Last half day of school ever!!!

Well, this past Thursday was my baby's last half/two hour day of school EVER! I can't beleive kindergarten is over...where oh where did those 9 months go?
Tomorrow morning he will walk one last morning as a kindergartener to go have his final day and graduation....I already packed my kleenexes:(
And then it's official summer break and official prepare to go get Miss Sophie Ruth!

We are praying and keeping our hopes up that this week we hear good news that referrals are on their way!!!!!!

It's so thrilling and overwhelming and yet calming all at the same time to know that one of my very next few posts will include the introduction of our daughter and her beautiful face!

Happy Memorial Day...and WE ARE NEXT!!!!

As biased as I am....isn't he the cutest thing ever?!!!!

Poor Charlie....I know he secretly hates that his mommy is a photo taking/scrapbook making nut....-LOL!!
But oh how sweet he is to comply w/me and endure my make shift photo shoots out in our yard!!!

Hope everyone had a blessed Memorial Day weekend celebrating the wonderful men and women that served the very country we are all blessed to live in!

Oh..and WE ARE NEXT-LOL!!!!!! (I wake up every day now telling myself this w/the biggest smile on my face!)

We are coming soooon my sweet baby girl to be!!!!!

We Are Next!!!!!!!!

Well...as much as I've said these last couple months.."I think we MAY be next"...today, I can finally say with 100% certaintly...WE ARE NEXT!!!!

People logged into the program through March 14, 2006 receieved there baby referrals yesterday.....and if you havent memorized it by now(lol)....our log in date is March 15, 2006!!!! NEXT, NEXT, NEXT DATE IN LINE!!!!!!

The when factor is not completley determined at this point...some rumors are pointing towards the next week or two...if all goes well, and the CCAA resumes sending out referrals as they always did...we should start hearing something towards the end of next week!!!!!!
I can't believe we are next...I can't believe it!

Somewhere..across the world today...two files sit.....
One w/pictures of us...
One w/pictures of her...
Two files matched together at last...

Oh Lord, keep her safe...please guard her with your angels...
guard her mind, body, soul and spirit....
Oh keep her safe, our sweet Sophie Ruth...

Hold on tight sweet baby girl...your forever family is coming soon!
Love mommy xoxoxo

Positive Rumors...ladybug signs and Thankyous!

Well, FINALLY after 3 wks of waiting to hear SOMETHING we are hearing "some" things....all good...all pointing towards things moving along again w/baby referrals(fingers crosssed)....no word that we are IN this time...but HOPEFULLY if things do resume...we will be in the following batch!

Last wk was a hard one with everything going so still and quiet b/c of the swine flu(even thought the CCAA does not admitt to this being the reason)..but anyway, I had to dig deep and do lots of "talking" w/God to help get me through that quiet uncertain wk last wk and as ALWAYS, He did answer me in SOOOO many diff ways...(too many to share on here)...but one quick way I can share....he sent me so many ladybugs...and as all of you out there in adoption land know, ladybugs are a good luck sign in the land of Chinese adoption....so each day since last Monday I have not only seen them, but a few days, including yesterday, they've landed directly ON me out of no where!!!

"But as for me, O God, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more"
- Ps.71:14

And lastly, a big thankyou to all you out there that have called/emailed us daily the past week and a half to check on us and offer sweet encouraging words! You all are a big part of this wait w/us and your support and encouragement have meant the world to us...we are so blessed w/the best family and friends around, thankyou, thankyou!

So heres to more hope, more faith and more praise that Sophie Ruth IS on her way SOON!!!

You are six..my first love..my first joy...

Dear Charlie,

Here you are six, six today...
I love watching you play...
My first love, my first joy...

Apple of my eye...
My love for you surpasses the sky...

Love Mommy xoxoxo

Oh Swine Flu PLEASE go away.....

I feel like I'm in a bad dream....one I desperately want to wake out of....

How can it be that we were RIGHT there...so close..NEXT to be matched....
And then, as life would have it, the Swine Flu is introduced...and has now thrown China into a hysterical panic...one in which they are manhunting down anyone that has had flu symptoms and quarantining them until it's gone.....one that the gov't is not even letting parents in or out of schools to pick up their children....one that is taking temp's of every human on that land and having it reported to their gov't....one that is denying visa's to travel to most places in China.

