Updates page 1 November Update We were trying to wait until we received our log in date to do a November update, but since that hasn't happened, we decided to go ahead and do one! Our agency is fairly certain that our dossier is logged in with the Chinese government...we just don't know when that date is yet. As soon as we know, we will post it here...not that you won't be able to hear our shouts of joy from wherever you are!!! This past month has been busy with work, school and church activities for all of us. The boys are going to be in a Christmas production at our church in a couple of weeks. They have been working very hard and we can't wait to see their preformance! Baseball is over until February, but Jon Milledge is thinking about playing basketball...there is always a sport going on at our house. The only thing that has happened this month on the adoption front is we have started a quilt for Little Miss Ruthie. It is a tradition in some parts of China for friends and family to do a Bai Jia Bei or 100 Good Wishes Quilt for the new babies. We are collecting fabric squares and good wishes or blessings from our friends and family to eventually be incorporated into a quilt for her. I am a member of several Yahoo groups for China adoptions, and on several of them we are all swapping fabric and wishes for our children. I have had Milledge cutting 8x8 squares for several nights now...and he is doing a great job!!! I knew mine would never be 8x8 squares but his are perfect!! If any of you are interested in our quilt and would like to send Ruthie a square and a wish, please click on the "contact us" link, and we will be glad to get you all the information that you will need. We hope all of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving! May we all remember how much we have to be thankful for...today and everyday. Milledge cutting quilt squares!! December Update Merry Christmas! We hope and pray that this update finds you all having a safe and happy holiday season. December is always a crazy month around our house, as I'm sure it is in most. We have had decorations to make and put up, Christmas cards to mail, a Christmas pageant to be in, parties to attend, and of course, shopping, shopping, and more shopping. It is always a busy time of year that we love, but it is so nice for Christmas Day to arrive so that we can finally slow down, be with our family and truly celebrate the "reason for the season"...the birth of Jesus. We received our log in date shortly after the November update and are very excited to say that we have over a month and a half of the wait over!!! Our LID is November 8, 2006. Right now from LID to referral is 14-16 months. It is our prayer that things speed up in China so that we can bring Ruthie home sooner than it looks now, but we are still trusting in God's timing that we know to be perfect. I am including two pictures. The first is of our boys with Santa Claus. This is an annual event at our house, even though they are getting so big that Santa didn't have too much room left on his lap for anything else...I guess someone will be standing when Ruthie is here! The second picture is of Ruthie's first ornament. It says, "Waiting for Ruthie 2006". We are really hoping that we don't have to have a "Waiting for Ruthie 2007" ornament, but we will cross that bridge next year if it's needed. Well, I'm off to help the boys make cookies for Santa...YUMMY!!! May you all have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! We pray that God blesses you and yours during this joyous holiday season.   Our Boys with Santa   Ruthie's First Ornament   January Update We have decided to start doing our updates on the 8th of every month since that is the "anniversary" of our log in date. So, as of today, February 8, 2007, we have 3 months of the waiting behind us, and God only knows how many more to go! We are trying to look at this in a positive manner by telling ourselves and others that those are 3 months that we will never have to wait for Ruthie again! Please pray that our positive attitudes remain as the wait times in China continue to increase. In January, we were glad to have a pretty laid back month after the holidays. Jon Milledge decided not to play basketball, so it was nice to have a season with no sports. However, baseball starts with evaluations for both boys next weekend! The highlight of Jon Milledge's month was he got to dissect owl regurgitation in science...WHAT? YUCK! He loved it and is still talking about it! Anderson had a big month with losing 3 teeth and getting glasses. He is growing up and is not our baby anymore. I went to Denver, CO, for a dental convention and had a great time with all my co-workers. I do believe that was the coldest I have ever been...but to see the Rocky Mountains made it all worth it! Milledge also took a work related trip to Las Vegas where he had a wonderful time but quickly realized that he wasn't in Kansas or should I say Georgia anymore! After our trips, we both decided there truly is no place like home. Have a Happy Valentines Day and a great month! Happy 3 Month LID Anniversary!     Anderson with no teeth and glasses!   