There's good news and bad news...

Checking Horsey's temperature

Last week I had hoped to get news that our homestudy had passed review and was ready to send off with the I-800A application. Not so. Instead there were about 15 points outlined that needed to be added or changed. Ugghh! I felt frustrated and bummed for 2 days then pulled myself up by my bootstraps. I spent a couple of hours late Thursday evening getting my information and sent it out on Friday morning. I'm not sure if I had enough documentation or not.
And now for the good news. Every one of our dossier documents has been certified and authenticated-including Steve's Ohio birth certificate. After sending it to the Chinese Consulate in New York, I was informed it would take at least 4 weeks to be completed. What a nice surprise for it to arrive today! We will, of course, need to have our homestudy and the I-800A approval certified and authenticated eventually before our dossier can be sent, but God is proving to me that I cannot speed up His timing. {Wouldn't you think I'd have learned that lesson by now?!}

Jacob at the spelling bee

Another real praise in this whole process came a little over a week ago. We have been planning to take all of the kids with us when we go to China again this time. Maimie, however, didn't have a birth certificate or a passport. After taking all of her documents to Springfield and hand delivering them, we eventually were issued a birth certificate for her. Early in December we applied for a passport for Maimie. We were notified that they wanted to see the original certificate of citizenship. I wasn't excited to let that out of my possession. But about a week or so ago we received the original certificate along with Maimie's passport. Yippee! Maimie was excited that she would get to travel with us to get her baby sister.

Disgusting looking "groundhog loaf"...and, yes, we ate it!

3 YEARS!

Last night we celebrated Maimie's third Gotcha Day anniversary. We picked up our usual order from Fast Dragon: sweet and sour chicken, pork fried rice, fried dumplings, pork egg rolls, and crab rangoon. Yummy! In the center of the table, we lit a candle for Maimie's Chinese mama (and family). At one point when everyone else was talking, I leaned over and asked Maimie if she knew why the candle was on the table. She shook her head "no". I told her it was for her China mama. Maimie leaned in to give me a big hug and said, "Thank you so much, mother!"



We continued our celebration with a little cake. Next we viewed our China photos on the tv, and concluded our evening with Maimie's movie choice..."Kung Fu Panda". Normally we would give her one of her China treasures to unwrap on her special day, but we decided to give her the good wishes quilt in a couple of weeks when it is finished instead.


Earlier in the afternoon Maimie and I looked through her "China Book" (the lifebook/scrapbook I made her). She has changed so much in the last 3 years.
I can't imagine our lives without her.
We love you, Maimie Beth GuoZhen!

My Children

Last week I came across this verse:

Isaiah 29:23
"When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel."


I often feel this way when I look at the children God has entrusted to me. My children are the handiwork of God. He has a special plan for each of their lives. I can't help realizing how unworthy I am to be given the privilege of parenting these blessings. And it truly does make me stand in awe of my God.

Hello, February!

Joseph enjoying another day of homeschooling

Fun with beans and rice

Already February! Three years ago on Groundhog Day we were on an airplane bound for China. Later this week we will celebrate our Gotcha Day for little Maimie Beth GuoZhen. February 10 marks 30 years since I began my walk with the Lord. On February 14 we'll enjoy the dual celebration of Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year (year of the Tiger).

All dressed up and ready to go

On the adoption front, our homestudy is completed and being reviewed by our placing agency Great Wall China Adoption. We hope to hear something this week so that we can send it with our I-800A application (the final step). Hopefully all of the other dossier documents have been certified and authenticated in Chicago and will be returned this week. Last week Steve's Ohio birth certificate was sent to the Chinese Consulate in New York for authentication. We are getting so close! I'm estimating that our dossier will be completed and ready to send to China by the end of March or early in April. Our agency has told us that we could get a referral anytime even if we don't have a logged in date in China for our paperwork.
While we waited for Maimie, we asked friends and family to send us squares of fabric for a quilt and wishes/prayers for her. I had every good intention of having it completed long before now....but alas, I'm lame about things like that. Also I have no skills in this area and made it harder by chosing to highlight each square with sashing. I did manage to locate someone to help make the quilt, though. I'll be meeting with Barb this week to see how things are looking so far. It will be so exciting to give this quilt to Maimie along with a book of the wishes so that she can see how much everyone cared for her and loved her before she even came into our family.

