Happy Valentine's Day!!

YEAR of the RAT

February 7th, 2008

Here's an article we ran across on Yahoo news... interesting...

"As the Year of the Pig ends tonight, followers of Chinese superstition will be scurrying to consult fortune-tellers, astrologers and feng shui geomancers to guide their year ahead.

Chinese fortunes are based on a belief that events are dictated by the different balances in the elements that make up the earth -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.

...Lo added that the Chinese calendar follows a 60-year cycle, so 2008 will be similar historically to 1948, when Israel was established and the blockade of Berlin started, both events part of the build-up to long-standing conflict.

The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and associates each of the 12 years forming a partial cycle with an animal. Fortune-tellers base their predictions on the relationship between the zodiac animals and the characteristics of each.

The Rat is the first of the 12 animal signs, so marks new beginnings, which Lo said will be reflected in changes of leadership in the United States, Russia and Taiwan. The rodent is also seen as a "flower of romance" which means the year will stimulate romance, but also sex scandals.More worryingly, it provokes a clash between water and fire which could mean heavy flooding or a tsunami, Lo added.

"The most famous water disasters in history, such as the south Asian tsunami in 2004 and the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, both incidents happened on a date with prominent appearance of the Rat," Lo said.He also said that the previous Year of the Rat, 1996, witnessed more than 20 plane crashes including the Trans World Airlines Boeing aircraft which exploded over the Atlantic, killing 230 people.Lee Sing-tong, a third-generation feng shui master, said China may suffer a water shortage in the next 12 months. "

LOST
The Beginning of the end
Season Four Premiere, January 31st 8/7c on ABC
2 hour premiere event!! Here's some interesting theories that made us go Hmmm...

Another theory on the location of the Island:
Hurley said he saw Charlie materialize by the Ho-hos. Then when he and Jack were playing Horse Jack only made it to H-O before calling it quits. That's three hos. Who says "Ho ho ho?" That's right Santa Claus. Where does Santa live? The North Pole.

You think I'm wacked right?

Well I may not be. There are alot of people and several websites devoted to a hollow earth theory -- that an opening exists at the North Pole, leading into a "hollow earth" or perhaps another dimmension of earth that we are unaware of. What made me consider this is I remember reading that Hitler, being obsessed with the occult, sent an expidition to the North Pole to find the opening and/or the ancient civilization theorized to exist there.

Here's a snippet I found while dooing a Google search:

Quote:
• In 1939, the Americans and Germans were in a race to explore and claim lands in Antarctica. President Roosevelt sent Admiral Byrd to the frozen continent to thwart any German claims to Antarctic lands in the Western Hemisphere. Hollow Earthers have proclaimed that this was actually a secret mission to beat the Nazis in the exploration of "the land beyond the poles."
That actually says South Pole but accoprding to legend expeditions were sent to both.

What if Oceanic 815 accidentally found a portal into this lost island? What if portals exist all over the world which lead there? Think Bermuda or Devil's triangle.

What if the Lost island IS in a magnetic snowglobe at the north pole?

A few more clues that may back this idea is that Polar Bears were housed at the Hydra station once. Polar Bears are found at the North Pole while Penguins are found at the South Pole.

Also, there was the Swan hatch and the incident. Obviously an electromagnetic anamoly occurred. The North Pole is obviously a strong source for EM activity and it is even believed that the earth has shifted on it axis thus changing the polarity of the planet -- think Magnetic North vs True North.

Lastly, the had to travel to the island via submarine perhaps becasue the magnetic snowglobe/island/dimmension is surrounded by vast fields of ice.

Just riffing but I think the pieces are starting to fit.

More on this theory:
Are the writers that clever? If so, many props. Anyway, awesome idea. Another clue is the painting Hurley was working on was of an Inuit (or whatever) pulling a sled away from an igloo. One more is the fact that Penny had a research team working out of the Arctic. If your idea is correct, ten bucks says the "Freighter" is actually an icebreaker.....

Hurley is drawing a picture of an Eskimo by an igloo. Penny's team seems to be in the Arctic. The Swan password is the joke about what one snowman says to the other. There are many hints like that. You may well be onto something.

