Holiday Pics!

How did Santa know I wanted a BLUE bike??




Christmas morning...we're looking a little tired!



My boy...riding his bike in his pajamas and favorite "army" boots....ALL BOY!



Happy 2008! Ringing in the new year at my parents. My little brother, Daddy, Momma, and Me!

Happy holidays....a little belated! We had a great Christmas and New Year! Christmas Eve consisted of a lot of running around as usual, trying to spend time with everyone we love. Christmas Day, all of our family members came to the house for breakfast and spent time with Connor as he opened his gifts. We love having our two families together, and Connor loves having everyone together! We continued our long running Christmas tradition of Chinese food for dinner and then a movie. Connor was dying to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, and he loved it! I spent most of last week, relaxing and shopping with all of my giftcards. It was a good week!

Greg and I got each other some "different" Christmas presents this year. Greg is really into cooking lately, so I bought him cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma and a really nice pie dish from Williams-Sonoma. He has been wanting to learn how to make pies..see his blog for the details...it's a little different, I know! He has made some GOOD pies the past week. I'm not so sure about how much I like this new hobby of his....it's hard to eat healthy with pies laying around! Greg got someone to design this adoption blog for us. Our old site was just a template from blogger. I love it, and have decided to design my nursery around it! He also got me travel guides to Taiwan, which I've been wanting.

Mom and Dad had us all over for New Year's Eve. Mom cooked way too much food, and we stayed up way too late playing cards. We had a GREAT time, and it was wonderful welcoming in the New Year all together with the people we love the most.

As far as a New Year's resolution, I think we both are trying to be healthier, eating a lot better, and we bought new mountain bikes on New Year's Eve. Biking is something we both love, and we've been wanting our own bikes for a while now. Connor's favorite Christmas gift was his bike, so we thought it would be a great family thing to do!

Only 4 days till I go back to work...ugghhhh! I plan to have lots of fun, see a lot of friends, and do a little more shopping! We are looking forward to next weekend, as we'll head to Gatlinburg for TCTC. We always love going up there to volunteer and hang out with our friends. Connor's 4th birthday is also in a few weeks (I can't even make the words come out of my mouth....FOUR YEARS OLD???????) January is a busy month..what month isn't in our house?

In the next few weeks, we are praying to get our homestudy back and sent for preapproval to Taiwan. Keep praying for us, as we should be getting in line in the next few weeks! We'll keep you updated!

Fingerprints??????

It's been almost a month since the Memphis USCIS office received our I-600A application and we still have no word on a fingerprinting appointment. Almost every other blog that I've read had their appointments by now. Any fellow adoptive parents have any insight to this????? Greg keeps telling me not to worry, all we need to get in line is our homestudy, but I just want this done! I just hate depending on other people to do things that are very important to me... it's just me being a control freak, yes I know!

Okay, I really will post Christmas pics very soon, I'm just having fun doing nothing productive these past few days! I'm doing some serious vacationing here! Usually, our vacations consist of going non-stop, so I am thoroughly enjoying sitting around! I am so relaxed! A girl could get used to this!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas.....

Connor leaves his treats and letter for Santa.



Connor cooking up some yumminess for Santa!


Connor posing with all the toys he gave up in honor of Baby Jesus' birthday!

We have had non-stop Christmas fun since Friday! I will post all about my class Christmas party and all the family fun we had this weekend later!

This Christmas, Connor REALLY gets the whole Santa thing. We had a lot of fun tonight! We started the evening by going through toys and giving some old toys away in honor of Baby Jesus. He very easily let go of about five big things. Then we went outside and sprinkled magic reindeer food (ummm..well, oatmeal and glitter) all over the front yard so that Rudolph could find our house. We came inside and made fresh gingerbread cookies for Santa (this has been our tradition over the past few years), wrote Santa a letter, got Santa's tray all ready and set it out by the fireplace. We got changed into our pajamas and then watched some of Polar Express, another Christmas tradition. We kept an eye on the Santa tracker online, and actually got Connor upstairs when they said he was in Knoxville. He was a little juiced up, and didn't want to lay down! I think we finally scared him into going to sleep, as all is quiet upstairs.

