Just a few updates...

It's been an eventful few days around here! Sunday was sooo hectic, I took Monday as a recovery day! Monday was also Greg's last day to work in his 21 straight day stretch, and he was beyond exhausted, so I tried to keep the kids quiet all day while I did some research on the Internet. We got confirmation that morning that our paperwork had been received and that they would be issuing our Article 5 for pick up Tuesday. Since we know now that we can expect to travel during the month of July most likely, I began doing some flight research. We also received an email Monday that our visa's had been approved finally, and that they were on their way back to us. Tuesday we got the news we've been waiting for for almost a month, our Article 5 had officially been issued and picked up by CCAI staff for delivery to the CCCWA. The next step for us will be our TA or travel approval. This is our formal invitation to China to adopt Annabella. We should travel 10-21 days from the day we get our TA, and we can expect the TA in 2-4 weeks. Tuesday also brought FedEx and our passports, complete with visa stamps!

Wednesday is usually a busy day for us, and today was no exception. Greg got up early and began cleaning out the garage, then when I got up and sociable, (those who know me well, know that I need coffee and at least 20 minutes of solitude in the mornings or I can be a bit "un" sociable,) we began cleaning up our bedroom. I know that every one of you has that one room, or closet that you shove everything in to when unexpected company comes over...don't lie, you know you do! Well refer to my super crazy Sunday post here and you can understand why our room needed a double team to tackle it. Not just Sunday, but months of stuff has been accumulating and needed to be taken upstairs to the storage room, or sorted, or thrown away, or donated, or, well, you get the picture! So after we spent about an hour working on that, it was time for me to head off to church to get everything set up for band rehearsal tonight, and our weekly production team meeting. Things ran pretty late tonight so I didn't even get home until nearly 11. The fam and I watched a bit of t.v. before we sent the kids to bed. After tuck ins, hugs, and kisses, Greg and I worked a little on a jigsaw puzzle. I know that this all seems so mundane, but after not really seeing my husband, other than when he was sleeping for THREE weeks, mundane t.v. and jigsaw puzzles, and cleaning was actually a bit exciting!

Since I'm a total night owl, I even went into Annabella's room, and made some definite decisions on which clothes and toys to take with us. I'd sent a proposed packing list to another recent adoptive Mom, who gave us some great recommendations, and that helped me narrow things down just a hair. I was able to get all of her clothes and toys packed into her Trunki, and put the diapers, bottles, and wipes in the back pack we will use as our diaper bag while in China. If you've never heard of a Trunki, they are AWESOME! Here is a link to Melissa and Doug's website, and a video showing the Trunki in action, and here is a picture of "Ruby" which is the style Trunki we bought for Annabella. We even got the saddle bag to go with it, as several of the reviews said it offered an added level of security and stability to the latch system.

Isn't it cute! It holds a TON of stuff too!

 Before I head off for the night, I also wanted to share a picture of the wedding shower cake I made for Sunday's shower at church.

I thought it turned out pretty well considering I haven't done cakes for almost 8 years. The inside was vanilla cake with lemon  filling and fresh sliced strawberries. I also want to say thank you to those of you who have been and continue to support our adoption journey. It's nearing the end of one phase, our road TO Annabella, and we will soon begin the phase of attachment and adjustment. Your continued support,  prayers, and love are so priceless to us!

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Gal 5:13-14 NIV