1 month

     I always wondered why adopting parents would drop off the planet once they got their child. I would be so hooked and excited for them and then nothing. Well, Im so guilty of that. I understand now how hard it is to be able to take time to blog again, you are so busy and worn out. I do have notes from while I was in China, it was so hard to blog there with an IPad, but I will post those at a later time. Now, I will reflect on our time since returning home, I met our Hudson 1 month ago today.

     We arrived in Chicago around 9pm Thursday September 5th. We were suppose arrive at 1pm, but we had some missed flights and had to detour to LA before Chicago. It was very stressful and irritating, but it was wonderful to finally get home. As we were just getting to collect baggage I saw Brock and the girls coming our way, I was so excited to see them I cried. I missed them all so very much! Quickly after seeing Brock and the girls behind them came Brock's parents, sister Whitney and her boyfriend Eric, and Lexi. Hudson was excited to see dada or baba as he called him and went right to him! He was happy to see everyone and and as we spent more time there visiting he went to and visited everyone. On the way home we stopped at Denny's and he got to show his true personality and had a good time with everyone.

     The first several days home were also very exhausting and hard. Yes, there were wonderful moments and we are so lucky that Hudson has bonded so well with us. But, he also had a lot of fits. He is 4 years old but socially he is about 18 months old. He is so full of energy and never stops moving. I wont sugar coat things, I want to be honest. But, Ill tell you, when this little guy is being sweet, he is the sweetest little thing. The first couple of nights sleep times were pretty off for him, which is expected, but that doesn't make it any easier on anyone.

     Ive heard of many families that keep their adopted child at home for a few weeks and do not go anywhere, to help with attachment and bonding. But, we did not do that. Hudson has had no problems in either area and with our busy life at home, we have not worried about it. He has attended many soccer games, had lunch with big sister at her school, went shopping, been out to eat many times, visited grandparents and some friends houses and much more. He has handled all situations so well. The first several days we would drive separately just in case he needed to go home. He has done so well. As far as siblings, he attached to Hanna right away. He thought of and still at times thinks of Averie as competition. Im sure he thinks she will be like the other children at the orphanage were, fighting for toys, food and attention. Poor Averie just wants to help him and play with him. He is slowly accepting that and is being better with her each day. Since Ashton is not home as much as he has late soccer practice and games and school all day, he is not as close to Ashton as I would expect yet. Ashton loves kids and loves Hudson.

     Hudson has been evaluated by our local pediatrician, speech department, and physical therapy. He is doing so much better than I expected! He does have a parasite, which I expected, it is common for children coming from an orphanage. He is on a medication to treat and rid of that. He also has some bad reflux, I noticed this in China, he throws up in his mouth 20-30 times a day but just chews and swallows, he is very used to this. He is on medication for this and it does seem to be improving some. He also has some pretty bad asthma. If he gets a little bit active and running around he starts hacking and wheezing. This is not yet under control, but we are starting a new treatment. Speech says he is going to do so awesome. He has already picked up so many words in English and can put together some short sentences. He also has learned a little sign language and has made up some of his own to help with communication. They have said with how good he is already doing, they think he will be fluent in English within a couple of months. And with PT, he will have a custom brace for his right leg made and he will have to wear it all of his waking hours. They hope he will tolerate it well and that they will be able to cut down the amount of support needed and eventually he will not need the brace any longer. That is the best case scenario. Worse case scenario he will need to wear it longer term or permanently. Today we were told by the pediatrician that Hudson does have mild cerebral palsy. This is not a diagnosis we knew about or really expected. But, it is not a big deal. His weakness is not going to get any worse, it will only get better as long as he is being treated. This has only affected his right leg. We know that he will be just fine.
     For those who do live close, we are having a welcome home party for Hudson and we would love you to attend. It is on Sunday October 6th, from 3pm-6pm at Salisbury Church in Charleston (2350 Madison Avenue)
     While times may be rough and we may get totally worn out, we love this little guy so much and he loves us. After a few nights home, he laid in bed between Brock and I to go to sleep. He looked at me and gave me a big smile and then looked over to Brock and gave a big smile. He is so happy to have both of us in his life. He has added so much excitement, love and silliness to our family. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us in bring home Hudson. We could not have done it without you!

     

Gotcha continued

Please do forgive me of spelling and grammar, it's hard to blog with my IPad.

Anyways, he handed me his cup, saying mama and something else. I could tell he didnt like the cup. So I got a bottle and he was happy. So he laid next to me in bed, I cuddled him, after a few minutes he said mama and handed me the bottle. I thought he was done, but then he grabbed my hand and wanted me to hold the bottle for him. How sweet! So I did. He began to get very sleepy and so did I. I just dozed a little and woke to whimpering. He didnt have tears, but was clearly holding them in, he began sobbing. I rubbed on him and gave him kisses. I gave him a little time, then tried to hold him. He curled up in my lap and sobbed, he let me rock him and kiss him. I too cried, not letting him see. It was so sad. I know he is confused and will miss his orphanage. But I am so happy he lets me cuddle him and love on him. He worked himself into quite a sweat. But, he fell asleep cuddling me. Oh, how I love this child. I held him awhile longer and then laid him next to me in bed.

The girls tried to FaceTime me at 9pm and I felt bad that I couldn't really. The noise from they calling in woke Hudson and no way did I want him awake then. So I went into the bathroom. And talked a few min with them and explained he had a little rough patch and I didn't want him to wake. I let them go, I hope they all had a good day at school. I can't wait to Skype with them in a few hours! I love and miss my family so much, I can't wait to get home with Hudson.

Today I go and officially adopt Hudson! Tomorrow we go to the orphanage for a final visit. Thursday we go on a tour and Friday we hop a plane to Guangzhou. This trip is going much slower than I anticipated, but maybe once in GZ and there is other families around, it will go quicker.

I'll try to add photos soon. Lots of love to everyone.

Gotcha day

I sit here at 2:15am China time typing this, I don't think I will get use to the time here, but we did go to sleep early and I slept the best I had yet. My sweet boy is laying in my bed, asleep, so precious looking. He sleeps with his legs criss crossed, I am assuming because his baby bed was too small.

Reflections from gotcha day...
I could not sleep, I was awake from 12am partially because I was so excited and partially cause of this 13.hour time difference. I did get to Skype with Brock and Averie a lot though! I was up and around and down stairs by 820am to meet my guide. She was running a few minutes behind as the streets were very busy. We drove about 45 minutes to the civil affairs office. I was the only person there adopting for the day. No other families. So I signed a lot of papers and did all the legal stuff.



Then we waited...and waited. My guide called them and they had been stuck in traffic, but should be there in 15 minutes. About 7 min later they came walking into the room! I had already prompted my guide how to use the video camera, so she grabbed it and began videoing. Hudson looked sad, but they said he had gotten car sick and that he fell asleep. I'm sure he did get car sick, he rarely rode in a car and the drive is so bumpy and jurky. They sat him in a chair and he was thirsty, they gave him water and I pulled out a cup I brought him and they poured the water in there, he drank the whole cup while I signed more papers. I wanted to give him all my attention and couldn't focus on the papers, I'm hoping I signed them correctly! After a cup of water he started to come to a little bit. He was wanting his car he brought and a snack. He asked where his baba was! so sweet and so smart. the guide to.d him, baba (dada) is at home, you will fly on a plane with mama to America soon and see dada) he was content with that. They began to show me the gifts they brought for us. A beautiful photo album, his name plate (stamp with his name in Chinese), a DVD from the orphanage, a tea mug from orphanage, all the gifts we sent him, a t shirt, and they sent a new box of formula. I was happy to hear he is potty trained! After we talked for a little while, they said we were done. The      nanny said good bye tomHudson and he waved and said good bye. They all left the room and it was just the 2 of us. He. Continued to play with his toys and was just a happy boy! Oh, he did come to me as soon as I reached out for him. I didn't do that right away cause I didn't want to scare him. I realized the nanny was watching at the door, but he didnt mind. She walked with us out and he again told her bye and just kept walking with us.  He was excited to go!