Now, Greg and I get to stay up late and do the Santa thing!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

An Update

We had a great weekend with the Haneys in town. The Watsons came over Saturday, and the girls stayed at home with the kids and the boys went out and did "boy stuff." They always let us have our girls weekends, so we owed them. I guess we owe them a lot more to make up for all the times they've let us make our weekend trips to Nashville. We really enjoyed getting to know Eliza. She is so cute and so sweet! We are looking forward to watching her grow up. I am a nerd and forgot to charge my camera battery, so I have no pictures from their visit.

On Sunday, we went to Crossings. Connor had been practicing singing "My Deliverer is Coming" the past few weeks in class. We had even been practicing at home, using the fireplace as his stage. He was very excited and I was sure he'd be fine. Well, they all gathered for practice at 9 a.m. He sang the song, but wouldn't leave his best friend, Atley alone. He kept hugging him and putting his arm around him. Atley wasn't too amused and Connor was being annoying! Well, that finally stopped, but Connor then proceeded to stick his hand down his own pants and scratch his leg. He has really bad eczema and on his upper thigh, it has gotten so dry, that he actually has blisters. We were in such a hurry that I forgot to put lotion on him that morning. Everyone was laughing at my nearly four year old with his hand down his pants, but of course I was mordified. I managed to track down some lotion before he did the actual song for the service, and luckily avoided that little scene again. So, it's time for the special music. All the kids come in and line up on the stage and Mom and I both notice that Connor is missing. Mom leans over and whispers "Where's Connor?" and at that moment, a giggling little boy starts running down the aisle to the stage. Yes, it was Connor making his grand entrance. He refused to go on stage and wanted to hang out on the stairs. Carrie managed to keep him from falling off, as he did a little monkey routine, and absolutely refused to sing. WHY IS IT THAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE THE SWEETEST AND MOST WELL BEHAVED CHILDREN UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY NEED THEM TO BE IN PUBLIC????

So anyways, enjoy the pic of Connor swinging on the stair rail at church. Look to the far left corner at the munchkin in the red sweater...yes, that's my little monkey! If I could post a picture of the audience, you would see my red face shaking my head, having to fight myself from yanking him off the stage. The other two pictures are of his practice. Sorry, didn't get his little "Al Bundy" moment on film.

Tonight was our homestudy. Connor was a little show-off. He was a little too energetic. Once again, he had been well-behaved ALL DAY until we needed him to be!!! His job was to give our social worker a tour of the house, and he did a great job! He even showed her Mommy and Daddy's toilet--terribly exciting, I know!

I had my medical evaluation today, so now we are just waiting on our fingerprinting appointments, the I-600A approval after that, and for our homestudy to be written. We're almost there!

For All Those Adoptive Families......

"Can you all not have any more children?" "Connor is so cute! You did so good the first time, why don't you just have more on your own?"

Oh, the questions we've been asked since we told people about our adoption! This one is for all the parents who have been asked all these questions too!

Connor Reads His First Book!

Connor has officially read his first book as of tonight! It is called, I Can See.... At first, I just assumed he had all the words memorized and knew what picture went with them. Then tonight, I covered up every picture and had him read the pages out of order. He doesn't really know how to sound out the words, even though he knows all of his letters and all of the sounds they make, he just knows what each word "looks like" he says. It is a repetitive book, I can see a cat, I can see a camel, I can see a cow, etc. etc., but still it is a milestone and we're very proud of him!!!

I'm baaaaaaaack!

I just got back from Charleston. It was a really great trip. I got to go with my friend Jessica, and we always get along really well. It's always fun to travel with someone you can have a good time with.

