Look at her now

`ok

I was having just one of those days today and needed some time alone, so I sat down at my computer and started to rummage through my family pictures-the ones of the kids that always , always bring a smile to my face. Well, sure enouph as I stared at this picture of Mia I teared up. She came to us a little over two years ago. She was 22 months old and was our first adoption and our first girl. All of us were uneasy but so smitten by this little ball of fire. We have all been sucked in by her chortle of a laugh and have been charmed by her cheesy grin. She is bossy, girly and tough. She rules her brothers with the whip of her pink feather boa and loves every minute of it. She has welcomed Jonah with open arms as she does everyone who walks in the door. She was Phoebe on list 20 now she is Mia Mallory, a forever member of our family. Ups, downs and in betweens, she is why we had the desire to adopt again and go out on a limb. She has changed us all for the better and we hold on to her for dear life.

Enjoy the pictures!

Fear? What's that?

I found this and loved it. It impresses upon me that being the Mom to 5 crazy kids is not for whimps!!

Jonah and Jin Pei at Jinhua

This was taken with a disposable camera I sent in March for his birthday. Of course he is hanging out with Jin Pei. I have lots of others but most are just Jonah in front of various spots around the orphanage. They looked like those two "ruled the school". Jonah picked some goldfish out for Jin Pei today at the store. So cute.

Well, we are headed out on his first camping trip. We have been packing the trailor for 2 days now with lots of food and fun snacks. We have baked cookies and done all kinds of things to prepare. This morning in very broken english Jonah told me " I like camping" . I thought it was great he loves it and we aren't even out of the driveway yet!

Want some eggs with that HAM?

Well it has been 9 days home and Jonah is doing so well. He has brief periods of grief for the life and people he has grown up with. He is so brave and is taking all this change in stride. Here is an example of our son and his coping skills! He seems to love his new family and he is always hamming it up for us! I foresee a class clown in our future! I am so exhausted still as we have had a busy week with our local International Dance Festival. It was lovely housing part of the China team. We feel we got to enjoy an extended stay in China. Our emotions are on the surface as we are so grateful for the son we have home and the beautiful culture he has brought home with him.

MY TWINS

While we were in China, my good friend Sarah , who is a fantastic photographer, was watching my kids one day and decided to do a photo shoot. Here is just one of the darling pictures she took. She truly captured their relationship. They are best friends and Mia takes care of Ashton like a mother hen. Ashton is hearing impaired and she ALWAYS makes sure he hears everything- if he doesn't she will grab his face and repeat what he needs to hear. I did not teach her this- she just knows his needs and is always there like a sister should be. I shutter to think what life would be like without her, without him. Family is everything!!!!!!!!!!!!

Farewell

Well, the day is here where we say good bye to our CHI "family friends". It has been so wonderful watching these families form. What an honor!! I just love all the children and they will have a special place in my heart. We are so excited to come home to the states to be with our family and watch Jonah as he settles in to his new life. He is more loving every day and starting to show it in the cutest ways. He still has to be in the right mood to show affection but when it comes, you can see he really means it. We went shopping on the street today and he bought trinkets for Jin Pei and Ashton, Mia and for Jin Ming who he calls Ming Ming. So sweet. He talks about Jin Pei all the time . OH- I almost forgot! HE LOVES KETCHUP!!! He even tried to drink it after all his fries were gone! He loves bacon too. Yep....... he's a Mallory boy. He doesn't really like veggies which surprised me, being from the region he was in, but we will work on that when we get home! Speaking of home, We are flying out early tomorrow so I need to go to bed! I can't wait to have by babies at home in my arms again! Idaho here we come!!!

