Updates page 2 April Update: Happy 6 Months! "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, then we eagerly wait for it with perseverance."-- Romans 8:24-25 It is hard for us to believe that just a couple of years ago, we had several friends adopt from China, and they only waited six months from their LID until their referral. WOW! We cannot imagine that! With the way things are going in China right now, we could be waiting two more years! Hopefully not, but if things don't start to speed up who knows what could happen? Our LID is 11.08.06, and as of last week, China had only matched LID's up to 11.01.05...yes, I said 2005 and NOT 2006! So, if my math is correct there are 372 days ahead of us, and the past two months they have only referred a total of 8 days worth of LID's. It doesn't take much to figure out that at that rate it is going to be a really long time. We are very excited that we have made it to our six month anniversary and are continuing to keep a positive attitude, even though some days it is easier than others. Please pray for a miraculous speed up and for our sanity as we try to wait with perserverance. April was full of baseball, work, baseball, church, baseball, birthday parties and did I mention baseball!!?! The boys are doing great and having lots of fun. We also attended my cousin, Joanna's, wedding on April 21st. It was a beautiful wedding, and we are thrilled for her and Brett. Congratulations! We pray that you have many, many happy years together! The school year is rapidly coming to an end, and the boys couldn't be any more excited to get their summer started. They already have lots of activities and camps planned. I will keep you posted on all of that as it happens! Have a great May and a wonderful Memorial Day! Happy 6 months from the ballfield!     Jon Milledge pitching! So serious!   I'm trying really hard to be patient!     May Update "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."--Hebrews 11:1 Well...May came and went in a flash! We had a really great month and did lots of fun things as a family. First, we remodeled our bonus room that has been the boys' playroom. We have now turned it into Jon Milledge's room. It looks like a teenager's room, so of course, he loves it! We spent a great Mother's Day with Milledge's mother and father. It was a fun day of playing, visiting and cooking out! YUM! Next we had Honors Night at Jon Milledge's school. (Anderson's school doesn't do Honors night) Jon Milledge received an award for having been on the Honor Roll all year. YEA!!! Great job! On the last school night of the year, we went to an Atlanta Braves game! The boys each took a friend, and we had a great time cheering the Braves on, and John Smoltz to his 200th career win! The last day of school was and always is a bittersweet day for me and the boys. We are ready to start our summer but sad to leave the wonderful teachers that they have had each year. This year was no different, but we know that next year will be just as good! Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to my family farm in south GA and visited some friends that we have met through the adoption. We had so much fun that we are already planning another trip later in the summer. The farm is a little boys paradise...they rode 4-wheelers, go carts, paddle boats and fished until their hearts were content. We went to Thomasville to visit our friends, and it just so happens that our agency is also in that cute little town. We had never seen the agency before....now we have!!! It was an all around great weekend, and we can't wait to go back! And then of course there was baseball mixed in the middle of everything else. WHEW! What a month! The adoption is slowly moving forward. China has now referred LID's up to 11.07.05...so only 6 days this month too. It is so frustrating some days, and others I am very at peace with our decision to adopt and with it happening whenever it happens. There is nothing I can do to change this process, so I try to just know and believe that God put us on this path to our daughter, and He will lead us to her at just the right time. Oh...I hope I still feel this way and can remain sane if the wait goes over two years. Please continue to pray for us, the whole China process, others who are also waiting, and for Ruthie's birth family. With the wait times so long now, she probably isn't even born yet. So please remember her parents as they struggle with the decision to give up their daughter. I can't imagine how hard this will be for them...my heart breaks for them daily. Happy June! May you all have a wonderful and safe summer! Happy 7 months from Turner Field! Go Braves!     Being Silly at the Farm with Uncle Glenn   Our Agency   June Update Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.--Philippians 4:6-7 Happy 8 Months LID to us! These months just keep flying by which is a good thing in regards to the adoption, but not so good in regards to life! ;) In June, Jon Milledge went to Children's Church Camp with our church. He had the best time and talked about it non-stop for at least a week afterwards. He can't wait to go back next year. We went on vacation to Cape San Blas, FL with all of my family. We had a great time, and the boys enjoyed spending a few days with their cousins. Both boys were selected to All-Star teams for their respective leagues. Anderson's team played in the district tournament early in June and did not make it to state...so he is finished. Jon Milledge's team is hosting the state tournament, so they received an automatic bye into that tournament, which is great! However, they didn't have to play in a district tournament, so we have been just practicing everyday for 4 weeks! His tournament starts on July 14th. Wish us luck! Also in June, we celebrated Jon Milledge's 11th birthday!!! I can't believe I am old enough to have an 11 year old. Eleven sounds so old to me...where has the time gone? Didn't we just bring him home from the hospital last week?? ;) To top the month off, we finally received Ruthie's bedding!!! It is so sweet, girly, and PINK! I can't wait to get her room all decorated and set up for her. It was very exciting to receive her bedding, but also bittersweet to open up the box with all of the beautiful items in it knowing that it was going to be so long before we will really use it. China referred seven days worth of LID's this month, so we are now up to 11.14.05. The only thing that I found good in this, except for all the new babies that now have families, was that we are now LESS than a year behind!!!! Congratulations to all the new familes that just received their referrals!! We are still praying for a speed up and trying very hard not to be anxious. Happy July! Happy 8 months from Cape San Blas, FL!     