The car ride was fun, he laughed and was silly. He ate more snacks and drank more water. We stopped at a  Chinese restaurant to get him some lunch. He got rice, chicken, egg and vegetable.

As soon as we got into the room, i skyped with Brock, pam, roger and the kids. hudson was so silly and tried to feed them food through the ipad and would just laugh. he talked to them and called brock baba. He liked the rice and ate and ate. He feeds himself. He did play with his food a lot, but I was not going to take his food away. He would take it from one bowl to another.  After sky ping, he continued to eat and drink. He used the potty, a lot. He thought it was funny to use the toilet paper, but he would go and flush and pull up his pants. He is too little to get on and off the potty alone. I finally cleaned up his food mess, which he helped doing. He got on the bed with me and just laughed and played. He played cars, we tossed the cars to each other, he had a singing Santa we sent him and he loved it! And he loved his sunglasses. He was very busy and everywhere. I'm glad our room isn't huge!

Around 3pm he kept repeating something to me, I didn't know what it was. He grabbed his photo book I made him and sat at the desk and stared at a photo of him and 4 or 5 other friends. He repeated the same thing, but quieter, as I think he knew I didn't understand. I decided I better distract him, so I got out some snacks. I also made oatmeal. He loved both and wanted me to feed him the oatmeal, which I did. He ate it all and then was content. He hopped onto my lap and we watched a little tv. He began to get sleepy. When he got up to go potty, I ran him a bath. He helped get undressed and I helped him in. He stood there and quickly grabbed the washcloth and washed his face and body and handed me the rag. I helped him to sit down, he acted like I was crazy! I gave him a few bath toys. He didnt know why they were in there. But I got him to play a little. He be ate afraid of the frog, so we put it up. He did his wash cloth routine. Few more times, the. I washed his hair and body, this was new to him. He let me. I rinsed him and he once again grabbed the rag and did his routine. I squeaked his bath toy at him, trying to get him to relax and play, it scared him, he shook his head no and pointed to the frog. I put them all up. He was ready to get out. So I got him out, dried him off and put lotion on him. His skin on his back is very dry. Again this was new to him. He was excited to see underwear and quickly put them on. (He wasn't wearing any when I got him).  He helped get himself dressed. I put him in warm Jammie's as he was cold and I'm sure this room is much colder than he is use to. We played around some more and by 6 we were both exhausted. I made him so e of the formula in a cup. He tried it but looked confused.

Sunday

The flight from Hong Kong to shanghai was fine, no problems, it was comfortable and more vegetarian pasta was served. I think good on pasta for awhile. My guide along with the taxi driver were waiting on me as soon as I got my luggage, they were very nice and helpful, insisting I looked too tired to pull my own luggage. It was about an hour drive to the hotel, imagine a teenager learning to drive stick shift in potholes and that's what the drive was like! The whole way here the guide and I talked, about my schedule, my family, her husband and family she is sweet.
Upon getting to the hotel there was a guy asleep by the front door outside, wearing only boxers. Nothing was said about that. Once we got in they couldn't find my reservation. The guide and taxi driver were getting onto them and asked me to go sit and wait, they really started getting onto them and then my room was ready! Idk what happened. They require a deposit of $300 and I was able to leave it in US dollars and will get it back upon check out. The room is nice, a standard hotel room, but on the nicer side. Comfortable king bed! They are bringing up his baby bed today. I requested a baby bed as that is what he sleeps in now. Ide gladly share my bed with him if that is more comforting to him.
I'm at breakfast now. There is a lot of food, but being a vegetarian is hard. I had a muffin, hash browns and another pastry. Thought IDE loose weight here, but idk. Drank 7up but then they stocked some water and juice. So now drinking all 3. Guess Ill be plenty hydrated! The staff here is nice and most know some English. I did get called sir, but then. Worker scolded him and he apologized several times.
I'm going to go get the hotel room in order and at 3pm my guide will take me shopping at a place similar to Walmart. I need a stroller, water, and idk what else at this point. She said its not far but would be happy to take me, which is good cause I don't want to get out on my own quite yet.
I'm so excited to be less than 24 hours away for meeting my son. What an awesome journey this is. I'm thinking he will cry, maybe even shut down. But I hope and pray that he lets the bonding start and accepts me quickly. I love him so much.

I'm in China!

Ive been keeping a journal and will just copy that here. Thank you for everyone's prayers, my travel was safe!

Friday/Saturday


Plane ride has been great! Don't mind planes at all. The view is amazing. They also constantly have beverages and plenty of snacks and food. Both vegetarian meals were pasta but they were good. I slept for a little while! It's so hard to keep track of time on here but at this point we are about 5.5 hours away. The little bits of turbulence don't feel much worse than bumps on a school bus. Take off was not bad at all, noisy but not bad. There are movies, games, musical tv shows and more programmed on the tv. I've watched 2 movies so far and a few tv episodes. I wish Brock and Averie were here to experience this, but I know The Lord had other plans for this. Seats are much more comfortable than expected. I would defiantly rather fly to Florida!
Got into Hong Kong with no incidents. The airport is huge but was easy to maneuver. I got the the airway to board Shanghai with 15 minutest to spare. Then we all jammed on a bus, picture a Disney bus with no seats, we were packed in like sardines for the drive over to the plane. This plane is smaller, across with 1 little isle between and no tv. But they are eager to feed you. It's only a 2.5 hr flight. I see no other western ears on the plane. Doesn't bother me, just now I know how some people feel back home, being a minority.
I'm looking forward to getting to shanghai, getting to th hotel and finding out the plans for when I'll get Hudson! I still can't believe Im here to get him. This is so exciting, to finally meet your son, whom you have watched grow up for the past 18 months through pictures while he was on the oath side of the world. I am wanting to take picture of everything, idk if ill come here again, so I want to be able to remember if for him.
There was free wifi at the airport but unfortunately I only had a couple of minutes, I quickly text Brock and posted on FB where I was. Hoping to at least have wireless access I. The hotel lobby. Guess ill find out soon.

I ts one, the countdown is almost done!

I leave in 8 hours, out the door for the drive to Chicago! I think Im ready, then I keep remembering there is more I need to pack. I did break down and decided Ide do a second checked bag. Its going to be a small suitcase, but I just couldn't stress anymore about trying to make everything fit into the 1 checked suitcase. So, I have a total of 2 checked suitcases and 2 checked bags. It will all work out, I rather have to hassle a little bit at airports than to get there and realize I forgot stuff.

I got to have lunch with Averie today. Took her to Subway, she is so sweet, she ate most of her sandwich then she couldn't stop loving on me. Just hugs, kisses, being so sweet. We even had a guy come up and said how she really loves her mom! She is such a good girl. On the way back to school she did say "I really wanted to go with you to China." It really breaks my heart that she cannot come with. I never pictured going without her or Brock. But, I have to remind myself that God had another plan. He has a reason why I am going and they are staying and I have to let that go.

