Kids Keeping Busy

Don't faint....it's a miracle! I'm back in only two days! :)

I promised to show you a little something that both of the kids have been up to the past weeks.

First of all, you know how much Colt loves his music and musical instruments. Well a couple of months ago, he disassembled one of his electric guitars. He then proceeded to sand and strip the finish. I wish I had a picture of it before to show you, but it was sort of a sunburst finish. Anyway after much sanding, then staining, and several layers of semi gloss polyurethane, he finally finished.



I love how it turned out!



Here's a closer look:



His girlfriend, Amber, put an inscription on the back for him, which gives it even more character. It says "Remember why you play" Am (short for Amber). I just love her handwriting!



Here's my handsome son with his "new" guitar.



Jason and I picked up new strings for him while Joy was in dance the other night. When we got home with them that night, he reassembled it all, getting all those wires back in place, and not only does it look good, but it sounds good. I love to hear Colt play!

So you see....I have a do-it-yourselfer son too! I was really proud of him!

Also....during the middle of the week that we were having our homestudy visits, Joy begged to go to a local carnival. I don't have much faith in the people that put those things together, but she really wanted to go. SO....one night after dance we stopped in and they had closed early. She was so disappointed, but we decided to try the next night since we were finished earlier. This time they were open. She even managed to have her friend, Cheyenne, meet us. Now I am really glad of that, because Cheyenne saved Jason and me from having to ride the rides! We got there about 8:45 p.m. and stayed until about 10:00 p.m. with them being about the only people there. There were maybe ten other people in the whole place. They rode every ride there multiple times.

My daughter is a dare devil I tell you! Have you ever seen the Moby Dick or the Fire Ball? Oh my goodness, the Fire Ball is the thing in the big giant ring that starts rocking up the track one way gaining momentum until it finally goes completely over making them go upside down. Then at some point, as it starts slowing, they are actually hanging up in mid air upside down. Being a scaredy cat when it comes to heights, it made me nervous watching! I don't do ferris wheels either, so I really loved Cheyenne that night! That ferris wheel was 85 ft. tall! Jason would have had to do the ferris wheel. I would come closer to do the fast things....because they're over with quicker! :) Anyway, we took several videos of them on rides, but I have so much trouble getting those to upload here. However, here's a picture of Joy and Cheyenne at the fair.



I might add that this was the night before our scheduled home visit, when we needed to be home doing last minute stuff, and here we were out on the town! :) It all turned out fine though!

Here's a picture of Joy on Halloween. We went to a Trunk N Treat. They also had a giant blow-up slide. Joy dressed in last year's dance recital costume....she was a groovy girl. (Those dance costumes come in handy at Halloween...I try to get my money's worth out of them)!



My little groovy girl and me...



So you see when the kids are busy, they keep us busy, but one day it will be quiet.

I'm enjoying this life as we know it now.

Operation Christmas Child (& More)

I'm still here! I know I've been a very bad blogger and I apologize!

First of all today, I'd like to thank those that emailed me to "check on me". It is so nice to be missed! It doesn't seem like that much time has passed, I guess because I've been so busy. I lie in bed at night with the best of intentions of not neglecting my blog, and it just never works out.

These days we are spending four nights a week taking Joy to dance! Yes, I said four nights! Her ordinary schedule includes three nights with one night being for jazz and tap class, one night for ballet, one night for production, and temporarily until the first of December, we also have Friday nights as she practices for her performance in Moscow's Russian Nutcracker Ballet. Jason and I have just learned to use it as time together while we wait on Joy. It makes for good discussion times as we wait. We've also taken along the piles of paperwork needed to complete for the adoption.

I really have nothing really interesting to share on the adoption process. We had our home visits last week with our social worker, Ms. Lori, who is wonderful by the way! She was so sweet and gave Joy a scrapbook and adoption scrapbook papers! Our homestudy should be finished the first of next week, which leads us to our next step of filing our I-800A with Immigration and the fingerprinting. In the meantime, we are working on all the certification and authentication needed for the documents for our dossier to be sent to China. I have the highest praise for our agency, BAAS, and our coordinator, Xiaoqing. They are very efficient and Xiaoqing never tires of my many questions.

