2006 In Review-Turn off Elton before viewing

Amazing Artist...

and she's for hire! Matt's sister, Jennie, has always had an amazing artistic talent. For some strange reason, I think this is her best work ever!-probably something to do with the subject matter-;o).

Above is the photo that she worked from. The comparison is amazing. I've loved the photo since it was taken but always wished it was taken in better light. I LOVE that the painting has the light that the photo was missing (plus a few of Audrey's teeth!)

When I look at this picture, I am filled with love for my children-even on the rottenest days. I needed to have this picture on my wall. It means a lot to me. Thank you so much, Jennie!

I'll ask Jennie if I can post her email address here but in the meantime if you are interested in commissioning a piece of art for yourself, just email me at azboutons@comcast.net and I'll get Jennie's contact info to you.

Desert Dwellers Meet!

10 Months LID

10 months. Double Digits. That's getting somewhere, right?

Yesterday, day 2 with the kids all back in school but one, 3 year-old X said, "I'm all alone. I want Meili to come so I can play with her." Me too, little guy...and what am I? chopped liver?

We are just days away from the first official 'Desert Dwellers' China adoption get-together. There are seven of us planning to attend. I'll finally get to meet internet-pal, Dana! We are meeting at a Mexican restaurant, getting pedicures and then coming back to my house for dessert and fun. I haven't cleaned this much since before our home study, but I can't wait!!!

Snow Fun...

Adoption Blog...and some more griping.

Here's a link to an interesting adoption blog. There are several different categories to choose from and follow. We have friends who should be meeting their new 11 year-old son in China today posting in the Adopting a Sibling section. Can't wait to see pics! Heck, I can't wait to meet him!

Looks like referrals are finally trickling in and dossiers were matched with munchkins up until the 27th? of September. At this rate, it will still be another year before we see Meili's face. I've been trying to 'suck it up' and accept the fact that taking about 2 months to get through 1 month's worth of dossiers is the new normal for China.

Based on recent reports from CCAA that the ratio of adoptive applicants to paper ready babies is 2:1 and not seeing anything concrete to make me believe that they have any plan or desire to make any more babies become eligible for international adoption, I think that we won't see any improvements in the referral timeframes for quite some time. I think that there are plenty of families that have 'jumped ship' from the China program but I think that a majority of them probably had LIDs after ours. I also think that families who are just now logging in will see things get much worse but, if they stick with it, will be pleasantly surprised to see a speed up that will affect them. Just my buck and two cents...

My goal for 2007-stay so busy that I don't have time to obsess about the wait!!! I need to pack up my office to prepare for a closet installation. Once that's done, I'm going to finish scanning in pics of my kids that were born B.D.C. (before digital cameras) and make their baby videos. Oh yeah, and there's that darn 100 good wishes quilt...I think I'll have plenty to do.

Happy New Year! (scroll down for Christmas pics!)

Hard to believe that we spent New Year's Day in the desert! We enjoyed some snow fun in the mountains. We went sledding with sorry excuses for sledding devices-boogie boards and lids to rubberm*id containers but hey it worked. We also rummaged through our garage and found our snowman kit and put it to good use. And of course the day would not have been complete without a good snowball fight-Xander's favorite part for sure.

Here's hoping for a wonderful 2007 and a year filled with many more happy family memories...

Feb DTC Secret Pal Revealed!

...and it is none other than Megi Bilicki! Megi has spoiled us rotten over the past several months with her wonderful gifts and this month was no exception. She sent an adorable ladybug that will eventually end up in Meili's room, but for now is in the entry way. There was also a Chinese Cookbook that I can't wait to try out, baby washcloths, baby hair clips, Chocolate (I'll give you one guess as to why it is not pictured!), a beautiful fleece blanket,pink journal and 'A Letter to Santa' book. We sure hope thatMeili will be home next year to enjoy it!

Thank you so much,Megi! Your gifts have definitely been a highlight in our home. The kids have really enjoyed 'helping' to open them and,in the absence of a growing belly, the gifts have helped our youngest ones to realize that a little sister will indeed join our family one day. We have included a snapshot of each month's gifts in our 'Waiting for Meili' video so she will know that we were not alone in counting down the months until her arrival.

I just have to say that there just doesn't seem to be anything like the support that you find within the China adoption community. I can't think of a better bunch of people to align ourselves with. I hope that even though the swap has ended, we can continue to keep in touch!

Thanks so much,

Jenn and Family