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