Bless the Broken Road

another edition of Piper talk

2012-01-26T10:19:00.001-06:00

she's at it again - like on a daily basis....kid cracks me up (and at times makes me wanna call up my mother & totally apologize for my attitude as a wee one). So here we go - Piper's most recent thoughts

She was trying to put on socks under her leggings - I told her "it would be easier to put your socks on first". Her reply "ya, well it be easier for you ta do it for me"

At lunch yesterday "I's so cute, you take a picture with your phone and put if on Facebook?"

Last night she headed upstairs to put on some dress-up clothes & yelled down "get the camera ready"

She was a rock star at gymnastics the other night & got to ring the bell several times - I asked her after class if she had fun & she said "oh yeah..I pretty awesome at ganastics....I so beast" (and yes, that is beast)

There is a Chinese family at the gym that I have known for several years & used to coach both of their daughters (also trying to figure out how I could arrange a marriage between Pipes & their adorb son Ethan). The father hadn't seen Piper for awhile & asked when she started talking so much - she replied "I know Chinese" and then threw out a huge "Ni Hao" and other (I guess?) made-up words that did sound Chinese. She then told him "I watch Kai-Lan"

She also continues to say "I can't wait to go to China to get my sister. I so excited to not be the only Chinese in my house"

One of her favorite activities right now (I mean besides commandeering the i-touches & i-pad) is to sound out words & tell you what letter they start with. "Daddy....da..da..da... starts with a d" "Phone...fa..fa..fa... starts with an f" (ok so this one isn't right but the ph throws a lot of peeps off), "kitten..kuh..kuh..kuh...starts with a k" "tomato...tuh..tuh...tuh..starts with a t" I'm tellin' ya - baby girl is brilliant!

She is also doing a bit of math without realizing it's math - Justin & I took her to lunch one day & she said "who's missing? (she does this a lot) "there 3 of us here but 3's missing - Chloe, Coop, & Preswey...we possed to have 6"

On another note - received our 800A approval via Fed Ex today (an hour before the estimated delivery time). We will be driving it to the Sec of State today. Tomorrow, we've decided to take the kiddo's out of school & make a fun day trip to Chicago. I spoke with our agency rep today & as long as she receives our document on Monday we will be DTC on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Pres's birthday is on Thursday - amazing to think our dossier will be headed to China by that point.

approval

2012-01-25T14:12:00.002-06:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you Officer Ladd of USCIS - our I-800A application was approved yesterday after a 40 day wait. Today was our original fingerprint appt - so thankful we decided to walk-in early!

what happens now - we wait to get the document then notarize it (as a copy), certify it at Secretary of State's office, one more drive to Chicago to have it authenticated at the Consulate. Then we overnight it to our agency so they can send our dossier to China. After a couple weeks, we will get our log-in date and start waiting for our LOA which basically says China says YES!

when will we travel? No clue - hoping & praying for July.

stolen quote

2012-01-24T08:52:00.000-06:00

I totally swiped this off a friend's FB wall....

I-800A (immigration) approvals are speeding up - somebody with a receipt date 8 days before us was approved on Saturday! Here's my hopes - we leave for a little fun-n-the-sun vaca a week from Sat (huge shout-out to the grandparents staying with our kiddos!) - we really need to get this approval by February 2nd in order to get it notarized/certified/authenticated before we leave. If we happen to get it on Feb 3 & can get it to the Sec of State's office that day then technically, we could send it to a courier & have her take it to the Consulate.

I keep re-reading the above quote - it's hard to think about how our HS was delayed a month due to a DCFS error & then delayed due to a USPS error....so maybe the errors set us back because now immigration approvals have sped up? If we would have gotten our HS approved sooner then we could have waited longer for the immigration approval putting us at about the same time frame. There is a plan - I'd just like to be clued in a bit ;)

throw some glitter, make it rain

2012-01-22T22:27:00.001-06:00

UCA Midwest Cheer Championships today & Chloe's team killed it - 1st place...way to go ladies!

remember troll dolls....just sayin'

I think she needs just a bit more attitude

tick tock

heel stretch

scorpion

arabesque

pyramid

Chloe stunt groups - 1st stunt middle flyer, 2nd stunt 2nd from left, 2nd basket to go up, middle in last stunt/sequence pyramid

clifford

2012-01-19T16:33:00.006-06:00

Piper's preschool class is doing a really cool activity. Each week a different kiddo gets to bring home the "Literacy Bag" - it's chock full of books & games, a small Clifford dog, & a notebook. We were instructed to take pics of Clifford's week & write about it in the notebook. Piper had a blast...

eating breakfast together

at the chiropractor

wearing his "head weight"

hanging out at the gym

winter fun

2012-01-18T12:21:00.000-06:00

while Chloe & I were hanging out in Glitteranapolis, Justin took Coop & Piper out to play in what snow we had left. Our backyard is a complete slope - Coop found out last year that it's perfect for snowboarding. Piper showed her fearless nature & went down by herself over the Coop-made moguls.

photographers wanted

2012-01-17T19:30:00.001-06:00

Are you a photographer or do you know of one that has a heart for adoption? A new organization that celebrates adoption through photography - @Red Thread Sessions. This group of volunteer photographers offers complimentary photography sessions to new adoptive families. How cool is that?! They just got started and need volunteer photographers throughout the US, so visit their FB page or check out their website if you think you can help!
Red Thread Sessions

super nationals

2012-01-16T21:27:00.001-06:00

Chloe & I headed to Indy this weekend for a HUGE cheer competition - best of the best - over 500 teams..in other words, I spent the weekend surrounded by lots of glitter & big bows. Chloe was a rock star - she fell in the opening stunt on day 1 & bummed just doesn't even begin to describe it but she continued performing her little heart out. Always so proud of my girlie! Day 2 - she brought her A game (as did the rest of her amazing team).

It's hard to follow/know which girl is which - if you can find her in the stunts, it's easy to follow her around (I think...). She is the middle flyer (1st stunt), 2nd from left (2nd stunt), 2nd basket to go up, middle in the last stunt sequence/pyramid

snowflakes

2012-01-12T14:45:00.000-06:00

fingerprints are like snowflakes - no two are alike.

We were scheduled to get our prints taken in St Louis on January 25th - that's pretty far off....so we drove the 2.5 hrs yesterday hoping that they would take pity on us & print us early. Probs didn't hurt that we had the little with us charming her way around the joint. Driving into the Lou - pretty much no traffic. We quickly found a parking spot (for $2) & walk towards the building

We were greeted outside by a friendly security guard. Once inside, we headed toward the metal detector/X-ray area. The security guards asked us about our upcoming adoption & wished us luck. When we got into the biometrics room, I told the lady that we had an appt scheduled for later this month but would it be possible to get printed today? She smiled & said "well, I think we can do that for you - we do need to do the people with appts first but it shouldn't take too long."

About 15 minutes later, we were called back. I've had trouble with my prints in the past. They had to use the old "inking" system last time. I was diligent with the Cornhuskers lotion for the past several weeks - I even slept in gloves. This time, the lady told me I had great prints. Let's hope USCIS agrees! We were out of the office in less than an hour and now have another step crossed off our wait list - time to sit back & just wait for approval.

