tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30370634606146418672012-02-06T06:31:13.484-06:00I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, "You are my servant", I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." Isaiah 41: 9-10Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.comBlogger881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-24485210743155964952007-12-14T19:45:00.000-06:002007-12-14T19:58:32.361-06:00

I have decided to make my life a little easier, and just post to one blog, rather than to two. Since Janelle MinMin is home (and washing dishes right now, after asking Why? she has to do them tonight) I'm going to only post to my family blog. You are all invited to check that blog for news of MinMin, as well as our other 6 kids. Please check in often, and continue to leave comments when you

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-30038637512675045302007-12-11T22:03:00.001-06:002007-12-11T22:11:13.757-06:00

MinMin is 13 today! I think that she had a good day. It is not always easy to understand just how she is feeling about things. She seemed a bit unsure that all of the gifts were for her, and was reluctant to open them at first, but little brother and sister were quite eager and willing to show her how to tear into the paper! She did tell me thank you a number of times.A few friends dropped by

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-53333975375157878992007-12-11T21:57:00.000-06:002007-12-11T22:03:07.334-06:00

We went to our local Chinese restaurant for lunch today in honor of MinMin. Now, in Mexico you don't expect to find a great Chinese lunch, but the people who run this little restaurant are actually from Guangdong Province, the same one that MinMin is from.

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-39986136207225572052007-12-11T12:01:00.000-06:002007-12-11T21:57:31.756-06:00

Friends came over tonight and we made pizza. MinMin was embarassed by all of the attention, but enjoyed herself anyway!

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-17938290541438880192007-12-09T14:45:00.000-06:002007-12-09T15:19:48.192-06:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-8924743139510567252007-12-06T20:42:00.000-06:002007-12-06T20:53:07.038-06:00

Tuesday we made our second trip to the dentist. It was quite a different visit than the first one. This time MinMin basically knew what was happening, and confidently walked in the office and sat in the chair. She didn't even need mom to go with her this time. The dentist fixed the smallest of the cavities--not wanting to scare her off this time. She plans to finish the cavity work this

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-86080661226284566432007-11-27T22:47:00.000-06:002007-11-27T22:55:52.219-06:00

I forget to take pictures now that we are home, but here are a couple taken at our Jiangxi reunion in Mississippi at the beginning of the month, and one from MinMin's first Thanksgiving Dinner.

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-6594971181065221142007-11-23T17:06:00.000-06:002007-11-23T17:34:56.630-06:00

Had this post all written the other night and it disappeared. With three kids at home again, there just hasn't been time to re-write it until now. They all just ran up to the hardware store with Richard, so I have 10 minutes. I just mopped the floor, and now I have one minute left to write.I had read ahead of time how older kids tend to follow mom around the house when first home. They just

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-65684091086892976022007-11-12T22:01:00.000-06:002007-11-12T22:41:30.754-06:00

As we sat down to lunch today, MinMin took one bite, and a tooth fell out. It was a rather large looking tooth, pretty bad looking, and I thought that she has broken a permanent tooth. I called the dentist, and made an appointment for the afternoon--which is a rare thing to be able to do. The dentist is 45 minutes away, so we set off. After a typically long wait it was our turn. I had

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-57543434298405461802007-11-11T19:49:00.000-06:002007-11-11T21:21:37.995-06:00

I've been waiting to update here, hoping to put more pictures on, but I had to save all my pics to a CD and haven't gotten them on the new computer yet. Today I tried to download the newest ones off of the camera, but something wasn't right, and they didn't transfer. Sooooooo, thought I'd write a little update in the meantime.We have been home in Mexico for four days now....and they have been

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-57857575709762086112007-10-30T08:42:00.000-05:002007-10-30T08:46:26.708-05:00

Thanks again for all your comments. I haven't figured out how to reply directly to the person who comments so I'll reply here to a couple. The music on the blog is found at: http://songsofpraise.org/song.php?songid=363Feel free to share this blog with anyone adopting an older child. I learned so much about what to expect from reading other blogs, and hope that someone might learn something

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-72663925463807659782007-10-29T06:25:00.000-05:002007-10-29T06:28:51.201-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-27924057801098635862007-10-29T06:20:00.000-05:002007-10-29T06:25:47.454-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-32697045346962661582007-10-29T06:16:00.000-05:002007-10-29T06:20:27.551-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-14864248485700798452007-10-29T05:22:00.000-05:002007-10-29T05:41:29.053-05:00