So as you can conclude...we probably wont be going to get Sophie anytime soon(or as soon as we had thought)....not even a match.....Is it possible to get through this...of course it is...are we giving up...of course we are NOT...but does it suck and make my heart ache daily and my stomach a ball of nerves....YES..a thousand times YES.

Someone said to me on Monday.."I don't know how you can go through this and wait anymore..if I were you I would have pulled out of the adoption program long ago"
Is this someone a good friend, NO.....but still.....it just goes to show they have no clue how we feel a/b Sophie, and it made me so mad.

Sophie may not be "real" to any of you..but she is to us. We feel God planted her soul into our hearts 3+yrs ago and since then she has been growing....growing into a love like the love we have for our first....it's no different....

I said nothing to this person..just shrugged...but what I wanted to say..what I should have said was this...

Imagine carrying a child..being pregnant....(maybe as long as an elephant-LOL)and then that child has to be taken out of you for whatever reason...and taken away for awhile...you can't hold this child..you can't see this child..you cant smell this child....but you are told all you have to do is wait...how long you say? No one knows for sure...but if you wait, you will get to her....

And I should have said to this person, "would you wait" -OF course you would wait..it's your child...your baby...the baby the Lord made just for you....
And that's what Sophie Ruth is to us..our child....our child the Lord made just for us....and we will wait...through my tears and aching stomach I will wait and be strong and keep my faith......
Sophia Ruth I will NEVER give up on you....Love mommy xoxoxo

All is Quiet....

Well, as our luck would have it, we heard NOTHING yesterday.....same rumors floating around that we are in...but no word from China or our agency....so that means we just do some more waiting(think I've got that down pat)until Monday...
Ok guys..so heres to this week....here's to getting our phone call...heres to seeing our sweet baby girls face for the very first time....
Please pray w/us for Miss Sophie Ruth Rogers!!!
Stay Tuned!!!!!

And the Rumor Says....!!!!

OK..so trying to stay calm here....BUT...hard to....there are a few agencies out there, and the famous "rumor Queen" herself, all saying that things are pointing in the direction of our favor and we may very well be in for this next batch of referrals!!!!!!!! OMG...did I really just write that?

OK..so, nothings for sure yet, but just the fact that we are FINALLY after 3 long yrs involved in a "rumor" that says we are NEXT makes me beam from ear to ear....

Did I sleep last night? Well....I did a good job of composing myself after reading that we may be getting the phone call next, and falling asleep...UNTIL..my personal cheerleader..aka..Kearston, rings me out of bed at 11pm...freaking out b/c she too had just discovered and heard we may be in!!!(thanks K-LOL!!)So then did I fall back asleep...??? Of course not!

Thoughts of you my Sophie dear consumed my mind and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed w/so many, many diff emotions.....

Part of me feels like we are on a game show, playing a game that has lasted 3 yrs too long...and now we are a/b to hear.."and the winner is..."...AHHHHHHHH "The Rogers Family!!!!!"....-LOL!

Stay tuned...we are holding on w/both hands.....!!!!!!!..and holding our breath!

The Kentucky Derby 09, and STILL waiting to hear a/b Sophie!!!!

Here we are again back from our annual Kentucky Derby week long celebration! I would never have guessed back 15 years ago when my family was relocated to Louisville, that going to the Derby would soon become one of my favorite things to do each year, but it has!!
It really is an amazing event and one that the whole town goes nuts over! We had such a great time, although no big win's at the track, we had a blast all around!
We had three newbies join the gang this year, Uncle Dougie's girlfriend, Anna, her brother Anthony, and our dear friend Mark. I really wish I could add little Miss Sophie to the list of "new" people at Derby this past week, but not quite yet!

So on that note...we have the swine flu thing that may or may not slow things down a bit for this next batch of baby referrals.....figures.....time will tell. So our agency is reporting that although the Chinese Gov't is asking you to use common sense when traveling and maybe holding off a wk or so, they are not stopping the matching process...so....that being true we will hear ANY DAY NOW!!!!!!

Hard to believe that we are only one or so weeks away vs the months away we've been for so long...

Oh my Sophie Ruth, one day soon you will be with us gracing the Kentucky Derby track with your sweet presence!!!!! WE love you so, so much!!!! -mommy xoxoxo

Kentucky Derby Weekend 2009!!!!!