I should be packing

I wish this is what my suitcase looked like...maybe a little more organized than that. I don't know what my problem is, but I am majorly procrastinating with the packing of the suitcases. Don't get me wrong, I am SO EXCITED to go get our girl, but I just haven't been motivated to pack ANYTHING yet. I did wash Cora's clothes that are going to China with us last week. Since we found out when we are leaving for China...(which is April 6) everyday I have thought....I should start getting things organized, but I still haven't even opened a suitcase.  I have roughly 3.5 weeks till it HAS to be packed....maybe I'll go shopping for some "going to China clothes" for myself. I am sure that will help me procrastinate for a couple more days ;-)

Hope everyone is having a joy filled day.....happy procrastination packing ;-)

-katie

Look what we got today!

This was part of the e-mail we received today.


Travel group: Hebei
Number of families:2
Travel phone conference: See attachment.
Escort: Pending
Beijing arrival: no later than April 8
Holt orientation: April 9
Date to province: April 10
Child handoff: Gottcha! April 11
Provincial city where you will stay: Shijiazhuang
Date to Guangzhou: April 13
U.S. Consulate visa appointment: April 17
Visa issued:  April 18
First recommended U.S. return date: April 19
The travel agency is currently working on our international flights and travel/lodging in China! We are thinking right now that we will be leaving on April 6, and will do a Great Wall of China tour.

Oh....happy day! Oh, I almost forgot to share. We got an update on Cora yesterday. (No pictures...bummer) She is not walking on her own yet. I don't wish her to be delayed with the walking, but it would be awesome if we could share this milestone with her! They say she is a healthy girl. She weighed 9kg (19.8lbs) I have no idea if this was with all her layers of clothes or not. And it said she is 79cm tall (31.1 inches) this seems tall to me considering her weight....so it will be interesting to see how accurate these measurements are.

-katie

2 little letters....that's right TA!

This will be short and sweet today. We got travel approval yesterday! We are hoping to leave the first week in April to bring Cora home, but we won't know for sure until next week. If everyone would please pray that everything goes smoothly with province and consulate appointments to keep us on the early April departure timeframe....I would definately appreciate it :-)

-katie

Waiting and a little more whining...

Well, February has come and gone with no travel approval from China....and today I have officially given up hope for travel in March. I sent our agency an e-mail the other day requesting an update on Cora. It is driving me absolutely crazy not knowing anything..we haven't got a new picture or any kind of update on her since September. (Poor me right!?!) I also don't know if she is still in the group home that she had been sent to before and after her surgery or if she is back in the orphanage. I am hoping she is still at the group home...as she would be getting more one on one attention there.

On a more positive note...here is some Cora cuteness! She was 10.5 months old in this picture. My baby girl is 16 months old today...goodness sakes, I just WANT HER HOME!

-katie

Packing lists

So the hubby and I decided that we should probably get busy with the packing for China. We have a date tonight after the kids go to bed to start our packing list so we can be organized. We have an exciting life....don't be jealous. With 3 busy kids and with me working nights and on weekend package now....we made a date so we would actually sit down and do this, otherwise another week will go by, and we will end up in panick mode when we start to pack.
Hopefully this will give us something to focus on while waiting for our travel approval.

-katie

p.s.- anyone that has been there done that....any advice is welcome ;-)

a whiney update

We got an e-mail from our agency last Friday notifying us that our paperwork was in Beijing. They said our travel approval should be in their office within 3 weeks! I am still really hoping we will be able to go in March. Our agency is doing something new this year, and they are grouping travel. I remember reading the e-mail notifying us that this would be changing in 2012. At the time I thought it would be nice that you are guaranteed to travel with other families....now however I am feeling a little different. If we don't get our travel approval in time to arrange all the appointments for the March 16 travel group....we will have to wait until the April 6 travel group. I know I am making way too big a deal about this whole "I don't want to wait until April thing".....but I DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL APRIL! Also...if we travel in April we are going to have to deal with the trade fair in Guangzhou.
I am just so anxious to get her home and get busy being a family of 6....
I also wish that we could get some sort of update on her, just to know that she is doing well would make me feel so much better. We haven't got an updated picture or anything on our girl since the end of September. (Can you tell that I worked nights all weekend and I am feeling a little tired and whiney today?) Anywho, I know that was less of an update and was really more, me whining so....I am going to stop the whining....for the moment at least ;-)

Hopefully we'll have good news to share with everyone very soon!

-katie

Adventures with a 3 year old.....

So our sometimes sweet, yet always ornery Owen, turned 3 earlier this week. I have included a few pictures of his birthday party. The child is obsessed with star wars (thanks to his older brother.) So naturally he had a star wars themed party.

We sat down and googled star wars cakes to get some ideas of what I could make for his birthday cake....this is what he wanted me to make....uh.....yeah right! Sorry buddy, not gonna happen.

This what he ended up with. Not even close....we borrowed a Darth Vadar bobble head from his brother to star-wars-it-up. He was happy with it....so score 1 for Mom!



 He had a brownie with birthday candles on his actual birthday. I think this picture shows a little bit of his ornery side ;-) Love him!

And last but not least.....time for presents! See I told you....the boy is obsessed!



Happy 3rd birthday Owen! We love you buddy!