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

I tag.............

Paige ,Lana, and hmmmmmmmmm......... Adria!!

I've been tagged!

OK, I have been tagged by my buddy Marilyn. I have to answer a series of questions -then I guess I choose someone elses blog and they answer the questions and they get "tagged". Ok so here goes! It's about my hubby and I.
His name -Jarrod Nathanial Mallory
How long have we been married?
16 years-seems like forever
How long did we date? We knew eachother for a year but I guess "dated seriously" for 4 months before we got engaged-then Married 6 months after that.
Who said I love you first-Oh this is funny-Jarrod kept saying we were only "friends" baecause he did not want to get serious. We saw eachother every day and well, kissed every chance we got!Hee Hee. Anyway, he handed me a note one day in the library, and signed it in Japanese-translated it said "I love you". He thought he was being COY! Little did he know I had a roommate that translated it for me -YEP the secret was out. I didn't tell him for some time as he kept the I love you's coming for several months-thinking I was clueless!
Who's taller? He is.
Who sings better? -I'd say me.
Who's smarter? Well, I am book smart (straight A's last semester) but I am so not mechanically or technologically inclined, he would win in that category for sure! He can just look at something and he has it figured out in 60 seconds flat!
Who pays the bills?-I pay mine and he takes care of the rest.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do if you are on the right while laying on the bed.
Who cooks?That would be me for sure! If it were up to him we would live on Yaki Soba(Japanese Noodles) with eggs and Miracle Whip---Can you say DISGUSTING????
Who drives? He does when it's the two of us. He is too much of a control freak to let me take the wheel!
Who's more stubborn? -OK.........I'll have to admit to this one- it's me.
Who kissed who first?-He did.
Who asked out 1st?-He did. Actually he was so nervous he had a mutual friend of ours(hi Bryan) pass a note in class to measking me if I'd go out that night with Jarrod. I wish I still had that note-ya know for proof!
Who proposed?-He did on his knees at the beach at night-very romantic. We still go back there whenever we can.
Who has more siblings? He does
Who wears the pants? In most practical ways it would be Jarrod. When it comes to the children and matters of the heart, it's definitely me. I can be a bossy "Momma Bear".

OK- Now you know more than you ever wanted to know about our silly little love life 17 years ago! But I have to say, we fell in love, got married and have almost 5 kids! Wow! Life is crazy!

Spotlight on Kai!

Kai, being the oldest and wisest of the kids has a beautiful perspective on this adoption. His eyes welled up when we broke the news and he has been concerned for Jonah ever since. He will be coming to China with us , as will Jack, and is planning carefully his approach to Jonah that first Gotcha day. He is aware it will be hard for Jonah to leave his SWI and the life he has known. I think Jonah will truly have an easier transition because of his brothers. Having a Mom and Dad is great for our new son ,but having these amazing, sensitive brothers is the real gift here! In fact, my recurring thought when I would stare at Jonah on his waiting child list before I even knew he could be our son(reluctant husband) was, " He would have 3 brothers and a Wii. Obviously he will blend right in and even have a Chinese sister to boot! Ready or not Jonah, you are joining a wild bunch! But it's a great bunch who love you to PIECES!!

Looking back at our journey to Mia

I can't believe it's been almos 2 years since this picture was taken. This was the day after "Gotcha" day in Beijing, China. She is now the queen of the castle in every way and we wouldn't have it any other way! She is spicy, bossy, compassionate and beautiful. She loves music, dancing and princesses. She also from time to time changes her name to "Sharpay"(from HS Musical ). She says several times a day...." I love you too Mommy". What a gift.

Here's our Boy

Here is the newest member of our family. Jonah Matthew Jin Zheng Mallory

Here we GROW again!!

We are a happy family of 6. Jarrod, Marianne,Kai, Jack, Ashton and Mia. Life is busy and about to get even busier, but that's the way we like it! On Christmas morning. Jarrod gave each of us an envelope. In each it had a letter. Put together, it spelled out Jasper. Jasper is the file name of a waiting child in China. His name is Jin Zheng and has been waiting far too long for his family to claim him . We excitedly did so on Christmas morning of 2007. We know he is ours and cannot wait to get him home where he belongs. He turns 6 on March 3rd. It is exciting to know that this will be his last birthday without a family and his last birthday in the orphanage. We have decided to name him Jonah(Jack still votes for Derek). We took lots of votes and had lots of opinions but we are down to those two. Mom likes Jonah so it will probably be Jonah!
We adopted Mia in June of 06 from Beijing, China and have found such joy in watching her grow and melt right into our family. She immediately fit in and gives her 3 brothers a run for their money. We are so grateful we have the opportunity to grow our family this way. It is a testament to the love out Heavenly Father has for his children and for forever families. We are truly blessed!