We went to lunch at PF Changs

So after enjoying the 50 degree days we've been having (totally not a typical Illinois winter) - this was the view off our deck today with a temp of 14 degrees. Welcome back winter - ugh

happy baby

2012-01-10T22:21:00.000-06:00

Piper & I were at the gym - I was holding the owner's baby. Sophie (13 mos) is seriously the happiest baby on the planet. My mom commented on how happy she is & then said something to Piper about her being a happy baby. Piper said "no, I was a baby & I's waiting on my mom & dad to pick me up from China" oy....add this to the "when we go to China to get my sister, don't weave me there this time, k?"

on another note - I had Sophie in the gym & a girl from the kid's school said "um, so where did you adopt her from?"

people doctor

2012-01-10T11:32:00.001-06:00

The whole fam started seeing a chiropractor - the hubs has low back issues (thanks to a herniated disc & a bit o' scoliosis), I have neck issues (as in my neck curves back the wrong way - goal is a 45 degree curve..mine is a -13). Coop gets headaches so we figure why not have him checked out - turns out he has the best spine out of all of us (way to go Coop). Chloe has a few issues - maybe from her years of gymnastics/cheer? Then there is Piper - ugh....I wanted to cry when I saw her x-rays. Her neck - it kinda sticks out at a weird angle, not really any curve & then her little head tilts back. Our chiro thinks it is probably due to the way she was positioned in the womb.

Anyway - Pipe's has great listening skills. Add that to a very curious kid & she can know tell you "my brain's in my head. I's got a spine with nerves. When my spine's good, my nerves make my body good" (thanks for feeding her curiosity Dr Johnson). She came with me to the vet. He has a model of a dog's knees & also lower spine/hips. Piper wanted the scoop so the vet told her what everything was and when he said "bones in Izzy's back" she perked up & said "um, I think you mean the spine. (like duh) I's gonna be a doctor when I all growed up. But not a animal doctor - a people doctor" She then told him where her brain was, about nerves, and how her skin covers it all. After the vet shut his gaping open mouth, he said "well Piper I think you have a good start on becoming a doctor - you know alot about anatomy." We went out to the reception area & an older man was at the counter - he commented on how cute Piper was and she then told him "and I know awot about anatomy".

That's right folks - she's got brains & beauty...watch out world

celebration?

2012-01-08T15:19:00.001-06:00

we went out with friends last night to "celebrate" (ok, not gonna lie...I'm not feeling very celebratory) our best friends moving to Memphis. We are happy for the opportunity they have been given but, man...I'm really gonna miss them! Luckily, the mom & girls will be here through the end of the school year so we still have a few months with them.

the little isn't happy when she's left out of pics

my girls - blondie on the left is the one leaving us :(

it's done....almost

2012-01-05T18:27:00.000-06:00

this my friends, is what an *almost-complete (only missing that immigration approval) China Adoption Dossier looks like....12 documents, 2 pictures of our home (front & back), 10 family pictures (don't freak out if your agency told you to submit a different number...our old agency only required 6), reference letters to be attached to home study after authentication (again, this could be different based on your agency OR if you submitted your dossier prior to October 2011), copies of our passports, and 2 passport size pictures. I also have a stack of papers for our agency that I'm not sure if they need - they had me scan & email them a bunch of paperwork so to be on the safe side I will be sending it with our dossier.

question some of you are asking - what happens now?

I'm sending (via Fed Ex thank you very much) all of this to our agency tomorrow. This way they can "begin processing our dossier" (according to the sweet Southern belle we work with) - not really sure what this means but hoping that when we get our immigration approval & go through the process of notarizing, certifying, authenticating (yep, back to Chicago) it, then overnight it to agency we can be dossier to China a bit quicker. Maybe not - jury's still out..but it can't hurt, right?

authenticating adventures

2012-01-04T18:29:00.000-06:00

we left for Chi-town at 6am this morning to make sure we would arrive at the Chinese Consulate before it opened at 9. Justin dropped me off at 8:45 & I told him I'd text him how long of a wait it would be before he unloaded the kids. When I pulled a ticket & saw I was 13th in line I told him to just wait in the car. I'm not sure how other Consulate offices work but in Chicago there are 4 windows (5 if you count the pick-up one) & you pull a ticket for either A (Chinese Nationals), B (authentication), or C (visas). There was a window for each letter & then one window that never opened. You wait for you number to be called (in my case B213) - some "waiters" took a new number being flashed as a free for all & would rush to any open window. This same "waiter" would usually then go pull a number about 10 minutes after being shot down by the window worker.

30 min into my wait B213 flashed - I hand the lady my documents (12 total - waiting for lucky 13/immigration approval) and ask if they can please process today (website says if documents are dropped off by 11am they "could be picked up at 2:00pm the same day"). She counts my documents (twice), looks through all documents to verify they are notarized & certified, and then tells me she needs a photocopy of each document (including the approx 25 page homestudy). I see a copy machine in the Consulate - copies are 10c each & it looks prehistoric but others are using it. She tells me not to use it because the "quality is bad, documents may be rejected...go to Fed Ex Kinkos". Then she smiles & says "oh and you pick everything up tomorrow after 2pm...too many documents to do today." oy

I leave Consulate to find the "Fed Ex Kinkos 2 blocks away" - after a mini-search I stumble upon the FE. Now for those of you that haven't been through a dossier authentication - you can't remove any staples so I copied each page, folding page-by-page over until the entire dossier was copied (about 40 min in a FE that was about 100 degrees). Back out to the 30 degree weather (thank you Chicago for not having normal sub-zero January temps today) & rush to the Consulate (rush as in watch out for mom's strollers, professional ladies with their suits & Uggs, boat-loads of traffic, & a bike or two). There was a couple at my lady's window so I sat to wait - couple leaves, she waves me up & another "waiter" rushes up. Luckily, my lady had my back & told her to wait her turn (or something like that but in Mandarin). She quickly fanned through my photocopies, gave me a receipt & told me she'd see me tomorrow after 2.

2 hours 30 min drive to Chinese Consulate
1 hour 45 min to turn in docs & be told to come back tomorrow
2 hours 30 min drive home (ok, so after some shopping & food)
2 hours 30 min drive back to Chicago tomorrow
2 hours 30 min drive back home

so most of you adoptive parents out there are thinking we are crazy (maybe) - yeah, we could have hired a courier....or I could have had Fed Ex make me up a postage paid envelope and then track down someplace that sells money orders (cause they don't take cash & you can only pay by Visa if you are picking up in person) to have my documents mailed back to me BUT I want the documents back in my hand asap. Plus I already had the form filled out & I was not leaving that window again

NYE

2012-01-01T19:00:00.002-06:00

last family pic of 2011, last NYE as a family of 5

so blessed to have these ladies in my life

"horns are too woud!"

"happy new year!"

St Louis?

