Magnanimous Hearts

Traditional fall events

2011-11-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

A high schooler goes to Homecoming....

The family goes to the pumpkin patch...

Keeping up with the homeschooling and a field trip or two...

Waldo before winter

2011-11-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Fall Sports

2011-11-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Lots of soccer and gymnastics, with a bit of football thrown in. Solomon played fun soccer, this being his first organized team sport activity. He loved it! Simon's team has done really well and will have their first state championship play-off game this Saturday. And Lydia has had gymnastics meet after gymnastics meet. She loves her gymnastics and has no intense expectations of herself. She's good, not entirely consistent, but has won All-Around and a handful of firsts for floor and beam.

I was almost going to say looking forward to Christmas time and the closure of sports for a time, but upon further thought, Eva is just beginning her holiday dance responsibilities which run right up to and beyond Christmas. Gotta love the involvement!

Mountain Hikes

2011-11-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

In August I made a suggestion to my big kids that we should take a trip up South Sister. I was thinking, since I gave them less than a day to decide, they probably would have other plans. Well, that wasn't the case, and so Megs, her bfriend John, Simon and I made the trip. I hadn't done any preparations, and though South Sister is a non-technical hike, it is a mountain. I did fabulous until the last mile of scree. Geesh! I realized I cannot just run up mountains anymore like the young ones. It ended up being a gorgeous day and a fun trip, thanks to John's encouragement and great companions.

In September we had the whole gang home and planned a mountain hike without the intensity. Horse Pasture Mountain is known as an easy climb with spectacular views, just the ticket for getting the whole family up it without complaints. It was leisurely and relaxing and absolutely stunning.

From Chadron to Omaha and home

2011-11-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Omaha wouldn't be complete without a stay at the folks cabin. It's a vacation within a vacation for us. I love the quiet and the lack of scheduled activities. We wake up to little on our agenda, allowing me a run around the lake, lots of coffee and a day of boating and swimming for everyone. I love it!!

Our trip home takes us through Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon from nearly end to end. Fort Cody is a stop we've taken the few times through and it's a bit of a touristy treat.

Summer continues...Chadron Family reunion

2011-11-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Every three years Mom and Dad find a prime location for us all and treat us to a fabulous family reunion. This year it was Chadron State Park. About 40+ years ago this was the spot Dad and his siblings chose to celebrate my grandparents anniversary...so, it was a step back into time.

My nephew Gabe is a photographer extraordinaire, arranging all the family in a look-a-like photo from the original. It was quick and painless and everyone cooperated.

We were together for a week of fun. We all took turns creating meals for one another and engaging in many exciting games. Pete was the game point man and came up with some creative family challenge competitions. We were in the clubhouse for three nights and utilized it to the fullest, the kitchen, the barbecue, shuffleboard and late night activities.

In all, we were Mom and Dad, five children(me included), spouses, seventeen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. We were a rousing bunch.

Our first visit we had a cabin per family, but this decade we had to accomodate more people and so had eight cabins. The cabins were vaguely familiar but other areas of the park seemed new territory. There was a Trading Post where the kids and some adults crafted and did archery, a swimming pool, tennis courts, horses, a volleyball court and, my favorite, hiking trails. I recall the horse ride from years ago but the place was different. I am remembering steep cliffs and treacherous trails. Not our reality of today. Lots of fun, though, for everyone.

The Trading Post where quality crafts were created.

More games and a trail ride....

We planned some trips throughout our week together including Ft. Robinson, Mt. Rushmore, some caving, old settlement visits and Walmart, the hopping spot in Chadron, Nebraska.

And a last stop visit to the famous Carhenge, which, is up for sale for anyone wanting a wheel of a deal!

Summer Adventure

2011-09-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

First Stop: S'mores in Coeur D'Alene with Leo's cousin

Second stop: West Glacier

A day in Whitefish

Our first stop in Glacier National Park

Lots of rain, but it was still so beautiful!

Chadron Family time

Solomon loved the water at Grandma and Grandpa's cabin.

A week in Glacier

2011-09-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Our summer vacation started with a trip to Glacier. Our first stop was s'mores in Coeur D'Alene with Leo's cousin. Next was a two day stay in an out-of-the-way, eerily empty, lovely log cabin resort with the most accomodating hostess. We kayaked, fished and ran laps around the lake outside our cabin. We spent a day in Whitefish meandering and taking shelter from the rain in a crafty kind of shop.

Walking out of the ice cream shop Meggie noted how Solomon has grown. We had the poor boy walking around like this.

We headed into Glacier from the West entrance and it wasn't long before it became quite spectacular even in the rain.

Momma and baby quail

In East Glacier Park, the circa 1912 Glacier Park Lodge was the original lodge people traveled to to see the park. They would horseback into the park from here. We didn't stay at the lodge, a bit spendy, but instead stayed at a sketch spot not too far away.

In the teeny town of East Glacier, they boast the world's largest purple spoon. It is actually advertising for a wooden spoon shop next door. What we all appreciated was the huckleberry pies made a couple doors down from the spoons.

We did not carry bear spray, which kept me on my toes and a bit nervous. Everyone we passed had cans of spray. Simon was fortunate enough to come just yards away from a grizzly, see it and then have it run the other direction on the path. Eva was feet in front of him but too busy swatting mosquitos to notice. And the rest of us were just too far behind to see.

Following this path we encountered spray carrying individuals and groups who were turning around having been stopped by rangers up near the mountain pass. A father and his sons encountered a pair of young grizzlies and dropping his backpack stopped their potential attack.

Bears or not, truly spectacular!!!

Summer Catch-up

2011-09-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have been lax in posting our family events and it hasn't been because of boredom. We have had a whirlwind summer between individual and family travels, home remodel, family reunions, camping and hiking adventures and just living. The littles seemed to go between overload and "there's nothin' to do" while Mom was always on overload.

The summer started with Simon in Peru. The early start to travel took him out of school a week early but caught up to him when he went to get his Junior year schedule. Apparently students are withdrawn if they are out a week. He started off the school year, a boy without a school and without a schedule. All is well now and he has more of a schedule than he'd like.