It has been a quick 5 days back in the States. Has it really been five days?? Jet lag still has me in a fog at times. I wake up everymorning between 3:00 and 4:00, stay awake for a couple of hours, then sleep again until 8:00 or 9:00. It is nice that we are still at my folks house, because my mom fixes breakfast for the kids long before I join them. Richard wakes up early as well, but

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-49489856860116376872007-10-24T15:45:00.000-05:002007-10-24T16:17:22.415-05:00

Tuesday morning Richard and I were up early, ready to get going. As usual, it was a bit of a challenge to get MinMin up and ready to go. She just didn't want to get out of the warm bed. We ran up to the corner to McDonal's for breakfast--hot cakes were pretty yummy--just couldn't handle more noodles. Our driver picked us up at 9:00, and we were off! About half way to the airport, MinMin

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-29550975675552782722007-10-22T08:31:00.000-05:002007-10-22T08:48:43.715-05:00

MinMin is a typical teenager, in that she doesn't like to get up early, and is not a morning person. It takes a couple of hours in the morning before we see a smile.This morning was no different, and our pictures in downtown Beijing, in front of the Forbidden City are in the "no smile zone". We had wanted to walk through Tiananamen Square, but it was all closed off today, and surrounded by

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-20366640321748832152007-10-22T08:27:00.000-05:002007-10-22T08:31:16.957-05:00

First I'll just post this short message because the internet is not working very well tonight. We keep loosing our connection. We leave here in just under 12 hours to head to the airport. Our flight leave tomorrow at noon, arriving in Missouri 18 hours later. So, that actually means that we leave at midnight Monday night for those in central time, arriving at 6:00pm in Springfield, MO. We

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-58398018785810342412007-10-21T07:26:00.000-05:002007-10-21T07:50:14.706-05:00

Today started of pretty iffy. We had to meet our guide downstairs at 8:00 for our Great Wall Tour, so that meant that we had to wake up MinMin before she was ready. That is never a good idea. It also meant that we had to hurry through breakfast, as we were moving to a hotel across the street that had internet access. So, by 8:00, we were finally in the van with one not very happy girl. The

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-13058369361403145312007-10-21T07:18:00.000-05:002007-10-21T07:26:07.046-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-28481393209499134482007-10-21T07:11:00.000-05:002007-10-21T07:14:03.872-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-80109797710145906732007-10-21T07:01:00.000-05:002007-10-21T07:11:07.382-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-2146066955309003252007-10-21T06:30:00.000-05:002007-10-21T07:01:40.208-05:00

I know that many are wondering if MinMin changed clothes for the consulate appointment on Friday. Well....she did and she didn't. I laid out nice clothes for her, and both Richard and I put on nicer clothes. She folded up the clothes, put them in her suitcase, and got out the regulars. We got the others back out and laid them back on the bed. Since she had been sullen all morning, we decided

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-35224659965758044982007-10-18T09:32:00.000-05:002007-10-18T09:54:52.654-05:00

We just returned from dinner with our friend, Ping. Richard met Ping online before we came for LiAnne, and we then were able to meet him here in Guangzhou. This is the third time now that we have been able to visit with him, and we chat with him online throughout the year. He invited us to dinner tonight, and then to his home, where he lives with his aunt.Ping is an only child, but he would

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-83779602296028601362007-10-18T03:54:00.000-05:002007-10-18T04:13:12.283-05:00

We had an uneventful train ride through the night and are back in Guangzhou. We are staying in a hotel just across the river from the White Swan. We waited in our room this morning while Connie was at our consulate appointment. She called at 11:15 to let us know that there were no questions, and that our paperwork passed. That was good news. It is weird walking around Shaiman Island---almost

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-2080774989612476992007-10-17T04:44:00.000-05:002007-10-17T04:59:09.630-05:00

We did very little today. It was a nice change from the busy days we have had. I can tell that a few things will have to change when we get home. :) MinMin has taken a liking to my new laptop. I let her watch a DVD on it today, but then she didn't want to give it back to me to use. She has just been chatting with our friend, Ping, who wrote to her in Chinese. She thought that was fun. It

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-16023848686250446702007-10-16T19:05:00.000-05:002007-10-16T19:09:31.743-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-18425382611824007012007-10-16T19:01:00.000-05:002007-10-16T19:05:41.380-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-35440932904152925862007-10-16T18:55:00.001-05:002007-10-16T19:01:42.652-05:00

I've been trying to post pictures for hours, but Blogger is not cooperating! I'll try again for those who have written and asked where the pics are!

