4th of July Dress

I mentioned last night that I was hoping to make Jia a dress for the 4th of July!

I got that done! Check!

It's another pillowcase dress. These are pretty easy and I'm getting better at them.

Wah Lah!

Now back to this....! LOL!

JUST ONE MORE SLEEP!!!!!

Lengthy Update!

Here's what I've been up to! 2 sleeps and a wake!

Last week my mom and I made a new fountain for my yard. I had one like this, only covered in river rock.

Unfortunately, it sits near by the basketball goal and had been hit so many times most of the rocks were falling off. So when I decided to make a new one, I wanted to try something different.

We had a lot of fun going through the thrift store looking for glass to break!

Saturday night Jack and I skipped Covenant Couples and planned to go racing. About 2 they called the races off because the pits were too muddy. Since we didn't have arrangements for a sitter so we could go to CC, we decided to celebrate one last time as a family of 5. We ended up going bowling and getting a pizza.

It was a really great evening and one we all enjoyed!

Jory showing off his teeth... or lack thereof!

He wanted to sit in Jia's new carseat on the way to the bowling alley!

Here's the latest dress I've made for Miss Jia. It's the pillowcase style.

And as if I don't have enough to do already... I bought red,white and blue fabric to make another one before we leave, hopefully! Since we get home July 3rd, I thought she needed something special for the 4th! I haven't been able to find anything I just love and for what an outfit costs, I could just by fabric and make something I love... So that's my hope!

Okay... Here's just a small, small portion of the clothes I've bought over the last 3 years. These are some of my favorites! Enjoy!

She's going to have to change 3 times a day to get the chance to wear everything I've collected for her!

New Flower Pot

This is the story of my new flower pot....

A couple of weeks ago, Jack raced at Winston Speedway for the first time this season. I believe the story goes... he was passing for 1st in his heat race and the motor blew up!

Here's a picture of this years car.

This is a couple of days later, Jack has all the motor parts laid out before him, examining the damage!

What's those round things called? Ummm... I'm not sure but this is what their supposed to look like.

Here's one from the motor...

And yet another one... Oh, they're pistons! I just asked Jack!

Anyhoo, they're not supposed to be all chewed up like this! :-)

And this is called a 'cam' (?) It's supposed to be one piece, not two!

The block is also ruined and chewed up and while he was working on it in the garage, I got to eyeing it and thought it would make a fabulous flower pot! I think it would be sort of ironic, his dirty, icky, blown up motor... with my pretty, dainty and girly flowers planted in it! The perfect example of the 2 of us! LOL!

So that's the plan! When we return from China, we're going to put the motor block in front of the garage and I'm going to plant flowers in it! That will be another post!

Now just to let you all know... any avid racer has a spare! So Jack was back on the track this last weekend and got 4th in the feature! Yeah! Not bad for an actual first feature race this year! He's racing this Saturday and I'm skipping Covenant Couples to go cheer him on! Then he'll have to set out a couple of weeks while we're in China. We return July 3rd and of course there's a big race for the 4th of July. Will Jack be there? Stay tuned.....

Ei Yi Yi!!!!

I know I've been gone and trust me, I've been hearing about it! With Jacen and Jory both playing baseball, our evenings are quite busy and I just haven't had time to get on here.
We are leaving! We go our final confirmation of travel dates last Monday evening. So Tuesday I spoke with our travel agent and got an itinerary nailed down. We were set to leave on June 19th. About 9 PM on Tuesday night, our travel coordinator with our agency called to okay our travel plans. So first thing on Wednesday AM, I emailed our Travel Agent and told him to book the flights! Wow!
About 10 minutes later, our travel Coodinator called to say that he had run the dates past our agency rep in China and apparently Guangdong Pr. has implemented new rules that adoptive parents must be in China 5 days prior. So now we're leaving on the 17th! Can you believe it? After 3 years we're finally leaving... in 9 days!
The reality is starting to hit home and I can go from calm/normal to hysterical/freaking out in about 1.5 seconds. Mostly I'm worried about saying good bye to my 3 boys and what this is going to do to their life. The other thing I worry most about is if we're doing the right thing for Jia. She's just going to be devastated when her world is turned up side down.
Then there's the travel! You must know that we don't travel. We have been the to Bahama's a couple of times, but with a large group. Never alone. Our itinerary has us leaving KCI Wednesday, that's okay. Then we change planes in Minneapolis... still doing okay. After that we must switch again in Tokyo. Yes, that's Japan. Now I'm freaking out a bit. From Tokyo we travel on to Hong Kong and since we have to get there early now, we're spending the extra time in Hong Kong. That sort of blows my mind. Next week I'll be in Hong Kong hanging out until I go onto mainland China. We'll be in HK the night of the 18th, all day 19th and 20th and on the 21st we'll travel on to Guangzhou.
The 22nd is the day we'll get Jia! By the time you get up on Monday, we'll have already had her for a few hours and hopefully you'll be able to wake up to new photo's! Then we just sort of hang out in China until our Consulate appt. on June 30th. We'll have some paperwork to do and medical exams and such, but mostly just spending time with her and bonding. We'll be able to pick up her Visa on July 1st. Leave GZ for HK on July 2nd and fly home on July 3rd!
So that's your update! I haven't even began to pack and we have 4 ballgames this week! Jacen's 2 games are each over an hour away! Tuesday night Jadeth gets introduced to the school board as a National participant in FCCLA Star Events. He leaves for Nashville for a week in July.
Crazy stuff at our home! I still can't let myself think about it or I'm unable to hold it together. Prayers would be very much appreciated! We're also going to miss some great things with our church, but it's only temporary. Please begin to pray for God to prepare Miss Jia's heart. She's going to be so afraid, it breaks my heart.
I'll try to update again soon!
JMS