I have also met so many adoptive moms of kids from China through forums and blogs, that have answered many questions for me. One of my solid rocks of information is Erin. Erin has answered so many questions (I'm sure she has loads of patience because I have bugged her SO much) and I'm so glad she told me about BAAS which led us to our little Luke! She brought home her beautiful daughter, Maia, in May, and Erin is helping others along the way!

Speaking of Luke, we will be sending him a care package through Red Thread China hopefully this week, which will include a little album of pictures of us for him, among other things. There's a chance we will get more pictures of him possibly getting his package. I will most definitely share any new pictures or information that we receive! This wait is not easy!

Now on to the title of my post......Operation Christmas Child. Every year our homeschool group, CHEF (Christian Home Educators Fellowship), uses our Harvest Party (which was this past Tuesday) as an opportunity to take part in a very worthwhile service project, Operation Christmas Child, which is a ministry of Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse. The ministry asks that we get shoe boxes (and wrap the lid separate from bottom of box) or the little plastic rubbermaid type boxes (and decorate them Christmasy) and fill them with items age and gender appropriate to the category you choose. These boxes are sent to many countries to children who may have never known gifts like this. I watched a video on this once and these boxes are carried by wagon and donkey to some villages even. Can you imagine the delight of a child to see these boxes come to them from people who care? Click here to print a label (girl or boy and age category)as well as to read the types of things that are appropriate for sending. And if money is tight, Dollar Tree makes a great place for shopping for your shoe boxes. They have lots of small items that are appropriate. We chose to send a box to a 2-4 year old boy. I bet you could never guess why! (Our own Luke will be 2 when we bring him home so it was fun buying for that age). THEN, after all of boxes are ready to go within our homeschool group, all of the kids (and adults) gather around them and we always have children volunteers to pray over these boxes that the recipients will be blessed by them in every way. This year we filled and dropped off 26 boxes at our local dropoff station!



Most years, my kids have written a little letter and included their picture in the box. And imagine our surprise one year in April, we opened our mailbox to find a letter from Africa. It was a boy and girl holding their boxes with big grins and holding up the picture of Colt and Joy. That really made an impression on my kids. So, if you want to make a difference, take a minute and check it out. Pack a box. Or better yet, organize an effort to do this within your church or charity organization. When you click on the site above, it will also give you a local drop-off place for your box by putting in the area you live. (Oh, and they also ask that we include $7 to cover the shipping).

I was going to include some pictures from the past week of things we've been up to, but since this post is growing longer, I think I'll save that for my next post (which I PROMISE won't be as long as this time). Joy's been up to some fun activities; Colt has been very crafty and I have his finished "project" to show you; AND we've put up our main Christmas tree. I have so many Christmas boxes sitting on my sunporch calling my name. I like to get our Christmas decor up early so we have lots of time to enjoy it. You know the low lighting of the Christmas trees, sipping on my hot chocolate in my PJs watching a Christmas movie with my family.....that's the life!

Thank you, to everybody that stopped by with a comment or an email, about the adoption (and just everyday), I truly appreciate every one. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Blessings,
Tammy

Good News..."Be Still My Heart"

Time really gets away from me these days! I haven't posted since Monday, October 19th. On that very day, or night rather, we received a call from Xiaoqing, at BAAS (Bay Area Adoption Service). We were just getting ready to walk out the door to go out to eat, and I stopped and answered the phone! Boy, am I glad I did! Xiaoqing was calling with a referral of a 20 month old little boy. She told me his medical history and asked if we would like to take a look at his picture and file. She thought he would be great for our family. I think she didn't know for sure what we would say because originally, Joy had leaned towards a girl, although we all decided we would leave that in God's hands and see what he had for our family.

