tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24583483507627784922024-03-14T08:39:48.351-05:00At the End of the Chinese Rainbow: Our Journey to PatrickThe Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-49284507076010857162015-01-10T21:22:00.001-06:002015-01-10T21:22:22.965-06:00Poppy's StoryI'll begin this post with a confession. I am a very poor blogger. I have neglected this blog to the point that I stopped even feeling guilty for not posting to it. This past year, I have thought many times about posting here: times of desperation, times of great fear and sadness, times of great joy....I just have not done it. When Patrick has his heart surgery last February, I turned to The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-77528968805793096952013-11-11T15:15:00.000-06:002013-11-11T15:15:49.634-06:00"I was Ai Guo, then"I was fortunate to receive several of Patrick's drawings on his Gotcha Day. I know what a rare gift I've been given and put every drawing in a plastic sleeve after it spent several weeks on the fridge. In fact, one of the first things I had Patrick do when he and I came home was to put his drawings on the fridge with those of his sisters. So, I had all of his artwork lying on the bed the otherThe Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-36586713704512402702013-09-06T22:39:00.000-05:002013-09-06T22:39:08.293-05:00"No Butterflies" and Other Things I Thought I Figured Out (The Catch-Up Part II)It didn't take long for me to figure out that Patrick was less than thrilled with his "foreigner mama". He flat out said it. When we left the civil affairs office he attempted to throw himself onto the concrete when I wouldn't let him run into traffic. He wouldn't look at me and asked our guide, Kelly, whether he could sit in the back of the bus. She replied, "With Mama?" I'm sure my son's The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-2021952846427381482013-07-28T02:07:00.002-05:002013-07-28T02:07:44.041-05:00The China MeAhhhh....I miss China. I'm pretty sure I left something there. I'd better go back and check before my passport expires and after Patrick's heart surgeries are complete.
The time has flown, really, since Patrick and I landed at Will Rogers World Airport on June 27th. And just so you'll know---I don't see any reason to call that airport a "world" airport. There is NOWHERE in the world that The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-64230519027476523022013-06-11T06:48:00.001-05:002013-06-11T06:48:41.092-05:00What Do I Want?I cannot believe I'll be leaving for China in THREE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!! My stomach is doing flip-flops and at times I feel as though I cannot breathe. Have I mentioned I'm terrified of flying? Oh, yes! TERR-I-FIIIIIIIIIIIED!! I've flown into and out of thirteen different airports. Once, I took two Tylenol PM when the flight began. Ordinarily, those little suckers KNOCK ME OUT. Not.so.much The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-80605102042256235612013-06-05T16:29:00.000-05:002013-06-05T16:29:26.418-05:00The Standard Fee MonsterDespite the American Consulate being closed for almost an entire week, we got our consulate appointment exactly when I thought we would. I will leave OKC on June 14, 2013, at 5:20 pm and land at LAX at 6:20 (time zones :-). Then I have approximately 6 hours to find my gate because I don't leave LAX for Guangzhou until 11:30PM. As directionally challenged as I am, even I can find the gate givenThe Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-64790192980834966932013-05-13T07:14:00.000-05:002013-05-13T07:14:25.198-05:00God Can Work With That...Yesterday was Mothers Day. Ben and the girls wanted to go to the zoo. I went along because, with it being Mothers Day and all, I wanted to be around most of the people who call me "Munner" or some derivative thereof. There were about a gajillion folks at the zoo. Seriously, that many mothers would pick the zoo as the.thing.to.do on Mothers Day?? I'm not buying it. I'm betting, just like me, The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-67453778985468055442013-04-29T07:00:00.002-05:002013-04-29T07:00:33.458-05:00Blessed!!!!Man, just let me tell ya', God is good! Good times? He's good. Bad times? He's still good. We, as flawed human beings are the fickle ones. God is constant. Unchanging. Never fazed by what we perceive as a sudden roadblock or disaster. He's already been there.
So, we were having a nice Saturday. We were loading up into the van to go to the park and I side-tracked to the mailbox. The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-87008346051190184702013-04-22T06:36:00.002-05:002013-04-22T06:36:28.430-05:00Hoos and Hockies: A Moxie Update!Oh, how I love my Moxie Socks. This morning, she is at the surgical center getting her fourth saline fill. The surgery to remove the nevus on her scalp and forehead should be in about 5 weeks. She is tolerating the fills well. I do believe her proprioception is a bit affected by her ever-growing noggin. It's like if you were to cut the whiskers off of a cat. No, I haven't actually done thatThe Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-22063703585946130552013-04-15T06:42:00.002-05:002013-04-15T06:42:28.762-05:00Me, A "Heart Mama", Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat????In 2007, when we began our first adoption journey, we chose to get in the "regular" line. As has been established, I am a very slow learner. God takes extra time with me because He is patient and I am thick-headed and easily distracted. We were in the "regular" line because for some reason we didn't think we could raise a "special" child. Forget the fact that we already were raising a "The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-27230202746749203062013-04-09T16:07:00.000-05:002013-04-09T16:07:06.451-05:00Psalm 23: What I Thought I KnewAs we all know, I am a slow learner. Slow. Very slow. When I was in third grade, I learned the 23rd Psalm because I had to for Sunday School. My memory was a lot better then, and I think somebody promised me gum if I learned it. Anyway, I could rattle it off and thought, even up until last week, that I knew it. Not so much.
