and care for Sam, never abusing nor abandoning him... which is a pretty easy promise, as we're madly in love. So before 3, we'll likely go to either of the really nice parks across the street (thankfully there's an underground way across the street), and then tomorrow night, we might take a dinner "cruise" as a group down the Pearl River. It's come highly recommended by several friends, but it's kinda pricey, so we'll see how many chose to go (we skipped the Acrobat show in BJ for the same reason...).

Something interesting about this trip, and I'm not sure if it's Faith maturing, or the difference in Alex and Sam's personality, but she's really been mothering Sam. With Alex, she wanted him to like her... but mostly just to show me up. With Sam, she seems to genuinely want to help and I'm liking it.

Sam's been blossoming a little more each day, as are all the other 6 kiddos. He's being silly when we walk, he's playing with his sibs, he's voicing more and more, some of it words, etc. It's always wonderful to watch them bloom... watching God at work is always amazing.

We're all ready for home. Even the breakfast we couldn't wait for here in GZ is getting old... as are noodles for lunch in our room, and even any restaurants too. Can't wait to get home to real food and our own beds. Alex says he wants to go home to get Nikki (the dog) and bring her back here with us. Definitely not looking forward to the lonnnnng flight, but absolutely looking forward to the result (being home). Please don't forget to be praying for us as we travel - from Wednesday evening your time, until Thursday evening when we land at Dulles.

Don't know if I'll be able to post again until after we're home, but we'll see how it goes with the internet. Either way, please know that we are so very thankful for you and ever so grateful for your prayers. We can't wait to introduce you to our sweet Sam-I-Am in person... I know you'll love him too.

God bless and keep you every day - He loves you very much, He promised.

Love,

Toni for the crew

Let's Roll!

GZ Pictures

2010-01-25T08:29:00.001-05:00

Pictures for you!

From: Bill and Toni Benton

These might be the last pictures until after we get home, but we'll see
how it goes with the internet. Thanks again for praying us home.
Love,
Toni for the Benton Bunch

Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton

(1 of 76 pictures)

If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWJi

Nanchang Pictures from Bill and Toni

2010-01-24T22:39:00.001-05:00

Pictures for you!

From: Bill and Toni Benton

Enjoy! And thanks for praying us home!!

Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton

(1 of 142 pictures)

If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWJR

Ahhhhh Guangzhou…

2010-01-24T10:49:00.001-05:00

I think we had a post from our last trip with the same title, "Ahhhhh Guangzhou…" and quite possibly posts of the same title from every other trip as well. J

When you arrive in Guangzhou (GZ), everything feels better. By that time, you've had enough of the local province, enough of the difficulty getting around and enough of that hotel's restaurant. By that time, you and your new child are getting to know each other… you're more comfortable with each other. And in GZ, it starts feeling a little like you're on vacation (tho we're also very ready to be home). The hotel is very nice, the people don't gawk at you quite as much, you know your way around, and there are more restaurant and grocery store choices. And plus, you get to meet back up with the families you started out in Beijing with (typical trip is all the families together for 2 days touring in Beijing to get over your jetlag, then each family flies to their child's province for M-F to receive the child, do the local paperwork, and wait for the child's passport, then all the families together again in GZ for the US side of the paperwork.

And while the hotel in Nanchang (Galactic Peace Hotel) was very, very nice… the China Hotel in GZ is realllllly nice… and to top it off, it's just been renovated and it's absolutely gorgeous. The breakfast buffet is wonderful, there are local restaurants along with several choices in the hotel, lots of souvenir shopping, etc… not to mention a Starbucks, 7/11, and a McD's right next door.

Only issue with this hotel is that you have to pay for the internet, which was totally the norm last time, but we've been spoiled in BJ and Nanchang this time with free internet. We can go down to the coffee shop and use it for free (or the price of a cup of coffee, I suppose), but it takes a long time to upload pictures, and I know what's far more important than my silly ramblings. So I'm rambling in MSWord for now, then we'll probably upload pictures tonight and post them with this.

The pictures we'll upload have shots of the pavilion/pagoda/park place in Nanchang that I posted about last time, and Faith's shots included a few video clips… some just silly… but I don't know if Shutterfly will take them. Hope you enjoy what we post.

So, I think that was on Wednesday, and then on Thursday, we mostly went shopping. First to a porcelain (why doesn't that look right?) shop because that's one of the things Sam's province is known for and we wanted to have something for him from his home. We got a piece that looks more like wood than porcelain and it can be used as a pencil holder, or perhaps napkins, or just sit on a shelf and collect dust, but it has written on the back something about, "You must work hard to be successful." and on the front it has a horse (Chinese symbol for success) and the word success on it. There wasn't much else to choose in a porcelain shop, other than tea sets, which after growing up American, I don't think will be very important to Sam. Anyway, we liked the saying - working hard is important (to support his old parents:). After that, it was all about the girls… shopping for shoes and jeans and such (Faith's been saving birthday money for possibly 3 years to buy jeans in China). Faith got a pair of shoes (think fold over hi-top Chuck Taylor), a sweat shirt and 2 pair of jeans, Theresa Lin got shoes and a coat and Abby got shoes and a sweater, and all were thrilled. I saw some really cool lanterns for Chinese New Year, but just couldn't figure out how to get them home. J

Friday was fly day, but not until 5pm, so we ate breakfast fairly early and then braved the walk to McD's on our own for lunch, and needed to be out of our hotel by 2pm. It's always kind of a sad day because you're taking your child from his hometown, but hopefully on to a better life. Sam decided he wasn't the happiest baby in the world (we think it was his tummy) just about the time we hit the airport. We had a long wait at the small airport, so he got strolled from here to there, but it didn't help a whole lot… and by the time we got on the plane, he decided to tell everyone on the plane just how unhappy his tummy really was. He started crying well before take off, and might have stopped about 10 minutes before we landed. We're very happy we thought to bring prunes, cuz he certainly turned out to be "full of it".

We arrived in GZ on Friday night, got checked in and were in our room by 8 or 9… but had to be ready to roll by 8:30 the next morning, so we were all in bed fairly quickly. Breakfast was as wonderful as we remembered, then off to the medical checkup required by the US, in order for Sam to enter the US as a citizen. The trouble is, now that we're under the Hague treaty, the poor little guy had to have 6 shots and a TB test (another shot), which of course was not very fun for anyone. The rest of the checkup is pretty routine - height, weight, temperature, ENT, listen to his heart (by 3 different dr's because of his ToF), etc, but because it has to be done on a Saturday to get the results to the US Embassy/Consulate in time, it's always a very long morning. A trip to the grocery store on the way back to the hotel and the afternoon was ours.

We met with the other families for dinner at a Japanese restaurant that evening - pretty pricey but a fun experience, and beautifully decorated - and the restaurant was totally fine with the kids bringing McD's in with them, rather than ordering from there, so not as pricey as it might have been. I think after this trip, the kids might just hate McD's almost as much as I do. Remind us to tell you about the cheater floor around the low (sit on the floor) dinner table. We ended up in our own little room because the big tables with the grill (like Sakura at home) were full, but the fun thing was that we had our guide, Amy all to ourselves.

Tonight we all ate together again, tho not planned by our guide. It was at another restaurant in the hotel called Food Street - very Chinese, but much better priced. And we all sat in the same section together this time… one of the fun things about a travel group is getting to know the other families and keeping in touch afterwards. We don't live near most, but one family does live fairly close, and another Mom and I have been emailing since June or so. We still get together for social events with families from our 1^st two trips and we're so very grateful for them.

Earlier today was sightseeing at a cultural museum and also a tea ceremony at a tea shop… both places we've been to before, but still very fun. The cultural museum has these huge, huge double doors, each painted with huge, huge warriors on them. I remember Theresa being terrified of the warriors on both Abby's trip and Faith's trip, so this time, I didn't tell her we were about to see them again, then when she was standing right next to one, I took her picture and told her about them. Also at this place was a man making black and white paintings using only his hand… the side of his palm, his fingertips, his fingernails… and all very beautiful… just not in our price range, tho not too bad and I came close. Faith recognized this place from her adoption trip and wasn't thrilled about going, but then didn't want to leave. It has all these carvings on the roof line, and when we got inside, there were several young art students sketching the carvings. She tried to play it off like she wasn't all that interested, but I saw her about 5 minutes later going back to look at their work.

I'm really enjoying the 6 other families. One family is Chinese, having 2 bio sons and a bio daughter, and now a new daughter. The family of the Mom I've been emailing with prior to the trip has 2 Chinese daughters at home, along with an older bio daughter, and now have a new son. Another family has kids at home, but are here by themselves and have adopted a 9 yo daughter who's very sweet. The Dad of this family has become Alex's "best friend ebber" - sorry Johnny/David/Joshua. One family has their son and daughter here with them, and now have a new daughter. Their son is somewhat of a wild child like Alex, but he's a few years older. These 2 families have been together the whole time, as their new daughters are from the same province. One family has husband and kids at home, and just the Mom and new daughter are here. And the last family has their Chinese daughter here with them (3-ish yo) and a new son, but they also have the grandparents here with them as well. All are becoming fast friends and once again, I feel very blessed to have known them and spent this special time with them.

