Happy 100th Anniversary UPS!

Matt has worked for UPS for almost 14 years and has to be one of their most loyal employees. He waves at all UPS drivers that we pass on the road even though they don't know him from Adam. The kids have a running game to see if they can be the first to see a UPS truck on the road. They will shout, "UPS TRUCK-I GET A POINT!!!" I find it a bit strange that no one ever accumulates points. Apparently everyone goes back to zero after each sighting... Matt insists that even though our agency sends out all referral info with Fed Ex, they will have to make an exception for us. He refuses to accept such an important delivery from his 'mortal enemy.'

The kiddos at the 100th anniversary celebration.

The kids got to race package cars down a pinewood derby track. Noah's car won!
Taylor and Matt competed against each other in a 'load the truck' competition. Taylor won! Matt wasn't too sore of a loser-he manages a few departments in the customer service center so his loading expectations weren't too high.

Never Say Never

Matt Claims First Major Victory in Almost 14 Years of Marriage

On Friday afternoon, I dragged Xander around Costco, loaded up the basket, waited in line for 30 minutes, loaded up the car, buckled Xander in, started the car and went to release the parking brake and the release felt like it had broke off in my hand. Actually the cable had snapped and the car was stuck with the parking brake on. I tried to fish back into the dashboard and release the brake myself but soon realized that I wasn't going anywhere.

While I waited for Matt to come to my rescue, I decided to take Xander over to Petsmart to kill some time. The Humane Society was there and so was this little (really not so little) guy. He's a 4 month-old lab mix-I'm mortified that he may be mixed with Great Dane. We named him Jackson and have been calling him Jack. (If the name worked for the Ingalls family, it should be good enough for us!) I'm starting to think that 'Clifford' might have been a better choice.

He's doing really well with the kids and we saw him play well with other dogs at the pet store so we have grand hopes of 'puppy play dates' with the neighbors' dogs. He had a 'procedure' on Saturday morning and we picked him up that afternoon. He came home with 'Kennel Cough,' fleas and worms which hasn't enhanced the bonding experience much for me but I'll come around. He's being treated for all three and once we can give him a much needed bath and let him play in the back yard in a couple of weeks, he will be much easier to have around.

He is a really sweet dog. I can't wait to take him along camping, hiking and biking. Matt loves him and the kids are about to bust out of their skins they are so excited to finally have a dog. More pics in the next post. Blogger is being a pain.

And for the record: Lisa, Melissa and Erin-this is partially your fault. ;o)

Ladybug Sightings

Last Monday, I met my friend and fellow Waiting Desert Dweller, Shannon (who PROMISES to have a blog up and running soon), for lunch. McD's works really well for us. The boys can play for hours and we can have a salad and 'China Chat' with few interruptions. It is so good to have a local DTC pal-someone who speaks the language! It always helps when we get together and let it all out, compare home study update notes, etc. Check out the cool treat she brought for us! They are chocolate ladybugs filled with chocolate baby ladybugs-and there are 5 of them!!! We have eaten one and are saving the other one for our anxiously awaited yet dreaded 1 year LIDversary which is coming up on Saturday for us. Thanks Shannon!!!

Ladybug sighting #2 mysteriously appeared in the mail on Saturday. It came in an envelope addressed to our family with our own address as the return address. Sneaky. To make the feat of figuring out who sent it even worse, it had postage attached but no postmark so I don't have a clue where it came from. I would guess that it came from someone local who could have just popped it into our mailbox but it arrived with the rest of our mail and I don't think that whoever sent it would have wasted 2 stamps if they knew they were going to drive by and leave it in our mailbox. I don't recognize the handwriting but thought of comparing it to home study applications to see if one of my China clients could be the culprit. Hee! Hee! This is fun. I do love a surprise but I AM driving myself nuts trying to figure out who is responsible. If it is you, fess up and tell me how you knew that referrals were on their way!!! (FYI-Referrals arrived today for LIDs of October 14-October 24, 2005. 11 Days. Whoop. eee.)
With our LID of March 10, 2005 my latest guesstimation is a referral in December of 2007/travel in February of 2008. We have a sneaky suspicion that Meili will be born in April. That would make her 8 months at referral and 10 months on Gotcha Day. Just for kicks, let me toss out there that I'm guessing that she will be from the Hunan Province. Hard to believe that someday we will have the facts and all of this guessing will be a thing of the past....can't wait.