Eva was in Texas dancing much of late June/early July and I was orchestrating bathroom, kitchen and plumbing remodel. We did manage some 4th of July activities, berry picking and swimming, but Lydia and Solomon were more than happy to see Eva and Simon's return.

Blessing of the Pizza Hut

2011-06-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all,

Today was the "Opening of 'Pizza Hut' in Piura"

This is a new restaurant at Piura. Fr. Jose is very excited because after 18 years that he is been in Piura, at last, they opened a Pizza Hut.......!!.

The head of the restaurant invited Fr. Jose to do the blessing. Some of the missionaries (Simon, Rebecca and Doyle) went along with him.

We can't wait to start going over there and enjoy a good salad and pizza........

I love that the Piurans bless their restaurants before opening. And I find it funny, rather than pizza, Fr. Joe took the kids to Kentucky Fried Chicken after the blessing.

Hola amigos,

Simon and Rebecca are great. They seem very happy in Piura.

Today was a morning a little relaxation.

After the blessing of the Pizza Hut restaurant, Father Jose, invited us to lunch at "Kentucky Fried Chicken'.... We all enjoyed a quiet morning.

Father's Day in Peru and Portland

2011-06-21T01:08:00.000-07:00

Peace and love to you all

Special greetings to the fathers:........ "Feliz Dia Papa"
Today, the missionaries: Dra. Darlene and her students from Marquette, Simon, Rebecca and Doyle, had a special day. A 'pause' between all the work they do here. They enjoyed a day at the Colan Beach. And they made a special sign to their parents. They send love to you all.

And also, they like to see our peruvian sea lions...!

All the missionaries are doing very well. Thanks so much for all your prayers.

So, that was Simon's day. Looks like a great way to spend a day off.

Thousands of miles away, we were sending Eva off to Texas for three weeks at a summer ballet intensive. She is traveling with a group of kids from another studio here in Eugene who also chose this summer program. She is staying at Texas Christian University in the dorms with a roommate from Texas who is "amazing".

From the airport we went to lunch and then to OMSI(Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) to spend the day. We had a great time experimenting in teh chemistry lab, playing robotic Connect, testing our balance and skill and wandering the Narnia exhibit. After OMSI we had dinner at Emma's church and participated in the evening service. We landed back in Eugene exhausted and ready for bed.

Gracias Rebbeca and Simon

2011-06-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much Rebecca and Simon
For your work....

Amazing. May God bless both of you...!!!

For your great job. You guys are very nice, very friendly working from the deep of your hearts, with love, charity and passion. We are very proud of both of you.

Gracias for everything.

Thanks for being good missionaries
:-)

Keep doing good work

Sincerely,
Parroquia Santisimo Sacramento
http://www.santisimo.org/

Sunday in Eugene

2011-06-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

The kids had their last Chinese class today with performances by each class. Solomom's class sang and danced. The girl's class put on the play, "Little Red and Blue Riding Hood". It was chaotically fun. The kids have been going to Chinese evey Sunday all year and are thankful for the summer break.

Day 5

2011-06-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hola

Buenos dias

Rebecca and Simon went to run this morning.

We have three more missionaries who come this morning from Wisconsin. We had breakfast together.

And now, the kids, went to downtown to see the Sunday Militar Parade at the Square of Piura.

I showed to them the directions how to get there :-)

They are coming back in one hour, because I will take the 5 missionaries from Marquette Univesity, 3 missionaries from Wisconsin plus Rebecca and Simon to listen Mass at 12m in San Jacinto village.

For the afternoon I invited them to join me along my niece Romina and nephew Ruben to see a movie....'Kun Fu Panda 2'. They will turning 13 years old the next Wenesday 15th, they are twins, So, I will take advantage of my free day to spend time with them.

Please check our website.....And click at the english site

http://www.santisimo.org/

Rebecca and Simon are at the front page...

Have a wonderful day.

Love,

Ginet.

Instant messaged Simon tonight and set-up Skype so we can talk in the future. He said he experienced a bit of homesickness today due to doing "American-type" things. He said the movies, the mall, Burger King and pizza were too close to home; but, he enjoyed the food. Once back in the Parish there was a fiesta, which included dancing, and he really enjoyed that.

Wednesday he has a roommate from Stanford coming, which he's looking forward too, though he has enjoyed having the big bedroom to himself.

Anything else Simon? We are missing you here.

Free Fishing Saturday

2011-06-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Day 3: Village Lunch and Soccer Match

2011-06-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we delivered meals to families who are being sponsored by Catholic churches in the states.We brought the food, served and ate lunch there and came back at 2 ish. The way they live is
so amazing. There were flies everywhere but it seems like they don't
even notice. This was out of town in the country so the villages
looked a lot more impoverished.

After evening mass we
played soccer against the staff that works here. I think it was tied 3
to 3, but I scored a goal. (Good job representing USA, Simon!!!)Later that night I went with Rebecca and two other guys
(a dad and son who are leaving Saturday evening) to have ice cream
close to the parish. The ice cream is probably the best thing I've had
here!!

Day 2

2011-06-09T12:18:00.002-07:00

Peru is great, the people here are just so
nice. I'm gonna help build a house today.

Tonight we watched bambi with the girls from
the orphanage. They are so sweet! One girl
grabbed my hand and was
holding it through the entire movie!

Rebecca and Simon having a good time‏

2011-06-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hola

After Mass, the kids along the 41 missionaries from USA, went to Los Polvorines village to be part of one of the activities "la fiesta"

Everyone had a wonderful time.

Playing sports in Peru....‏

2011-06-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Peace to all

Thanks to all of you for share your joy and happiness with these students from the public school in La Legua village. Thanks for teach these young people of your the same age these sports.

GRACIAS

:-)

They went to a public school with part of the youth group from Oklahoma (30) to teach basketball and futbol americano.

They took their siesta and met with the rest of the group and also with Fr. Joe Uhen

Ginet

Rebecca and Simon are in Santisimo Sacramento Parish, Piura, Peru‏

2011-06-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hola to all

Simon and Rebecca are in Piura. Here some pictures of their arrival to our city.