2011-12-31T14:02:00.000-06:00

I had a plan - when we go to Chicago for our fingerprint appt...why not stop by the Chinese Consulate office & get our dossier (except that one piece we are still waiting on - immigration approval) authenticated? The docs have to be authenticated before they are 6 months old - our "oldest" doc was signed/notarized on Sept 28th...so we have awhile but let's say that our immigration approval gets held up....I really don't want to have to "redo" our dossier. But as with most things adoption - plans don't always work so well. Imagine my surprise when our fingerprint notice came today & we are not being "printed" in Chicago but in St Louis. Guess I'll just have to take a day to drive to Chicago & spend a bit of time shopping or something - darn

couple o' pics

2011-12-30T12:17:00.003-06:00

not sure how I missed adding these to my Christmas post

the kiddos with my mom & grandparents

lovin on great grandpa

celebrations

2011-12-29T11:16:00.003-06:00

busy, busy week

Tuesday, 12/20 - Piper's school Christmas.....err holiday party
Wednesday, 12/21 - kids out of school for break
Thursday, 12/22 - Christmas at my grandparents
Friday, 12/23 - Easter Seals fundraiser
Saturday, 12/24 - Christmas at our house with Justin's family
Sunday, 12/25 - Christmas with the kiddos & then Christmas at my Uncle & Aunt's house
Monday, 12/26 - Christmas at my moms

whew...

"gotta feed the reindeers Mama"

Christmas morning

"Operation Diverse Dollhouse" - success! Thanks to Ebay we have 2 Asian babies, 1 Asian "teen", and 1 AA baby

potty training

2011-12-21T07:58:00.002-06:00

Piper has been potty trained for close to 2 years - she still struggles with night time (and sometimes nap time) "accidents". She tells us "I's not gonna pee in my diaper tanight cause I a princess & princesses don't pee in diapers." and then she wakes up with a wet diaper. This morning, she woke up too early, was super grouchy, so got sent back to bed - when I let her get up 45 min later she said "Mama..you's not gonna bewieve it. I not pee in my diaper." Me "really? I'm so proud of you!" The little stood there smiling and then added "yep, my American Girl doll peed in my diaper though. Can you bewieve it?" oy

helllooo Wyoming!

2011-12-20T14:21:00.001-06:00

just a small request for my dear Wyoming friend that popped by the ol' blog last night...my friend Maria at http://catchingasecondwind.blogspot.com/ is attempting to get blog hits from all 50 states. She is missing a visit from Wyoming - so if you are that visitor from Wyoming....could you please click the link to her blog? One more time - http://catchingasecondwind.blogspot.com/ There is a whole China adoption board of us rooting her on.

On another note - anybody have a friend from New Mexico that would want to direct them to http://catchingasecondwind.blogspot.com/ ?

another Piper convo

2011-12-19T11:04:00.001-06:00

when Piper got in the car today after school, she pulled a bag of peanuts out of her coat pocket. I asked her if her teacher gave them to her

"no, Mama...I got's them from Grandma's.....you know the owder (older) Grandma. She's not owd, just owder...like I think her's 27"

chloe

2011-12-18T17:49:00.001-06:00

Chloe has had several boys basketball game to cheer for lately - their season is starting to wrap up with only 1 home game left & then we are hosting regionals this year.

besties

Chloe starts the routine in the "right side" long row, 2nd girl back..then moves to the front point....then middle flyer....then 2nd row all the way on right...moves to left side of screen front row...tumbles through the "tunnel"...flyer on the right

this past Friday night, she had the "winter luau" school dance

posing with the little

the crew minus 3

pretty girlies

Chloe & Matt - apparently when you are in 7th grade and your mom (along with your bf's mom) insist on a pic of "just the two of you" on both regular cameras & iphones it's a bit embarrassing - who would have thought?

you make me smile

2011-12-16T09:35:00.001-06:00

guess what I woke up to today......pictures! Ann at Red Thread China is ah-mazing! I ordered Pres a care package and Ann was able to get 5 new pictures & updated measurements before she even sent the package. Baby girl is growing - she's currently (22 mos old) 33.5" tall & 26 lbs. Just for a little comparison - Piper is 4 yrs, 3 mos and is 38" tall & 32 lbs. At 22 mos, Pipes was around 29" tall & 18 lbs.

Piper's comment "MAMA!!! Her's wearing a dress!"

stunning, right?!?

Piper asked "um, does her wive in a toy store?" Love the look of toal concentration on her sweet little face!

after a bit of tweaking - so.in.love.

can you believe how much her hair has grown? insert happy squeal - totally seeing ponys & hair bows in China!

"off to immigration"

2011-12-15T15:34:00.001-06:00

best email title of the day/week/month - thanks to our agency for immediately overnighting (through Fed Ex thank.you.very.much) our 800A app & home study packet. Now if somebody from CIS would throw us a bone & give us a quick fingerprinting date and then even quicker approval, it would be much appreciated.

why I now prefer Fed Ex

2011-12-15T14:08:00.000-06:00

thought we were sailin along - I overnighted our home study "packet" (HS, IL endorsement, etc) to our agency on Tuesday evening at 4:49 (according to my receipt). It was GUARANTEED to be delivered to our agency (they send our 800A app in for us) by NOON on 12/14. So where you ask was my packet at noon on 12/14 - was it at your agency in Birmingham, AL...nope, it was in Chicago, IL. When I called USPS (that's United States Piece of .....kidding, kidding) customer service the nice lady said "um, your package didn't arrive (really?!?), it's in Chicago (yes, I said that when I called you). um, I'm not sure why it's in Chicago because it's supposed to be delivered to Birmingham, AL (yes, again, that is what I said when I called you). I will have to have somebody call you back - promise, it will be before end of the business day today." USPS closes for the day & still no call - according to website, package still in Chicago. I call first thing this morning and speak with another lady (not so nice) that tells me "your package is in Chicago" I ask for a supervisor who (shocker) is busy - she will have to call me back. Supervisor calls "Ma'am, your package is at our distribution center in Chicago but somebody is looking into it." Great. I continue checking USPS website & see that at 9:19am my package arrived in Birmingham (website wasn't updated until noon though) and that my package was "guaranteed delivery by noon on 12/14" (yeah yesterday). At 12:30 the "inquiry dept" calls me "Ma'am I have great news, your package has arrived in Birmingham and is on route to your destination. Also, more great news....if you take your original receipt to your local post office & fill out form _________ we will issue a refund for the overnight shipping costs since we were unable to deliver your package by the guaranteed date." I replied (and I swear - I'm not always a nasty person but come on) "great! I wanted to let you know that the contents of my package included my adoption home study. I will be sure and let my daughter, who by the way is sitting in a Chinese orphange know that we are so sorry we were delayed in bringing her home but that she will probably be relieved to know that we got our $19 refund from the postal service."

Christmas gifts

2011-12-14T12:11:00.001-06:00

I've already wrapped & put our gifts under the tree (except Piper's "big kitchen so's me & Presawee can pway tagether") - the only ones not wrapped are Presley's. I didn't get her much (will be sending a care package this week) - a doll & an apron (to match one I got Piper). I'm not sure I can wrap them & then see them under the tree when all the other gifts are gone. She has a stocking & I already have her "Home in 2012" ornament hanging on the tree. I know she will be home by next Christmas but I'm really missing her right now

2011-12-13T14:22:00.002-06:00

our home study was mailed to the state last Wed - social worker emailed me today to let me know that it was approved! Waiting for her to email me that she has everything notarized & I can pick it up - will then make a mad dash for the post office to overnight the "packet" to our agency (Lifeline) who will then overnight it to USCIS with our I-800A app. With the ridic wait we had for our FBI clearances - finally something happened fast!

