Please pray today for CJ, Donna and the boys as they have left for China to bring their sweet Shelby home! Pray for travel mercies and a smooth adjustment for all of the family.

In regards to the earlier post, I will be taking over the CCAI April LID yahoo group so if you are not a member and were logged in the same month of us, I hope you will join.

Longer post tomorrow..

Amy

Randomness

1) My friends nursery is on HGTV. Her mom designed it. Check it out here!

2) New posts to Amy and Michaels blogs!! Happy posts and posts for you movie fans

3) If you are a member of the CCAI April 2007 yahoo group, big changes are coming. Check in for some updates!

monday meditations

Each Monday at our blog, we offer Monday Meditations. I hope you will join us in prayer today for the requests that are on my heart and offer whats on yours.

Praises

1) Nov 2005 has been matched WooHoo
2) Many families have been united this week and many will be travelling soon.
3) There is Joy in adoption . CLick here to see a family who was united with their sweet boy today.

Prayer
1)CJ, Donna and the boys They leave Wednesday to get baby girl Shelby from China. Pray for physical, spiritual and mental health during this trip. Pray that Shelby has a smooth transition and pray for those who have been taking care of her. Stop by her blog and say hello!
2)Those who are discouraged with this wait
3)the CCAA
4)our family and friends who don't understand the wait and have many questions
5)our marriages during this time of waiting
6)Pray for the families who are sooo close to getting a referral. it may be this month or it could be the next.
7)that those families who have recently been logged in will find support during this wait!

I got this picture from google images.

Since its the family blog, I thought I would share the post from my personal blog. I like to brag about my hubby sometimes.

I really do. I don't know why. Perhaps its because I love life, God and my husband. Perhaps its because I am a dreamer and have such hope for the future. Perhaps its because I went to the gym twice last week. I love the fall. I really love my husband. He has been a fabulous husband over the past few weeks and I don't think he even knows it. I have been waiting to tell him how much he rocks but I haven't. He has been so funny with Lucy the basset hound and I often find them chilling together in the living room. Michael has been good at making sure we are not late to events and this means the world to me. His attitude has been fabulous and he has been funny .Michael is just awesome. We have enjoyed making new friends at church and in our small group. We attended tonight and had soup, salad and grilled cheese sandwiches. We have been having great conversations and although are time is limited because of his job and my working nightshift,we have managed to watch a few movies and shows together. I have just really had fun with him lately.
WE have a lot to learn about each other and parenting and during this wait for our daughter in CHina, we have plenty of time to learn. Michael is going to be such a fun dad. I look forward to this wait although I wish it was shorter. I am so glad we have the new family of friends that we have. I am thankful for First Fridays, and the yahoo groups and the families I meet at work....

I am blessed.

Its your turn..Brag about your spouse or significant other. Come on, you know you want to. Its fun.

China

Michael and I are going to China. One day. To bring our daughter home. Let me repeat. We are going to China (thats also called the land of far, far away). Its been on my mind that one day I am going to have a trip of a lifetime and a life changing experience at one time. How awesome is that? To experience a whole new culture will be amazing..

How many people get to go have/get a baby and an amazing trip? Its too exciting to think about.

these are just my thoughts today. One day, we are going to China to bring LynnMarie home

The 6th official LynnMarie Book

Another favorite of Michael's from when he grew up.

6 months

Happy 6 months LIDversary to us! That means we have been officially waiting for 6 months or over 180 days. How cool is that? Yippee! We are not discourged about the wait ahead of us but are thankful for all that we have experienced during these past 6 months! Thank you to all of our new friends who have helped us with the wait!

(Michael picked the airplanes!!!)

the LID book will be announced tomorrow, its Michaels turn to pick!

Monday Meditations

Monday Meditations

Good morning friends, family and other people! Each Monday, we hold Monday Meditations here, focusing on adoption issues!! Hope you will join in. feel free to share whats on your hearts!