Snow Storm 08: find your lip balm!
Northerners, and Coloradans, don't you laugh! We got two whole inches of snow and a little sleet last night. No bread or milk left on any grocery shelf in our county, maybe even in the state ;P. It's beautiful and it will be gone by this afternoon. In our defense, there was sleet and some freezing rain mixed in so the roads were a little slick. We usually have horrible, damaging ice storms instead of snow so this was a treat for us!

It's cold this morning! We woke up to temperatures in the teens! Factor in the wind and temperatures are in the single digits (7 degrees)! I don't care if you are in CO, 7 degrees is freakin cold! LOL!! The air is DRY and we find ourselves searching for lotion and lip-balm! Just like the dry air zapped a lot of the moisture off the roads, it is doing the same to our skin.

A recap of Saturdays snow day: Snow started falling in our area at 10 A.M. And, it was coming down fast and furious~ we expected a real-live bona-fide snow day! We had high hopes of creating a snowman by end of the day. Those hopes were squashed around 2 P.M. the snow slowed down and did not pile up on the ground. Snow melted on anywhere without grass and the roads were wet!

The Chihuahuas did not enjoy the cold ground and would not venture out into the yard, staying close to the sides of the house to "do their business" as quick as possible. Last night as the frigid air came in, icy streets were a concern. But, this morning we wake up and the streets are dry, just like our skin! Imagine that!

Snow storm 08 was beautiful to watch, gave us hopes and made us giddy. We didn't take many photos... but, we hope you enjoy the ones we did take.

Staying warm as possible today~ check out the pic of the Chi's!

Hello all. We have snow falling here in Atlanta (pics and video to come). The mail just came and, surprise of surprises, we actually got our I-797 form back already. So, we are now good to go through July 2009, which, God willing and the creek don't rise, should get us to China and back. Next step is doing the pre-adoption education on the web that the Hague Convention has mandated. Onward and upward.

Inspired

I have a very good online friend who continuously inspires me through her creativity. (Shout out to the pink-butterfly) We have never met in person, but we communicate frequently through our love of scrap booking! We met online at my fave hangout spot (scrapbook.com). Reading her blog this evening I felt inspired - a little excerpt:

"i've seem to have picked my word for 2008........
BALANCE
vb. compute the balance , equalize , bring into harmony or proportion.
Balance is a key component to any with a family, job, friends, hobbies, lifestyle.....i always think about how i would love to have everything balanced out and fine tuned. especially when all 7 kiddos are hanging in tow at the grocery store or we have a 2 week break and lots of fun things planned. Or how i really love my clean house but am lacking in me time.....BALANCE. My one word for the year. I decided to finally get that art journal going....now i have something to kick it off!
Have you picked your one word for 2008?"
If you have a chance you should stop by and say "Hello" to Charygirl. She is one of the most creative (and friendly) Internet person I know!~ http://www.creativegirlz.blogspot.com/ and, tell her "MKJulia2000" sent you :)

Okay, so back to the word I will focus on through 2008: Patience.
Maybe it seems a little too obvious. BUT, possibly I just haven't learned the lesson yet. Really?! Yes, I'll be glad when our lesson in patience is over~ "To every thing,.. there is a season...and a time for every purpose under heaven." ~ Name THAT Tune! Anyone? Bueller?!

for all things have a time and a place! I truly believe this. So, Patience, Julia, Patience!

patience/n. 1. The capacity, habit, or fact of being patient, 2. solitaire
patient/ adj. 1. bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint 2. manifesting for bearance under provocation or strain. 3. not hasty or impetuous 4. steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. 5. able or willing to bear.
patiently-adv.
Okay, already I know that patient as an adjective is where I should focus my efforts (#1 & #5the willing part gets me every time)!!

Ni Hao
"Hi"

Check this out! A new Children's Show will be premiering on Nick Jr. Thursday, February 7th, 11AM!

Ni Hao, Kai-lan is a play-along, think-along series that weaves together Chinese language and culture, preschool-relatable stories, and interactivity, with Kai-lan as your intimate friend and playmate!