There has been some crying today, Im staying strong, and hope I can keep it together tomorrow. As long as I can keep it together in front of Averie, I don't want it to be a sad farewell. Im so glad she is coming with Brock to drop me off. Ill get to spend that much extra time with her. I just hope her and Brock don't cry all the way home together.

I cant believe that I am FLYING tomorrow! Ah! One thing I said I would never do is fly anywhere. Man, was I wrong. Im really not worried about flying, that's what kind of worries me. I don't want to get on there and not be prepared. Im sure it will be ok, I hope I can stay comfortable and sleep. Im sure Ill be pretty tired when I hit Shanghai at midnight and hope to go to bed right away and wake up around 7 or 8 and have breakfast, get the room ready, do a little shopping and prepare to get Hudson. I will get Hudson Monday morning, which is Sunday evening here. I hope the Internet works well and that I can post updates and pictures as soon as possible.

I just ask all friends and family, please do not call or text my cell while Im gone, unless it is an emergency. I will not respond to them or answer unless I know I HAVE to. If its an emergency, please have Brock get a hold of me as I know he wont just call or text for nothing. It is $1.99 per minute and $.50 to send a text and $.05 to receive a text.

Well, wish me luck and please send prayers for safe travels. Averie told me tonight that she wants daddy to call the church and have them pray for me while Im on the plane. She also told her kindergarten class to pray for me. She is so loving and sweet. Please pray for my family while Im gone. I know it will be tough, but Brock is a great dad and he can handle it.

So much to do and there is only 2

Wow, these days are flying past me. I feel like Ive had all the time in the world to prepare yet I am so not ready to go. Tomorrow will be an extremely busy day for me and I know by this time tomorrow evening I will be totally stressed out. :(

Today I had more running to do after some appointments. Not how I wanted my day to go, but it did. Tomorrow I have just a few places I have to quickly go to then I will be home the rest of the day and evening. I don't really care if I go to bed tomorrow night as I do want to be tired for the plane ride....all 14.5 hours to Hong Kong and then 2 hours to Shanghai. UGH!

This evening we went to one last dinner with Brock's parents. We ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It seemed a bit stressful. After that we got to go visit my sister and her family. It was nice as we don't get to visit much and we talked about my trip and stuff. Our family is all so very excited about the adoption and everyone can not wait to be able to meet Hudson. I will see how he reacts in China and we will make our decisions from that about when we will get to meet everyone. I'm sure it will just be a few people at a time. I will post more about what we hope for the first few weeks once home. International adoption, especially of an older child, is quite a bit different than domestic adoption or adoption of a baby. There has to be a bonding process for us with Hudson, this is something that comes so naturally for our biological children. Again...Ill post more on this before I come home.

Tomorrow is a very full and busy day. I am so excited about going to China to get Hudson. I am so glad that God chose me to go, I will do my best to learn and experience as much as I can about our sons country. Ill take as many pictures as I can so we can look and remember what it was like.

Again, thank you for your prayers and support. Just a few short days ago we were short several thousand dollars that I HAD to have to be able to go to China. The Lord provided us with the amount we needed for this trip...just in time! The Lord is so good!

Yipee...Im down to three!

Im a day late posting this, but I was so tired yesterday and went to bed early. But, I will reflect for yesterday for the 3! Wow, 3 days!

I did finally get the second car seat installed in our van! Averie will be in the far back, I don't think she is real happy about it but its the only logical thing since Ashton and Hanna don't sit together well and they wouldn't want to have to climb over the car seats to get in the back. Ashton is 6 feet tall, that gets a little hard for him! I will need Hudson up in the middle row so I can help him buckle his seat belt as I am sure he has never ridden in a car seat. Anyways, I am super picky about car seats and do install them very safely, to this task took forever.

Averie has been very clingy and a little emotional today. I went to pick her up from school and got stuck in some traffic, I got there 5 minutes after school got out and she was all teared up. I asked her what was wrong and she said she thought I wasn't coming to get her. Poor girl, she said she gets said when other mommies and daddies are there and I am not. I keep reassuring her that we will always pick her up from school.

We stayed home this evening, spending some time together and it gave me a chance to check my packing list and see what else I have to get from the store. Tomorrow I have a few appointments in the morning, then Ill go to the store and hopefully get packed up. Ill get as much housework done as I can and just trust that they will keep it decent!

As always, thank you for the prayers and support! Keep an eye on this blog to see the cutest next US Resident! Im coming Hudson!

FOUR days!

4 days until I am on my way to get our boy! I finally got my travel letter today that details what all Ill be doing while in China and where all the fees were coming from. It looks good and I'm about ready to go. I'm really looking forward to being in our sons home country, learning all that I can about it and just taking in the sights.

I will be in Shanghai Aug 24-Aug 30 and then Ill be in Guangzhou from Aug 30- Sept 5. With time differences Ill still arrive home on September 5th. I know Brock and Averie will come to the airport to get us, probably Hanna too. I think Pam & Roger might come. Ashton has a soccer game that night and I don't think he will be there. I'm sure I will be so ready to see my family. Ide love to make it back for Ashtons soccer game, but Ide also love it if it was raining and he could come to the airport to get us! :)

I think while I'm gone Brock and the kids will be taken care of. Roger has said something about bringing a few meals over and my mom has also offered a meal. I'm hoping my mom can do laundry a week into my trip for them and really hoping she will come and do a little tidying up around the house before I come home. I'm sure Brock and the kids will keep it pretty clean, but I doubt Ill want to jump into cleaning bathrooms, dishes and the kitchen right away. So nice to have family close so they are able to help in times like these!

I actually packed some clothes in my suitcase tonight. Most of the clothes I'm taking are in there and its not even half way full. So that's a good thing. I still have lots of odds and ends to add in there, I'm sure it will be full by the time I'm ready to go. I'm trying to do 1 checked suitcase and 1 carry on small suitcase and 1 backpack. I think I can handle that alone in the airports and should be enough for all that I need.

I'm off to bed, getting this typed a little later than I planned. Thanks again to everyone for their love and support during our adoption journey. I cant wait to start our lives with Hudson. I keep hearing how he is a lucky boy, sure, he probably is lucky. But, we are the lucky ones that God has chosen to parent him and that's exactly how we feel. We are so lucky that we are able to call him our son!

FIVE days!

Only 5 more days until I leave for China. I cant believe I haven't packed much, I have little piles here and there that I will bring with me and I know what suitcase and carry-on's I want to use. I just haven't brought myself to start packing. I will really focus on packing within the next couple of days. Im always afraid Ill forget something and I usually say even if I do, I can get it wherever I am going. Well, now Im not so sure about that. But, Im pretty sure Ill do fine.

I've been waiting for this day, my last Sunday at Church before I go to get our son. We were asked to come forward as we were prayed for. It is such a blessing to have such a supportive and loving church. All 5 of us went forward and some friends came up with us as our pastor prayed. I had many people, even those I don't know, come forward and let me know that they are praying for me, us, my trip, etc. We really appreciate that.


Again, Im asking for prayers. Prayers as I pack for the trip, while I fly, meeting our son, attending appointments, and more. Prayers for Hudson, as much as I have looked forward to the day of meeting him, he really doesn't know what to expect. He may not even know that I am coming for him. I pray that the Lord prepares his heart.

6...yes 6 more days!

I cant believe that I leave in 6 days. 1 week from now Ill be arriving in Shanghai! 1 week from tomorrow, I be meeting our son, Hudson, for the very first time. I'm so excited! I cant wait to see his sweet face, to be able to touch him and to love on him..when he is ready. I love this little boy so much! I cant wait to be able to Skype with the family at home and to introduce them to him. What a blessing it will be to have him in our family.

