As we fly to the other side of the world

As we enjoy our 13 hour flight half way around the globe, I want to share with you, what I call "my Lyla song."

Before we decided to bring Lyla home God had a lot of work to do on us. It wasn't long after Xander came home that Kevin and I knew that we would adopt again. However, that was all we agreed on. I had my idea of age special need and timing, and Kevin had an altogether different idea. Not kidding, none of our desires were the same.

Well, I knew God had a plan, and so did I! I would pray that God would change Kevin's desires to match mine, yep, that's what I prayed!

During this time of prayer is when I heard this song. You see, this song basically told me to stop making excuses, get off my butt and do what I was called to do! Then I spoke to God again and made sure He knew that it was Kevin who was not on the same page as me. Yep, threw Kevin under the bus. This time God gently reminded me that I wasn't perfect and that He gave me Kevin because I needed someone like him, in situations like this.

Wouldn't you know, God brought our ideas, thoughts and desires together at just the right time to lead us to Lyla. Now, here we are 2 days away from adding her to our family!

So, here is my Lyla song, and a challenge. Who or what is your Lyla?

China schedule

Here is what we will be doing starting tomorrow.  

On our free days in China, if we feel up to it and Lyla is doing ok, we will sight-see and do our best to enjoy the country! 

3/15 Fly to Fresno, drive to Bakersfield

3/16 6am BFL to SFO; SFO to Beijing

3/17 Arrive Beijing 4:30p 

3/18 Beijing to Nanchang
        Gotcha Day!  Get Lyla in afternoon

3/19 Adoption Day!  Fu Yu Fan becomes Lyla Elizabeth McNeely!
        Go shopping for necessities (i.e. clothes and shoes that fit her)

3/20 Free day

3/21 Kevin flies home, Arrives DFW 8pm

        Macey, Xander, Nana and Gpa Max arrive DFW 7:30pm        Free day for Allison and Lyla

3/22 Notarize adoption docs

3/23 Nanchang to Guangzhou

3/24 Lyla's physical 

3/25 Free day

3/26 Free day

3/27 Free day

3/28 Consulate appointment

       Gpa Max goes back to CA

       Auntie Meedo comes to TX!

3/29 Receive Lyla's visa so she can come home!

3/30 Leave Guangzhou, final destination HOME!

        Lyla becomes a US citizen!
3/31 Arrive DFW 12:45am

Winding down, and your to-do list!

Well, it must be getting closer to the day we leave because my to-do lists are disappearing!  Hooray!  There was actually a day, last week, that I made a list of my lists.  I had a CVS list, a Target list, a grocery list, a Costco list, a people-to-call list and a places-to-call list.  Seriously, I didn't think they were actually going to get done.  Check by check things got done, and here we are, just a few days away from leaving for California.

Now, since I am so good at making lists, I have made you one!  Hahaha!  Aren't you lucky?!

1. Please pray for safe travels.  This is a given, but I have to make sure it's on here, because this time we are traveling to China without our kids, and well, I won't even go there.

2. Pray for my emotional state while being away from Macey and Xander.  Seriously, as much as this mama likes a short break from her kids, 15 days is a little longer than "short."  I know, I know.  I'l be so busy... The kids will be fine...  Got it, but maybe I won't be fine, maybe I'll be wishing I was with my kids that spoke English (just being honest, people).  I just want this covered in prayer, please!

3. Pray for my parents, who will be taking care of Macey and Xander while we are both gone, and then taking them to Texas when Kevin gets back.  They will also be staying a week so Kevin can go back to work, and then Auntie Meedo (Megan) will come at the very end to welcome us home!  It's going to be a lot of coming and going.

4. Pray for Macey and Xander.  They will be busy, more busy than normal, sleeping in a different place, with different people.  Although they will LOVE their time in California, and the time at home with Nana, Gpa Max and Auntie Meedo, it is still a change, and that can be hard on 3 year olds.  I feel like God has equipped my 3 year olds in a special way, to handle all the craziness that comes with adoption.  I mean, why wouldn't He?  He is the one who brought us here!  But, kids are kids, and blanketing them in prayer is always good.

5. Pray for Lyla.  I can't believe the time is here, soon she will be ours.  Her short little life has been filled with trauma and loss, and I would like to believe she has felt love along the way as well.  But soon we KNOW she will feel love, I just pray that her little heart would accept it and transition well into her forever family.

6. And finally, pray for Kevin and I.  Adoption is hard, it is beautiful, it is what we are called to do, it is what we desire to do, but it is hard!  We are about to parent a 6 year old, with a past that is virtually unknown to us.  We want to be the best parents for her, and we know that we are, but we need to rely on the One who can give us the tools.

And there is your to-do list.  Oh, one more thing, check back here often, I hope to post daily from China (I know, high hopes, but at least ket me try!), and if you are my FB friend I will update my status regularly.

Time to go check off a few more things!

Shew!

I think my head is only spinning slowly, rather whatever it was doing before. Man, what a crazy few days! So, we have booked our flights. First we go to CA so we can take our kids to Nana and Gpa Max's house. They will stay there for a week and have lots of fun with cousins and aunts and uncles! We get a special treat because we decided to fly into Fresno and spend a few hours with the McNeelys. Papa Ross has already promised homemade chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. No, you may not join us! :) After a few hours in Fresno we head to Bakersfield. Bright and early Friday morning we board a plane for our first leg, which eventually lands in Beijing, China on March 17, 4:30pm local time. Early the next morning (Sunday, March 18) we get on another plane which takes us to Nanchang, Jiangxi. A few hours later we finally get to meet our big girl! In my mind, I know that at the moment she is brought to us, that's when the real work starts. But in my heart, I will just feel better when she is finally with me. I can't even begin to imagine what her little heart will be going through, but God is in control. I pray (read PLEAD) that her heart will feel my love for her in whatever way it can, and that somewhere, deep down, she will know that the moment she is with us it is forever! The rest of our trip is paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Hopefully there will be some shopping involved, maybe a few fun outings, but mostly just learning about Lyla. So for now it's back to packing a bunch of suitcases, organizing and arranging everything so this family of 4 can get on our way and become a family of 5!

Hold on to your helmets!

My kids say that line all the time "Hold on to your helmets!"  It's form their favorite cartoon, Team Umizoomi!  Well, it is very true in our case....

WE NEED TO BE IN BEIJING ON MARCH 17TH!!!!


OHMYWORD!!!!

I knew it was a possibility, but honestly, did not think it would happen.  Well, it happened!

Right now we are figuring out all the travel details, I'll post more info about the trip later.  However, we know the most important part, Lyla will be ours forever on March 18th!!!

Correction

WE GOT OUR TRAVEL APPROVAL TODAY!!!!!!

I don't know why we got two emails today, and frankly I do not care!  The second one said that our agency received our travel approval and our consulate appointment has been requested!  We should get a confirmation early next week and then we can book our flights!!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

My to-do list just got longer!!!

Our agency has informed us that our Travel Approval is ON IT'S WAY!!!!  They do not have it yet, it should get to them by Monday or Tuesday!  At that time they can request our consulate appointment, which will determine our travel dates!

We are SO close!  I can hardly believe that the time is finally here!  I need to start checking things off my list at lightening speed.

See ya!