What the Show's About
"Ni hao!" That means "hi" in Chinese--and that's how Kai-lan greets you every day! Kai-lan Chow is an exuberant Chinese-American preschooler, almost 6, who wants you to come play with her and her best friends.

Kai-lan's world is infused with Chinese culture and is brimming with magical sights and sounds, and everywhere you turn there's something amazing and beautiful to see. Along the way, she and her bilingual buddies speak in English and Chinese, but they always need kids' help to find creative solutions to the daily dilemmas that come their way!

Meet the Characters
Kai-lan Chow is a playful, adventurous preschooler with a big heart. She is almost 6, speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese, and is super excited to share her language, her culture, and her playtime--with her animal friends and children at home!

YeYe is Kai-lan's grandpa. He lovingly passes on his rich and colorful world full of Chinese customs and traditions to his granddaughter. YeYe provides Kai-lan with gentle guidance, leading her to find her own answers, at her own pace.

Tolee is a 5-year-old panda-loving koala who puts his friends first. He's the thinker of the group, and Kai-lan and her friends can always rely on him for good ideas and to think before he acts.

At 3-years-old, Hoho the monkey is the youngest of Kai-lan's friends. He's full of boundless energy, he's super good at jumping, and loves to DJ. Nothing makes Hoho happier than being the center of attention.

Rintoo is a rambunctious 5-year-old tiger who's best friends with Kai-lan. Rintoo has a thirst for adventure and thrills, but beneath the bravado he's a sweet and caring tiger who looks out for his friends.

Kai-Lan's Curriculum
Ni Hao, Kai-lan is the next generation of preschool television programming that introduces the psychology of biculturalism. If Dora and Diego popularized bilingualism, Kai-lan will weave together being bilingual and bicultural. Ni Hao, Kai-lan reinforces the idea that being bicultural and bilingual is being American.

The show will familiarize the viewing audience with elements of Chinese and Chinese American cultures to promote multicultural understanding in the next generation and goes beyond featuring "culture" as only ethnic food and festivals. Instead, it celebrates growing up in an intergenerational family, having friends from diverse backgrounds, and "habits of the heart" that are Chinese American. These values include:

Mind-body connection typically, television portrays excitement as the good emotion to feel. In many Chinese-American communities, the good thing to feel is often calmness and contentment. Feeling excited and feeling calm can both be happy feelings, but they differ in how aroused the body is.

Perspective-taking in many Chinese and other East Asian families, children are encouraged to take the perspective of others to maintain harmony in relationships with other people

Being a good member of the group Ni Hao, Kai-lan also emphasizes the Chinese and Chinese American value of being a good member of a group.

Social & Emotional Goals Highlight cause-and-effect thinking about social and emotional issues germane to preschoolers and to support preschooler's social and emotional development.

UPDATE ON REFERRAL TIMEFRAME

As you all know we are anxiously waiting to hear of our referral or information on time lines for receiving the referral. Some days we are more patient than others. The waiting time has been a major topic and issue, for waiting families and perspective families, surrounding this entire adoption program. Of course, rumors spread like wild fire! Theories and predictions spread quickly - even those that can not be validated or confirmed. Thus it is hard to truly know what our time frame will be. We cling to any news that comes in and wonder if it is truth or rumor.

No surprise to us, it has been recently confirmed that CCAA expects things to
"look up in 2009"! What that means for us- we do not know. We just wanted to share this itty-tiny little bit of information because it sounds as if the incoming dossiers each month has decreased dramatically (since around Spring 07) and that will definitely help decrease this long wait. When we will see the speed up us still unknown. This information does not change our expectations for our time frame however it does confirm it for us!!

For a Child to be considered eligible for adoption there is a lot of medical and paperwork from the orphanage on each referral that is necessary. As you can imagine, that is most likely a BIG undertaking for the orphanages. They continue to streamline the process to make it simpler for the orphanages. There are quite a few orphans waiting for families, but, a lot of them are not abandoned, they became orphans because their parents have died. Their government is looking into making those children available for international adoptions.