Funny thing - Faith said she didn't remember this hotel when we arrived - which makes sense because of the renovations. But the next day, she was looking out our window down at the street and remembered the place across the street, because we were here JUST before Chinese New Year and people were lined up outside that building to get tickets home to their families, as is tradition. The cell phone tower (I call it the Honda tower because of the neon lights on it) that you can see from the room is not lit up, but I think if it had been, she would've remembered the hotel that first night.

Abby and Theresa have both finished their homework, except that they're to journal about the trip and bring back photos and mementos, all of which they're working on. You can pray for Faith and her homework tho. She's working on it, but it isn't easy (right, Johnny?). All 3 girls are having a good time mothering Sam, and he's eating it up. Again, Alex is thrilled to have a baby brudder to take a bath with.

Sam's showing his temper and his impatience a bit more… or should I say, he's feeling comfortable enough with us to let them show (which is good, but…). He doesn't usually want to bother finishing his mouthful of food before adding more… and if you stop him, he's not too thrilled. With hindsight we can see that thankfully most of the stubbornness from Friday was likely just constipation, and we also know the hoarding food in his mouth is just typical orphanage behavior. Today he finally started to get that I wasn't going to let him have more until what he had was gone, and hopefully he's also starting to get that we're going to feed him regularly and that there's no need to store up for winter. He's also showing his funniness and charm. Tonight after dinner, we were walking back to the room and he had my hand and Abby's and at some point, he started taking 2-3 steps and then a funny little jump/stutter-step and laughing his heart out. That, combined with the size 12 mos pants that were quite literally falling off, especially with the jumping… made for quite a comical walk back. His tiny-hiney and little bird legs are too cute, but we can't wait to put a little meat on them.

Tomorrow we go to Shaiman Island for trinket shopping (DJ/Demarie - I've remembered, BION). Amy said we'll have 3 hours, but that if it's not enough, it's easy to take a cab back, which we've done before (about $2 US). That's in the afternoon, but in the morning she goes to the US Consulate on our behalf, so please pray that all our collective T's are crossed and I's are dotted correctly.

Not sure what's on the agenda for Wednesday, other than the swearing ceremony at the US Consulate, but already I've got the wanna go/don't wanna go syndrome. As I look at how many days we've got left, I want to make sure we make the most of every moment, and yet I CAN'T WAIT to get home and get into our routine… to introduce Sambo to his loving family, to get him to the dr's and ped. cardiologist, to get on with getting over the jetlag, and to sleep in our own beds… you know, all the things that make home home.

For now, I'm off to bed. Look for the pictures after they get uploaded. Hope you enjoy them and thanks so much for praying us home. We love you very much!

Let's Roll!!

Pictures from Bill and Toni

2010-01-21T12:09:00.001-05:00

Pictures for you!

From: Bill and Toni Benton

Hoping I can send straight to here from Shutterfly. Somebody let me
know so I can send the next few days.

Old memory stick, tho - skip to picture 26 for the trip, and if you're
impatient, skip to picture 260 for Sam!!

Faith's camera's pictures are mingled in here too... usually at the end
of whichever day, so they're close to being in order, but I didn't put
any commentary on her's.

Enjoy - we sure are!!

Love,
The Benton Bunch

Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton

(1 of 367 pictures)

If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWI3

Ok, ok.... I know, I know...

2010-01-20T10:08:00.001-05:00

Ok, I know, I know I should've posted by now, but I'm just too enthralled... and by the end of the day, just too exhausted. :o)

Sam is a delight!! We met him at the hotel the minute we arrived from the airport and have been enjoying [almost] every minute ever since. He was quite the dapper young man in his quilted blue and yellow coat and matching quilted blue pants, along with his bright yellow shoes... right down to the no less than 4 layers of clothes underneath. Did I mention when we landed in Nanchang, the first thing we said was, "Thank You God, it's warm here." He's taking an antibiotic from earlier this week when he'd started to get a bit of a cold... not all clear on the whole story, but with his heart, the minute they think he might be getting sick (or perhaps because Monday was his adoption day?), they take him for an IV and antibiotics... so we've stuck with the Chinese way of layering his clothes... but shhhh... only 2 layers and a jacket.

Once we got all those layers off on Monday night, he's quite a tiny guy (and he's got his Uncle Tom's butt - or lack thereof), weighing in at a whopping 20.2 lbs, and that was after dinner, but he's cute, cute, cute. He doesn't still have the spiky hair (sorry Rachel), tho it's got potential, and not much of his little rosebud mouth anymore either. In fact, when he smiles big, or cries, the mouth gets very wide... and toothy, but oh, so sweet!

Anyway, at Gotcha!, he was fairly laid back and we tried our best not to swoop him up and smother him in kisses. Of course, his big sisters, and brudder too, were all over him and the nannies were saying, Jei Jei (big sister) and Ge Ge (guh guh - big brother) to him to see how he'd respond. He didn't seem quite as afraid as Alex had been, so I didn't wait too long to scoop him up and he didn't cry at all. There we were, right in the middle of a huge marble hotel lobby, becoming a family... in a way only God could've planned. We did get a few minutes in our hotel room, and a few minutes to grab some lunch, then off to the Civil Affairs office for the first round of paperwork. This too was pretty laid back, probably the shortest ever for us... or maybe because we thought we were done about 6 times before we actually were done. We found out that Sam was actually in foster care from around May until adoption day and we're very thrilled for that (that he had a home and someone to call Momma, but also that they didn't pull him from it a week before adoption to take him back to the orphanage, for whatever reason that they usually do that). We got pictures of the foster mom, along with pictures of a family in Taiwan who sponsored his heart surgery last November. We're forever grateful to them both.

Sam slept pretty well the first night. It was a big day for the little guy, so he fell asleep around 7:30... but of course, was awake around 1 or 2am. I'd put his crib right up next to my bed, so thankfully, it just took squeezing my arm in between the slats and rubbing his back, or holding his hand to quiet him down. Can't remember if it was that first night or the 2nd, but he sat up and said, "Momma", which of course made it all worth while. :o)

On Tuesday, our guide, Mary took us to a pretty cool park in the morning, after the 5 minute Notary appointment, and then let us off at McD's for lunch, while she ran to the food store (the RT Mart) to get some water and batteries for us. Mary has been wonderful to us, spoiling us, making us feel like rich folk. On Tuesday afternoon, the 3 boys took naps while us girls braved the city streets looking for whatever we might find (Faith wants to buy Chinese jeans, Theresa and Abby want to buy whatever they can get). Really we were looking to find the RT Mart again, but kinda got side tracked... slight left turn instead of a left. We did eventually happen upon it, but you'd be amazed at what we saw along the way, and you'd be amazed at us trying to cross the street... whatever you've got in mind, it's worse. Nanchang traffic is a constant horn blowing and a rush of cars/scooters/bikes/people from every direction. In fact, our 12th floor hotel room window is open and all I've heard outside all evening is constant horn blowing, and it's 10:45 pm. Tuesday night, we put Alex in the tub and let Sam watch for a few minutes. He was thrilled when I put him in and he and Alex had a blast. Alex couldn't wait to have a brother to take a bath with!

On Wednesday morning, I got my first Sam-initiated kiss and it was a whopper!! It just doesn't get any better than that!! Later, we went to a ... well, not a park really, and thankfully, not a temple either. The first thing Mary said when we arrived was that this was not a temple, that it had a scholarly, not religious connection (really didn't want to go to a buddhist temple like in TaiYuan, so this was great). This was a pagoda, or temple looking structure, it's story being that some young emperor came here to rule this city, but found it very boring, so he had this place built with water and bridges and the building and gardens and scenery and such. Then some poet came and loved it's beauty so much that he wrote a poem about it. The poem became so famous, and when people read it, they wanted to see the place it told about, so the place became famous too. Once inside the building/pagoda, you ride the elevator to the 6th floor, watch a short performance - a singer, then dancers, then some musicians and a dancer... a really cool 5 minute show. After that, you walk down the stairs to each floor... every other one being open to the outside, so you can look around outside too. Saw lots of cool paintings, sculptures, etc, then once out, we walked around the grounds and it was beautiful. From there, we walked to a really nice restaurant... where we enjoyed every dish, were very full/satisfied... and paid a whopping $15 US. While eating, we saw the cook walk past with a plastic grocery bag in his hand... and heard the bag rattle... pretty sure it was a snake. Then he walked past again and we are sure that bag had a fish, so at least we do know he'd "been to market." Our dishes had already been served and each had very little meat, so we think we're safe, but ya just never know. ;o)

While driving around earlier in the day, Mary said she'd love for her daughter to meet our girls, as she's the same age as Theresa Lin. We thought that would be a grand idea. Later on, our girls mentioned [again] about going swimming, so I put 2 and 2 together and asked Mary if she thought her daughter could come today and go swimming with us. Mary went too and we had a great time... except that Sam's been fussy today and after a while, wasn't too thrilled that everyone else got to go swimming and he didn't (water was too cold and with his sniffles, etc - it wasn't a good idea), so it didn't last too long. Mary's daughter is a really neat kid and I would've loved for it to have lasted longer.