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-74590427130799499102007-10-16T08:09:00.000-05:002007-10-16T08:53:07.243-05:00

......to my Dad and Mom. And thanks for taking care of the kids. It is so nice to call home and to know that they are happy and being cared for. What better way to spend your anniversary than to be taking care of two such cute little grandkids!

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-9175784704371515242007-10-16T07:05:00.000-05:002007-10-16T07:11:49.372-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-75526815092512760702007-10-16T06:24:00.000-05:002007-10-16T06:49:45.591-05:00

It has been an eventful day, and we enjoyed it very much. MinMin had a pretty good day, though there were times that she didn't really want to cooperate. Of course, when you end up with these crazy, American parents who want to take pictures every few minutes, I can see why you might not want to cooperate. If I motion for her to stand by me for Richard to take a picture I often get a scowl,

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-17566599400323628572007-10-15T05:29:00.000-05:002007-10-15T05:35:04.118-05:00

Shopping and duck dinner pics

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-80994031930599466782007-10-15T04:52:00.000-05:002007-10-15T05:25:16.112-05:00

We've had another good day, though I sure want to go home. I feel like I have been in China forever, and want to have a big plate of spaghetti or bowl of stew! And bread--I don't eat that much bread at home, but it sure sounds good now. I sure miss my kiddos, and it is very nice to have the web cam and yahoo messenger to be able to talk to them and see them. They are doing great--better than

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-33561426685227028002007-10-14T05:33:00.000-05:002007-10-14T06:05:12.896-05:00

After a late computer night, MinMin slept in this morning. In the meantime, Richard and I worked out plans for what we would do this week. First, we decided that we would stay here in Guilin, and only travel to Yongshuo for a day trip. Next we decided to find a nicer hotel here. Richard went out early, and checked out a few hotels nearby, and found one just one block down the street. Once

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-88130626047591977282007-10-14T05:25:00.000-05:002007-10-14T05:33:36.982-05:00

Saturday night MinMin and Richard stayed up quite late chatting with Caleb and his family on the web cam. Caleb was very silly, and had funny faces, hats, ears, and such that he can put on over his face on the web cam. MinMin thought that was soooo funny. She seems to enjoy seeing the grandsons and granddaughter on the web cam, too. Of course, she has no idea where he lives, or what time it

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-62760634977447031032007-10-13T04:08:00.000-05:002007-10-13T04:13:53.717-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-64228079861780146792007-10-13T03:59:00.000-05:002007-10-13T04:06:58.341-05:00

We also stopped by the silk factory today. It was the stop I found most interesting. We saw how they took the cocoons, opened them up, stretched them out, stretched them some more, and eventually made them into silk quilts or comforters. I thought it was pretty interesting, and even got to help stretch one layer of a quilt they were making. It takes about 8,000 double cocoons to make one

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-31730925269226675172007-10-13T03:41:00.000-05:002007-10-13T03:59:05.490-05:00

We had a good day today. We started by meeting Nancy downstairs at 9:30 to go to the Reed Flute Cave. MinMin had never been in a cave before, and she thought that was fun. Richard has been letting her take pictures with the camera, and she took lots in the cave. We had just started through the cave and Nancy met another guide who she knew. He had a family from Indonesia with him. The

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-28882421498948979772007-10-12T03:14:00.000-05:002007-10-12T03:18:31.013-05:00

MinMin just came to me and wanted help getting the water the right temperature for a shower. She actually looked me right in the face and talked to me! I consider that quite a break through! She was so pleased that her own clothes are dry, and she wants to put them on. That is fine by me. We are going out to dinner at Nancy's in a bit, and she knows that, so she wants to be ready.Mom, I

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-88734623452753964162007-10-12T02:01:00.001-05:002007-10-12T03:03:41.758-05:00

I almost forgot to post the pictures....what you all have been waiting for. No smiles yet, but at least she let us take a couple. Before she always hid from the camera.