No major events happened. We taxied on the runway in Atlanta on Sunday night for thirty minutes, longer than our 29 minute flight we'd just taken, so that was good times. Monday morning, the girl at the hotel desk gave us the wrong directions to the conference, so we walked about five blocks too far. Tonight, we landed in Atlanta and went to the complete other side of the airport, only to find when we got there, they changed our departure gate to the one right next to the one we had come from. We literally only had to walk five feet. I was not a happy camper trekking back to the other side of the airport. Needless to say, I'll take ALL OF THAT because my plane didn't crash! Yes, once again, I jumped at every noise, and put my head in my hands every time there was the slightest turbulence. I am getting better, though. No flight attendants even talked to me beyond the drink request, so that's progress!!

When I got to the airport in Knoxville, I was greeted by an adorable little boy dressed as a chauffeur, wearing a black suit and sunglasses, holding a sign that said "Mommy". People in the airport were laughing hard! I wish so badly that I had a picture of him in his little outfit. He refused to let Greg take one of him before I got there. It was a great way to come home! He loved the little Delta airplane I brought him home and wanted to sleep with it. He really wants to fly in an airplane!

We got some really great teaching ideas and insights. Got recharged a bit, which is always good. We also came to the realization that frustrations with education are universal. Sometimes I feel like it is only in our school, or county, but as I heard teachers from other states, they are going through the exact same things. It is always comforting to know that you are not alone.

Charleston is such a beautiful city. I had been there once before a couple of years ago on vacation. Jessica and I laughed today as we were eating cheeseburgers in this old diner right across the street from Gucci! Only in the south can you be eating a greasy cheeseburger, sitting in a ripped up booth, and stare across the street into a window with $600 shoes displayed. I love being a southern girl!

We had some great conversations about life and work. Ate some good food. Got lots of free stuff. Learned great new ideas. It was a pretty productive beginning to the week. Now, back to work! A bearable thought because Christmas vacation is in sight! I'm so looking forward to my two week vacation! I love being a teacher!

Mommy is out of town!

This is Greg taking over Jessica's blog because she's in Charleston without internet access for a few days and I know her password. Muuuaha-ha-ha-ha-ha! When Jessica is out of town, me and the little man have a big time! Here are a few pictures of our adventures in downtown Knoxville tonight.





The first thing we did was to go up the Sunsphere. It's been closed for years but just recently reopened to visitors and Connor has always thought it was pretty cool. Since Mommy is too scared to go up there, I thought I would take this opportunity to take Connor to the top. He thought it was pretty cool.





Here's the view if you've never been up there. It's pretty stellar!





Why yes dad, I would like to have a gingerbread cookie for dinner!





Connor doing one of his famous Zoolander poses in front of the Market Square Christmas Tree. He calls this one "White Lightning!"

Weekend at Home

Well, we had a busy weekend at home. On Friday, we took Connor to the Christmas parade and did a little Christmas shopping on Market Square. He was in a horrible mood, and we put him to bed early and enjoyed a movie. I of course, can't make it through a whole movie without falling asleep.

On Saturday, Greg and Connor surprised me with breakfast. They snuck out while I was still sleeping. We laid low until noon and then I went on a cleaning rampage. I cleaned and decorated for Christmas at the same time. Greg and Connor went out last night and got a Christmas tree. Everything is decorated, the stockings are hung, and the "bank tree" is now up. Connor told me last night, "Mom, I really like our Christmas house!"

We enjoyed our time together.....and now things get CRAZY!!! We have something going on non-stop every night until Christmas. We have company in town the next two weekends, Christmas programs to see, and Christmas parties to attend! A normal person would be stressed......I LOVE IT!!!!!

I am headed upstairs to pack. My plane leaves in a few hours. I absolutely HATE HATE HATE flying, so I've been sick to my stomach all day at the thought of it. Hopefully I can avoid the flight attendant asking me if I'm okay today. How am I going to fly to Taiwan??????

