What Snow Days are all about!!

Three Cheers for ANOTHER snow day! Charlie and his good friend Emily had a blast sledding down the hill daddy made in the backyard!!
Mommy had fun too, but am praying spring is around the corner sooner then later-LOL!!

My First Baby 3 Years ago today....

I'm sitting here tonight realizing how great our lives are about to be changed...we are only a month or two away from adding to our family FINALLY after 3 years...
And these precious pic's are from exactly 3 years ago today....January 22 of 2006...we were in the midst of getting all our papers ready for our baby girl, and now tonight looking back then, do I see my first baby..my baby boy Charlie! I can't believe how little he looks here...it's so bittersweet looking back at these last 3 years b/c in so many ways I wanted them to rush by to get to Sophie...but they in reality felt like they crawled by during them...and for that I am forever grateful..Grateful for many different reasons, but mostly...
Grateful that I had these years with my first baby...and grateful I now feel so ready and prepared to do it all over again...and my first baby, in these three years, has become such a wonderful big boy who is about to be 6!
Sophie Ruth you are one lucky little girl b/c you are going to have the worlds best big brother.
It amazes me how much he understands now, and has understood even 3 years ago, about you Sophie, and how and why we want you to be part of us...I just laid him down to sleep a couple hours ago and he said again the prayer he prays every night for you..
"Dear God, please let Sophie's nannies take good care of her and let her have sweet dreams or no dreams so she is not scared..Amen"
We love you so much already...you are ours, you've always been part of this plan for us!
Love Mommy xoxo

One More Step Closer to our Sweet Sophie Girl!

Well, we are one more step closer....closer to you my baby girl.
We were required to pay our FINAL agency fee earlier this past week, and in all our paper work, it is noted that the final agency fee will only be due 1 to 2 months before child referral, ONE or TWO MONTHS before we see your beautiful face, our baby girl to be!!
When I faxed our payment over, I called the next day to make sure our agency received it and I also wanted to see if what I had read was still holding true, that we only have 1 or 2 months to go....and although our agency is known for being very conservative, and not letting out too much info, when I asked our child match specialist if we were really almost next, she said in a delightfully high cheery voice, "that is absolutely correct!" and then I said, "so you are telling me that there is not anyway something goofy could happen and you'd say we will have another 4months or so to go again?" and she said, "Absolutely Not"!! The most precious words I've heard from our agency in all the three years!

Sophia Ruth, mommy daddy and Charlie feel your spirit here with us so deeply. We pray for you and talk about you EVERY single day.
Charlie even woke up in the middle of the night the other night(sleepwalking,talking I presume), but he came into our room and up to my bedside(it was 3am)and after scaring the crap out of me said, "mommy, I just can't wait to see Sophie's face next month" I couldnt' believe it! So when I say we are feel you here in our hearts, I really mean it!
Your daddy and I sat for over an hour the other night scrolling through other people's blogs that have recently been to China to get their babies, or are there now, and we were just mesmerized by them, soaking them in, and feeling so emotional that in a couple short months it will be us there, in those exact same places, FINALLY carrying you, sweet wonderful you, in our arms, and sooooo happy and fullfilled we will ALL be!
Grandy and Gramma Jean and Poppie are so excited too. Poppie emails me weekly wanting to know if we know yet when it's happening. Grandy said each time I call her at work she braces herself b/c she knows one day soon I will be calling to announce YOU, and your "paper arrival" to us! And Gramma Jean is beyond excited and told us she is praying so extra hard for you and us and she can not wait to go get you!!! So many others too have waited along this journey w/us for you. Your life will be filled with so much love from us and all who love us....
I've never felt luckier or more blessed to be where I am now....
Oh Sophie...we are coming soon...you only have to wait a couple short months...and this spring when your pink tree blossoms here in our yard, the tree we planted for you, you will be here to blossom right along with it!!
Mommy loves you!! xoxoxo

Some very exciting news(not THE news, but still exciting), from our agency!

For some this may look like some simple form, but for us this was a most exciting day yesterday as we received this form/packet from our adoption agency!
This form is ONLY sent 1 to 2 months prior to being NEXT in line to receive our babies referrel...YES, this is it, it is almost our turn!!!! It is a packet that prepares you for the day we've been waiting three years for, the day we receive the phone call that we have a daughter!!! They want us to fill out what phone numbers to call first when it's time to reach us for THE phone call! I teased Jeff that he better be prepared b/c if they call home here first and I'm not home, and all who know me know I never keep my cell handy, then he will be the next number on the list for them to call...so one day soon, while he is hard at work at his desk, he COULD get that life changing phone call!!!(but hopefully I'll be at home-lol!)
We are so, so excited, words can't begin to describe how we all are feeling right now!
I even had a dream of you Sophie last night and it's the first one I've had in a long, long time and I saw you(though your face was blurred)but I held you and as I woke up this morning I could actually still feel what it felt like to hold you in my arms. And I remember having similar dreams when I was pregnant with your brother Charlie...
WE are coming so, so very soon my sweet baby girl to be!!!

Presents for Sophie and the packing has begun!

Dear Sophie, you surly were not forgotten this Christmas by some very special people that will soon be in your life! This is just a snap shot of some of the special gifts that were given for you!
A couple of my fav things from Grandy and daddy wouldn't down load so I will try and post them in a diff post!
But more importantly we are beginning to do what I've waited so long to do...PACK FOR CHINA! I can't do everything yet, but I've packed most of your things like all the OTC med's you may need, and diapers and wipes and three diff kinds of bottle, lots of pacie's, many toys(packed by Charlie)lots of silkies(blankies) bath stuff, towels...the list goes on! I can't wait for the day we get your phone call so I know exactly how much you weigh so I can start packing your clothes..then the fun really begins!!
I love you my sweet baby girl to be to the moon and the stars, to the sun and back again and again!!
Love Mommy xoxo

Happy New Year 2009...this is our year Sophie girl!!

Happy, happy New Year to all!! I have to say, this New Year's Eve was one of the more special ones for our family, b/c FIANLLY after almost 3 years of waiting, we were able to ring it in knowing for sure that this is the year Sophia Ruth Rogers will come home to us and become part of her Forever Family..US!!!
I prayed with all my heart that when we ring in the New Year that the Chinese Gov't would be matching into our month of March of 2006...and low and behold my prayers were answered!! I still can't believe they are matching into our month.
We went out to dinner last night on New years Day to our fav local Chinese Restaurant with some good friends and while we were eating we were talking about how right now at this moment our family file(or dossier for those who understand adoption lingo) is sitting in a room probably right along side Sophie's file. Her info and our info are together right now waiting to be matched!! We are beyond excited, our hearts are filled with so much joy and love and happiness...one of our dreams is about to come true and we are so close little Miss Sophie, so very, very close!!!