2 Weeks!!

I can't believe 2 weeks from now we will be flying to Beijing! Of course, I am really, really excited but as I was looking over the flight itinerary tonight, I started to get very anxious. It's leaving the kids behind and being so far away from them that makes me nervous. I'm looking at the flights and thinking how LONG and EXHAUSTING they're going to be. Coming back to PEI is even worse. At least we will have the excitement of seeing Alyssa and Dylan and all our friends and family to perk us up!!!

Chris is working 12 hours shifts from now till we leave so I am hoping I can get everything done by myself! I think the packing should be fairly light as we are only taking shorts and tank tops. I have about 2 suitcases full of donations so I have to figure out the weight for all that.

Pray for our little Evan that God prepares his heart to meet his new mommy, daddy and big brother!

WOW, 14 days and counting!!!

What you need to know about SUNBLOCK

Okay...I've been doing a bit of research on sunblock and did you know for the last 11 years I have been using a sunblock on our children that DOES NOT protect their skin from cancer??? And most people are probably doing the same thing! I was looking up what sunblock is best to get as it's one of the things on my "china list". I read that Physical sunblocks reflect or scatter UV radiation before it reaches your skin and these physical sunblocks MUST contain either ZINC OXIDE or TITANIUM OXIDE. I have gone through all the stores in PEI and the only brand that has one of these ingredients in it is Ombrelle.

You will notice MOST sunblocks say they cover "broad spectrum" or "UVA, UVB" but this is not good enough. This only protects against very few of the harmful rays that cause skin cancer. To get full coverage, you must have the zinc or titanium oxide.

I did not know this!!! I feel so bad for not using the right sunblock all these years...and on the downside...the Ombrelle bottle cost $20.00 (for a small bottle!!).

**Thank you for all the comments on the "Need Ideas" for Evan's bedroom...I'll post about that later...you guys are awesome!

Need Ideas!!!

Well, we are down to 2 weeks! I decided I should start getting Evan's room ready (well, his half of it anyway!) So far, it's been full of donations for a couple of orphanages so last night I took everything out and now I need some help! What can I do to make it a sweet little boy area???? If anyone has a son and has pictures or ideas of his room, PLEASE leave me a comment. If you read blogs that have sons and they have bedroom pics, please let me know!

Dylan is sharing a room with Evan and his side is done in hockey stuff , cool framed photos of Dylan, sport stuff, etc...I want to try and make Evan's side more "Evan" which is hard since I don't know anything about him :-) I also want to make it "younger" for Evan. Seriously, I would love some help here!!!!

Decorating for the girls' room was a breeze...I just can't seem to find anything for a boy's room!

Tammy

Many thanks!

THANK YOU to everyone who came to our Kids Carnival and supported many, many precious children in China! We had a great turnout and the weather was actually very nice!

Now that the Carnival is over - guess what I get to concentrate on??? Packing and preparing for China - yahoo! I don't have too much left to get, just a few odds and ends but I would like to practice pack and see what weight I'm at. (well, not my weight but the suitcases!!)

I've been finding it really hard to sleep at night....this happened the last time we adopted, too. As soon as we received our referral for Alyssa and we knew we would be traveling in 4 weeks, I just couldn't rest at night. Tossing and turning and going over everything in my mind. Well, that's what's happening again. I wouldn't mind it so much except I know how tired and exhausted we will be when we come back from China! Can you believe in ONE MONTH we will be flying HOME from China with our little Evan? It's so unbelievable to me!

Still needing a single bed frame if anyone has one or knows someone with one!

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THANK YOU to all of you who offered your Air Miles! We now have enough to fly out of Charlottetown and back into Charlottetown - so now we can have all our family and friends meet us at the airport on June 27th. How exciting...thanks again everyone!!!

18 days and counting!!

I wonder how much he's changed since this photo was taken? Will we recognize him when we see him?

Silly brothers!

Sweet Caleb and Alyssa!

Catching up!

Sorry to my fellow bloggers...I haven't been able to read blogs or comment on blogs for the last week. I am hoping to get back to my "regular" blogs soon as I love to hear how families are doing and to see if anyone recieved exciting news!