Walk A Mile In Baby's Booties

A Different Perspective
Immense Loss; Walk a Mile in Baby’s Booties

Imagine for a moment… You have met the person you've dreamed about all your life. He has every quality that you desire in a spouse. You plan for the wedding, enjoying every free moment with your fiancée. You love his touch, his smell, the way he looks into your eyes. For the first time in your life, you understand what is meant by "soul mate," for this person understands you in a way that no one else does. Your heart beats in rhythm with his. Your emotions are intimately tied to his every joy, his every sorrow. The wedding comes. It is a happy celebration, but the best part is that you are finally the wife of this wonderful man. You fall asleep that night, exhausted from the day's events, but relaxed and joyful in the knowledge that you are next to the person who loves you more than anyone in the world…the person who will be with you for the rest of your life. The next morning you wake up, nestled in your partner's arms. You open your eyes and immediately look for his face. But IT'S NOT HIM! You are in the arms of another man. You recoil in horror. Who is this man? Where is your beloved? You ask questions of the new man, but it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't understand you. You search every room in the house, calling and calling for your husband. The new guy follows you around, trying to hug you, pat you on the back,...even trying to stroke your arm, acting like everything is okay. But you know that nothing is okay. Your beloved is gone. Where is he? Will he return? When? What has happened to him? Weeks pass. You cry and cry over the loss of your beloved. Sometimes you ache silently, in shock over what has happened. The new guy tries to comfort you. You appreciate his attempts, but he doesn't speak your language-either verbally or emotionally. He doesn't seem to realize the terrible thing that has happened...that your sweetheart is gone. You find it difficult to sleep. The new guy tries to comfort you at bedtime with soft words and gentle touches, but you avoid him, preferring to sleep alone, away from him and any intimate words or contact. Months later, you still ache for your beloved, but gradually you are learning to trust this new guy. He's finally learned that you like your coffee black, not doctored up with cream and sugar. Although you still don't understand his bedtime songs, you like the lilt of his voice and take some comfort in it. More time passes. One morning, you wake up to find a full suitcase sitting next to the front door. You try to ask him about it, but he just takes you by the hand and leads you to the car. You drive and drive and drive. Nothing is familiar. Where are you? Where is he taking you? You pull up to a large building. He leads you to an elevator and up to a room filled with people. Many are crying. Some are ecstatic with joy. You are confused. And worried. The man leads you over to the corner. Another man opens his arms and sweeps you up in an embrace. He rubs your back and kisses your cheeks, obviously thrilled to see you. You are anything but thrilled to see him. Who in the world is he? Where is your beloved? You reach for the man who brought you, but he just smiles (although he seems to be tearing up, which concerns you), pats you on the back, and puts your hand in the hands of the new guy. The new guy picks up your suitcase and leads you to the door. The familiar face starts openly crying, waving and waving as the elevator doors close on you and the new guy. The new guy drives you to an airport and you follow him, not knowing what else to do. Sometimes you cry, but then the new guy tries to make you smile, so you grin back, wanting to "get along." You board a plane. The flight is long. You sleep a lot, wanting to mentally escape from the situation. Hours later, the plane touches down. The new guy is very excited and leads you into the airport where dozens of people are there to greet you. Light bulbs flash as your photo is taken again and again. The new guy takes you to another guy who hugs you. Who is this one? You smile at him. Then you are taken to another man who pats your back and kisses your cheek. Then yet another fellow gives you a big hug and messes your hair. Finally, someone (which guy is this?) pulls you into his arms with the biggest hug you've ever had. He kisses you all over your cheeks and croons to you in some language you've never heard before. He leads you to a car and drives you to another location. Everything here looks different. The climate is not what you're used to. The smells are strange. Nothing tastes familiar, except for the black coffee. You wonder if someone told him that you like your coffee black. You find it nearly impossible to sleep. Sometimes you lie in bed for hours, staring into the blackness, furious with your husband for leaving you, yet aching from the loss. The new guy checks on you. He seems concerned and tries to comfort you with soft words and a mug of warm milk. You turn away, pretending to go to asleep. People come to the house. You can feel the anxiety start to bubble over as you look into the faces of all the new people. You tightly grasp the new guy's hand. He pulls you closer. People smile and nudge one other, marveling at how quickly you've fallen in love. Strangers reach for you, wanting to be a part of the happiness. Each time a man hugs you, you wonder if he will be the one to take you away. Just in case, you keep your suitcase packed and ready. Although the man at this house is nice and you're hanging on for dear life, you've learned from experience that men come and go, so you just wait in expectation for the next one to come along. Each morning, the new guy hands you a cup of coffee and looks at you expectantly. A couple of times the pain and anger for your husband is so great that you lash out, sending hot coffee across the room, causing the new guy to yelp in pain. He just looks at you, bewildered. But most of the time you calmly take the cup. You give him a smile. And wait. And wait. And wait. --Written by Cynthia Hockman-Chupp, analogy courtesy of Dr. Kali Miller