Here's how my latest ephiphany went down. I was reading on one ofThe Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-53222516863901262652013-03-19T22:52:00.001-05:002013-03-19T22:52:34.322-05:00Better than what?I have to confess, I have waited to write this blog post until I was not angry. I don't believe anger, when it is justified, is a sin. I do believe lashing out in anger because one was hurt or personally offended is a sin. That's what I was going to do. But, now I'm not. Because God gave me grace, His grace, in the moment that I needed it. I asked for it. He gave it. Seriously, I need to The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-84209221525886610122013-02-26T08:21:00.002-06:002013-02-26T08:21:55.915-06:00My HOPE is in The Lord!Oh.my.goodness. Waiting is not my strong suit. We are still not DTC (dossier to China). We mailed the documents to the courier on February 7, 2012. Today is February 26, 2013. (for those of you using the Mayan calendar, I'm just catching you up. You might want to get a regular-folks calendar so you don't miss your trash pick-up day or your birthday or ya' know, like a day that ends in "Y") The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-25968838523256646362013-02-13T14:05:00.002-06:002013-02-13T14:05:13.626-06:00ValentinesOur dossier is cooling its proverbial heels with the courier. Little did I know, when we paid $75.00 to get it to the courier "first thing in the morning", that the courier would leave for the consulate before 8:30 A.M. I also didn't know that there would be an issue regarding our secretary of state having changed on February 1st. Apparently, the consulate may not have been notified that the The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-81814653302524455932013-01-29T22:58:00.000-06:002013-01-29T23:09:59.997-06:00Still waiting.....Seriously, it did not take this long to get the biometric (fingerprinting) appointments for Maisy's or Moxie's adoption. However, I'm not stressing as much as I would if I hadn't been learning to wait. I'm a very slow learner. We got the letter from USCIS saying that the application was received on 1/15 and that the biometric appointments should be issued in 10 to 15 working days. I almost The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-6391691861220661622013-01-22T14:44:00.000-06:002013-01-22T14:44:25.034-06:00Consumed.Lamentations 3:22-24 says Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion. Therefore, I will wait for him. Have you ever considered the result of being "consumed"? To be so overcome by grief or fear or hate that there is no going back, no opportunity to be whoThe Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-8630510785735447812013-01-15T15:50:00.000-06:002013-01-15T15:50:04.695-06:00Waiting Thankfully...God is so good, isn't He?!! Our indigogo campaign ended last night with a wonderful total of $2,800.00. What a blessing. Even after indiegogo and Paypal get their cuts, which are deserved, we still have enough to pay the USCIS fees!!! God's like that---providing what we need when we need it. I am so thankful! If you contributed to our campaign, bless you. I hope you reap 100 times what youThe Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-21661113951160265102013-01-10T13:13:00.001-06:002013-01-10T13:13:37.374-06:00Jesus is not my co-pilot!!Before the collective gasp sucks all of the oxygen out of the room and the intervention planning begins, allow me to explain!! I'm not denying my salvation, I'm stating a fact. Jesus is not my co-pilot because I am not the pilot. You see, nobody in their right minds would let me pilot anything. Not even a riding lawnmower. I get lost in parking lots, malls, (which I visit only when The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-20200944673302277912013-01-01T21:25:00.002-06:002013-01-01T21:25:43.927-06:00Can't see "my way" from HereI knew it would happen. I knew the time would come when I would wake up in a cold sweat wondering what in the world I think I'm doing. Why would we choose to adopt again so soon after bringing Moxie home. Where is the money to fund another adoption going to come from. What must other people think. Am I as crazy as some have said I am. And then, once the room stopped spinning and the The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-75450139259508744132012-12-27T18:23:00.001-06:002012-12-27T18:23:52.442-06:00WE GOT PA!!!!!!!!!!!I am so happy to announce that today we got Pre-Approval to adopt Patrick. Our agency said that PA could take a matter of weeks. Ours took 3 days. Thank you, Jesus.
I believe this adoption journey has stretched me the most. I have truly hit a wall on the independent path I've been walking most of my life. With Maisy's adoption, I spent 2 1/2 years planning and saving money and studying The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-38165566738784776452012-12-21T23:50:00.002-06:002012-12-22T00:01:41.611-06:00Go, Jesus!!! It's YOUR Birthday!!!! December seems like the busiest and shortest month of the year to me. Last December, I was telling myself, "This is the last Christmas without Moxie!" This year, it's the last Christmas without Patrick! I cannot imagine how great next Christmas will be with all my babies home and my baby boy having his first Christmas at 8 years old. It's a long time to wait, but, there is no doubt in my The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-87982500603888530462012-12-13T20:32:00.001-06:002012-12-13T20:32:19.499-06:00Our MiracleI don't take the word "miracle" lightly. Sometimes events are termed "miraculous" and they really aren't. Let's face it, a front row parking spot at W@l-Mart is nice (and unusual for most of us), but not necessarily miraculous. Then, there are times when I think the miraculous is overlooked and God's gift of providence is chalked up to luck.But, we, well, we have been given a The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-4296834898338898722012-04-28T00:19:00.001-05:002012-04-28T00:19:18.282-05:00There must be a reason...but, I don't know what it isOur social worker has decided not to approve us for a simultaneous adoption. She thinks, generally, that simultaneous adoptions are ill-advised. Frankly, I think she is a bully who has abused her discretion while on an incredibly long power trip. Releasing that precious boy's file was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I do not understand why God chose this The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-7224096207194129402012-04-23T14:52:00.001-05:002012-04-23T14:52:01.952-05:00She was always "Moxie"Sometimes I fret about not being able to see waaaaaaaaay far down the path God has set before me. I battle, just about every minute of every day, my Martha instinct to be constantly busy,doing stuff, fixin' stuff, bossin' stuff.... I want to be like Mary, learning at the Lord's feet. Just loving him. Way too often, I do something else. Then I recall my The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458348350762778492.post-78729329274399573372012-04-22T15:07:00.001-05:002012-04-22T15:07:27.484-05:00The Root'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09358595277188863296noreply@blogger.com1