The Ballet Recital

I've been teaching ballet after school since September. I teach students at my school, so it has been a very easy way to earn extra money for the adoption. The girls are so cute and sweet, and honestly it's been fun to do something that has nothing to do with academics. They had their little Christmas performance on Thursday, and I was so proud of them! They are a great bunch of girls with a great heart! It has made me feel so great to share something with them, that they might not have been able to experience otherwise. So many of the parents have told me how much they appreciate this opportunity for their girls. I gave each of them a rose after the performance, and the girls got so excited over a silly flower. They kept saying, "Oh my gosh, it's real! Smell it!" I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to work in the environment that I do. I don't know if I could ever teach at a middle-class school. Everyday makes me so thankful for everything that I have, and everyday I just want to love those kids as much as I can. It truly is ministry to me.

The parents gave permission to have their girls pictures released to the media, so I thought it was okay to post a couple of pictures on here. There will possibly be an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel sometime this week, most likely in the "Your Hub" section, as well as write-up in the South Knoxville Times.

Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?

I just had to post this picture from tonight. It made me laugh and think of "A Charlie Brown Christmas", which we've already seen twice and it's December 4th! I pray that all families will remember Linus' speech this holiday season. In our house, we have just made the pact that at three, we have the power to control his view of Christmas now. If we don't give him a million presents, and set up this big materialistic expectation of Christmas, maybe he'll always remember the true meaning of Christmas. In all the traffic, money stress, and decorations, may we not forget that Christmas is about our Jesus.

RIP... Greg's Music Room

Well, we always knew it was coming. It was a great little music room for four years. Greg proudly decorated it himself, and everyone who came over thought it was the coolest room in the house....very "Trading Spaces". This weekend it was made into a playroom. We kept the whole "creativity" theme in there. There are still musical instruments hanging on the walls, but everything else is gone. Connor has a neat little dress-up corner, tons of room to play trains, an art corner, and lots of his art work displayed on the wall. We had a budget of $80 to convert the room, so I thought it turned out well in that respect. My dream is to build a little stage in there, and really let the kids' imagination go wild! There is so much I want to do in there, but we just don't have any money right now after writing some crazy high dollar checks this past week for adoption stuff.

Connor has spent endless hours in the room since we converted it. He has wanted to play in there non-stop. We put his Christmas tree up in the playroom instead of his bedroom this year. This weekend, before I fly out on Sunday to a conference in Charleston, we will try to get the "bank tree" (as Greg calls it) up in the living room. Yes, all my ornaments match the living room decor, and the wrapping paper also has to match. We all know I'm type "A", come on!

Anyways, here are some pictures of the new play space.

Some Pics!

Since I've been sick since Thanksgiving, I haven't had a chance to get any of the pictures off of my camera. We have lots of great pics to post! Take a look!

Connor is super excited that it's Christmas time!



Oh my! Atley is already catching a ride with Connor! I cringe to think of this scene in 12 more years!



Mmmmm!!! Connor loves making cookies!



Fantasy of Trees was so much fun!



Very tired, but happy to welcome Eliza home! Mandy, Nancy, Eliza, and Me at the Nashville Airport the day before Thanksgiving (actually it was Thanksgiving about this time).

We Rock!

Well, this week we were on fire getting our papework done! We have almost everything in order and will start our homestudy sometime next week. Greg and I both are "to do" list type people and we found a cool little website that allowed us to have our list of things to get done online and both work off of it. It is really neat if you like that kind of stuff....maybe we're just nerds!

This week we found our new adoption agency (totally a "God" thing), mailed our application fee and application, ordered various paperwork (birth certificates, background checks, letters of employment, etc.). We filled out our VERY lengthy homestudy application, and each of us wrote a 10 page autobiography. (Oh my goodness.....we were so sick of talking about ourselves at the end of that!) We also talked to Greg's dad about a will. Right now we are waiting on our will to be finalized, to get our medical exams (our doctor couldn't fit us in until mid-December), and for our homestudy to begin. Yes, we are frantically organizing our house this weekend! I'm sure it would be fine like it is, but we just wanted to!

