Lost Pup

I went out for a run this morning and found this sweet girl running down the street. I called her and she came running to me friendly as ever! No collar... so I walk all over the neighborhood ringing doorbells, trying to find her home... No success, so off to the vet, no chip, back home,take pictures, make signs, post signs in neighborhood, take one to the community center, give her food and water, put her in my laundry room, try to keep my Bailey separate from our new furry friend and now it is almost 1 pm. and I have done nothing I had planned today including write my research paper. Oh, I hope someone calls! I really don't want to take her to the pound! I also cannot take on another pup right now!

Saturday

Well, today is Saturday and my weekend has gone way too fast. I work Sunday's so my weekends consists of Friday and Saturday. I don't know what it is, but about this time each week, I start to want to grasp onto time and not let it go. If you've seen "Kate and Leopold", it's like when Meg Ryan who plays Kate says, "Sunday's are ruined because they are the day before Monday". I don't know why I feel this way. I absolutely love my job, but I guess I love being home with my hubby and pooch far more. Dan and Bailey are napping right now and when I look at them, I want to freeze time.

Just In!

The following message came from our Agency today:

On April 4, 2008, Children's Hope received 7 China referrals. These
referrals were for our 1/6/06 log in date families. We did not
receive any Chinese expedited referrals in this group. This group
of referrals included 7 beautiful little girls! They are from the
Jiangxi province. Their ages are 7 to 9.5 months and one 3 ½ year
old. The family that received the 3 ½ year old little girl
requested a 0-18 months old girl but the referral fell within the
CCAA age guidelines. These families waited 27 long months from log
in date to referral. We expect these families to travel in about 8
weeks.

This group of referrals began with the 1/5/06 log in date but the
CCAA has not updated the CCAA Information System with a cut off date
yet. I will send out the official cut off date once the CCAA
announces it.

Congratulations to these families and all our China families who
have moved up in line! Children's Hope International's next log in
dates are 1/13/06 and 1/16/06.

We also received seeking confirmation letters (official referrals)
for 2 waiting children families today! Congratulations to them
also!

I find this to be encouraging since our agency's accreditation is "pending" right now, I am glad to see they are still receiving referrals. There is hope for us yet!

Congratulations to all of us who have moved up in line!!

Hiking At My Door!

I am so excited! Dan and I love to hike and now we have new hiking trails just blocks from our front door! A couple of weeks ago we trailblazed our way through these beautiful mountains and had so much fun! While the trails were being built we watched men in little "bobcats" making the trails and were amazed at how they could sit on the side of a mountain in these little machines and not fall off! The scenes are beautiful and the wildflowers right now are amazing! I can't wait until I'm feeling better to get back out there! You are all welcome to come join me anytime! :)

Happy Spring!

We returned to the Butterfly Exhibit at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens this year. We celebrated Easter, Mom's birthday, and my sister's birthday on this day. These are pic's of my niece and nephew :) The weather was perfect and it was really nice spending the day laughing with family.

I've been home sick the past few days and I am really hoping to be feeling better soon. You know you've been sick too long when you start to know the t.v. commercial schedule.

Well, I'm off to the couch again...or should I change it up and go to bed this time. :)

Happy Spring Everyone!

2 years!

Well, I am a little late in saying this....but March 7th marked 2 years since our L.I.D.! To celebrate this, the CCAA finally entered our log-in-date year! The latest information is they have now matched up to 1/04/06! With the average pace being 1 week/ month and the CCAA being about 8 weeks away from our LID, we should be getting our referral in November this year!

I'm also a little late in saying Happy birthday to Stephanie!I thought of my bloggy friend all day on the 7th because our LID just happens to be her birthday as well! Happy Belated Birthday Steph! I tried to blog this entry on the actual day, but the server was down.

I am on Spring Break this week and have been enjoying our beautiful weather here. Dan and I plan to go hiking tomorrow. I hope you all are doing well.

