Happy Birthday & Match Anniversary Anna!!!

Three years ago today...actually probably right about now, I had put my three boys down for bed and was lying in bed with my mind racing one million miles per minute! We had offically been matched with a little girl in China, Hai Zhi Yi. Ironically it was also her first birthday. Although this had been in the works for a week, only my husband, my sister and myself, along with the agency of course was aware of the match in the making. I had gone to a local bakery, gotten a small cake with "Happy Birthday Anna Mei" written across the top. Gotten pictures of our daughter developed and was on our way to share the news with our families.

Fast forward 36 months...I have just put down my 3 boys and 2 girls for bed, all with their bellies stuffed full of Anna's favorite foods including cupcakes with sprinkles. Her "Happy Birthday" tiara is in the floor beside her bed, her Cinderella card proudly displayed in her window sill and she has had a wonderful 4th birthday.

She has come in the last 36 months and we couldn't be any prouder of her. She has brought our lives so much joy, laughter and excitement. We are blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise this little girl as our own, our daughter. We are grateful to her birthmother for allowing Anna to have a chance. We don't know the circumstances, but we believe with all our hearts she was loved and it is a great honor that we have been able to love her as well.

Happy Birthday Anna! We love you very, very much!!

Daddy, Momma, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Elli

First Day of "REAL" Preschool...

Today was Anna first day of REAL Preschool. Last year we went a couple of days a week for a couple of hours for speech therapy and some playtime. But this year she will be going for the full day 2 days a week...she was soooo pumped!

I snapped a picture as we were getting out of the car and thank goodness I did. As we got into the lobby of the school, Anna was pulling me towards her room. We got to the room I opened the door, gave Anna a kiss goodbye, waved at the teachers and then started taking the lens cap off my camera to get a shot of her walking into her room....BAM! Anna literally slammed the door in my face! Well, I guess I had rather her be ready for me to leave then having a screaming tantrum for me to stay. It was pretty funny and made me leaving her pretty easy ;-)

Parker on the other hand...my poor baby boy. He wants to stay home with his momma. He is having a hard time in the mornings and I just hate it. He was so excited before school started and now he is happy in the afternoons telling me all about his day, but the mornings, he is just worried to death that he has forgotten where his room is and that he will miss me "real bad." Oh it just rips my heart out.....

Glad Anna's morning was good & hoping Parker's got better,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker, Anna & Elli

Happy Forever Family Day Anna!!

It was 2 years ago, June 4th, 2007 that we met our sweet Anna. It was a day that we will never forget. As I sat on the plane, flying back to China on her 2 year anniversary to bring home her baby sister, I remembered the tiny little girl that walked, assisted, into the room of the Civil Affairs building. Tiny, scared and sick, she desperately needed a family and we desperately needed her.

Anna has brought more joy into our lives than we can ever give back to her. She is a treasure that we will cherish for our lifetime and a daughter that will be ours for eternity. We are forever grateful to her birth family. There are many other options that they could have chosen, but because they loved her, no doubt, they made the decision to leave her where she could be found and cared for. We will always honor them for making, I am sure one of, if not the most, difficult decisions of their lives.

Anna has changed so much in the last 24 months. She is a completely different child. She has come so far and is determined to go farther. Even though I couldn't celebrate our Forever Family Day with her, I did celebrate and I will think of her often while we are in her birth country again.

Sending love & hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna at home and Elli, just a few miles away,
Rodney & Marcy

What We Know...

Just a short update on our travel arrangements for Elli....we are scheduled to leave on June 4th, meet our sweet girl on June 8th and return home on June 18th! I know that I will thoroughly enjoy my trip in China (I hope, I hope), but right now, I just want Elli home with us. I really hate the thought of leaving the kids for that long. Even though the boys were wonderful when we were gone to get Anna, I just don't like being away from them. Plus, there is a huge feeling of guilt that I have asking people to care for my kids....not one or two, but four! That is a pretty big undertaking, whether you have kids of your own to care for or you haven't had kids in the house for a while, it's not small feat. Our families are great, and the guilt doesn't come from them, it's just I don't like asking for babysitters.

I know that in a month, it will all be over and Elli will be with us which is what we have worked towards for almost 16 months!! We are just ready to be a family of 7 at home.

Sending love & hugs to Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

Travel Approval for Elli...

Late Saturday night, we received an email from our agency that our Travel Approval for Elli had arrived! What else could I ask for Mother's Day?!?!? Okay, well Elli in person would have topped it, but Travel Approval was pretty sweet.

Since our agency was expecting our TA any day, we have already sent in our Consulate Appointment form and should have a confirmed appointment by the end of the week. There is much to do before we leave in order to get ready for our trip and bringing Elli home.