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the BIG KIDS CARNIVAL - Yay! Then, when it's over I can finally concentrate on some adoption stuff - like making a list of what to pack, picking up some odds and ends for the trip, making an appointment to get Caleb's immunization shots, getting Evan's room ready (it's filled with donation stuff right now), etc...

We still need a bed for Evan - we had one for him but our little foster girl is using it now. It looks as though she may be with us for a bit so I'll need another bed...I do have a box spring and mattress so if anyone has a single bed frame for sale or for us to borrow -let me know!!

No word on Evan yet...I'm hoping when we get our "Letter" (maybe next week!) I can finally have Blessed Kids get some updated pictures and report on Evan. I have already paid them for the service but the orphanage said they wouldn't give any info out until they knew for sure we were approved to adopt him. So, the Letter will be the proof they need. After all this time I'll probably get an update on Evan the day before we leave! Just my luck...LOL!

21 days and counting......

Perspective...

There's so much I could write about...I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I don't have a spare minute to think. But, then I remind myself how close I am to my son. There are so many families waiting, waiting and still waiting so I have nothing to complain about! I'm just tired ~ perhaps a tad cranky...that's probably an understatement if you asked my husband...a lot on my mind, I guess.

I haven't been sleeping very well at all...this happened the last time we adopted, too. As soon as we knew we were traveling, I barely slept through any night for the 4 weeks before travel. I just find myself tossing and turning, anxious, excited, going over every possible scenerio in my head, imagining and dreaming about "gotcha day" - you know, the usual stuff.

Again...I have NOTHING to complain about - I'm just tired (yes, I know I mentioned this already...I'm going to bed now!)

I'm sure you've all heard but please remember Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family in your prayers tonight. A very tragic accident happened at their home and their 5 year old daughter has died. (She is adopted from China) Click here. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and devestation they are feeling right now.

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24 Days and Counting!

WOW, the time is definitely flying by. Unfortunately, we still do not have our Letter Seeking Confirmation. We had to send a document by courier to CCAA and it landed there on Monday. A stupid mistake on my part - I forget to sign one of the things in our dossier - DUH!!! How could I have missed it???? Anyway...it's been resent to CCAA and I've been told our dossier has 2 more administrative stops and then the letter will be sent to our Province. Come on Letter!

There is so much to do...I've basically thrown out my "to do" list - it's just too overwhelming to even look at it! I will be lucky if I actually get the suitcases packed and my kids situated at their Aunt and Uncle's house! Our little foster girl is still with us and she is going to be going for Respite while we are in China. Dylan and Alyssa are staying together at Chris' brother's house for the 1st week and then my Dad is coming over from NS to stay at our house with them for the 2nd week.

Chris is working as much overtime as he can so he can take time off in lieu rather than use vacation days.

I am trying to make booklets for the kids - I made these the last time we traveled to China - I did up a day by day lamanated book with information on what we would be doing that day in China along with pictures and messages from us. The boys really loved it when we were away last time and it was something they read each night before bed. So, I'm trying to do up 3 of those for Dylan, Alyssa and our foster daughter. I'm also doing up a book for Evan to have - kind of like the one I sent him in his care package. A lamanated scrapbook of our family and home, etc... I wonder if he will bring the one I made for him with him on Gotacha Day?

So, everyday life is overwhelming me with busyness so I definitely don't have time to do anything on my "dream list". We have lots of donations to take as well so I'm trying to figure out how to pack that. We are trying to pack as LITTLE as possible because last time we had WAY TOO MUCH stuff and it was really hard to cart around. At least this time it will be summer so all we need are tank tops and shorts. And, Evan is 5 so we don't need to pack a gazillion diapers, bottles, blankets, sleepers, etc...

Okay...off to make a new, more realistic list!!!!

It's already May 19th!!

FYI: MacLean's Magazine has done a story on adoptions from China and there are several photos of our family for the article. It is the May 19th Issue - in stores now. The story is about the slow down of adoptions from China and my bit is about the Waiting Child Program. I would have loved if they had expanded on the program and what a great choice it is for families but it was just a short blurb. The pictures are nice, though.