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-68225733593928323592007-10-12T01:31:00.000-05:002007-10-12T01:48:12.919-05:00

I think that we have the beginnings of a new girl on our hands!Our friend, Nancy, met us at our hotel this morning, and we headed out shopping. First stop was the eye doctor. MinMin's eyes were tested, and she did need glasses for nearsightedness. She tried on a number of frames, and finally found one that she liked. While there, Richard checked on having his glasses remade, as his have

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-13862585334917468082007-10-12T01:16:00.000-05:002007-10-12T01:31:32.524-05:00

Thursday morning, and MinMin headed straight from bed to the bathroom. I didn't have a chance to hand her any new clothes to put on first. Once in the bathroom for awhile, I heard the hair dryer. I had a feeling that she was trying to dry her clothes, and I was right. I knocked on the door, and she opened it, and she did have her old clothes on, even though they were still wet. I gave her

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-64318590511319263402007-10-11T18:42:00.000-05:002007-10-11T18:48:28.927-05:00

Good Morning! I know some are a bit worried because I didn't post last night. Just a quick post right now, then more later.We had planned to spend the week in Shenzhen, visitng the orphanage and the city, but decided that we needed to make other plans. We got permission yesterday morning to leave the province and go to Guilin, a tourist city in the next province. So....we took the night train

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-85790160067124866382007-10-10T09:07:00.000-05:002007-10-10T09:48:14.991-05:00

Today definately was a day of forward steps. We all went down to breakfast together, and MinMin ate two big plates of food. We then walked around the island for a bit, until she got a bit weepy, so we returned to the room. Later we ate noodles in the room, and got ready to go to the police station to apply for her passport in the afternoon. We didn't have any chopsticks to eat the noodles with,

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-21590951028816262432007-10-09T22:03:00.000-05:002007-10-09T22:14:46.640-05:00

Today started off much better. I used babelfish to tell MinMin that we were going downstairs to breakfast. She came willingly, and ate two big plates of food. First food in two days. We then walked around the island, and she held my hand as we walked ( I didn't want her to run away. lol) We dropped off some laundry at Sherry's Place, then went into another store to shop. I wanted to buy her

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-76192844980013876712007-10-09T08:04:00.000-05:002007-10-09T08:08:35.891-05:00

It has been amazing to get emails and blog comments from so many of you, letting us know that you are praying for us. Many from friends, and many from people I know only from adoption lists, others who just stumbled upon our blog. A great big THANK YOU to each of you. I don't have time right now to write to each of you, but know that your encouragement and prayers are a huge encouragement to

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-37744755197569147672007-10-09T05:38:00.000-05:002007-10-09T05:49:32.346-05:00

We think that we have the first little break......It has been another long afternoon of crying, no, more like wailing. Richard was getting desperate, and began trying to get her attention by being silly with her, to no avail. He then took the digital camera and handed it to her and had her take a couple of pictures. She actually took a couple. It was the first response that we had seen from

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-61680992633675840722007-10-08T14:46:00.001-05:002007-10-09T00:09:23.521-05:00

We did the adoption paperwork this morning, and Janelle is officially a Kull now. Not that she is happy about it. She has cried all morning, refuses to have anything to do with us, and is just miserable. Once back in the room Richard went out to get some food, and the orphanage worker stayed with us in the room. She ran away down the hall at one point. The hotel staff are wonderful, and very

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-48798255371714687612007-10-08T14:46:00.000-05:002007-10-08T14:55:32.035-05:00

Good Morning!We have slept good so far, but always seem to wake up about this time, have a bite to eat and go back to sleep for awhile. Richard is having a piece of pizza, and I'm having a coffee.Min Min is still sleeping, and hasn't moved around much in the night. I hope that sleep will help her feel better come morning. We are doing fine. We know from stories of others that the grieving is

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-6055438258756204072007-10-08T06:46:00.000-05:002007-10-08T06:54:03.369-05:00

The crying started up again just a few minutes after Connie left. Min Min would not eat anything, and just cried harder if we tried to do anything for her......It is finally quiet around here. I tried to get MinMin to put on pj's and lay down on the bed, but she wouldn't do it. I laid a blanket down on the floor next to her with a pillow, and she laid down on it. I covered her up, put her