Ok, brain is fried. I'm sure there's more I've forgotten, but you'll love me anyway... esp. because I'm going now to find some pictures to include... and then I'm hitting the hay before the masses awake. I love you all and I'm so very thankful for your prayers - it's been a really smooth trip so far and I know it's because we're covered in your prayer.

Let's Roll!!

BJ Pics

2010-01-20T09:47:00.001-05:00

That's all, just pics, since I already wrote about it. It'll only let me send 3 at a time...

Gotcha! day and the week next!!

Let's Roll!!

BJ... check.... next SAM!!!!

2010-01-18T07:19:00.001-05:00

Ok, so Beijing went a little like this: Saturday morning, early breakfurst [sic;], then off to Tienanmen Square (shhh... don't mention the "incident"), stand around a while, take a few [of the same] pictures, then under the road... which is a fantastic way to cross the street - especially in China traffic... to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is exactly the same as it was in 2002 and 2004, but Faith, Abby, Alex and Joshua hadn't seen it, and I'm sure Theresa didn't remember it. I'm also sure they all thought the same as we did... really cool for the first 2-3 courtyards, then each one starts to look exactly the same as the one before. After that, it's dodge thru the masses of folks trying to sell you something... anything... and if you dare pull out some money, all the rest flock to you to sell you something too. This was a true feat this time, with Theresa and Abby attached to me at the hip, wondering what in the world is going on.

From there to the pearl factory, where Faith guessed the number of pearls in the clam shell and "won" a pearl. She was so excited for about 3 minutes, then the "luster" wore off and she gave it to Theresa... who btw had guessed one number fewer than Faith had guessed. After that, it was the silk museum, which was a pretty cool demonstration, but I don't think anyone bought anything. Lunch came a bit early for most, but we dutifully ate what looked exactly like what we also had for dinner... which also seemed a bit early. In between, we went to the Summer Palace, which in the summer is a lovely park with lakes and walkways and beautiful architecture, etc... a place where the royal family went during the hot, hot summer. But in the winter, it's mostly a frozen lake, where silly people walk on it, right next to the signs that say don't go on the ice. The 2 coolest parts of the Summer Palace were under renovation, so I'm not real sure why we even went there. We did drive by the Olympic Bird's Nest and Water Cube and got a few pictures.

Sunday was a bit later start, appreciated by all. We went to the Beijing International Christian Fellowship church and it was a wonderful start to the day. Lunch was at the same friendship store as we'd been to on our first 2 trips, but it was the best meal and some fun shopping/looking afterwards, then off to the jade factory. We spent 90% of our time at the jade factory talking to the clerks about adoption and sign language, rather than buying a >$300 jade bracelet to hand down to my daughter(s) when they turn 16 - which would end up costing pretty big for our family. Oh and now, with so many boys being adopted, there's another tradition... the Dad is supposed to have a jade pendant to pass down to his sons when they turn 16 (Joshua said it really is a tradition). Alex was being a wild child (actually, for most of Saturday too), so he and Bill spent most of the time walking around and with that, I suppose he was spared the pendant schpeal. And finally, the event all were waiting for... the Great Wall (well, not THE Event). We all had a good time there, and Johnny, you'd be proud of your ol' Mom and how high I actually climbed. Joshua and Faith made it up to the 2nd tower, Theresa got pretty close. Alex just wanted to keep going... until he turned around and saw how hard it was to go back down... and Abby and Bill wanted to head for the bus after the prerequisite pictures. We did get some pretty cool shots and I'll upload them next. I'm not going to take the time tonight to weed out the bad ones, or the blurry ones, so just skip over them.

From there to dinner and back to the hotel to get packed!! Most had an early flight, so we're to be on the bus by 5:30am!! ONE more day till SAMMMMM!!! Thank You Father for the miracle of adoption!!!

Let's Roll!!

We're here!! TYL!!!

2010-01-15T17:44:00.001-05:00

No problems anywhere... other than a lonnnnnng day... no flight delays, no illnesses, no problems... and not even a big fight or anything... your prayers were very obviously with us.

Off to a day of touring in BJ (yes, the same sites, but with older children... so hopefully fresh and exciting (and COLD)). We'll put 'em all on Shutterfly later, but here's a few pictures from our journey along the way.

Thanks again. Two more days SAMMMMM!!!

Let's Roll!!

They are there!

2010-01-15T09:30:00.002-05:00

Hi all - this is Melissa Weikel

Toni just wanted to let you know they are there safe and sound. They've not been able to post directly to their blog but if I've done things correctly, they should be able to post to their blog soon. Can't wait to see Sam!!!!

Happy Birthday Abby!!!

2010-01-09T23:08:00.005-05:00

Abby's party was a blast... lots of cute little friends and lots of goodies. Abby really seemed to enjoy herself and we are so very blessed with her as part of our family.

In other shots, all our kiddos playing Uno during the Christmas break... waiting for Di Di Sam to arrive... and including Alex putting the moves on Johnny's bride, Tamra.

Then there's Abby cheering and Theresa playing B-Ball. The crowd shot is when she actually made her first shot... look closely, number 4 with her feet in the air... and she made it!! The jumping skills must have been inherited from her big sister Faith. Last week's game was just a scrimmage, so I guess that means Theresa got a basket in her very first game!! Wow - and this from the one who was afraid to go to the game for fear someone might take the ball from her or she might get hit in the head with a ball... :o)

And of course on the adoption front - we leave in just a few daze!!! Sam, you're coming HOME... soon and very soon!!! Can't wait to kiss you from your cute little head to your cute little toes!! Please pray for organization and health in the next few days and then of course for travel mercies. If you should wake in the middle of the night on Sun night/Mon morning... please pray for Sam, as his world will be turning upside down, quite literally.

Let's Roll!!

WiseGuys, eh? and S N O W ! !

2010-01-03T17:14:00.005-05:00

Ok, got a few more minutes - here's our December blizzard - God is so very good to give us a white Christmas... a few days before Christmas, but big enough to last till Christmas, only with clear roads.

Above, find my 3 WiseGuys visiting the manger, snow angel Theresa, Faith and friend Melany, Alex being sure he's smarter than any ol' snow and of course he can push his TRUCK thru it (and hardheadly succeeding!) and then taking credit for someone else's shoveling, and then there's Abby with a snowflake on her eyelash. Ah yes, God is so very good.

Let's Roll! (aack! - better get packing!)

October - yes, October Events

2010-01-03T16:30:00.005-05:00

Yes, October events in January. But if I don't soon update then I can't rightly invite you to join us on our journey to China, now can I? :o) I hope Christmas will make it in here, and the huge snow the week before it, and hopefully, even Abby's birthday... but you just never know. Time's getting shorter and my packing list is getting longer, so we'll see.

But for now, here's October... Alex sending a care package to his Di Di Samuel, Alex's birthday, and then the Harvest Party at church. Wow - Alex is 4 (and he's oh, so 4) and such a sweetie... among other things. :o)

Thanks for caring, and thanks for your patience... and most of all, thanks for praying.

Let's Roll!

Alex the Wedding Referee

2009-11-05T11:45:00.003-05:00

I like this one better than the other one below, but it's way too much work to change it, so I'm just adding it here. :o) Bill took this one and it better captures that Alex was supposed to be the ref. and reign "the boyz" in.

Let's Roll!!

Finally, Wedding Pictures

2009-11-03T16:14:00.007-05:00

Ok, I've had them for a while, but no time to put them up. They're on FB, so I probably haven't kept them from many. It was an absolutely beautiful day - God is so very good!! I'm so happy for them and about them - I couldn't ask for any better. Enjoy the pics.

Beautiful, beautiful day

2009-09-29T08:22:00.002-05:00

S - I - X - T - Y ! ! ! ! ! ! !

2009-09-15T07:47:00.006-05:00

I've been teetering around the 60 mark (60 lbs lost) for a few weeks now... one day it would be 58, the next 57.5, then 59 and even 59.5... then last week it was 60, but since it kept going up and down, I didn't want to post, for fear it would be back to 57 the next day.
But this morning... it was 62!!!...
so even if it teeters, I'm still claiming SIXTY!!! Whaaa-hooo!!!
.Let's Roll!!