After our homestudy is completed (hopefully in January), it will be sent to Taiwan, and they will approve it or not. If they approve it, we will pay our adoption agency our program fee, and then they will finish up everything and send our official dossier to Taiwan and wait and wait and wait and wait for a referral. Our file will probably not even be considered for a referral for at least 18 mos. due to the other families ahead of us. Then when we are picked, we will have to wait 6 months to travel. In Taiwan all the court proceedings are done over time, and you cannot travel to pick up your child until they are finished. OH, WHAT A LONG SIX MONTHS THAT WILL BE! We will receive monthly updates, pictures, and videos while we wait, and are allowed to send gifts to her during that time. So, we are probably looking to have Claire home in two years...still too long, but what can we do?

Good news: We rocked the paper chasing this week! Bad news: I have been sick since Thanksgiving and since we pushed ourselves so hard this week, and many nights I only got 4 hours sleep, I am terribly sick. My little cold has spread to my chest, and I can barely talk, and cannot stop coughing. I am off to the doctor now to get "fixed up" as Connor called it. I am hoping to have some meds in my system soon. Greg has been straightening and organizing like crazy for two days, and all I've felt like doing is sitting. I am hoping to make some sort of contribution this afternoon!

Taiwan

So, back in April we felt led to do an international adoption. We really felt that God was calling us to China, and that week God did everything but write it in the sky that we were supposed to do China. We went out to eat to celebrate our decision and my fortune cookie read, "The one you love is closer than you think." I don't believe in all the horoscopes, lucky numbers, blah...blah..blah, but I do believe in God and how he does things in mysterious ways. I always felt that fortune was a little weird, and tonight as I sat in the same Chinese restaurant and opened a fortune cookie with some random saying, I laughed remembering that fortune I had cracked open 7 months ago. Tonight, I can say that Claire is much closer than we thought.

When we made the decision to switch to Taiwan this weekend, we had no idea what that wait would entail. Now we're being told, in the worst case scenario, we will have Claire home in 20 months. Most likely, it will be 12-18 months. She will probably already be about 10 months old when we bring her home. Greg and I realized tonight that Claire could actually be growing inside of someone right now....it gave me goosebumps!

When we were being called to China, we were intent on being faithful to whatever God called us to do, even when we thought it meant waiting three or four more years to expand our family. I have to say Saturday when God laid upon my heart that it was time to let go, I was relieved. At first I grieved because China was where all of my hopes and dreams were, it was "my plan". All day I have been thinking of Proverbs 16:9 - " A man makes a plan in his heart, but God directs the path." I am so thankful that God has decided to direct our path to Taiwan and is blessing us with a little girl so much sooner than we thought. I said in my blog a couple of weeks ago that I wasn't going to change programs because I didn't like God's timeline and that I wouldn't move unless He told us. Honestly, in all of my life, I've never been more faithful, trusting, or closer to God than I have in these seven months. It has truly been a growing experience. He has been so faithful in guiding us. I am so thankful that I've learned more about trust and faith, and I'm so thankful for His grace, for blessing us with all of this, even though I far from deserve it.

My "Type A" personality is rearing it's ugly head. I have a "to do" list and I want it gone! Greg actually said to me on the way home from dinner, "You need to take a big, fatty, adoption chill pill." Since I have seem to come down with bronchitis, I think I will take a "chill pill" and relax tonight. We got a lot accomplished today, and I am proud of us. Someone once said to Greg, "I don't know how you all are going to get all that paperwork done quickly since Jessica works. It is like a full-time job chasing down all those papers." Greg then responded, "Oh, you don't know my wife, then!" I am on a mission!

We will be starting our official adoption site soon. I have been looking at templates to see what would be good for us. Any name suggestions? I think we'll still keep this page to talk about non-adoption things, and of course, CONNOR!

Please pray for the three of us, and our birthmother, whoever she may be!