1 week until take off!!

This time next Thursday, we will be heading to Dulles to catch our plane to Taiwan. Wow, time has gone really fast--I can't imagine how people get ready with only a 2 weeks notice:0 Although we have not packed yet, I have made a list of everything we need to pack so that it will go quickly. It still seems unreal that in less than 12 days, we will have our baby girl in our arms!

The boys are super excited and asking lots of questions. Cody has spent some time during spring break working on the schoolwork he will miss while in Taiwan and he has not even complained one time:) Kale will be in the air during his birthday (April 20) and he is thrilled beyond belief that he will be flying for his birthday. Keegan loves to tell everyone he's getting a baby sister.

I have spent some time this week adding finishing touches to Chloe's room. Last night, Jonathan brought her mattress home and we put it on the bed along with her sheets. It looks really good!

My sister is getting married in May and she brought Chloe a dress to wear for the occasion. It is really cute and we cannot wait to see her in it. My dad will get to meet her for the first time the weekend of the wedding. Wonder if he will take her to the Dollar Tree???

Well, we have some more pictures, so I thought I add these as well. So, sit back and enjoy!!

March update pictures

Tonight, we received the latest Chloe pictures. These will most likely be the last we will recieve. In exactly 2 weeks, we will be leaving to head to Taiwan!! Wow, time sure has flown by. We have lots to do to get ready, but hope to accomplish most of it next week during spring break. She is now 32 inches and 29 lbs. She has also had a haircut. I am hoping they do not cut it anymore as I have lots of hair clips to use:)

Surprise, surprise!!

I am not a fan of being surprised. So, with that said, I have been surprised not once but twice in the last few weeks.

On March 23, we had a workday at school. It began with a wonderful breakfast and then a staff meeting. The meeting had officially ended, but then Ginger, a friend and fellow teacher, said wait a minute, one more thing. I turn around to see what she is doing and I see a big basket. Ok, I know I am a little slow, but it took me a few to realize it was for me. Yep, my wonderful friends at Riverview had got me!! I was very red and even had a few tears. They had gathered items to fill a basket with different items for the boys (for the trip) and lots of gift cards to buy things for Chloe. WOW, it was a great surprise!! I had lots of fun buying many pink outfits and items she will need. The boys loved the basket full of things for them and were glad to be included.

Now to the second surprise. Last Saturday night, our Pillar women had a scrapbooking night at Recollections in Woodbridge. Jennifer and I had lots of girl time that afternoon. We had worked hard on using all the gift cards I had received. Well, it was time to go scrapbook and Jennifer said it is ok if we are late. I was bugging her to leave the store so we could get to the scrapbook store on time. She was stalling, but I didn't realize why. Finally, we arrived at Recollections (late) and there were all the ladies and the surprises. They were giving me a shower. Once again, Chloe got lots of needed items including a beautiful quilt made by our very own Pillar lady, Mrs. Eileen. I also received an Ergo carrier (which by the way, I had "found" on Friday night, but that's another story). Bonding by attachment if a big deal so we are hoping to "wear" Chloe to help aid in that bonding. Our wonderful friend and cake decorator, Tracee, made a wonderful cake with a picture of the USA and a plane flying to Taiwan. It was too cute!! Thanks to all of our wonderful friends who helped with the surprise and all the gifts. We love you guys and cannot wait for Chloe to meet yal.

It's a God thing!

Jonathan was scheduled to be off the same week as spring break. Since we will be traveling the week after, he needed to switch weeks. He went in and told his boss and his boss said that was not going to work. A co-worker, Chris, walked in and said something to Jonathan about needing spring break off. So, then Jon said well I need to work that week, but I need a different week off. Chris said I'll switch with you; my week is April 26 - 30. Jon could not believe that -- it is the exact week he needs off!! Can you see God's hands in all of this??

It gets better!! We also knew we would need off April 20 so we could fly out on Thursday night. Again, his boss said no way, too many people off unless Chris C. is going to work that week. Jon called him and guess what, he was going to work that week and told Jon he could take that day.

So, now after all this waiting and wondering when we would go, we know God already knew and had everything planned. Our God is an AWESOME God!!

PINK EVERYWHERE!!

Well, this past weekend, my wonderful friend Jennifer and I painted Chloe's room. And of course, what else would we paint it but PINK!! We had picked out her bedding awhile back and we matched the pink and green in it to paint the walls with. Three walls are pink and one wall is green as is the inside of the closet. I'll make a trip to IKEA this weekend to get her sheer curtains to put up over window and over closet door. We still have a few things to do in there, but the biggest part is now over. Check out Chloe's room!!