Angie and Co-Workers in Colorado   February Update As of today, we have 4 months down!! If this were a "regular" pregnancy we would be almost halfway there! I think that is one of the hardest parts of this process...the unknown. If we knew it was going to be 18 more months before we saw Ruthie's face, then we would know and buckle down for the long wait. However, we don't know when it is going to be, so there is always hope in the back of our minds that things are going to speed up, but then there is also the fear that it is going to slow down even more. Please continue to pray for us and this amazing but unpredictable journey. February was a great month with lots of activities. We celebrated Milledge's birthday (he won't let me tell you which one), we gave a baby shower for a good friend who is actually having her baby tomorrow, Anderson took art classes, Jon Milledge got to spend a weekend at the hunting camp with his cousin Ryan, both boys had tryouts for baseball and have been chosen for their teams. Jon Milledge is playing first base and pitching for the White Sox, while Anderson is playing first base and short stop for the Reds! Jon Milledge has learned the Preamble to the Constitution, and he doesn't even have to sing it like I do! Anderson and his best buddy, Ethan, were asked to be the bat boys for our local high school baseball team...he is so excited! So, when we aren't at one of our boys baseball practices, we are at the high school!! We often joke that we need to pop a tent at the ballfield as much time as we spend there but honestly, we love it! This weekend we are babysitting Leah, while her Mommy and Daddy are at the hospital having her baby sister, Rebekah. We are very excited to have a little girl in our home for a couple of days! I have a feeling I am going to find out how out of "baby practice" I am! This will be a great refresher course for us! I will take pictures and post them next month. OHH...I can't wait to fix her hair with bows and pony tails! I am also adding a few new pictures to the "Our Boys" page that a friend of mine took in our yard one day! Thanks Anne! Have a great month! Happy St. Patrick's Day!     Celebrating our 4 Month LID at a UGA Baseball Game...GO DAWGS!   Anderson and Ethan as MCHS Bat Boys   March Update Happy Easter! But the angel of the Lord answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen as He said."--Matthew 28:5-6 Hallelujah! Because He lives we can face tomorrow! We hope and pray that you all had a wonderful Easter with your families celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior. After church we went to visit my mother, step-father, my sister, and her family. We had a scrumptious meal, an egg hunt inside because it is freezing here today and great fellowship with our family. March is a complete blur...baseball has started. For those of you who don't know, our boys play ball in a different county than we live in, therefore, it is an effort to get there everyday after working until 5pm. It has also worked out very nicely that our boys haven't had practice on the same day yet! :( So, we have been at someone's practice every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with some Wednesdays and Fridays thrown in for good measure. Oh yeah, and don't forget the high school games with Anderson, the bat boy. Like I said last month though, we love it and wouldn't have it any other way. We would much rather be running them back and forth to baseball than for them to be sitting in front of a video game or the tv. We kept Leah for a couple of nights while her Mama and Daddy were in the hospital so that baby Rebekah could be born. Leah's parents, Heidi and Rich, are friends of ours that are in our travel group and will be going with us to China to bring home their daughter, Naomi. Leah did great, and we all had a good time with a little girl in our home. We found out that our boys are going to be wonderful big brothers. Leah wanted them to do everything for her, including fix her juice and sleep in the same bed with her, and they did everything very kindly and sweetly. I wonder if it will be the same way when the little girl is their sister??? ;) The boys had a week off from school in March which they really enjoyed. The first part of the week Milledge's mother, better known as MiMi, came to stay with them. They did some fun things with her like going to The Caboose for lunch, playing at the park and of course a HUGE trip to the local candy store. On Thursday of that week, Monnie (my mother) and I took the boys to the Georgia Aquarium. We had a blast and can't wait to go back. It was the first time we had been since it opened, and we were very impressed and so proud to have such a great attraction so close by. Jon Milledge and I went on a field trip with his class to The Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. What a neat place this was! We learned about wildlife, pollution, endangered animals in GA, the life cycle and food chain of a pond, and we went on a LONG nature walk. Jon Milledge had so much fun that he is going back for a week long overnight summer camp. Anderson and Milledge went on a field trip with his class to the Atlanta Zoo. They also had a wonderful time. The day that they went was the first day that the baby panda was allowed to go into her outdoor habitat. They said that she was the cutest thing ever and had so much fun watching her play and interact with her mother. As far as the adoption goes, we are still waiting and waiting and waiting. Today, April 8, 2007, is our 5 month LIDiversary! Even though the wait continues to get longer, these five months really have flown by, and I am trying so hard not to wish my life or my boys' lives away. We want to enjoy life with them and cherish every moment. We know that God lead us down this path, and he will not forsake us now! We did make a few purchases this month for Ruthie. We got a carseat, her bedding and just a few outfits. ;) OK...enough that Milledge has put me on eBay restriction! Her bedding is going to be beautiful...I will post pictures as soon as I receive it. It is being made by a wonderful lady in Massachusetts and will take her about two months to make, which is fine since we still have a long way to go in getting her room ready...but I can't wait to see it in person! Happy April! Have a fun filled month! Happy 5 Month LIDiversary...from the Georgia Aquarium!   Big Sister Leah and Baby Rebekah     My Sister, My Mother, and Me   Monnie and the Indoor Egg Hunters         This page hosted by