Let me back up a minute to events before this night. Two weeks previously, I had a dream. In this dream, I was sent a picture of a little boy. I looked at his picture and said, "There's nothing wrong with him." Basically, that's how it happened, except I received a phone call, in which Xiaoqing described his condition, explaining that he already had his surgery and that he was just like all other children....very healthy and developmentally physically, emotionally, and mentally as other children. He had passed many developmental milestones which showed significant progress in his surgical procedure. In fact, he is quite bright, I'm told, and very well liked by everyone, including the neighbors. He is an extrovert and very lively (I knew we would get another lively child...we never get any other kind). I think Xiaoqing even said something like, "so basically now there's nothing wrong with him." I remember that it was almost the words in my dream exactly.

I might add Joy was jumping up and down, and never mentioned a girl again. In fact, Xiaoqing was a little worried that she would be disappointed, and I reassured her that Joy was beaming, jumping up and down. This was her little brother. No doubt.

We locked his file, which holds it for 48 hours, so no one else can claim him, and we looked into the diagnosis he has (waist spinal meningocele - surgically repaired), conferred with our pediatrician and other specialists on what the future "could" hold. This diagnosis is one of many forms of spina bifida...one of the mildest. We called her back in less than 12 hours, and told her, he was our son...no more time needed! We actually knew it the minute we saw his picture. Those eyes.....looking into ours.....he was ours!




So...meet the newest member of our family (waiting for us in China)....Luke Tai (pronounced Ty).
He is 20 months old now, which is a bit older than we also wrote down that we were willing to accept, but again, it didn't matter. We hope to be travelling to get him early summer, which would make him about 2 years and 4 months, if all goes well.



So now the wait is on...the hard part. To this point, things have moved very quickly. Within two weeks after contacting BAAS, we had our referral, then one week after our letter of intent to adopt, we received our PA (pre-adoption approval) from the Chinese Centre of Adoption Affairs. I know God is opening doors, to have our son already waiting for us. There's the homestudy completion to be done, and the big paperchase involved. I can already tell we're in for an emotional ride here, but I know it will all be worth it when we travel to China and see our little Luke for the first time in person and then bring him home with us!

He is living with a foster family, which is very good. They adore him and take care of him with lots of love. I know this is probably even better than his being in an orphanage because he has plenty of care and attention. I'm so thankful for that. I'm so very grateful and amazed with these wonderful foster families that do such an unselfish thing. I know it takes a special person to be able to care for a child for that long, and then say goodbye to them when they go to their families.

As it is with the female gender, Joy and I are VERY EXCITED. We are constantly looking at the clock, thinking about what time it is in China (13 hours ahead of us), and what Luke is probably doing now, since we know somewhat of his routine. The guys in the family, Jason and Colt, are excited, but are saving the real enthusiasm for when it's closer to time to bring him home.

I appreciate your prayers and covet additional prayers that we have a smooth process all the way with no delays,including the completion of a speedy homestudy, so we can bring Luke home at the very earliest time possible. And for all the encouragement, and the emails from adoptive parents that have helped out by answering my many questions, I'm thankful for it all! I'm so very grateful to find BAAS and Xiaoqing is such a blessing! Thank you to all of you!

God is good! :)

Another Home Improvement Sneak Peak

What have we been up to? Where do I even begin?

Let's see....I gutted and cleaned another room. While Colt was gone to work Saturday, I worked on his room. Recently, we moved out his futon (by his choice) and added a fold-down couch bed that was given to us by my Aunt Jo and Uncle Wayne.



This takes up much less room in there and it also has more of a sleek modern look, which is definitely more his style.



Oops....I forgot that I took his curtain down in there to wash and I forgot to put it back up before taking the picture. It's a red straight-line valance, the same color red as the throw pillows on the couch.



And remember I mentioned in a previous post that we were working on another redo or home improvement? Well it's the upstairs bathroom. It really wasn't planned as such. We were at Lowe's (one of our favorite places, but definitely not Joy's). Jason was having to get a part to replace a part on the toilet in there and made the comment that it was too bad that we couldn't paint and put down the tile we wanted while the commode was pulled out. Well my brain started working and I remembered all that birthday money stashed away. I had initially thought new clothes for me....then I thought...Nah...how about a new look for my bathroom? So...that's how it came to be. We picked out and purchased the paint and tile that day and brought it home and the project began.



