Leaving for China

WE ARE GOING TO GET COLE!!!!

 

 

Tomorrow we leave for China

 

 

It is hard to believe this day is finally here

 

 

 

 

Chris , Mia and I are going.  Benjamin, Ethan and Lily are staying with my parents - who we can not thank enough. Mia is SO excited to go back to China, and we think she will be a great help, in helping Cole adjust to us all.

 

We will spend 2 days in Hong Kong, then take a train to Coles province.  We will officially meet Cole some time on Monday and the adoption will be complete on Tuesday.  We will be in China 2 weeks.



 

 

We will update our blog as much as possible.  China is 12 hours ahead of the US.  We will also update on facebook.

 

 

Thank you so much for all your love and support, it means so much to us.  We were overwhelmed by the financial support, it brings tears to our eyes.

 

We will be announcing the winner of the iPad mini soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Bringing Cole Home Update and ipad Fundraiser Giveaway Details

Sorry it has been a while since I posted, but life has been a little busy around here, more to come on that later.  My reason for posting today is to update on our journey to bring Cole home from China.

Things are moving fast. Our article 5 was issued in China yesterday, which was the last piece of documentation we needed before we can receive travel approval (TA).  It normally takes two weeks to get TA, although we have been told it could take a little longer as they are redoing the computer system in China.   Once we have TA, we plan our trip and schedule our US consulate appointment in China.  We are hoping to travel around July 22nd.

 

We can not wait to go to China and meet Cole.  We sent him a care package, with a photo album of pictures of us, a toy, a letter from us and a cake to share with his friends.

There is mass preparation going on in our house - I am seriously nesting.  Sorting, room rearranging, painting!!

We have been so blessed by the generosity of many of you in giving financially and supporting our fundraisers towards helping us bring Cole home.  We still need approximately $8000 to be fully funded.  It is hard to know the exact amount as we don't know how much tickets will cost yet.

We have set up a GO FUND  ME page if anyone would like to help towards the last part of our journey.  No amount is too small.  If 800 people gave $10 we would be funded, if 80 people gave $100 we would be funded.  We appreciate more than words can say the love an support of our family and friends, and even strangers.

We are having a giveaway for an ipad mini. 

For every $10 you donate you earn a chance to win in the drawing.  The more you donate the more chances you earn.

We are going to make it a little more fun by creating a puzzle to hang in Coles room.

So each $10 you donate will also earn you a puzzle piece that will go towards a 500 piece puzzle.  We will right your name on the back of the puzzle pieces, and once it is complete, it will be framed in 2 sided glass, and hung in his room.  We chose a puzzle showing panda's, as they are native to China.

 

 

 

To donate, enter giveaway and build the puzzle, click HERE

 

and the winner is .......

number 32 - LYNN HOPKINS

Congratulations Lynn - your ipod touch will be on it's way.

Thank you again to everyone that made this fundraiser so successful you guys ROCK :)!!!

Fundraiser update and more ......

I can not say Thank You enough to everyone that participated in our fund raiser, whether it was by donating money on promoting it on your blogs and facebook pages.

We will be drawing the name for the winner of the ipod touch later today and will announce it here.

Directly through this fundraiser we raised a total of $3200 Wahooo amazing.

When I had the idea I was a little nervous we wouldn't even make the cost back of purchasing the ipod, how small our faith can be at times - but I guess that is all it has to be, like a mustard seed.

We could not have done it without all of you - and I know it had nothing to do with the ipod touch (well at least for most of you :) ), but because of your love for us, and or your desire to help Lily.

We have also received some amazing financial donations separate from the fundraiser which is why the goal on the paypal was decreased.

The love and support we feel from family, friends and even people that we do not even know has touched our hearts very deeply - you are all a part of bringing Lily home.

We hope you will follow our journey to China, we would love for you to leave us messages. We will update this blog as much as possible.

China is 12hrs ahead of the US. We will be getting Lily on Sunday sometime in the afternoon - so check in for pictures and news.

I can not believe we leave in just 2 days. Mia is beyond excited, to see her sister. We are going to miss Benjamin and Ethan like crazy, but know they will be well taken care of by grandparents and friends, and thanks to modern technology like email and skype they will be able to feel apart of it all.

Flights Booked

Our flights are booked - WAHOO :)

I can now go to bed and sleep for a few hours. Then up to start organizing and packing. Back to work Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night, sleep Wednesday - LEAVE THURSDAY.

We just found out yesterday that we will be getting Lily on Sunday the 25th - WOW just 9 more days and she will be in my arms - unbelievable !!!!

Today is the last day to enter the raffle. Thank you SO MUCH to all of you that have participated - we have been blessed beyond words.

Fundraiser

5 DAYS TO GO still time to donate and be eligible for the ipod touch.

The Chipin will remain up until we go to China, but the raffle will end on July 16th.

WE HAVE TRAVEL APPROVAL

Our adoption agency called an hour ago to say that they had received an email from the CCAA saying we had travel approval. YAHOO :)

I think I am a little in shock. This is what we have been praying for, hoping for, longing for now it's here it's like, oh ???? we are actually going to China in 13 days :).

What does this mean?

Well - once our adoption agency receives the official TA in the mail next week they will apply for a consulate appointment for us in China. As long as we can get an appointment for the week of the 2nd - 6th of August we will travel on July 22nd. We can't by are airline tickets until we have the consulate appointment.

Unlike with Mia's adoption, I haven't done a lot to plan for our trip. It's kind of like having a second child, you are much more relaxed. With Mia's adoption, I had packing list 3 months before we went :). So now I need to put my skates on.

Our family is about to change forever and we can't wait.

I have to just add a quick fundraising report we are now over $2000 amazing, when we started this I was a little nervous that we wouldn't even make the cost of the ipod touch - oh how are faith can be so weak at times. I am overwhelmed by every ones generosity and the goodness of God in our lives.

This has been a week of good news. Chris found out he had been accepted into graduate school, and we got travel approval for Lily :). Just last week our life was filled with so many uncertainties, how quickly things change.

Lily just 16 more days and you will be in our arms.

8 Days TO GO

Wahoo we have reached $1000. I do not have words to describe how all your generosity has touched our hearts - some of you are total strangers. It is often said "it takes a village to raise a child" well I can certainly testify for us that it has taken a village for us to get our child.

There are 8 days left for this FUNDRAISER, and the opportunity to win an ipod touch.

See previous post for instructions.

iPod touch jailbreak 1.1.3, originally uploaded by Wizard Monkey.

Getting Closer

We just found out that our Article 5 was issued on July 1st, and is on it's way to the CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs). The Article 5 is the final seal on our US immigration approval, and had to be issued at the US consulate in China.

We now ONLY need TA (travel approval). Our adoption agency AWAA said this takes an average of 2-5 weeks, but because they are asking ours to be expedited it could be quicker. I can't even think about 5 weeks - not even going there :).

Thanks again for all the activity with the fundraiser today - 10 days to go !!!! Keep posting it on your facebook.

Thank you Thank you

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to those of you who have already given into our fundraiser either financially or by posting a link on your blog or facebook account. I know many of you don't even know us, I can not tell you how your generosity has blessed our family and touched our hearts.

Remember the fundraiser ends on July 16th - if you post this on your blog let me know so I can give you credit for it. Scroll down to see post below with fundraiser instructions.

No news yet on traveling to China, but we are hoping to hear something soon now that the holiday is over - maybe tomorrow :) ????

One Final Fundraiser

We are almost there :) !!!!! This should be the month we travel to China to bring our precious daughter home. I say should, because if there is one thing I have learnt from adoption and that is things never seem to happen quite how you expect them to. None the less we are pretty confident the time is getting close, just typing that brings tears of joy to my eyes, I can NOT wait to hold my baby girl.

As all of you know that have been following our journey to Lily adoption is very expensive. Can we afford to raise another child? Yes we can. Did we have the $30,000 sitting in the bank that we have needed to bring her home when we started this journey? NO. Is she worth every penny, and all the sacrifices? Yes she is. The reality is we would not be able to do this if it was not for the amazing generosity, love and support of family, friends and even strangers. You are not all able to adopt, but by helping us you have played a major part in saving Lily's life, and for that we are so grateful. My heart aches for all the motherless and fatherless children in this world, how I wish they could all know the love of a parent - I know I can not save them all, but I know without a doubt Lily is ours, our family will not be complete until she is in it.

Travel to China, and travel in China this time of year is crazy expensive, we had hoped to use air miles, but that is not going to work so .........

Here goes one final fundraiser, please don't feel under any obligation to give you have already been so generous, we know times are tight for everyone, if you would even just like to spread the word on your facebook page, or blog that would be amazing.


HOW IT WORKS - we are asking you to donate $10.00 - that will earn you ONE entry in a raffle to win an ipod touch. If you would like to donate more, for every $10.00 you give you will earn another entry, there are no limit to the number of entries you can earn. Fundraiser will end on July 16th.

To donate go to our PAYPAL button, make sure you leave your email so that we can notify you if you win.

For the blogging world out there, if you link this to your blog, you will earn another entry, just leave me a message on here. For those of you on facebook, you will also earn another entry if you put this on your facebook page, I have created a facebook page called I am helping to bring Lily home - fundraiser. If you link this to your facebook page, leave me a comment under this post so that I can credit you.