**UPDATE** - our social worker emailed me around 3:30 on Tuesday to let me know our home study packet was at their reception area ready to be picked up. Called the hubs to have him pick Coop up from chess, threw the girls in the car, rushed to her office (all the way across town in a TON of traffic), made it to Piper's gymnastics by 4:30 where I left Chloe to watch & I ran to the post office to overnight to Lifeline....whew...on to the next wait!

mad hops

2011-12-12T13:01:00.003-06:00

my boy can jump - add in the fact that he's tall with super long arms & you've got one of the teams best rebounders. Check out the jump ball - the other kid was a couple inches taller than him but Coop knocked the ball to his teammate...so proud, so proud!

they played the best team in the league this week - a team that has been winning by 20-40 pts each game. We lost but only by 10....and the boys played with alot more confidence.

stuntin'

2011-12-11T11:16:00.001-06:00

Chloe's last cheer competition was in our hometown - the girls did their best routine of the season

this mama was pretty impressed when Chloe's good friends came & stayed the whole day

a little more Disney fun

2011-12-09T08:34:00.001-06:00

just one more day of Disney pics

5 1/2 oil cans tall

Disney day 4-6

2011-12-08T08:34:00.001-06:00

Animal Kingdom

Hollywood Studios - army man from Toy Story

waiting to meet Buzz & Woody

Epcot

Donald in Mexico

Mulan in China

Snow White in Germany

Aladdin in India

Disney day 3

2011-12-07T14:58:00.001-06:00

Hollywood Studios - and yes...Piper is wearing her Cinderella costume AGAIN

Jake from "Jake & the Neverland Pirates"

Handy Manny

June from "Little Einsteins"

Phinneus & Ferb

Disney day 2

2011-12-06T09:00:00.001-06:00

at our hotel - Caribbean Beach Resort

Pinocchio

Pluto

Mary Poppins

waiting to see the princesses

Cinderella - Pipe's fav

Belle

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Peter Pan

Bibbidi Bobbidy Boutique (Downtown Disney) - a certain "special Princess" was chosen to walk through the store to the front window so all of her fans could watch her get her Princess on

pixie dust for Chloe

Disney day 1

2011-12-05T15:56:00.001-06:00

yay! Thanks so much to my old neighbor "Mush" - he gave me some great advice for uploading pics & it worked.....totally owe ya a bigger popcorn order next year!

Welcome to Disney World - Day 1

meeting the mouse

storms brewing over the castle - Piper wasn't happy about the duck creepin in the pic

"People Mover"

Pooh & Tigger

Dumbo

carousel

2011-12-05T12:01:00.001-06:00

I still can't get pics to upload - I've tried contacting blogger but no response yet. We are still waiting for our FBI clearances. Not sure why our SW was told on 11/4 that she would have them in a week or two? Not gonna lie - super frustrated right now.

**UPDATE**
I emailed our social worker asking ~~again~~ about our clearances. She told me that she got an email from her liaison today (she had emailed him last week & was waiting on a response) letting her know that we were both cleared on November 3 - for some reason DCFS licensing didn't let her know. She is having her liaison check into this but SERIOUSLY?!? We've had clearance for a month & nobody thought to let her know?!? Geesh - a month lost because somebody at DCFS didn't do their job. Frustrated is the nicest word I can come up with at this point. Hopefully the state will take pity on us & approve our HS quickly so we can send in our 800A.

the wait

2011-11-29T20:39:00.001-06:00

I'm still having trouble uploading pics to my blog - they look fine on the computer & upload to facebook with no probs....but upload to blogger & they look terrible. Any suggestions?

adoption update - we are STILL waiting for our FBI clearances. Based on the reported averages (from my fav adoption board), this is what we are looking at timeline wise - give or take several weeks depending on how fast the US & China decide to process our paperwork.

currently waiting on clearances & then 1-2 week wait for state approval of our home study
apply for I-800A (US immigration approval to adopt from China) - approvals taking approx 75 days
send all notarized/certified/authenticated docs to agency so they can send to China
wait for LOA (super imprtant paper from China saying we can adopt Presley) - taking approx 68 days
apply for I-800 (US immigration approval to adopt Presley from China) - approval taking approx 19 days
wait cable/art 5 - taking approx 29 days
wait for TA (travel approval) - taking approx 18 days

so what does this mean - really nothing...it's all a guesstimate...we could luck out & get super fast approvals or we could be a rider on the slow boat & wait well past all current averages....but it's all I've got right now.

2011-11-18T12:26:00.000-06:00

any guesses where we are going next week?

and as you can see...I'm STILL having trouble with my uploaded pics.

christmas lists

2011-11-17T09:35:00.000-06:00

what the kiddos want for Christmas this year...

Chloe: clothes (specifically Hollister, Abercrombie, or VS Pink)....black sequin TOMS, nail polish (OPI has a muppet line that she loves)...."and I can't really think of anything else"

Coop: books, itunes gift cards, "can I say my big wish is to have Presley home?" (love this kid)

Piper: a dollhouse, a Barbie castle, Barbie Malibu Beach House, a "big kitchen so Preswey can pway too", dress up clothes/costumes for her AG dolls, accessories for her AG dolls, more Barbies, more Littlest Pet Shops, more babies, "sparkwy make-up", "sparkwy Uggs", "more dresses cause Princesses don't wear pants", a tea party set, and pretty much everything she sees on TV or in a catalog

Piper also said "Preswey wants all that stuff for Christmas too so we can share" j

what's the number 1 thing on your kiddos list?

world orphan day

2011-11-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

according to a recent UNICEF report, there are approximately 210 million oprhans worldwide
every day, close to 5800 children become orphans
over 2 million children become an orphan every year in Africa
every day, close to 38,500 children "age out" & are no longer eligible for adoption

how can we help?

Adopt "adopting one child won't change the world, but for that one child, the world will change"
Sponsor/Donate - we support An Orphans Wish but there are so many wonderful organizations out there....Half the Sky, Love Without Boundaries, 147 Million Orphans, Amazima to name a few
Pray

"one less"

"coming soon"

sunday snapshot

2011-11-13T22:40:00.001-06:00

a few pics from today's cheer competition.....(all wacky looking - what's up blogger?!?)

ballin'

2011-11-09T13:35:00.001-06:00

shooting free throws after being fouled at the 1st quarter buzzer

I have a bunch more pics but for some reason when I upload them they get all wacky - no clue what's going on

update

2011-11-07T22:03:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to upload some basketball pics from Coop's first game this past weekend but it's not working - I mean, the pics upload but they are all weird looking....any other blogspot-ers having trouble?

Our homestudy is done - except our FBI clearances which should be back this week or next - we'll be submitting our I-800A paperwork as soon as the clearances & state homestudy approval come back. Any chance of this happening before Thanksgiving? Fingers crossed.....

patience is a virtue

2011-11-02T15:33:00.000-05:00

a virtue that I apparently don't have...sigh. So on the plus side - our home study will be finished tomorrow because our social worker rocks. On the negative side - she is still waiting for our FBI clearances. So what does this mean? It means our home study will sit waiting for that last little piece...sigh. After stalking the net boards - FBI clearances are taking anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months.

What's next after the FBI declares that we have nothing anywhere in our backgrounds that could halt our adoption? We wait for the state to approve the home study (again our social worker rocks so this should happen pretty quickly) - and then we apply for our 1st immigration clearances (yes...more clearances...very similar to what we are currently waiting on which has caused many states to put a nix on this step for home studies).