We are getting closer to closing the gap of our financial worries. I've finally be able to figure out what exactly we need to complete the adoption. I know it sounds like a large amount, but the Lord has this. NOTHING is too big for Him!
$2800 short before my travel. I have to have this money before I can leave.
$4000 short after we return home. This covers the final home study agency fee and the fee to re-adopt Hudson once home. This is necessary as Brock is not going to China and it is also necessary for him to be able to have a birth certificate, which we know you must have for so many things. So our total gap is $6800. Yes, it is large, but God has this.

I ask that you please pray for this financial gap to come to a close and that the Lord continues to prepare me for my travel. I ask for prayers for Hudson, that the Lord prepares his heart for the many changes that he will be facing in just a few short days. He is going to be taken from the only place he has known as home and from all his friends and nanny's that are like his family. Yes, this change will be for the best for him, but he does not know that right now. Please also pray for all the waiting children, there are so many orphans all around the world.

Thank you again to everyone who has prayed for us, donated to us and encouraged us over these past 18 months. It has been a long process and we can not wait to start our lives with Hudson!

Lucky number 7

Only 7  more days! I cant believe it, 1 week from now Ill be sitting on a plane. I'm hoping and praying it is a non-eventful, easy, comfortable flight. Ill bring what I can to entertain myself and figure it would be best to try to sleep as much as possible since Ill be hit with a huge time difference and then a new child.

Today was a good , then ugly , then better kinda day. Defiantly a day I would not want to experience again but wish I could do over. Today was the kids' first day of school! Ashton is a junior, Hanna 8th grade and Averie kindergarten. Everyone got up in time, made it to school one time and had good days. It wasn't a full day, and that's probably a good thing as everyone is tired.

The bad was I got an email from our adoption agency for the amount that I need to wire over to China and it was much more than I was told would be the max. I was hoping it was a typo, but it wasn't. I don't know how or why this keeps happening to us, I shouldn't be so shocked when this kind of thing happens, but I was just fed up with it this morning. I got ugly, crying and stressing out. I'm glad the kids were at school. Then, the one thing I was looking forward to, having lunch with Averie for her first day of school, I asked the school office what time lunch was today, I planned to be there about 10 min early and they said that would be fine. Well, about 10:45am I got a call from Averie's teacher who says that while walking around at lunch she noticed Averie looking around and she told her that her mom was coming to lunch. They had lunch already and I missed it. I hung up and cried more. :(  I know, it was ugly. And then I went to get in the shower and to let the water release pressure in my back and as I was getting in I fell. UGH!! No, my day really couldn't have gotten much worse.

Now more good. I have some wonderful, loving, supporting FB friends. They spread the news that we are struggling financially and everyone was chipping in what they could. We received just over $1300 in donations today. God has this under control! I don't know why I let Satan get the best of me, I see now what can happen when he does. But, there was the Lord, working away, continuing to provide for us, even when I couldn't hold it together. Thank you everyone who gave, prayed, and shared about us. It has really helped and blessed us!

To make up for missing lunch with Averie, she got to help me make some dessert, her favorite brownies with homemade peanut butter frosting. I had to make a second batch of frosting as someone couldn't stay out of it either. She LOVES to be in the kitchen, helping cook, wash dishes, etc. She says she wants to be a chef when she grows up. We ended our night playing some Baseball Super Nintendo and cuddling together. Everyone made it through the first day of school. Everyone is also asleep a lot earlier tonight than they have been in months! It will make each one of us sleepier than usual for awhile. But, I keep reminding myself, it really is nice to get back on a schedule.

Again, thank you everyone for your love and support. Please continue to pray for us while we are counting down the days until I'm off to China.

8 is great!

I cant believe that I'm down to 8 days until I'm off to China! These days are flying by while I am staying busy. 8 days until I fly and 10 days until I meet our son. (I think that is right due to time difference!)

Today Brock had his first day with students. He says he has a great group and is going to have a great year! I love that he enjoys teaching so much. He has a class of 24 - 5, 6, and 7 year olds! He is an awesome teacher and does a great job with the students each year. As much as he didn't want to see summer end, I can see that he is excited to start a new school year.

This afternoon Averie decided she didn't want to go to kindergarten. I kept assuring her that she is a smart, nice, beautiful little girl who will be great in kindergarten. This evening was her open house and it was just what she needed! She got to see her classroom and she loved it! She got to meet her teacher and some of the helpers around the school and she is so excited to have so many teachers! She was much more excited about it this evening. She wants her lunch packed tomorrow and she requested a PB&J, tomatoes, carrots with dip, strawberries, juice and pudding. Ive got it all ready to go and hope she enjoys it! Before bed we read The Night Before Kindergarten and The Kissing Hand. These books really made her realize she isn't the only one scared and she really loved them!

Clothes are set out, the older kids have their supplies at school, Averie has a book bag full of school supplies and more. I cant wait to take their first day of school photos tomorrow. I have my 16 year old junior, 13 year old 8th grader and my 5 year old kindergartner. 3 different schools! Oh, this is going to be a busy school year!

With 8 days left, we are so close yet far away from the funds we need to complete this adoption. We continue ask for your prayers. As I keep saying, the Lord will provide, He has so far and He will not give up now. We are just SO close to the deadline. I'm so ready to be able to say that we are completely funded.

Single digits....9 days!

Ive made it to single digits. 9 more days until I am on my way to China to get our son! I am so ready and so not ready in different ways. I am ready to get packed, but waiting until late this weekend or early next week. Ill pack and I'm sure Ill unpack and repack a few times. I'm worried about the size of my bags and suitcases and the weight. I don't want to over pack cause I don't want to deal with a bunch of luggage and a little guy all alone at the airport. Ill manage I'm sure.

We started our morning off early, Brock had his first day back to work, tomorrow the students will be there. Ashton had soccer practice at 8am...and he drove himself! Hanna slept late. Averie slept until almost 10am, and here it is 9:40pm and she is still awake, even though I told her she had to go to bed early tonight. But, daddy is playing Super Nintendo with her. :) Oh well, I'm glad Friday is an early out and we will have to get it all started Monday. I'm sure she, along with all of us, will be a little exhausted and take a little time to get use to the schedule. It will work out, always does.

We ended our evening with spaghetti and a praise and prayer service at church. It was nice that the older two are at the age where they can attend with us. They were the youngest there, but it is good for them. Once we got back home we got to go by Averies school and see who her teacher is and see her class list. She is so excited! Tomorrow evening is kindergarten open house, she cant wait to see her classroom, meet her teacher and see the students. My baby girl is getting big.

Last night I stated how close we were to the amount needed to complete the adoption expenses, well... I've been calculating our fees and found to be a little shorter than we originally thought. Once I have it figured out for sure Ill correct the amount that I listed last night. The Lord has been so good to us and He will continue to provide. We keep getting closer and closer. Please continue to pray for us.

10 more days!

Yay! 10 more days until I'm off to china! It is so weird to say next Friday I leave. These are the days Ive been waiting for for months and now they are here I don't know what to think! It so exciting!

My day started off with taking Ashton to get his Drivers Licenses! I cant believe he is 16 and that he can now drive, all by himself! This will take us some time to get use to, but tomorrow he can drive himself to practice at 8am! While I am in China Ashton will be driving Averie to school, which is only a minute from our house. I'm sure he will do fine, but I worry a little about this as it is a school zone and he is pretty fresh at having his licenses.

