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!!!

Our very own Kung Fu Panda Boy!!

Merry Christmas and OMG!!!!!!!!

Okay, so first a very Merry Christmas and soon to be Happy New Years to all from the 3 of us...soon to be 4..(yes you read right,4), soon!
So the OMG means....OMG they have FINISHED the month of February of 2006 log in dates and are now currently matching into OUR month, yes you read right again, OUR month of MARCH of 2006!!! For 3 years I felt like they would never get to our month of log in dates...and now here we are. We are totally freaking out that from this point on, we could be next ANY month now, including this month of January 2009! That's right, in only 3 short weeks, it is POSSIBLE(not definet), but POSSIBLE, that we will see our precious baby girls face for the first time!!! I can't even believe that after 3 long years I can even write that we are ALMOST next...I actually can't wrap my mind around it yet...it seems so surreal that they are almost up to our turn in line so to speak...I don't think I will be sleeping well from now on!
If they continue at the pace they've been at for the past 3 years during this slow down, we will probably not be in this next batch at the end of Jan, but in the following one at the end of Feb. BUt....if they do as they implied they would and in this new year of Jan 2009, refer TWO weeks of log in dates at a time each month, we will be next , as in 3 weeks next...AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
I really am feeling it will be in Feb, not in 3 weeks, but still, just the fact that it is POSSIBLE for us to be next gives me more butterflies in my stomach then I've ever felt in my lifetime!!!
WE are over the moon happy and excited and filled with so much joy and hope and love for you our sweet Sophie Ruth!!! I have never once in this loooong 3 year wait felt we should stop or give up on you, and now I finally feel that our reward from HIM is about to be paid off. You Sophia Ruth are soon to be with us, your forever family!!!! WE love you so very much!!!

Preparing for the Birthday of the year-Jesus!!!

Christmas with Gramma Jean and family up north!

Well since Gramma Jean is going to Hollywood for the Holidays this year to be with Uncle Kevin, we took a trip up to her house for the weekend to celebrate Christmas with her and also got to visit with Scott, Emily and Sarah!
Charlie was very excited when he opened up his present from Gramma, it was his future dream car...a blue corvette!! And even better it was a remote control one! I don't know who had more fun running it around the house though, Charlie or daddy? LOL!
And little miss Sophie you were NOT forgotten this Christmas either and gramma bought you the cutest polka dot dress and your very first ornament with your name on it! I'm so happy this is our last Christmas while waiting for you...I can only imagine how much fun we are all going to have next year with you here!
We all love you so very much Sophie and know time is flying and we will be on that airplane to get you sooner than later!!! Love mommy xoxo

Kindergarten Christmas Party!

Well, it's offically winter break! Charlie's last day of school ended with a fun Holiday Party that I(room mother myself-lol!)and some other moms, organized on Friday. He has such an awesome teacher, Mrs Fought, and a really great group of children this year, I'm so happy for him, and very pleased so far with how his very first year of school is going! I actually can't believe the fall quarter is over and almost half the school year already...it's unbelievable how fast time is going and as crazy as this sounds, I sometimes wish I could just stop time for awhile...of course though we want our sweet Sophie girl home first then we can stop!!!

Christmas Concert at Church 2008

Christmas Lights at the Zoo 2008

Once again we braved the cold and walked around the zoo in a winter wonderland lit up in every color imaginable while sipping hot cocoa!!
The weather wasn't too bad actually, and most importantly it was dry and not very windy! Our dear friends, John Kim Ashley and Austin came for a visit this weekend and got to go with us so it was great fun!
We also had breakfast with Jesus on Saturday morning at our church and listened once again to the true story of Christmas and why this is such a season to celebrate.
Jeff and I are trying hard to instill in Charlie why Christmas is so very special and important so that the focus is not entirely on "Santa".
This year we've started a new Christian tradition with an Advent Wreath that I made with the help of the flower lady at Micheals craft store! Each Sunday night of December we light a candle and read a the bible vs that goes along with it leading up to Christmas morning.
Charlie also heard of another great idea to bake Jesus a Christmas birthday cake! We may start this tradition as well!
Okay, now onto little Miss Sophie...I can't remember if I already posted this or not, but it's official that the Chinese Gov't has matched families through Feb 23 2006! I really can't believe there are only two weeks and 6 days in between where they are today and our log in date!
In some ways I can't believe our life has been on hold so to speak(as far as building our family)for almost 3 years...but at the same exact time, it has gone so very fast! And I am so grateful for where we are now, where the Lord has led us and that he gave us strength to hang in here and follow our adoption dream. Looking back I can't believe we considered adoption when Charlie was only 2 years old and we thought we'd only wait 6 to 8 months and that I actually considered taking a newly 3 year old to China(what was I thinking-lol, but thank God I did)!! And now it's so amazing to see where Charlie's come into who he is as a five year old and I'm really excited that he will be able to endure this trip to China so much better than he would have at 3 years old, and that he'll actually remember it to one day tell to his baby sister himself!
More Christmas posts to come!
And Sophie, I can't believe I can finally say knowing 100% for sure, you WILL be here with us next Christmas!!!
Love mommy xoxo