On a better, less Debbie Downerish note - we sent the little a care package with a photo album (she needs to get used to our mugs) & a blanket. I also asked if they would mind not cutting baby girl's hair again - verdict is still out.

happy halloween!

2011-10-31T11:48:00.000-05:00

we attended a costume party this past Friday night - Justin won the top prize for his "Jackie Moon/Semi-pro" costume (Will Ferrell movie)

Chloe was a pirate

Piper was a ladybug (then she partied too hard & ripped her costume so tonight she will be a princess)

Coop was some sort of goblin

tonight, Chloe has to cheer at a ball game...not sure why they have a game on Halloween? but Coop & Piper were invited to ride on a hayrack to go trick-or-treating and then Chloe & her friends will go to a few houses after their game.

punkin carvin

2011-10-30T20:14:00.001-05:00

keeping an eye on Daddy's work

punkin lovin

Piper told the kids to "pull all thems guts out"

2 ghosts

grim reaper

what else - Barbie

favorite photo friday

2011-10-28T17:03:00.000-05:00

5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate

2011-10-26T20:35:00.000-05:00

2011 pumpkin patch trip

how tall this fall? Piper age 4

Coop age 10

Chloe age 12

checking out her face paint

oil barrel train

jumping into hay

superman

brave little sucker

"hey Pipes...don't pick the flowers"

busted

picking pumpkins with Daddy

baby girl is tired after a long day at the patch

back it up

2011-10-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to post our new pics yesterday that today I need to put it in reverse to show off a few family shots from when we gathered to celebrate my cousin Jane's life.

sweet sisters - Aunt Darlene (Jane's mom) & Grandma Willie

handsome gents - Win & Justin

3 generations of cousins - my brother Luc, my cousin Shelby's super cute son Sean, & my cousin Carol

a whole lotta fam

oh, the cute littles....

picture time

2011-10-24T15:30:00.000-05:00

I was thrilled when I opened my email this morning & found 14 new pics of Miss Presley. She's changed so much from the last pics we have of her - baby girl is a chunky monkey....love, love, love how full her little face looks now! Piper wasn't so sure it was her sister in the pics "thas not my sister....hers wears pink not boy shirts"

totally diggin' her outfit - love the sweet socks!

toy time

happy or ornery...you be the judge

this one's a bit blurry but I love how she appears to be talking

so many great things about this shot - pineapple door frame, check....cute kid sticking out her tongue, check

she's gonna give Piper a run for her money

we've got our first thumb sucker

what up?

cheer for the cure

2011-10-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

chloe had her 1st cheer competition of the season. "Jamfest" holds a fundraiser every year for the Susan G. Komen foundation - our team raised close to $1000. Chloe's team did a great job - they hit all of their stunts but were up against some tough teams so didn't place as well as hoped but she was proud of herself which is all that matters!

ok, so again - my pics aren't the greatest but they are getting better....after owning my camera for 5 years, I'm finally trying out different settings...maybe by the time Piper is involved in a competitive sport I'll be a pro.

rockin' the pink bow

Piper was ticked she didn't have a pink bow - she did have the pink ribbon face tat & super cute team "pink" shirt that said "a cure is pawssible" pretty cute for a team of "Lions"

Chloe & Emma

Chloe's team - Thunder Cats

high flyin'

love this one - total confidence

just cause she's so cute

2011-10-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

baby girl is a total beauty - from her gorgeous eyes to her full mouth to that rock star little spike on the top of her sweet head. can't wait to get this girlie home

and since we all love a good Piper story - she's gonna be a great big sista...walking around her room the other day she said "I's gonna have a tea party with Preswey....I's gonna share my babies annnnnd my Barbies! I's gonna share my pet shops too. I's not gonna share my hair bows & Uggs...Preswey needsa get her own"

saying goodbye

2011-10-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

my cousin Jane passed away last Saturday after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Tomorrow we will say goodbye. She was the daughter of Darlene & Dean and the sister of Keith & Gary.....the wife of Mike, mother of Beth & Erin, grandmother of Addison, Ava & Tatum. Most of you were not lucky enough to have met Jane. She was a very thoughtful person - anytime you saw Jane, she would ask how you were....what was new.....and then ask the same for every member of your family no matter how bad she might have been feeling that day. Tonight we will gather as a family to share stories, laugh through the tears to celebrate Jane's life.

Jane & Mike

4 generations

and my 2 favorite pics of Jane...

so where is she?

2011-10-18T12:47:00.000-05:00

Presley is currently living in an amazing, brand-new, state-of-the-art orphange in Jinan, China

I found a few pics of her orphanage online - sorry they are so small but they get all blurry if I blow them up

the orphanage opened in July - I've been able to find several videos from Chinese news programs showing the home.

the CWI is first shown around :42 http://v.iqilu.com/2011/06/01/3031904.shtml

the deets

2011-10-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

do you remember the song "Signs" (first recorded by The Five Man Electrical Band & then again by hair rockers Tesla)? "signs, signs, everywhere there's signs - blocking up the scenery, breaking my mind - do this, don't do that, can't ya read the sign?"

I was cruisin' the net one day - blog hoppin', yahoo group skimmin', etc - when I saw this pic

cute, right? The name the agency was referring to her as was "Kristie" (my name is Kristi....sign #1). I went back to look at her pic on the agency site several times that day. I was able to see her referral paperwork on the agency's yahoo group - her birthdate was listed as February 2nd (Justin's birthday is in Feb & mine is on the 2nd of August - sign #2). I decided to email a dr to look at her file - he emailed me right back saying that he was boarding a plane to Hong Kong (really, the dr I choose to email is on the way to China? sign #3) After getting a great report from the dr, I told Justin about her. He was hesitant - he kept saying he wasn't totally "comfortable"......1 more college education, 1 more wedding, we are so busy with the other kids. After much thought, discussion & prayer we decided that "Kristie" was our daughter. We submitted our Letter of Intent (LOI) on September 30. On October 2nd, we attended a new church - the sermon that day was talking about God's signs. That alot of times, God is giving you signs, the thought makes you "uncomfortable" but you can't ignore the signs. WOWZA - it was like added reassurance that we were meant to bring this sweet little one home.

So what's next - we wait. We have to check-off the following items before we can travel:

finish homestudy & have approved through agency & State of Illinois
apply for immigration approval to adopt from China (I-800A)
finish compiling dossier docs (documents sent to China including birth & marriage cert, certificate of income/financial statement, physical forms showing good health of both parents, police clearances)
send all docs to Lifeline (adoption agency) for certification & authentication - or we can do this ourselves & save a bit of time
DOSSIER TO CHINA (DTC)!!!!!
wait for log-in date (LID)
wait for Letter of Acceptance from China (LOA)
apply for immigration approval to adopt our child (I-800)
wait for NVC Cable, approval letter
wait for Article 5
wait for travel approval (TA)

our agency says the whole process will take 12-15 months - the adoption boards say anywhere from 8-12 months. We would love to travel in the summer so the kids could go with us - if we get our TA in Sept or Oct, we will have to delay travel until after harvest. So if you pray - we could use them for speedy clearances/paperwork, for quick travel, & mostly for our sweet Presley living half a world away.

and so it begins

2011-10-16T10:24:00.000-05:00

we would like to invite you all to follow along as we embark on another journey to China to bring home our newest daughter.