Fountain Hills

The kids had a 4-day weekend so we packed up the tent-trailer and headed out of town. We had read in a magazine about an art and crafts fair with a hot air balloon launch and camping nearby. It was a great time-a perfect combination of nature and civilization. We hiked about 8 miles and the kids hardly complained! Taylor is working on merit badges for scouts so he took care of most of the cooking and cleaning so I actually got to relax for a change. We also went into town for the arts fair. We picked up a few watercolors on silk by a Chinese artist. Can't wait to hang them up someplace!

Proof that there is indeed a fountain in Fountain Hills.

The prospect of having 5 kids is great when the first 4 are like these!
Taylor in his wash.
On the trail.

Photo Catchup

In the lobby at the Peking Acrobats show

With their 'Hung Bao' at the Chinese New Year celebration

Writing 'Meili'

The Graduate

Our American Girl at American Girl Place

Catching Up

Been a slacker. Resorting to the bullet list to catch up.

• Went to see the Peking Acrobats on Jan. 30th. Insane what some people can do with their bodies-I'm happy when I can bend over to tie my shoes without blacking out! I swear to you there was a guy holding and twirling an umbrella while a girl was riding a unicycle on top of it. Just bizarre.
• Left for CA the next day to join in my sister's college graduation festivities. It was great to see the whole family again.
• While there, Matt and T did some snowboarding with my brother, I caught up with an old friend over pedicures and breakfast, and we decided to go to American Girl Pl*ce before A was too old to appreciate it. The place was over the top-cafe, theatre, nursery, salon, even hooks in the bathroom to hang your doll on while you take care of business. We picked up an Asian Bitty Baby for Meili and let A spend her report card money. It didn't stretch too far at that place but was a great time.
• Came home from AG Place and checked the RQ site from my MIL's office. Found out that we passed review! I cried tears of relief and when I broke the news to Matt he said, "What does that mean?" Pretty typical...
• We celebrated Chinese New Year at a library downtown with some activities sponsored by the local Chinese Cultural Center-great resource! There was a Lion Dance, story-telling in English and Chinese, face painting, all kinds of crafts, Chinese calligraphy, etc. We waited in line for a guy to do our names in calligraphy. He spoke about as much English as I do Chinese but there was a lady with him and she would pronounce your name phonetically in English so that he could represent each syllable (I guess) with a Chinese symbol. When I gave them Meili's name, his face lit up and he said, "OH!!! MEI. LI. Means beautiful!" I'm so glad that she will have a name that is recognizable to Chinese ears! It was bittersweet to be surrounded by beautiful little Chinese girls on the day that marked one year since sending our dossier to China. Most of them had Chinese parents but I did notice a father holding a Chinese baby that had obviously been adopted recently. She was pretty, but very serious. The mom came over and asked the dad, 'How is she doing?' at which the little girl's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she flung herself into her mother's arms. I lost it.
• The next day the celebrating continued as we were invited to a neighbors house for dinner. They had 2 students with 'Up With People' staying with them and one was 23 year-old 'Spring' from Beijing, China. It was great to talk with her. She is a beautiful and intelligent young lady, about to begin coursework for a Master's in Economics/Southeast Asian Studies at Beijing University. I wasn't going to bring up the adoption topic for fear of it being awkward for her but she brought it up so I went with it. She is an only child because of the one child policy and says that the policy is not as strictly enforced nowadays. I expected her to tell me that it was because of the growing gender imbalance in her country but learned that there is concern in China about the huge population of older citizens with a lack of a younger population to support it and keep the country's development on track. I was also surprised to hear that the government is actually pushing for people who are well-educated to have 2 or 3 children in hopes that they will raise children who will be equally educated and help the country's economy continue to grow. I asked her what the 'word on the street' about international adoption was in her country and she said 'nothing.' It's just not discussed and what little she knew about it, she had learned since coming to the US. Very interesting.
• I joined the 'chub club' (aka Weight Watchers) almost 2 weeks ago. I lost 6.2 pounds the first week and will weigh in tomorrow night to see how I did this week. I'm hoping that I can get 20 pounds off before we go to China-less of me to drag up the Great Wall and a great excuse for a new travel wardrobe!

I guess that's about it. Time to see if I can get Xander down for a nap before the older kids come home from school. Will post pics later.

American Idol Geeks Go to Concert

If you didn't know it already, we are major American Idol geeks. We don't miss a show if we can help it and it definitely is a family affair. We eat and clean up dinner early, pop popcorn and take our various positions on the couch and floor in the family room. The kids watch and take notes, then take turns voting when it is over. About half way through the season, we have usually each come up with our favorites. Last season, Chris (aka Mom's boyfriend) was mine.

