I just couldn't resist!

Whenever I head out to Parisian I always say to myself, "I'm not even going near the little girl's department" it is just too hard and depressing! Although I have bought a lot of stuff for Kaelin, clothes have always been the one thing that are really tough for me to buy! But this last trip was different! Maybe it is because we have Kaelin's room finished or maybe it is because of the big batch of Feb referrals (a whopping 8 days!). Something came over me this time and I just couldn't resist! I didn't even think twice about marching right over to the little girl's section and buying these precious little outfits! After all, they were on the winter sale racks and so incredibly inexpensive! I only paid $7 for the sweet little Osh Kosh overall jumper and the rest were really awesome bargains too ( $27 grand total)! But the little jumper is my fav! I can't tell you how good it felt while I was looking at all of these sweet clothes. I could actually picture our little Kaelin in these outfits! At one point I literally had to compose myself because it actually brought me to tears! I have no idea how old or what size she will be or even if she will be a she! But, I don't care! These little outfits made my day!

Happy 26th Anniversary! (No, not LID!)

Today is our 26th wedding anniversary! Let me just say that being married to my best friend has been amazing! I guess you could say that Gary and I are definitely not the norm! We have known each other for more than 34 years and been married for 26 of them! Oh, now, before you start saying, "Oh come now, it hasn't been a whole bed of roses? Has it?" No! It definitely has not! You can't be married for this long and not have had ups and downs (thankfully way more ups than downs!), especially when you throw 5 kids (born within 6 yrs!) in the mix! I will share a few things that has kept us going despite the downs and they are, appreciation, forgiveness, and, most importantly, unconditional love! Even though we can make each other crazy, we always go back to these three things! Oh my gosh can Gary do things that drive me up a tree! We have lived in our house for over 8 years and he still doesn't know where things are in the kitchen! He'll open 3 drawers before he finds what he is looking for! And I know I can do things that can drive him right up into orbit! I am never ready when I say I will be ready (he has waited in the car for me for probably a year when you add it all up)! But, when we come back down we always get over it and get back to reality! The truth is Gary and I are soulmates! We were so meant for each other it's scary! You know you have been married a long time when you become telepathic with each other! Sometimes we don't even need to speak because we already know what the other one is thinking!

Tonight, I am making him a special dinner starting with champagne! Then I am making him filet mignon, spinach stuffed mushrooms, twice baked potatoes and chocolate mouse with strawberries for dessert! For gifts, we already gave them to each other. This year we decided to take the money we would normally spend on gifts and donated it to the "Little Mouse Emergency Fund" at Half the Sky. I have to tell you, without a doubt, they are the best gifts we have ever given to each other! (Okay, now you can say it, "Awwwwwwwww!")

Situation in China is Catastrophic!

China is experiencing it's worst weather in 50 years! The areas of south and central China are having the hardest time dealing with this disaster because they are not equipped to handle this much snow and ice. Many orphanages are currently without food, water, diapers, and heat! This is so upsetting to us because our little Kaelin might be one of the children, along with thousands of others in these orphanages who is suffering! I am just sick at the thought of her, as well all of the babies, being cold, hungry, and thirsty right at this very moment! The best we can do is pray and donate money! Gary and I have already donated as much as we can and would like you to do the same! If you are unable to donate, then at least pray for all of the little children who are being affected by this. If you would like to donate to this fund go to http://www.halfthesky.org/ and click on the Little Mouse where it says, "Click to Give". Thank you so much!

Woo Hoo!

Referrals are in! Today our agency received 29 referrals! We are so excited that CCAA made it all the way to Dec 27 2005! We are finally seeing a light at the end of this long dark tunnel (and for once it's not a train)! If CCAA keeps up this pace we will see Kaelin's sweet little face the first week in May and travel to China in June or July! We only have two LID groups in front of us! That just gave me goosebumps!

2 Years LID in Family Pics!

Today is our 2 year LID anniversary! It's hard to believe that two whole years have passed since our dossier was logged in at CCAA. Much has changed during these last two years. We have had a lot of good times. We have seen so many holidays, birthdays, and graduations come and go. We have watched as our children have all set out on the journey to their own lives. We have been through some not so good and scary times, too. Adam and Justin, and Marie's boyfriend, James, have all been in very serious car accidents, and by the grace of God all came out with only minor cuts and bruises! The most saddest and devastating event in the last two years has been the death of my beautiful mom. We are all so very sad, but very comforted to know that she is Home with Jesus Christ in Heaven. When we look back on these last two years, it is as if everything is falling into place just as it should. We truly believe that everything does happen for a reason and God has a plan for all of us. The day we finally have Kaelin placed in our arms will be exactly in His perfect timing.

Kaelin's window seat is finished!

We finally finished the window seat in Kaelin's bedroom. I love it! My sweet wonderful sister, Sue, made the beautiful soft cushion. She is so talented when it comes to sewing and cooking for that matter! The valance is Pottery Barn Kids Pink Daisy Garden which matches her crib bedding. All we need now is my PBK pink dream glider to make the room complete. And, of course, a baby would be nice, too!

Empty Nest!

Well, it's official! For the first time in 26 years we are just the two of us! As of last weekend, Gary and I became empty nesters! Justin and Marcus moved to a condo just 3 miles down the road. It's really weird rattling around in this big house with just the dog and the cat! They even seem to be a bit mopey! I miss my kids something terrible! Even though the boys only live a few miles away, and I talk to my girls nearly every day, I still hate it! I have been keeping myself busy by cleaning and organizing! Most houses have at least one or two junk drawers. But not our house! Every drawer and closet in our house has become a haven for junk! I am partially to blame, I am a sentimental sap! I save everything! So it is going to be really hard for me to let go of a lot of this good junk! One thing I am glad I did save is a lot of the kids toys! Just the good stuff, though, like the Brio blocks and train set, Legos (we have enough to build a full scale home) and play dishes, fake food, and dolls. I can't wait for Kaelin to play with these and a lot of other great toys the kids loved so much! Not to mention all of the new stuff we have bought during our wait!

Thank God this emptiness is only temporary! I have a feeling we will see a lot more of our kids once we bring our little Kaelin home. Yeah! A full house, again! This thought, alone, is what keeps me from going stark raving mad! Okay,okay, I admit it! I think I went stark raving mad when the wait for referrals hit the two year mark!

Happy New Year!

What a beautiful way to welcome the new year! As much as we like to complain about the weather in Michigan, there is no denying that this is soooo pretty. The air is so crisp and clean and everything is covered in a soft blanket of fresh snow (over a foot)! How gorgeous! Our dog, Storm, loves it! Poor Gary, our snowblower quit, so he had to do a lot of hand shoveling! I have a feeling that 2008 is going to be a fabulous year! Happy New Year, everyone!

CRAP!!!

Seriously! How much more of this can we take? It looks like CCAA will only get through December 19! Since our agency doesn't have anyone logged in before then, there will probably be no referrals for them this month! This is so disappointing! We are literally moving backwards right now! With a LID of January 23 it would seem like we are so close, but at this rate, we could still be 6 months away! One thing is for sure, we will not lose hope in bringing home our daughter (or son) from China! We truly believe IT WILL HAPPEN!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy New Year, too!