We showed them the facilities in Santisimo Sacramento area and also we had a breakfast together.

They will be resting for this morning after a long flight. For the afternoon, they will be working. They are excited to know the place and the people.

Sincerely,
Parroquia Santisimo Sacramento
http://www.santisimo.org/

Simon and Rebecca's Journey to Peru

2011-06-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

Preparations...

Hola Diane
I get very excited too to meet these two young children.

Be a great experience for them. They will be like my two children. Here, will be very busy with the many volunteers, but I will always try to have an extra eye for them. Please notice them, that if there anything that may need, they can feel free to let me know. I am here to help. We also have a nurse who is always taking care of our volunteers when they get sick. Anyway, here are many pharmacies here.

Ginet Ambulay
Parroquia Santisimo Sacramento
www.santisimo.org

Santisimo Sacramento parish offer daily breakfast for more than 1,600 kids. And this morning Fr. Joe went with us to visit them.

We have 60 beds. And just let me know the dates of your possible visit. Normally, we have missionaries for this time, but we always can find rooms.

This is a safe environment. We have a good group of workers who are always caring and attending the missionaries and guiding them with their daily jobs. Also, we account with a staff of nurses and they check and take care the missionaries when they not feel good.

Our Santisimo Sacramento parish is well known all over the city of Piura, especially Fr Joe Uhen.

Things to do:

Pray: daily prayer groups in the chapels and daily Eucharist with the people, Weddings, Baptisms, Eucharistic Adoration

Build: a home, a chapel, a school room

Deliver: food packages, beds & blankets, clothing

Gather: children for activities and crafts, families for a picnic

Heal: work with the parish health team, a medical or eye mission, speech therapy, wellness education

Visit: the elderly, the orphanage, your adopted family, the sick, families still unknown, a village at night, sleep in a bamboo home

Play: Fiestas, traditional dances, Soccer, Volleyball

Teach: English to the parish English group or at the local school, other useful skills

Help: the parish lawyer, at the drug rehab program,

Invite: youth to the movies, a group to the ocean

Serve: at the breakfast kitchens, through projects yet to be discovered

Greetings to you, Ginet!

June 7...On their way to Peru

Simon Batenhorst and Rebecca Jeffrey are on their way. They are scheduled to catch flight 2316 on LAN Airlines departing Lima at 7:15am tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and arriving in Piura at 8:50am. This arrival time may be a little earlier than what we first reported. We can be reached at 402 991-9663 if there are any problems. They travelled pretty lightly; each one has just a carry-on rolling suitcase and a small backpack.
Thank you for your faithful communication. They are excited and just a little nervous. We hope they are a blessing to your work. We will be with you in prayer!

Jenny & Tim Jeffrey

Waiting in Portland

Waiting in Omaha

Winter Birthdays and Fun Get-Aways

2011-04-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Lydia turns 9 this year and has become such a little lady. She's spunky, creative, crazy and an avid nut! We are so blessed to have been chosen to parent this one. Never a dull day with Lydia!

Our yearly pilgrimage to Odell Lake with our dear friends. Every year we try and figure out just how many years we have been coming here together. We are pretty certain this was our 15th year.

From the mountains to the beach...a February trip to the beach with our Chinese students and Simon, Eva, Lydia and Solomon.

Solomon's birthday, and boy, was every minute a treat for him. It was a joy for all of us to see his every expression. He has never celebrated a birthday before and we were all humbled by his sweet, innocent pleasure. Solomon is such a treasure and a complete delight. He is the poster boy for older children adoption. Just do it!

And then there's our newest teenager. If all teenagers were so sweet you all would be so lucky. Eva is kind, gracious, never complaining and a fabulous big sister and daughter. I'm blessed to enter this new faze of young adulthood with her.

Our past months in pictures

2011-01-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

A delicious Thanksgiving with the most amazing host and hostess, Dan and Jennifer.

Our "Bonnie and Clyde" stop at a casino on the way to brother Pete and lovely Erica's home.

On the way back home to Oregon.

Our annual decorate the gingerbread houses with our dear friends.

Off to find the perfect tree.

Chinese School December program.

Eva's annual Nutcracker performance at the Hult Center with the Eugene Ballet Company.

Performing as a Russian at the tea party.

And as a party child for the main performance.

Waiting to meet Santa.

Christmas Eve

A special Christmas Eve dinner with our friends.

Christmas morning

Lydia decorated her stocking with all her animal friends.

Before we could do anything Solomon had to go get his stuffed animals to surround his stocking. He thought this was an important part of the Christmas morning ritual.

Gifts from special family members.

A totally surprising gift compliments of G and G.

Christmas evening with fun, friends and games.

Christmas zoolights with cute family members.

The whole gang at the Zoo; mighty cold, but always fun.

The kids plus one. Isaiah looks thrilled to be a part of the family.

Shoreacre lights with Aaron, Honor and the gang.

Solomon, happy to be a part of their family.

A day with big sister and the camera.

Meggie's 19th birthday celebrated in Portland.

Eva's arabesque; a photo for her upcoming audition

Celebration.

2011-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

As I'm running I often listen to the same things on my ipod, but the other day I bumped it and an Addison Road song began playing. This has become my song to strive for for the new year. God has blessed our family so abundantly I need to repent daily and open my heart to His greatness. I strive to Celebrate daily glimpses of God in my life and our family's this year.

I made you promises a thousand times.
I've tried to hear from Heaven but I talk the whole time.
I think I made you too small
I've never feared you at all.
If you touched my face, would I know you?
Looked into my eyes could I behold you?
What do I know of you who spoke me into motion.
Where have I even stood but the shore along your ocean.
Are you fire, are you fury, are you sacred, are you beautiful?
So what do I know, what do I know of holy.
I guess I thought that I had figured you out.
I know all the stories and I learned to talk about
How you were mighty to save.
But those were only empty words on a page.
Then I caught a glimpse of who you might be.
The slightest hint of you brought me down to my knees.
So what do I know of you who spoke me into motion.
Where have I even stood but the shore along your ocean.
Are you fire, are you fury, are you sacred, are you beautiful?
What do I know I know of holy
What do I know of wounds that will heal, my shame.
And a God who gave life its name.
What do I know of holy?
Of the one who the angels praise
All creation knows of your name.
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

8 years with our Lydia

2010-12-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Aunt Merica

2010-12-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

Solomon is often comparing his life now with his before life. I am always so touched by his perception and what he chooses to share with us. Tonight he began what I thought was another heart-felt comparison while I was putting away autumn and taking out Christmas.