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-14644522667539249642007-10-08T06:00:00.000-05:002007-10-08T06:44:16.230-05:00

...and MinMin has finally stopped crying. Actually, the hotel called and asked what the problem is, so someone had complained to the desk about the crying. I called and asked our guide to talk to her. Connie talked to MinMin on the phone, then came over and talked to her again. She has finally stopped crying, at least for now. When Connie asked her if she would like anything, she asked for

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-3219475838750122392007-10-08T04:07:00.000-05:002007-10-08T04:28:03.285-05:00

We arrived at the Civil Affairs office this afternoon a bit before 2:00 to meet our guide, Connie, another couple adopting a 1 year old girl, and to meet Janelle. It was fun watching 2 or 3 other families meet their young girls--from 1 year to about 5 years old. We waited a bit, and then a young girl was brought in--crying hard. It was our first look at Janelle. She really has not stopped

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-54414941917524791582007-10-07T22:50:00.001-05:002007-10-07T22:50:55.167-05:00

Our son, Matthew, is 23 today. Hope you have a great day!Dad and Mom

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-68815003064926347212007-10-07T22:28:00.000-05:002007-10-07T22:32:38.497-05:00

I see that my countdown at the bottom of the page is wrong. It says 15 or so hours to go, but it doesn't take in the fact that we have flown half way around the world and changed time zones. I can't seem to get the code to change it over here, but just letting you know that we are down to 2 1/2 hours to go.We woke up early, got up and chatted with a few people around 3:30 our time, Sunday

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-79261788904803714682007-10-07T15:01:00.000-05:002007-10-07T15:17:59.960-05:00

Sunday morning in Hong Kong. We looked out the window of our hotel, and knew that there was no way that we could find a church out in all of those buildings, so we thought that we would just walk around in the park next door.I was waiting in the lobby as Richard ask a question at the desk, and spotted a sign that said, "Asia Christian Assembly" Ennglish church service, and pointed to a room off

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-44745490067667363572007-10-07T04:37:00.000-05:002007-10-07T04:43:01.420-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-78492959328336304242007-10-07T04:12:00.000-05:002007-10-07T04:43:23.273-05:00

We had a good visit in Hong Kong. The city was big 30+ years ago when I first visited---it is bigger now! The tall apartment buildings just go on and on and on.We headed towards The Peak first thing Saturday morning, after sleeping until 2:30am, getting up and having coffee and a granola bar, then sleeping again until 6:00. As we rounded the corner downtown, heading towards the Star Ferry to

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-57105275297158410332007-10-07T04:05:00.000-05:002007-10-07T04:10:14.569-05:00

We can't complain about the flight to China this time around. We did have the last row on the small plane from Springfield to Chicago, but it was a quick flight. We got to Chicago, and had to change to a different concourse. Once we found our gate, they were already boarding, so we got right on. We had seats in the 34th row---bulkhead----so plenty of leg room, and no one in front of us to

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-56988218801536778152007-10-04T09:07:00.000-05:002007-10-04T09:12:44.395-05:00

Well, we are sitting in the Springfield airport, waiting for our flight. Dad, Mom and the kids dropped us off about 20 minutes ago. I wonder if it has penetrated the minds of the little kiddos that mom and dad are off, and won't be back for awhile. Though they know what we've been telling them for weeks, I'm not sure they really understand. I made them each a paper chain with the number of

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-28156192018814591882007-10-03T20:50:00.000-05:002007-10-03T20:51:03.477-05:00

while we are in China!

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-68654237939489651022007-10-02T12:05:00.000-05:002007-10-02T12:12:45.102-05:00

Here is what we know so far:Leave Springfield, MO Thursday, Oct. 4th,10:02am, arriving in Hong Kong Friday, Oct. 5th at 4:45pmSpend Saturday, 6th, and Sunday,7th, touring Hong KongSunday afternoon, take train to Guangzhou, check into Victory HotelMonday,Oct. 8th, 3:00pm, (Monday 2:00am Central Time) meet Janelle at the Civil Affairs office.Tuesday, 9th: Adoption paperworkWednesday, 10th: Apply

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-68852175397456485572007-09-30T14:33:00.001-05:002007-09-30T14:47:56.712-05:00

