Me on my soapbox

I have to be honest. I didn't sleep for more than an hour last night. My mind was spinning out of control. I kept thinking about flights, in-country travel, where we would stay, my lack of Mandarin knowledge, we must be crazy, will Miss A. be afraid of us, will she mourn the loss of her caregivers, will she think that we are a bit nut-so, is D' ready for us to be away from him, will M' and J' be ok w/out us for a few days, do people "really" want to take our kiddos for 11 days, etc., etc. The list can go on and on. I almost got out of bed at about 2:00 am to go for a run in hopes that I would come back tired enough to sleep. I can not stress the word ALMOST enough:).

I will admit that one of my many weaknesses is worry. I struggle with it! I don't know why I do b/c it serves no purpose except to make life miserable, and one of my biggest pet peeves in life is listening to people complain. I have all the sympathy in the world for people who are going thru struggles and trials in their lives, but I ALSO think that we need to realize that we are blessed beyond measure! God does not send us anything that we can not handle, and to constantly complain (in my opinion) is not showing any sort of thankful heart.

So, last night I was committing my own worst pet peeve. I was "mentally" complaining. Things may seem overwhelming to me right now, but I know that God will work it all out to serve His purpose and that He will be given the Glory! My boss (and also my good friend) tells me often that worry is lack of faith. Hmmm....I would tend to agree. I am so blessed. God's timing is perfect, and He gives us strength to persevere thru our trials.

And, just for the record.....everything does work out in the end. Our airfare has been booked, our in-country travel is being worked on, the amazing missionaries are working w/A' so that her transition won't be as difficult, etc., etc. God is great!

TRAVEL DATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just got an email from our agency, and we have confirmed travel dates/visa appt. dates to bring Miss A. home. I'm not sure what our departure date is yet, but it appears that we will be going around June 18-22nd, and returning July 1. I'll keep you posted, but for now I'm off to do a lot of busy work!!!

May 13 roundup....

Today marks two important events at the VK house.
1. It is Mr. J.'s "official" birthday. Happy 7th Birthday to Mr. J!
2. We were officially matched with Miss A. 1 year ago today. I really didn't anticipate that it would take SO LONG, but we are getting there. I just keep repeating my mantra....one day closer....one day closer....one day closer :o) !
Here is Miss A's referral picture:

I'm a Copier.....

I confess....I copied this from Marmee who copied it from Joyce, but I thought it was fun:)....
20 Of My Favorite Things.
1. Color- Fuchsia, or purple
2. Dessert- Cheesecake, or a pineapple sundae
3. Smell- Bread just out of the oven
4. Flower- French Tulips
5. Animal- Dogs....not a cat person at all!
6. Month-December....I love Christmas.
7. Beverage- Grande Americano...2 equals...1 inch NF milk.
8. Pair of shoes-Running shoes.
9. Snack- Popsicles.
10. Song- Anything really. I love classic rock, Third Day, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, etc.
11. Book- Bible, of course. Then anything to do w/adoption, China, etc.
12. Fruit- Apples, or pineapple
13. Hairstyle- up in a "mom" clip.
14. Piece of clothing- Trackpants....I live in them!
15. Store to clothes shop- Ross, Kohl's, Outlet shopping. I'm a cheap!
16. Season- Summer!
17. Hobby- Crochet, kids, baking, Internet.
18. Thing to collect- Antique Teacups.
19. Movie- The Sound of Music, Cold Mountain
20. Restaurant- Anything fast and kid-friendly. We like Bob's Burger and Brew the best!

Happy Birthday to D' and Mr. J!

I can't believe my boys are 3 and 7! Time flies when you are having fun, right:). We celebrated the occasion tonight by having the family over for dinner.

Earlier today, Mr. J., Sr. and I were reminiscing about the day that little Mr. J. was born. If you are somewhat familiar with farming, you know that spring and fall are undoubtedly the busiest times of the year for crop farming in our area. When we found out we were due on May 8th w/J', we both wondered how it was all going to work out. But, to our delight little J' was born on a VERY rainy day in May. Rain shuts everything down when it comes to field work, so we chuckled that little J. must have farming running thru his veins. He comes from a long line of farmers - just ask G'pa :o).

