Christmas 2009 and the year in review...

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!! We still have one more this Sunday at our house for Gary's Grandparents, with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Tom and the their family. We had a nice Christmas, very easy and not rushed.

We had our annual Christmas Eve get together with Gary's parents, and my parents, and my brother, and my other brother from Indiana and his family. Drank lots of wine and had really good food. Christmas day Gary and I get up and open our gifts from eachother and then go to my parents for breakfast. We take muffins and an egg souffle. We open gifts there and watch our nieces Jessica & Jodi open gifts. It was a lot of fun, and we got really nice gifts from everyone. A lot of nice gifts for Avery!! After that we come home and get our food that we take for dinner ready and go back to my parents for dinner, we only live 2 miles away. Had a mountain of food and tried some new recipes that everyone loved, had hardly any leftovers, which is good!

Later that evening we went to Gary's brother's house and checked in with them. We got a message this year on our answering machine inviting us up that evening for pizza, so we went up for some pizza, and we took leftover brownie trifle. It was nice to see Beth's brother Matt and his wife Katie and their son Ethan, and visit for an hour or so. We got to see what our nephew's got for Christmas and visited with Steve and Beth and everyone.

Then we went to Gary's parents for a bit, and kept dozing on the couch. I said to Gary we were great guests...I'd look at him and his eyes would be closed and I could feel my head start to nod. But it was nice visiting with his parents when they got back from their outing for the day.

We do Gary's parents Christmas the day after Christmas. We have a big breakfast and open gifts, and it's fun watching the Noah, Owen, and Sammy open their presents. We received many nice gifts from everyone, it was a fun filled day. Many nice gifts for Avery!! That evening my Mom, and Dad, and Gary & I, and my 2 brothers, Tom and Johnny, and my sister in law Liz, and our nieces Jessica and Jodi all went ice skating. Tom and his family were leaving on Sunday so we all went and had a great time. It had been years since I ice skated, and the girls had never been, but they did awesome!! Fun was had by all. We went to McDonald's afterward and had dinner and sundaes.

On Sunday Steve and Beth hosted a huge dinner for everyone, over 30+ people. A prime rib dinner, more wine, eggnog, and so much good food, and great company. A lot of fun!!! I was tipsy going home from the eggnogs and too much wine...  :)

It's always nice to spend time with family during the holidays. Avery got so many nice things from everyone. Her wardrobe just keeps growing and growing. I'll post some pictures of her presents later.

We would like to say to everyone a huge Thank you for all the gifts that they gave to Avery. For someone that is not here yet she is thought of in a big way. It makes us feel very lucky for the family we have and how lucky Avery will be to be a part of such a loving and caring family.

We hope and pray that this is our last Christmas without her. Please let that be the truth.

All in all a very good Christmas...it's always over so fast!!

A quick year in review...
•We made it out of the review room and into the matching room with our dossier.-Hooray!!
•Had our fingerprints retaken this year, and all medical documents updated.
•Had our social worker here again to write nothing had changed on our homestudy except Gary had gotten a pay raise.
•Gary actually got a new job, same place but a managerial position.-Hooray!!
•Gary's Dad and Mom have both retired this year.
•We have started a new business this year...the t-shirt printing business.
•My beloved cat of 20+ years now lives at my parents house, and I miss her terribly.
•We put new flooring in the breezeway.
•We re-did our upstairs hallway-still in process...
•We started work on the nursery, and now have the walls striped and the wainscoting up and maybe the floor by later today. Pictures to come...

I'm sure there's more but that's the highlights-the good stuff.

We have had a pretty good year. We wish everyone good health and good fortune in 2010.

We hope and pray that this is the year we meet our daughter and are able to start our family. We wish for the CCAA to get some speed in their referrals.-UGH!!!!

We wish for a lot of things for us and for our family and friends. Mostly love, family, happiness, and good health. May you always be surrounded by the ones you love!