Mom. Merica has that.

America has this. What does China have?

Pause. Confusion.

Do you mean Aunt Erica?

Oh, Aunt Erica.

Oh, what a boy!

2010-12-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

We have been Lei Lei's family for six months and it has been glorious. Solomon wakes up happy every morning. Every ritual that is new and unfamiliar is a joy to him. He loves learning and gets excited when he gets it. He is loved by his big brother and sisters.

He knows the sounds of nearly all 26 alphabet letters.

He has had three hair cuts already.

He plays guns with his brother and barbies with his sisters.

He hates cheese and drinks milk only because "it makes me strong".

He smiles all the time!

He loves having a family.

He will try anything.

He will be the first to point out injustices and siblings wrong doings.

He just sat through the dentist drilling, all the while smiling.

He is sporting a new silver crown on his tooth.

Mom sleeps with him "for 5 minutes" every night.

He sleeps with the big purple dinosaur.

He talks about China and wants all his friends to have a mommy.

He has fabulous fine motor skills.

He can express in English what he needs and what he's thinking.

He is quick to understand technology and logic.

But also easily misunderstands intentions and can be sensitive.

Loves being good and noticed when he behaves well.

Beams with pride.

Loves gadgets and helping his dad around the house.

Fond of flashlights, tire pumps, shovels, hammers, rakes and wheel barrows.

Solomon is a gift from God and I count my blessings daily that I am his mother.

Solomon's name is Hebrew, meaning peace.

November is Orphan Awareness Month

2010-11-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms.

But once you do, everything changes."

~ Anonymous

Click here to view these pictures larger

- More than 46 million orphans in Africa.

- More than 71 million orphans in Asia.

- More than 10 million orphans in Latin America.

- More than 120,000 orphans in the United States.

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 (NIV)

Photos received from December 2009

2010-11-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

Everyday there is something that Solomon brings up about what he had and didn't have in China. Tonight at the store it was the white mushrooms...yes, they have.

While looking at these photos we received last night of Yu Lei at a little birthday party for a fellow friend in the orphanage, Solomon said, "I didn't have a mommy."

I am so honored to be Solomon's mommy. He is one amazing boy. I marvel again at God's word and how our life with Solomon was written in God's book, before ever it took shape, when as yet there was none of us. In God's creation Solomon was always our family.

So much fun with Grandma and Grandpa

2010-10-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

2010-10-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

Simon and friends over to our house for Homecoming dinner, prepared and arranged by the big sisters.

Lei Lei's playdough creation

Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle

The Space Needle

Flower Market at Pike's Market

2010-10-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Our precious little guy is in the recovery room right now. The surgeon did a fine job making his hand more functional. He is still asleep and we won't be able to take the bandages off to see the hand for a week, but thumbs up from the doctor. Solomon fought sleep and with two dinosaurs in the pre-op room we battled T Rex and stegasoraus until all he could think to do was make them kiss; at that point, disoriented and unsure from the meds they wheeled him away. Thank you God he is out and recovering!

We had prayer for Yu Lei and dinner last night with our super duper friends. These guys have been best of friends for the last 16 years. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. Last night ALL our kids were together for the first time in forever.

Catching Up

2010-10-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

Meggie has been off at Oregon State University for two weeks now and came home to visit and take a trip to pick some apples. We went out to get fresh cider, apples, squash and corn and enjoy the beautiful October weather. Meggie's loving college and her independent living in a christian house along with 48 other OSU women. Everyone's glad to see her!

I've been taking Solomon up to Portland weekly to meet with doctors and look at options. This visit started at 5:00 AM and to Mom's defense, it was dark out when I grabbed his shoes.

Three weekends ago I headed up to hike South Sister with a friend's son. We left at 9:00 PM and got up to the trailhead about 12:30. We then had a 2000 ft. hike in the dark to get to the family's campsite. Due to blackness and a few uncertainties we didn't roll into the tents until 4:00 AM. What an adventure. We did get up and down and back to my home by 8:00 that evening. It was a great hike.

Last weekend Leo and I hikes Diamond Peak. I think this is one of my favorite hikes. It's a pretty easy 12 mile hike without much tedium or technical difficulties. It is so beautiful! The mountain with snow is South Sister, the mountain I had hiked two weeks prior.

All is well with life and the kids. Solomon continues to grow in understanding of family and language. He and Lydia are enjoying each other a lot and it's fun to see the "wild siblings". The three youngest are home schooling and going to Chinese School on Sundays and doing really well. Lydia is still holding back because of her arm, but we are on week 8 of recovery, so hopefully she can jump into activities soon.

Emma is in Portland and Solomon and I get to visit her on our Portland medical trips. We love seeing her. She just got a raise at her current job and took the test today for teacher's college.

And Simon is a month and a half into his ACL recovery. He is out of commission for 6 long months total, which has been a bummer for him. He has a tough high school load but misses all the athletic activities.

Mom and Dad come in a couple of weeks and we are so excited to spend the time with them. I am so thankful for their frequent visits!

Solomon's 1st and 2nd haircut

2010-09-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Solomon's hair was getting a bit long and even he was complaining about it. As you can see in the picture his bangs are uneven. It was the haircut he met us with; a chunk out of his bangs. I thought how difficult can it be to cut his hair? And so, I cut his hair, to which he responded, "Uhhh! Uhhh!". He is a boy who likes to look good! It makes me smile. And so, today I took all three littles up to Master Cuts on the way to visit the farm for produce. Lydia and Eva were still sporting their layered China cuts, which they have never liked, and Solomon couldn't get in the chair fast enough.

What he really wanted was a circle of hair on his head like some of his early toddler pictures I have of him.

