Amelia's First Art Exhibition

Amelia's class had its first art exhibition. She was happy to show off her creations!

An Update Without Photos

I know...you come here to see my precious Chun-bug! However, since I have not taken the time to get the photos off the camera an onto the computer in awhile, is it okay if I promise that the last 3 months will be updated in photos at another time?

Amelia update: My girl is 6. It happened before I knew it. One day I had a baby, and now I have a big girl. Being a big girl includes thinking that your Kindergarten teacher knows wayyyy more than Mommy, becoming Mom instead of Mommy (most of the time), wanting Mom to drop you off in the car line at school (as opposed to walking you in every day like she did in Pre-K), trying out certain tones of voice that Mom finds unacceptable, and losing the first tooth. It also means asking Jesus into your heart. That's the best part about being a big girl - making big girl decisions that affect your whole life from here to eternity, literally!

This fall, Amelia has been on a soccer team (notice, I don't say "playing soccer" because that implies making actual contact with the soccer ball in a way that is meaningful to the team), she is taking ballet, she has been participating in Awana and choir, and she has been generally enjoying herself. We made the difficult decision to stop private Chinese lessons for a season. It was really hard for us to keep up with the homework and the lessons, and Amelia was not enjoying it at all. I really didn't want language lessons to become something she resented, and when I asked her which activity she wanted to stop, that was the one thing she immediately wanted to sacrifice. It did break the mama-heart in me just a little, because I don't want to be the mom that fails to give her every tool and every opportunity to embrace her Chinese heritage, but the truth is, she just isn't interested right now. I have to be okay with that.

Baby Er (that's the number two in Chinese for those who don't know) is still somewhere on the horizon. Some days that horizon seems farther away than others. Several days ago, I moved into the #1 slot on the waitlist, so that is exciting news. We could spend a week or several months in that spot. It's up to the Lord! My cyber-friend, Shanda, says the referral is coming October 21. So we shall see! I hope she's right!

Hope you are having a blessed and bountiful fall season. I love Fall...I sort of feel like God shows off in Fall...everything is just so beautiful in the fall - perfect sights, perfect sounds, perfect weather.

Amy

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