Have a Happy New Year!!!
Happy 2010!!
The year of the Tiger


Love to everyone,
Alli

As Christmas approaches...

As it is Christmas Eve it is not lost on me that we don't have a little one running around the house excited for Christmas. We do have Avery's gifts unwrapped under the tree, and new ornaments for her on the "China" tree. 


 I pray that this be our last Christmas without a daughter to share it with. 


May you enjoy your families and appreciate the little things this Christmas. 


We wish you love and special memories!!




Sweet Daughter,

As a girl I had a common dream, to be a mom someday.
My baby would have eyes of green and hair like mine today.
But now my dreams have been transformed. New visions fill my head.
Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead.

And in my dreams those eyes are not so big or green or round.
Now in my dreams they're almond shaped and colored cocoa brown.
And in my dreams my arms can stretch across enormous seas.
They reach half-way around the world and hold you close to me.

As you grow in your mother's womb, carefully knit together,
you're also growing in my heart, where you will stay forever.
And in my dreams the moment that your mother says good-bye,
I'll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry.

Our features may not look alike; we're different as can be.
But still I know the Father has created you for me.
And though I've not yet seen your face, or held your tiny hands,
and though we're half a world apart in very different lands.

We'll be right there your Dad and I to get you just as soon as God allows.
But til He says the time is right I give to you this vow.
We'll pray for your protection every night on bended knee.
For God will hold you in His arms, until you're here with your Dad & me.


Merry Christmas Avery!! 
Your Mommy and Daddy and families are waiting for you to get here!!
May this be our last Christmas without you!!


Love, 
Mommy and Daddy XXOOXXOXO

CCAA News again...

Here's the latest information from our adoption agency on the progress of the dossiers in China...


•CCAA has finished reviewing adoption documents registered before February 29, 2008.
•CCAA has made placements for families whose documents were registered before March 31, 2006.




Last month they were:
• They had finished reviewing dossiers up to December 2007. So they've gotten through 2 months more...
• They had made placements to families with dossiers (LID's) up to March 2006. No progress here...   :(


The second bullet point is the one we want to see move quicker every month.
Too bad they couldn't move the actual referrals as quick sometimes as they do the reviewing of the dossiers.


Cross your fingers we see some movement next month!!!!!!


~Alli

Oh Christmas time...

It's that time of year I love and I also am not very fond of either. As I look outside today it is snowy and the wind is blowing, and it's cold, and it's the 2nd snow day for the local schools. I like snow, but I want it to snow on the night of our Christmas Show, Christmas Eve, and and on Christmas then go back to 70 degree weather. Guess I live in the wrong place...oh well. I hate making the decisions of whether or not to have classes, because it only means I have to make them up, and that takes weeks upon weeks. People don't understand unless they have their own business and make all the decisions what that's like. Most people have a boss that makes the decisions for them, they would understand better if they all of a sudden had to make the decisions and also deal with those consequences. Oh Winter...gotta love it!

Last weekend was our Christmas Show. It was great! The dancers all did a fantastic job...and our crowd was really good. Makes for a long week and a very busy schedule but with all the waiting I don't mind having to concentrated on something else. I had to deal with very selfish and not understanding people in my business last week, I try to remain neutral, and tried to be fair and very nice and honest but this person was mean and had blinders on and could only see what was good for them and not my Company-oh well! I stood up for my Company and that's all that matters. I'll post some pictures of show.

One thing I do notice is how much my kids depend on Gary and myself. We may not have children of our own but we have amassed so many children in our dance family over the last 15 years. We really do consider them "our kids". We are called Mom, and Mama & Papa Bear by our dancers all the time and it makes us feel great-we love our kids!!! I tell them how proud I am of them, and how they help make my Christmas brighter and help me to find the happiness in Christmas and the joy in Christmas because I really do not love Christmas like I used to...it seems empty, and I associate it with not having a child, and I get frustrated and a bit jealous when I watch everyone and their own families enjoy it so much. But I keep it all to myself and try to smile and carry on and probably sometimes I am not so good at it so I apologize.

