February Update

Here is the email we got today:

Hi Dad and Mom!
Your prayers are being answered because I am eating better and I am growing
and growing! I now weigh 12.23 pounds and am 22.25 inches long. I smile more
every day and charm everyone around me with my cooing. When I'm not smiling,
I'm sticking my tongue out...sometimes both! I sleep pretty well at night,
and don't fuss much. During the day I like to be bounced, or read to,
practice a little tummy time, and sometimes chill in a Bumbo.
I hope you had a blessed Chinese New Year!
Love, Eden

Chinese New Year

Highlights of last night were spending time with good friends, and making even more friends.  Seeing all of the little girls in their Chinese dresses made me look forward to seeing Eden grow up.  Also being encouraged by so many moms that have been through the exact things we are going through was heartwarming. Overall it was a great way to bring in the "New Year." We are looking forward to having Eden by our side next year.

Fun tidbit: Eden, Evan, and I were all born in the year of the rabbit.  Rabbits are slightly special for Evan and I for many reasons.  My family has called me the fluffy bunny for years, we have raised rabbits, we still have a couple rabbit stuffed animals and blankets from when we were both younger, and we have a slew of stuffed rabbits for her already.  On top of all of that we gave away the bunny bears to kiddos at church to be praying for children without moms and dads.  This was a response of one of the kids, one of the moms filled us in:

So my Roo has been carrying around this stuffed rabbit for a week, he takes it almost everywhere he goes.  This morning we were at Upwards, of course he's got the rabbit in tow and a big kid says why do you have that?  Roo says its to remind me to pray for the kids all over the world who don't have a Mommy, and I think that it would be terrible not to have a Mommy!

Oh, just knowing that our kiddos are praying for orphans is wonderful, but the fact that they are sharing their faith with others is awesome.  Thank the Lord for kids, and their childlike faith.

Care Package!

I just received this email this morning:

Dear Daddy and Mommy, thank you for my package.  My blanket is so beautiful
and I love my zebra outfit!
Love, Eden

that email came with this as well:

This is part of her care package we sent a while back. The blanket was made by Elizabeth and the clothes were some stuff her Aunt Leah, Aunt Jess, and Grandma Kari picked out. The bow was given to her by a friend of ours. I have decided that she is just like her mommy already. If you give her new clothes, then she's all smiles!

I hope Evan is this cool of a daddy some day,  as long as he stays away from the socks with sandals. The dad on the lawn mower reminds me of my own dad.

Adoption Petition

Go to: Adoption Petition

This petition helps adoption costs become refundable in 2012-2013 tax year.

The petition needs 5000 signatures they have over half at this point, but need many more.
Please sign the petition and consider sharing on your Facebook.  

Thank you, 

Evan and Izzie

If you build it they will come...

We have not only kept ourselves busy preparing a nursery we have built a playground too.  Evan has been planning and developing this playground for a couple years now for the church.  Along with around 27 workers we built the playground yesterday.  It was tough and messy, but very rewarding.  We still have the ground covering to put in, but that is for another Saturday.  I can't wait to see all of the kiddos at church play on it. We are especially looking forward to seeing little Eden play on it.  Oh, the memories that will be made.

The sweetest cookie lady from our church and I put the bells toy together.  We also put the wobbly sidewalk together with a lot of muscle from Evan.  

Here is half of the crew.  The two kiddos up front were the first to test drive the equipment, they approved.  The little boy said "That was my first time to ever be on monkey bars!" 

SOS and TECO done

My amazing husband has driven 600 miles this week to deliver and process our paperwork.  We thought we were going to have to go to Jefferson City and Kansas City this week.  Thankfully there was a Secretary of State office in Springfield.  Funny story about the TECO office: The doors were already unlocked before the scheduled hours.  Evan went right in and startled the little Chinese ladies.
Next part of the process is sending our paperwork off to Taiwan.
Thank you dearly to all of the adoptive parents that have helped us so much thus far.  We have treasured your advice and guidance.