Presley Fu JiaJia

born 2/2/10

living in Jinan CWI, Shandong Province

indian summer

2011-10-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

the kids have been back in shorts the past couple of weeks - back in the pool - evening walks in the hood - I love indian summer! Tomorrow's forecast, rain & temps in the low 70's. Coop's last football game of the season is on Saturday - hoping Mama Nature blesses us with just one more sunny, warm day.

just in case I haven't said it enough before - Chloe is a rock star big sister!

best part of swimming, jumping in!

once a cheerleader......

baby girl has amazing lung capacity

Coop relaxing

we'll be closing the pool soon & then counting down the days until we can use it again

backseat buddies

2011-10-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

I give another kiddo a ride to his babysitter's after preschool is over each day.
During our ride yesterday,
Piper: I have speech cwass aday
Joey: I not go to speech...I stay in the classroom
Piper: I go with Dominick....him's rude to me.....him not wike me
Joey: Hey Pipe, I like you, your my best friend!

you know that your child has an ornery streak when....

2011-10-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

....she changes the toilet paper around so it rolls the opposite direction
....she hides every pair of her jeans under her bed so she has to wear a dress to school
....she "unmakes" your bed "cause my baby's sooooo cold & sleepy"
....she takes things off her brothers dresser & puts them in her room "cause him not plays with them"

tailgate & help me out camera gurus

2011-10-03T13:54:00.000-05:00

Chloe had her cheer dress rehearsal & tailgate last night. Her squad has several injuries/sickies on it right now so they weren't able to show off their stunts (with the exception of the basket tosses). For what they were able to do - they looked great.

dressed & ready to rock

ok, now camera gurus - what the heck did I do wrong? All my pics are blurry. I know it's partly because of the gym lighting - but I have a Canon Rebel DSL. I had the camera on auto-focus, & the normal/regular setting (the little green box). I tried the sports setting but those pics were even worse. So help a girl out - what setting should I have it on - what do I want my ISO & all that other jazz set at? Chloe's bummed this one didn't turn out - that's her up in the air

milestones

2011-10-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

Chloe had her first Jr High dance last night. It was a Zombie theme - all week kids (and mostly mamas concerned their kiddo would show up in the wrong apparel) were talking about what to wear. Chloe & 2 friends bought dresses & destroyed them planning on looking all "night of the living dead". On Friday, Chloe decided she would rather "dress cute" - part of her reasoning may have been her 1st boy/girl party following the dance.

I have to admit that I'm maybe just a little bit ~~ecstatic~~ happy that after 2 huge milestones (first dance & first "mixed" party) we haven't yet hit the "slow dancing with a boy" milestone.

and the winning keeps coming

2011-10-01T13:39:00.000-05:00

no flippin' way - after my awesome doll win (see yesterday's post) we find out we won $400 through Coop's football raffle. wowza - I'm forseeing purchasing a lotto ticket in my near future

winner, winner, chicken dinner

2011-09-30T17:59:00.000-05:00

oh yeah - me....officially known in many circles as "the girl who never wins anything (good anyway, I did win a Kiwanis ball cap one time)" I won...totally won....SCORE! Remember this little giveaway I posted about a few days ago? Baby Be Blessed Doll Giveaway yep - I won! So excited to get one of these adorb dollies!

In other winnerish news - guess who has lost 10 lbs since the 2nd week of August thanks to Crossfit & changin up the ol' diet? brag alert - totally had to drag out a belt today

welcome to the dark side

2011-09-29T21:08:00.000-05:00

I've been debating a hair change for quite some time - didn't really want to cut it so I changed...like totally changed the color. Believe it or not, my natty hair color is blonde - not a great sunny blonde but a darkish blonde that looks sunnier with the help of the 'lights. My new color is a bit of a shocker - like I walk by a mirror & freak myself out for a sec or 2.

excuse the bad iPhone pic...you get the idea

Piper told me it's "intaresting"& has been touching it all evening...like she doesn't think it's real or something?

let's go blue

2011-09-27T16:15:00.000-05:00

saturdays are for football - unfort our guys couldn't pull out a win against the team they played this week.

coop's a pretty tall kid (5'0 at 10 years old) but the kid he was blocking/guarding (what's the football term?) was HUGE

jr high basketball has started - our girlie did a great job cheering on the team

sib love

2011-09-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

you know your 10 year old son REALLY loves his little sis when he plays "Littlest Pet Shop" with her for close to an hour....

giveaway!

2011-09-23T17:32:00.000-05:00

Baby Be Blessed - super cute custom made dollies - has a super sweet giveaway going on. Link over & sign-up to win a baby doll!
Baby Be Blessed

homecoming

2011-09-23T08:46:00.001-05:00

a few pics from last night's homecoming parade...

loss

2011-09-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

we lost a dear friend yesterday due to a farming accident. Please keep the Stephens family in your thoughts & prayers. We'll miss ya, Chris!

babies

2011-09-22T07:04:00.000-05:00

Piper has decided that cousins are the best thing in the world - especially the baby variety. My cousin Becca was visiting from MN with her adorb twinnies - also in attendance was Becca's sister Katie's babe (Katie & her hubs are on a 10th anniversary trip to Maine). Piper was in baby heaven - the cuteness was oozin out of the littles....

I love the way Paige is totally checking out Piper in this pic

Billy checking out Piper's baby doll

best attempt at a group shot

Aunt Da with Ryan & Paige

sweet cousins

sing it baby girl

2011-09-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

timeline

2011-09-19T15:44:00.001-05:00

September 2007

a tiny, sick baby girl was found in Inner Mongolia, China
a birth mother saved her baby
we didn't know a huge part of our family was missing

September 2008

a little girl was being cared for in a Chinese orphanage
funds were being raised for a life changing surgery
we were in the midst of our adoption homestudy

September 2009

a little girl had traveled 1/2 way around the world
we were blessed with the greatest gift imaginable

September 2010

a little girl had been a major part of a family for just over a year
she lead others to adoption

September 2011

a little girl didn't remember what it was like to not have a family
a family couldn't remember what life was like without her

Sunday Snapshot

2011-09-18T22:17:00.000-05:00

Coop's football teamed played a great game yesterday - they started out a little rough....but came together in the 2nd half to win 30-6.

one of the team captains (Coop's #14)

celebrating a Panther touchdown

and this is why we love our coach

after the game, we rushed home - the hubs & I had an Easter Seals benefit to go to. It was a art auction & wine tasting - we had a great time!

little lunches

2011-09-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

I asked Piper if she was ready for lunch...."oh yeah...I awmost forgetted to eat aday" (smacks her forehead). She's a good eater but very specific about what goes on the plate - today's culinary adventure included lunch meat & a slice of square cheese...no bread....and a fruit/jello cup (only pink jello is acceptable).

when she finished she said "thanks awot for aminding me to eat!"

just to make you smile

2011-09-15T08:46:00.000-05:00

best Piper quotes of the week

"I's so gwad you's my mama"
"I can't wave my magics wand & make you's all Chinese" followed by an eye roll & sigh

crossfit....