He was not thrilled with Mom's stylist challenged cut.

But we settled on a cut he could gel the top, which he absolutely loves!

Zoo visit

2010-08-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Lei Lei has been home two months and Lydia broke her arm!

2010-08-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

Lei Lei continues to be a joy for all of us. He is fun and sweet and truly a lovely child. It says a lot that his 8 year old sister adores her little brother. He loves to measure, create, swim, tease, camp, throw pinecones, and play with sticks. His English vocabulary is growing daily and he knows how to use his words to win over all of us. I am so blessed!

On a sad note, our sweet Lydia moved too fast from her round-off into her back handspring and fell twisting and breaking her right hand. It was during a gymnastics display up at the park and traumatic for all of us! After five hours in the emergency room she has a splint on and will get her cast on Thursday. Not to be outdone, Simon goes in for his ACL surgery next Friday. Our deductible has been met!

Oh, what a week!

2010-08-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Mount St. Helen's this past week and had an adventurous four days. For the past seven years our family has peaked a mountain with our friends. This is the first year we car camped verses backpacking up to the base of our climb. The kids were excited about the ease of the trip. Little did we know about the challenge of the mountain. How steep could a mountain be that blew off a large portion of its top, right? Every year I have done my research and have known exactly what to expect. This year because of many factors, I chose to 'wing it'. Silly me!

Packing and Food Preparation

Our campsite

A day of looking over the mountain

If you look closely to the right of the kids you can see the mountain. This was the location where a man photographed a quick series of pictures of the explosion before realizing the landslide was moving at a rate of 150 miles per hour. It was blowing toward the north, but none-the-less, he was in great danger and jumped in his car outrunning the heat and wind.

5 AM and ready to climb!

Catching up

2010-07-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

Summer is flying by and life is a blur. At the moment we have three Chinese high school students here as well as our gang. A week ago we had two Chinese middle school students, two Korean teachers and our gang. And next week, we will be hiking Mt. Saint Helens with our gang and friends.

Marcola Parade

Clear Lake

Fern Ridge

Spencer Butte

All this fun and excitement and our little Lei Lei goes along with it as if he has always been a part of our gang. He is amazing! I marvel at this little guy and his resiliency and sweetness. I can hardly believe our good fortune in God's choice for our family. He has been a complete joy from the first day. He wakes up with a huge grin and goes about his day with happiness and excitement and silliness. I am honored to have been chosen to be his mama!! I love, love, love my family!

A fabulous visit from Grandma and Grandpa and Pete, Erica and Max took us to the beach for the weekend.

The many faces of Lei Lei

2010-06-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Lei Lei loves airplanes and binoculars.

Loves the paint box and asks for it to come out daily!

Wants to help with everything!

Discovered starfall.com

He's changing our lives!

Something to celebrate

2010-06-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Little Lei Lei is such a joy to all of us. He is absolutely the sweetest thing. God has blessed us.

Riding a bike for the first time; he's a natural!

Jumping on the trampoline with sisters and friends.

The ins and outs of the robot. Quickly disappointed when it doesn't want to work.

But so easily pleased when the motor starts humming again!

And another huge celebration~Meg's graduation! I can hardly believe where the time has gone. Meggie was fabulous. She was top 13 in her class of nearly 300 and earned many distinguished tassles for all her accomplishments. It was a great night of celebration.

Separate journal site for China

2010-05-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the most difficult tasks I have ever done! I am so glad we are in the home stretch. If I would have know all the stress this last year would hold would I have taken this on...absolutely! I'm exhausted and not thinking straight but I am so eager to enlarge our family and bring Yu Lei into our arms. What an adventure not a lot of people can say they've experienced. I am so happy though, to share the experience with anyone who wants to live vicariously through us*^_^*

I have a separate China journal because blogspot is not accessible in China. Your prayers are though so please cover us with them!

http://journeytoyulei.shutterfly.com/

Passionately seeking change in Consulate Appoinment

2010-05-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

I am floating this morning and only three hours of sleep. I had contacted my agency and asked them to try and change our CA, no luck. I contacted our Congressmen and discussed the possibilities and they tried, no luck. Last ditch effort I contacted a couple of the China adoption yahoo groups and asked if anyone ever walked in to the Consulate and requested an earlier appointment on the day of.

I had talked to Jennifer, my personal travel agent and an awesome one at that if you should ever need one, jennifer@watvl.com. and it was going to cost a quite a bit to change my ticket and Yu Lei's. Plus I was envisioning my family waving to us from the terminal as we stayed behind. It was all too much. I knew I wasn't finished with this fight.

One of the e-mails I received was from a woman who said in 2006 she had to call the consulate and they were fantastic. I had the Consulate number, given to me from the U.S. Immigration, somewhere in my paperwork from a problem we had months before. At 10:00 PM our time and 1:00 PM China time I tried all our cell phones and our house phone to discover we have no long distance. I texted our friend Rashed, who I know has long distance, but no response.

I saw our new neighbor's light was on and her door open, so I went over to ask if she had long distance. She didn't, we talked and then she asked if I was a Christian and if she could pray over me. Absolutely! Her prayers were so pointed and so right on. God directed her every word to cover all emotions and situations we have gone through. She ended her prayer asking God for a peace and an answer. Finishing the prayer my phone beeped a text message.

It was Rashed saying, Come on over!

Deborah said, Well, there it is!

And I said, Oh, the answer!

Rashed helped me with the phone call. It took many tries but persistence got us a real human on the line from the adoption unit. She heard me out and then asked me to write it all down in an e-mail and she said it would be dealt with directly. I was so afraid to hang up from her and so I had her repeat and hear me repeat the e-mail address about a dozen times.

So I wrote it out with Rashed's assistance. I wanted to use words like humble; he insisted I use words like optimistic. He was so helpful. It was our $2500 letter. That would be about the price to stay another 4 days and change airfare, not to mention stress.

I went home and waited and some hours later received a beautiful, short message..'We will be able to accomodate you on June 2.'

