Day 63...

I am sick - again! I don't know if it is a virus, the weather or maybe this house. It seems like I have been sick a lot lately, so it may be the heat here. Either way, I will be glad when Spring is here.

We are officially 2 days past Anna's LOA wait, which is good news. It stinks that we didn't break Anna's number, but it also means that any day now we could get our LOA! There was a group of families that got word today from our agency that they had recieved their Travel Approvals. If my memory serves me right, our LOA should be the next news that our agency gets from China...that's exciting!

With so much going on right now, it really is hard to even imagine going to China again, but I am ready. Our lives seem pretty crazy right now, but our family doesn't seem complete. It can be a little overwhelming to try to "plan" the "unplannable", but it doesn't stop me. I suppose I like that overwhelmed feeling - glutton for punishment I guess. I do try to step back and just see the big picture, which doesn't seem to overwhelming. We are just going to China again to get our new daughter...been there, done that, gonna do it again...no biggie. When I try to figure our the logistics, the money, the timeframe - that's when I get a little stressed.

If you remember the other family that went through the immigration nightmare with us in our state that was adopting from Ethiopia, well they got their official "referral" last week. They are waiting for their travel approval as well after their case goes through the courts. She mailed me a picture of him along with her 2 other children and let me say, he is just gorgeous...along with her other two beauties....congratulations!

My mom goes back to the surgeon tomorrow. From our understanding, they will be setting a date for her surgery. She is doing really, really well. I am very thankful for her attitude about the whole situation. The news could devastate anyone. But she seems to have picked herself up and trying her best to be positive...and actually, she is doing a pretty good job at it. She has had several people call her to share their stories that are similar to her's. People that she didn't know had faced the same diagnosis giving her words of comfort and encouragement. It has lifted her spirits....so thanks!

Sending love & hugs to Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna