Thursday, November 22, 2007

Doug and I




Here's a picture my brother took of us at his home (using our new camera). The cute little girl in the picture is my niece, Caity. I love the Fall colors!

Thanksgiving Fun!
























Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We had Thanksgiving at my brother, Tony's house. It was a lot of fun. My niece and nephew, Caitlin and Zach were fun to play with and we had fun taking pictures with the family and around the house. Mom came as well as my sister-in-laws mom and sister (and her two children). My sister, Stacey, came down yesterday and spent the night with us and then her husband came today. It was a good meal and we even played some music! YAY! It was fun to sing with my family again. Doug and I played outside with the beagle puppy, Josie, who was a fat little butterball (so cute). Hopefully next year, we will have baby Rebekah here for the Thanksgiving festivities! What fun that will be! I want her to grow up surrounded by loving family and friends! Oh my brother, Jason from Texas called too. It was nice to talk to him!!!!!

Monday, November 19, 2007

We have a new digital camera!!!!!!!!



Today we got a new Canon digital camera with all of the bells and whistles AND a telephoto lens! YAY!!!!! Now we have to learn how to use all of the little gadgets!
Here's some pics we took around the house of the girls! What fun! Can't wait to take some on Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 09, 2007

We Have A Piano!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!













Well, yesterday they delivered my piano! I have longed and longed for a piano for YEARS! When I lived with my parents in Halifax County a neighbor gave us his family's OLD upright piano and as much as I loved it, it was very old and VERY out of tune and in need of many many repairs. When we moved to Danville I just left it and I have missed having a piano so after spending two weeks working Intercession at my school, I took the money and bought a little Wurlitzer! Growing up in a family that played music constantly makes me want to have music around me ALL OF THE TIME! It was such a blessing to grow up like that and I want my baby to develop that love for music. I can remember many many hours singing and playing music in my family. My sister and I would even get up in the middle of the night when we couldn't sleep and take out the guitar and bass fiddle and play for HOURS! My Daddy brought us up singing in his bluegrass and country bands and I really took for granted that love for music that I enjoyed in my home. I just assumed that EVERYONE did the same thing! hahahahahahahaha
Anyhow, I am LOVING my piano and can't wait to find all of my music books now. I'm not that great at playing it, but I am sure am enjoying trying! I hope one day, our baby girl will love the piano too!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Gifts Brought To Us Straight From China!


Well, today I went back to school after being out on Fall Break for a week. As soon as I got to my classroom, the music teacher came in my room and said, "I have something for you." Now, she has spent the last few weeks IN CHINA with friends. Then she gave me some chopsticks for Doug and I to practice with AND the cutest little baby slippers! Of course I saw those little slippers and just CRIED! What a thoughtful little surprise! It just really touched my heart so much! She explained to me that she did not get them in a big store or anything in the big cities that she visited but when she visited this remote little village there was this little old Chinese man who had set up a stand and was selling his wares and THAT is where she got them! It made her think about the baby that we will adopt and she could just picture her coming from a little village like this one. The slippers are handmade and even the bottoms are a type of cloth that has been meticulously stitched by hand! What a loving little gift to give us as we wait to travel to China and get our baby girl! Thank you so much Mrs. Holt! You are so sweet to think of us during your travels!

Monday, November 05, 2007

19th LID-iversary Today!


Well, here we are again........the 5th day of the month marks our LID-iversary point. NINETEEN months and no end in sight. Yesterday the CCAA posted on their website that they have referred through December 8, 2005. We are April 5, 2006.......who the heck knows when this will happen. I think I will just stop right there because I don't have anything positive or uplifting to say. So, we wait.......

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Hallmark Ornament For This Year & "Big Girl Panties"



Today Doug and I drove down to Burlington, NC and ended up stopping by the Hallmark Store. We have a tradition that every year we buy a Hallmark ornament to add to our Christmas tree. Well this year it was Doug's turn to pick it out and when he saw this one, he knew we had to add it to our collection. This year they have ornaments from different countries and one of those countries is China. It comes with two ornaments: one is a little pagoda and one is the little Chinese girl. Gosh, I hope this will be the last holiday season without Baby Bekah. I'm serious.......this wait is just ridiculous and heartbreaking and just plain out NOT fair! Yes, I'm a little emotional tonight.........why do other people get to just pop out babies and then people who want a child to love more than life itself have to wait at the mercy of others who drag out a process that was supposed to be just 6 months???????????? On November 5, 2007 we will have been logged in to the CCAA for 19 MONTHS! That doesn't even include the 12 months before that that we filled out paperwork, authenticated forms, notarized forms, had a homestudy done by a social worker that dragged a 6 week process into 23 weeks, medical exams, immunizations, etc. It doesn't include the 2 and 1/2 years we worked with the public system to try to adopt a baby only to be overlooked time after time because we didn't have any children and were not "experienced" parents.
Oh boy.......I didn't mean to go off on tangent like that in a simple posting about a Hallmark ornament, and I've thought about backspacing and deleting it all, but it's truly how I'm feeling tonight. I love the ornament and it will look so precious on our tree this year, but I would give it all up to just hold our baby this year. THAT'S what I want most of all.......to hold our baby and be done with this whole arduous, heartbreaking, process. The other week I was talking to a dear online friend (who shares the same LID) and we were laughing at how obsessed we've become over things like ladybugs, pandas, 100 wishes quilts, etc. etc. and what it all boils down to is these are the things we have right now to focus on while we wait all of this out. Thank goodness we have met people along the way who try to encourage us, uplift us, and share in our pain, but sometimes when you sit and think too long about the pain of the wait, you can't help but feel a little down and the tears come whether you want them too or not. There's nothing else you can do. You can't MAKE the CCAA speed up, you can't fill out another form, or contact a government official, or even pay any amount of money to make your place in the proverbial "LID line" speed up. And I think that's the worst part.........you can't do anything but hang in there, suck it up, and pray pray pray that your turn will come before you lose your mind. In Cracker Barrel today there was a card that said, "Put your big girl panties on and face it." THAT'S my theme now........Please pray that things move along quicker! Oh, and enjoy the pictures of the ornament! hahahahahahahahaha

Doll From Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal



Yesterday we got our monthly goody package from our March DTC Group Secret Pals. We have had the same secret pals for many months and every single month we are amazed at what they send and how much heartfelt thought they put into it. This month the theme was Dolls and when I opened the box, inside was the prettiest little Precious Moments Doll dressed in the cutest little ladybug outfit. She even has ladybugs in her hand! She is a vinyl doll so one day baby Rebekah will be able to play with her although I might hold on to her until she is older and won't do weird things like cut her hair thinking it will grow back (oh yes, I did that to SEVERAL dolls! hahahahahahaha). She is the most angelic little doll and I personally LOVED opening the box! Did I mention that I still love dolls????? hahahahahahahaha Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal!!!! You're the best!