Travel Journal

I will not be posting to this blog during our trip to China. We have a site at http://babyjellybeans.com/ that you can follow. Just enter Abbey Runner under child's name and our password is: runner
I hope you will follow along and feel free to post a comment as long as it is nice (ha!).
Keep us in your prayers.

Xie' Xie' (thank-you)

Here we Go!

It is Monday afternoon and I am counting the hours before we board the plane to Abbey.
We found out this morning that our flight to Atlanta was cancelled due to the ice/snow accumulations there. So... our travel agent, Sue Sorrels (who is amazing by the way) spent the morning trying to re-route us through another city. Long story short: we are leaving here and flying to Dallas at 6 am in the morning. Early...yes. From there we fly to Seoul, Korea, layover there, then on to Beijing. We arrive in Beijing on Jan. 12.

The past 2 weeks have been so busy and crazy. I have spent most of my time preparing for this trip and making 500 trips to Wal-mart! I am sick of Wal-Mart.
So last night after I had finished packing and repacking for the "umpteenth" time, I actually took a minute to sit in Abbey's room and just think.
I sat in the rocking chair that I have rocked all my babies in. I looked around her room thinking of what it will be like to look over at her crib and see her standing at the side-rail smiling back at me.
What it will be like to snuggle up to her.
What it will feel like to hold her little misshapened hand in mine.
I will kiss that little hand and hold onto it for dear life.

I will forever be amazed at this process of adoption and the change it has brought about in my life.
I cannot imagine my life without Madeline, now Abbey, the connection I feel to China and it's culture, the friends I have made who also adopted children from China, and my FAITH that has been tried at times throughout this process; yet sustains my very existence. It is faith that has told me time and time again... don't give up, she is waiting.

And I always, ALWAYS think of the birthmother. How can you not think of the person who brought this miracle into the world? I often pray that somehow the birthmother will know how much their baby is loved and adored. I thank God these 2 little girls call me "mom" because of the "mom" who gave them life.

My life is amazing and I cannot think of a better place to be than "right now". We are about to make our family of 5, into a family of 6! I am beyond blessed. Now just hold on for the ride as we countdown to bringing our next "China princess" home. We are coming sweet Abbey. Mommy loves you.

One week from today..

we will be on a plane to China and Abbey! 7 days...next Tuesday!

I have been running around like crazy trying to make sure we have everything we could possibly need on the trip. Then I will remember something else... add it to the list, then go back start organizing my stacks of stuff, then...

remember I forgot to do so and so...

you get the picture, don't you?

I am a little stressed. It is much harder packing for 4 of us instead of just Mike and I. I am taking a pharmacy on wheels attempting to cover any possible illness known to man. That is my biggest fear with taking the kids... that one of them will get sick and I want have the meds we need. Oh please oh please Lord, keep all of us healthy and well. Please.

We did get Abbey's suitcase packed last night. Check that off the list.

We also got Abbey's room somewhat organized this past weekend. A sweet friend of mine at the clinic offered me her little girl's crib bedding with guess what?? LADYBUGS!

It is precious! This same friend also gave me tons of clothes and toys for Abbey. I just sat on the floor looking at all of it and almost cried.... tears of thankfulness and joy for friends and for HIM providing for all of our needs.

Please keep all of us in your prayers this week. It is a time of seeing to final details, floods of emotions, including joy and yes, fear; packing and repacking, frustration and lack of sleep.

Then I look at my little girl's picture plastered all over my refrigerator and counter-tops and all I can think is.... I can't wait to hold her.

I am really going to hold her.

OK... there go the tears...

2010

Thought I would do a 2010 year-in-review on this stormy New Year's Eve.

I love looking back at things that made this past year so special. I think that is why I love scrapbooking so much... strolling down memory lane and putting those memories "down" so I can look back whenever I want.
So here's my attempt at blogging the year...

JANUARY... Birthdays for Madeline and I, Crop Connection at HCC

FEBRUARY...Snow!!! and lots of it, Saints win the Super Bowl...woo-hoo! Cody inducted into National Junior Honor Society

MARCH... Spring Break, Sadie starts (and ends) puppy school

APRIL... Matthew's Field Trip to Vicksburg, Easter, Madeline's K5 Music Program

MAY... Cody receives Latin II award at Honors Forum at school, Matthew receives A/B Honor Roll at school, Madeline receives award for Bible memory verse memorization, Disney-World!!!!

JUNE...Matthew to Reggie Bush Football Camp in New Orleans, Cody to Memphis, Summer
at the pool

JULY...Cody to RYM in Pensacola, FL., Matthew attends Prep Football Camp, I get to scrapbook
at Summer Crop Connection, VBS

AUGUST...Back-to-school... Cody 9th, Matthew 5th, Madeline 1st, Basile's visit,
Madeline begins dance, Matthew begins football

SEPTEMBER...Mike and Matthew attend University of Arkansas football game, Football, football, football AND we get our referral for Abbey

OCTOBER...Autumn Moon Festival for Madeline at Chinese school, Matthew receives Citizen-of-the-Month at school, Halloween with the Nash's

NOVEMBER...Baby Shower for Abbey and I, Thanksgiving Break

DECEMBER...Disney's Princess Wishes on Ice with Madeline, Cody gets the flu,Aaron, my nephew, gets engaged to Dorane...yeah! Merry Christmas!

Christmas wishes

Wow, this past week has flown by in anticipation of tonight... Christmas Eve. We have made candy, decorated cookies, wrapped gifts, shopped, worked, and watched Christmas movies and shows. And now the big day is just hours away!

We spent the day at Mom's for our family Christmas. Food, gifts and lots of pictures. My nephew, Aaron, is in town and newly engaged. It was great seeing him!

Blake made it in from Texas as well. Brittany is in Korea on the USO tour with the Cowboy Cheerleaders. We miss her but know she is having a blast!

I also want to share some great news we received yesterday from our adoption agency. We actually got a call Wednesday morning saying we have Travel Approval (TA). This is China's invitation for us to travel to China and adopt Abbey. Yippee!

Yesterday we received the next big news.. we have a confirmed Consulate Appointment. All the adoption trip is arranged around this appointment. So this means we can book flights and start packing. Yippee!

This time next month we will have Abbey in our arms.

We leave for China January 12!!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family.

Abbey is 15 mo. old today

Oh my... when we received our referral back in September Abbey had just turned "1'.
Here we are still waiting and she is now 15 mo. old today. It has helped seeing pictures of her during this wait, but UGGH.. it is getting harder each day without her. Please pray we hear something soon about travel AND please pray for my Abbey. She doesn't know that a world away her mommy is waiting not-so-patiently to hold her.

My Christmas Gift-- pictures of Abbey

The teacher (r) from the school is holding Abbey in this picture. She looks so little!

Look at those eyes.... I see a little hint of mischief, what do you think?

Abbey at Amazing Hands foster home. She is the little one on the left on her knees.

What a blessing to know she is in such a bright and happy place in China.
I am coming my sweet Abbey...
Love,

Mom