Similarly, little D' was born in the dairy capitol of China. We were not aware of that fact until we arrived in his province, and we were thrilled to find out that the countries largest dairy farm was only a short trip from where D' was found. His province produces most of China's milk, so I guess that you could say that farming runs in D's veins, too.

It's so amazing to see God's plan unfold in our lives. He has given us three beautiful children, and one that we are yearning to hold in our arms. He is to be given the glory for everything, including His plan to forever unite us w/D', and soon Miss A. Three years ago, in a country half way across the world, an incredibly unselfish woman delivered our beautiful baby boy. I sometimes think about the events of that day, but they are just that....my thought. She probably delivered him in secret, possibly in her home, as it is frowned upon to have a child w/out permission from the govt. She took great care to make sure he was wrapped up in a warm blanket, and left him in a place to be found. She could have faced serious consequences for abandoning him, but she chose to make the sacrifice. Her heart must of ached so deeply, and she must of wiped away a million tears that day. She may have waited until night when she thought it would be safer. It would have been easier for her to abort him, but she chose to give him life. She may have hid her pregnancy because she was too afraid of what might happen to her if she was found to be with child. She loved him enough to bring him to a place that he would get the medical treatment that he needed. She is an amazing woman, and we are forever grateful to her for choosing life. May she find peace and comfort in the Father on this Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to the sometimes forgotten mothers....birth mothers. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for our precious children!

G'pa, G'ma, and Uncle Jerm at the party.

D' excited to open his remote control tractor...very cool!

J' opening his Cars game. J' is so funny b/c he rarely shows any excitement when he opens presents. He really liked this toy and played w/it for a long time after everyone left.

Whoops....put this picture on twice. It is a cute one, though:).

Cousin K and T playing with the kitties. They REALLY liked them:).

Cousin M' being cute and goofy.

Happy 1 year anniversary, Uncle K and Aunt C!

Auntie Gooch, Logie-Pie, and Uncle B.

GEMS

From L. to R. Miss M's classmates and Miss M. on the far right. Such a cute little hippie!

Miss M. and I attended her final "Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior" meeting of the year this past Wednesday. It was a mother/daughter event, which certainly was fitting with Mother's Day weekend just around the corner. The party was also to celebrate the 50th year of GEMS. Attendees were instructed to choose a decade and dress accordingly. Auntie Amanda had a "hippie" outfit lying around, so Miss M. jumped at the chance to put her best bell bottom forward. Much to her delight, two fellow classmates also chose to go with "flower power," as well:)

Prayer request....

Unless you have been living under a rock, you are probably aware of the swine flu. Obviously it is a serious problem, however my PERSONAL opinion is that the news media is going a little overboard. I realize that WHO, CDC, and local health officials need to be vigilant when such things happen, and I am not minimalising the need for cooperation as countries scramble to isolate suspected cases. However, from a very selfish perspective (I admit it!) I am sickened every time I turn on the television and see more coverage.


You may be asking why I am even bringing all of this up. Well, here goes.....



We learned this week that international travel for adoption may be halted until health officials are confident the pandemic is under control. Here comes the selfish part.....we were expecting our travel dates soon (in the next few weeks) for Miss A', and now it seems like we may have another minor delay in bringing our sweet baby girl home.



Hopefully I am not coming across as callous, but I'm just being honest. I pray that those affected by Swine Flu will be healed quickly, and that they do not suffer. I know that it is obviously better to error on the side of caution and not spread the disease thru intl' travel, but I find it interesting that only intl' adoptive travel would be halted, and the borders would remain open for everyone else....like adoptive parents are the only ones that would carry the flu:(. Come on....crazy!



Anyway, please pray for continued patience for me as I am about to loose my mind! Just kidding, of course. I'm being overly dramatic:).