This is only a sneak peek as that's really all I have to show you. And please keep in mind that it's a work in progress, so it's messy in there! The color we picked out for the walls is called Molasses. It's a deeper tone than the color in the downstairs hall bathroom, that we recently remodeled. I have always looked at that color and thought it was so pretty and a bold, but rich color, and Jason really liked it too, so we just decided to go for it. We love it on the walls!



The tile is also a darker tone with lots of texture. It's called Noce Roman, from Lowe's. I like the combination of the two colors together...the wall and floors. We were up until 1:00 a.m. Saturday night grouting. It made for a tiring day, Sunday, but at least it was done.



And we decided to do the trimwork in there with my favorite red, since we are leaving the cabinet stained as is and leaving the original vanity top (I didn't have THAT much birthday money)....but hopefully with new decor and shower curtain, this room will be a fresh primitive change. Oh, and here's the door that Jason added the panels and painted and antiqued:




I forgot to take before pictures, but just take my word when I saw it was dated! The walls were peach and the shower curtain was cream lace with peach ruffles! You can see a hint of the paint left here (click on picture to see closer), where the trim will cover it. Now, you know why you never ever saw a picture of that room!




It may take awhile before I can show you the finished room, because I'll have to slowly accumulate my accessories, but I'll be sure and unveil the finished room when it's finally completed. I guess this means our social worker will see our ongoing project as is, when she comes for our adoption homestudy, but then she'll definitely see the true US, because we're always up to something like that.

By the way, sometime after Christmas, all the bedrooms (except mine, sigh...) will get a new look, since Colt plans to move into the upstairs bedroom (yet another reason the bathroom up there got a new look). Joy will move over into his present room and our newest little family member will get Joy's present room. So everybody is picking out paint colors in anticipation of these projects. It will give us something to look forward to and something to pass the time as we wait.

And that's it for today, folks. Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a great week!

~ Tammy ~

49 years ago....

49 years ago.....from yesterday, this handsome guy was born. Do you recognize him?



Can you tell that's my hubby? I like to tease him about this picture alot. Just look at hair and those flared nostrils. He looks like Mr. Cool, doesn't he? This is his senior picture. I didn't know him at this point. We weren't destined to meet until about a year later. (And he was all clean cut by that time). :)

But yesterday, October 14th, was Jason's 49th birthday. Tuesday is one of our very busiest days around here, so I didn't get a chance to post. We are actually celebrating his birthday this evening. We are going out to eat at the restaurant of his choice, Rafferty's, along with several other family members.



I'm so glad that 49 years ago, this guy was born in Missouri and then just about 3 years later, a little girl was born many miles away and that these two were meant to find each other. I know we were blessed to find each other.

I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my hubby, Jason, and thank him for everything he does for me and for our family. He's a wonderful and loving husband and daddy! He ALWAYS put us first, before himself. I love you, Jason! Happy Birthday, honey!

M.I.A. - What's Been Going On Around Here

Did you think I vanished? I don't think I've ever gone this long in between posts....ever. I apologize. It's been a different kind of week around here though.

First of all, Colt has had the flu since last Sunday evening (October 4th). He was quite sick with this flu, with body aches and high fevers up to 104 degrees. He missed an entire week of college and work. This is very rare for Colt. For him to stay at home, in bed, for that long, is very unusual. I'm so thankful that he is better and up around and out, finally. He was able to return to work yesterday and to go to church today. Now, we're just praying the rest of the family doesn't get it. Joy is so determined to NOT get it....she won't even go near his room. I suggested she "borrow" a pair of his anklet socks, and she wouldn't hear of going into his room for them! She knows she doesn't have time to get sick! lol!

Next of all, you know from my last post that we are initiating the adoption process. Well, if you know anything about that at all, you know it's alot of paperwork. Any spare time last week was spent in researching medical issues, talking to adoptive parents, talking with our social worker for the homestudy, and the adoption agency, as well as filling out the many forms and papers that are required. We found THE adoption agency for us. We decided to go with B.A.A.S. The lady that is working with us, Xiaoqing, is just wonderful. It makes such a difference to know we have someone like her working with us. It's so obvious that she really cares and she is very efficient. It is also so exciting to know that a child.....our child.....waits for us somewhere in China.