Wow, I can't believe in less than 4 weeks we will be with Evan. We received some travel information from our agency tonight and it just makes me so excited!!

We are still needing a few more Air Miles if anyone has any they might like to donate! We need about 700 more. It's very easy to pass them along to us so if you are interested, just email me and I'll tell you what to do. We had to book our flights out of Halifax, rather than Charlottetown, as it saved us $2000! But, we would still love to be able to fly into Charlottetown when we return so we can see our children, family and all our friends when we arrive!!!! If we don't fly into Charlottetown, we will have to drive 4 hours to get home (after flying for 2 days and 2 nights straight!).

BIG EVENT COMING UP....

Our charity, Two Homes One Heart, is hosting its 2nd Annual KIDS CARNIVAL on Sunday, May 25th! It will be held at Confederation Landing (Peake's Quay) in Charlottetown from 2:00-5:00 pm.

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Last year we were able to build an outdoor playground at Alyssa's orphanage with the money we raised! The children and nannies are loving the new playground and getting outside to play and interact with each other. We also bought some indoor school desks, toys and meal tables & chairs. We have chosen another orphanage to build a playground at this year so we are very excited!!! This year, part of our proceeds will also be going to Child Find PEI (read below)

Enjoy a family day full of fun carnival games (Knock the Cans, PLINKO, Spinning Wheel, Sucker Tree, Hockey Shoot-out, Bean Bag Toss, Ping Pong Toss, Dart Throw, Human Bingo, Cake Walk...), a BBQ, canteen with amazing treats (caramel popcorn, candied apples, carnival popcorn, slushie drinks, ice cream treats, etc...), clowns, face painting, CHINESE FOOD BOOTH and so much more!

This year we have invited Child Find PEI to join us to honor National Missing Children's Day which is also on May 25. Child Find will be doing "All About Me" fingerprinting kits for the kids, "Kids in the Know", safety demonstrations, and "Street Smarts" with puppets and stories!

Bracelets are $12 for unlimited fun and access to all our carnival games!

Tickets are $5/20 tickets

We hope you will help us by spreading the word - sure, put in on your blog, facebook and email it to all your friends and family!!!

See you on Sunday!

Beautiful moments....

Our family attended the Candlelight Vigil last night and what an incredibly special night it was. There were a couple of hundred people there and the Chinese community had made a huge heart with candles and inside were the numbers 5.12, representing May 12, the day of the earthquake. It was also done in candles. People formed a close circle around all the candles and we listened to stories, poems, songs and watched slide shows. It was a very tender time. All of our children were moved to tears and Caleb and Dylan had a very emotional time. Although it is difficult for them to hear and see what is happening (and yes, we do monitor what they are seeing!) it is important for them to be part of praying and honoring the people who have died and the many people who are now heartbroken from losing their loved ones.

Thank you to everyone who came out and showed their support to the Chinese community here in PEI and also to the whole country of China.

Let's continue to lift up China and the thousands of families affected in our prayers!

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

Candlelight Vigil for Earthquake Victims in China

There will be a candlelight vigil THIS Sunday, May 18 at Confederation Landing. It starts at 8:30 pm and there will be quiet music, candlelight and a photo show. We want to honor the many thousands of victims and their families and pray for healing and comfort.

Please come out and support this event. There will be donation boxes set up if people feel led to donate. All money will be given to Hong Kong Red Cross so they can assist more and more families in the earthquake area.

And the WINNER is....

Michelle Poirier!!! Caleb called her last night and she was excited!!!

Caleb sold $795 worth of tickets for Evan's orphanage! Caleb - we are so proud of you. What an amazing job and what a loving heart you have!

Thanks again to everyone who bought tickets and wrote such encouraging notes to Caleb. It really means a lot to our whole family.

I tried to upload the video but it didn't work...I'll try again later.

Congratulations MICHELLE!!!!!

LAST CHANCE FOR Wii TICKETS! The BIG DRAW is this WEDNESDAY.

I will post the video on the blog of the draw and announce the winner!!!! Thanks to all of you who have bought tickets already!!!

Click on the "Donate" button on the right hand side to pay through paypal.