A Piece Of My Heart

Okay, I just got the email from my fabulous China Coordinator! Our dates are confirmed! We must be in China June 21st, so she said we need to leave no later than June 19th! Our Consulate Appointment is June 30th and back home on July 2nd.
I just wanted to take a moment and tell you how my heart is overflowing. I am at times unable to wrap my mind around how incredibly blessed I am. Now is one of those times.
There's a guy at church who gives me a new random question each week that I must search out the answer to. I love digging in my bible and learning something new. Well this weeks question was "When Jesus walked on the water and calmed the storm, what happened to the boat"?
I've been reading the account in Matthew where Peter walks out to meet Jesus on the water. What must it be like to take that first step out in faith? What did it take for Peter to be able to do that? Was he courageous? Was his faith that strong? Was he terrified?
Was Jesus interested in whether or not Peter made it to him, or that he stepped out of the boat to begin with? Was Jesus interested in where Peter had been, or where he was going? Was Jesus more interested in how far Peter made it or in the journey that he took?
What did Peter learn from that experience? Did his faith grow? Did he realize he could do anything with the power of Christ? Was he overjoyed at his ability to make the journey?
I ask myself these same question regarding my journey to a daughter that God had planned for me from the foundation of the Earth. Is Jesus pleased with my journey? Did my faith grow? Was I courageous and able to step out in faith? Did I trust His Word? Did I forget His promises? Did I feel at times like He had failed me? Did I realize when great things happened that I can do all things through Him? Did I recognize the mountains He moved on my behalf? What did I learn from the journey?
I look back over 3 years ago at who I was, where I was in my faith, in my marriage, in my friendships.... I can honestly say I am not the same person I was. I look back at all the people, the events, the places, the twists and turns God put in my path guiding me to where I am today. I look back in awe and how I got to where I am today. I can truly tell you that God has led me here. This is not somewhere my little finite brain could take me. My brain 7 years ago was saying "you're turning 30, buy a mustang, get a job that will take you places and make you money, be somebody important..." I am someone important to many people and I am going to be someone important to my daughter. I'm so thankful that God's thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are not my ways. What He had in store for me was so much better than I could have ever planned for myself. I'm forever grateful for this Journey To Jia!
Let me tell you that if you don't know this God, my God... you are missing out. He is a father to the fatherless. It is He that has been loving and caring for my daughter until He's places her in my arms to take care of for Him. It is Him, that I will tell her led me to her, across many miles, waters and borders... He placed her in my heart and soon He will place her in my arms. He is gracious and His mercies are new every morning. His thoughts toward us are so many that if we were to try and count them, we could not. He loved you, and me, so much, that He sent His only Son to die in our place. Have you ever experienced such love from another?

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips!

Psalm 63:3-5

Eternally His and Unconditionally Surrendered... JMS