Thankful Thanksgiving Thursday!

1. I am so thankful to god who happens to be in China with me right now!

2. I am thankful for our daughter Katie - who is taking this adventure with me. She is a great support and a lot of fun!

3. I am thankful for this incredible little girl who is now our daughter! God Bless you Sarah!

4. I am thankful for american food - I can hardly wait to enjoy you again!

5. I am thankful for fans! It is November in China and our room is soooo hot. Our guide was able to get us a fan! Thank you Nancy!!

6. I am thankful for my husband who is handling everything at home! I miss you honey!

7. I am thankful that we will get to go to Guangzhou on Saturday!!

8. I am thankful that little girls and big girls fall asleep so their Momma can have some time on the computer!

9. I am thankful for all the encouraging words we have received and all the people praying for us during our adoption journey. Thank you very much and thank you Jesus!

Pics from Day 1 in Beijing!

My journal will not let me post my vertical picture the right way- it keeps wanting to turn them sideway. My photographer, Katie likes to take lots of vertical pics so here are some of our favorites!

We are in China!

Tomorrow is the big day!! We meet Ming Ming at 10:00 a.m.!! I have been journaling our adventure to Ming Ming on journeytome. com    (delete spaces)

Click on adoption stories and find Sarah Grace JiangMing!

I am unable to blog and journal- just too busy having fun and meeting our daughter. Please follow our story on the other site! I will be adding in some pics on this site when I can and then blogging again when we return home! Praise God, the time has come!

To the airport!

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go! Yes, we're packing light... ha kidding! But we have two bags of gifts, and one for Sarah, Katie, and me! Next post--from CHINA!

Triple Espresso

We took our 3 oldest kids to a comedy show today. It was a fund raiser for a mission trip through our beloved local christian radio station! This show is done by three local guys and it ran for a really long time in their theatre in Mpls (like 20 yrs). I think they have since taken it on the road so if it comes to your neck of the woods be sure to see it! It is so funny!! They have recently reopened it, for this holiday season. Anyway for part of the show they we doing some singing and having the audience sing along and the next thing you know - he stops, looks up to where we were sitting and says- in front of everyone- excuse me mam- what's your name- the spotlight shown right on me- then he asked me not to sing so loud. Well they had a good time with me for about 1o more minutes and then just the men sang, then just the women sang and then they wanted just JEAN to sing. This is in front of about 800 people! My singing is about as good as my cooking... let's just say everybody enjoyed my solo! On most days this would have been a near death experience for me but today it was all fun and a great distraction! 

We even saw my FCC/ blogger buddy Laura and her hubby Alan at the show! Hi Laura! Wasn't that the funniest show!

After the show we came home and celebrated Daddy Jim and Matt's b-day! Auntie Barbie babysat little Anna and stayed for the celebration! It was a fun family evening before our big trip to China! (Mark is still in school in Colorado and Johnny had a basketball game- so he missed the show)

Thankful Thursday on a Saturday Night!

With all the excitement I missed thankful thursday. Since I am feeling completely down on my knees thankful I'd like to do it now!

1. I am thankful for the Chinese government that allows us to adopt their children that do not have homes or families to call their own.

2. I am thankful for garage heaters that soften the winter chill in Minnesota.

3. I am thankful for blue jeans because I wear then a lot!

4. I am thankful for that delicious chocolate cake that we get- we will be having another one tomorrow for Jim (52 yrs) and Matt's (25 yrs) birthday. Mmmmm good!

5. I am thankful for my cozy bed! I just love going to sleep at night! But, I am not so fond of getting up in the morning.

6. I am thankful for God's comfort and grace. I know he will be with us every step of the way in China. 

7. I am thankful for water! Especially in a big glass with ice! It is so refreshing, thirst quenching and doesn't ruin appetites or the taste of the food you are eating! In China , I will be thankful for bottled water!

8. I am thankful for a precious little 2 1/2 yr old girl, that runs around our house and is the cutest thing this family has ever seen!

9. I am thankful for Saturday evening church! 

I am off to bed before this turns into a Sunday post! More packing and preparing tomorrow!

Sweet dreams!

 

CA, CA, CA!! Ming Ming here we come!

Our CA came Thursday morning 11/13! It is scheduled for 12/2 in Guangzhou, we are all set to leave for China on November 19th, alleliua!! I can't believe this time has arrived- we have all the approvals we need and now we just go and get our little girl (okay, well, there is lots to do in China, too). We will miss Daddy in China- I hope I can handle all the paper work and organization while we are there. He is usually the one doing that sort of thing. If we don't return on time - you will know why!  