We will post more when we add the final touches!! It seems weird to have a pink room, but also to have the room ready. We both are still amazed to walk by and see our little girls room.

WE ARE TRAVELLING!!

Well, last Wednesday night (March 21) I was sitting here working on the computer. I was getting ready to go to bed, but checked my email one last time. I had an email that said "TRAVEL DATES" from Laura. It was there 2 times. I got up looking every where for my phone to see if I had missed a call. Jonathan is wondering why I am acting like a crazy person and then realizes why. I had not missed a call, but promptly called Laura. We chatted for a little while about everything we needed to do. So, here goes our info . . .

We will fly out of Dulles on 4/19 at 7:30 pm and land in LA at 10:30. We will fly out of there at 1:30 am to head to Taiwan via EVA Air. We will arrive in Taipei, Taiwan on 4/21 at 6:30 in the morning. Keep in mind, there is a twelve hour time difference. It will take us about 3 hours to clear the airport there. Then, we will have a driver waiting to take us to another airport so we can hop on a plane to Tainan. By the way, our trave agent was wonderful! Thank you, Todd!!

We will be staying at the Hotel Tainan that our agency books for us. We will be there Saturday, Sunday, and on Monday morning, April 23, we will meet our little girl at St. Lucy's. This will be such an exciting time for all of us.

We are very lucky as we get to experience all of this with another couple, Matt and Molly, from FL who are there to bring home their little boy, Malone. We met through our yahoo groups and had realized we were in the courts at the same time. Who knew we would actually meet our little ones at the same time:) After some emailing back and forth, we also realized we fly back out to the US on the same flight.

After meeting Chloe, we will fly back to Taipei that night. On Tuesday morning, we have our AIT appoinment. This is where we will finalize many things and they will prepare Chloe's VISA. One of us will return the next day to actually get her VISA.

While in Taipei, we will stay at the Dong Wu. Another yahoo member recommended this hotel to us. It is very near several places we would like to see.

While in both cities, we will do as much exploring as our children allow. Many people have given us great advice on places to see, shop, and eat. We will definetely try some authentic food.

We will fly out of Taipei on Friday night at 11:30 pm. Yes, you read that right, 11:30 pm!!! That will make for a long night. Our hotel has given us a much later check out so we don't have to tote our luggage around all day and we have a place to crash. We will arrive back at Dulles on Saturday, April 28 at 7:30 am.

Everyone around here is very excited. I have had to repeat our flight info and take off times over and over for our boys. They ask everyday several times a day to tell them all the info again. We are going to make a "Countdown to Chloe" calendar so they can see how much longer.

Anyway, we are thrilled to finally know when we will get our baby girl. It still does not feel real yet. I bet it will when she is in our arms!

Papa and the Dollar Tree

So, my dad loves to take the boys to the Dollar Tree. Not only do the boys enjoy it, but Papa also does. This past Christmas, Papa gave the boys $25 gift cards to the Dollar Tree. We go quite often and the boys are allowed to buy a few items at a time. They all still have money on the cards. Well, one Friday night recently, we visited the Dollar Tree. They had put out some new things. The boys were thrilled. All three bought bats, batting gloves, and then one got bases and the other 2 extra balls. The next morning as soon as they got up, they were ready to head outside. We made them wait a little while since it was a chilly. Eventually they got dressed and headed outside to play ball. They had so much fun playing ball. Check them out!!

I've Got Friends in Low Places. . .

Well, one night the Clifton's and the Davis' were at Burger King eating supper. A song by Carol King came on the radio. Well, let's just say Clint started right up. See for yourself. . .

Hope you all enjoyed Clint's performance. We sure did!!!
Jenn and Jon

The kiddos

Keegan

Kale

Cody

Chloe

Family visit

Last night, Nana Jo, Granddaddy, Uncle Ronnie, and Aunt Rose joined us in Virginia. They came to watch the boys play basketball and to celebrate Keegan's birthday. We all had lots of fun and enjoyed spending time with everyone. The boys had a great time!! When a birthday is celebrated Nana Jo style, everyone celebrates. So, not only did Keegan get birthday presents, but so did the other 2 boys. Keegan received a new Nascar Leapster game, a cowboy movie, pj's, shirt, and a few other things. The other 2 also recieved pj's, movies, and shirts. Then, before going to the game, we went to Walmart where they bought more cowboy stuff. (I didn't know there was stuff they didn't have?!?!?)