We are working on getting our tickets and plans together for travel this week. We plan to leave Thrusday morning, arriving in Hong Kong on Friday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon we will take the train up to Guangzhou, about 1 1/2 hours north, where we will check into the Victory Hotel, the same place we stayed on our first two trips. We should meet Janelle on Monday sometime. Things will

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-73549277066198195932007-09-30T12:27:00.000-05:002007-09-30T13:52:14.494-05:00

It's fun to see the visitors to this sight from other countries. I see today that we are up to 29 countries. I would love for you to leave a comment and tell me who you are. I see someone from Panama--we lived there for 6 years. Also from Bolivia--we lived there for 3 years. I know that the main "visitor" from Argentina is my daughter Lancy, who lives there, and I am the main one from Mexico

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-71790205291656466282007-09-26T13:58:00.000-05:002007-09-26T20:15:54.253-05:00

I had about given up hope for the day. It was 12:30 in Delaware, and I knew that DHL packages almost always arrived before noon. We hadn't heard anything. I was fixing lunch, resigning myself to waiting another week or two to travel because of the holiday in China. Walked by my computer, and reached down and hit gmail again, to confirm to myself we would have to wait.An "It's Here" title

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-40339046575530309732007-09-24T21:22:00.000-05:002007-09-24T21:25:54.703-05:00

On Thursday, September 20th, LiAnne celebrated her 4th birthday. Now her only question is, "When are we going to grandpa and grandma's house so you can go to China and bring home Jiang MinMin?"How do you tell a 4 year old about the wait......and that the CCAA does things in their time? Please be praying that both Taylor and LiAnne will actually be happy to have MinMin home. Sometimes reality

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-50968632729040149362007-09-21T16:42:00.000-05:002007-09-21T16:46:03.011-05:00

One agency finally got 4 TA's (travel approval) today. That gives us a glimmer of hope for Monday, as usually many TA's are sent out to various agencies about the same time. We are still planning to leave Mexico on Friday morning, heading up to Missouri, where the kids will stay with my folks. We will continue to plan on that unless we don't hear anything by Thursday.

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-3285317110099859632007-09-17T20:42:00.000-05:002007-09-17T20:43:17.269-05:00

.......with nothing new to report.

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-26295360817077880132007-09-12T14:22:00.000-05:002007-09-12T14:23:59.647-05:00

Someone asked me why I haven't posted anything new here for awhile---it's because there hasn't been anything new to post! We are still waiting for our travel approval. It has been 21 days since LOA, so it should be here any day. In the meantime, we just wait, wait, wait, wait......

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-61534529832309786382007-08-22T20:27:00.000-05:002007-08-22T20:52:37.831-05:00

It was a long morning. I knew that a package was due at our agency....I had the tracking number and was following it from China, to San Francisco, to Delaware. Then this morning there was a glitch in Delaware....incomplete address, and it was just sitting there waiting for someone to give them the full address. I was a bit worried that it might sit there for a day or two---and I wasn't ready

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-71681308918297184632007-08-20T20:09:00.000-05:002007-08-20T20:13:39.330-05:00

I was hoping for a phone call this morning, as I knew that a package was arriving at our agency....but it wasn't to be. Two phone calls were made, to the two families who had been waiting so long for their TA's. I was very glad to hear that they had that important document. They are now in the midst of making plane reservations and the myriad of details that come with TA.I was definately

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-35498113129208860182007-08-19T20:27:00.000-05:002007-08-19T20:35:39.551-05:00

We are now at the 87th day (Sunday) of our wait for our LOA. I heard this week that 83 days is average, so we have moved past the average. Tomorrow will be two weeks since the last large batch of LOA's arrived, and they do tend to come every two weeks or so, so maybe we are in for another batch to arrive this week. Two families with our agency have been waiting for TA for almost 6 weeks now,

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-61680816023729217892007-08-10T21:26:00.000-05:002007-08-10T21:30:59.059-05:00

My kids would probably laugh at me to hear that I found a poem I liked. I was the homeschool teacher/mom who skipped the poetry section year after year because I just don't get into poetry. But, I found this poem months ago and thought that it pretty much reflects how we felt about God's call on our lives to add Janelle to our family.Every call has a beginning...A quiet moment when God whispers

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-37115794110538474952007-08-09T14:09:00.000-05:002007-08-09T14:21:41.681-05:00