The good and the bad

2010-05-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we did not get the Consulate Appointment we requested. The American Consulate is closed on the 31st and since they only do adoption swearing-ins on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday they are down to two days that week and won't fit us in. Gabriel called and e-mailed but he was told the earliest we could get in would be the 7th of June. I was prepared for this but not without a fight.

I called our Congressmen. Ron Wyden's office took up the fight for me and was going to make contact with the Consulate on our behalf. I talked with them noon yesterday and am waiting to hear a response. It is a bit of a challenge, because of the time difference, they have to call after working hours. I would be thrilled to see them pull this off and not feel so bad come tax time.

Regardless, we are off to China Sunday morning. And hopefully we will all be returning On the 7th of June!

Serious packing

2010-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Spent the afternoon packing the girls and the boy. Eva and Lydia's clothes are in the bags and Yu Lei's clothes are laid out ready to bag; a mix of new and Simon hand-me-downs. We are all going carry on only.

No Consulate appt. today. They are putting up a protocol stink saying we can't get in for our swearing in until the 7th or 9th of June. Oops, our plane comes home on the morning of the 7th!

Bags, anyone??

2010-05-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

Some of you have been asking about Eva's bags. She has done an amazing job making and selling bags. Our sweet 12 year old has sold nearly 100 bags. Here are the last of them:

Her early bags she sold for $10.00 because we found sale fabric at Ikea. These are the last two of her early bags~$10.00

These bags are all $15.oo per bag; heavy material and French-seamed.

This is the last of her Ikea material which she can make into bags for anyone interested. These will be $15.00.

Previous bags she has done:

1. birdcage on one side, rabbit, turtles, flowers and cabin on the other side

2.She does have two panels of the birdcage so she can do both sides same.

3. Blue and white on one side, colorful flowers on the other.

4. She can do both sides blue and white flowers.

5. Both sides this same blue and black

Please contact Eva by sending your choice to batenhorst7@msn.com

TA TA TA TA TA TA TA TA

2010-05-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

TA TA TA TA TA or in the adoption world known as Travel Approval Travel Approval Travel Approval Travel Approval

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

I just got a call from Gabriel that after 14 calls to CCAA he received Travel Approval. Reminds me of a story from a few days earlier, huh! Go Gabriel. He's stepping up. He knows he's dealing with a mighty force.

Only one more foreseen problem. The American Consulate says they have no appointments until June 7, the morning we leave. But, never fear, God is on our side!

Thursday's Issue

2010-05-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

The signed document was apparently found, but now that's not the issue being addressed. That was Tuesday's issue.

Now this is the newest problem.

Apparently they are saying CCAA received our file early but they received the Central Letter late. So, per their verbage, "this case will be in the last process. there are more 100 case to wait be approved by the Diretor. I will follow the case everyday, But I don't know when the case will be approved."

These issues have plagued our adoption from the beginning. It's like we get on top of one thing and they say, oh yah, but here's this.

We will be leaving on the 16th and I am such a believer that God is the pilot.

Please pray for our family and our newest member! Our adversary wants this little boy's life so please lift up our family to push through in unimaginable ways.

Nothing

2010-05-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

No news on our Travel Approval. But we continue to prepare for our journey East. I am a little discouraged this didn't resolve itself in a day like Gabriel suggested; but I am not surprised.

I am sound in the decision to travel to China in a little over a week and visit the girls' homeland. This was intended as an adoption/homeland trip, and I know it will be what God has intended it to be.

I was listening to Joel Osteen, a Christian speaker, and he told a story of a man who was appealing for a permit which typically takes two years to receive. The man asked the clerk if there was any way to speed up the process and the clerk stated only through him and he wasn't about to do that for the man. So the man settled down to wait two years.

Six months later the man gets a call to come in and get his permit. He asks the clerk how this was possible. The clerk said he couldn't get the man off his mind. He went to bed thinking about him, woke up thinking about him and throughout the day he was drawn to thinking about him. He was so tired of this man he granted his permit ahead of others and told him to get out of his office and please not come back!

That is my prayer. That the powers that be in China, who have complete physical control over our documents, will either get so tired of thinking of us, or the documents will enter the hands of just the right person to stamp and grant them through! Amen!!!

"Problems at CCAA level‏"

2010-05-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

This was one of my morning e-mails greeting me. Below is the message I received from Gabriel, our agency facilitator. And, of course, after talking with him discovered like our earlier "uh ohs" which put us back four months(our dossier sitting in China from August to January without moving due to an oversight and Meggie turning 18 and needing an immigration review) this problem at CCAA has never happened in the history of our adoption agency.

Diane,

I received an email this morning from the liason to CCAA, they apparently don’t have the LOC that was signed by you. We sent the letter on February 2nd, and I know it arrived there because CCAA issued the TA for another family whose LOC was in the same mail with yours. I emailed this morning the scanned LOC that you sent us, and asked him to tell CCAA this is everything we have, and to issue the TA. I hope they will send it tomorrow.

I’ll keep you updated.

Gabriel

For your Information:
CCAA- Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs
LOC- Letter of Confirmation
TA- Travel Approval

But thanks to our mighty God who is working behind the scenes and our dear friends who are praying for our TA and for this adoption, I am at peace with this.

I know God has laid the ground work for this adoption.

I know he loves Yu Lei more than all of us together.

I know God has orchestrated our lives and this entire process.

I know God will bless our journey!!!

When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. ~Proverb 16:7

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us ~Ephesians 3:20

News from Xinyu SWI

2010-05-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Our little boy in pink.

Note: The little pink shoulder

An adoptive mom found some old news from Xinyu Social Welfare Institute and there is our boy. Can't believe it will be a few short weeks before he is with his family!

Make Room For Acceleration

2010-04-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Once we received our Article 5, I had a wave of relief consume me and felt the confidence to contact my dear cousin's wife and order our airline tickets. She found the seven of us a good deal for May travel. Our agency was concerned because they have never had anyone order tickets before receiving Travel Approval, but I trust God can accelerate this part of the process. Our agency liason always said at this point he could make a recommendation to speed up TA and I have seen those expedited TA's coming in one weeks time. And so, completely free-falling into God's loving arms, I am believing this will be the case for us.