2011-09-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

I mentioned awhile back that I had joined a Crossfit gym - it's kicking my bootie....seriously. Did I mention how much I HATE running - the first day we had to run 400m...I made it 100 & felt like I was going to keel over. After almost 2 mos I'm proud to announce that today our warm-up included 3 rounds of a 200m run (and then 20 lunges & 20 jump ropes - supposed to spin the rope around twice...double under...yeah not happening) and I successfully ran the 200m all 3 times without a cardiac episode. Can I get a "holla"?!? Ok, so it's not all super cool like the fam members currently rocking out 1/2 marathons but seriously peeps - I might as well of climbed Everest.

oh & then there's the little fact that I'm down 6 pounds - so in short...Crossfit works, find a gym

cousins

2011-09-11T18:44:00.000-05:00

my cousin Beth Ann was here visiting from NC - she flew in to surprise her mama (she's super sweet like that) & I just happened to run into her at the mall on Friday night. Since my dear Aunt is home from Cali (woot woot...so glad to have her home!!) we planned to get together at Beth's parents house & then go to dinner on Sat. Beth Ann's daughter Tatum is a year younger than Piper - they met for the first time last night & were oh-so-cute! I think if Beth & her hubs ever move to IL (hint, hint) the girlies would be best buds. Here are a few pics from our evening together...

Coop didn't want to sit with all the girls - Piper has her goofy smile, Ava's trying to figure out what Piper is doing & Tatum's playing with Chloe's phone....but good job Addison & Chloe - way to power through the madness

this one's better but still - Piper's smile is killin me

see, Coop really was there

one more try

Chloe & Tatum

Tatum thought Coop was pretty cool

not sure what's going on here - maybe a wrestling match?

we left to head to dinner where we saw lots of major cuzzie love

rock star ballerina

2011-09-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

Piper got herself dressed for dance class last night - she came downstairs & said "Miss Stacy's gonna wove my outfit!" She usually insists on wearing a "bawet weo" (translation: pastel color with attached skirt) so her clothing choice last night was a bit of a shocker....black gymnastics leo, crazy shorts & Uggs

and then the posing started

and some silly faces

back to some serious posing

jazz hands

first position

2011-09-08T15:09:00.000-05:00

I can't really say what is going on but do ask that you please pray for hope...for God to move mountains...for the strength to make it through this...and for comfort & courage...

heavy heart

2011-09-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

john deere green

2011-09-02T11:42:00.002-05:00

we took Coop down to the 2011 Farm Progress Show yesterday - we didn't get to stay as long as we normally would due to the little issue of the heat index around 110.

Coop with a Kenny Wallace cut-out....if this is life size, Kenny is about my height

Orange County Choppers built a few bikes for the show - these 2 bikes (built by Paul Sr) were in the Beck's Hybrids tent. Raffle tickets were sold with all proceeds going to the "We Care for Orphans Adoption Fund" - winners will be drawn in Feb. Totally sweet bikes...totally awesome cause!

love how this one has a mini corn head on it

Paul Jr built a bike for the Dekalb booth - bike will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross

you can read more about the bikes here - WTG Orange County Choppers!

Coop found several things he was super interested in & has his Christmas list all ready for the next 10 or so years....thinking about adding a chip-in on the ol' blog in case you want to help fund the list

Chevy Camaro - color optional, convertable a must

snowmobile - or they had pretty sweet 4 wheelers

pulling tractor

the "Raminator" - thinking "Coopinator" would look pretty sweet on the side of this bad boy

stock cars - anybody know if Richard Childress needs a new driver for 2021?

for all of you "non-farm" folks, this here's a combine used for harvest...

the wrong color for our hood but it had a catwalk above it so the boys had to check it out

the real reason we went to the FPP - check out the new JD combine

just for a little size comp....Justin is 6'4

Coop checking out the cab - can you see the fridge under the buddy seat?

while walking to the exit, Coop got asked to be part of a "youth recycling" campaign

great job FPP 2011 - see ya when you return in 2013!

(almost) wordless wednesday

2011-08-31T17:57:00.000-05:00

it's pics like this that make a mama wonder "where'd my baby go?"

Barbie girl

2011-08-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

My mom bought Piper her first Barbie - she's now obsessed "for my birtday on Septenber da 19 I want more Barbies..I need a Barbie house an I need more Barbies an I need a Barbie with bwack hair an I need a Barbie car....k Mama? oh an I need cake pops"

and speaking of birthdays - we had a belated celebration for Chloe & an early celebration for Piper.

the girlies love their Grandpa

posin with the pig

a little sib love - and this would be Piper's new smile

DQ cake with the besties

are you ready for some football

2011-08-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

the boys of fall are back - Panther football is in full swing & the little was ready

after my little "this kid is so cute I can't stop taking pics of her" photo shoot, we headed out to watch our boys in blue

Coop's #14 - he's on the right of #29

Panthers win 25-7 - great job boys!

take me out to the ballgame

2011-08-26T11:44:00.000-05:00

let's say for a minute you are a 10 year old boy & the local baseball team needs a bat boy for the night.....

you would get to meet the players from both teams

hang out in the dugout - even more fun with your buddy is the other bat boy

stand on the field during the National Anthem

bring in equipment

take water to the umps

pick up broken bats

celebrate victory with the home team

finally

2011-08-25T13:13:00.001-05:00

FINALLY, today was the day....Piper started back to school...she was thrilled!

baby girls knows how to work the camera

jumping out of the car

Piper is one of the "big" kids in class this year...it's her 2nd year & all, she's older than most of the other kiddos

- shocker, she's still one of the shortest (6th from the left)

it's official...

2011-08-24T07:00:00.004-05:00

I'm an aunt! Head on over to my brother & sis-in-laws blog for the details - well, the deets they can share. Just gonna say - I've seen the bebe & he is amazing, by far the sweetest little guy evah...I'm smitten....just sayin'. Piper's taking the role of the big cuzzie head-on - she's talked about "my baby cousin" all day saying he lives in Antarctica (Antarctica, Africa - close baby girl, real close), preparing to "share all's my nightgowns", talking about how "I's gonna hug him & I's gonna kiss him"..."I wuv baby "K". feelings mutual Princess

Congrats Luc & Kara!!

twelve...with a little help from Stevie Wonder

2011-08-23T15:59:00.001-05:00

Isn't she lovely

Isn't she wonderful

Isn't she precious

Less than one minute old

I never thought through love we'd be

Making one as lovely as she

But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she pretty

Truly the angel's best

Boy, I'm so happy

We have been heaven blessed

I can't believe what God has done

Through us He's given life to one

But isn't she lovely made from love

Happy 12th birthday Chloe!

feathers

2011-08-19T21:43:00.001-05:00

I took both girlies to get the all-popular feather extensions the other day....ok, so I took Chloe & when she was done Piper very calmly looked at the hair girl & said "it's my turn now for da feathers"....who could argue with that?

crummy pic taken with my phone

when we got home the little wanted me to take her picture

pretending to be asleep

this one's my fav - so sweet & innocent...or cause it's Piper, wondering what she can get into next

and here it is...the what can she get into next

1st day of school

2011-08-18T12:18:00.000-05:00

Chloe & Coop started back to school today - Piper doesn't start until next Thursday...she's only asked oh 'round 100 times "I go school aday too?"....sigh

7th grade - first year for a locker & school dances

5th grade

thinking this might be the year Coop passes his big sis in height

you can tell by Piper's face how thrilled she is to be left at home

walking to the bus

kids got on the bus, bus didn't move - kids got off bus...apparently somebody...ahem me...didn't chcck the website saying we were on a different bus this year...oops. No probs though - new bus picks up at the end of our driveway instead of acoss the road.