Praises

1. the CCAA is working on December. November is through! Yippee!
2. People who are still turning in paperwork for China adoption
3. the people we meet during this wait

Prayer
1. Shelby- pray for Cj, Donna and the boys as they leave in the next 2 weeks to get their sweet little girl
2. Others who are waiting to travel or are travelling soon
3. the CCAA- no need to discuss this Haha
4. Our hearts- that we can maintain joy during this wait
5. Our spouses- sometimes I get so concerned about myself during this wait, I forget about how hubbys doing. Pray that our husbands find the same support that the wives do
6.Pray for the families who are hitting the one year of waiting. pray that they will not be discouraged

Another family has been united. Click here to see baby Alice!

This weeks thoughts

So much going on. So many rumors..Ugh !!Dont worry, I'm not going to talk about the rumors.

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." Ancient Chinese Belief

>

"Do you have children? "that's the question that comes when you meet someone new. Every time you get into a small group whether its church, work, that's the question you get. I used to hate that question and now I look forward to it. When I mention we are adopting a baby from China, it opens so many doors for potential conversations. Many people know others who are adopting from China and ask questions and also give a lot of advice and opinions. I love it.

I had heard of this red thread quote throughout the paper chase and at the beginning of our journey of waiting. This red thread is real. We are meeting so many people because of other people and stories of others are connecting with other people we know. Its been the coolest thing. Its literally a whole new world for us and thats awesome. Because of the adoption decision, we joined a support group that introduced us to a new church which is better than I could have ever imagined. I don't know about Michael, but it definitely feels like a home church now.

God has strengthed our marriage through this red thread. Its indescribable, really. Deciding to adopt has given us things to do together, things to hope for, things to dream about, more things to talk about. The friends and aquaintances that we have met have made an impact on our lives forever. We have learned so much from our adoptive friends in so many area of life. If you are one of those friends thank you. If you are a family or another friend, thank you for all of your support and encouragement. We don't know how long we will wait for LynnMarie, but your prayers are felt and cherished during this time.

Monday Meditations

Prayers

1) Shelbys family is leaving in 15 days to bring her home. Pray for each family member and for Shelby to have a easy adjustment
2)Pray that waiting families will not be discouraged by rumors and will encourage each other during this week. Pray we use this time to our advantage
3)Jason and Amber- They lost their daughter Ava this weekend. She was stillborn and it was not expected. They lost their 5 year old to a brain tumor earlier this year

Praises
1)Referrals that were obtained earlier this month
2)Families that have been home for a while now
3)Adoption is such a blessing- I am thankful for my heart being opened to such new emotions
4) March and Rebecca added Sophia to their family this weekend. I am so glad she is home and healthy. They are members of our support group and Sophia (the tummy baby) will be joined with Claire one day. New families are awesome
5)We are getting a new niece or nephew in late May

Sorry that some of these are not adoption related but I know you guys won't mind

Family Weekend

Its really hard to write anything after writing that last post but I will try.

Since this is the family blog, I decided to share our family weekend. Michael and I have had a fantastic family weekend. Friday night we went to our second community group and continued our study on Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti. Its a great book by the way and that's not meant to be a plug. The conversation got serious and its just what I needed. It was nice to get to know our new friends better. After our time there, we ghosted 2 house' s (meaning we took buckets of candy and paper ghosts and placed them on peoples stairs) Many people in our neighborhood have participated and its been fun!



Saturday morning we drove to Ellijay and went to the Apple Festival. Once again, it was wonderful. The weather was perfect (sunny and cool) and the leaves are a changing. Fall puts us both in wonderful moods and we had good conversation on the way up. While we were there, we had a funnel cake and some grilled corn. We did not see or by any apples. We were able to see some animals and you can see that one the slide show below. We got a sign for our yard and just did a lot of wandering. For those in the adoption world, there were ladybugs everywhere. We found some good connections for gifts later down the road. We met a family who adopted a girl fro China and it was nice to talk to them. Later that morning, what did we see? SEXTUPLETS!!! They had quite a crowd and were in 3 different wagons. No, I did not take pictures because a)they aren't my kids) and b) it would annoy me as a parent if everyone took my kids pictures all their lives.. It was cool to see though. There aren't that many sextuplets, I'm sure I have seen them on TLC or something. We ended the day with a visit to the pumpkin patch. Anyway, we had a good day and had nachos for dinner (we had leftovers from Friday night community group dinner).