I was sooooo hoping that the house would be done, but that just isn't going to happen. Elli will have lots of fun when we get home helping us on the house I am sure. We may have to fix a room safe for the kids while I paint and clean. Instead of thinking of all the craziness that it is going to be, I just try to think of all the memories we will be making....okay, I can't - it is going to be crazy! But, I think we are up for the challenge.

I had a good day with the kids yesterday. After church, Rodney and the kids took me out to lunch. My mom left right after church for a 2-week school of ministry session with my dad, so we spent the remainder of the afternoon with Rodney's mom. We didn't get in until late and I totally forgot to take my annual mother's day picture with the kids....we will have to fake it next Sunday when we are dressed up :-)

I am so thankful to be a mom. It is the best thing that ever happened to me. Each one of my kids are so different and such treasures. As they grow and enter different stages, they continue to enrich my life in a different way. I miss the toddlers and infant stages of the boys, but I am loving the age they are now too. I can't imagine not having Anna. She entered our lives and became our daughter in a different way than the boys, but it was perfect in it's own way. She brings such a different dynamic to our family and has helped make us who we are as a family of 6. I don't know what all Elli will bring or how we will change, but we are excited, totally in love and can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

I couldn't have written my story or planned my life to be what it has become. I only wanted 2 kids - a boy and a girl. Didn't want to live where I grew up and never, in a thousand years, thought I would marry a country lovin', hunting, truck driving man. However, there is no way I would change anything about my life...well I might change the hunting thing. God's plans are always so much better than what we could have ever planned ourselves. When something wonderful happens in our lives, I think to myself that it couldn't get any better...and then it does. There are disappointments, heartaches and troubles because this life isn't perfect. But life is pretty good.

So thankful for our Travel Approval, a great Mother's Day & sending our love to Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei

Pics and Rambling...

Rodney has been aggravating me a lot lately about being "ate up" with Parker and Anna. He says that I have this glow about me when I look at them...but I can't help it! They are at the sweetest age right now, still very innocent but funny. They know when they are being funny, yet there is an innocence about their humor and I just love it. Plus, adding in the fact that they are just absolutely adorable only makes watching them even more enjoyable ;-)

I am getting more and more anxious about Elli coming home. I know it is going to be a crazy house, but oh man, can you imagine the times they are going to have?!?! What fun it is going to be --- I will have to keep the camera charged and the coffee brewing! I anticipate a lot of caffeine being involved to keep up with two 3 year old and a 4 year old. But, I am ready for the challenge (I think).

I registered Parker for Kindergarten on Tuesday (boo hoo!!). He is so excited about starting school in the fall & I am excited for him. I just pray he gets a very energetic teacher!

Yes, she really is this sweet in person.

There are those that I know are very faithful in checking Anna and Elli's blog, so I do apologize for not keeping them as updated as I would like. Some days it is just hard to sit down and actually write anything or take the time to upload pictures. So these pictures are especially for Pam - because she specifically asked for an update - enjoy!!

Of course, she is also this much attitude!

Seriously...is he not just a doll?

Anna is watching Parker in the distance...how funny big brothers can be.

Can't imagine our lives without our Anna...incredible, incredible gift.

Thankful for my babies & sending love to my baby girl Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Happy Easter!!

I wish I could post cute pictures of all my kiddos dressed in their Sunday best...BUT, Anna had an eye infection!!!!!!!!!! So, instead of getting Anna all snazzed up for church yesterday morning, me and the boys went to church and Rodney stayed home with our little pink eyed princess.

It all started Saturday with a runny eye. Thankfully I already had some drops to get her started and it is all but completely better today. It is just a tiny bit red. She still has a pretty nasty nose, so I don't know if it was actually "pink eye" or just got infected from the eye rubbing after her rubbing her yucky nose....toddlers, they are nasty little creatures.

Since Anna doesn't have any inhibitions about wiping her nose wherever, we decided that it might be best to not have her around all the kids at church just in case it was pink eye. So she missed out on the church egg hunt, grandma's hunt and nanny's hunt :-( Since my kids are the only kids hunting at Rodney's parents (Asa just isn't ready for that yet), the hunt has been postponed until Anna can participate. So I will have some pics later.

The boys had a great time yesterday and the sugar is flowing freely!! Last night at 9:30 I was still prying candy from their sticky little fingers. Parker and Anna have begged for candy since they got out of bed this morning. How do you tell a 4 year old that he should eat Coc@ Peebles or a P*p Tart instead of bunny shaped marshmallows or jellybeans? I bet the sugar content isn't that much different.

Nothing new to report on the TA wait...we are just waiting. I don't expect anything for a few more weeks anyway. It will all work out as it should even if I freak out just a little during the meantime ;-)

Sending love & hugs to Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna Mei