I am pleased to announce that we have our LID ( log in date). Our paperwork went to China in March, but our agency waited to submit it until we were matched with Tia. They have found that this can "sometimes" expedite the process to receive your LOA. This is our prayer for sure.
So, our LID is May 21, 2009.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
What's Been Going on...
It has been quite a while since I posted about the other activities at our house. We have had so much going on around our house over the past few months.
Taylor had her last choir concert of the year. Her choir received 3 trophies at their last competition - receiving 99 out of 100 points. She has become a beautiful young woman.
So, let's get started....
MAY
Mother's Day was wonderful!! We had received our referral that week and the kids were so sweet. They made me some beautiful artwork at Sunday school. Taylor made me a very special surprise. I have a dollhouse that my parents gave me for my ninth birthday. It is beautiful, but in pretty bad shape. It has been transported to 5 different homes in two states over the past 16 years. Taylor surprised me by renovating that dollhouse. She was able to repair some of the damaged woodwork and give it a fresh coat of paint. It was a wonderful surprise.
May also brought Terry's graduation with his MBA. He has worked so hard to complete his degree and I am very proud of him.
Taylor had her last choir concert of the year. Her choir received 3 trophies at their last competition - receiving 99 out of 100 points. She has become a beautiful young woman. We visited the zoo on a Saturday morning. Tanner made a special bear for his baby sister. He was really proud of it.
Trenton finished his first season of Upward Soccer. He really had a great time! I am not sure he knew what he was doing on the field, but he enjoyed it anyway. Now he is looking forward to basketball in the Fall.
And last but not least, Miss Tessa. Tessa is just loving life. She is one of the happiest children I have ever met. We always say that there is never a quiet or dull moment with Tess in the house. She has matured so much over the past few months. She will be a wonderful big sister.
Trenton finished his first season of Upward Soccer. He really had a great time! I am not sure he knew what he was doing on the field, but he enjoyed it anyway. Now he is looking forward to basketball in the Fall. And last but not least, Miss Tessa. Tessa is just loving life. She is one of the happiest children I have ever met. We always say that there is never a quiet or dull moment with Tess in the house. She has matured so much over the past few months. She will be a wonderful big sister. And as so me, I am just running around trying to get everyone where they need to be. I am completing my second Masters and have decided to start my doctorate. Like we didn't have enough stress in our lives - lol...
Well, that is it for the month of May. I will post more later.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Waiting
Have you ever felt so blessed that you hated to ask for more?? That is how I have been feeling lately. God has blessed us so much in the past few months - I feel guilty to ask for more. I always like the verse in Psalms that says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. " I am sure you can guess what that desire is right now - three little letters, LOA. But then as I read more of the passage, I am truly convicted, "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…". Oh yeah, that last part gets me every time. That waiting patiently is the really hard part for me.
I know our wait in this adoption process pales in comparison to what others have waited. The referrals that were received this past week were for families who were logged in on March 14, 2006. WOW - that is some serious waiting.
So, this is what I ask my friends. I believe in praying very specifically for situations. I remember when I was a kid, I would ask God to bless everyone - AMEN. I have grown in my faith to the point that I do believe in praying very specifically and seeking God's will.
Here goes -
1) Pray that God is able to prepare our family for our little girl
2) Pray for Tia in her foster home and the family who is caring for her
3) Pray our LOA defies all reason in its arrival. I am praying that people look at the timeline and can only say, "this is a miracle".
4) Pray for our finances. We have a lot of money to raise before we travel. I know God will take care of this piece - I just need to see His plan.
Thank you my blog friends, you are the best!
I know our wait in this adoption process pales in comparison to what others have waited. The referrals that were received this past week were for families who were logged in on March 14, 2006. WOW - that is some serious waiting.
So, this is what I ask my friends. I believe in praying very specifically for situations. I remember when I was a kid, I would ask God to bless everyone - AMEN. I have grown in my faith to the point that I do believe in praying very specifically and seeking God's will.
Here goes -
1) Pray that God is able to prepare our family for our little girl
2) Pray for Tia in her foster home and the family who is caring for her
3) Pray our LOA defies all reason in its arrival. I am praying that people look at the timeline and can only say, "this is a miracle".
4) Pray for our finances. We have a lot of money to raise before we travel. I know God will take care of this piece - I just need to see His plan.
Thank you my blog friends, you are the best!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
PA!!!!! Introducing Tiana Jo Mei Harlow
I am excited to say that our PA has arrived. For those outside the adoption community, this means that based on the information received in our preliminary application, the CCAA (Chinese government) has approved us to adopt our little girl. We now wait for our LSC (letter seeking confirmation). This should arrive in the next few months.
We will still be guarded with the information that we share at this time. But I do want to share a picture of our adorable little girl and a few details. Isn't she beautiful!!!!! I have to say that the minute I opened the first picture, she took my breath away. She is 10 months old and has a very minor heart condition. Our doctors feel her condition will probably have repaired itself before we bring her home.
