Happy 6th Birthday, Amelia!

What fun we had celebrating Amelia's 6th birthday! As it turned out, her classmate and good friend, Katie, had scheduled a party on the same date at the same place. The two moms decided this was too much pressure on the rest of the parents in the class, so we opted to combine the party for one big celebration. The girls were thrilled with this plan. This year was Amelia's first to depart from a 'character' party - she opted for a pink leopard print party theme at a pottery painting shop. I can't believe my baby is six. WHERE does the time go?

Amy

Fall Fun

Good times at the pumpkin patch. I went with the Kindergarten class as a sponsor as they explored the corn maze and pumpkin patch. Have I mentioned lately that I love being AiChun's mom?

Amy

Back to school

The Chunster is loving school this year. She tells everyone recess is her favorite. Hmm, isn't the Lord funny? Recess was always my LEAST favorite thing. I am so not athletic, and I didn't love being outside. I am the person who would have loved double library time and no recess. Leave it to me to have a kid who wants to get the academics part of the day done as fast as possible so she can PLAY.

First day of Kindergarten

My baby went to Kindergarten today! I thought I would be a little sad, but instead, I felt something akin to, "Go forth and conquer." Each new milestone brings nostalgia for the days gone by, but excitement for the things ahead.

Come and play the referral game! (Really, it will be fun!)

I am officially waiting for a referral from Taiwan. It's important to wait gracefully when you are adopting, and I am the first to admit that I waited very poorly when I was in process for Amelia. I am determined to be merrier (and calmer)about the whole thing this time around - which leads to this post.

To make the “waiting” phase fun, I have decided to host a little bloggy game, and I will make it worth your time to play along!

Here’s how it will work: You select any date from today’s date to December 31 to choose when you think I will receive my referral. Whoever is closest to the right date, without going past that date, is the winner. So, for example, if you pick September 1, and someone else picks September 3, and the referral comes on September 2 (picked by nobody), then the winner would be the person who picked September 1. If, for some reason, my referral does not come by December 31, the winner will be the person who picks December 31, and we will play again in January with a new date range.

The prize: I will make a $100 donation to the adoption/orphan charity of your choice or to a family of your choice who is in the process of adopting a child (any country). If there is more than one winner (i.e., more than one person picks the same date, and that date is the winning date), I will split the prize among the winners.

How to play: Leave a comment with the date you think the referral will come. Leave the name or website of the charity or family of your choice (yes, it can be your own family if you are adopting!)

To help you narrow down your date selection, here are some “helpful” hints: I am currently sitting at #2 on the waitlist. My dossier was approved on April 29, so as of right now, I am 3+ months into the waiting phase. In March-April-May, there were several (5-7) referrals made. Those families had waited anywhere from a few weeks to a few months on the waitlist. There have been no referrals during June or July. My agency told me in June that it mights take 9-12 months for a referral (and they usually estimate conservatively), but just this week, they told me that they were hopeful to be able to make some referrals “in the fall.” So...no guarantees that it will be before the end of the year...just hopes!

Happy date-picking!

Amy

My, how the summer has flown!

I can't believe it's been Easter since I last blogged. We have been very busy, but I promise that I am going to be better about blogging. Amelia completed Pre-K with gusto, and the Pre-K class partied like it was 1999 at Chuck E. Cheese. Shortly after the end of school, we headed to Atlanta for a short get-away, and we were so thrilled to meet some cyber-friends in person. We also got to have a little beach time, which is always a good thing. Amelia had another eye surgery this summer, so she had a brief period of sunglasses and indoor activities. We said goodbye to Grandmama and Papa as they headed to Africa for a few weeks to do some mission work, and we welcomed them home when they returned. Amelia also resumed Chinese lessons and enjoyed summer ballet camp. Enjoy the summer photos!

Easter fun

A whole week of Easter fun...

Sunday - an Easter egg hunt and picnic with our church
Wednesday - A visit with the Cubbies' class to a life-size version of the empty tomb
Saturday - dying Easter eggs and hopping around the house in bunny ears
Sunday - HAPPY EASTER! Church, a family picnic, kite flying, and an egg hunt

"WHY do you search for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen."

The LORD is risen indeed! We hope you had a blessed Easter.

Amy & Amelia