Sunday morning, we woke up and went to Discovery 2 class (kind of like Sunday School) and followed up with worship service. It was nice to visit with new friends between the 2 services. This week we talked about Joy. What an amazing service it was! I wish you could have all been there. It talked about the difference between happiness and joy! Loved the service!

Sunday after church, I went to get some hay and Michael and I decorated the house for Fall! We were able to get some pictures and the neighbors also came out. We had a good time visiting and had ended the day with leftovers..



Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures! We really did have a good weekend! I love FALL!!!

Prayers for a special family

I need all of you to pray for the Russell family immediately. If you remember back a few months ago, their daughter Aubrey passed away from a brain tumor. This morning Mrs Russell went into labor with daughter #2 and she was born stillborn. I am sooo sad for this special family. I can not imagine losing 2 children in one year. I pray that their faith will sustain them. Please ask your friend and family to pray for Jason and Amber right now.

need your help

This week I worked on cleaning up my links to the right. I deleted blogs that need a password and those that are not active. At the same time, I realized I dont have many of you on my blogroll. If you are not included on the right and want to, let me know.. Make sure you tell me if you have a LID or if you are home from China or if you are adopting from a different country!!!

My secret pal rocks

During this wait, I (Amy) joined a few online waiting groups and I am a part of 2 secret pal swaps. We send gifts once a month to pass this time. One of my secret pals sent this last weel and I forgot to post it, I am sorry, I love everything. She reads my blog and has sent me so much encouragement. She sent me a photo much, fall towels, pumpkin bags to put leaves, an encouraging letter, a cookie cutter and a Caterpillar book. She has read the book blog and knew I didn't have this one.

To this secret pal, you rock and you made me smile!

family

Well,this is the Christopher Family blog which is about our family and how we go about getting our family. I don't have anything really profound to say tonight except that I am still okay with the wait. Michael and I celebrated our 6th anniversary last weekend.
Please stay with me, its going to get a bit random. I started thinking about how I looked at other families. I remember meeting couples years ago who had been married 10 years and didn't have children. I remember thinking, "Gosh, I cant imagine that. I have to have a baby before then." I really thought that would be a horrible thing (rest assured I dont think that way now). Now, look at us. It looks like it will be close to that when we have our family. We have so many friends now that have waited even longer than we have for a family and they have been such an encouragement. I do want us to be the best parents we can be and I want the best for our children. I pondered about that today and just had to have a moment with God and share my desires with Him. We would love 2 children. I would love 2 children. I would love a biological baby. I don't have to have these, its just the way I dreamed about things. Is that bad to admit? As I was talking to God this morning, I just simply asked him to grant the desires of my heart, but I know it may not be the way I have planned all my life. We do want a biological child but after many years I can say that I will be satisfied if that does not happen. It feels good to be at peace with things.

This may come across so the wrong way and maybe I should not publish this post but I no longer feel like I have to have a family the old fashioned way. The one thing that has been shown to me during this process is that God's timing for our lives is so much better than mine and then we are waiting God is using that time to prepare us, to show us things, to even change us in some way. I forget that sometimes. I get impatient. I am looking forward to my family. I will say that sometimes I get scared that things will not happen. I think that everyone has those thoughts and I need to admit them sometimes. Then I rethink the promises God has given me and I feel so reassured.

Anyway, these are my (Amy) thoughts and feelings. Many of you I consider good friends and many of you whether you want to or not are considered my mentors. I am thankful for all of you.
I can't wait to share more about the Christopher family.

Monday Meditations

Praises
November 2005 has been finished!
Shelby will be united with her family within the month! Yippee
Many children have come home this week!


Prayer
That the wait will not keep people from adopting from China
That will encourage others and not be discouraged over this wait
That our children will be a blessing to others
the caregivers and orphanage staff

Does anyone have anything else going on?
pray for those who coordinate the travel for adoptive families
travel mercies for those travelling now and later this month

First Fridays

Friday night we had dinner with a new friend along with the Perry's and the Ladmans at Applebees. We had a great time, and talked about run adoption, work, and blogs. Too fun! Then we headed to North Metro Church for First Fridays and once again we were blessed. We socialized, listened to a wonderful musician and listened to Mr. Tony Nolan speak. His words were just what I needed to hear. We visited with old friends and met new ones..There were many babies to be seen. A special part of our night was seeing Denise. If you remember the story, we met Denise and her family on a Disney Cruise almost 18 months ago. That visit helped solidify our decision to adopt from China. We also were able to visit Marissa, the very talkative child I met on that cruise. What an evening it was! We learned that friends who are adopting from Taiwan are moving to Phoenix and we wish them the best.