Visit to Santa 2008!

Well, Gramma Jean and Grandy came for our annual day of Christmas shopping and visit with Santa! Charlie really wanted to get his list to Santa, but told me in the morning that he's probably "too big" to sit on his lap and would rather just say hello and give him his list! He did tell me that next year if Sophie is scared he would sit on Santa's lap with her to protect her-lol! We managed to get him to sit on the stuffed reindeer next to santa for a picture!
And on the adoption front....I think they referred six, possibly seven, more days of families last month...I haven't confirmed it yet, but i'm pretty sure that's it! So now we only have 19 (or 18) days of people logged in ahead of us!! One more month down just a couple more to go! I can't believe that in a few weeks at the end of December they will probably be matching into the month of March of 2006, THAT'S US!!! I can't believe that I will be able to say they are in our month one day very soon! All our dreams are so close to coming true Sophie Ruth....
We all love you so very much and pray for you EVERY SINGLE DAY!
Love Mommy xoxo

The silliness that fills my days and God speaks to me through the Fed Ex truck!!

Well I just had to share your silly brother and one of his best buddies Maylie and the talent show they put on for me yesterday!!! You my sweet Sophie dear are definetly not entering a quiet or boring household!! The walls of our house are filled with lots of silly, goofy kiddos and I looove it!!
Okay, so the Fed Ex truck...well, to back up, 3 years ago, when Jeff and I were praying about whether or not to try and get pregnant again, or fullfill a dream I've always had which was to adopt, I would talk to God alot and ask him to send me signs...(I know I may sound crazy, but this is my relationship with God!!-lol)
Anyway, I truly believe that through him he showed us that the path to go on after Charlie was adoption and thus our current journey. Well anyway, I had so many signs in the first year or two of this adoption journey, all pointing towards China and our baby girl to be, but I would say lately I've been so preoccupied and busy that I haven't been paying attention to "those signs" until yesterday....
I was thinking about Sophie and how these next few months are going to fly by and it is going to finally be our turn to get our baby girl...and I was chatting with God as I often do...and I stepped outside and low and behold the Fed Ex truck pulls up to deliver something to my neighbor...now most of you probably have no idea where I'm going with this...but..in the land of Chinese Adoption, the "first" way our baby girls will literally be delivered to us will be by the Fed Ex Truck. 24 hours after we get that life changing phone call, our agency will be Fed Exing her precious pictures and med files to us, and on that day, in that moment, that Fed Ex truck will change, Jeff, Charlie and my life forever. Having given birth already, I often imagine that moment I see her sweet face for the first time and hold her pic in my hands, will much resemble that moment I looked down and saw my precious Charlie's face for the first time...
So anyway, I felt yesterday that God was reminding me that our time will soon come, and that Fed Ex Truck, that frequents my neighborhood often, will be pulling up to our address and will be delivering our baby girl, our sweet Sophie Ruth!!!
I love you so much Sophie....you are and forever have been growing in my heart and will soon be in our arms...
Love Mommy

Happy Birthday Uncle Dougie!