A letter from Steven Curtis Chapman and Scott Hasenbalg

2009-09-09T10:56:00.004-05:00

Dear Friend,

We serve an amazing God who cares so much for the hurting, the lost, the rejected. Throughout the Scriptures, from Deut. 10:18, "He defends the cause of the fatherless..." to James 1:27, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before the Father is this: to care for (visit) orphans and widows in their distress...", we see that God's heart beats for orphans. But even more amazing is the fact that He asks us, His church, to join Him in His Kingdom work.

It's like God is leaning down, as a father to his child, saying, "Do you want to do something crazy? I want to invite you to truly come and know me, to see me show up, to see me come in power and bring glory to my name. I want to invite you to care for orphans and participate in adoption, because I am the Father to the fatherless and I will be found there.” What an amazing invitation! Shaohannah's Hope wants to help you answer this call.

As you step out in faith, we encourage you to H.O.P.E.- Hear from God, Obey Him, Plan properly, and Expect miracles! Remember, God delights in putting the fatherless in families, just as it gave Him great pleasure to purchase our freedom and bring us to Himself through the blood of Jesus. When we were alone, rejected, undeserving and broken, He became a Father to the fatherless; let us, as the body of Christ, go forth and do likewise.

With hope for the fatherless,
Steven Curtis Chapman and Scott Hasenbalg (Executive Director, Shaohannah's Hope)

Learn more about how to get your church involved.

Email us at church@shaohannahshope.org with any questions or comments.

Flyboy and LID, etc.

2009-08-31T07:25:00.008-05:00

Please ignore the dates on the pictures - our camera battery has a habit of dying and we forget to reset it.

Johnny is in Pueblo for 4 weeks of flight training and he says it's intense! Eight hours of grueling class each day and he says they're only retaining about 20%, so after class, they go study. Says they must pass or else, but he's got some good buds with him and they're all planning to make sure they all pass. Last Friday was the end of just the first week, but to make it more bearable, he got to FLY on Friday!!! Said he did a take off and a landing, and somewhere in between there, he did a touch-and-go. Flying after a week of class (retaining 20%) - that's scary, but he was so psyched! He was also excited that he didn't get airsick, cuz that would've been trouble, and besides, the airsick bags are tiny. ;o} Haven't talked to him this week yet - tho I tried - I do plan to call tonight... can't wait to hear what's next.

After this training, he'll be back in TX for a week or so, then head north to let some girl steal him away from me. No kidding, he's just gonna willingly give his heart away (well, that's already done, I suppose)... let her steal it right out from under me. :o) Tamra and her Mom are traveling this week with a van-load of stuff from her house to the apt. in TX so that after the wedding, they won't have to leave the reception in a U-Haul. So excited that they're gonna guss it up a bit and make it more like home - more than the bed, bar stools, desk and office chair that he had - while he's at school (and SO wish I could go too). It's a lonnnnng drive, so please pray for them. Maybe it'll be good for some mother-daughter time too... before she up and gives her heart away too. :o)

Wedding plans are going well, tho I'm feeling like it's been too easy to be the parent's of the groom. Tamra was beautifully showered with love and gifts last weekend (see picture) and everything seems to be rolling right along in other departments. TL&A's dresses are simply beautiful (see pictures). Faith and I are still deciding which way to go on her dress and Alex has the cutest little tux you've ever seen (since Moe's wedding, that is... tho I've been teasing that Alex will be cuter than the groom:). Ya'll pray for me and the cake, ok? Faith's got a job ahead of her making bows for the pews and we got to help with the table toppers during the shower.

The Girls have finished their first 2 weeks of school and all seems to be going well. Faith had a rough start, wishing she had more friends who "speak" her languange (sign language), but after a few days, she's doing very well. In a perfect world, I know she'd prefer to go to deaf school, but I think/hope she's beginning to understand why we feel it's best for her to be where she is. This doesn't stop her from harping on it daily, but we'll get there, I know. She's a great kid. Theresa Lin and Abby have done great - loving school and excited every day. Alex and Daddy finally have some peace around the house (relatively speaking for Daddy, since Alex is only peaceful when he's sleeping) and are getting back into the groove of life with the girls in school. Alex of course, can't wait till he's in school too.

Annnnnnd... we got our official Log-In-Date (LID) of 8/6/2009!! So after our dossier arrived in Beijing, it was logged in on 8/6. It typically happens fairly quickly, but you don't find out what the date was until a few weeks later. So this means our clock is now officially ticking... and has been for almost a month! From LID, it's 3-4 months of waiting till we get our next official thing from China, and then 1-2 more months after that, we should get travel approval... and then travel!! We're still praying for Christmas travel so the kid(s) don't miss too much school - and you're welcome to join us in praying as well.

All for now - enjoy the pictures.

Let's Roll!!

Just a few verses... (bolding mine)

2009-08-19T08:28:00.007-05:00

"Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the desolate towns." Isaiah 54: 2-3
.

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." Proverbs 24:3-4

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:31

.
“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” -Genesis 18:14

.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?" Proverbs 24:12

"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me." Matthew 18:5

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:15-17

"You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed..." Psalm 10:17-18a
.

"Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — His name is the LORD— and rejoice before Him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..." Psalm 68:4-6a

"But now, this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth- everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made.' Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, 'It is true.' 'You are My witnesses,' declares the LORD, 'and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from Me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are My witnesses,' declares the LORD, 'that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?'" Isaiah 43:1-13

“You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done." Psalms 92:4
.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

And of course: "For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him." 1 Samuel 1:27

Thanks for listening and for praying.

.
Let's Roll!!

Ahhhh... TYL!!!

2009-07-22T09:21:00.013-05:00

Our dossier is COMPLETE!!! Bill and the kiddos are picking me up at lunch time and we're hand delivering it to AWAA by noon today in order to be sent off . to China on Friday!!! We haven't fully settled the money issue, but praying for grace regarding one of the fees (not an expense on the agency's part, so it won't cost them anything to wait a bit to receive it). You can pray with us - thanks! We're on our way, Samuel, we're on our way!!! Thank You Father!!!

Let's Roll!!

WE GOT OUR 171!!!... and other hodgepodge

2009-07-14T09:31:00.007-05:00

.
It's true... WE GOT OUR 171!!!!!!!!! Thanks for praying with us on that, and thanks to CB, who may or may not have had any influence on it. . ;o) . And of course, thanks most of all to the One who makes all things possible!!

Anyway, it arrived on Thursday, so Bill had it copied/notarized, etc. on Friday, and along with all our other MD documents (physicals, application letter, financial statement, etc.), took them to the county courthouse to have the notaries authenticated, and then took them all to MD's Secretary of State, to have the county's authentication authenticated. Yes, I said that right. The state has to say the county's seal is authentic... after the county says the notary's seal is authentic. "But wait, don't call yet..." after that, the US has to say the state's seal is authentic. And then, "if you're one of the first 20 to call," THEN you take it to the Chinese Embassy for them to say the US's seal is authentic.

Those last 2 steps (US and China) are what Bill and the kids did on Monday... for all but one document (don't get me started)... and it'll all be ready to pick up on Thursday... to the tune of around $35 per document ($1 for county, $5 for MD ($10 for VA, NJ and DC), $8 for US and $20 for China)... for a total of 14 documents... $490, but who's counting.

And actually, it's $514, when you factor in that last document... Ok, I'm started... the last document is my employment letter. I received it without too much heartache on 3/17 and held it until we got our homestudy, so that they both could go to VA's Secretary of State (Commonwealth) together. Makes perfect sense, right? But it came back, unauthenticated due to a notary problem on 7/1 (HS was fine). So on Thurs, 7/2, I attempted to get it corrected... on the day before a 3-day holiday weekend. Right. Nevermind... I don't want to relive this, nor for you to have to hear me say mean things. Just think Keystone Cops and be glad with us that it's finally today on the desk of VA's Secretary of the Commonwealth, hopefully to be FedEx'ed back to us today so we can put the 1-day rush on it at the Embassy and have all the documents done at the same time on either Thursday or Friday.

Then over the weekend we'll put the final, finishing touches on the now 1-inch stack, fondly known as a dossier and it'll be ready to deliver to our agency next week (before noon on Wed's). More fees due then - ugh. They'll review it, pray over it, and whatever else they do, and it'll be on it's way to China on Friday of next week!!! PRAY!!!

So then it'll all be in China waiting to be reviewed and such, and hopefully in 3-4 mos, we get yet another form to sign saying, "Yes... we really do want the child we already told you we want." We dutifully sign it and send it back, hoping that in 1-2 more months, we get our Travel Approval. Then we and the agency can start making travel arrangements to get that boy HOME!!! We're coming Sammy, just as fast as we can!! Wouldn't it be cool if God, first helped us afford it, but then also timed it so that we'd be traveling while the kids are already out of school for Christmas!!?!?!! He's a really big God, you know. . :o)

Other news: I have some great pictures from Johnny's graduation party and Faith's birthday party (same party), but cannot, for the life of me find which memory card they're on. It was a wonderful day - thanks to all who came to celebrate. Also have the promise of some great 4th of July pictures... hoping to get them tonight and will add to this post. That too was a wonderful day - thanks to the Weikel's for hosting.

