We spent our entire Spring Break minus Easter Day camping. We are relatively new to camping as a family. I grew up camping quite often as a little girl. You know the real kind, a tent, a blow up pool float and a sleeping bag. My kids are doing the less roughing it kind of camping that momma prefers these days. A Pop-up, mattresses, blankets and ac/heat. We normally prefer to camp in the mountains but we shook things up this time and went to the coast. We are fortunate enough to live in a location about 2.5 hours from either. I just usually go away from the heat but this time of year the whether on the coast was PERFECT!!





And I tried hard to get a picture of all 5 kiddos in a huge Oak Tree but some little people would not
cooperate so I had to settle for this....




And this...


We spent time on a replica ship from the early Charleston settlement days...and a picture that I am actually in.




Somebody tolerated the picture taking well.




While waiting for something I started playing around with the kids and gave them an emotion or situation and asked for them to make the appropriate facial reaction, it was so funny. These are a few of my favorites.

Finally!!

For anyone following who does not know what that means well, it means Dossier To China!
All the hard work over the last 6 months or so was finally sent to China. This means we will receive a Log In Date (LID) and hopefully receive a referral very soon. We are so excited! and were actually DTC yesterday, our agency forgot to call and tell us that minor HUGE detail!

I don't encourage my children to have crushes but when this came home in Wyatts' book bag
the other day I thought it was so sweet! How sweet of someone else to recognize how great he is!

I rarely remember my dreams but lately I have been having some pretty crazy ones.

Last night before bed I was online reading about Chinese Adoption (surprise,surprise) so it is no surprise that I had a dream about our daughter.

I received an email that we had been matched. She was 22 months, cute as a button and I remember her special need was something that I thought ok, no biggie. You see we had to specify which needs we were willing to accept for our next adoption. Lily's special need is still basically a mystery but honestly y'all she is the healthiest thing ever! So for this adoption we had to specify ahead of time. That folks is scary! But we knew what we could handle and as my dear son reminded me we are all created by God, and of course that reminded me of someone who I heard speak recently that said, "God created everyone, and God don't make no junk!". So part of me is scared of what need our daughter will have. It could be one of many. And even though we said yes we can do that, we never have. It is a gigantic leap of faith. I know you've heard the saying, "God don't give you anything you can't handle" and well I believe that! So I digress... Ok, now back to my dream....

So then the email said to go pick her up at the airport the very next day. WOW, how convenient. But it didn't say what airport. Well using my sleuth skills I decided based on the wording of the email that it was Owens Field. Yes, because all flights from China land right into Owens Field (haha- it is a very small airport people).
SO we go there and there are all these planes landing and little Chinese girls are getting off the planes and into the arms of their new mommies and daddies. We waited but our daughter never came. Thinking we are at the wrong airport we go to another and still nothing.

Well of course we are upset so we go back to see who sent us the email (if you know anything about adoption you know this story is just crazy! of course we would know in real life) After a little research I find that it not the agency we are signed with but the agency who did our homestudy, weird.

Well we meet with them and I give them a piece of my mind! and she tells us, our daughter has already left to go back to China because we didn't pick her up! (imagine the panic feeling I had here, you know those kind of dreams). At that point I would have swam to China to get my daughter but luckily the caseworker got on the phone with goodness knows who and then looked at me and smiled and said, "they are on there way back and you can pick your daughter up at 1:15 at the Columbia Airport". Whew!

That is all I remember. (sorry if I bored you )

We are reaching a point in the process where hopefully we will be matched soon. Possibly as early as May and I am starting to think about it a lot and the kids ask about her a lot too. We are ready. We cannot wait for the day we really get to open that email and see her precious face for the first time but of course we'll have to travel to China ourselves.;0)

Bobo (Wyatt) had his very first soccer game. He just understands sports well, plays well and plays hard. Those things made for one great game Saturday. It is soooo fun watching him play. He came home with a huge smile, both knees skinned and fell fast asleep on the floor watching TV. He scored 7 goals out of the 8 his team scored to win the game. He had a great time and we were so proud of him!

This is Wyatt after his game. I only took my point and shoot so I didn't get any good action shots, maybe next time.




And Lily experienced another first, her very first slumber party. She was so excited she was invited and so was I.  I knew the girl was sweet to Lily, I know her parents and they live just down the street in case Lily needed me. But need me not, she had so much fun she didn't even come home until around 5 the next day!
Even though she had fun she stayed closely connected to me. I received a million few phone calls from her while she was gone. Asking what I was doing, could she play with makeup, etc but my favorite call was to tell me goodnight. Lily had a blast and it is obvious my little girl is quickly growing up. I'm enjoying the days while I still hold the number place in her life!

And now for a real update....

WE RECEIVED USCIS APPROVAL ON FRIDAY!!!!!!!

that means in just days our Dossier can be on it's way to China!!

And what does that mean?

We are one step closer to our daughter!!

Yippee Jesus!!!

This really is just an update to tell you that nothing is new. I am STILL waiting on our 1800a approval.

I am frustrated. We sent our application back last year (oct or nov). And this has been a big hangup for us.

If we get it in the next day or two then we will have a chance to be DTC (Dossier to China) and then LID ( Log in Date-required for referral of most children) so we may be matched with our little one in April.

I got to say. I. Am. Ready.

Ready to see her face, know her need and prepare to bring her home!

My mind knows that there is a big picture and that our paperwork isn't ready because our daughter isn't ready. Trusting in God that our sweet daughter is not available, yet. But my heart says it is time to know and time to go! This momma is ready to see her daughters sweet face and bring her home!

Friday night my sis-in-love and I took her kids and 3 of mine to Winter Jam. It is a big Christian Concert marketed mostly to teens. She and I love music so we made it a night and we probably had as much fun as any teenager!



We started out fueling up with a little bit of this....