Jonah is in the house

Jonah is slowly getting more comfortable with his new family. He is still really quiet and a little weird around lots of people and in any public situation. Then when we are back together , just us as a family, he comes out of his shell and is quite a ham. He said I love you to me today after I told him I love you. He was only parroting me but it was still great! He is testing us with some interesting behavior but nothing that wasn't expected. He will figure out soon that we love him no matter what and will be comfortable with his new boundaries. I am already seeing progress. We are super busy here so I will make this short. 3 more days and we will be HOME!!!
Mare

Hey all !! We are in Guangzhou!! After quite a delay due to weather (rain, lightning and wind) in the Hangzhou airport, we finally took off to Guangzhou. We love Guangzhou and feel like it's a little piece of home here. Hangzhou was absolutely gorgeous and I definitely left my heart in Jin hua, but it is good to be here with the other families from CHI who have been waiting for their kiddos like we have. To see these new family bonds taking shape is exhilirating!! We had lunch at Lucy's and the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. After 10 days of chinese food (ok... I will admit we did have Mc Donalds a few meals) we loved the American fare at Lucy's. They have things like burgers, fries, quesadillas, BLT's and even apple pie!! Jonah had his physical today for his Visa and he was so brave! They did some poking and prodding but he was a champ. He is a real trooper. We then played in a local park for a while where I fell -which was evidently GREAT entertainment for Jonah- He laughed until he was in tears. I guess I'd do anything for a smile where Jonah is concerned , but that is not what I had on my list. No worries, I am fine and Jonah keeps asking me to do it again! I won't have pictures tonight- sorry!!!! My camera isn't charged enough to transfer the pics to the laptop so I will do it in the AM. Good night from China y'all! Thanks for your love and prayers! We love you!
Marianne

Happy Late Birthday, Marianne!

Definitely worth the wait, though, huh?????

Love,

Cynthia

Go read this

Make sure you scroll down all the way down to "older posts" and click on it. It will tell in detail more about our orphanage visit.

Where Jonah slept

This is Jin Pei's bed with the blanket from his momma on it and Jonah's is to the left of it. We did get back the blankets I sent over the last few months, including the one I made and sent via US Mail!! It was very well used so he did sleep with it!

Jin Ya

This is another one of Jin Ya. I tell of her in the long post below these pictures. Her parents died when she was young, but she does remember them so China considers her unadoptable because she has memories of her parents. I am on a mission to convince them otherwise.

Mavery on the run

This is Mavery, the spunky girl who did not want her photo taken. She too was woken up from her nap for our arrival and she wasn't having it- the photo shoot I wanted that is. She warmed up a little with a sucker from Jonah. Shannon, you have your work cut out for you! This girl knows what she wants!

Emma

Here is Emma, What a beauty she is and sweet too! She loved the little purple purse with legos we brought her. With those big eyes, I have a feeling she'll get anything she wants once she's home!!

Jin Pei and his backpack from Mom and Dad

Thanks for the cool stuff MOM!!!

" You woke me up for THIS?"

This is Peggy's Benjamin. He is a doll. He was woken up from his nap for our arrival and wan't real thrilled.

