Priceless Moments ~

You can't plan for them, you can't set them up, they just happen.

This morning, Jon was getting dress for school, Natalie was lounging in our bed and I was desperately trying to go back to sleep (yeah, right). Natalie bounced up and said "I love Mommy! I love Daddy! Family hug!" With tears in our eyes, we shared a very tender moment. THIS is what it is all about!!!!!! What a great way to start the day!

Where were you 2 years ago!

I can tell where Jon and I were, we were pacing back and forth trying to stay calm. We received an e-mail from our China adoption agency that they were expecting our groups referrals, that they were on route to their office but had gotten LOST! How can a truck get lost?!? Haven't they ever heard of GPS??? Anyway, I digress. The truck finally made it to the agency, now we just had to wait until they got everyone's referral organized and wait for our call!

The Stork Has Arrived! If you have received this email we are pleased to announce that we have received your referral! Congratulations!

We are EXTREMELY busy getting everything prepared to call you (sorting referrals, scanning your pictures, etc!) So, that all of you will get your referral call as soon as possible! We plan to call everyone today!

We appreciate your cooperation and we ask you to refrain from calling or e-mailing us as it slows our processing. We are working as quickly as we can to bring your referral to you! We thank ALL of you for your continued patience and support!

Congratulations and we look forward to calling you soon!


Ours was one of the first calls made (Thank GOD!)

This is a picture of "Our CALL!" Krista from our agency is on the phone with Jon and I, telling us about our DAUGHTER! If you look closely, you can see Natalie's information in her hand.

Jon and I were beyond words! Our daughter was perfect! She was, and still is, the joy of our lives. Here are the first pictures we saw of our sweet, sweet angel.

I'm living with a little old Chinese lady ~

We have always said that Natalie seemed too old for her years and now I am convinced of it! She is possessed by a little old Chinese lady!!! You know the ones I mean....they lurk around adoptive families in China and chastise you for exposing your newest child to the elements without the many layers of clothing they deem appropriate! They cluck their tongues, poke and prod, and shake their heads in disapproval. Well.....I have a pint-sized version living in our home! When Natalie decides that something needs doing (by Mommy), she will not rest until it is done and done to HER satisfaction. She inspects everything I do, watching my every move and if I dare to do something other than what she wants, she will take ahold on my clothing and lead me back to HER task. Only when I have completed what she wants, can I go on to another chore. She 'helps' me with dishes, she oversees my cooking, she even makes sure that I use the potty correctly! I just want to know......is there a Chinese word for "Yenta"?

Here's Natalie showing Grandma how to do dishes the right way......

The Christmas that almost wasn't

It has been so insane here for the last few weeks, I began to wonder if we would ever have a Christmas together as a family. Where do I begin? OK, at the beginning....

On Tuesday, 12/11 Jon's grandparents flew down to Florida to spend the winter at their Port Richey home. When their plane landed, grandpa collapsed and the flight crew had to perform CPR. He was transported to a nearby hospital, with grandma in tow. Thank God he stabilized, though they did about every test that they could think of to find a cause.

When we found out what had happened, Jon's mom, Natalie and I caught the quickest flight we could to Tampa. We arrived at the hospital around 1 am on Thursday morning. Grandpa was released on Sunday morning. And after some long and heated conversations, he agreed to come back home to MI. Now we had to try and find a flight that would have oxygen on board for him. Not an easy task.



We got a flight on Friday, 12/21. Jon picked us up at the airport and we drove across state to take his grandparents home. Jon's mom stayed with them, to get everyone settled in. I finally laid my head down in my own bed at midnight. Saturday was a blur. Sunday we picked up Jon's mom and took her home.

Now it is Monday, Christmas Eve! No tree, cards still on the coffee table, what gifts I have are still unwrapped. Jon and I decided that we were not buying for each other this year. Jon was still on the fence about getting a tree, but I whined about Christmas not being Christmas without a tree and how Natalie was old enough to really enjoy a tree. So, he relented and we set out to find a live tree on Christmas Eve. HA!!!! Easier said than done! Everywhere was closed. So we headed to the nearest WallyWorld. I thought that we might find a fresh one there. But again, no dice. We decided on a small artificial tree. I guess a tree is a tree is a tree. Well, when all was said and done, it looked adorable!


Natalie was as happy with this tiny tree as she would have been with a huge, live one. Ah, viewing life through the eyes of a child! I had forgotten the wonderous joy of Christmas. We went to Christmas Eve mass, which was beautiful. Sometime during the hectic evening, I came to realize that this was what Christmas was supposed to be about........rejoicing in Christ's birth, giving thanks for family and marvelling in the mysteries of life and love. Not the amount of gifts, the size of the tree or who got what from whom. I thank God for the opportunity to be with my dear family.


Christmas day was spent with Jon's mom. It was a relaxed, laidback kind of day. And it was wonderful!


On a side note, when we were in Florida. I was able to call one of our good friends, Michele, from our adoption travel group. She lives in Florida and she was able to get a hold of another Florida family from our group and we got together for a little impromptu mini-reunion. It was so nice to see our friends again. The girls have grown so much since we last saw them in June. It was amazing how much a child can change in 6 months!

Christmas Angel!

Here is our Christmas Angel! Natalie is the light of our lives and we thank God everyday for bringing her into our family.