The WINNERS are....

Drawing #1 your choice of toddler tote, crayon bag or trick-or-treat bag: Amy Hood
Drawing #2 Adult tote/diaper bag: Meredith Miller

I did take video of Aidan and Teagan each drawing the names, but it was with Loren's camera and the memory card filled up at the end and cut me off. I'll look at it tomorrow and see if it's good enough to post.
Thank you all so very much for your contributions. I did have two last minute entries so I'll have to figure up the new total soon. I am so thankful for all my friends!
Blessings~

Drawing is TODAY!!

Extended time until 5pm. Will post winner later tonight. You my friends have donated $173 toward the Johnson family adoption fundraiser! Thank you so much..I am so grateful!!!

What could you do?

I personally know the Johnson family whose 'chip in' info I posted below. They are fundraising on an extreme time-table to bring home their 9 yr old daughter from Taiwan. They are a family touched by the call of adoption...just like me and most of you. Noelle is their adorable..almost three year old..daughter from China who was supposed to be SN, but got home and actually had no heart condition as documented in China. Eric and Jennifer are truly moving by faith..every step of the way on this journey. I challenged my facebook friend to think of the impact of each only giving $1. I then thought of the fast food trip I made for dinner last night and thought if we all just gave the cost of one fast food meal..we could make such an impact on getting CY home to her family. Would you please consider praying for this family and possibly donating whatever you feel in your heart? And..if you have a blog, I'm asking if you will spread the news. I appreciate you all.

Legitimate need!! Please, please read..and help.

New pix of my girl

I shamefully haven't had the kids pictures made professionally in a year...actually Teagan has only had hers made once. I found this dress (which you can't really even see in the pix, but it's a kimono style dress from Gap and is just adorable!) in Teagan's closet..with the tags still on! lol So..I dressed her up and took her outside for a few shots. It wasn't the best time of day (lighting wise) for pix and I really wanted the snow ball bush behind us (the direction the sun was setting)..but I still think they turned out pretty good. The second one below is my fav. She was looking over at Aidan..and not posing. :) The cost of this photo shoot...was three mosquito bites on her legs.. :( They make horrible places on her.

sewing update..

ice cream applique shirt

matching skort with coordinating embroidery detail
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boys like to color too!

latest crayon bag

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first attempt at an apron..was a b-day gift

toddler tote order

A few toddler totes I made for a China travel reunion group

Traveling continued...

Earlier this week Teagan and I drove to our friends (and China travel mates), the Hood's for a visit and to meet the newest addition to their family, Alyza Kate (recently adopted from Ethiopia). What a sweet smile AK has!

Alyza Kate

Jadyn

the trio

glamour girl

former orphanage crib neighbors..forever friends

AK, TT and JJ

oops....

.....and then Teagan wanted a turn. :)

dress up fun

such a beautiful girl!

I am so blessed to have great forever-friends!

I love my husband..and my car

My car and I have been inseparable of late..literally. I think we have about 2K miles under our butt..wheels over our last adventure together. :) I actually decided to boycott driving this past Monday, and I'm confident my Mazda 5 didn't mind. So..let me back up and start right. Jason came back to the US, New Jersey to be precise, for a two week course...sort of like continuing education for us medical folk. He was expecting to have the weekend in the middle of the course off so I thought what a great idea it would be to head up north to visit with him during his free time that weekend. I have a great friend from our travel group, Kathy in PA....about an hour and a half from Philadelphia who invited us to come stay with her family after our visit with Jason..so I had a two fold reason for planning an 800 mile/13 hour trip one way in the car with two kids..three if you count Loren. :) We were all excited for a road trip though.We stopped and stayed the night in Virginia both ways..we just couldn't make it all in one day. We picked Jason up from Ft Dix on Saturday evening around 5:30, had dinner and went back to hotel. The kids were so happy to be with daddy again. They had some 'rough play' time on the bed before settling down for the night..we were all exhausted.

Aidan calls this 'russlin' (wresting).

I can just hear his laugh when I look that is pic.

Teagan is as rough as the boys.

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On Sunday we decided to go to the Philadelphia Zoo. Aidan had wanted to visit a water park, but it was actually cool (highs in low 80s and no humidity!..it was like Heaven to this southern TN girl ;) ). The Zoo was great. We all enjoyed it..and since our local zoo participates in the reciprocating zoo membership program..it was half price admission. Gotta love that!

Great pic of Jason and the kiddos

Amazing pic of Loren. :)

Lo-Lo and Teagan

Aidan

This is not a great picture, but Aidan just loved these penguins.

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The day was too short and after dinner it was time to take Jason back to post. Good-byes never get easier..in fact I do believe it gets harder. Aidan was a trooper this time though and actually tried to comfort me with his sweet words. I love that boy. We drove back to the hotel and spent another night there in Philly before heading out to Elizabethtown for our visit with the Merkts the next day.

