I dont even have words~

                   



TA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We got TA (Travel Approval) today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Can you tell I am excited?!?  This is so huge!  We are on day 29 for our TA wait.  I have to be honest, it was the worst wait of the whole process.
     Let me tell you how it all came down!!!
     I was suppose to be home today cleaning out closets and cabinets due to me being in my 3rd trimester of my paper pregnancy, I have to start nesting!!!! Anyway,  Josh thought we should go grocery shopping...Ok, and I just had a feeling that we would get our call today!  We went and while we were driving down the road and mid-sentence, my phone rings and it says Madison Adoption Associates....YAYYY, I was so excited and Josh was so excited that, bless  his heart, he was trying to turn down the radio except it wasnt on!  Of course, I had to play it cool and answer the phone!!!!  I am not sure how calm I really was, but I tried!!
    We were actually by our bank at the time so we just went on in and discussed our money situation for the trip!  Very Exciting!  Everything seems to be coming together!
    I have a very good friend of mine, Kelly, that I asked to be by my side while I purchase our tickets because I am not sure how much of a level head I will have during this time...so thats where Kelly comes in!  I also have a very good friend, Janene on speed dial..Janene is a been there done that friend so she has told me that she is here for me to answer any questions I may have...hmmmm I wonder if I will have any questions...Only a ton!!!!!   
     Right now we were given some potential dates for our consulate date and according to that date, we will know our Gotcha date  (when we meet Mya for the 1st time!!!)   We possibly will get to meet Mya on February 26th, my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!   What an incredible bday gift!!  I have had that incredible bday gift before, Mason came the day before and it is so awesome to share that with him as well.  Mason is so stoked that we could be in China for his birthday..I really dont think I will ever be able to top this bday for the rest of his lifetime..I mean really, in China for your 9th birthday!!  How cool!!
      I will update tomorrow when I know more and know our dates..hopefully we will know tomorrow!!!!
     Thank  you all for reading and praying and for all of your support!!  God bless!
Mindy

Thank you Daddy~

     Daddy bought us a "new to us" van yesterday!!  We had said that when we bought our Nissan Quest, that we would drive it until it was on its last leg...guess what, it was on its last leg!  I kept stressing how we or I would break down with the children and not know what to do.
     Last weekend, on our way to a friends adoption fundraiser, our van started vibrating while in idle.  YIKES, then it sounded weird when you accelerated and THEN the Service Engine Soon light came on...Never a good thing!  We took it to an Auto Zone and they hooked up the van to their machine and the gentleman said, let me go print off your list.  HOLY COW a LIST???  So I turned to the kids and said lets pray!!  So we did and we decided that if God wanted us to have another van, he would provide!!!
     So....this weekend, I went looking!!  I absolutely love car shopping!!!  While in the parking lot at the dealership, a friend of mine (with a Quest just like mine, same year) pulled up and she was also car shopping because her van was doing the SAME THING!!  How ironic!  My friend then proceeded to tell me that she had a friend at a dealership and I should go look there...OK!!!!!!!  I went and fell in love with my "New to me" 2006 Honda Odyssey!!!!  I have always loved this van and  now I get to have one!!!!!!!!  See, the Lord always provides a way, He is always there for us, and its our job to look upon Him!!!!!!!!!
     Thank you Jesus!!!!

     Mindy

Now I listen.........

I have to be honest, I have REALLY been struggling with Gods timing in the wait for Travel Approval.  While doing my bible reading this morning I felt God telling me, its okay, In My time!!!!  How simple of a phrase but I had not really heard it until today.  I know, maybe Im a little hard of hearing!!  Anyway, Im reading in Exodus, and God is telling Moses to trust Him and to lead his people and they are to follow..How true!  God has been in this whole process and for that I am so grateful, but when it came to the time that I was having to "wait" I was struggling.  WELL NO MORE!  I am going to listen to the Lord my God and I am okay with His timing!!!  Phew!!!!!!  Its been exhausting trying to endure this wait all by myself, thank you God that I am a child of Yours and I can lean on You and You know I am human and that I do fail.  Lord, and everyone that I have been grouchy with, please forgive me!  Thank you ALL!!!  God Bless!
Mindy

We got an update!!!!!~

I had emailed our agency to get our last update before we travel to China to get our baby girl!  Who by the way, isnt a baby anymore:(  She is getting so big and filling out wonderfully!!!  She looks so happy and we are so anxious to go get her and wrap our arms around her!!!!  Here she is........................

Getting Excited~

     Hello all!  Just thought Id write while we wait!  We are on day 5 for the wait on getting Travel Approval, not like I am counting or anything:)  IM ABSOLUTELY COUNTING!!!!!  It is all part of the process..I think they should tell you that from the beginning...Oh no they dont have too, it comes VERY natural!            
     Anyway, I have been reading all kinds of posts on Rumor Queen, a chat group for adopting parents of Chinese children, and I am ready to start getting ideas for freezer type dinners to have ready for when we get home.  Not only will be very tired from the trip but also we will have jet lag pretty bad I hear!  Fun!  Any suggestions would be very helpful!!
     I also have been very emotional lately.  OK, for those of you know who know me, I am one that cries!  Although, I am in my last trimester of my paper pregnancy, so its ok, right?!?  Anyway, my Mom felt that God was calling her to make some prayer shawls for some of the children in Mya's orphanage, or as Grammy calls them, Mya's friends..which of course made me cry by her calling them her friends!  So, Grammy went to her church and asked her friends that she crotchet's with if they would want to help.  They, of course, wanted to and it is now being called a "new ministry" at their church!  Grammy called me today and said that as of this morning, there were 14 prayer shawls sitting at the alter for the church to pray over.  The pastor mentioned that these prayer shawls were going around the world to China because we were adopting our little girl from there!  So, around 50 or so people came to the alter and laid hands and prayed for the orphans who will be connected through their new prayer shawls!  My prayer is that these children will find forever families in the near future, that they will have a life of love and happiness, and most importantly that they will know JESUS as their personal SAVIOR someday!!!
     Thank you Grammy for your listening heart and being called for this ministry opportunity!!!  May you, your church and the other ladies be blessed for your servants heart!!  God Bless!


Thanks Mindy

ARTICLE 5 HAS BEEN PICKED UP!!!!!!!

     We are so blessed!!!  Our God is so amazing and to Him we give all the GLORY!!  As of 1-10-2012, our Article 5 has been picked up and we are now.......OFFICIALLY WAITING FOR TA (travel approval)!!!!!
Wait a minute, Did you just hear me..I think I screamed so loud!!!!!  I cant even believe I am actually saying it, we are really really waiting for travel approval to go an get our baby girl!!!!!!!  The timeline for waiting is very non-consistent..We are sure hoping that CNY (Chinese New Year) will be in our favor in the event that they will, hopefully, will be hurrying up and cleaning off their desks to get ready for their whole week off for the holiday.
    I spoke with our caseworker today and she said that if we get TA before CNY that its highly possible to be on a plane on or around FEBRUARY 10th!!!!!  Oh I so hope so!!!  :)
   Please help us in praying that we will get a very "speedy" Travel Approval!!!  Thank you all for all of your support!
Mindy

Our Family's Prayer in 2012

I am not for sure how to share the link, but if you look on youtube.com and bring up Lead Me Lord by the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir..This is a wonderful song and is our prayer for 2012!  Enjoy!
Mindy