We ended the night with some Cold Stone Ice Cream and just talking! If you live near Atlanta and would like to attend First Fridays, please email me and I will get you the info.

I do need to clarify something. During First Friday, I was talking to someone and I mentioned that I thought everyone should be doing this. I didn't mean that I think everyone should adopt internationally. I was actually talking about the process that I am going through. I feel like I talk about this a lot on my blog. I can't believe this journey we are on and what it has taught me and what it has shown me. I used to fight tears and now they flow freely and I love it. Emotions that I have never experienced are popping up and I love it. God's hand has been all over this and will continue to guide Michael and I through this journey of love. "When Love takes you in" is so appropriate for our family. Adoption has become a passion and I can not wait to get LynnMarie home but I also can not wait to see what else we learn along the way. I can not imagine where we would be without First Fridays or adoption. Susan and Dan, thank you for inviting us and thanks for being a part of this wonderful time for our family!

God is good!!!

Adoption

2 things
1) On the personal blog, we are bragging about our spouses. Feel free to jump in. Click here!
2)If you live anywhere near Atlanta, I hope you can make it to First Friday tomorrow night at North Metro church. There will new friends, new info, great encouragment and a special speaker1 Even if you are just interested in adoption, this is a great place for info!!! Let me know if you need more info!

Reflections

What a day to reflect. Referrals are starting to arrive and how wonderful it is to see these families!!! Yippeee!

On another note, its been a year since we turned in our application to our agency. A year ago this week, Michael and I were in Colonial Williamsburg celebrating our 5th anniversary. We were playing online at the sister resort of the one we were staying at when the got the wonderful email that we had been accepted into the program. That email really changed everything. We got home and 1 week later we went to our orientation program and started "the paperchase". It felt good to be doing something. It was something that Michael and I could do together and that's what I enjoyed the most. Before our trip, we attended our first First Friday (the monthly adoption support group) which really got us motivated.

During the process we have found a new church, met wonderful friends (too many to mention) and have dreamed about the future. We have named our daughter (LynnMarie) started a collection of books, and have collected squares for her quilt. We bought her first outfit with some of our family and I have participated in secret pal and bib exchanges. I have learned to love consignment stores along with just window shopping at the more expensive stores. I found more websites to search at work

This adoption process has brought us closer together. I remember spending hours cleaning the house waiting for our SW visit. I wish the house had stayed that clean. I remember meeting our SW at a Starbucks in Roswell and having a pumpkin spiced latte. Its amazing what you remember. We have seen families paperchase, get referrals and bring their babies home. I remember watching Laney's family get their referral (the biggest boohoo moment so far in this journey). They showed the video at our support group and I know it made it seem so real to Michael. I remember being at work knowing it was Laney's Gotcha Day and clicking refresh over and over again on her blog. Finally at 6am, the pics were posted and there again were the tears. I had to explain they were happy tears. We watched Sheridan come home. His parents were mentors to us during our paperchase and helped us beat the May 1 deadline.they have helped us far more than just our adoption.
I have met some wonderful blogging friends and have communicated more with my family this year because of the adoption process.

I was able to have lunch with a group of ladies months ago and was so happy to get to meet Maisie and read about Brianna coming home. Today, I read that Chani's family learned about her!

It's been amazing. God has opened doors that I never knew were there. I have experienced more at work because of this adoption. I have watched Gods hand over so many friends and families . I wish this wait was not so long. I wish I could start shopping and planning for our trip. The one positive thing is that if we were were pregnant we would only have 9 months to shopeand plan and with this long wait, theres even more time to do just that. This year has been so awesome, I am looking forward to the next one. I can't believe that at one time in my life I thought adoption was just "a nice thing for people to do". Its such an amazing adventure, I cant imagine not being in this place.