I was thinking the other day...I know pregnancy is supposed to have it's mental preparation cycles, first its, "I'm pregnant" than, "I'm going to have a baby" than, "I'm going to be a mom". Well, I noticed I have moved into a different preparation cycle lately. For the past year, I have not read one ounce of adoption or parenting material. I think it was my way of denying this long wait. However, on our 2 year anniversary and at the notice that the CCAA is finally in 2006, I picked up "Sheparding your child's heart" and began to read about parenting. I guess, I am moving into the "I'm going to be a mom" phase. :) It's about time... :)

My Wish

Well, I guess Christmas IS over eh?? Time to update my blog! :)

In December we had our family from Michigan in town for 2 weeks and we had so much fun!

Well, I titled this post My Wish and it goes along with the song I chose by Rascal Flatts. This year, my wish for my bloggy friends and myself is that we make the most of this time of continued waiting and the unknown.

Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift

Eleanor Roosevelt

Wonderful Christmas!

I hope all of you enjoyed a very Merry Christmas and were surrounded by those you love. My Michigan family is here and it was our first Christmas together in 14 years! We enjoyed breakfast together, a hike, lunch together, opening gifts, singing happy birthday to Jesus and eating His birthday cake, hearing Danny read the Christmas Story, and then watched the movie "Enchanted" which had us laughing to the point of tears when watching my uncle, husband, and brothers sitting through this very "girly" movie :)

Christmas Tree Favorites

Our Christmas tree this year.

Danny and I laughed when we took this ornament out. We bought this in 2005 and had it personalized to say "adopted with love...2006 Lauren" Oh, how naive we were :)

We bought these in San Diego in 2005. We had just bought our bikes and were trying them out by biking all over San Diego. I always remember how much fun we had when I hang these ornaments.

We bought this last year. As many of you will recognize, it was created by my friend Steph from Jiinkin Kids. It states simply, "Waiting for you 2006".

This ornament floods me with memories of Danny and I dating and all the wonderful memories since. What an awesome man I have been blessed to call my husband.

All I want for Christmas...

Forecast update...the wait continues....

Turkey Bowl ' 07

Official Waterboy of Turkey Bowl '07


...and running back


Waterboy's sister, a.k.a. future Turkey Bowl cheerleader...:)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! This season, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, is my favorite time of year.

As a side note, I have my last class of this semester tomorrow and then Dan and I are heading up north to be camp advisors for "Camp Anytown". 70 high schoolers are coming and the mission behind the camp is to help break down prejudism and gender issues in the school. It's my first time and Dan's 3rd. He says it's awesome. I will update you when I get back. Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Tomorrow my family is celebrating Thanksgiving since I will be working Thanksgiving Day. I love Thanksgiving! We will start our day by meeting at a field for our annual "Turkey Bowl". All the guys play football and sometimes we girls play or we sit and catch up on each others lives. We then go home, gather our pies, etc. and meet at mom's for Thanksgiving dinner.

I have so much to be thankful for! My life is full of blessings and you who read this blog are truly one of them. I am so thankful for you, my friends.

I pray your Thanksgiving is full of fun and laughter shared with those you hold most dear...

Making Headway!

Our Agency just sent the following update:
On November 5, 2007, Children's Hope received 10 China referrals. These referrals were for our nine 12/5/05 log in date families and one 9/26/06 Chinese expedited family. They are 10 beautiful little girls! They are from the Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Liaoning provinces. They range in age from 6.5 to 13 months, and one 3 year 7 month old (Her parentswere presented her referral in our St. Louis office and they said, "They are thrilled and she is so beautiful!") These families waited 23 long months from log in date to referral. The Chinese expedited families waited 14 months from log in date to referral. We expect these familiesto travel in about 8 weeks.

Well, they are slowly making their way to our dossier! :) It is also our 20 month LID anniversary today!

Never Fear...Batman's here!!

This is my niece and nephew all decked out for halloween tonight! :) Dan and I had fun talking with neighbors and seeing all the little ones dressed up tonight. Fairies, hippies, and Batman seem to be the hot costumes this year. I handed out candy to a tiny little asian princess tonight. When she looked up at me and said "Thank You!"...guess who I thought of :)

Happy sugar high everyone!

Stopping to say Hi!

Hi Everyone,

I can't believe it has been over a month since my last posting. Remember the days we used to post almost daily and thought "this could be the month!" Reality has hit us all and we seem to be going on with life. I think it is a healthy break however. I love roller coasters, but even I can't sit at the edge of my seat for 2+ years! :)

School is keeping me busy. I am trying to keep balance in my life. I do this better some days than others. Last Tuesday I checked my email at the end of my shift and found out I had a paper due the next morning and I had thought it was due at the end of the week. So, after a 12 hour shift, I went home and typed my paper (which was worth 40% of my grade) until 3 a.m.. I then went to sleep for 2 hours before I had to get up and work another 12 hour shift. Yeah... I was looking pretty at the end of that shift!! :)

Today, I am peeking above my books before going to my laptop to write yet another paper, to say hi to all of my friends in Bloggy land!

I am so glad to have friends like you to help get through this long, long wait...Hang in there everyone...we WILL have our dauughters one day..

Dear Lauren...

Lauren,
I just read over my last post and tears started streaming down my face when I read over your name. I notice I have put a brick wall up around my heart. I miss you and it hurts. The wait for you hurts and I want you to know I love you. When I am busy right now, I haven't forgotten about you. I pass your room each day and think of you. I sit at the computer that is in your playroom and think about you. I know this path to you, no matter how hard or how long, will be all worth it when I touch your face for the first time.

Landing...I Hope

I am landing on solid ground finally. The last month has been grueling, painful, and exhilirating all at the same time. Graduate school started immediately after our camping trip, my last post. I cannot believe how high tech everything has become in the five years I have been out of school. I was one of the only people not typing my notes on a laptop our first day. We also have these meetings called breeze meetings that remind me of the old Jetson's cartoons. They are meetings via computer using web cams.

In the middle of my crazy schedule came an opportunity to take a part-time adjunct faculty position for ASU. So, it looks like I will be teaching clinicals for ASU nursing students come next semester. I am excited for this opportunity. I will work my current job 2 days a week and then teach clinicals the other 12 hours. I know some of you may be wondering how this all fits in with Lauren arriving next year. But, beleive it or not, this will actually give me more flexibility in my schedule. I have also decided to live life in the now and when Lauren arrives, it will all work out.

I have learned not to work 6 twelve hour shifts prior to "immersion week" at school. I am taking a couple of PTO days next month. My life was so out of balance and I am slowly getting back into balance again. I have to say...my bloggy friends helped me so much this last month! At a time when I most needed it, I received emails from many of my closest bloggy fiends. Thank you so much. It reminded me again of what a great support group we have!

Well, I went to yoga this week, I read a book other than required school reading, and I am going out to dinner tonight with my husband tonight. AND, I've posted on my blog!! woohoo, I can see the ground now! :)

R N R

We're back from wonderful Flagstaff, AZ. Our trip was one of our best so far! The weather was great and we had so much fun! We read books in our hammocks, used our new axe to chop lots of fantastic smelling pine wood (from trees that were already down), hiked the "Arizona Trail", played chess, yahtzee, scrabble, and my fav, Rummy 500!


Sitting by the campfire is one of my favorite things about camping. It's often a time of reflection for me. Dan and I have also had some of our best conversations while sitting by the campfire.


Bailey of course, was in tow. :) This is a view from Mount Humphrey just outside of Flagstaff. When they get snow, this is one of the big ski spots in AZ.


And of course, what would a camping trip be without smore's !! woohoo! I was so delighted that they didn't leave me feeling sick! ( They did last time and I was worried I was getting too old for them! :) Smore's always bring me back to my days as a "brownie". I had my first smore on a camping trip with my brownie pack and I thought I was in heaven. :)

Well, this site will probably be quiet for some time now. Starting tomorrow I'm working 6 shifts this week. I need to do this so I can be off the week of my graduate school orientation. I hope you all have a great week!

Going Camping!

We are finally going camping! We usually have 2 camping trips under our belt by August, but this summer has blurred by and we have been waiting for the fire restrictions to be lifted before heading north. The weather forecast sounds perfect. It's calling for highs in the 70's, lows in the 50's, with occasional rain. We trekked to REI today to buy a few fun, new, camping gadgets. This included a new doggy water bottle for Bailey. We then went to Borders book store... because a camping trip wouldn't be complete without cracking open a new book while reclined by the fire. :) I can't wait to hear the breeze through the pines and the caw of the crow. ahhh...

