NiHao!!

We made it to Beijing without any problems. Unless you count a 4 year who only wanted to sleep on Mommy the whole trip. We were glad she slept, but...... not too easy on Mama!!

I don't have any pictures to post yet, but we are going to Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City today. Hope to have some pics posted tonight. We are fighting the time change. Especially Syd, she slept the best on the plane and was up at 12am and Tim finally took her downstairs at 2am. I got up about 4am and Samie is STILL sleeping.

IT IS COLD HERE!!! 18 degrees when we got here last night. We are donning the long underwear, hats and gloves for today. Hope it keeps us warm

In 12 hours....

We will be leaving the house for the airport!!!  YYIIPPEE!!  Finally, we are going to get our sweet Sierra!

Here is our Itinerary-


Dec 31: THURSDAY Wangfujin Grand Hotel
Beijing – Arrive Beijing at 4:25pm. Will be met at the airport
and check in Wangfujin Grand Hotel.

Jan 01: FRIDAY
Beijing - Tour of TianAnMen Square, Forbidden City,
Olympic Green Park. (Breakfast and Lunch included)

Jan 02: SATURDAY
Beijing - Tour of the Great Wall. (Breakfast and Lunch included)

Jan 03: SUNDAY Crowne Plaza Zhengzhou
Will be met by local guide at the airport. Check in
Crowne Plaza.

Jan 04: MONDAY
Zhengzhou – Receive your daughters at the CAB office in the morning.

Jan 05: TUESDAY
Zhengzhou - Interview with CAB have adoption registration done.
Interview with Justice Dept. have notary done.

Jan 06: WEDNESDAY
Zhengzhou – City tour.

Jan 07: THURSDAY
Zhengzhou – City tour and pick up the Notary Documents.

Jan 08: FRIDAY
Zhengzhou – Pick up baby’s passport
Fly to Guangzhou– Will be met by local guide at the airport.

Jan 09: SATURDAY White Swan Hotel
Guangzhou – Child’s medical check up, TB test, picture token and
fill out the forms.

Jan 10: SUNDAY
Guangzhou – City tour.

Jan 11: MONDAY
Guangzhou – Pick up the TB test.

Jan 12: TUESDAY
Guangzhou - Interview with U. S. Consulate at 9:00am.

Jan 13: WEDNESDAY
Guangzhou – Take the oath.

Jan 14: THURSDAY
Guangzhou – Pick up your daughter’s visa.

Jan15: FRIDAY
Fly HOME!!!!


I have decided to e-mail my posts to another adoptive Mom who volunteered to powt for me.  Thank you Donna!!

The next post will be from China, unless I can get some service in Chicago at the airport.  We will have a 4 hour lay over.


Please keep us in your prayers and also Sierra.  She will soon leave everything she knows and her life is about to change in such huge ways. Please pray for peace for her and that her heart will be opened to let us in.  Also, Sydney has been VERY clingy and whiney.  I don't know if it is this trip or not.  But please pray for peace for her also.

Thank you and

HERE WE COME SIERRA!!

Wishing All Of You A

Christmas Poem

This post is from Samie....

Christmas

The three kings

They traveled far

In the distance

They saw a star

"What does this mean?"

They wondered aloud

They crept away

Without a sound

They were chosen to see a king

Far greater than they

This king that would soon rule the world

Was now nestled in buches of hay

The angel came and said to them

"Come! Your Savior is born"

The kings were frightened but went along

And soon they were no longer forlorn

 Is this the reason of Christmas? Yes. Over the years, our world has developed many bonuses. Like Santa Claus, giving and receiving presents & much more. But my friends, please remember the reason for the season. Jesus was born to save us, just like He has and always will. Go in peace and serve the Lord. AMEN!

Merry Christmas!
Samie

Test Post

Updated-  It worked!!  It will not let me put pictures where I want, but I will still be able to post and to post pics.  I will clean it all up when we come home and I have recovered from Jet Lag!!  I guess I will need to increase the font size though!

Trying a test post by e-mail for when we are in China.  China has blogger blocked, so I will have to e-mail my posts in.  Hope this works, here goes....

Where has my little girl gone?

Last night was the Holly Ball for Samie.  It is part of a Cotillion that she is doing this year.  She fussed and fumed when we signed her up for it, but now loves it!  Hhmmm... Mom and Dad are right about somethings!!

Well, here is my baby... all grown up!

She is with her best friend Miranda, they have been friends since pre-school.

And thank you Aunt Laura for making the beautiful necklace, bracelet and earrings!!  Samie loves them!

 

Happy Birthday Mom/Mema!!

Happy Birthday to you..

Happy Birthday to you..

Happy Birthday dear Mom/Mema..

Happy Birthday to you!!

We love you more than tongue can tell!

It's been a long wait, but......

Finally, those two little letters that mean so much!!  We are trying to get a consulate appointment for Jan 12th.  That would have us leaving on the 30th!!  Just 2 weeks from today.  I will post more later, right now I am tired!  We have been celebrating my Mom's birthday.  Her birthday isn't actually until the 18th but Tim has to work that night so we celebrated tonight.

Sierra, we're coming baby!!!!

"Why Wouldn't I?"

WHY WOULDN'T YOU??

Just When I Find Something Good......

I just found out that Template Mama has closed up her shop.  I am so upset!  For those of you that are uneducated in the world of blogs- your template is your background paper, header and all the cute things on a blog.  I have found Template Mama's designs to be so easy to work with and she has had some of the cutest designs I have found.  And I REALLY need something that is easy to work with!!!! 

Now I am forced to find a new design master.  As of next month the designs Template Mama made will no longer work.  I am off to have a major pity party!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

As promised........

 

This girl loves her some turkey neck!! 

(It was cooked for the gravy  and then was supposed to go to my brother's HUGE golden retriever, but little miss grabbed it and started gnawing away!)

Our silly girls!

We're going shopping at WHAT time for Black Friday??!

And this is what I get when I ask to take a picture of her...... "but I have to look pretty Mama"!!

(Boy are we in trouble!!)

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I hate to say it, but I can't wait to get weekends over with so we can move on to possible news of our TA from China!

Computer Crash!

My computer has crashed and I am on our little netbook.  So hard to type on this little thing, but it will give me practice for when we are in China.  Hopefully the computer Dr. can fix mine right up and I don't have to be thinking about replacing it now.

And speaking of China....... No, we don't have TA (travel approval) yet, but we are getting close!  We got our Article 5 on Nov. 30th.  That is the last U.S. hurdle we have to jump through and now all of our paperwork is in China waiting for them to issue our travel approval.  How long will that take??, you ask...

Hhmm, good question!  Hopefully it will be about 2 weeks from when we got Article 5.  The average has been anywhere from 1- 4 weeks.  Our agency is telling us that if we receive our TA by the 14th, we can travel the 30th.  Of course we would love to leave sooner, but it is out of our hands and we are trying to accept God's timing in all of this!  He is ever faithful and has blessed us so much already. 

We would greatly appreciate any prayers for our upcoming travel and for Sierra to be prepared for the huge changes she is about to experience.  Even though we have adopted twice before, this time will be so different.  Samie was 9 mos and Sydney was 14 mos when we brought them home.  Yes, there were so many changes for them, but they were still so young.  Sierra is 4 1/2 yrs old and I think the changes will be so much harder on her.  So please keep her in your prayers.

Sorry I can't put up any pics.  They are all on my other computer.  Praying that we will be able to get them off of there.  I hope to get some pics on here this weekend.  If nothing else, I will take some and get some practice on downloading them to this computer and post them.  OK Mom??