Here we are at day 77 of the LOA wait. Though I am not overly anxious about the wait this time around, I still find myself doing the calendar shuffle, wondering when we will travel. LOA's arrived on Monday of this week, and were received by those who were LID up until May 17th. Of course, there are always those who fall in to these dates, but are still waiting. Our LID is 7 days from the 17th

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-51328456832643644422007-07-27T21:43:00.001-05:002007-07-27T21:45:51.738-05:00

Another day of working on the house---just when I think that all of the painting is done, we find something else for me to do. Today it was the stairs going down to the basement. Checked my email when we got home and found that we had a note from our agency--the long awaited update from China. Three new pictures of Janelle, and her height and weight, as well as a note telling what she is doing.

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-27670084875995199072007-07-27T21:28:00.000-05:002007-07-27T21:30:31.204-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-9996837652343971952007-07-27T21:25:00.000-05:002007-07-27T21:27:31.559-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-90897705691760462722007-07-27T21:15:00.000-05:002007-07-27T21:21:35.480-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-52183687680440893122007-07-26T11:37:00.001-05:002007-07-26T11:45:53.495-05:00

.....but we aren't just sitting around doing nothing. Vacation this year is a little different than usual. We did spend the first week with our kids, and had a great time. The last couple of weeks have been spent ripping out carpet, painting walls and ceilings, replacing the heater, new deck, finishing the basement and.....well, you get it. We are remodeling a house here in Missouri to resell

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-1892963148822519032007-07-12T18:59:00.000-05:002007-07-12T19:28:52.866-05:00

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting. Adoptive families all know how to wait. Some patiently, some not so patiently. It's interesting to watch LOA's and TA's come---some after just 60 some days of waiting, others well into the 100+. And the frustrating thing is not knowing if you'll be on the short end of the wait, or the long end.Last year, when we were waiting for TA for Taylor, they seemed to speed

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-60274779359572415852007-07-04T23:29:00.000-05:002007-07-04T23:47:14.724-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-75393808130854462092007-06-21T14:40:00.001-05:002007-06-21T14:42:09.095-05:00

We found out last week that our dossier was logged in at the CCAA in China on May 24th. So, now we have been offically waiting for almost a month, with another couple to go until we should have our travel approval.Waiting is the hardest part.....but since we will be seeing most of our kids the first week of July, that will help things to go faster.

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-43089094340709935262007-06-12T20:37:00.000-05:002007-06-12T21:00:06.060-05:00

Our daughter, Lancy, has been accepted as a Christian missionary with Word of Life to go to Thailand! We are so excited for her, and though I would love to have her living close by, I know that it is God's will for her to venture off to the land of Thailand. She recently graduated from the Word of Life Bible Institute in Buenas Aires, Argentina. She speaks English and Spanish, does pretty well in

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-89866094817718503762007-06-10T16:14:00.001-05:002007-06-10T16:15:34.803-05:00

Janelle will be coming home to Missouri first, in order to get her American citizenship, then she will be coming home to Mexico. We are Christian missionaries in Mexico, have been here for 12 years and in Latin America for 24 years.It's hard to get our whole family together for a picture. This one was taken two years ago, before we had Taylor. The Peña de Bernal, in the background, is a huge

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-31911546951915851562007-06-10T16:09:00.000-05:002007-06-10T16:13:08.768-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-8680744139150884232007-06-02T22:57:00.002-05:002007-06-02T23:00:27.315-05:00

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-66532092132106591282007-05-28T17:15:00.000-05:002007-06-10T15:06:38.622-05:00

God has blessed us with a new grandchild today---our third. Jocelyn Annette joins big brothers Josiah and Richard.We will all be getting together in Missouri in July to celebrate the 4th together--we can hardly wait to meet her and to see her big brothers!

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037063460614641867.post-70379501327317739022007-05-28T16:03:00.000-05:002007-05-28T18:18:08.673-05:00

Every call has a beginning...A quiet moment when God whispers a promise to a mother's heartA holy place where a father bows and faithfully accepts the journey set before him.A miraculous morning that unexpectedly dawns...Casting its first light on a chosen threshold.A gentle knock...a closed door opens.A sacred invitation sent by the Father...Leads to the other side of the world.Where lonely

Starlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997520809094318559noreply@blogger.com1