Disney Day 1: Epcot

We set out on the Disney Vacation on Saturday, March 13 (my birthday) and drove to Valdosta, Georgia. The kids actually behaved well and Nolan only asked about 3,000 times, "Are we there yet? How much longer?" We spent the night at a Holiday Inn Express, so that we would only have a short drive to DisneyWorld the following day. I think, in retrospect, that was a wise decision.

On Sunday, we completed the trek to Disney. We got checked into our closet, I mean, our room. We took the Disney bus to Epcot to meet Mimi and Gig and the Brownies. The wind was blowing around 30 mph, so walking was difficult. But, looking on the bright side, it was sunny... We had lunch at a Chinese quick service (yuck)in China and rode a few rides. Cole, Will, and Garrett all really enjoyed the SPACE simulator ride. Gig and I rode the car test track ride... the boys chickened out at the last minute. I think Gig handled it pretty well.

We had a very late dinner at "The Coral Reef". We all had a good meal and we enjoyed seeing all the fish swimming around the aquarium. It was a fun restaurant and the kids enjoyed it. So... at the end of the day... Mission accomplished... so far.

DisneyWorld 2010

My sister, Allison, and I decided over Christmas Break, that is was time to take the kids to DisneyWorld. We both agreed that every child ought to get to go and we wanted to go now, before Mia comes home because we know that she won't be ready to go for several more years. Therein lies the problem... if we wait until Mia is old enough, our older boys will have no desire to go and then the opportunity will be gone. Thus, we made the decision to seize the moment, bite the big bullet, pay the money, and do the Disney. Since I have no girls, I am immune to the girly aspect of Disney... the princesses, the magic, and the like. I live with a house of boys... so I wasn't overly excited about Disney other than having the peace of mind that I had provided my children with this magnificent experience. So, we scheduled it... made all of the dinner reservations three months in advance (what?), and planned daily itineraries. We were going to have fun if it killed us... so did we? Have fun, I mean? Well, I'll let you decide.

Oh, yeah... and it snowed...

I totally forgot to tell you about the unbelievable snow we received on Friday, February 12. We had so much fun sledding and Nolan and I made a snowman. That was a first for me. The snow was such a beautiful sight and we all enjoyed it immensely. The boys and the neighborhood kids and even some neighborhood adults (D.N.) sledded down the hill on the golf course. They discovered that the lids from plastic storage boxes make fine sleds. Garrett had such fun pelting Gigi with snowballs. Nolan finally went inside... his little legs were firey red from being so cold and wet. A warm bath fixed him up though. I just wanted to post some pictures of the beauty of that day. Thank you, God, for the beautiful snow. We did enjoy it so.

San Francisco

Well.. I'm back everybody. I know that my blogging has fallen very behind! It has been a whirlwind of a month. I left home on February 21 for San Francisco to work for two weeks. I am a field-based trainer and I went out there to serve as a class advisor for a group of newly hired reps. I had a great time, but it was really hard to be away from home for two straight weeks. San Francisco is an amazing ciy. I spent the weekend sightseeing... driving over the Golden Gate bridge in a convertible, lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, shopping at Ghirardelli Square, and going to see "Wicked". On Sunday I hiked Muir Woods with some friends from work. That was a thrill. There are no words to properly describe that forest. The redwoods, the smell of the pines, the coolness of the fresh, clean air, the quiet, peaceful trickle of a stream. Later that day, I had lunch in Sausalito, which was wonderful too. But even though I had a weekend of incredible experiences there was a sadness, an aloneness I felt that Griff and the boys weren't with me. The next week went by rather quickly and then I was back home in Alabama... tired, tired, tired. One week to catch up on work and... prepare for a week at DisneyWorld.

We are...

It's official everyone! DTC= Dossier to China!!! Yeah!!!!! After several months of paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork, our adoption paperwork, called a dossier (pronounced doss-e-ay) is on its way to China via DHL. The Chinese are now celebrating their new year, so our dossier will wait until business reopens next weekend. Please pray with us that CCAA will find favor on our family and expedite our approval. We want to go get our girl!

Ouuuuuuch...

Today, Griff, my mom, and I received part 1 of our travel vaccinations. We all got the Hepatitis A and B, and Mom also had to have a tetanus vaccine. The actual shot was not bad, but now the soreness has set in and it ain't pretty... Griff took it like a champ, however. As many of you know, Griff is petrified of needles and has been known to work himself into such a frenzy that he faints. I'm happy to report that was not the case today. He took it like a big boy. I stole this funny photo from my friend Sunny's blog. I thought it was so appropriate for today's posting.

Two friends are on their way home from China today: Sunny and Meredith. Safe travels, girls. Can't wait to be in your shoes.

We need you...

I spoke with my agency today and my coordinator, Karla, said that our documents were in Houston, and should be back tomorrow. She said that she hoped to have our documents to China (referred to as DTC in the adoption lingo...)Now we wait for LOA(more lingo... meaning Letter of Acceptance). Right now, the average wait time is 71 days for LOA, once the dossier is logged in. However, we are seeing some families getting approval much quicker. I know, with all my heart, that God is in control of the timing. I also know that He hears our prayers and He answers them. So... I need you. I need your prayers. If you are reading this blog, you are probably my friend, my family, my co-worker, or you could be a total stranger that stumbled onto this blog. I ask you to pray for the individuals who will review our dossier, for the ones who approve us, who process any paperwork, to move this along. I want to go get my girl!!!! God will be glorified in this entire process by pointing out to others who hear our story that God's divine hand was over the whole thing. I believe that through our prayers... and yours, of course, that we will bring Mia home... sooner than later. She's waiting for us...