Our Family   Anderson Catching in the All-Star Tournament     Jon Milledge and buddies off to camp!     The Quilt to Ruthie's Bedding July Update We're Full Term!! Happy 9 Months LID Anniversary! During both pregnancies with my boys, I knew that once I reached 9 months, it wouldn't be long before I would be holding my precious child. With this adoption "pregnancy", I have no idea how much longer I will be waiting to hold Ruthie. We are thrilled to have reached this milestone and feel so blessed to even be on this amazing journey, but the unknown is so hard. When we started our paperwork in January 2006, the wait was around 9-12 months. To think that we could be seeing her sweet face about now is hard especially when we know that it could very easily be 2 more years. Please pray with us and for us as we continue to wait. Also pray for all the other families who are waiting patiently as well. We are trying so hard not to get frustrated because we know that God set us on this journey, and He will not leave us! Thank you God, for your peace that passes all understanding and for always giving us the strength that we need to handle any situation. July was a fun month with lots of activities. First of all, we had a wonderful July 4th with my parents and my sister's family. We traveled to my home town after the boys were in a local parade. We swam, cooked out and went to the fireworks display at my high school...boy has it changed! Jon Milledge's All-Star team played in the state tournament the week of the 14th. His team played ball for 9 straight days and came in 2nd in the tournament. It was heartbreaking because they were two runs away from going to the Dixie Youth World Series in Madison Heights, VA. However, Jon Milledge was recognized as having the most hits of anyone else in the tournament....192 kids!! We were very proud of him and his team. Both boys are now anxiously awaiting Fall ball! We took several day trips as a family after baseball was over. We went to Stone Mountain, a Braves game, the Mayfield Dairy, tubing in Helen, High Falls, Dauset Trails Nature Preservation, and a fun little water park not too far from our house. We were trying to get a few Summer things in before the boys started back to school. We had lots of fun and hopefully made some special memories for the boys. We started a family blog a few months ago and have been meaning to post the address here. Please feel free to take a look and leave us comments...we love comments!! The address is: www.amothersplace.blogspot.com . Also thanks to all of you that have left us such sweet, encouraging messages here in the guestbook...they all mean so much to us and really do help get us through another month of waiting. We can't wait until the day we can share this site, the whole journey and all the wonderful comments with Ruthie. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends! Have a wonderful August! Happy 9 Months from Stone Mountain!     Watching the Fireworks with Monnie and our Cousins   Tubing in Helen     Jon Milledge playing first base during the All-Star tournament. August Update: We're in Double Digits!! Happy 10 Month Anniversary! Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!--Philippians 4:4 These updates are so much fun for me to do, almost therapeutic, but also sometimes hard with this crazy, never ending wait. I struggle with what to say, how to say it, what pictures to include and trying not to sound like a broken record. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that Ruthie will someday read this, I think I would give up and not write anything else until we receive her referral. This month the CCAA referred only 4 days worth of LID's, moving them up to November 25, 2006. I don't know if any of you are keeping track but so far it has taken them 5 months to get through this much of November 2005 with several more days to go so it will take at least 6 months to refer that whole month. How crazy and depressing is that? Someone on one of my groups likened the adoption process to a double-edged sword. On one side you have all the negative aspects of it like the paperwork (that is soon to expire and will need re-doing), the wait, and basically the unknown. But on the other side you have all the positives like the experience in general, the knowledge we have acquired, the friends that we have made, the patience we have gained, the hope in a precious child one day and the deepening of our faith in God. I just wish I knew how long I had to balance on this double-edged blade...my feet are starting to hurt! Someone else said that this was like cheering on a crippled turtle that didn't look like he was going anywhere! Someone please get that turtle some crutches, a scooter, moped, or something to help this poor soul move faster!!!!! Better yet, throw him on my back and just show me the way! Please just continue to keep us and this whole process in your prayers. I know I say that every month, but the prayers of our friends and family are really what keep us going. The big events of August were the boys starting back to school and baseball again! They both love their teachers and are doing great so far. What a blessing that is! We are so fortunate to have a wonderful public school system here with great teachers and administration. Both boys have had their first ballgames with Anderson's team having a 1-2 record and Jon Milledge's having a 1-0 record. On the way to Jon Milledge's first practice, he said, "We didn't have much of a break between baseball seasons, did we?!". That would've upset me if I didn't know that he was kidding and that he truly loves the game. We went to Fernandina Beach for Labor Day to visit Milledge's brother and his family. It rained pretty much the whole weekend but we didn't mind because we were having fun just hanging out with our family. We also went to a Braves game and a University of Georgia football game this month which were both a blast, even though both teams lost on the day that we were there. We are just living life, trying to make the most of each day, keeping Ruthie close to our hearts, and always Rejoicing in the Lord....for He is good! We hope that you all have a fun September! I can't wait for fall....it's my favorite season!!!   Celebrating 10 Months with our Cousins!!!!   Jon Milledge and JL with Uga VI     Anderson and Lauren Catching Up in Fernandina     This page hosted by