Her name is Jin Ya

OH MY HEART

Hello Everyone! We are on day 3 of having Jonah and he is so fun. He is opening up more everyday. I am finding that he gets very quiet around lots of people. He just freezes. I feel sad for him , but let me tell you, once it is just us back at our hotel the real Jonah emerges again. He sings, serves us water- he takes the glasses from the mini bar and pours each of us a glass, passes them out with pride and never drinks one himself. Jarrod says this is very traditional. He is playing up a storm with his brothers and is definitely all boy. He will fit right in! Last night he did the cutest thing. You see, every night he prepares his bed for bedtime with this little ritual of foling down his blankets perfectly and having his stuffed animals in place-all lined up and his pillow "fluffed" and put back in the perfect spot. Well, last night he did his little ritual and then looked over at my bed. He looked at me with those eyes as if to ask if he could just sleep with his Mama...... of course I said yes and he snuggled right in with a huge grin on his face. I think he has decided he likes having a mama. It boggles my mind how much he is just experiencing now for the first time. He waited 6 years to crawl in bed with Mom and Dad ? How many times in the last 6 years did he go to sleep lonely? I got to see his bed and it had a wooden bottom-much like a child bed but without a mattress, just a slab of wood with a bamboo mat on it. Next to his bed was Jin Pei's bed. I am so grateful they have had eachother. I am glad Jin Pei knows he will be home soon and can see Jonah. I knew who alot of the kids were at the orphanage because their files were sent to my agecy also and I keep in touch with all their mamas. They are no longer "pictures"of cute little kids, they are real ,beautiful human beings , orphans,who just lit up when they saw us. The are loved at the orphanage-it is apparent. However, you can see in their eyes that they wanted to be the one who got to go "Home" with their family. They were all beautiful, precious little people with little personalities of their own, a story of their own, and a purpose on this Earth. My heart broke as I had to leave. I pray for all my new little friends every day. I know some will get homes, some will not, but one thing is for sure, it changes you. Going there changes you FOREVER. Believe me when I say my wheels have been turning non stop since we left. There has to be a way to do more for these kids. One in particular, I will try to post her photo here is a beautiful girl 13 years old who is there because her parents died. She remembers them so for this reason, no one in China would want her and the Government assumed all these years that no one in America would want her either-just because she remembers her parents. She is 13- she is beautiful, friendly, very smart and kind, She should be shopping at the mall and crushing on boys for heaven's sake. I asked the orphanage director if there was a way I could convince the powers that be that there would be families out there in America who would feel as I do and they said YES!!! They said if I could get an agency to request her file, they would make sure her application was sent. They said it is in my hands because they have so many rules over them , but if the CCAA knew a family /families wanted her she would have a good chance of going up for adoption to that family. Of course my first thought was,"I will be back in 6 months" but I think my husband is out of money!! - I spent time with her and she is so lovely. I gave her a bracelet my MIL made for a gift and she lit up. I will do everything in my power to get her a home -(if it can't be mine). I hate to think of her future -She just needs a Mom and Dad to guide her and love her-she had that once and for unknown reasons, her family was taken from her life. -UHG!!

Well, I'd better go- The boys are doing great and so are we. I miss my babies at home terribly but we only have 6 days left! I love all of you and will post more tonight!

Two new pictures!!!!

Marianne has found a way to download photos!! It still takes forever, but she is starting to get them through! Yeah!!! Here is my Jin Pei with the ever-precious Jonah during the Mallory's visit to Jinhua....

The boys had on their matching Spiderman watches we sent them last month, and apparently they don't want to take them off!!! At Jin Pei's feet is the Diego backpack Marianne lugged all the way to China for us -- NINE pounds of goodies for our boy!!! She said he immediately ripped into the bag and stuck stickers all over his arms.

He will fit right in here!!!

And here is a photo of what our sons do best -- hang out with the girls!!!

Marianne and I will have to discuss the best way to barricade our homes from teenage girls in a few years!!!!

Enjoy. She said she will be sending more later tonight, but I have to get some sleep -- I have been living in two opposing time zones since Sunday!!!! If I keep this up, I will already be on China Time by the time we leave to pick up Jin Pei!!!

Cynthia

Jonah is a HAM

We have had quite a day! We went to his SWI and our boy wouldn't even look at us all the way there. He was silent! He had a good time once we got there and saw his best friend Jin Pei and all the other kids. He passed out the toys we bought yesterday for the SWI as well as some candy and cookies. He took Jin Pei's backpack and made a beeline from the parking lot to Jin Pei. Sooo cute!He was very proud to be passing out the goods to everyone! He was very meticulous and made sure no one was left out! OK, so it was time to go. We got to stay a long time. I got lots of pictures and video ( I will post them soon-just have to figure out why they won't leave my computer). I got to hug and kiss all the kids. The director was very kind and let me ask about each one and was eager to share any information. OK- so as I said, it was now time to go andI was wondering how he would be-would he want to stay? Did he spend a day with us and decide it wasn't working for him? He had been soooo cold all day. I just wasn't sure! Well, he waved good bye like nothing, climbed in the van, climbed up on my lap !! Not really a snuggle but more than I had gotten all day:) Well, it took about 30 minutes and he BURST INTO SONG!!!!! He sang and sang and sang! It was so cute. Then he started feeding everyone, making silly faces and started to talk about "Diego" (the boy on Jin Pei's backpack) For two hours he would not stop! Our Jonah has shown his hammy side and is happy I think to be with us. What a brave little boy!