I will be sharing our journey to Ming Ming on journeytome. com  (delete spaces)

Click on stories and find Sarah Grace JiangMing

I would love to have you send encouraging words whenever you can! If you get a chance check out the other journals, we have a busy November and December on JTM- many children are coming home!! God's blessings are so great!

I will occasionally be posting on my blogs IF I get a time to do it!

Thank you for sharing our journey! All praise and glory go to our Lord!

We have our TA!!

Everything worked out great!! We are going to China on the 19th of November!! Gotcha Day is Monday, Nov. 24th!! We can hardly wait until our darling daughter is officially part of our family! Welcome Ming Ming!! Your family loves you already! We will all be heading home on the 5th of December! What an incredible blessing! Thank you Jesus!

I need help in the kitchen!

Some of you may have heard that I am not a very good cook. I am hoping with my daughters by my side we can change that - it may be wishful thinking. I have been running around a lot today trying to get everything done before we leave for China, Jim and Matt's birthday (Nov. 21st), Thanksgiving(the fam is going to my brothers), and for this Christmas and what the heck let's get it all done for Christmas 2009, too- okay, just kidding! But, that is how I am feeling!  So, I just sat down to my computer, breathed a huge sigh and started reading the blogs, relaxing, answering e-mails, etc. Anna is relaxing watching sprout TV, Jim is out of town and Johnny just asked for noodles- not too difficult a request! Yes , I can do that! Well 25 minutes later the noodles had pretty much absorbed all the boiling water and were completely inedible. ;-)  As I was running for the pot I called Johnny then I uncalled him when I saw the shape they were in- he yells down the stairs "I love you, Mom"! I am so glad they understand ! I have successfully set the cooking expectations so very low! 

The new water is now boiling- I must go and watch it boil so we don't have a repeat!

By the way Joy unspeakable I was catching up on your blog and chuckling to myself. Does this mean I can blame my ruined noodles on you?

The TA has arrived!!

We are so very excited- today our TA arrived at our agency. They are trying to get us an early CA so we can go to China on the 19th of November! We can hardly wait to be with her in China and then bring her home! God Bless her!! We will keep you posted on our travel schedule but for now I better get moving and finish getting ready!

God's blessings to you!

Thankful Thursday!!

I am a bit of a follower but when you follow good people doing good things it's okay!! I am not sure if there are any rules to this but here goes!

1. I am thankful for a supportive loving husband that thinks his wife's out of the ordinary ideas are good ideas hence adopting at this time of our life!

2. I am thankful for slippers- I love my slippers and I have many of them- cheap and colorful!

3. I am thankful for my dryer that has this setting called wrinkle release! I never iron unless it is a wedding or a funeral.

4. I am thankful for golden retrievers and their delightful and pleasant disposition. Just feed them and occasionally pet them and they love you forever! If you let them in the kitchen they will even clean your floor!

5. I am so so thankful for adoption! For refilling a once quiet home with joy, laughter and children!

6. I am thankful for blogging and journals! I have met so many incredibly wonderful and interesting people from all over the world! It has been so much fun!

7. I'm on my knees in thankfulness to Jesus for the opportunity to adopt Ming Ming  and for our adoption of Anna. Wow, wow, thank you Jesus. Truly this would not be possible without you!

8. I am so thankful for our birth children- whom I puked my guts out for (bad morning sickness). With the first one I said- okay one child , 4 golden retrievers, with the second child I said okay 2 children , 3 golden retrievers and so on... I was persistent back then, too! You guys are the greatest!! 

So, I am not sure how many we are supposed to do... I could go on BUT we have more Thursdays coming up so I will stop here! If there are rules, please let me know!

Here is a pic of our darling daughter Ming Ming!

Yippee Jesus!! Linn, you didn't copyright this phrase, did you? I may need to borrow it now and then! I'm feeling it!

She's Back!

Good news- My beloved camera is back in my arms again! DD Katie immediately upon arriving in Iowa City bubble wrapped it, put it in a box w/ styrofoam peanuts, insured it and overnighted it! Wow, she really understands!! Thanks Katie!!

It also looks like we may not get an update on our darling daughter in China. I am no longer waiting for it and we are now focusing on going to China. If all goes well we are leaving in 19 days!! 

For our Halloween fun please visit our other sight- theprincessdiaries-daughters.blogspot.com

For my views on a topic that I never discuss (except with my Hubby) - politics, please go to my personal blog- simplifysimplifysimplify-jean.blogspot.com-  It will be there sometime today...