Seeing the World covered in cans

2010-04-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

When our oldest played volleyball we fundraised her club fees by collecting Christmas trees, hundreds and hundreds of Christmas trees. The Christmas tree had new meaning for me and it wasn't always positive. I couldn't drive down a street without looking up people's driveways and alongside their houses wondering when the Christmas tree would appear. Fortunately this obsession would only last a few short weeks.

When our boy played club soccer I volunteered for the job in the clubhouse doing inventory, the job that got me to the football games before anyone else and kept me there after everyone else had gone home. I was energized by knowing that the longer I was there the more money would go into Simon's account. Never mind that I probably never made enough in a day to make up for the lost time. But Simon was able to play soccer all year round.

When our youngest decided her money raising endeavor for her China airfare would be can collecting my obsessive behavior kicked in again. Everywhere we go I glance around for cans. Today on my run I not only found five cans, but I found a dirty bag to put them in. Thank goodness our trip is almost here!

Lydia has made about $500 toward her airfare thanks to all you who have collected and saved for her. If there is anyone out there that has cans and would share give us a call.

Adoption Super Saturday Sale

2010-04-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Huge thanks to my dear friends who spearheaded a garage sale to help fund our adoption. It was a grande success due to fun friend time and money earned. I was dragging my feet, but Tori's energy spurred me on. Thanks ladies!

Lydiaism: Confiscating a little duckie bank on one of the tables, Lydia walked over to Tori and asked to borrow her permanent marker. She had cut a small piece of paper and proceeded to write "tips" on it. She then took the duckie bank over to the kiddy cash register we were using, set the bank in front of the register, sat down to collect money and hopefully solicit some tips.

2010-04-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Article 5
   Article 5
      Article 5
         Article 5
Article 5

Heart Touched!

2010-04-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

I am constantly "heart touched" (as Lydia would say) by this woman! Thanks to Stephanie on our Xinyu Yahoo Group I contacted Tiffanie about meeting our little boy when she visited his orphanage. She not only brought him gifts and sent us many photos and his finding ad she also is arranging our visit to Nanchang. She has made amazing connections and most recently found a beautiful apartment for us all to stay in in the month of May. I can't even tell her to secure it because I have no control over our timing...I think May, but now, maybe June, I wail! And she always responds to my e-mails with words of encouragement. I know though our timing is absolutely a mystery, the people God has placed in our journey are incredible. Below is Tiffanie's letter I received this morning.

Dearest Diane and family

Thanks for the pictures, you make my smiling face with them. you are sooooooooo special... please don't worry, you are always in my prayers,...now I read Bible everyday that has become my habit , I am happy with God watching me every moment. it is good feelings for me to be a kid in Father's care, I really feel safe and peaceful with him . so please rely on heavenly Father, he surely makes your kind wishes come true.. he has great mercy you !

With love,

Tiffanie

But now...

2010-04-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

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.'

This was Sunday's message at church.

Through this frustrating process I am reminded of God's incredible universe and His exquisite precision for our life.

Glorious visit

2010-04-18T09:26:00.001-07:00

DSC_6546
Originally uploaded by dileob

We were all excited about an April visit from Grandma and Grandpa/ Mom and Dad. And we are even more excited they are coming back in July to meet our newest family member, Yu Lei. Hurry up, Travel Approval!!! PLEASE remember our process in you prayers.

Work Party Saturday

2010-04-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

Years ago when Leo and partners started their business we began work parties to help each other out. We have officially begun the 2010 work parties at our home. What a blessing.

Charlie, Leo and Jonathon tilled the front yard, beginning the lovely new green grass process. Beautiful day ending with rain to make the yard currently a muddy mess.

Emily, Nathan, Dan and I sanded and painted the back porch. I have a bit of trim to finish up but they made huge progress. We re-roofed last year after noticing the leaks coming through to the back porch ceiling.

Theresa and Feather cleaned bathroom grout. It looks perfect!

Karen sewed up the back cushions on our couch after ripping due to plenty of kid wear and tear.

We ended the day with lunch and prayer, including prayer for this China process and our little guy.

Hurry up and move over!!

2010-04-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a great speaker today on my run who spoke to my heart and my head. I have been in a "Hurry up and wait" mode with this adoption. It's been very up and down, with still more uncertainties to come. This message was a "Hurry up and move over" message, a positive spin to what we are experiencing. God can do the extra in our ordinary. He can add the super to our natural. He can do what we cannot. Instead of the crazy waiting and helplessness, move over, BELIEVE and let God add His miraculous touch. I just really liked that!

Another Lydiaism. Went to bed Easter Eve and saw Lydia had place butterflies above our bed. Woke up Easter to discover she had placed them on all the doorposts and bedposts.

The kid's room

2010-04-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

Something Old

          We painted blue over the pink and found an old light fixture Leo's parents had given us years ago. And, of course, we had to keep up Grandma Jeffrey's sweet needlepoint.


                               Something New

We went blue to include Yu Lei and added some fun wall stickers.

Something Borrowed

Simon gave up his bed because it is the lower portion of the bunkbed. This is Yu Lei's bed. Leo is working on finishing up the floor board. There was an old wall heater there. Note Lydia's snake weaving out of the top bunk.

Something Blue

The walls are a mist blue. And the girls are pretty pleased with the color.

Let's try it again. Everything's in China but us.

2010-04-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

The document came in the mail today. Praise God! It will be in China when the offices open up Monday morning and all can proceed.

Feels like 2 steps forward, 3 steps back

2010-04-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

E-mail received this noon from agency:

Not so good news. I’m currently on hold with NVC(National Visa Center) trying to clarify the letter issue. Consulate said they were not announced by NVC, and I suspect the people we talked to didn’t understand what kind of letter we were talking about.

I’ll call or email you as soon as I’ll have some answers.

PS. Our facilitator emailed me, confirming the Consulate needs the letter before they will issue the
article 5

2nd e-mail from agency:

Ok, that was interesting. I talked to another person at NVC who told me they are still sending these letters!!!!!

We’ll have to wait, you’re probably going to receive the letter in the mail soon.