Tomorrow Hanna wants to go to the school and get her locker all ready. Now they "wall paper" the inside of their lockers and decorate them. They even sell chandeliers and rugs for lockers. (crazy I know) So her and a few of her girlfriends will go to the middle school and get their lockers all decorated and ready for school to start Friday.

Averie will find out who her kindergarten teacher is tomorrow and Thursday she will get to go see her classroom and meet her teacher. She informed me the other day that she is "going to have to skip school to take you to the plane" I told her she wont have to skip but we will let them know she will be gone! This morning she woke saying she had a good dream about kindergarten but she has asked me several times "what if my teacher wont let me miss school to take you to the plane?" I keep assuring her it will be fine, but she is still worried. Silly girl!

Brock's classroom is almost ready to go. Teachers return tomorrow and students return Thursday. He will be ready and back in school mode Thursday. Or at least he will be there! :) Tonight is our last night before school starts, kinda sad, but nice to get back on a schedule. I look forward to fall, it is my favorite season, with the temperatures we have tonight, it feels like fall. So nice!

10 more days....tomorrow starts single digits. Cant believe it! Please continue to pray for us. We are getting closer financially, we have received some wonderful donations from some friends and we have collected more money from friends who have sold more cards for us, it has been such a blessing! We are about $2000 away from the amount I need to complete travel and adoption costs. There will be an additional $4500 in fees once we return for home study fees and the costs to readopt Hudson in the US. We are so close! Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Eleven days til my first ever plane ride

I am down to 11 days until I'm leaving for China! The more I think about it the more real it seems. I only have 1 more weekend until I leave, the kids will just get their first full week of school in before I go (actually the day I leave). 2 weeks from today I should be sleeping my first night with Hudson in the room.  :)

This morning I woke up to 2 new pictures and current measurements for Hudson! He has lost the baby face, Averie even said he doesn't look like a baby anymore but he is a cutie! I'm sad that over the past 18 months Ive watched my son grow up through pictures, but happy that I was able to get pictures along the way. We have missed his first 4 years of life, but we have a lifetime left with him.

Here are his new photos, they were taken July 30, 2013

 He looks happy and of course adorable! I think
he picked his Mama and Baba some flowers in
the picture above!

* His current height 3 feet 2 inches, which is at the 3rd percentile.
* His weight is 30.8 lbs, which is at the 4th percentile.
* His head is 19.7 inches, his chest is 20.9 inches and his foot is 5.3 inches.
He is just a cute little guy! 


Well, today we are off to get Brock's classroom organized and ready. School starts Wednesday for him and Friday for our kids. We are not ready for this. Ashton and Hanna are still in bed, Brock is not around, and Averie and I have showered but we are not quite ready to go anywhere. It will be an interesting start as we have taken full advantage of being lazy and our sleep patters are all mixed up. This will be an interesting next few weeks as we adjust to school, sports schedules, me being gone, me returning with Hudson, etc.

Twelve days!

On the twelve days of adoption countdown... it does feel like Christmas...this is the best gift I could ever receive, to go and get my son! It is such an exciting time!

Last night Averie and Hanna stayed the night with Grammie & Papoo and Hanna called me around 10:30pm saying Averie is crying. I talked to her and she was upset about me leaving for China soon. :(  Ive only left her for one night at a time, so this is a pretty big deal. I talked to her for quite awhile and after reminding her that Hudson is ready for his family and I have to go get him and that once Im home, our family will be complete, 2 weeks really isn't too long, etc. She was feeling better about it. She will ride to the airport with us to drop me off and we will spend all the time we can together these next 12 days. She starts Kindergarten on Friday and I will get to walk her in to her classroom and have lunch with her to help her get familiar with the routine. I am going to have a mommy Averie date next week before I leave. I have also bought some special snacks and will write her a note for each day that I am gone. Ill leave daddy in charge of giving these to her. I made a promise to her that I will get to communicate with her daily while gone. We hope to be able to Skype or Facetime, but if for some reason that doesn't work, we will email or FB message and if that fails, then we will text. Im going to miss my family but know the older two will be fine without me, I pray that Averie can keep it together. She will have some special bonding time with daddy while Im gone at least!

So today we were able to collect some of the funds from the discount cards that have been sold. We are getting there bit by bit. Im pretty sure all of the money will need to be sent this week and we are around $5000 away from all that is needed. I have faith that we will have it when we need it. I continue to pray for the Lords guidance over these next several days. We have been so fortunate to have many supportive friends, family members and even complete strangers. We are so thankful for each and every one of you.

Once we got home from church I went through Hudsons clothes again and packed them into his new suitcase! I have a variety of sizes for him from 18 months-3t. A cup, a few toys, a backpack, are all ready to go. Ill add a few more things until he is completely packed. I just love little boy clothes! Its been so long since Ive been able to buy them, as Ashton is 16 years old now and is 6ft tall! Im ready to start packing my suitcase, but Im afraid Ill want some of the clohtes over the next several days, so Ill hold off until next weekend.

As I said we are short the amount necessary for my travel. Donations can still be made by using the paypal link on the top right of this page, the money donated there goes directly into our savings account. If you live locally and want to donate, you can drop your donation off to the bank, First Federal Savings & Loan at 800 West Lincoln Avenue in Charleston, IL, let them know it is for the Paul Family Adoption. By donating directly to the bank, there is no fees taken out of the donation.

Thanks again for everyone's love and support!

13 days

Only 13 days until I am on a plane to get our son! I cant believe that we are getting so close!

Today we went fishing at Great Grandma and Grandpa Paul's pond. It was fun, even though I am not an outdoors type of person. I enjoyed sitting back and watching all the commotion and taking photos of everyone. It was kind of comical! Averie was the first one with her line on the water, she no more got it in and she had a fish and thats how it went for the next 30 minutes, at least. Well, after our first 5 or 6 fish we realized that the fish basket had a hole in it and we were losing the fish! LOL! So, grandpa changed out the basket and they were off to catching more. Everyone caught a fish, except for me, but again I liked to just sit back and watch. Poor Brock was constantly putting worms on hooks and taking fish off hooks. Ashton caught some of the smallest fish. We ended up with 15 or 16 keepers. Everyone had a good time. As with most events, we reminded each other, "next time we do this, Hudson will be with us!" We have been doing that for months. We cant wait to experience the many "firsts" with Hudson!

Well, my plane tickets are booked, Ive started packing bags and purchasing the items Ill need to bring with me. Its still not real yet. We are still a bit short on funds to complete the travel expenses. I get a little nervous knowing we are thousands of dollars away and the money will be due within days. But, then I remember that this is all in Gods hands. He has this under control. They money will be there one way or another when we need it. Please continue to pray for us about this. I can not wait until I announce that we are completely funded and that it is no longer a worry.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, donated to us, purchased a discount card, etc. Without all of you, we would not be this far, we would not be bringing home Hudson in a few weeks! We have faced a lot of challenges over these past 18 months as we have been working on the adoption. But, we are always reminded that this is the Lords plan for us and He has it all under control.

Mattoon/Charleston discount cards

For those who live locally, I am going to list the deals that are on our discount cards. The cards are $15 each and are good through July 2014. 100% of the money from each card will go towards our adoption expenses. Please get ahold of Brock or I if you would like to purchase a card or cards.