Shopping!

Well, while we wait we might as well shop, right!? What's a waiting mom to do??? Here is another great site my mom forwarded to me: Poshtots.com Check out product number 15218 it's a "gotcha day" announcement plaque.

Happy Shopping Everyone! :)

August Update is Here!

The following update came yesterday from our agency:

On August 2, 2007, Children's Hope received 18 China referrals for
our 11/16/05 and 11/21/05 log in date families and 4 additional
referrals for our 6/13/06, 6/19/06 and 6/27/06 Chinese expedited
families, for a total of 22 China referrals. There were 21
beautiful little girls and one very handsome little boy (parents
requested a girl or boy). They are from the Anhui, Guangdong and
Hunan provinces. They range in age from 7.5 to 20 months, one 26
month old (parents requested 1 - 3 years of age), one 27 month old
(parents requested 12 to 24 months old) and one 37 month old
(parents requested 7 to 36 months old). These families waited 21
months from log in date to referral. The Chinese expedited families
waited 14 months from log in date to referral. We expect these
families to travel in about 8 weeks. This group of referrals
covered the 11/15/05 through 11/21/05 log in dates.

Congratulations to those who will be getting their referral in the mail very soon! For the rest of us waiting...let's hope they get to December in the next update! :)

Lauren's Playroom!

Here it is finally! I have been waiting for IKEA to send me a missing piece for awhile now and it finally came in the mail today. Dan put the last piece together and here it is! Do you recognize the "Jiinkin Kids" art! I plan to frame it, just looking for the right frame. Instead of the traditional toy box, we got a wardrobe for play clothes and a chest to store games, toys, etc. There is also a bookshelf that has a pretty good book collection going already. :) Whatcha think?
Your little ones have Lauren's invitation to come play anytime! :)

Baby Panda

oh my gosh...It's going to be so dangerous when I find out Lauren's size :) I just found this adorable kids clothing site.
The Baby Panda

Why Adopt a Girl

check out healinghannah.com, the makers of this video.

For My Friend

I met with a good friend for lunch today. We talked and laughed and shared our stories of infertility and the "unknown" of our future family plans. I remembered this video from awhile back and wanted to post it here today for her and other friends who may not have seen this yet or for those of us who need a reminder that we are not alone on this journey.


Empty Arms

Highly Recommend

A friend of ours gave us this book recently. I read it in one week. I was totally taken by this book. The author is a writer for a newspaper and has recently adopted two daughters from China. His writing is captive and the best part is he talks about the wait and feelings that I'm sure most of us have felt. He also tells the story of adopting his first daughter and some of the troubles they experienced. I highly recommend getting this book. I think it's great for future father's as well, because the author talks about his "passage to fatherhood".

Weekend Fun

Last weekend was filled with lots of fun, laughs, and...wine. :) I enjoyed a girls night out with friends on Saturday. We went to see "Grease" at the Broadway Theatre and then enjoyed wine and chocolate at my new fav lounge, Sweet O.

Dan and I saw Michael Buble in concert Sunday night and had soo much fun! If you aren't familiar with Michael yet, I'm sure you will be. They say he's the next Frank Sinatra. He is such a great entertainer and the concert was awesome.

Sonja--when you read this...know that we missed you at "Grease". Someday we will have to visit you in your new beautiful home in South Carolina! :) You're my favorite Southern Belle! :)

Babies On The Way!!

The CCAA has just updated their website and many families will be seeing their little ones faces for the first time this weekend! Congratulations! For the rest of us, we just inched up a little closer in line! The following is from our agency:

Children's Hope is delighted to announce the arrival of 15 China
referrals for our 11/8/05 log in date families on July 6, 2007.
There were 14 beautiful little girls and one very handsome little
boy. They are from the Guangxi and Guangdong provinces. They range
in age from 9 to 14 months, one 17 month old and one 26 month old
(parents requested up to 3 years of age). These referrals were for
the 11/8/05 through 11/14/05 log in dates. These families waited 20
months from log in date to referral. We expect these families to
travel in about 8 weeks.

Congratulations to these families and all our China families who
have moved up in line!