Johnny and Tamra are busily making wedding plans - invitations, photography, cake, dresses, reception, etc. The girls are beside themselves at their invitation to be in the wedding... Faith as a Jr. Bridesmaid, Theresa Lin and Abby as Flower Girls, and Alex, Sir Alex, as the Ring Bear (yes, that's what he thinks... bear). Had a great meeting of the families get together at Tamra's folks' house last weekend... what a fun time we had!! They're almost as nutty as we are. Johnny is here until the end of the month. . :o{ . Then he heads for TX, has a few days to find/set up an apartment, and then straight back to more classes/work. Tamra's trusting he knows how to pick out an apartment, and several folks have given him pointers. They bought a bed and are having it delivered there, so he'll at least have something to sleep on while he awaits his bride. He'll be by himself for 2 months, then fly up for the wedding. Hopefully he can get all the helping he can do for the wedding done before he heads out.

Faith's on a church youth trip this week and has her best bud Melany with her. Pray they're safe and have a good time, but also that she/they pay attention to more than just each other and learn a little something while they're at it. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, TL/A&A are having a good time doing little kid things, w/o trying to be all grown and keeping up with Faith.

'Nuff for now - hope to add pics later. Thanks so very much for praying!!

Let's Roll!!

Come on 171 - Baby Samuel is Waiting!!

2009-06-17T12:21:00.013-05:00

Ok, time to fess up...

WE HAVE A REFERRAL!!!

Whaaaahooooooooo!!!! And he's sooo CUTE!!!!

God is AWESOME!!!!

Ok, on to details that I can share. He was born in May 2008, so he's currently 13 months old. He lives in the Jiangxi Province in southeast China, which means we'll be in the capital city of Nanchang that first week (more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangxi). He has a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot that was repaired surgically when he was 6 months old (more info at http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/tetralogy-fallot) and Tamra's Dad, Tim, was very gracious to help us review his medical information and, along with prayer, help us make a decision.

China's new rules say we can't share any of the specific documents contained in his referral in a public place (ie: blog or yahoogroup), and "specific documents contained in his referral" include pictures... BUT... I met a woman online who was at his orphanage in April!!! She fell in love with him and has several pictures and short little video snippets!!! Since they're not part of his referral documents, I CAN share them!!! :o) His referral pictures were likely taken at ~ 6 mos of age, so my new friend's pictures are more recent anyway.

Feast your eyes on his cuteness.

Now... PLEASE PRAY for our 171 to come soon!!! A 171 is typically that last stinkin' document you're waiting for and it is US Immigration's permission to bring the child to the US. Once we get that last document and we get them all authenticated (in process now), then we can send the 1-inch stack of papers off to China. From there, it'll take 3-4 months to get approval, then 1-2 more months before we actually travel. That puts us at late Fall, early Winter... but not until we get that 171!!!

And please pray for our finances... not to worry, God has proven Himself over and over, but He wants us to pray too. If you're interested in a tax deductible way to contribute to our adoption fund, please do email/call me. I know He'd love for you to join Him in bringing Baby Samuel home (James 1:27, Matthew 18:5, Psalm 68:5-6a, Psalm 82:3-4a, etc.).

Oh yeah, and his name. It's currently Samuel Jack(son) XinTing Benton... but the Jack(son) is still up for debate. Bill doesn't particularly like Samuel Jack because it needs 2 syllables - and I agreed until I said it enough times that it started sounding right. And I didn't particularly like Samuel Jackson, because it sounds like a US President (Andrew, not Samuel, but it sounds like it). It turns out that Samuel Jackson is an actor, and some of his movies aren't exactly what we'd go see, but I can live with that if Bill can't live with Samuel Jack.

Jack is after my Uncle Jack, who has jokingly called Johnny "Jackie" since he was born. That's it!!... maybe it should be Samuel Jackie (as in Jackie Chan!?!?!:). Ok, maybe not.

We're sure about Samuel tho... named after my brother and uncle and Bill's nephew... but more importantly after one of our adoption verses. First Samuel 1:27 says, "For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him." It's from when Hannah wanted a child and she prayed so hard one day in the Temple that the priest thought she was drunk. When she explained herself, he told her to go home and God would answer her prayer. God did answer her prayer and she named the child Samuel (gift of God) saying that she'd prayed for him and God gave her what she prayed for (1 Sam. 1:27)... and she dedicated him right back to God. Well, we're not childless (that's for sure - TYL!), but I am praying for this child and I hope you'll join me.

Big festivities at our house this weekend... Johnny's graduation party and Faith's birthday party... both on Saturday. Come on by - we'd love to have you!!

Happy Father's Day (gosh I miss you, Daddy)!!! Thank You God for all the wonderful Dad's in my life!!

Let's Roll!!

Johnny's Graduation

2009-06-10T07:10:00.038-05:00

I want to note from the start that I did not break any copyright laws ...I took that picture, it's not profes- sionally done.

Johnny's graduation week was awesome!!! The kids LOVED the plane ride (Alex wants to go aGIN!!) and for the most part, all were well behaved. Sleeping quarters were interesting and "fun". And we were so very blessed to have so much family there to surround Johnny with love. Including Johnny, there were 24 folks there to share his success!! I'm so very grateful and appreciative of all the love and support from the amazing family that God has given us!! Thanks sooooo much to Diane and Kevin, Sam, Mary Caye, Tom and Denise, Bob, Pat, Cindy, Tamra, David, Chris, Junnie and Kazuko, Jackie, Gail and Lincoln, and of course Bill, Faith, Theresa Lin, Abby, and Alex!!!

So let's see... what did we do? We arrived on Saturday and Johnny dutifully picked us up from the airport. We rented a car instead of a van, hoping to share Johnny's hotrod on occasion. He gave us the grand tour of the US Air Force Academy campus (after lunch of course... because somebody was hungry for Chinese food). We checked in and had a fairly quiet evening of a light dinner and the indoor swimming pool. On Saturday night, Tamra arrived and we all camped out together. Gail and Lincoln also arrived on Saturday, and were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary as well. :o)

On Sunday, we met Gail and Lincoln for church and then we all went to Johnny's sponsor parents' home for an Open House. Hector and Maria are wonderful folks and we're so very thankful for the support they gave to Johnny and many, many other cadets! There we also met up with Chris, Junnie and Kazuko. There was wonderful food there and lots of other cadets and their families to fellowship with. Later that evening we also got some more time at the indoor pool, which of course, the kids loved.

Monday morning was the Memorial Day parade at the Academy and it helped set the mood for the week. Thank You God for our nation's soldiers... past, present, and future!! Monday also brought the rest of the folks into town and many stopped by our hotel lobby "for coffee" while we made dinner plans. We met with the Galante contingent in Pueblo at the illustrious Cracker Barrel that evening for dinner, while Cindy took in a Choir performance at the Academy and David did what all young men his age love to do... sleep.

Tuesday morning was the Graduation parade at the Academy and it was awesome!! The weather was damp and downright cold, but the cadets and the planes were amazing!! The graduating cadets separated from each of the squadrons in the V-formation - symbolizing the way they entered their squadrons just 4 years ago - and came and stood across the field from them. Bill in his amazing way of knowing just where to be had us all sitting exactly where Johnny's squad of graduating cadets would be standing, so we had a blast trying to figure out which one was Johnny (their backs were to us, but very close to us). We had it narrowed down to 2 and Lincoln was right - he had a better vantage point. :o) Someone asked Tamra which rear she recognized and she properly said she didn't know. See why I love this girl!?! Because 2009 is the 51st graduating class, one of the planes that did a flyover was a P-51, also of special significance to this year's graduating class because of _____ (will have Bill fill in the blank later:).

Tuesday afternoon, we so wanted to go to Focus on the Family to see Whit's End, but we needed naps so much more. We all had lunch together and we Benton's went back for naps... after of course, the requisite trip to WalMart. Everyone slept, and I got some wonderful reading in and also got a load of laundry done, thinking we were all running out of long pants (thankfully, the weather was nice the rest of the week, but we didn't know that then). The reason we needed naps is because Johnny's Commissioning Ceremony was late Tuesday night (10 pm - don't ask). So after naps, it was baths and supper in our room - and the lobby had great snacks too - and then getting all gussied up for the ceremony. The ceremony was a pretty formal deal, at which each of the 24 graduating cadets in Johnny's squad (Cadet Squadron 18 - Night Riders) became officers. They each were given the Oath of Office and then had special folks change their shoulder bars to 2nd Lieutenant bars. Johnny chose Bill and Sam, and of course, I cried. How dashing he is in uniform, btw! Each cadet was done separately - thankfully each squad had it's own ceremony - and since it didn't start until 10pm, you can imagine we were all squirming in our seats (or sleeping) by the time the last few cadets were done.