Also, we have recently learned that CCAA will be issuing travel approval in June 2008 (during the Olympics)! Which is exciting news for those families!! What an experience that will be for those families that travel during that time!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year formally commences at the beginning of Spring. Hence, it is known as the Spring Festival. It is a time to cast away the bad blood of the previous year and wish for good fortune in the coming year. Unlike the western calendar, the Chinese have their own lunar calendar which revolves around the moon.

The Chinese zodiac is too old to be traced. Fable has it that all the animals were asked to report to the emperor on Chinese New Year day. Only the first twelve to reach the palace were to be rewarded with a year named after them. Since then, each year has been represented by an animal with its own distinctive characteristic and fate. This year is the Year of the Rat, and it begins on Feb 7, 2008.

The Year of the Rat? What can we possibly have to look forward to in 2008? Nowadays rats are considered dirty, nasty animals; yet some before us saw abundance and hope in the rodents. What does the Rat symbolize, you ask?

▶ Diligence and fecundity: Rats have long whiskers and well-developed sensory organs. They adapt to a new environment and breed rapidly. Their ability to overcome difficulties and survive in any environment makes them a symbol of diligence, wealth and affluence.

▶ Foreboding dangers: According to the “Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms”, it did not snow in the fifth year of King Hyegong (A.D. 763) in Shilla, and just before that, the unusual migration of some 8,000 rats had been observed in Chiak Prefecture. This is an example of rats’ capability to anticipate dangers. Those before us predicted dangers or prepared for accidents by observing the migration of rats.

▶ Shrewd and clever: Rats are the first among 12 animals in the Zodiac. According to a fable, the king of Heaven wanted to give ranks to animals. The Lord decided to rank animals in the order of their arrival at the gates of Heaven on the first day of the year. Upon the delightful news, animals trained to get there faster than the others. Among them, the cow worked hardest to win the race. Watching other animals, the mouse realized that winning the race would be impossible for such a little animal like him, so he got on the back of the cow. On the day of the race, the diligent cow was first to reach the goal. However, on arrival, the mouse jumped off the back of the cow and entered the gates of Heaven before all others.

▶ Traditions: The 15th day of the first month of the Lunar calendar is the day of jwibulnori, a traditional folk game to kill the mice leaving their holes and exterminate insects that infest the dry paddy fields with fire. In old times, women chanted, “Burn out the mouth of rats” while parching beans, in the belief that they could eradicate rats that way. In the Chosun dynasty era, there were many paintings depicting the life of rats. In a work by the leading female artist Shin Saimdang, a rat nibbles at a watermelon in a field. Our ancestors clearly saw rats as common animals easily understood in everyday life.

Our Fingerprint Update is complete!

Thanks to the Holiday Season, the drive into Atlanta was not as bad as expected, the traffic on the roads was less than usual. AND the crowd at immigration was non-existent! We were in and out with in an hour!

Our next goal is to tackle the adoption training that the Hague Convention (for Intercountry Adoptions) requires. This training curriculum, provided mostly by an outside third party, provides families with the entire 10 hours of training. These courses are well known in the international adoption community. The Hague is very specific in the designation on what topics need to be covered and participated in by families and we have to document that all of the topics have been appropriately covered and are approved as Hague accredited training hours. Luckily we have a "jump" on this stage because we already have a few hours under our belt which were required from the first homestudy approval. From our experience the 10 hours really means 20 hours of reading, studying and discussing each topic. It really is pretty interesting to both of us and the topics certainly help our understanding.

Mom and her Chi's. The Children are getting exhausted from picture taking... "enough already, let's open presents!"

Matt and the kids posing for their Christmas Photo.
Nacho always has to be the center of attention!!

Sierra can hardly wait to open her gifts of Vitamin "B" (dog bacon) and noise maker toys!! "Let's open presents N.O.W.!!"

"We shouldn't have let Sierra eat the entire bag!!"
Check out her Buddha Belly!!

Christmas 2007 was full of surprises. We visited with friends and family, ate lots of food and relaxed our full bellies. The year 2007 has been good to us and we look forward to 2008!! Blessings to each of YOU!

