First real snowfall

The past two days we have had our first significant snowfall of the season. The boys were excited to finally see snow and to be able to go out and play. Yesterday Ethan and Logan got off the bus and immediately threw their bookbags on the ground and started having a snowball fight! Of course the mother in me wanted to tell them to zip their coats and put on their hats but I just quietly observed for a few minutes from the living room window and then went outside to take some pictures of the action. Of course today when they got off the bus I was prepared with thier boots, snow pants, and gloves.

Cute T-shirts

I went to Target yesterday to pick up a couple things and found these cute little t-shirts for Mia. I remember Target having the "everyone loves a brown-eyed girl" t-shirt in a long sleeve version in the fall. I wished I would have picked it up but I am so glad I found it in a short sleeved version! As for the "Trouble is spelled BROTHER shirt" need I say more? Gotta love Target!

Mia's 100+ Good Wishes Quilt

To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei or 100 Good Wishes Quilt. It is a custom to invite friends and family to contribute a piece of fabric along with a wish. The pieces of fabric are then sewn together to make a quilt. If you are interested in participating in Mia's 100 Good Wishes Quilt please do the following.

1. Chose any 100% cotton fabric that you like. It can be fabric from a piece of clothing or a fabric store. Any fabric that is special or unique to you would be perfect! Cut the fabric into an 8X8 square and include 1 small swatch (1X1) or (2X2) to be attached to the blessing, scripture, or wishes card.

2. On a 5X7 card stock card please include a blessing, scripture, or wish for Mia. Also attach the small swatch of fabric to the card. All wishes collected will be placed in a scrapbook for Mia to look at for years to come. She will be able to identify your fabric in her quilt by the fabric swatch included on your wishes card.

Thank you so much for helping us to create this wonderful treasure for our daughter. If you would like to participate and need our address please e-mail me at dmptrsn@hotmail.com.

4 months down

We are now officially 4 months into our wait for Mia. Surprisingly it has gone pretty fast. I remember thinking when we first got our LID that we were in for a LONG wait and I wondered how I would get through it. The current wait for a referral is 15-16 months from LID. The truth is we are still in for a long wait but it is comforting to know that each passing day brings us closer to Mia. The adoption clock only moves forward not backwards.

Weekend shopping trip

Sunday afternoon my friend Sheri and I went shopping at the outlet malls. Sometimes I can find good deals there and other times I find that the prices aren't much different than in the regular stores. It seems to be a hit and miss for me. This past weekend I found AWESOME deals in the Carters and The Children's Place stores. I went with the intention of shopping for the boys. Unfortunately I didn't find a lot for the boys but I found some great deals for Mia! Oh how I wish I knew how big she would be as the deals were too great to pass up! I must admit because we don't know how big she will be I really have not done any shopping for her. However I took a chance and I figured if the clothes don't fit I can sell them on e-bay and easily get back what I paid for them and probably more! This was my first shopping trip for Mia and it was so much fun to buy girly clothes!

A new year and my new calendar!

It is a new year so of course I needed a new calendar! My 2007 calendar is called "From China with Love". It is also currently serving as my screensaver. Each month features beautiful Chinese children. What better way to count down our wait than to be able to look at these beautiful children and know that it DOES happen! What an inspiration!

My favorite Christmas present

Santa was very good to me this year but my most favorite Christmas present of all was from my sister. It was by far the most thoughtful gift I received this past year. It was a diaper bag for Mia that her boyfriend Brain's mom had made. It is so adorable and I love it! One of the reasons I will forever treasure this gift is because Mia was thought of in our Christmas celebration even though she is not home yet. These are the gifts and memories that no amount of money can buy!