And of course, the big day on Wednesday brought beautiful weather and all 23 of us in the stands at Falcon Stadium. You can actually see Johnny in the hat toss picture above (if you zoom enough - on the aisle, 7th row back, right hand in the air). That picture is only half of the 1046 graduating cadets, btw. The day was wonderful, the speaker (VP Biden) was interesting, if a bit long, and the pomp of it all was great... and the air show afterwards was AMAZING!!! You can't see it in the picture, but just as soon as they threw their caps in the air, 5 LOUD jets screemed overhead, nearly knocking us all over! Each of the cadets had tucked $20.09 (2009) in an envelope in their caps and kids, ages 7-10 were invited onto the field to retrieve one afterwards. Theresa was the only one who fit into the age category, so I was sure there was no way she would go down alone, but she did!! $20 bucks is a lot to an 8 year old... pretty motivating, I guess. Johnny came up to the stands after a bit and the air show suddenly became a little less interesting. :o) Gosh, we're so stinkin' proud of that boy... and did I mention how dashing he is in uniform? We all got a little sunburned (sunny day, up in the nosebleeds, and in the Colorado mountains too)... especially given the length of the day. Ha!... at 1046 cadets, just calling each name out for the diploma... at about 5 seconds per name... that's 12 per minute and 720 per hour... so it was an hour and a half of just that. Then add in the speech(es) and music and such. EVERYONE clapped when the last of the squadrons stood and proceeded to the stage! No one minded once the air show started tho.

By the time we were done, and given that we had reservations for dinner at the Flying W Ranch, we decided to have dessert first and a bunch of us went to a local Baskin Robins for "lunch". The Flying W Ranch was where all the DC area cadets and families went that first year during Parents Weekend, so Johnny thought it would be fun to do again as an exit strategy too. It was a fun evening and a great close to a week of excitement and wonder.

Most folks left for home the next day (Thurs). Our flight was fairly early because we wanted to land early (school), but some folks got to do some sight seeing before heading out. I was still pining for Whit's End, but at some point reality (maturity?) set in and decided it just wasn't worth rushing. Johnny and Tamra stayed because Johnny was in his room mate's wedding (Nate, the best room mate ever!... just ask him:). Johnny took Tamra to the airport and got a 2 hour headstart racing her home in his car. Tho I think even after security and such, she likely caught up and passed him without too much trouble. He thankfully had a travelmate, Steve - and Kevin's GPS - and made it home (at least to Baltimore) on Monday night.

He's got 60 days leave and he's spent a lot of time in Baltimore, but we're thoroughly enjoying having him home too!! He and Tamra were both here :o) over the weekend and they went reception hall shopping and such. Haha... I get to go with her on Friday night for her last dress fitting!!! He's off to NC for yet another cadet wedding this weekend - it must be the thing to do after graduation (not to mention Adam&Terah's on Sat), but we expect him home soon.

Alright - that's enuf already!! Got some other exciting news to post, but you're just gonna have to wait... I'm off to Faith's 8th grade Graduation now!!! Haha!! ;o)

Let's Roll!!

A L L E L U I A ! ! ! ! !

2009-05-24T07:37:00.007-05:00

Our homestudy arrived on Thursday and the immigration form was filled out and ready to ship right back out on Friday!!!!!

THANK YOU GOD!!!!

Off to graduation!!! YAYYYYY GOD INDEED!!!!

A L L E L U I A ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Let's Roll!!

He's So Good!! Over and Over and Over...

2009-05-20T09:01:00.002-05:00

You've been praying for us, haven't you?? Just admit it... you can't deny it... it's quite obvious!!

I'd just been discussing with a friend God's plan and His proving Himself faithful over and over again... and His not yet revealing how He's gonna pay for all this... and...

I gotta give you this praise report (since you're praying :)!!

Just as we're expecting our HS this week (please Father), and therefore needing big bucks for USCIS (immigration - the other long wait in the paperchase)... and not knowing where it was going to come from... I get an email from my boss. Way back in Oct/Nov my employer promised our team a bit of a bonus for allowing them to use our résumés for a contract proposal... long story, but it was first brought up way back, and of course, we'd heard close to nothing since. Mind you, the whole team - myself included - was hoping it would be here for Christmas... but as usual, He had a better plan. :o) Instead, it'll be here at exactly the time we need it for the next big adoption fee!! After taxes, it should be just about EXACTLY the right amount for USCIS... and it'll be in THIS paycheck!!!!!!!! Is He AWESOME or what!!?!?! As always, He's RIGHT on time and He even covered the taxes!!! Ephesians 3:21 all the way, baby!!!

How in the world, after so very many examples of His faithfulness along this journey (since June 2000), could I have possibly even wondered?? Over and over, He's faithful and He's right on time!! Over and over, He brings me to tears with His grace and mercy and His AWESOME plans!!! Over and over!!!

We leave for CO on Sat. :o) ... your prayers are welcome... as are your prayers that we actually get our homestudy in time to process it and send it back out to the USCIS before we go.

Thanks for praying - Let's Roll!!

Is it soup yet???

2009-05-11T07:17:00.003-05:00

So I keep hesitating to post because I just know that at any minute now we'll have our homestudy in our hot little hands and be able to post an Alleluia!! post... but as of yet, we're stilllllll waiting for it. We've seen the draft (yayyy!), sent changes we thought appropriate, and are now waiting for the final copy. We know it's in the works, and more importantly, we know Who's in control, but... your prayers are certainly appreciated. After the homestudy is complete, the other long wait is next - immigration (doesn't that just sound almost as much fun as a homestudy?). Thankfully, that's pretty much the last thing, so hopefully, we'll be ready to send it all off "soon".

We had a fund raising Premier Designs jewelry party the other night and so far, we've raised about half of Baby Benton's immigration fees (thanks ladies!!). Our kind friend Cynthia (aka "The Jewelry Lady") has twice generously donated most of her profits towards this, and she's almost as excited about the prospect as we are. If you missed it and want in, just let me know. :o)

Some exciting news, Johnny is DUN with classes and has his LAST exam today!!! It's a doozie - astronautical engineering (gulp) - at 6:30pm Colorado time tonight, so please pray for him. He's got a 'B' in that class right now and has worked really hard!! Then graduation is on Wednesday, 5/27, and the girls are counting down the dayz. We're all so excited to be going, and so blessed to have a whole entourage' of extended family going as well!! We're so stinkin' proud of that boy, it's hard to stay biblical.

Tamra graduates this weekend :o) and shhhhh... a certain cadet plans to slip into town (since his classes are finished) and join in the festivities. He'll likely surprise his little sibs in the process and that'll be fun!!

Wedding news - the date has been set (9/26, unless AF says otherwise), the dress has been chosen and fitted (she's so beautiful), the location has been chosen, and I'm sure 100 other details that I'm not yet privy to have already been set in motion too. Now, if we could just get his graduation announcements out before the wedding invitations... haha (sniff, sniff).

Ok, Let's Roll!!

SHE DID IT!!

2009-04-17T11:25:00.008-05:00

FAITH DID IT!!!

(ps, pardon the date on the pics, it was 2009)

Faith applied for, tested for, and interviewed for acceptance into North Point High School's Science, Technology and Industry (STI) program... competing with many, many other county students for one of only 280 slots... and she got it!! She's the first deaf student to get accepted!! This is the county's leading high school and Faith will be studying Printing Technology (graphics design, digital production, desktop publishing), in addition to regular high school classes. It won't be easy, but she's got spunk, and God will surely go with her. Your prayers are certainly appreciated.

The acceptance letter reads, "The admissions process was extremely competitive, and it is our hope that you feel both honored and excited to be a member of North Point's graduating class of 2013." The principal, Kimberly Hill says, "The expectations for students are high; and the North Point staff will be there to support students as they pursue a purposeful and focused education".

The career center advisor, Anna Grow quotes, “The Future Belongs To Those Who Prepare For It Today” Here's to your future, girl... here's to the future God has for you!! Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

We're so very proud of you, Faith!!

Awesome, Awesome Accomplishment!!

It's Official!! Dum dum de'dum...

2009-04-10T14:12:00.007-05:00

Ok, so proud Papa Bill went and told the world (or part of the world at least) before I could get the chance (we found out late on a Sat. night and by early Sun. morning it was out), but I figure I'd better go ahead and put my 2 cents in too... maybe there's someone here he missed. ;o)

Johnny and the lovely Miss Tamra Krohe have determined that God would have them joined in holy matrimony at some point in the not too distant future. Aside from pouting over losing my baby, I must say, I'm thrilled!! Tamra is a wonderful young lady who seems to be fully grounded in Christ. She's kind and compassionate, strong and smart, yet tender and fun. She has the kids' 100% vote, that's for sure... and that was before she agreed to watch HSM with them!! She pulls out the best in Johnny and he's totally smitten.