Well, we had a special visit this past weekend from our Uncle Dougie and his girlfriend Anna! My baby brother is 26 years old now and I can't believe it! I can still vividly remember crawling into his crib with him when he was only a few months old so I could help feed him his bottle, and I was only 8 years old! I remember being so happy and excited when I heard my mom was having a baby boy..I remember thinking God was sending him just for me!!!
And I'm sure, much to his dismay, I still "mother" him, so he gets away with nothing between me and our mom(isnt he lucky!!)
He is also Charlie's Godfather, and Charlie just adores him! We are so thankful for you Uncle Dougie and love that you are in our lives!
And on another note..there are only about 3 weeks of people logged in now ahead of us in this wait for Sophie....and the Chinese Gov't has averaged doing about one week per month...so that leaves us with 3 months or so left....or maybe less than 3 months..anything is possible at this point in the wait...we will find out how much closer we are in a couple weeks at the end of this month so stay tuned!!!
Sophia Ruth we are still coming soon...it'll be here before we know it!!!!

Annual Halloween Party 2008!

Our annual childrens party went off great as it does every year! I'm so glad the weather held out for us, we even saw the sunshine a bit!
I have to admit, I was a bit sad a month ago thinking about putting this party together again, b/c I remember last year hoping Sophie would be here this time this year and she would be part of all this...
But, as it turns out, it is what it is, and actually I didn't feel sad at all, I felt overwhelmed with joy that our lives are so richly filled with such good family and friends AND...most of all, we now know 100% Sophie will be here at next years party, without a shadow of a doubt...and last year I could not have said that.
Speaking of Sophie....we will find out any day now how many more families were matched with babies this month....we are praying that they get to the end of Feb of 06, if not close to the end....we are getting so close my sweet Sophie Ruth!!

Fun filled day at the pumpkin farm

Fall brings with if such thanksgiving, and this past weekend was one of those times that I felt so filled with thanks...
Thanks for this beautiful earth we live on, the fall season, and all the glorious colors
Thanks for farms, esp pumpkin farms, that house tons of family fall fun!
Thanks for my family, my awesome husband and precious little boy
Thanks for Sophie Ruth, who I KNOW has been born in China, and is just months away from us
Thanks for the faith, hope, and assurance from our Lord that she WILL be with us at
this very same pumpkin farm next fall

We had such a great weekend spending time together, picking pumpkins, drinking apple cider, jumping in piles of hay, laughing together and loving life.

My sweet Sophie, your brother Charlie already has plans for you next fall, and told daddy and I today that he will be the one to take you on the barrel choo choo ride he rode on today, next year!! I can't wait to post pictures of that!!
We love you my sweet baby girl to be!

Our Rock Star Uncle!

Our very own Uncle Kevin, Jeff's baby brother, is on his way to stardom(well, he already is actually a star to us!)but he has made his way out in L.A and started with a band called The Marcus Eaton Trio,(you can view him and the trio online at:www.marcuseaton.com)
He is the drummer and so amazing! We got to see him play live last weekend, he is currently touring the east coast, and is opening up for Alanis Morriset in New York in a few months!
Charlie had so much fun hanging out with his Uncle and the band all weekend, they are all amazing musicians and guys!
We love you Uncle Kevin and are so very, very proud of you, your hard work and determination!

Art from the Heart, by Charlie

Above is a picture that my sweet Charlie boy drew for me last night..and here is why...
For the MOST part, getting pregnant and having a baby is easy-I've been there, done that. And in 3 years, stood by and watched many family members and friends do just that.
But having a baby born into your heart and soul two and a half years ago and having to wait an endless amount of time to get to her, that's NOT easy.
This journey to Sophie has not been easy at all, nothing about it, and most obviously, this wait. It has tested my patience tremendously and brought me to my knees in tears, many more times than I care to admitt.
And Charlie too, at only the sweet age of five, is tired of waiting for his baby sister to come home. But this picture he made me is an example of the love and suppport and encouragement he reminds me to have, to trust God and have faith that Sophie Ruth will one day come home.(Imagine that from a five year old, but it's true!)
This picture was made for me out of love and hope from Charlie, it's a picture of a family of four, OUR FAMILY OF FOUR, drawn by him, and when he gave it to me last night, he said,"mommy, don't be sad, Sophie is going to be in our family and then there will be the four of us!" And in that moment, my five year old son gave me more hope, and support and encouragement than I could have gotten anywhere else....and we all know where he got it from...God is so Good!!
Charlie mommy loves you more than you'll ever know, to the sun, and the moon, and the stars and back and back again...
And Sophie, we ALL love you already very much...to the sun and the stars and the moon (and China!)and back and back too!!
Here's to our soon to be future family of 4!!!