Piper attends the pre-k in our school district - in order for them to continue receiving the state grant, the teachers have to do a home visit with each student. Ours was this morning - Piper was thrilled

she insisted on wearing her "siwver skirt with aw the ruffwes"

she was such a sweetie - opened the door for her teachers & said "wecome to my home...thank yous for coming"

California Dreamin'

2011-08-17T00:17:00.000-05:00

as I said before, we had a fabulous time in Cali....like we totally didn't want to come home! We arrived on Friday around 11am & had a curb side pick-up from my dear aunt....for those of you that have flown in to LAX...curb side pick-up is the way to go! We left the airport & headed straight to Universal - yeah...that's Chloe doing her little jump dealio which would have looked way cooler if there wasn't a random lady's legs under her

on Saturday, we drove to see the Hollywood sign, drove around Beverly Hills looking at all the mansions, saw Grauman's Chinese Theater, Kodak Theater, rode behind choreographer Tabitha from SYTYCD on an escalator (sa-weet!), & shopped at The Grove

pretend there isn't smog behind her - see LA?

on Sunday we drove to Santa Monica pier & walked to Venice Beach

oh you know...just throwin down a few pull-ups on the beach

according to this list, 99% of my friends would qualify - geesh!

sneak peak

2011-08-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

we had an ah-mazing time in Cali! Here's a little sneak peak - I'm wiped & blogger is uploading pics oh so slowly tonight.

california girls

2011-08-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

Chloe & I were up by 4 this morning to catch our flight. We flew into Minneapolis & discovered we were at the opposite end of the airport from our next gate - 1 tram, 4 moving sidewalks, & lots of speed walking & we finally arrived at our gate as the plane was boarding. We were thrilled to find out we were in an exit row - and not just any exit row but one with no seats in front of it & a good 3' of leg room! But then in typical this is how we tend to roll fashion - the flight attendant informs us that Chloe is too young for an exit row so we played a little seat swap with the couple behind us. I watched "Water for Elephants" through the new exit row occupants grey beehive. And if that wasn't pleasant enough, the guy in the window seat of our new row decided to gulp down a boatload of water prior to take off & then climbed over me & my girlie in his rush to the bathroom. Best part of the flight - I'm totally blogging through the inflight wifi. Thank you Delta!

a "little" photo shoot

2011-08-11T10:48:00.000-05:00

in celebration of our 2 years together, I dressed up the little & we headed out to the sweet new dock the hubs built. She wasn't digging her dress "I not a Chinese princess Mama, I's just a reguwar princess" followed by an eye roll & a huge sigh.

she started to warm up & we got some great shots

can't decide if I like it better in color or bw?

bringin' the sass

the infamous cheer face made an appearance

it's cracking me up how she has her bottom foot pointed

the sass is just dripping off her - can't.even.stand.it

she's a rock star, baby

and the award goes to...

2011-08-10T15:56:00.000-05:00

me....that's the "Worst Mama" award....Justin looked at the calendar today & guess what slipped our minds...2 years ago yesterday, super huge monumental moment...I'll give ya a little hint

so a belated Happy Gotcha Day to my little Chinese princess - so sorry your 'rents are such scatter brained ninnies. In our defense, you followed in your older sibs footsteps & arrived early (Chloe born 1.5 weeks early, Coop born 3 weeks early) - original Gotcha Day was 8/10 but pulling up to the hotel on 8/9 at 10:30pm after ions of travel & there you were, standing in a window sill outside the hotel with your foster father, 30 min later we were alone in the hotel room with you. Love you baby girl!

wrapping it up

2011-08-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

sigh...summer's almost over....double sigh..

the kiddos start school in a little over a week - ok, so the little doesn't start until the 25th (translation: Piper will be throwing a fit every day the other two get to go to school & she doesn't).

Chloe & I are leaving on Friday to visit my aunt in Long Beach, Cali - excited, much? Shopping, beaches, food - maybe a few celeb sightings - "dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign"?

Coop's heavy into football practices - only prob..he got his jersey last night & it's on the tiny side (like his belly button was showing - cue Chris Farley putting on David Spaid's coat in "Tommy Boy")

Cue Piper quote of the week "I not Asian, I Chinese...why you say I Asian?"

and lastly - I'll admit it, I kinda fell off my exercise/diet regime this sums - jumped back on the wagon & joined a Crossfit gym. After the 1st day's 7 min work-out I couldn't walk (seriously...I had to crawl up the stairs) - went back yesterday & I can't lift my arms. Do you Crossfit? Love it!!

we've got spirit, yes we do..we've got spirit, how bout you

2011-08-03T23:19:00.001-05:00

Chloe had her school cheer camp this week - girlie was born to cheer....seriously...total rock star!

"pop star" spirit day

they performed for parents at the end of camp today - they really learned alot in the past 3 days...several floor & crowd cheers, stunts, and a dance routine

Chloe's in the front

she loves to fly

"Jump Champ"

the 3 "All Star" winners

Chloe & bestie Jess with their awards

and a couple vids - Chloe's front & center in this one

and the flyer in the middle stunt group in this one

are you ready for some football

2011-08-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

Coop's JFL practice started Monday night - it's his 3rd season playing...if you had asked me 4 years ago if my baby would be playing tackle football I probably would have laughed in yo face. sigh - he loves it though & we are blessed to be part of a great organization - great coaching staff that go above & beyond. He was so ready for season to start - even if it did mean playing in 97 degree humid heat.

1st week of practice - helmet & cleats only...next week full pads

he looks all "shiny, happy, people" like

showing the game face

happy birthday to.....me

2011-08-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

36 years ago (gulp...closer to 40 than 30 now) I made my official debut

waterworks

2011-08-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

Coop got invited to a birthday party this weekend - the birthday girl has an older sis that is one of Chloe's besties so she got to go too. It was a "water party" - pond swimmin', slip & slidin', water gun sprayin'...perfect for the hot humid weather we're having.

Coop was the only boy - didn't bother him one bit

getting chased by the birthday girl

this one's a little blurry but the boy has a way with the ladies

group jump into the pond

Chloe & her friends

5K for Orphans

2011-07-31T12:25:00.001-05:00

We participated in a fundraiser through a local church yesterday - 5K for Orphans. The church has a huge orphan ministry & this was their 1st annual run with proceeds going to Guatemala orphanages. We all signed up for the 1 mile walk thinking we could do it as a fam - push the little in the stroller & all.

guess which kiddo didn't get a number bib

and continued to fuss about it the entire walk

there were approx. 400 participants

Chloe decided at the beginning of the walk that she'd rather run so she took off & ditched us

Coop ran up ahead of us

and then turned around & taunted the little cause that's what big brothers do

we finished walking our mile but couldn't find Chloe - apparently instead of following the 1 mile walking path, she went on the 5K running path

she's never ran much more than a mile, she started her run (they had originally put the walkers at the back of the pack) a good 6-7 min after the runners but she still managed to pass a ton of people & finish in 32 min....so proud of my girlie!

as you can see, the little ended up with a number & she was quite pleased

after getting a number, she felt it was necessary to walk across the finish line