And so we wait….

It has been a year since we saw this beautiful face.

And my breath caught  in my throat and I knew!  I knew she was meant to be my daughter.  We were still waiting to travel for Sarah but I knew we would be back for her.  

Only weeks after we came home with Sarah updated pictures showed up on the website.  And we both knew it was time to start over.  

In February we received approval to pursue her adoption.  Things moved along well.  Homestudy was updated, immigration approval was extended, dossier was prepared and authenticated and finally sent to China.  On July 3rd we were once again officially logged into the system.  And we began the wait for our LOA or letter of approval.  This wait was 42 days with Sarah.  We began to hope for possible Thanksgiving travel.  However, I began to realize that this wait was beginning to stretch.  Just watching the facebook groups and boards I knew they were coming in around 60-70 days and then we received an official email stating that the waits were stretching  60-90 days.  So we settled in.  And I really was waiting pretty well.  20 days, 30, days, 40 days, 50 days….now getting a little restless.  60 days…..it's time!  I began to communicate with some fellow moms wo had simialr log in dates.   We were all gettin restless.  And then on day 67 we got word that we were out of review!!!  Rejoicing!  All that was left was the match review stage.  I knew that typically people jumped from review to match review anywhere from one day to 2 weeks.  Most of the other families that got news that day skipped the review notice and went straight to match review.  I just knew ours would come quickly.  It did not.  One week….two weeks…..nothing.

The possibility of Thanksgiving travel passed.  We set our sights on Chirstmas.

Tomorrow marks 90 days waiting for this precious piece of paper…. a month since we were out of review.  No news except that we haven't moved.  Tomorrow starts a week long holiday in China.  So we will not get anymore news for at least a week.  

Christmas travel is not likely. 

I have cried my ugly cries and I wish I could tell you I am ok with it.  I'm not ok.  I am weary of waiting.  She is 13.  She needs to come home.  

But…..

I know that God loves Emily more than I do.  I know he doesn't waste time.  I have prayed that he will redeem this time by prerpaing her heart for us and preparing us for her.  I know his timing is perfect.  I know these things.  I am repeating them daily.  

I was also reminded this past sunday that we are not given a spirit of fear….fear for her health….fear that we won't travel in a timely manner or when we can all go….fear for our process.  We have been given a spirit of love….love for this precious girl…love for all four of my children and a spirit of self control…..controlling my fear….controling my worry.  And that is hard.  

And so we wait…day 90.  We will likely hit 100 days.  And we will strive to be patient.  And we trust in the Lord's timing and in his love for Emily.

Run for One

On Saturday August 16 Lifeline's orphan care ministry, (un)adopted, sponsored a 5k to benefit their ministry.  The event was held in several locations around the southeast including Birmingham.  Shane and I talked about maybe going over for the weekend and doing it all together, but the closer it got the more we realized it just wasn't going to work out.  But Shane had a great idea!  There was a "run where you are" option for the 5K.  He suggested we invite our family to walk with us that day and have our own family event.  He sent out an email to everyone and every single family member said yes!!  We all signed up and set the time for 8:00 am on Saturday the 16th.

Lifleine encouraged you to pick something to run for and each of us has something different we were running for .Here is Sarah working on her sign.

Sarah was running for her friends Matthew and Ben.  They are from the same orphanage as she is and will be coming home VERY soon!  Praise the Lord!  I got to hold and love on Matthew when we were there last year and I am ready to see them with their families!!!

Here we all are with our signs!

The morning of our walk we all met at the Old Craft Center to walk the trail. Sarah and LuLu got in some stretching before we started.

Shane and have said before that one of the reasons we felt called to adopt was because-To whom much is given, much is required. We don't believe that applies just to material things, because look what we have been given!! Look at all this fabulous family!!

It took us an embarrasingly long time to walk a 5K and we had a blast.  We chatted and the little kids took turns on the bike and being pushed in the stroller.  The big girls took off and beat us all.  It was so much fun….and then we had breakfast at Cracker Barrell!  