Maimie's new "do"

It is my hope that after Maimie's quilt is finished, we can ask everyone to start sending us squares and wishes for our new little one. Perhaps I can have the second quilt completed in a more timely manner!

I want God to use me, but...

I've said it before. And I truly meant it. "I want God to use me." But do I really? Last night I thought about that statement in relationship to our new adoption. What I really mean is, "I want God to use me, but..." Aha! There it is. If I'm really honest, I could tell you what comes after that little "but". It goes something like this: "I want God to use me, but...I don't want God to change me to get there. I want God to use me, but...I want things to go according to MY plan. If God's plan isn't like mine, He may expect me to change my plan. That might be painful for me. I'm not sure I want to be used if I have to grow and change in the process. And so it often has to be...for me, anyway.

I think back to October of 2004. I knew I wanted to adopt. My plan was to adopt a newborn caucasian daughter who was healthy and perfect. At that time, I thought our adoption process would be a fairly quick one. Even after applying for a China adoption, we were told about 6-8 months. Now, I realize there was a huge slow down on China's part that began in 2005 and that still continues today. But, if you ask me, the REAL reason that our adoption didn't take place until 2007 has a whole lot more to do with God changing me. Imagine if I were easily led how much sooner it may have happened. God had His work cut out for Him. God had to change my expectations and desires to fit what he already had in mind for me. I can't imagine missing out on Maimie. I wouldn't trade her for any other child on the planet.

And that brings me to our second adoption. I've been struggling with what maladies God may ask me to deal with this time around. Will His timing be what we are expecting? Will this child have an easy transition into our family, or will we face great difficulties? I know God holds all of these answers in the palm of his hand. And, yes, he's already aware that I have 4 active kiddos. He knows exactly what I can handle. He even knows that I really do want God to use me. But He also realizes that sometimes I'm a little scared about how He might want to change me so that I can be used. Fortunately God is patient with me.

Psalm 139:1-18,23-24 O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you... Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Christmas card bloopers

The Christmas cards came about in a fit of panic this year. It seemed Christmas was upon us before I was nearly ready. In desperation one day after school, I grabbed the camera and the kids, and we headed outside for photos. This was decided after I hadn't come up with coordinating clothes for an inside tree photo. We headed to the new Tiber Creek area first. Next we stopped at Cullinan Park. Finally, when everyone was nearly frozen, we came home and shot a few on the porch. Here are some of the shots that didn't quite make the card:

December Recap

We had lots of activities in December....apparently too many to make time for blogging. heh heh
The high school and middle school bands and choruses held their Christmas concerts. (We came late and ended up way in the back so my photos reek.)


Mikaela sang and played a flute solo in the madrigal performances again this year. It was a beautiful evening. Steve and I helped in the kitchen on the other nights and enjoyed talking with some of the other parents.


Jacob and the other Lego robotics league members attended their regional competion during madrigal weekend. Jacob was a trooper even while feeling a little under the weather. Unfortunately, his team didn't advance to the state competition this year.




During the church Christmas program, Joseph delivered a short speaking part then sang with the group. Maimie enjoyed singing and bell-ringing with her group as well.


Shortly before Christmas, we drove through the East Peoria Christmas lights, made gingerbread houses, went out for a chilly Christmas card photo shoot, and threw a little snow fun into the mix.

Our Christmas Card-2009

Christmas Blessings from the Mondays

Steve, Monica, Mikaela-15, Jacob-13, Joseph-11, & Maimie-4


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Follow us back
to China in 2010 as we bring another precious child into
our family.