tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62342211480987679242009-11-07T21:52:00.708-08:00Join us on our journey to adopt from China and VietnamKeith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-4182185023632089952009-02-12T21:51:00.000-08:002009-02-12T22:29:53.782-08:00

Now that our paperwork is off to China, we are switching blogs. You can find us here:Love In AsiaSome of our entries will require a password for you to read them. We are doing this in order to protect our adoption and our daughter. Once she is home and our adoption is finalized, we may remove the password requirements.I would love to give you our password. Just leave a comment here or on the

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-75270541045812204042009-02-12T10:48:00.000-08:002009-02-12T10:49:54.532-08:00

The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by me (or my child)! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2- What I create will be just for you.3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)4- You have no clue what it's going to be.It may be a story. It may be poetry, shoes,

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-76149206799310993672009-02-11T16:20:00.000-08:002009-02-12T10:09:08.305-08:00

Alleluia, we are DTC today! Translated: Our big bundle of paperwork (Dossier) went To China today!Our paperwork before sent to our agency. Today is my late Grandma's birthday and I took Koen out to her grave site to honor her. She passed away year and a half ago. I hadn't been there before and decided a couple months ago that I would go on her birthday. It was a beautiful day and the cemetery

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-4096892140118343122009-02-10T23:35:00.000-08:002009-02-10T23:36:34.446-08:00

Keith + Kelly=Love

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-59033590325274614232009-02-10T11:08:00.000-08:002009-02-10T11:15:40.574-08:00

It's been forever since I've posted photos. Here are some of Koen watching his "China movie" this morning. This is another Sing and Learn Chinese with Mei Mei video - volume 2. He's already watched it twice today (am I a bad mother?)Dancing to the songs.Papa built this "elevator" for Koen out of his blocks. He enjoys dropping his shiny rocks in the top. They end up in the blue bowl.Now here he

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-18465120273876514812009-02-09T20:33:00.000-08:002009-02-10T10:28:11.222-08:00

We sent our special needs checklist in to the agency today. I just pray that the Lord will continue to guide us and either confirm what we checked, or clearly guide us to changing the form. There were a couple we were hesitant to mark, and a couple that I was hesitant not to mark. Keith and I didn't agree on as many as I thought we would - which added to the difficulty of the process.I also

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-52445264035717214952009-01-31T20:59:00.000-08:002009-02-12T16:25:40.031-08:00

We have started learning Chinese! I checked out Play and Learn Chinese with Mei Mei from our library. It is a DVD, 45 minutes long. I put it on while I'm doing house work, and listen as the children count, learn body parts, play games and sing songs. It's really quite easy and fun! I can say hi, bye, count to ten, I love you, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and I know the word for bottom (not

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-46770137342321772542009-01-26T16:16:00.000-08:002009-01-26T16:31:18.140-08:00

Today is Chinese New Year, and the first time that Chinese New Year has felt significant to me. The nannies at my daughter's orphanage are likely celebrating. I pray the children get to be a part of the festivities and are not forgotten on a day like this. Welcome to the Year of the Ox - prayerfully, the year we will bring our little girl home.Our paperwork should head to China in the next two

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-7493092804138055842009-01-19T09:26:00.000-08:002009-01-19T09:31:38.094-08:00

Due to the snow storm last month, our church Christmas program was postponed until last night. Here is a video of the preschoolers (2-5s) performing last night. Koen didn't sing (although he knows the songs) but he sure did dance! He is the brown horse front and center. His buddy Isaac is the gray donkey just to the right. The thing in Koen's hand is a car that ends up being a distraction

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-28067164924996085762009-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:002009-01-18T15:29:34.044-08:00

So, my post last week was a little premature. We thought it was the last of our paperwork, but we had a couple issues with our medical forms. We had to get them resigned, and add some letter explaining the medications we take, which put us back a couple days. On Thursday we dropped the last piece of mail at the post office, and on Friday our agency sent our last pieces of paperwork to the

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-70584847704894249282009-01-09T22:12:00.001-08:002009-02-10T10:28:40.622-08:00

Today I dropped our last pieces of paperwork in the mail. We were waiting for my medical appointment, which was on Wednesday. Today we got our medical forms signed and notarized, and we are done! It's good to be done, but it only means the rest is out of our hands.I talked with our agency this week and was discouraged to learn more about the process. We really did enter this blindly. The

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-31897849116919194722008-12-26T22:31:00.000-08:002008-12-26T22:35:36.518-08:00

Guess what I found in our mailbox today.....Our immigration approval already! And, now it is noted on the bottom that a cable was sent to Guangzhou, China. It's official! We really only had to renew our previous approval, as well as do a change of status from Vietnam to China, so that is why it happened so quickly. Since we sent in most of our paperwork to the agency on Monday, all we are

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-32878723346715077062008-12-26T18:34:00.000-08:002009-02-12T17:17:28.540-08:00

Christmas was nice this year. It was such a blessings to have a White Christmas, even though it did disrupt most of our plans in the days around Christmas. I was forced to slow down, which I think I really needed. We spent several days playing in the snow with neighbors who were also stuck at home. We played games, made Christmas cookies, read a great book.......I still felt busy enough, just

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-47448173004892446692008-12-23T10:14:00.001-08:002008-12-23T17:31:46.421-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! I pray the Lord blesses you abundantly in the New Year. Thanks for following our adoption journey.