But wait!!!  That's not all.  We said all our family said yes and that includes my brother and sister in law Julie all the way in Texas!  Andy and Julie organized a walk with their friends at church and had a great turn out!  We were so excited about that and so humbled that they would do that!  

I mean how awesome is that!!!

It was a great day for a great cause and a reminder of how blessed we are as a family to have each other!! 

10 months!

As of September 4 Sarah had been with us for 10 months!!  August was a nice quiet monthwhich was good because September has been C.R.A.Z.Y.

What has Sarah been up to this month?

Well……

She walked to the lake to feed the fish.  This is oneof those things I always intend to do and always forget to do.  So one day when it was just the 2 of us we took off for the lake.  I just knew this would be the stuff that memeories are made of!  This look pretty much sums up how she felt about it.  Whatever..can we go home.  She wasn't so impressed and really just wanted to eat the bread instead of throwing it to the fish.  Of course since there were no fish it wasn't a big deal.  A little different from the last time we took bread to feed fish in China!!

She also finished up her gymnastics class this month.  She was a mess that day.  Hair everywhere, body everywhere.  Shirt soaking wet.  There is a picture of me with her getting her certificate but since she was a mess you can only imiagine what I looked like.  She loved that class though and still cries whenever we pass the shopping center it was in.  We aren't continuing right now but maybe again next summer.

She learned to cheese it up big time for the camera!  She also has finally learned what she looks like.  this is was kind of big deal to me!  She clicked on Jennys phone one day and saw a picture of herself and pointed at the phone and then pointd at herself!  It has taken 10 months but she finally recognizes herself!  Of course when I was laing with her the other night I was reading a blog about another adoptive family and there was pa picture of their daugter and she kept pointing at her and then herslef.  Still have a little work to do!

She ran through the sprinkler one more time!

She got a bike!  She can sit on it but riding it is another story.  We just aren't quite there yet.  She loves it though!

She worked on her reading skills or napped while reading.  One or the other!

She showed some Jag pride!!  Go Madison Central!!

And the biggest thing of all this month was…..starting school!!!

When she started down the steps that frist day I just broke into tears.  I saw in my head where she was a year ago.  I saw the pictures I have that I won't show anyone becasue they break my heart and then hear she is!  Loved and growing and going to school with her very own granmother walking her down the steps.  It was just too much!

She absolutely loves school.  She is actually saying the word school and is ready to go each day she goes!  She has stayed for lunch a day or two and loves that!  I am so very proud of my girl!

SWEET!

I am so far behind blogging!  I will catch up eventually but for now I wanted to let you know about a fundraiser we are doing!

At our house we are passionate about two things right now- getting Emily home and caring for those we had to leave behind.  

We are making progress towards Emily and we are SO excited about the new foster home that Lifeline has opened to help the children from Sarah's orphanage.

So……

We have an idea to help us reach both goals!

Who doesn't love sweet rolls right?!?!

We call these Yummy Goodness!

Here is the idea:

Each pan of sweet rolls has 16 sweet rolls and is ready to eat or to freeze.  They are homemade from scratch with quality ingredients.

Each pan costs 

$20.00

What does that $20.00 go towards?

$2.00 will go towards our expenses to make them.

Then the remaining $18.00 will be split between the 2 things we are passionate about!

$9.00 will go towards our adoption of Emily- specifically it will go towards the orphanage donation each family is required to make.

And

$9.00 will go towards buying supplies for the new foster home that we will take with us when we travel.  We hope to fill a suitcase full of things they need.  Lifeline is getting a list together for me of the things they need the most.

Would you like some sweet rolls?

Please comment below, comment on FB, or send me an email at stacyhuff@me.com.

We will take orders all week and they will be available for pick up or delivery whatever day you choose this coming weekend

September11-13.

Here is Sarah's pretty please face

And if that doesn't work here is her

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout face

And here is our beautiful Emily who we are so ready to have home.

And sweet rolls or not please pray for our sweet Emily's heart as she is about to undergo more change than most of us face in a lifetime and please pray for the children and nannies at the foster home.