An Argument For Adopting Older Children.

I love the Love Without Boundries organization!

There are many people who say that it is wrong to adopt a child and to take him or her from the country of birth. (Ironically, the people who argue this never seem to have adopted any children themselves). This seems even more of a concern with older children who are already used to the culture and country of their birth. It is always a concern, especially with those of us who long to bring these children home with us.

In this recent post, Amy explains why it is not a negative to take an older child out of the country of their birth.

http://www.lwbcommunity.org/adoption-of-older-children

There were some things in here that I didn't know.

Back To School!

Nathan finally started back to school! He was about a week behind the other kids because of a nasty case of chickenpox or as he called them "chicken pops".

He is doing another year of preschool instead of moving onto kindergarten. His teacher recommended it because he just turned five in July. It looks like this will work out better with our trip to China since he won't fall behind if he misses a couple of weeks. Next year, he will start kindergarten with his sister!

Kudos to Daddy. I wasn't able to make it home for his first day because of the Officer shooting. :( I asked Ron to dress him cute and take photos and he did both very well!

Getting Closer!

It's time to jumpstart this blog again! We have had our dossier in China now since July 30th and it shouldn't be too much longer before we get our Letter Of Approval (LOA). Then we have the final batch of paperwork and then it is off to China! We are so hoping to get her before the end of the year.

We are starting to get all the little things around the house that we will need for two children. It makes it seems so real! We are so excited!



We have matching car seats for the Mini Cooper. There's not a lot of room back there! It makes it more real to Nathan to see places for our daughter.

Happy Birthday Nathan!

My beautiful baby boy turned five years old today! It's amazing how he keeps growing. He talks constantly now and makes jokes and sings and I just love listening to him. We are so blessed with this happy, wonderful son.

He's Gone Country

Nathan Sings ABCs.

Paperwork and Deadlines

We are working hard to get all the paperwork finished for our dossier for Ai Pei. We have our homestudy complete but are waiting for it to be typed. Our physicals are finished and our birth/marriage certificates are back.

We need to send our certificates to the state department still I think and then they go on to the Chinese Consulates.

I am concerned that we are running behind and may not meet the deadline.

I have been shopping for Ai Pei and getting things ready for her room. I can't stand the thought of not getting her!

Fu Ai Pei

We have our pre-approval!!! We are on our way to becoming Pei-Pei's family! We are so excited!



Last month we saw Ai Pei's file on the CCAA shared list. She was a little older than we were thinking for our next child but I saw that she was from Chongqing and I was intrigued. It didn't take long for us to realize she is a part of our family.

She is in an orphanage near Chongqing City which means that we were miles from her when we were in Chongqing to get Nathan! We are very excited about going back to get her!

So now I can start shopping for little girl's clothes! :)

Imagine This - Cleft Healing Home

The little smiling girl with the wild hair toward the end of the video is Lin, a girl we sponsor! I'm sure it won't be long until she is adopted.

Nathan and Kitty October 09

Happy Fall!

Nathan is back to school and he is doing better than ever! He is coming up with new sentences on his own all the time and chattering constantly. He is such a happy child (most of the time) and it is such a blessing to see him enjoying life so much.





The highlight of the season so far has been going to a riding club and getting Nathan a riding lesson. I didn't know they were going to put him on such a big horse! He wasn't afraid and had such a good time. We will be going back monthly.



We've got a camping trip coming up next month and we are busy but having a great time. We have started the paperwork for another adoption and that is always exciting and scary. Nathan tells us he wants a sister but is adamant he doesn't want a brother. I'm not sure where he got that idea but he is a ladies' man at school. :)

Road Trip!

We took Cedar and Aspen to Indiana to deliver them to their new parents. It was a long journey but the puppies did very well. Here, Cedar enjoys some snuggle time with Nathan while on the road. Nathan does very well on road trips.



Aspen got a little jealous so he had to get on Nathan's lap also.





The puppies' new parents are a lovely young couple.

Nathan 3yrs8months

Happy Spring!

We wish all our friends and loved ones a Happy Spring and hope your Easter is blessed!

Afternoon At The Park

My sister Jennell came up to visit with her boys Daniel and James. We went to Nathan's favorite playground and enjoyed the nice weather.

Nathan's First Circus

We took Nathan to the Shriner's Circus. It wasn't very mentionable as far as circuses go but, hey, it's for charity. Nathan mostly enjoyed the pony ride and the elephants. We always enjoy going out as a family.

Merry Christmas!

Our Family Dinner Photo



Passing dogs were scooped up to be in the photo and they didn't appreciate it one bit!



Our Christmas Morning Photos