I am in a major dilemma of trying to decide if my cat of 20 years needs to be put to sleep. She was with me when I lived with my parents and I love her so my Skimbleshanks. She cannot see very well, and doesn't hear very well, and she will not use the cat box, and it's just a mess, and she doesn't walk very well, and I'm just a mess trying to figure this out. In cat years she is 100, and has had a very full life. She has been with Gary and I since we have been together-20 years. I cannot have a rug in the kitchen because she messes on it, and I just think her quality of life is not good, and something has to be done. I really thought she would hang around until we got Avery. I know she's not in good health and I feel as if her days are not many, but I always felt like she was waiting for that, once we knew of Avery's arrival. But I am so upset of the thought of having to put her to sleep that I can't bear it, and the thinking of the situation and decision just puts me in tears every time. Especially this time of year. I don't know... :(

Our trees are up and our China tree looks great, we hung 2 more ornaments for Avery this year...we have a lot of ornaments on this tree as we have been waiting for her for 2 years and 5 months.

I sound so depressing today...sorry. Probably just decompressing from show week, and really just need some fun and down time.

I think I'm going to get it today, I feel a snow day at the studio coming on as the weather is treacherous today, and I don't want parents out in this weather. Maybe after my last round of PT today some hot chocolate and a movie sounds like a good idea.

Happy Holidays and would love to hear from people!!!
~Alli

Happy LIDversary to us again...

It's the 3rd of December. Our LIDversary!! I must say though between November and December the time for that month just flew!!! So that's really good I hope the next 9 months fly by too!!!

So we are at 29 months in. I am going with my next goal being 36 months to get too, and probably 9-10 months before we get really close to a referral (fingers crossed, and anything else you can cross to help us out).

Our dossier has been in China for 914 days!!!! 914 days...WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Let's see a elephants gestational period is what...28 months (It might be 22 months)? I think. So we're longer than that. If we could conceive the normal way we could have had at least 2 children by now. That's depressing.

I'm going to make a list of things that can get done or happen before you receive a referral in the China Adoption Program. After the show though...

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! We sure did. Went to Indiana, visited family, had 31 people at the Thanksgiving table. Visited with my Aunt Julie & Uncle Dale from Michigan, and their children who are now all grown up and have children of their own. Haven't seen them in years, it was so nice.

Took out my quilt squares to ask my Aunt and cousin Joanna how to get started and Mom and I are going to start after the holidays putting the squares together. So if you owe us fabric please get it to us as soon as possible.

Gary and I have almost got our Christmas shopping done. We have 3/4 of it done. I love Christmas shopping in Indiana. My Mom and my sister-in-law Liz, and my niece Jessica and myself did the Black Friday thing in Indiana. It was nuts!!! I think it was worse there than it was here last year when Gary and I went. But we had fun. Got up at 3:30AM and went shopping was home by 8:00AM. Then we went to Shipshe for the day-I love Shipshewana Indiana!!!!!!!

So we've been really really busy. Our Christmas Show is this week!! The dancers are doing great!!

Putting up the trees on Sunday!!!

At least this time of year we are super busy and don't have time to think about the 914 days that our dossier has been in China. But I did figure that up this morning...I was curious.

We did get Avery some stuff for Christmas. Can't help it...

With the faint view of a daughter in the distance, and the many hopes and wishes, and dreams of Christmas' to come with little feet romping around the house, and the giggles that I long to hear, I know she's coming, and the anticipation overwhelms me sometimes.

So, we will put her gifts unwrapped under the tree again. We will wait for the day when we will actually  wrap gifts for her and be able to see the surprise in her eyes, and see the wonder in Christmas again... as a family.

That's my wish...

Love to all!

Happy Holidays!!
~Allison