Christmas Babies....

Congratulations to those of you who have received your long awaited referral. I'm sure this is one of the best Christmas gifts you have ever received. Wishing you all speedy TA's and safe travels.

Merry Christmas!!

A Sad Goodbye...

10/20/2000 - 12/18/2011

Smuckers, our sweet big yellow boy, left us yesterday.  His loss has left us with a profound sadness and a huge hole in our hearts. Goodbye sweet boy, you were the best and we will never forget you.

Referrals are in...

to those families who received their referrals in this batch! I can only imagine what a wonderful early Christmas present it must be. Wishing you all speedy TA's and safe travels.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before August 07, 2006.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Wishing you and yours a day filled with family,

food and fun.

Have a great weekend!

Paper Chase Round 2...

has officially begun... First packet requested has been completed, sent back and accepted by CCAI. Second packet was received yesterday via e-mail. I forgot how much paper getting the immigration portion of this was!

Angels Walk the Earth....

...in the form of friends. If ever there was a doubt in our minds it was washed away with the generosity of our friends Mike and Teri. They truly embody the spirit of selflessness, generosity and kindess beyond measure. We can't put into words how much we appreciate and love you both. Thank you doesn't seem big enough but those two little words are sincerely heartfelt. We love you guys!

Finally a Few Halloween Pics...

Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker

Luke aka Joshua

Darth and Luke, father and son

Joshua and Linda, the resident golf cart skeleton

The Star Wars family

Linda showing off her gold tooth

Aunt Kelly & Joshua

I've got the Best Friends...

I came into work the other day and this was sitting on my desk waiting for me...

Isn't it just the cutest thing!?!?

Thanks Jeni, love you!

Hope you all have a great night trick or treating with your little ones!
Have a safe and fun Halloween...

Matches Have Arrived...

Congratulations to all those families who are or who have received their referrals today! Wishing each of your families speedy TA and safe travels ;o)

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered before August 2, 2006.

Great Quote...

Countdown Over...

On October 17th Karmen & Greg finally finally experienced the legendary "gotcha" day and met their daughter Ella for the first time! So excited for this fellow Ladybug to have reached this amazing end to an extremely long and often frustrating journey.

Wishing you all the best as you begin your new life as a family of 3!

Congratulations Ruben and Maria...

Our friends, Ruben and Maria, welcomed the birth of their daughter Almundena Robin Clisanchez this morning. Wishing you all the best as you bring your little one home!

Halloween Hang Time...

This weekend we had some girl fun making Halloween crafts and goodies. Thanks Jeni, Lynn, Danielle and Cathi for brining the girls over for some fun.

Tori and Hope

Cathi, Keira, Lynn, Mallorie and Jeni

Hard at work...
Hope, Cathi and Keira

Sam

Thank you Tori...

"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."

- Ancient Chinese Proverb

Our very special niece, Tori, made me a red thread bracelet to wear while waiting to bring our daughter home. It's great and so are you kiddo! You will always have a very special place in our hearts.

Tori, we love you to the moon and back ;o)

Referrals are in ...

... to all those who are seeing their little ones faces today! You're almost home.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before July 28, 2006.

It's been 5 years...

Its official, we’ve been waiting for 5 years and 7 days for our referral from China! Never in our wildest dreams did we ever come close to imagining that it would have taken this long to bring our baby home. I can also say that I’m amazed that we’re still “waiting” at all. For those of you who that have followed this nerve-wracking journey you know that until a few weeks ago we were basically done, with a capital D.

As the wait has lengthened I slowly stopped posting here. How many times can you vent about things beyond your control and expect people to read them? After awhile posting even the good times was hard because this site was created to document the journey that would bring our daughter home. The conclusion to that journey seemed impossible; it felt like we would never be able to reach the end with our dreams intact. Time passed and exacted its toll on us. We grew older, the economy tanked and emotionally we had taken a severe beating. The doubt had crept in and taken root and I couldn't see my way past it anymore. Matt had given up a long time ago and I was hanging on by a thread. A thread that had been worn and frayed to the point that one more tug could have broken it.

So what happened? God did! Some close friends (thanks Jeni & Dave) introduced us a too couple who had adopted from China. Ever heard of people being put in your lives for a reason, a season or lifetime? We have met our reason people! Meeting Chris and Cathi have helped us to put things back into perspective. Their story is very similar to ours and watching them with their daughter has given us hope again.

There is still a long way to go and a lot to do, but for now hope and faith are enough to keep us going.

Happy Chinese New Year...

Welcome to the Year of the Golden Rabbit! The Rabbit is the 4th sign of the Chinese zodiac and is a lucky sign. Chinese tradition says that the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves. It's a time for negotiation not force. To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and relationships.

Happy 2011...