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-21613628295045251962008-12-18T22:33:00.000-08:002008-12-18T22:42:15.953-08:00

It's been so fun to be "trapped" at home this time of year. Our good friends, and our neighbors, who are also good friends, came over today for fun in the snow, and fun inside by the fire. Here's some pics.

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-51602208945794371122008-12-11T14:24:00.000-08:002008-12-11T14:55:30.763-08:00

Alright, so now I have a few minutes to write and wanted to let you know that we are moving forward with China. We are very excited about. For the first time in a long time, things actually seem to be moving forward MORE QUICKLY than we expected. Because we had just updated our home study for Vietnam, our social worker was able to surprise us by having our China home study done in two days!!

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-71190479657317623992008-12-10T14:53:00.001-08:002008-12-10T14:53:49.389-08:00

But sorry - you have to wait a little longer to find out. And, don't get too excited, it's not a referral.

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-24120052076917195082008-12-02T23:17:00.000-08:002008-12-02T23:25:41.031-08:00

I was just wallowing in adoption self-pity when I decided to blog. Entering our blog and finding my last post titled "Thankful" makes me feel even more guilty for my attitude. I want to be more optimistic and hopeful.Last year at Christmas time, we hoped and prayed and dreamt of having Liv home by this Christmas, or at least seeing her face by this Christmas. I had planned to make her stocking

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-7828689365899996952008-12-01T15:32:00.000-08:002008-12-03T15:39:17.694-08:00

This weekend we had a fun family outing. Koen got to go on the "Santa Train" - his first real train ride in his memory. He and Keith really enjoyed all the train stuff. The ride was short, but really the perfect distance for a two year old. At the destination, we skipped out on the Santa pics due to a long line, and enjoyed refreshments and a jumpy house. My mom and sister joined us.Sitting

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-70765122080420598752008-12-01T15:00:00.000-08:002008-12-03T15:57:00.582-08:00

I am having a hard time coming up with a way to express how our Thanksgiving was. Keith's mom and sister came up from Oregon to join my Mom and sister. My dad stopped by briefly. Keith made the turkey and gravy, and I did the stuffing and roles. Koen kept us pretty entertained, but he knew he was the center of attention.All in all, it felt a little empty. My Grammi is too old and difficult

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-44749986586747209692008-11-27T11:03:00.000-08:002008-11-27T11:18:52.939-08:00

I am so thankful the Lord has been with us through every step of these last few difficult months.I am thankful that my sister is out of the hospital and can join us today.I am thankful that my mom is 10% of the way through her radiation.I am thankful that I know the ultimate Healer.I am thankful for the Body of Christ who has been praying and encouraging us.I am thankful for the Lord's

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-10428505622376318232008-11-23T23:11:00.000-08:002008-11-23T23:40:48.577-08:00

My Mom starts radiation tomorrow. Please pray for her. She will be treated on her neck and jaw area, on one side of her face, which is the worst area to receive radiation because it hurts on the inside of your mouth as well. It may make her sick, and will make her tired as the treatments go on. She will receive radiation for 5 days a week for 5-6 weeks.Christmas will be a bummer, but

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-74332307062257306932008-11-23T14:49:00.002-08:002008-11-23T15:11:26.783-08:00

I found a fun sewing project by Mama to Mama to do for babies in Haiti. Haiti has the highest infant mortality rate in the western hemisphere. Many premature babies are cold, even in the tropical climate, and a little handmade hat helps to keep them warm and thus conserve the calories they need to grow.Here is info directly from MamatoMama's site:Mama to Mama is honored to introduce our first

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-27095461882241755092008-11-13T20:20:00.000-08:002008-11-13T21:18:52.813-08:00

I debated about sharing this with the world (since I have readers from several continents:), but feel like I should be open about every step in our adoption process. This way you know how to pray for us, and if you are a PAP (prospective adoptive parent), you may learn from our journey (and mistakes!).Today I was a part of a webinar for those interested in adopting a "special needs" child from

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6234221148098767924.post-77866929898938419912008-11-12T14:59:00.001-08:002008-11-12T15:04:38.889-08:00

I started to wonder if anyone actually ready our blog and discovered that I could put a "Map Loco" live map on the blog (see the bottom of the page). This shows me where my most recent visitors are from. It is fun to see that people actually are following our journey. And, especially fun today that we had 4 recent international readers. Welcome to you from Canada, Italy, Nepal, and Krasnador

Keith and Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951167923353798227noreply@blogger.com5