•Dave’s Decorating Center - 50% off custom special order Comfortex blind or shade

• Neal Tire & Auto Service - $3 off oil change

• Myerscough Automotive  - $5 off full service lube oil filter

• Fruit Chill Frozen Yogurt - 10% off your order

• Pop’s BBQ - buy a sandwich & 2 sides, get a free drink

• Jackson Ave Coffee - 10% off all frappes and lattes

• Smoky’s House BBQ - 10% off purchase

• County Office Products - $1.50 off FedEx shipping

• Lincoln Garden Family Restaurant - $2 off purchase of $20 or more

• Papa John’s (Mattoon/Chas.) - Buy 1 lg. or x-lg. pizza at reg. price, get 2nd one of equal or lesser value free

• Christy’s Hair Connection - $4 off each haircut

• Villa Pizza- Sun. & Mon., Family 1 topping pizza, family salad, & 2 liter $25 tax included; add breadsticks for $3; expires 12-31-13

• Arby’s (Mattoon/Charleston) - buy one get one free regular roast beef

• Furry & Fabulous Dog Grooming  - free teeth brushing & dental spray application with scheduled grooming appt.

• Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steak Burgers - free regular Concrete w/purchase of combo meal

• Trim Tone ‘n Tan - 1 mo. unlimited for $25

• Diepholz Auto Group - 1/2 price oil change (limit 2)

• The Cake Lady- 6 free cupcakes w/purchase of $50 or more

• Dirty’s Bar & Grill- 1 free order of cheese sticks w/entree purchase, limit 1 per visit, dine-in only

• Brick House Bar & Grill 512-2174 - 1/2 price appetizer(starter) Sun.-Thurs, limit 1 per visit

• Pagliacci’s 234-6000 - $2 off any large pizza

• J&P Photography - book & hold full session, receive 10% off or a free custom iphone 5 case

14 days... 2 weeks!

Wow, I have prayed and prayed for these days to hurry up and get here. To be on the countdown until I am on my way to China to get our son. It is such an overwhelming feeling. So many emotions when I think about things.

I get sooo excited to imagine starting our lives with Hudson. He is going to bring change to our lives and I know we are going to turn his life into something completely different. I cant wait to see China and learn and experience all that I can about the country that our son is from.

I get so nervous about leaving Brock and the kids behind. I know they will be fine and so will I, but Ive never left them more than 1 night. We are all about family time and Ill miss that for 2 weeks. Ill miss the early days of the beginning of the school year, a few of Ashton's soccer games, Hanna's basketball tryouts, a few of Averies soccer games and more. But, its ok. I know Brock will have help here as needed and the kids really will be fine.

Im scared of being so far from home and to have to make decisions without Brock, to not be able to communicate with Brock and family as I am so use to. Im scared to fly and experience a layover. Im scared that Hudson may reject me. Im scared of being alone, in China, with our new son. I know the Lord will be with me, but Im just being honest... Im scared.

Today at lunch Brock was saying he is sure he will cry when we get home and he gets to meet Hudson. I told him that is one of my fears, to be a blubbering mess when I meet him. I don't want to scare Hudson, but when I even think about that moment I get emotional. Im going to have the Kleenex in my pockets and try so hard to keep it together.

We are still about $5000 from what I need to be able to travel. Once home, we will have an addition need of $3500-$4000 to pay off the home study agency and to pay the fees to readopt Hudson in the USA. We have to readopt him so he can have a social security card and birth certificate and now that Brock is not going, it makes it legal here in the US. We have had some awesome donations come in and we are so thankful for this. When we first got travel approval we were over $10,000 away from the amount needed before travel, now we are about half that! Praise the Lord!

Please continue to pray for us. Again, we appreciate all the support from family, friends, and even those that we do not know. Thank you so much.

15 days!

15 days until Im heading to China! So exciting. So on the 15th day before China I had a dr appt, helped Brock work on some stuff in his classroom and Hanna got her top braces on. It is only 8 days until the kids start school, so it is a busy time of the year. We have so much going on with school starting and the adoption, my head is spinning.
I did get a good quote on place tickets yesterday and am pretty happy with the itinerary so I plan to book them tonight or tomorrow. I will fly from Chicago to Hong Kong and have a quick layover then to Shanghai. The flights will take about 16 hours, including the layover. The when I come home, on September 5th, Ill fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, again have a quick layover and then off to Chicago. Since Ill gain back time flying home, I will arrive home September 5th!
I am so excited to meet our son and cannot wait to hug on him and love him. Ive began to get a little worried over the last few days, knowing Im going alone, but I know the Lord will be there with me, He has His hands on this and will see it through. I keep reassuring myself of this and I know it will all be fine.
We are still in need financially, about $5000. I know it will come together, but its going to have to very soon.
15 days until Im flying, keeping my eye on the goal, getting our son and completing our family of 6!

Mama will be there soon  little buddy!

16 days!!

So the countdown begins! I have 16 days until Im on my way to China! What am I doing today? Well Im pretty busy, Ive been watching flight prices for the day I thought (and was correct about) I would be flying out to China. The price had remained the same over the past several weeks and now that I have that date confirmed the price went up $1000. WHAT!? Just another hurdle I have to jump over. I have estimated our plane tickets at a certain price and Im determined to keep it at or under that price. So, I have contacted a few travel agents and waiting to see what they can tell me. Ive also almost given up hope for a nonstop flight there. No way will I pay $1000 more for that same flight. Oh well.

Today I will also go to the doctor. Have a little check up and get any medications I believe I will need while in China. I am so thankful to all the families who have been to China and back, some multiple times, and they share their wisdom with us. I have a nice little list of the suggested medications to bring with me and I plan to get most, if not all of them. I cant picture much worse than being in China, alone, and sick. So, hoping and praying it doesn't happen.

Ive been thinking sooooo much about Hudson. Of course Ive thought of him several times a day since I first saw his photo, but now Im picturing not only him being home, but us together in China. How will he react to me? Will I be able to keep it together when I meet him, I get emotional just picturing the day. I dont want to scare the little guy with a blubbering mama. :)  I love this little guy so much. I can not wait to meet him, to love on him, and to be accepted by him. Ive pictured the perfect days and Ive pictured the exact opposite, not knowing what to expect. I want to be prepared and be strong. I cant wait to meet him.

Im going to CHINA!!!

I woke this morning to wonderful news in my email, my travel dates!! I got the exact dates I was hoping for:
August 22- Ill stay over night in Chicago
August 23- Ill leave for Shanghai
August 25- Ill arrive in Shanghai
August 26- Gotcha Day (Ill get Hudson)
Consulate Appt- September 3
Come home September 4 or 5th

I can not believe that in 17 days Ill be on a plane to China! I'm a little nervous to go alone, but not too much. I'm more worried about being able to communicate with Brock when I need to. At home I am not the decision maker and I don't even like to go shopping alone. It will be a little weird being so far from home and having to make all the decisions. That's what makes me the most nervous. I am so happy that I do get to go, I want to soak in as much as I can about where our son came from. I want to take so many photos and just absorb as much as I can so when he asks me about it I can tell him all I know. I want to be able to visit his orphanage but am pretty sure it will not be allowed. I think I will know before I leave US. I'm scared to go there and see all the waiting children. But, I do want to see where he has lived for the past 3+ years of his life. I am looking forward to the time alone I will have Hudson and the opportunity to bond with him as mama and son. And I cannot wait until we return and are reunited as a family of 6!

Financially we are getting there. We are currently about $5000 short of necessary funds. We received a $2000 grant through a small organization and are so thankful for that! We have had some friends and family that have donated and again we are so thankful! We continue to pray about this and know the Lord will work out all the details. If you would like to donate, please use the paypal link to the right or if you live locally you can drop off the donation to our bank, First Federal 800 West Lincoln Avenue and let them know it is for the Paul Family Adoption. We still have a lot of the discount cards available for those who live locally, they have a lot of great businesses and wonderful discounts.

