Little Crocs and VT Socks!!!

What a marvelous day it has been. My dear friend, Judy, and I went out to eat...Chinese food, of course! And we had a blast, as usual. It was incredible. We laughed, we shared, we ate and we had a great time together. What a blessing she is to our family! And the story gets better.

A few weeks ago, we met for lunch, (another Chinese restaurant, of course), and she handed me a baby gift bag. When I reached in, I was thrilled to find several adorable pair of Virginia Tech socks for our baby girl/s!!! If any of you know me...you know I'm a huge VT fan! Our entire family loves Virginia Tech, (my old stomping ground)...as well as Ohio State, (Tim's neck of the woods), and a couple other schools. So I was ecstatic! But Judy told me that more was to come...and she was right.

Today she handed me another baby gift bag. Enclosed were two pair of baby Croc shoes...plus the little decorative attachments to go on them...Donald Duck, Daffy Duck...and Virginia Tech!! They are adorable! Can you imagine me squealing with laughter? Yes...it really happened. :) It was a wonderful moment. I wish I knew how to transfer (upload?) pictures on here and I'd show these precious items to you. Someday I'll learn. (Helpful hints are welcome!) Anyway, we had such a great time with those. I understand Judy's sister, Joyce---another precious friend---helped select these items during one of their famous shopping trips. Not only will we enjoy these wonderful items for our baby girl/s...but we'll always cherish the love, friendship and kindness that they represent. Thank you so much, Judy, Ralph and Joyce! I believe we'll be packing some VT items to take to China with us!

Although the wait remains long...we are continually blessed and enjoying every step of this journey. A friend reminded me this week, (thanks, Kenna!), that it is worth it...and as an adoptive Mom herself, she certainly understands. We truly believe that every step of this journey to our baby girl/s will be in God's perfect timing and master plan. We rejoice that as we long to embrace our little one/s in our arms someday, there are so many of you embracing us along this journey today. We love you all and we are thankful for each of you!
Cherishing the journey,
Terri and family

Another Blessed Day in our Journey

We were very surprised and delighted when we went to the mailbox today and found an envelope from USCIS, (Homeland Security). We received THE document that officially approves our updated status in the adoption process! Yay!!!! We thought it might take a little longer but thankfully, it didn't. So...it's official! We're entering a new "waiting season" for our little girl/s from China. Whether we will go through this updating process again remains to be seen. But one thing we do know...we are one step closer to our baby girl/s and we are thrilled. What a wonderful day and what an incredible blessing!

As always, thank you for your continue prayers and encouragement. This journey is long but amazing in the many ways we have been blessed. There will definitely be joy in the moment that we post the referral picture of our JennaBeth (and maybe EmmaKate) on this website. But we are also very joyful to know there are such precious family and friends who are walking beside us in this exciting journey. It wouldn't be the same without you!
Cherishing the moment.
Tim, Terri and family

Miles Between....

It's not easy being separated from loved ones. Yet we seem to do that often in our lives, don't we? The past week has been a true example of that yet again. Last week, our son began another year in high school. It doesn't seem like his summer lasted more than a few weeks. So as wonderful as the opportunities are there, I wasn't ready for him to return to school. He has quite a schedule this year with pre-college and advanced courses, marching band, concert band, driving, etc.. I'm sure a job search is just around the corner for him, too. So life continues with great blessings and then some major adjustments, as well.

Yesterday we moved our daughter back to the university. That wasn't easy, either. She was very excited to return to her friends, classes, concert choir, a new dorm room, etc.. And she is working two jobs this year. So she's going to be a busy young lady. We're also excited for the opportunities that lie ahead for her. But again...there are miles between us and that's not always easy. As I told her last night, at least we're less than two hours away from her. It could be much worse. And we are very thankful for that. But the Mom's heart in me knows that life is very blessed yet always changing.

As we've watched the Olympics on tv, I can't help but wonder about another special part of our family. Viewing the scenes from China has been exciting, interesting and encouraging. Yet it also brings that ache in a Mom's heart for our precious baby girl/s we long to see...and hold...and love. We miss our baby girl/s so much. I don't travel as much as I used to but seeing the scenes from China gets me more excited about going there to meet our daughter/s. It will be the journey of a lifetime, no doubt. China is her home country and will always be a part of our family so that makes it special to us! And the miles between us seem great now...but will eventually bring us together.

So it's a sentimental time in our home for many reasons. It's much too quiet here...for now. :) Our children are back in school. Our baby girl/s are halfway around the world. And I long for us all to be together....again...and for the first time. But one thing I remember is that no matter how many miles separate us from loved ones...it doesn't change the love in our hearts except it makes it stronger.

Have a great new school year, Rachel and Micah. We're proud of you. Hold on, dear baby girl/s...we are moving closer to you each day. Someday soon, we'll all be together as the family we already cherish so dearly.
Loving across the miles,
Terri and family