Waiting can be fun!

While we wait for travel approval here are some fun things we have been doing. Our article 5 paperwork was picked up and sent to CCAA in Beijing on March 25th so only one more A (TA) to go. We celebrated Joshua's birthday a month early since we were afraid we would be in China for his actual day. We still may be or at least really close to traveling and he didn't seem to mind celebrating early. Now he can have several little parties and just enjoy HIS day to the fullest. I'm sure my parents will celebrate with him on his actual birthday if we are gone and we'll have another little party for him with just us when we get back so that Joy can join us. He has come so far in 2 years developmentally and I'm so proud of him for how hard he works on his speech. No one should have to endure what he has in terms of surgeries and just plain old work when it comes to speech but it has created a certain amount of perseverance in him and me. Here's a video of him when he was playing with his Star Wars plates getting ready for everyone to get there. It was so cute that he was SO excited over plates and napkins! Then some of the party and of everyone helping make the cake. Pause the songs at the bottom of the blog before hitting play on the video.



Anaken Skywalker and Rex (Star Wars) making the cake!


Is it done yet?


It's always fun in a family of 4 kids taking turns decorating the cake!


Joshua was so pleased with himself that he blew out his own candles... that is not a small task when it has taken 3 surgeries and countless hours of speech therapy at home and away from home to conquer such a task.


We also were finally able to get together with a family that lives in Alabama that adopted a little girl from Hope Haven (the orpanage Joshua was at in China). It was so fun to get to know them in person instead of emails. There kids are so precious. We are glad they only live a few hours away and hope our kids can stay in touch. It's such a small world that we are actually using the same agency, Madison Adoption Associates, that they did for their adoption. When you adopt the world definitely gets smaller and smaller. God knew these two precious children who lived the first two years of their lives together would grow up in forever families only a few hours from one another. We are thankful to have them close although it took them all afternoon to warm up to each other. It's so much for 4 year olds to process. Here are some photos from our day.

Our sweet friend and her wonderful mama!


They all had lots of fun on this playground... it was such beautiful weather.




And here's one that I promised 3 silly monkeys of mine that I would post. They were waiting there, hiding from me, all of them under the covers. They were really hard to see or hear... ha, ha!