Finally Brothers!!!!!!

12 more hours

In 12 hours we will be a family of seven! I am so grateful our wait is almost over. I just want to hug and kiss my little boy. We really like Hangzhou. It is a beautiful city!! I hope I can sleep tonight. I will be loading lots of pictures tomorrow. We love all of you and can't wait to share our day tomorrow with you all!
Mare

The gang's all here!!!

(...assuming Jarrod took the photo!!)

:-)

By my calculations, I believe tomorrow U.S.A.-time is Jonah Day!!!!!!

Love to the Mallory Fan Club,

Cynthia

And a photo from Guangzhou!

Hello everyone!!! This is Cynthia, Jin Pei's mom, and I will be helping the Mallory gang by posting photos and messages if they can't get them on the blog themselves....

If you need to reach me, I am at carawen@centurytel.net.

And here is a message from Marianne I received this morning!

***********************************
Sorry to be out of touch for so long but we have been on the overnight train from GZ to Shanghai. It is a 17 hour train ride. It was soooo fun! The soft sleepers are anything but soft but it was so fun to see the country side and hang out with typical Chinese people just doing their thing! GUESS WHAT??? On the way to Shanghai we stopped in JINHUA!!!!!!!!!!!! The stop was quick-5 minutes or so just to let passengers on but I just about flipped my lid! My heart about burst! There are lots of little boys around us it seems and they are so cute! The food has been good and we are having a ball. I feel out of touch though because of our travelling but tomorrow we will be in Hangzhou (by tomorrow night) and will stay put so we can post every day. I will send you pictures of us in GZ tonight when we get back. We are going swimming. It is like 103 degrees outside here and humid so a dip in the pool will feel great. Later we will take a taxi to “Old Town” and see some sights. Hope all is well. Will post pictures tonight.
Love from Shanghai!!!!!!!!
Marianne

************************************

We are in CHINA

Hey all! We are just checking in! We have been here for 2 days and have covered lots of miles by train getting from Guangzhou to Shanghai. We got to see lots of countryside . Jarrod loved seeing all the farm ground. What an adventure as we took an overnight train ride across the eastern coast of China. It took 17 hours but it was worth it. We had a sleeper car and figured it was a once in a lifetime adventure and it WAS!! I am so exhausted and SO need to go to bed so I will try to load some pictures of our trip so far. #^ more hours and we will meet our son. Please pray for him and for us as we begin this journey with our little " Emperor".
Love from Shanghai!!

The cutest one yet

more picture -zommed in by my good friend Cynthia

more pictures

Here are more pictures of Jinhua Social Welfare Institution #1 and the kids who live there. Soon they will have one less orphan!!! Jonah , Mommy , Dadddy, Jack, and Kai are coming!!

A WONDERFUL SURPRISE

A friend on my yahoo group of other Jinhua families took these pictures just yesterday. They are there picking up their daughter who is not much younger than Jonah. Her name is Autumn and she is sooooooo darling. She has done remakably well and they had a great day visiting her friends at the orphanage. Thank you so much to Autumn's family for taking these pictures! Of course every picture Jonah and Jin Pei (his best friend) are sitting together! Oh , also, the director of the orphanage told them that Jonah likes to sit next to Autumn at lunch time especially when they are serving shrimp-Autumn doesn't like shrimp so she gives it to Jonah!!! How cute is that!!! We leave a week from today! Enjoy the picture! Jonah is the cutie in the black shirt. I will post more pictures tonight.

We're leavin' on a jet plane...............