Also, we have created a travel site that we will use for specifics about Tia. It is a password protected site, so if you would like to follow our journey, please leave a comment to this post with your email address.
Till later...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Now The Wait Really Begins...
Our LOI (Letter of Intent) paperwork has been submitted to China for our amazing little girl. It is all I can do not to share more details - but I can't. uggh!!!! We will be launching a new Tia blog after we get our PA. The site is ready, we just need the proper approvals. My thanks to The Design Girl for creating the site.
We hope to receive our PA (Prior Approval) within the next few weeks. Just know that she is everything we had prayed for and so much more.
So, when we will travel?? Trust me, I have already asked our agency this question many times. The current estimates are 4 - 5 months following LOI. That would mean we might travel in September or October.
Thank you all again for your prayers and support of our family and this adoption.
Till later....
We hope to receive our PA (Prior Approval) within the next few weeks. Just know that she is everything we had prayed for and so much more.
So, when we will travel?? Trust me, I have already asked our agency this question many times. The current estimates are 4 - 5 months following LOI. That would mean we might travel in September or October.
Thank you all again for your prayers and support of our family and this adoption.
Till later....
Monday, May 4, 2009
It A Girl...
I wish I could share more, but just know that God is good and we have a little girl waiting for us in China. I will post more details after we receive our PA.Thank you for your prayers!!!
Terry, Diane, Taylor, Tanner, Tessa, Trenton and Tia
Friday, May 1, 2009
The least of these....
The verse from Matthew 25:40 came to mind today. The verse says "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' The verse really touches my heart today, but maybe not for the reasons you would think.
Ya see, with four (soon to be five) kids in our house, there is always that need for the family pet. We have had our share of the furry, adorable little dogs, a guinea pig, gold fish, and even a parakeet. For his birthday this year, Tanner asked for a hamster. We obliged, even though I really am not fond of anything that closely resembles a rat. But anyway, Bugsie became a member of our family. Tanner loved his hamster!!! He took really good care of her. Although he had one problem, closing her cage securely. You see where this story is going.... That's right, the cage was left open a few weeks ago, and Bugsie went missing.
We spent hours looking for her. We left out food, hoping it would encourage her to come out. After a week, we feared the worst. Tanner was heartbroken. We finally encouraged him to get another hamster. A week or so ago, Sam joined our family. Tanner likes Sam, but he would often comment about how much he missed Bugsie.
Now the story gets really interesting. In the middle of the night, Taylor came running into our bedroom. She had found Bugsie (ALIVE). Tay had dropped some crackers in the kitchenette in our basement. In the night, she heard something scratching and chewing. It was Bugsie - having a snack. She had lost a lot of weight in the past three weeks on her adventure and she seemed really happy to be found.
I don't know if I have ever seen Tanner so excited. He had tears in his eyes when he saw her.
What touches my heart the most is to see how God cared for even this little hamster. We had prayed when Bugsie first went missing that God would protect her and help us to find her. This is a great testimony for my kids to see how loving our God is, even to the least of these, like Bugsie the hamster.
By the way, Terry told me not to get too sappy with this story. He said he did not want to be know as the "crazy hamster family". Hope this was o.k. dear.
Till later...
Ya see, with four (soon to be five) kids in our house, there is always that need for the family pet. We have had our share of the furry, adorable little dogs, a guinea pig, gold fish, and even a parakeet. For his birthday this year, Tanner asked for a hamster. We obliged, even though I really am not fond of anything that closely resembles a rat. But anyway, Bugsie became a member of our family. Tanner loved his hamster!!! He took really good care of her. Although he had one problem, closing her cage securely. You see where this story is going.... That's right, the cage was left open a few weeks ago, and Bugsie went missing.
We spent hours looking for her. We left out food, hoping it would encourage her to come out. After a week, we feared the worst. Tanner was heartbroken. We finally encouraged him to get another hamster. A week or so ago, Sam joined our family. Tanner likes Sam, but he would often comment about how much he missed Bugsie.
Now the story gets really interesting. In the middle of the night, Taylor came running into our bedroom. She had found Bugsie (ALIVE). Tay had dropped some crackers in the kitchenette in our basement. In the night, she heard something scratching and chewing. It was Bugsie - having a snack. She had lost a lot of weight in the past three weeks on her adventure and she seemed really happy to be found.
I don't know if I have ever seen Tanner so excited. He had tears in his eyes when he saw her.
What touches my heart the most is to see how God cared for even this little hamster. We had prayed when Bugsie first went missing that God would protect her and help us to find her. This is a great testimony for my kids to see how loving our God is, even to the least of these, like Bugsie the hamster.
By the way, Terry told me not to get too sappy with this story. He said he did not want to be know as the "crazy hamster family". Hope this was o.k. dear.
Till later...
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