Her family lives in Baltimore and we're having Easter dinner with them on Sunday, to celebrate Christ's Resurrection, God's plans, and family. I suppose getting to know one another will be in there too, tho I feel like I'm already getting know Tamra's Mom Cindy. We'll certainly miss Johnny at this occasion, but at least it won't be at Famous Dave's, so maybe he won't be too jealous. PS, I'm also thrilled that since Tamra's family lives in Baltimore, then no matter where Johnny's USAF career takes him, holidays will likely still be spent in MD!!!

So, he was home for a week for spring break and spent most of the week working up the nerve to ask Tamra's Dad for permission. In the meantime, he was also working on the ring... and her Mom must have been somehow in cahoots, because she gave him the diamond from her Grandmother's wedding ring to have set in the ring that he bought (how romantic... and as did Bill:). He spent some time at Tamra's house during that week, but never did get "a chance" to speak with her Dad. On his last day home, we all went to a family birthday party at my brother's house, got home around 6ish, and after a bit, Johnny and Tamra "went out for coffee". I think he finally just called her Dad before they left - it was a tough call to make - can't imagine the guts it takes to ask a guy if you can have one of his most valued treasures. When they got home, he still hadn't asked her, but evidently did so under the moonlight/starry skies before they came inside. They came in all glowing and giggling and whatnot. We hugged and giggled some more, then he woke the girls up (yeah, as if they'd actually been asleep) to give them the piggy back rides he promised them before he left while Tamra called her family and friends (and I quietly cried and smiled all at the same time). Six hours later, we woke up and Tamra and I took Johnny off to the airport for his last few weeks of school!! (Tamra graduates this spring too, but finished up her classes in Dec.) Pictures are from 6:30 am at the airport and I didn't think to tell anyone that it was my intention to take them, so they're kinda ad hoc, but beautiful to this Momma's heart.

Plans are getting underway and all the fun that ensues (no exact date yet - Fall??). I love weddings, but honestly never thought of myself sitting in the mother-of-the-groom's seat... you'll likely be able to hear me blubbering in California. That's alright, in between blubbers, I'm sure I'll be trying to get Alex to sit still - whodathunk I'd have a son getting married and a son not yet in preschool!?!?... much less, a son "on the way"!?!!?!?! God, You are AMAZING!!!

Happy Easter!!!

Let's Roll!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THERESA LIN!!!

2009-04-05T21:39:00.012-05:00

WOW - who can believe we became a family of 4 SEVEN years ago... and what a sweetie that Theresa Lin is!! And now she's 8 years old... how God has blessed us with your life, Sweetheart!!

......

So in what appears to becoming the 2009 tradition, Theresa chose a slumber party to celebrate and we had 9 little girls camping out in our living room... reciting word for word every line in High School Musical 3... it was way more fun to watch them watching the movie than it ever could've been to watch the movie itself, especially during the songs!! They danced and sang their little hearts out and even fell asleep at some point. I thought for sure that 1 or 2 were going to bail and ask to go home, but they all fell asleep at a "fairly" reasonable hour and woke just as chipper as can be. Of course, I'm sure they didn't stay very chipper all day. Two friends weren't able to make it, and we missed them greatly, but all in all, it turned out to be a wonderful celebration. BTW, the lump of blankets on the couch in the picture where they're all laying down watching HSM was Faith... trying to decide if she wanted to be a teenager or a little kid for the moment :). Abby hung in well with the "big kids" and Alex... well, the flirt that he is, was the class-clown until bedtime.

......

We also celebrated Theresa's GOTCHA! Day just 3 days after her birthday and Theresa got to choose the night's cuisine. For her birthday party dinner, she chose hotdogs and baked beans (where did she get that from?!?!, maybe spring fever?)... and for GOTCHA! Day, she chose tomato soup and grilled cheese (hey, at least she's a cheap date)... and the coolest part of it all was that Johnny was home to celebrate too!!! More on Johnny later...

......

The following weekend, we had a family birthday party with 3 cousins who's birthdays are also in March, the lovely Miss Ceili, Avery and Cameron and it was a girly/springy party with flowers and fun everywhere you looked. I love the way God has built our family!!

......

Enjoy the pictures - they wouldn't get in order no matter what I tried, but you know how a birthday party goes. And I added in a cheerleading picture t'boot, since basketball season just ended. How cute they were, and you should've seen them do a pyramid!!

Happy Birthday Theresa - I pray you know just how very much loved you are!!

Miracle Of Adoption

2009-03-10T10:24:00.002-05:00

"In Adoption the fearful become beloved,
the scorned become adored,
the nameless become cherished,
the lonely become the laughing, and death becomes life abundant."

…on both sides of the fence!!!

Dunno who wrote this - and I added the last line - but I sure do love it, and thought you might too.

And a line from my fav. - SCC: "...when love takes you home... and says, 'You belong here'..."

In fact, I just can't not post the lyrics to SCC's 2001 song (while we were waiting for Theresa Lin) "When Love Takes You In" - get your tissues...

I know you've heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You've heard about a place called home
But there doesn't seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in

And somewhere while you're sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in

Let's Roll!!

THE BIG 4-OH!!!

2009-03-04T14:25:00.005-05:00

No, not my age, silly... I'm only 27 (haha), but rather 40 pounds!!

That's right, the scale this morning revealed a 40 pound loss and I'm doing the Snoopy Dance!!! Thank You Jesus!!! You are AWESOME!!!

Been Facebooking with Johnny and Tamra (along with hunting up some family "friends" and even a few oldtime school friends) and that's been fun... but can certainly be distracting too.

And been plugging away at our adoption paperwork. We only owe 4-5 documents to our agency now before we can schedule the homestudy visits (should have all by week's end). And thank You God, they've recently hired 4 "Home Study Coordinators" for Maryland!!! (thanks for praying for that a while back)
I asked if "Home Study Coordinator" translates into someone who does homestudies and thankfully I received a positive answer. They're in training this week and should be ready to roll next week. Ok, continued prayer for that would be just fine with us too.

Maryland had a big snowstorm on Sun/Mon and the kids have had a blast, esp. since school was cancelled (hopefully for one last time before spring hits). Theresa Lin's excited about her birthday coming up later this month and Faith's going on a youth retreat called Planet Wisdom this weekend. Johnny is coming home for spring break in 16 days, and we just can't wait. Abby, for the first time ever, was excited about not having to go to school (she loves school - must have been the older girls' influence). Alex recently discovered TL&A's Little People farm toys and is thoroughly enjoying it all. It was ALL over the living room, of course, but at least God gave us ONE cleaner-upper - he's very good about cleaning up, once he "hears" you, that is.

That's all for now - Let's Roll!!

PS - Happy Birthday Mom - I sure do miss you!!

By the skin of my teeth!

2009-02-17T09:30:00.009-05:00

Wait... my teeth don't have skin. Maybe it's "By the hair of my chinny-chin-chin"? Well, thankfully, my chin doesn't (yet) have hair either. :o)

Anyway - President's Day was the day for all things medical. It started out with a root canal for me (ugh, still hurts) at 8:30. At 9:00, Bill had all 4 of the younger kids at the pediatrician for TB tests (oh my, you would've thought we were killing them... SOMEone tipped them off that it would involve a needle). It was my plan to go to the dentist for the consult, and then meet the family at the ped's, but the dentist offered to take care of it then-n-there, and since I was off for the day, it surely sounded like a good idea... not knowing the torture the kids (ok, Bill) were going thru.

I got home at 11:30 and Bill and I had 1:15 appointments for our physicals, so I had just enough time to type up the 2nd page of the physical forms for our dossier (computer probs Sunday)... trying to make it as easy as possible for our doctor to fill out the forms. Then off to Clinton we all went. We tag-teamed the kids in the waiting room, and actually they did great... and Bill and I passed with flying colors (more below)!!! From there, it was off to get bloodwork for me - because I hadn't eaten, but Bill couldn't get his done until the next day (fasting bloodwork if they're checking cholesterol). And because I'd tested positive for TB exposure in 2005, I also needed a chest xray, so that was next. No worries about the TB... it's just exposure - I don't have TB and am not contagious - and I took 9 mos of medicine just to be 100% sure.
Wow - 4 medical things done in one day off... just for me, and really, it was a total of 9 medical things - now that's God.