I am THRILLED to announce that after 6 months of paperchasing and longing to be with our son, we have finally jumped through the last hoop and we are leaving in 11 days!!!!! We have our flights arranged and our bags are starting to get packed. We are floating around here with huge grins as we know Jonah will be with us very soon. We will leave for China July 2nd and arrive July 3rd. We fly into Guangzhou and will stay there for a night. The we will take a train to Shanghai where we will spend two days then finally on to Hangzhou, Zhejiang China where we will be given our son on July 7th! The Chinese say that Hangzhou is "Heaven on Eath". It will actually be the 6th in the US that day which is my BIRTHDAY!! So what better gift? The timing has been smooth and everything has fallen into place impecably. We have been so blessed. Don't you worry......Jonah has been packed for 2 months now and I have enjoyed throwing fun stuff in his suitcase every now and again these last several weeks as I wait.. He is packed in one of his Grandma Bonnie's suitcases. I figured she doesn't need it in Heaven and it will be a way to remind us she is with us for this big event in our lives. So off I go for now, I have plenty to do to prepare for the trip! We will post video every day from China so you all can follow our amazing journey to Jonah! Cheers!!

Little Qiu

This is a little girl in Hunan China.Her name is Hiu. She is an orphan and has a very complex heart condition. She is about Emily's age (my neice 3.5yrs) and is described as a sweet friendly girl. An American foundation called "Love Without Boundaries" is a non profit I have come to know very well in the last couple of years. Every now and again they have a child in URGENT need of a procedure. She is one of them RIGHT NOW AS I TYPE. Love without Boundaries has provided Medical care and fostering for orphans in China for a very long time and are highly regarded by China and the "adoption world" in China. In fact my friend who lives in China on her own money is carrying the torch near an area hit by the recent earthquake. They are not an adoption agency. I do know that many of these kiddos do gain enouph health to go on and be put up for adoption. I have a friend leaving in 8 days to go get a gorgeous little girl whi I helped ( just a little ) last year- Baby Ni. She is ALIVE and going to have a ling life and a family. It is a great feeling to see a little person you helped come home and enjoy a wonderful future with a family of their own. Anyway, I just donated 10.00 to the little girl above. I know it's not much but in China it goes a long way. We as a country are so blessed even with the economic struggles we have right now as a country, we live like kings compared to these people and Orphans asre just that, orphans!

If you want to learn more and donate , no amount is too little. Go to
www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/SponsorMedicalChild.cfm

Explanation of bottom two photos

ok- In all the excitement , I forgot to explain the bottom two pictures in that last post! ( I am BLONDE) . The one of the cute little ones at the Orphanage is significant. Jonah is the cutie on the left in the gold sweater taken in March. This is the picture I look at every day and hope he knows how much he will be loved. I pray he knows we will treat him like the little "emperor" he is. Right now it is Thursday in China and he is probably at school with his best friend Jin Pei. I hope they know they will always be in touch... that that part of their lives will not change. Then I realized that we will tell him ourselves in just a few short weeks!
OK- the pic above that one is of me answering the all important email asking for our consulate date! In the adoption world, that's like officially going into labor!! So........ for anyone thinking adoption is easier than pregnancy......think again!!
I am feeling so many emotions right now my head is spinning and my heart is just beating so fast it feels like it's going to POP out of my chest! Thank you all my friends and family for loving Jonah too. You have no idea how much we treasure you ALL.

Our" big news" day

Well, it was the day we had been waiting for ! We got TA ( Travel Approval from China) and guess what? No one was home to go crazy with me except the babies so we had a party in our own little "Private Idaho" and sat on Jonah's bed to celebrate!! Here are a few pictures of our little celebration as we got our big news! I am one blessed Momma today and I am so grateful for ALL of my children!!

WE HAVE TRAVEL APPROVAL

WE HAVE TRAVEL APROVAL!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE COVETED PIECE OF PAPER FROM CHINA THAT SAYS "COME GET YOUR CHILD!!!" WE ARE OVER THE MOON!WE ARE PLANNING ON LEAVING FIRST OF JULY !!

WE HAVE THE HONOR OF KNOWING JONAH'S BEST FRIEND IN HIS ORPHANAGE-WELL THROUGH HIS ADOPTIVE PARENTS TO BE!!! THIS PICTURE IS JIN PEI AND JONAH. THEY HAVE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE THEY WERE BABIES !! THEY WILL LIVE A MERE 600 MILES AWAY FROM US AND WE ARE ALREADY PLANNING GET TOGETHERS!!