Before we left the house, I made everyone take some family photos. I am really bad at remembering to do this, but am trying to get better. So, I have included pictures from our "shoot".

We really enjoyed the visit and hope to see you guys soon!!

Just wanted to share. . .

Tonight I was checking email and Laura had sent one out letting us know we had new update pictures. She had posted January and February updates. So I have included a few of these.

As of February, Chloe was 81 cm(32 inches) and 12.6 kgs(28 lbs.) She is getting very big!!

This weekend Nana Jo and Grandaddy are coming to visit to see the boys play basketball and to celebrate Keegan's birthday. Can you believe it???? Keegan will be 7 years old next Monday!! Wow, it is hard to believe he is already 7! Kale will be 6 next month and then Cody will be 9 in May. Our little boys sure are growing up. The next few months will be very busy.

At Christmas, Papa gave the boys gift cards to Dollar Tree. This is the boys favorite store to visit. On Friday night, we went and they bought bats, balls, bases, and batting gloves (and book lights:). Saturday morning as soon as they were up they were ready to head out to play ball. They had a great time playing baseball. Thanks, Papa!! (Check back soon for a video clip of the boys playing ball.)

New pictures!!

I was looking back through emails and found one where a lady named Paula had gotten back on February 8 from picking up her little girl from St. Lucy's. So I emailed her about her experience and asking if maybe she saw Chloe. She replied and not only had she seen Chloe, she had many pictures of our little girl. I received those pictures today, so I thought I'd share one with you all. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Make sure you read a few down below this post as an old post that got lost has resurfaced and made an apperance. Don't you just love cyberspace!!

Ok, ok, I know it has been awhile. I tried to post recently and it would not let me. Jonathan also tried to post and could not, so here we are. . .

The boys and I enjoyed our "extra" winter break last week. We were out of school Wednesday through Friday due to a snow and ice storm. Of course for those of you who know me, this did not prevent us from getting out:) The time off was nice to continue to work on Chloe's room. We have done lots of organizing and cleaning out to not only get her room ready, but also to get our house together. It is much better!!

We talked to Laura last week. She recently was in Taiwan and had some Chloe info. She is very feisty(we believe that will be a good thing), eats every one's food(Keegan better watch out), is beginning to have stranger attachment and is overall a happy little girl. Laura said she has gotten taller and thinned out some. We are hoping to have her home by June. Laura also said we would get about 4 weeks of travel notice. So, we are just waiting around to bring home our little girl. We are spending time getting travel stuff together so we will be ready when we get the call.

The boys continue to enjoy basketball. My dad was here last week and really enjoyed seeing the boys play. They got to hang out with Papa and Jonathan on Monday while I was at work. They had lots of fun!!

Well, we are off for now! Keep checking back for updates. Hopefully soon you'll see an entry that says "WE GOT THE CALL"

Here is a new Chloe picture for you to enjoy!!

An old post returns. . .

Well, there has not been much happening lately. It is currently snowing and we are all hoping for a snow day!!!! I guess we will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow morning for that. (Side note since we have this post back now--we missed 3 days of school due to layers of ice, so the boys and I were very happy:))

I have been checking everyday for new pictures of Chloe and tonight I finally have some!!! Laura just recently returned from Taiwan. She was there to help St. Lucy's, where Chloe currently resides, move into the new orphanage. I am hoping to hear from Laura this week on more information about where we are in the process and if she has any idea of when we might get to travel to bring our little one home.
Can you say sleeping beauty???

To help pass the time, we are preparing her room. We bought her bedding last week. It is pink(did you think it would be anything different?) with some green and yellow flowers. We are going to paint 3 walls the pink and 1 the green. As some of you know, this will not be a fun task considering her room is currently ECU purple. So, we have a huge chore. Our wonderful friend Jennifer has volunteered to help us paint. We are hoping Jonathan will Kilz the walls for us first. Imagine, after 3 boys, we finally get some pink!!! I'll post some pictures of our progress.

Don't forget you can add comments!! It lets us know our friends and family are keeping up with us.

Suckered Again

I guess as the Dad of this family, it is my duty to post on here every now and again. I like the idea of having a blog for our family and friends to come to and see the happenings of our crazy lives that we lead.