So, for the "more below" and "skin of my teeth" comments - you may know that the reason we rushed Alex's paperwork in 2007 was because China was changing the rules (again), saying that it's better to grow up in an orphanage than it is to have a fat parent... well, that's not exactly how they worded it, but you get the idea. Since I come from a large family, in more ways than one, we had to rush to beat that deadline and have our paperwork submitted before the rules changed. Ha, we thought God was done building our family at that point... but ya just never know what God's got planned, doya? So I've been trying and trying to loose a few - ok, more than a few - and yesterday when we went for our physicals, and the scale revealed the exact amount required... well, I didn't do the Snoopy Dance right there in the dr's office (there is a question on the physical form about one's mental state;), but you can bet I'm doing it now!!! I'm not done yet, and I have had some help - more from Above than from medical science - but I'm wayyyyy excited that I'm at least done enough for the paperwork!!!
Happy to be a loser - I've lost the same 20 pounds over and over in the past, but never any more than 20, and they've always come back... with a few friends, but since Jan. 08, I've lost almost double those 20 and can't wait for the next 20. Thank You Father!!!

And here's some COOL NEWS, not on the adoption front: Johnny got his base assignment (given 100 days before graduation)... if he doesn't go to flight school - which he's still on track for, but just in case - he'll be stationed at Langley AFB... less than three hours away!!! Even cooler than that in JB's opinion, I'm sure, is that graduation is less than 100 days away!!! Wow!!! You GO! Boy!!!

Let's Roll!!!

Odd Odds-n-Ends Wednesday

2009-02-06T10:53:00.008-05:00

Let's see, Alex survived his 5.5 minute ear tube surgery, and I survived 30 minutes of recovery terrors... no kidding, 30 solid minutes of him thrashing about while I tried to keep him from whacking his head on something. And of course, the more I restrained him, the more he wanted free. Thankfully, after the 30 minutes, he settled down and enjoyed a popsicle and a cup of apple juice, got dressed and we left. He took a nap in the car and while I ate breakfast, filed my nails, and drove (sign, then drive;), and we had a lovely day together. We visited our adoption agency (hoping to nudge our packets from them so we can really get started) and of course he charmed them all, had lunch together, and went to a new Chinese grocery store for something Faith had been looking for the last time we went to one. I attached a few pictures of Alex... they're from the summer, not from the surgery, but I love them and they show his serious and his fun sides... just like Wednesday :o)

When we got home, we got all the info/forms/etc. from the adoption agency to really get rolling and are now entrenched in what to do next and getting it all organized. Birth/marriage certificates, tax forms, financial statement, fire inspection, driving records, police clearances, physicals, book reading lists, employment letters, child abuse clearances... and a few new ones too: child support clearances, residential history, duty of candor, etc... and the fees, don't forget the fees... $23 here, $25 there, $9 for this, $30 for that (and then comes the homestudy fee... add a couple of zeroes). Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!!!

And here's the coolest... shows just how disorganization can truly pay off... to the tune of about $16k!!!

In January 2008 - not last month - we called to have our 401k from Giant rolled over into our current account... straight rollover, no money out, no tax fees, etc. They sent us the check made out to Fidelity, so we could just turn around and send it and the form back to Fidelity (dunno why it has to be that way). We sent it back and thought that was that. Well, evidently they sent it back to us in March because it was missing something... and it slipped thru the cracks. No kidding, a HUGE check sat around our house from March 08 to February 09, that we thought was safely tucked away in our 401k (which in this past year, wouldn't have been so safely). So Wednesday, while I was with Alex all day, Bill had some time to himself and was poking around in our files, getting ready to do the taxes and found the check they'd sent back to us. We both thought we were in HUGE trouble with tax penalties, etc. thinking it was supposed to be re-deposited/rolled-over within the 60 days or whatever. So we immediately called the number on the letter with the check and thankfully because it was made out to Fidelity, the guy just looked it up on the computer, said, ah yes, it's listed as outstanding. There were NO issues with taxes or anything... Thank You God!... and in fact, the guy said, well if ever there was a good time to be OUT of the market, this was it... you probably just saved yourself about $16,000 in money that wasn't lost! Tell me, who but God could've thought that one up?... who but God could use our chaotically crazy houseful to save us $16k?!? Now... if only we could use it for all those "fees" above... but quite obviously, God's got our backs... so not to worry.

Ok, that's enough odd odds-n-ends for now. Let's Roll!!

JB Ski Pictures!!!

2009-01-30T12:10:00.008-05:00

So, I actually got pictures from Johnny's birthday weekend of skiing with Tamra (and 16 others). See above - looks like they had a grrrreat weekend... love the first picture, the scenery, and the "tough guy cadet" picture at the end.

Adoption news - first snag. Our agency is about to lose their only Md social worker (does homestudies) to pregnancy/childbirth, and is actively seeking another, possibly part time, contractor... but in the meantime??...

We're actively seeking solutions, like giving them names of SW's we know of in Md, or possibly using a homestudy agency other than our adoption agency, and such. We've run this race a-time-or-two before and we know not to let anything sit for long. But, God's in control (of the Grand Plan), not us, and He's much, much better at orchestrating than we are. :o) Your prayers are welcome.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2009-01-27T20:20:00.006-05:00

Red envelopes for the kids and application approval for the parents!!!

We got a call saying our application has been approved and they'll be sending us the overview packet next (ugh - what fun). Didn't get the packet yet, but have already filled out the vital statistic forms for both our birth certificates and our marriage certificate (3 states). Also filled out the immigration form, tho it's way premature, given that you can't submit it until your homestudy is done... but I had to do something to feel like we've actually started. :o)

Next step - driving records from the MVA and making appointments for our physicals!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

Why?? - The Starfish Story

2009-01-22T09:59:00.005-05:00

The Starfish Story

Original Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach after a storm when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.

”Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of thousands of starfish? You can’t make a difference! You can’t save them all!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…” I made a difference for that one."

And Happy Birthday Johnny too!!!!!!

2009-01-19T11:58:00.006-05:00

Friday was Johnny B. Goode's birthday!!! And Faith's 3rd Gotcha! day!!!

Of course, Johnny's at school, so not much chance for pictures, but he also had company... the lovely Miss Tamra went to visit for the long weekend. They continued the tradition of skiing on Johnny's (and MLK's) birthday... so maybe, just maybe there will be a picture or two forthcoming. We'll see. Can't believe my baby's 22 and even more can't believe that he graduates this spring!!!

And for Faith's Gotcha! day, as is tradition, she got to choose the dinner spot... and of course, it was Chinese... then off to church for a deaf fellowship of playing Pictionary!!! Much, much fun!!! Gosh, who could believe she's been part of our family for three years - wow, how she's grown!!!! God is soooo very good to us!!! Dunno who said this, but it reminds me of the Starfish email: "Adopting a Child won't change the World, but for that child, the world will change."

Adoption news... our application was filled out online on Monday night and the first bit of $$ sent off on Wednesday. They called us today with a question or two about the application - which means it's in review!!!! WHAAAAAAAAAAA-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Let's Roll!!

Happy 6th Birthday Abby!!

2009-01-12T21:20:00.005-05:00

Ok - so 7 little girls "sleeping" in your living room - what could be more fun than that?!?! That's what we had on Friday and we're so very blessed!! You can't imagine how much little girl giggles will make you giggle... even if you're trying to be the tough guy and telling them to shhhh. Pictures attached.

Other news - the application is being filled out TONIGHT!!! Oh Father, You are so very good to us!!!

Pitiful... just pitiful

2008-12-22T11:21:00.006-05:00

Really, it's just plain pitiful. I started this thing ages ago, then posted a post a hundred years later... and here I am a hundred years later again...

No kidding, we started it in 6/05, a few months before we traveled to China for Faith (1/06), and never posted again until 3/07, a few months before we traveled to China for Alex (7/07), and here it is, 12/08. Ugh. Well, we're not a few months before traveling to China for ???... but we are getting started again. :o) :o) :o) :o) :o) :o) :o) :o) :o) :o)

God is AWESOME!!!!

I did at least add a current family picture. Let's hope the trend of posting every 21 months improves dramatically.

In the meantime, we wanted to take a moment to Wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully blessed 2009!!! Thank You Father for the Gift of Your dear Son!!

PS - Happy Birthday Bill!!!

Wake up

2007-03-08T19:44:00.000-05:00

Wake up. Ok, so we've had this thing since 2005... got it all set up, posted an initial post, and then promptly never posted again. Here we are, almost 2 years later, and working on our NEXT adoption... finally thinking it's about time to see if this thing fits our "style".

We're hoping to be heading back to China in the coming months, and we've heard this is easier to post pictures to, etc, so we'll give it a whirl over the next few weeks and see what we see.

Oh and PS ... our dossier is at the Chinese Embassy TODAYYYYYYYYY thanks to the wonderful schlepping by Bill and the Abb-ster. Whaaaahoooo... we're coming Alex... we're coming soon!!!

2005-06-16T18:35:00.000-05:00

Testing...
one...
two...
three...