Along with the homestudy, of course, comes a visit to our home from the social worker, so since we made it past Colt's bout with the flu, we began cleaning and organizing our home yesterday. We took, I believe, four or five bags of trash out of just our bedroom and the hall linen closet. It's amazing what we hang onto that we really don't need! So that brings me to the one thing for which I have pictures to show today! We rearranged our bedroom after cleaning and it looks so much better (and bigger) this way. Funny thing was though when Colt came home Saturday night from work and came into our room to tell us goodnight, he was disoriented. Of course, he has come to expect the unexpected from us. He never knows what he'll come home to find....whether it be a wall knocked out, something being painted, crafting spread over the table, or worse. He sat on the side of my bed, looking around, and remarked how he liked it. Not bad for a twenty year old guy. Maybe I trained him well. :)

So, here are some photos of the bedroom rearrangement. Our bedroom is country, but not primitive. Someday it will get a makeover....all in its own time. (However, I do have a little makeover in progress too). I spent my birthday money on giving our upstairs bathroom a new look. We're working on that too. That's another thing we've been up to. Actually Jason has done more on that than me. Joy and I worked on the bedroom, while Jason painted the upstairs bath. I'll share more on that on a later post. Okay, here's the bedroom pics:









So I hope you excuse my absence from blogland this past week or so. I'll try to do better....really. And I've been just as bad about visiting blogs....couldn't there be just a few more hours in a day? It sure is hard to balance it all, isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day and a wonderful week! :)
~ Tammy ~

Faithful Fridays - "Walking Through Opened Doors"

Well Joy beat me to this news already on her blog....but I have exciting news to share! Actually, our entire family is very excited.



After much thought, prayer, and discussion, we have decided to pursue adding to our family by adopting again. There are so many unknowns to us since it has been so many years since we adopted.....twenty to be exact. So many things have changed, included costs involved. For that reason, among others, this will definitely be a leap of faith for us. We will most definitely be trusting God to open doors for us if this is His will. Remember the Bible verse about faith and the mustard seed and the moving mountains? Well I'm sure there will be lots of mountains that will need to be moved along the way. :)



I even hesitated to mention this (at least for awhile) because of all the uncertainities, but then I felt like it was something I should share, no matter what happens. If this is to be, you will share right along with me those opened doors and know that it definitely is a "God thing". :) And by that, I mean comes to be only by God's will and answers to prayers. And if it is not to be, then maybe you could just share our disappointment. The main thing is that we are trusting God on this thing, whatever comes our way.

Because of our ages, the length of time that it is currently taking on international adoptions through China, and the fact that we could love a "special" child, we have decided to go through the waiting children program of China, which means we will be accepting a special needs child, which can mean many things. We are currently researching various medical conditions that we could and would be able to accept within our family. Alot of these children that are available for adoption have correctable medical conditions which I would consider minor special needs...things like cleft lip/palate, minor heart conditions, etc.....things that some people would pass over if they were looking for a healthy child. We are thinking in terms of adopting a child that is about 2-3 years old when they arrive home to us (boy or girl). Just to think that a child waits to be part of our forever family wells up so many emotions inside me because I know how God works all of that out! He can arrange for our child to be thousands of miles away....we just have to bring them home.



Again, we are just in the beginning stages, but I would covet your prayers that we have wisdom and that God would open doors and provide in every way if this be His will.

Whew...having said that in this post is such a relief. I've had so many emotions this week! And you have no idea how excited Joy is....she has wanted a brother or sister from China since she was very little and planned this whole thing for many years. Never underestimate the faith of a child!

By the way, if you have something to share for Faithful Fridays, please go over to Joy's blog, Doodlebug, and let her know in a comment, so we can all stop by!

Blessings to you all and thank you for stopping by and for all the sweet comments that you leave!

~ Tammy ~