Below is Princess Mia

Below is Jonah's little sister Mia Grace Yan Ping Mallory. Two years ago tomorrow we were at the gates of her orphanage in Beijing ,China . We walked in and were handed the most beautiful little person who does not let a day go by without telling he she "wuvs" me . Our lives have never been the same. Adoption has opened our minds and hearts to an incredible journey. We walked out of that building with our little treasure full of spunk and joy. As I contemplate that day this morning, I know how many orphans are STILL there. No mom or dad, often experiencing pain and loneliness without anyone to hold them. I can't even think about it without crying. I will always have a hurt in my heart for all the orphans left behind. If you have ever contemplated adoption even for a moment, it is a powerful gift and will change you in the best of ways.
Mia, we love you sweetheart! We thank our Heavenly Father for giving us the opportunity to be your family forever! Our lives came together for a reason and WE are the lucky ones dear little girl. -Love Mom and Dad , Kai, Jack Ashton and soon..Jonah!

TWO MORE DAYS TO ENTER

Today is June 4th which means there are only two days left to buy a raffle ticket for Jonah's Village! Tickets are 5.00 and you can enter as many times as you'd like. The prize is a 200.00 gift card to TARGET!! A ll procedes will go to Jonah's orphanage directly when we go there at the end of the month. The orphanage depends on these mandatory donations (3,000 from the adoptive family) for many things we take for granted. Many orphanages have no refrigerators, none have heat, food is rationed and there is always a shortage somewhere of basics like diapers, formula blankets. Our Jonah has been blessed directly by families in the past while waiting for his forever family. He has been there for 6 years and I wish I could hug everyone who has ever helped my son. I can't wait to see who the lucky winner will be, though ultimately it will be the sweet children who are still waiting to have a forever family. Children who are with Jonah right now. So, thank you so much if you have already chiped in and if you haven't .........skip Taco Bell today and go for it!! :)
If you scroll down you will see the chip in box, just click on "chip in" and it will take you through it. It really is so quick and easy. Again, thank you so much for helping Jonah get home:)

Truly inspiring

As I got up this morning, going about my day it seemed typical. Jarrod is gone for another week, the kitchen is ALREADY destroyed,the babies decided to empty the bath tub for me but NOT down the drain, nope they prefer the floor. I miss Jonah, I miss my sister, and it's not looking like there is too much hope of a sunny day, AGAIN! Boy did I feel like a shmuck when I saw this on my adoption yahoo group for kids with limb differences. LOOK AT THIS KID!!!!!!!!!! Then I DARE you to think for one minute that YOU can't conquor the world! He certainly has!!!
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24839261#24839261

WE HAVE LOA

We are so happy to announce that we have LOA!!!!!!! What is it? It is an official document from China basically indicating they have processed our paperwork and asking us if we still desire to adopt Jin Zheng (Jonah to us). Of course without hesitation we signed the paper and immediately sent it off! China should have it by now and we expect Travel Approval in about 2 weeks!!!! Travel Approval or "TA" is the golden ticket in the adoption world telling you to "come get your child ASAP". I can hardly believe the wait is almost over. I am one excited momma and have been worrying about him alot lately. I wonder if he is scared with all the shaking going on. I know he is safe and well , but I still will feel alot better when he is safe and well AT HOME!!!!!!!!! Off I go to nest some more! Bye for now!
Momma Mare

Our baby boy is OK

You may have heard of the devastating earthquake in China . It has killed thousands of people including many ,many children. The province and surrounding provinces has had schools aand hospitals crumble to the ground, all full of unsuspecting children. I am so saddened thinking how many villages are totally wiped out, probably forever. I am aching for the parents who have lost their only child(as you are allowed only 1). My heart hurts for those who are still waiting for help in remote towns where all they can do is watch their loved ones die. Please pray for these people. We are after all, all brothers and sisters. Jonah's orphanage is ok and all is well there. They probably felt it , but they did not sustain any damage. Many have been concerned about the virus going rampant there and the safety of our precious waiting children. I will have an answer soon about the status of his orphanage. I feel in my heart he is well and will be protected until we can bring him home.