Please pray for us as this will be a hard time on all of us. For me to travel alone and be away from my family for 2 weeks, for Hudson to leave the life he knows and to adjust to me and then to the family, for Brock and the kids while I am gone and then again to adjusting to our new life with Hudson. There will be a lot of changes this year and we could defiantly use the prayers. Thank you so much to those who have prayed for us, donated to us and have been an encouragement. As our adoption journey is coming to the peak and end, a new journey is just beginning!

Travel approval and changes

Well, we finally got what we have been waiting for all along...we got travel approval from China to go pick up Hudson! This is such an exciting time and hard to believe that it is finally here! It came a little earlier than we expected, but we always like little surprises like this.

As soon as we got travel approval, we knew we were in trouble though, we are very short financially. We haven't worried much about this as we always know that the Lord will provide. But, now is the time where we can tell our agency when we want to go to China to get Hudson and as bad as we want to go asap, we cant. We do not have the money at this point for travel or for the remaining fees.

So, for the first day or two after TA we tried all that we could to get loans, check on one last grant, push our fundraiser harder. Nothing was giving. So we began to pray harder and talk and listed and came up with a plan B. As much as I have visioned and wanted Brock, Averie and myself to go to China to get Hudson together, we had to let that vision go. It has been decided that just I will go to China. It will save us a pretty good chunk of money, having the 2 of them stay home. I know it will be tough for all of us, but it is the reward in the end that I keep in mind. I will have almost 2 precious weeks getting to know our son, getting to learn about his country and bonding with him. When we return home, Ill stay home with Hudson and Brock a few days and then Ill return to work and Brock will stay home with Hudson until he is ready to go to a babysitter or preschool.

While we have made the change in plans to save some money, we are still about $8500 short of what we need to pay the final adoption fees and for my travel. We are continuing to sell the local Mattoon/Charleston discount cards. If you live locally, these cards are great! They have some wonderful businesses on them and awesome discounts! They are $15 each and every penny goes towards our adoption! If you would like to purchase a cards, please contact Brock or myself on FB or via email at bp042900@consolidated.net. I still have LOTS of puzzle pieces still available. If you would like sponsor a puzzle piece, it is $10 and we will write your name or a small message on the piece that you sponsor. Once the puzzle is completely sponsored we will put it together and frame it to hang in Hudson's room. One side is a world puzzle while the other has messages and names from many people who have prayed for or have supported the adoption.

You can purchase a puzzle piece or make a donation in 2 different ways...
1. Click the link to Paypal at the top right side of this screen. The money will go directly into our adoption savings account.
2. Send or drop off a check/money order to our bank:

First Federal Savings & Loan

Attn: Paul Family Adoption

800 Charleston Avenue

Charleston, IL 61920

As much as we hate to keep asking for support, we know that the Lord has a plan for this. His hand is on our adoption and will see it through. We are in the home stretch and have permission to go get him and bring him home, but we have to have the money to complete this journey. Please pray for us as we get this figured out. I will keep posted as to when I will be traveling to China. Also, please pray for my travel. Ive never left the country, never traveled alone and never flown. This will be hard for all of us, but my eye is on the prize....bringing our son home! 

Got this verse from our pastor the other day and I keep reminding myself of it daily:

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Fundraising!

As most of you are aware, we are soooo close to going to China to get Hudson! We are so excited and scared at the same time. We can not wait to end the adoption journey and to begin our new life with our new son. The end of this journey is just the beginning of another. We are so excited about that! We are a little scared with where the remaining funds are going to come from, the flight and leaving our two oldest children back home, being in another country and all the unknowns. We know that the Lord has His hand on this and He will see this through and that does bring us comfort, but its so hard not to worry. 

Last weekend we decided kind of last minute to throw together a rummage sale. We have SO much stuff to sell and defiantly need to continue to empty what was a storage room to be Hudsons bedroom. So we had a sale Friday and Saturday last week, along with Averies lemonade stand. It was a big success! My goal was $50-100 total, we didn't advertise other than FB and we are not on a busy street. Well, we raised right at $600! WOW! Averies lemonade stand (that had cake pops 1 day and donuts the next) raised $64, she was so excited! 

So we are going at it again this weekend. We don't expect as big of a weekend as we know some people don't visit the same sale 2 weekends in a row. But, this was our original planned weekend. We will have it Thurs, Fri and Sat, along with Averies lemonade stand. I think this weekend will be cookies and brownies along with lemonade and water. 

We also have a NEW fundraiser! We have Mattoon/Charleston discount cards available! They have 24 businesses on them, many who are not on any other sort of discount card. We thank each and every business! These will be for sale at our rummage sale, we will also be set up at Bagel Fest and friends and family members will have them at church and to sell! We have a Facebook page set up designated to these cards, if you are interested in a card or to sell cards, feel free to go to our Fb page and contact us. We think these are very good cards and a great value at only $15. We get 100% of the money from each card, it all goes directly towards our adoption expenses! So this is a MAJOR fundraiser for us! We have a goal of 1,000 being sold, this would take us very close to where we need to be within the next couple of weeks! 

Thank you everyone for your support. Please continue to pray for us and Hudson. We are in the home stretch of completing this adoption! Please pray for the cards to be a success and an answer to where the remaining funds will come from, pray for our travel worries, pray for our children and family we leave behind while traveling to China, pray for Hudson as we prepare to meet him and bring him into the family, pray for the other waiting children and families. 

Here is a link to our FB page for more information about the discount cards: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/174056466107359/

New pictures!!

We were blessed with some new photos of Hudson by a couple of women who recently went to work at our sons orphanage. While he may not look as happy as he has in past photos, we were told that Pat, the physical therapist who helped get these photos, was so excited to see him again that she scared him a bit on accident at first. He squeezed out a few grins in the last photos. I cant believe that we are going to China next month to get our son! We cannot wait!

This last one is my favorite! I picture her telling him he has a mama and baba coming soon! I think he is just BEAUTIFUL! I cant wait until we meet him. Ill have to hold back a little or Ill scare the kid to death loving on him so much! I just want to hug and kiss him and wrap him up in my arms. I cannot wait! Love you little Hudson Keith Paul!

Fundraisers, progress and more!

So, Averies puzzle piece fundraiser has not been taking off like she has hoped for, so she is already dreaming of a lemonade stand and cake pops! But, it is still up and going and please, if you want to help her raise funds for her travel, just make a note orFacebook message one of us if you make a donation towards her travel.

We also have a Thirty-one fundraiser now! A super nice adoptive mama volunteered her services to us and will donate 100% of the profit towards our adoption. So for every purchase we will receive 25% of the total cost. Thirty-one bags are very popular, good quality, and super cute! If you are interested in purchasing a bag you can purchase online or if you are local I can give you an order form if you prefer to use that method. There is a Facebook page set up for the fundraiser, it is https://www.facebook.com/events/537718219622424/?fref=ts

The direct buy link so that the profit goes to us is https://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E3423654&from=DIRECTLINK

The fundraiser ends July 21st, so order before then! Also, please share the information with your friends and family, anyone and everyone can order, they are delivered to your home!

Now, our progress!! July 5th last year we received pre-approval from China to adopt Hudson, that day he was officially considered our son! This year on July 5th our Article 5 was delivered to China. The US Embassy was closing on July 5th through July 24th, if we did not get that paper there by then our travel would of been delayed about a month. We made it ON the deadline! So, July 5th is a pretty lucky day for us!