It just baffles me how many people I 'know' in PA. I use quotes because I don't really know them personally..just cyberally (that cannot be a real word..but hey it's my blog) :) ...several ladies from blogs and web forums who have adopted Chinese daughters live in the area...and Loren even knows someone! A former boyfriend/friend from high school moved there several years ago. We took a detour and went by and visited with Loren's friend, Will, and his mother, Carol, for a few hours in Kennett Square, Pa. Carol took us on a 'driving tour' of Amish 'country' in Lancaster. What fun! I am a huge fan of Beverly Lewis' (fiction) books on the Amish, so driving through areas that were actually mentioned in her books was so cool. I didn't get a single picture of a horse drawn Amish carriage..but we did see quite a few loaded down with adorable children in the back. :) Photography is not recommended while driving unfortunately. I definitely want to go back!

'Waffle'

Yes, that is what Teagan called Will. I think she was trying to say William.

Teagan climbing in Waffle's tree.

No..Loren isn't climbing in it. lol

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We finally arrived at the Merkts on Monday afternoon. It was wonderful to see their family again. It had been a year since our first reunion last July...way too long for good friends. Their daughter, Chloe, has grown and is cuter than ever! Their oldest daughter, Marissa played with Teagan and Chloe for hours every day. Such a sweet girl! Teagan had a hard time getting Marissa and her brother Bryce's names right. She was calling Marissa, Maria..which is close and I could see how she came up with that, but she kept calling Bryce, Alex and I have no idea why! lol Even up to the last day she would slip up and call him Alex. Maria disappeared and Marissa eventually became 'Rissa'. We paid a visit to Chocolate World at Hershey Park..didn't do the park, but CW was fun. We went on a little 'ride' that took us through the chocolate making process and we all got a mini Hershey bar at the end. :) There was a huge gift shop so the kids each got a beanie pillow...Teagan's is a pink Hershey kiss and Aidan's a Hershey chocolate bar.

water fun

so cute!

teagan

chloe

aidan

roasting mashmallows for smores!

don't even look at chloe's smore ;)

one of her own

Rissa, Teagan and Chloe

Teagan loved Marissa's camera..and took lots of pix with it. :)

Kathy was trying to get Chloe to smile by making faces at her, but the girls just

ended up making faces back at us.

friends

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Since it was a two day trip back home, we left on Thursday TN bound! Aidan and Teagan actually did very well considering how long we were in the car on the drive up and back. I cannot tell you how many times Teagan had to go pee on the second day drive home though! After a tragic potty accident on the turnpike several days earlier (there is nothing for literally miles on that turnpike!!!) Teagan just started yelling 'I go pee in the grass' every time she had to potty on the way home..cause, yes she did potty in the grass on the side of the turnpike. And, yes..she did pee in the grass on the side of the interstate on the way home too. I got some 'smarts' though and put a pull up on her on the way home because she just couldn't seem to give me much advance warning when she did have to go. Whew..so glad that is all over! lol

So..we arrived home safely on Friday and I loved on my Addy and visited with Jordan for a while. We all slept soundly in our own beds..but just for one night because that next day we packed back up and drove south (just a little trip though) to Atlanta! Jason flew into Atlanta after finishing his course and had a night 'lay over' before his flight back to Iraq left on Sunday. Teagan slept nearly all the way there..in a pull up. ;) We picked Jason up from the airport..we actually beat him there and found our hotel for the night. We got some dinner and then crashed...all exhausted again/or still maybe. But you know what...I got to crash with my husband and that was so worth it. I miss him so much.... Sorry, weepy moment. We had breakfast at hotel and took the kids swimming in the hotel pool for a while before getting ready for the day, checking out and heading back to airport. Jason had to be checked in by 1pm. We hung around with him in the airport until about 230..but there just wasn't much to do. Teagan was bored and fidgety..so Jason walked us out to our car and we said good-bye again..this time until December when he should be home for good.

just hanging out in the airport with daddy

daddy and his boy

I am so thankful for the opportunities we've had to see Jason recently. God just knew we needed it..maybe Jason needed it too. I cannot imagine being away from my family like he has been. We are on they down-hill slide now..five months....150'ish days..around 21 weeks. It's doable...my own little pep talk here. ;). God is good..and I have so many things to be grateful for. Lord help me to focus on my many blessings and let the next five months go by quickly! Amen. :)

Slacker

I wish I wasn't the description of the title of this post..but it's true, downright true! I'm sick that I have let nearly a whole month go by without posting. Jason has come and gone.. :( , but we had a wonderful visit while he was home..and a great vacation at St George Island, Fl. Jason is back in Basrah now, but is hopefully headed to Kuwait and then eventually NJ later this week for a two week course he needs to complete. If his plans do come through..and he actually makes it back to the States (he says there are many issues that could halt these plans), then we are planning a weekend visit with him in a couple of weeks in NJ. Since we will be up North we are headed over to visit with our friends the Merkts. It will be great to see them again! Here are some pix from our beach vacation. There are way too many to post individually, so I plan to make a slide show for the rest. :)

Aidan

Teagan

Loren

Jordan, Ryan & Adalyn

Adalyn & Teagan

Addy Grace

Jason & the kiddos

Sisters