While We Continue To Wait .............. Yard Sale, Love Offering, Tanner graduates from Pre-K, Sandy graduates from High School and Tanner turns 5...

I apologize for not posting in almost a month. I have had several people ask why I have not updated the blog lately. Part is because we have been extremely busy the last few weeks and part has been because I have been so frustrated because of this wait. So I do apoligize and I will try to do better. We are waiting to hear from CCAI (our agency) that the Consulate in Guangzhou has sent our second LOA (Letter Of Acceptance) to CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs). Once CCAA receives our second LOA, they will start working on issuing us our Travel Approval. We are so praying that we travel by the end of June. This has been such a hard wait.

We have been busy the past few weeks. We had a yard sale on May 16 to raise money to help with the adoption expenses. We raised about seven hundred dollars. We are so thankful and appreciative for all the people that donated so much stuff for our yard sale. We would not have been able to pull it off without all of you. Also to all the people that help us the weekend of the yard sale, thank you so much. Rick, Heather, Sheryl, Mark, Sandy and Justin, Thank you guys so much. I don't know what we would have done with out you all. We love you guys and appreciate all you did. Miss Sarah Bell, thank you so very much for helping watch the boys while we set up everything. Samantha, thank you so much for babysitting the day of the yard sale ands Austin for playng with the boys. All of you were so wonderful and we are so grateful for you all. If I missed anybody, I am sorry. Know that we love you and appreciate all you do.

Our Church had a love offering for us on May 17. What a blessing. We have such an awesome Church family. We were blessed once again. We ended up with a little over eight hundred dollars. Thank you so very much. We love you guys so much. we are so blessed. After the amazing baby shower in April, then this. We can't thank you all enough. Most of all we thank God, because without God, none of this would be possible.

Tanner graduated from Pre-K May 17th, 2009. It is hard to believe that he starts kindergarten in the fall.

Sandy graduated from High School May 23rd and will began collage June 14th. This is really hard to believe. She graduated with honors and we are so proud of all she has accomplished. She is planning on majoring in Special Ed.

We celebrated both Sandy graduating from High School and Tanners birthday May 23rd after the graduation. Tanner turned 5 on the 25th. We had a great turn out. Lots of friends and family came and celebrated with us.

We are all hanging in here as we wait. Tanner ask everyday when are we going to get LeahJean. Heather is doing good and planning a wedding in October. Parker is doing great and will start Pre-K in the fall at Cleveland Road Elementary in the hearing impaired program. We are praying that he will be able to transition over to Oconee County School system when he starts kindergarten. He has made so much progress this past year in the hearing impaired program. He is talking so well. In July 2008 he was evaluated at 1.9 years and in May 2009 he was evaluated between 3.4 and 4.4 years. He is such an amazing little boy. We are so thankful for all of our children and so proud of all of them.

Sorry this post is so long. I will attach a slide show of different pictures over the past month. We have no updated pictures of LeahJean but we do have updated measurements. She weighs 30 pounds, 34 inches tall and her feet are 5 inches. She has really grown in the past year.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we wait and pray for safe travels when we do travel. Also continue to pray for LeahJean as she waits for us to come get her. Pray that the transition goes well for her. She has had so many changes in her short life.

LeahJean, we love you so much, and I promise we will be there soon to get you and bring you home to your forever family. I promise that we will always love you and care for you and never leave you. Hang in there baby girl.