Apparently, everything's not in China.

Everything's in China except us!

2010-04-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

After calling NVC(National Visa Center) once yesterday and once today I contacted our agency liason and told him I got three different people(inc. a supervisor) who had no clue as to why we needed this slip of paper before our Article 5 would be issued. They said sure they'd send a notice to us that they sent all our visa information to the American Consulate in China, but why? So she did and he(our liason) had the same discussions when he called NVC, and agreed to get our Article 5 pushed through hopefully by the end of next week, without this infamous sheet of paper. After the Article 5 passes inspection our paperwork is issued to the China people and they issue travel approval

So God-willing we will be in China next month.

"Cuties" series by Eva

2010-03-30T09:01:00.001-07:00

I often go to take pictures and find random works of art on my camera. It is always a series of photos with one main subject. More often than not it's Eva photographing Lydia. I just never know what treasure photos I'll find.

Just Kidding...see if you can make sense of this

2010-03-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

That document wasn't our VISA approval; it was our I-800 Approval.

Apparently there is another step I was unaware of. We will now wait until we receive a letter from National Visa Center. This letter needs to be sent to our agency as soon as we receive it, since this is needed for the article 5 to be issued. The article 5 letter is basically the US State Department agreeing(again and again and again) with the adoption(I thought they just did in the I-800 approval). NBC(the Immigration group that just sent us the document in the photo) sends NVC the approval and NVC will send electronically the visa information to US Consulates abroad in 2-3 days from the time they receive it from NBC; in other words, the Consulate may have received the visa information, but they still need a copy of the letter from NVC.

"I (our agency liason)can give you a time frame based on what happened with one family recently: there were 9 days between the I-800 provisional approval and the letter from NVC(we are at day 11). It is NOT the travel approval. Travel approval will be sent by CCAA once they have the article 5. I will know the day when CCAA receives the document and will email the liaison to go to CCAA and ask those guys to issue the TA ahead of time; I’ll explain it was a too long time and hope they will agree. Unfortunately, I cannot do anything about the Consulate appointment without having the TA, they won’t do anything."

Visa Approval!

2010-03-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

2010-03-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

We had a blanket, camera, photo album and birthday cake sent to Yu Lei for his 5th birthday. We requested photos and they were taken of Yu Lei and his cake, but on the disposable camera. After a second request of "photos, now, please" we received these this morning.

We had friends travel to China last May and sent with them a package for Yu Lei to leave with their friends in Shanghai to send to Yu Lei when we got the O.K. His Little Spiderman shirt and the Firefox toy in his hand were two of the items in that package. I never knew if he received it, but they purposely got him all outfitted for photos for his family. I'm not a huge fan of Spiderman but the shirt lights up and I had a small package to make a big statement for a little guy. He is little; I think the shirt was a size 4.

On another thrilling note, after four weeks of waiting for our I-800 approval in determination I called INS and talked to an adjudications officer of the Department of Homeland Security and he told me our I-800 was approved and in the mail. Looks like travel can happen in May.

Our magnolia tree by Lydia

2010-03-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

Our magnolia tree by Lydia
Originally uploaded by dileob

Contented Heart, Patient Heart

2010-03-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have decided we can't secure tickets yet. I really thought I'd just do it, but once again there seems to be a delay in our paperwork for no reason. We should be traveling two months after our Letter of Acceptance and it is now almost two months after our LOA and no travel in sight. We still need U.S. immigration to pass our I-800 provision. It is all protocol but again and again we find ourselves on the longest wait possible for each step. When I contact immigration they tell me I just have to wait. They say they can't "expediate" this process. EXPEDIATE, mind you, we have now waited longer than anyone I've ever heard of for just this part of the process, not even taking into consideration all of our other long waits.

And so I am left to get down on my knees and cry out to the Lord, which is where He wants me to be throughout this whole process. Our adoption journeys have been so intense and it has been our experience we have an Adversary and he hates adoption. We truly feel during these times when we are in the adoption process, "anything and everything you say or do if not completely upright, clear of any offenses, will be held against you".

It is so hard at this time not to compare our journey with other blogger's journeys. But I have to remember this is our life, and God has always had a specific plan for our family.
I think I have a good grasp of "God's timing is perfect". I live it, I walk it, sometimes it makes me crazy, but I do in my inner being believe it.

I am reading a perfect passage for my life for this time.

It is common to hear women bemoaning thier lack of patience as if it were the most difficult gift to pry from God's hand. In fact impatience stems almost solely from our exaggerated notions of what is due us. If we could but lower our estimation of the importance of our time, our plans and our feelsings, we would find ourselves almost automatically more patient.

Patience is a positive trait. It is the ability to bear affliction, delay and interruption with calmness, perseverance and confidence in the goodness of God. It is inward peace as well as outward control. It is the submission of our schedules, our viewpoints, our dreams to the greater plan of God, with the conviction that he has a good reason for every delay he allows to come our way.

Yes!

Springtime view greeting us from our upstairs

Simon's first track meet

As you can see, he was a threat!

Lydia's Wall Art

2010-03-09T12:51:00.001-08:00

Planning and Princesses

2010-03-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

The "Princess For A Day" Event was a great success. After months of planning 200 foster girls and girls from the community were given the royale treatment. My responsibility was finding and scheduling the "Godmothers" and "Princes". This was the second year of the event and the first our girls were able to attend. A dear friend paid for the girls to go and they couldn't have loved it more!

And now that that planning is over I am ready to buy tickets to China. We have our LOA from China but after receiving that our I-800, part 2, needs to be processed by the U.S. Immigration. It has taken an extra month to get to that point because of the turnaround time of getting Meggie's fingerprints taken and processed and our addendum being accepted. We are now waiting for the I-800 provisional approval and then we submit our article 5 to China. After China accepts the article 5, travel is approved and our agency can make an American Consulate appointment. Can you believe it????

From LOA it usually takes two months to travel. We are arranging travel four months after LOA. You would think that would be acceptable. Our agency is not recommending we make arrangements until we have a Consulate date, but look at how many steps it takes to get there! And just think how much more the tickets could be. I'm stepping out in faith!