Jonah's Angel

Today as I lamented the fact that I am not with my Jonah in China and he has gone another day without his family, I contemplated the fact that there IS a very special Angel in his life that CAN look in on him . This person is his Grandma Bonnie.( My awesome, wonderful, caring, creative, smart, beautiful , friendly, compassionate mom!!) She was called home to our Heavenly Father 11 years ago.Not a day goes by that I don't miss her. I always wondered why she had to go until I realized she could be watching over my children when I can't. I know in my heart that she does . So tonight I want to recognize her presence in our son's life now and forever. ....... I love you Mom! She is the beautiful woman in the picture below the "sister" picture. She is on the right. These were taken while Mom and my sister Paige visited me at college ( many years ago:) ) These memories will never leave me. Life is great! I am a lucky sister and daughter!

chip in

Jonah's 6th Birthday!!

Jonah turned 6 March 3rd so in Feb I had a package sent over with all kinds of fun stuff. Well another Mom who just adopted her daughter from his orphanage sent these pictures from a disposable camera she sent the orphanage while she was waiting to get her daughter. You never know if the camera will even be used or kept . It was and it had JONAH'S BIRTHDAY party on it!! They DID get the package and did get him a cake with the money that was put in there. He is wearing the jacket I sent and I am told he shared the bag of candy with all his friends and the nannies. (That's my boy!) So it is with great joy I post these precious pictures of my Jonah at his orphanage having what would be no doubt his FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!! Momma's coming sweet boy!

Chip in

"The Widget" Enter for the Target drawing!

I thought I'd move this to a more user friendly place. This is for the Target Giveaway that is helping us bring Jonah home as well as helping his orphanage with the manditory 5000.00 donation to HIS orphanage. I know that many people before us have helped our Jonah directly through this, so I am honored to help someone else's child who remains behind. Hopefully , it won't be long until they have their own forever family as well. Read on below to know more about the details.!

OK TArget it is! Go " Chip In "

I have decided that the lucky winner of our "give away" will receive a Target gift card for 200.00!! Everyone loves target and we love Jonah so lets get going! To donate to the "Jonah Fund" just scroll down to the "Chip In" and click on the chip in button. The suggested donation for a raffle ticket is 5.00. If you donate 20.00 you will be entered 4 times so enter as many times as you want! I chose Target because anyone can find something they need at Target! I am so grateful to all my family and good friends who have supported us from the start and love every one of you! My little boy is coming home! He has us wrapped around his perfect little finger! Again, thank you so much for your support in helping us bring Jonah home! I am so excited to see who wins the big prize! Here's how it works. We will keep the raffle open until June 1st. At that time we will take all the names and make a ticket for every 5.00 donation. We will then draw a name and mail you the gift card. The donations will go towards the mandatory orphanage donation to our son's orphanage hand carried by us to Jinhua when we pick him up! Oh how I wish that was NOW!!

My Baby is on the left in gold striped sweater

I can't believe this picture was taken 2 weeks ago! The picture we have from his file is a year old! Oh my heart is going to explode!!He is so tiny! The boy in the grey sweater is his best friend named Jin Pei. They are together in every picture. The great news is he is coming home to Oregon just a few months after Jonah comes home to Idaho! They will get to remain life long friends!! Jin Pei is 5 and Jonah is 6 but my Jonah is so tiny it looks like Jin Pei is a good year older than he is!! Oh they will have fun this winter! We are planning a get together with his family as soon as they get home! Oh my goodness, someone get me to China NOW!!!!!!!!!
The good news is that we are officially "DTC" meaning China has all our clearances and paperwork and we have been pre approved as his family. Now we just wait for Travel Approval and we are off! (That is if I don't get myself a boat and row there RIGHT NOW!!!) We hope to get on a plane in June some time! Jack my 8 yr old teared up when he saw this picture this morning and said, " Mom he is going to be my best friend". I believe they will be!