One Step Closer...

Home study Update -check
Mail Update to immigration- check
Fingerprint update appointment- check
Immigration approval-
Matching Room-
Referral-

We received our appointment date for our fingerprinting update today! We are relieved to have received notice that our home study update package was received by immigration and our appointment date is set! January 2nd we will be fighting Atlanta traffic to make it to the immigration office. That will be an experience! Matt reminded me that it is the day after New Years and a lot of people will still be off for vacation. So, hopefully that will be the case and our morning drive will be easier than expected!

To be fingerprinted you have to be "invited" and show up with your appointment document. Also, to enter the building you MUST have proof of the government document in hand. And, you can only enter the building at the time listed on your document. The office is full of adoptive parents and potential foreign immigrants. I have to say that immigration has a well oiled system in place and it runs smoothly.

I have got to share this. We made a total elf of our Chihuahua's! Not sure how long this link will be active, but it is so cute we have to share it. Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1221134750

This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax

Merry Christmas. Our tree is up. At night it appears to glow. People have asked us why we have a white tree and decorate it heavily in shades of blue, which are nontraditional Christmas colors. It all began with Matt putting a blue light in the window, which is a tradition among public safety personnel, paying tribute to fallen police officers, firefighters, paramedics, etc. during the holiday season. The tree is meant to reflect that, as well as to pay tribute to the state of Israel, since our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was a Jew and we wanted our tree to reflect the heritage of our beliefs.

Below, we would like to share some of our favorite ornaments. Enjoy!

This is another ornament Matt's parents gave us the year we were compiling our dossier. It is a tiger, which has dual significance. First it references the possibility of a male child. Second, traditionally a tiger is a good luck symbol for babies in China. The tiger is said to protect them from bad spirits and bring good luck. Also, babies are given tiger related gifts on their first birthday.

This Yuan Hong porcelain ornament was given to us by Matt's parents. The white wings accent this Chinese angel's traditional red outfit with tiny white rams on the jacket. She wears a plum blossom headband and holds an open fan. She was given to us the year we were assembling our dossier. We love her so much that we keep her out all year long.

This is one of the new Hallmark 2007 ornaments. This is one of our favorites. It is from the "Joy To The World" collection. The ornament shows cultural details, happy young faces, and homes decorated for the season. Ornaments that show how Christmas unites us around the world. We hung her prominently in the center of our tree to remind us of our hope for future Christmases with our child.

Feliz Navidad from our Chihuahua's
to You and Your Loved ones!!

We received notice that our Dossier is out of review!!! YEA!!! Here's the note from our agency:

"Hello September LID families,

I wanted to let you know that we received word from our Beijing office that the CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with their office before September 30, 2006. Yeah September 2006 is out of review!!!!!! Congratulations to all of you"

This month, the CCAA completed the matching process for families with dossiers registered through December 8, 2005. They experienced a 23 month referral wait. Using this as a guideline we should be expecting to hear our matching August 2008- Travel October/November 2008!!! OMG!!! Why all of a sudden does that seem JUST AROUND THE CORNER??

An Adoption Poem

From Tom Fisher

Until Forever

This morning in China a mother cries
She’ll never forget her daughter’s eyes
Her heart is broken and filled with pain
The tears run down like the falling rain.
She has no choice but to leave her there
The cost of keeping is too much to bear
She hopes her daughter will one day know
True love can be found in letting her go.

This morning in China a baby cries
Hungry and scared as tears fill her eyes
Her mother has left her in this public place
Another lost daughter of the Chinese race.
Someone passing by has heard her soft moan
She’s soon quickly taken to a foster home
It’s here she’ll reside in the care of another
Until she’s adopted by a brand new mother.

That very same moment, in the U.S.A.
A woman cries as she starts to pray
Her heart is heavy but filled with much love
She prays for a daughter she thinks the world of.
“Dear Jesus I ask that your arms would be
Wrapped tightly around the one picked for me
Guard her in China ‘till I make my way
And then in my arms forever she’ll stay.”