We had a wonderful 4th of July! Celebrated with some family and friends! That morning Averie and I got up and went to watch the parade. She sat on my lap, anticipating the sights and sounds of the parade! Emotions ran over me, I remembered sitting in that same spot with Averie last year, talking about how next year we would have Hudson home and she would talk about what he would and wouldn't like at the parade. I know we are so close now, but I couldn't help but be sad and tears filled my eyes knowing my son is still not home, he is on the other side of the world. Thankfully I got the news before the parade that our paperwork would be dropped off on time, so I was able to keep it together.

We will be going to get our son in August. ONE MONTH!!! It is so crazy and exciting and scary all at once! We all love this little guy so much and can't wait until he is able to join the family. I've been working on his bedroom and will share photos once it is ready. I even packed his suitcase the other day, I'm sure Ill unpack and repack it a few more time, but just seeing those cute little boy clothes and picturing him wearing them, made my night!

We pray that the Lord continues to guide us through the journey. I know that the end of this journey is just the beginning of another. We are so excited to start that new journey. Please continue to pray for us. Pray for our son, Hudson. Pray for the other children that wait. If you would like to contribute towards some of our remaining adoption costs, please use the link to Paypal on the top right of this screen. We really hate to ask for help, but we have experienced a lot of bumps during this journey and we have exhausted any other funds that we had.

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows-
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Psalm 68:5-6

Averie's update

Day 1 down and 1 puzzle piece is being sponsored so far. With that 1 piece came great excitement to Averie! Averie's total cost for travel is estimated at $5000. Our hopes is that she can raise half of that. She is praying for others to pull through and help earn her trip to China to meet and bring home her little brother Hudson.

If you do not feel led to donate at this time, please pray for her and this fundraiser, it really means a lot to her and she just cant wait to meet her little brother!

A big sisters hope

Averie has such a love for her little brother already! The first day that I showed her Hudson's photo and tried to explain the we were adopting him, her first reaction was "daddy call the airplane, lets go get him!" Love her heart! She talks about him to everyone, prays about him, and just can not wait until he is home. Every time Averie finds money or has money, she gives it to us and tells us "this is for Hudson". She knows that the adoption process is very costly and wants to do what she can to help us get him home. She has been begging to have lemonade stands to help raise money and I have promised that she will soon! 

We are going to China in August to get Hudson! Averie wants to come with us. She knows that he will be scared and understands that it may be easier for him to have another child around in addition to the two scary adults who are going to take him from the only place he has known as home. She has told me that she knows that he may not be able to talk to her (because of language barriers), but they can play! She has decided to start her own fundraiser to help pay for her trip to China. The profits from the lemonade stand that she will have at our upcoming rummage sales will go towards her travel but she wants to do more! See her video for details:

She is selling puzzle pieces for $10 each. We will write your name, a Bible verse or a short message on the piece. Once the puzzle is completely sold Averie will put it together and we will frame it and hang it in Hudson's room. If you can't sponsor a puzzle piece but still want to help her reach her goal, you can make a donation by clicking on the Paypal link on the top right side of this blog or you can send a check or money order to: 

First Federal Savings & Loan

Attn: Paul Family Adoption

800 Charleston Avenue

Charleston, IL 61920

please write in the memo that this is for Averie's travel. 

Thank you so much!

Updates

So I left off on our anniversary. We did get a puzzle piece sponsored, thank you to our secret pal! We are getting there bit by bit financially. We are planning another fundraiser, but it will only interest those who live within our area. I have applied for a grant and am just looking for the Lords guidance as to where we will get the remaining amount of funds necessary to complete the adoption. We currently need about $15,000-$17,000 before we travel to China to bring Hudson home. I haven't stressed about this too much, as I know the Lord will take care of this, but we are getting close. 

We received LOA (letter of acceptance) on May 23rd! That was only 33 days into our wait that could of been 90 days +. We were super excited for that! Just before LOA we were notified that there was an error on our homestudy with Hudsons age and it had to be fixed. We had to have our homestudy social worker come to our house again, she looked over the house and asked a few questions and that was it. Then a document had to be written and sent to the state and the state had to approve it. At first the state approved the wrong age...again! But, luckily they fixed it that same day and it is now on its way to our adoption agency. But, those few days were pretty stressful. 

We also got notice that our documents were received in the lockbox on June 10th. This is a good thing and as much as I don't understand these last steps before we are approved to travel, I know we are moving in the right direction! Luckily there is not much that we have to do during this time except just wait, which can be hard too. 

The US Embassy in China is closing down July 5-24th as they move to a new location, so this has really slowed down the process of adoption for not just our family, but all families. Without the shut down, we  probably would of been able to go to China in July or early August. But, since there is a closure, we are being told we will probably travel late August or early September. I no longer stress about this, I know that I am not in control of this. I know there are reasons that we cannot go sooner and that the Lord is in control. I know once Hudson is home, he is here to stay and this will all seem like nothing. I just cant wait for that day!

Now, about travel. Brock is still scared to go. He is scared to fly, neither of us have every flown. He is even more scared to leave the children behind and to be so far away from them and family. He is such a family man and I love that about him, but, we just cannot afford for all of us to go. I am not too worried about the travel. I think Brock is scared enough for the both of us! I just want to get to China and see my son, I wonder how he will react, will he be scared? Happy? Like us? Will he cry?  I try to prepare for all scenarios. I love this child so much and do not expect him to feel the same way for awhile. I sit and stare at his pictures, watch the few videos I have of him over and over and pray about this little boy every day. Will you please pray that the Lord wraps him with love and peace. That his heart is being prepared for life changing experiences. That he will love and accept us. Please also pray for comfort for Brock and I as we think and pray about travel. Help us not to worry or be scared and to feel the presence of the Lord with us, just as we have felt him through this whole journey of adoption so far. Also, please pray for guidance on the financial piece. We have came a long way but still have a lot to go. I know the Lord will provide, He always does! 

Our 13th wedding anniversary

Tomorrow marks 13 years that Brock and I have been married! The past 13 years have gone by pretty quickly, so many things have happened over the years. We are so blessed to have 3 beautiful children and are awaiting the arrival of our 4th! They are all growing up so quickly. We are all anxious to get Hudson home. It is so hard to know that your son is growing up on the other side of the world without you, without even knowing you. We are getting closer to bringing him home, but it is still too far away.

Several months ago we started a puzzle piece fundraiser. We have this cute kids puzzle of the world, and we were asking for friends and family to sponsor a piece of the puzzle by donating $10 per piece and they can tell us what to write on the back of the piece (their name, a Bible Verse, etc). Once the puzzle is completely sponsored we will then frame it in a two way frame in Hudson's room where he can see both the puzzle and all the loving comments, names of those who helped, etc. We have 81 pieces that still need sponsored.
*What I am asking is, for our 13th anniversary, if we can get 13 pieces sponsored! I don't want a card, flowers, gifts or anything else for our anniversary. You can use the link at the top right of this page to donate through Paypal and leave a note on there of what you would like written on the back of the puzzle piece. If you do not want donate through Paypal, you can mail a check or money order directly to our adoption savings account at:

First Federal Savings & Loan
800 West Lincoln Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
Attn: Paul Family Adoption Savings Account

We really appreciate the prayers and support. Please feel free to share with your friends and family about our puzzle piece fundraiser, your $10 donation is helping change a little boys life! Its quick and easy and we really appreciate it!