All money raised will be given to Evan's orphanage.

Happy Mother's Day!

A special wish to all the new moms this year and to all the "moms to be" in the next year - an amazing day for all of you!!

Another very special "Happy Mother's Day" to my mom, Lynda! A lady who was (and still is!) a wonderful example of being a mother. No matter what, she has been an encourager, supporter and has cared about every aspect of my life and now, my childrens' lives. THANK YOU MOM!

A special treat today was the girls' dance recital. It was held at Confederation Center "mainstage" so it's a big deal for the girls as they have never performed in front of a live audience before with big spot lights, etc... The place was full so I imagine there were about 1000 people there!!! They have been practicing for weeks for this and it was adorable!!! The dance teacher (Shirley Burke) makes all the costumes and they are sweet!

Oh yeah...BIG NEWS! We cut Alyssa's hair...about 7-8 inches! We think it looks amazing on her.

Here are a few pics...

Alyssa all ready to gone on stage for dance #1 (they did 3 different songs altogether)

Dancing away....

Alyssa with her medal - in one of her costume dresses

Alyssa and daddy!

Travel Dates...

NOTE: We did NOT get our "Letter" yet but our agency is very confident so they have booked our flights as prices are climbing every day and they want to be sure we can get in with the rest of the group. There is one huge obstacle for Chris and I to overcome before we actually make it to China but that's another whole post...more later....

I can't believe I'm typing this but...our agency has booked us for June 14th for Beijing! YAY! Our "gotcha day" with Evan will be on June 16th. The countdown is really on!!!

Krista...if you want me to take a package to your Hanlin, I will! I may not be able to personally visit him but I can either mail it to him or I can maybe have Wendy's husband take it to him. We hope we can visit with Wendy's husband while in Beijing. (For those that dont' know...Wendy is a wonderful friend to our family - she is from China and her husband is still living in China for a bit longer. She has been such a great support for Alyssa and to our whole family.)

Oh my goodness...leaving on June 14! I can't believe we are actually planning and counting down the days to our sweet Evan. YaHoo! We will be returning to Charlottetown on June 27.
One of our referral pictures of Evan. What a little cutie-pie!

A small update!

First of all, THANK YOU to all of you who sent emails and left comments for us! I love it!!! It helps me so much!!

We recieved a very small update on Evan last night...the only thing we got were his newest measurements - which is great but oh, I was so hoping for a picture. Oh well, only 5 weeks until we see the "real" thing!!

So, our Evan is exactly the same height as our Alyssa (3 feet) and he has the same size feet. Actually all his measurements are on par with Alyssa (she is 8 months younger) but Evan is 7 pounds lighter than Alyssa! And we thought she was a tiny little thing!

Seriously, I can't wait to get my hands on that little boy!!!!!!!

There is hope!

Over the weekend all the families in our travel group confirmed they had received their "letters". Ours did not come. This meant our travel dates would be September/October instead of June. I was absolutely heartbroken (just ask anyone who talked to me - I broke down and cried everytime).

I talked with our agency this morning and THERE IS HOPE for June! Our agency told us a few things about what had happened BUT they also said they are booking our flights for June. See, now even typing that makes me cry! Could I actually be holding my son in 5 short weeks??????

Our agency said our letter should come in the next 2-3 weeks. But, she did say if FOR SOME REASON, it doesn't come, we will not be able to travel until September. :-(

I was dreaming of Evan last night and the moment we actually see him for the first time. He was sitting in a room and we walked up the stairs and there he was. My heart was pounding and I (of course!) was crying and the 3 of us (Chris, Caleb and I) just couldn't believe that little boy sitting there was our Evan.

I don't know a whole lot right now...but I am holding on to the sparkle of hope from our agency...I know she is booking our tickets so the Director must feel confident that our Letter will come, right?

I prayed for a miracle all night...I am almost afraid to believe it can happen!

I'll keep you posted....

Not good news...

We have gotten some bad news about our travel dates for the adoption...I'm not going to write much about it until I have more "confirmed" information from our agency. Needless to say, anyone who dares ask me how I'm doing in the next few days will get a highly emotional breakdown. Sorry!