Currently myself and my pastor (Clint Clifton) are once again suckered into babysitting duties. Our wives are really quite good at doing this. They tell us they have important errands to run and that they need to pick up a few things from the store, so they ask (yeah right) if we will take the kids to make it easier for them. And as is always the case they come back to a house that is torn apart by 4 crazy boys and a little girl who can hang right with 'em. The women looked refreshed with Starbucks coffee usually in hand and the things they purchased from the store didn't seem as necessary as I thought they might be. Honey are you sure you needed that Vera Bradley bag? Just wondering?!?!?

And he scores!!

Well, again it was basketball day. Cody's team, the Tarheels, played great today. Cody scored 3 goals and played a few new positions today including point guard. He adjusted well to this and really liked it. Way to go, Cody!!

As you know the Clifton's are back!! Our boys are soooo excited!! They have spent the majority of today together and hanging out. It is really funny to hear the boys in the back with Noah talking about Iceland like little old men. They were swapping stories about this and that. My boys couldn't wait for Noah to see the new toys they had gotten for Christmas. As I type, they are building away with Lincoln Logs and Legos and Ruthe is playing with my collection of My Little Ponies.

Our agency let us know last Thursday that our papers FINALLY left the US and will be in Taiwan on Monday in Laura's hands. So, not sure what that means for when our court process starts. Please joining us in praying for a speedy court process so we can bring Chloe home. We should receive new pictures very soon of her to enjoy. As soon as we do we will post for all to see.

Upwards Basketball

Well the boys are playing Upwards this year. Cody is on a 3rd and 4th grade team and his games are on Saturdays. We aged Keegan down so both he and Kale are on the same team which plays on Friday nights.. Both teams are coached by Jonathan. (Although with Pastor Clint back, he will be coaching the younger team along with Noah joining the team.) The boys really enjoy the games and have lots of fun. Keegan scores many points but thank goodness they don't call double dribbling considering he does NOT dribble at all!! Kale guards his player very well --during the first game, it seemed neither boy touched the ball. Cody has made a few goals and attempted several. I have to say that the younger games are loads of fun to watch as they often look like they are playing football instead of basketball. Anyway, the games go into March, so maybe you all can come and see one.

Adoption

Adoption is not something we knew lots about, but when we starting thinking about it, I spent lots of time researching it. I was definitely ready long before Jonathan so I just kept researching and praying. Eventually, he also decided that we should adopt. We knew we wanted to adopt a girl of Asian descent. We also decided we did not want to pursue an infant adoption. All this was leading us towards China. Then, some very good friends of ours told us about friends who had adopted from Taiwan. I started looking there and we both felt lead to Taiwan. We submitted our applications for our homestudy and agency in July 2006. Then, there was LOTS and LOTS of paperwork. In October, we got "the call". Laura, our agency director, called to let us know they had a referral for us. She gave us lots of information and emailed more. We decided that she was the little girl for us. The boys were estactic because now they had pictures to see and show off. We were officially approved to adopt Chloe on December 20(happy birthday to me!!). We are now in the waiting stage of the courts in Taiwan. The court process is 4 - 6 months long. We will get around 2 weeks notice to travel and will spend about 5 days in Taiwan. We will all travel to bring our little girl home!! Now, if the waiting could go faster . . .

Meet All of Us

Jonathan and I have been married for almost 12 years!! Wow, where did time go?? We have 3 boys who keep us on the go. Cody, 8, is an avid reader. Keegan, 6, loves any and every sport. Kale, 5, is as laid back as they come. Our sixth addition will be Chloe, 15 months. She currently resides at St. Lucy's Orphanage in Taiwan. We hope to travel to bring her home sometime this spring. I am a first grade teacher and Jonathan is a Coca Cola delivery man.

We moved from NC to VA close to 5 years ago. It was a change, but one we have completely enjoyed. We are very involved in our church and enjoy watching as the boys learn what God has planned for them. Family and friends are a BIG part of our lives. My mom and sister both live near here. My dad and Jonathan's family all live in NC. Between our visits there and their visits here, we see each other often.

Our official start to blogging!!!

Well, I tried this before and did not succeed very well. However, not one to give up, I am going to try this again. So here goes. . .

We will use this blog to keep everyone up to date with not only our adoption, but also our lives. As many of you know we never seem to slow down, so we have lots to blog about.

Check back often as we will add more information, pictures, and soon videos:) Let us know what you think!!