Last week, I heard that Daughtry was coming to town and mentioned it to Matt lamenting that it probably wasn't in the budget and would be quite a feat to find someone to watch the kids so late on a school night. He response was, "Buy the tickets. We'll make it work... Happy Valentine's Day."

The show last night was AMAZING! Man, he can sing and he looked like he was having a great time. I loved when he said, "Hey, you guys have the album!" He was surprised to hear people singing the words back to him and you could tell that he was very humbled by the experience.

The fact that he came to our town at all is very cool. Usually we would have to go to Phoenix or at least Tempe to see a concert-probably why we haven't been to a concert since we've moved here! He (they?) played at a little bar downtown-about 300 people there-cozy to say the least. Apparently I was the only person who read the rules online about not bringing cameras or recording devices. I wish that I had mine. We were only about 10 feet away-could have got some great shots. ;o(

I spent most of my teen years with boy band posters on my bedroom walls and a deep-seeded obsession with Michael Jackson (go ahead and laugh,but you know I'm not the only one.) Now that I'm almost 14 years into marriage and almost 5 children into motherhood, there is something very attractive about a faithful husband and devoted father that can rock a bald head. I was very happy to go home with mine...minus the bald head, that is! Buy the album-let's keep this guy in business!

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

Desert Dwellers Get-Together...

I'll post a Christmas review complete with pics as soon as I find the camera but first things first...I sent out an announcement about this back in October. I can'tbelieve that January 13th is just around the corner!!!Plans are in the works for a get-together on Saturday, January 13th,2007 in Tucson, AZ for Desert Dwellers (and anyone who cares to makethe trip!) who are waiting for their Chinese daughters or sons.

Plans include meeting at a Chinese (or Mexican) restaurant for lunch (@ 11:30 a.m.),pedicures (because we will still be wearing flip-flops in January down here!), and then coming back to my home for dessert and China/adoption inspired fun and games.

It should be lots of fun and a chance to meet and visit with others in the same 'slow boat to China!' If you are interested in attending, leave a comment with your email address and include your vote for Chinese or Mexican cuisine. I'll send out a final email with details and directions next week. So far there are 4 of us planning to attend. Hope you can join us!

Merry Christmas 2006!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It is always a joy to me to relive the excitement of Christmas morning through my children.
Before the fun...

...and after

It was super-hero Christmas for X. He got some and then became one. You can see above the get-up that he has been sporting ever since. Hopefully this means that we can retire the pumpkin outfit until next year!

N's favorite gift was his Fish*r Price Digital Camera. He's been snapping pics ever since. I'll have to set up a shutterfly account for him soon.

A's favorite was a Fur Real Friends puppy. All of the kids wanted a real dog-this was a great compromise!

T got a REAL skateboard from a skateshop. Santa finally learned that the ones from W*lM*rt don't last. When he picked it up he said, "Hey look, the wheels actually turn!"

Grandma in her famous pincurls and scarf.

...and after at Brad and Sandee's for dinner.

So, that's the Christmas review from our house. We hope that you and yours had as wonderful a day as we did!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

and all through the house, our 4 creatures were stirring and we all stuffed our mouths!

After gorging on enchiladas, we all took a chilly stroll through Winterhaven to see the Christmas light displays. We came back home, thawed out and had a little Christmas program. The kids acted out the nativity. T gave up his usual stint as Joseph to little X who took the role rather seriously! We sang a few songs, had some hot cocoa and sent the kids off to bed.

N as a wiseman

A as Mary

T on his violin

X as Joseph

Grandma joined in on the fun!

Latest China Info-

On the Impending Changes: By now the whole world knows about the impending changes to China's adoption requirements. Since the NY Times article came out this morning, I've had several people comment on the article. For those thinking about trying to eek their way in by the May 1, 2007 deadline several agencies are saying that your dossier must be China ready by April 1st, another says April 15th. I heard directly from an agency today that said if you haven't started paperchasing yet and would be affected by the new changes, don't bother. Yikes, the race is on.

On the Wait: I was perusing adoption agency sites looking for alternative programs for home study clients that may no longer be eligible for China adoption in the near future. I came across an agency's program overview spreadsheet. They had already updated the China Requirement column to reflect the impending changes. What struck me was in info found in the Wait to Referral column. It said 16+ months but will continue to lengthen gradually through 2007. If this means all the way through 2007 then that would mean and 24 month wait for us and worse for those behind us. Since they had already updated the Requirements section, it makes me wonder if they know something we don't and worded the Wait to Referral section to also reflect info gained at the December 8th meeting. Ugh. Only time will tell.