While I am trying to decide on an item for our giveaway(I intend to launch it Monday morning!)I thought I'd share this funny picture. It has been on my screensaver for a couple weeks now. It occured to me that it depicts exactly our individual feelings/anxieties about our upcoming trip to China!! LOL ! I am one happy Momma! I grin ear to ear whenever I think about Jonah finally coming home. While Jarrod shares in the love for Jonah, he is seeing the sacrifices financially that will need to be made and as the breadwinner he is a tad bit stressed. I have to tell you a secret though. He made the comment to me about 6 months ago that when THE child comes along , who is meant to be ours, he would do ANYTHING to get him/her home. His heart is pretty big! I am a lucky woman!

I need ideas friends!!!

OK, I just found out that the donation is now likely to be 5,000 required now instead of the 3,000 for the orphanage donation. It has not increased in 16 years so I can see why but I have to come up with an extra 2,000 by late June. And in case you didn't notice my "chip in" has not taken off like I had hoped. I want to make this fun and more successfull So I am going to have a raffle. I have friends who are adopting a special needs child from China too and on their blog they are raffling off a Nintendo Wii. One "ticket so to speak is 5.00 and so if they donate say 10.00 to the "Chip In" they are entered twice. The Wii will come out of the fund and be shipped via UPS to the winner. Their raffle has done very well so they are closer to bringing their darling little girl home. I need an idea. I am trying to decide what I can raffle off. What do you all want a chance at winning? I have some ideas. I will list them. Leave your comments and help me decide! If you have a suggestion I would love to hear it. My son is on the other side of the globe and it kills me every day. His braces on his legs are too small causing bruises, he needs his Mom and Dad, he needs his brothers, he needs to run around on our sod farm and get all dirty. He needs to meet his Mom's amazing friends and his new great extended family. Please , spread the word about the raffle and have fun with it. Even a little bit can make a big difference! Thank you so much for being a part of our life!
ok- I'll make my list of ideas now so I don't babble on and start to cry!!
1. Wii
2. 4 sessions with the greatest new "Food Coach". (that would be Me)
3. 200.00 worth of gas.
4. A family photo session with Sarah Stokes Photography -
5. 200.00 gift card to "Pottery Barn Kids"
6. A custom made scrap book ready for the pictures-could be a baby book, a life book or whatever you choose!!
7. Maid service(If you live in the area) for a month.(once a week)
8. Target gift card worth 200.00
9.An Ipod and a music download gift card.
10 A digital camera

OK there are some of my thoughts. Give me feedback and I will get this up and running! I can't wait for you all to meet and love our little boy! Now lets help him and other kiddos in his orphanage-they deserve heat, food, education and love . Let's go help!!

What is Jonah's Orphanage Fund?

I will explain. Part of the process of adopting from China is a manditory donation of 3,000 to the orphanage. It is NOT the fee that goes to the Chinese government for processing the adoption. It is actual cash we physically deliver to the orphanage. The Chinese government does not give funds to the orphanages to survive or provide the needed food, clothes, medicine, and staff. That is left up to the local provincial government. This is leaving the orphanages in all kinds of bad situations as most provinces are not wealthy and the orphanages are not on the top of the list for them ,remembering that orphans are not really considered "real citizens". Culturally they are an embarassment and ignored whenever possible. Some orphanages have no refrigerator and MOST do not have heat! They simply cannot afford it. So this fund is helping us bring Jonah home and it is aiding the children who Jonah has lived with his entire little life DIRECTLY! We know this adoption is of the Lord and no matter what he will provide a way. He loves his children and we are honored to bring this beautiful little guy home........forever.
Mare

Update from Jonah's orphanage

Hello! I have been so busy working on our paperwork for China I forgot to give an update on our Jonah!! We got an email from a contact we have in China that he got our B-day package and he is now aware of us! Yes, he was "so excited" says the nannies. He shared the candy with everyone and is very happy about his MOM and DAD coming to get him . He has seen lots of friends leave with their famiies and has always been left behind but no more! We are beyond thrilled to have him as our son and can't wait to grt to China. The contact also said he is a favorite of theirs and he is cute and smart! They said he is also friendly with everyone, adults and children alike. He likes to be outdoors and he LIKES GAMES!! I knew he'd fit right in! Yep, he's a Mallory!
Marianne