Blessed By His Hands

An Unexpected Question...

2011-02-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

While we were in Taiwan for 3 weeks we had the privelidge of getting to know one of the pregnant moms who also had a 5 year old little girl that His Hands had been helping. I got to go along to one of her doctors appointments and go in the room for her ultrasound. I had never seen an ultrasound other than my own. And I have to say it was very moving and brought tears to my eyes. Here was this young lady, with a precious life inside of her and she didn't have any idea whether she was going to keep her baby or not. And she was allowing me, some foreign woman she had never met, to be a part of this very intimate moment. I was completely overwhelmed but extremely thankful for this opportunity. On our ride home I told Cheryl to let her know that we just loved her little girl and Donnie said he could take her home with him. She then turned to Cheryl and told her to ask us if we wanted her. What???? I was taken back and for the first time...speechless! Then Cheryl told me she probably wasn't kidding.

We really hoped that we would be there in Taiwan when she delivered, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

Fast forward to about a month and a half ago. While we were skyping with John and Cheryl one evening I asked about the mom. Cheryl said that was funny that I asked, she had just got a call from her and she was wanting to give up the baby and her little girl. Then Cheryl said she wanted them to go to Mylee's mom and dad. I couldn't believe what I was hearing!!!! I immediately thought...What? Surely she is kidding? I also wanted to say YES, YES, YES we will take them!!!! But I knew this was something Donnie and I would both have to pray very hard about. When I went to bed I couldn't get it out of my head so I just gave it to the Lord. I asked Him to please give us a clear answer

The next day Donnie called me told me it was heavy on his heart, but he just felt like it was not our time to adopt 2 more children. First of all we had just moved to a much smaller house and we did not have the room. I would probably have to quit working to stay home and we really couldn't afford that, especially if we had 2 more children. Would this be fair to Mylee who had only been home around 7 months? Were we lacking in faith? There were a billion questions in my head! But, I also knew that God would make it happen if this was His will. Then we heard that the mom might have changed her mind. She just wasn't sure what she wanted to do.

We thought long and hard, prayed constantly, searched through God's word and even asked others close to us to pray. In the end, we just didn't feel like this was what the Lord had wanted us to do. Me and Donnie are both very open to the idea of adopting again. This just wasn't our time....and we are at peace with that.

We recently heard that both children are at an wonderful orphanage doing very well, and they already have a couple families in mind. Praise the Lord!

CHRISTMAS AS A FAMILY OF 8.....

2011-01-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

We all woke up Christmas morning to several inches of beautiful white snow. I can't remember the last time we had a White Christmas.

The kids were pretty excited when they spotted all the presents under the tree.
Maci using her pile of presents as a foot stool
We could barely see Mylee behind her mound of gifts.

Mommy and Mylee

WeeWee, Mylee and her new baby doll

Mylee having fun with a box....go figure!

We let all the kids open the big gift together. It was a Wii, and as you can see,

Peyton was pretty excited

Mylee opening up her cash register

Wayne was on duty, so I can honestly say the cops came to our house Christmas day. Here he is showing off his toy policeman kit he got in his stocking!

Mylee's favorite gift was her Asian baby doll.

Mommy and baby snuggling in the recliner

Mylee giving her baby a bottle

After opening all the presents, we all had a big breakfast and had fun playing the Wii. Then we played Banana Grams for hours. It was a very relaxing day. I can remember skyping with John and Cheryl last year so we could see Mylee open her gifts from us. We are so very blessed to have her home to celebrate the birth of Jesus with her forever family!

18 MONTHS OLD.....

2011-01-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

It's so hard to believe that Mylee is 18 months old today! It seems like just yesterday we got the call from Cheryl while vacationing in Florida that she was holding our baby girl! I can't even express the emotions we had that day. Today, as I look at our precious Mylee, I stand in awe of our Lord and Savior! He has blessed our family beyond measure!

Mylee is such a joy and definitely has her own personality. These are just a few of the things she can do:

Mylee is walking everywhere and gets into everything!!!!

Mylee weighs 20 lbs and is still wearing her 12 month clothes. She's a petite little girl.

She repeats pretty much everything we say. We are trying to teach her some Chinese words too.

She still absolutely hates to have her nose wiped.

She eats with a fork and spoon very well. I'm not sure if she is going to be right or left handed since she uses both about the same.

Bed time for Mylee is awesome! It's my favorite time of the day! Maci and Mylee each pick out a book to read, we all go into their bedroom and snuggle on Maci's bed and read. Then we shut off the lights, pray to Jesus and give hugs and kisses goodnight. I LOVE IT!!!!

When Mylee gets sleepy she has to have her pink blanket and her paci. It's always a package deal.

Mylee loves skyping with John and Cheryl...or should I say Poppy and Momma! The other day she heard John's voice on the computer and couldn't get to it quick enough. She definitely misses them!

Mylee loves church!!!!

She prays all the time! She'll be playing in the living room, stop, put her hands up to pray and then say "Amen". This is just way too cute!

Mylee is also very, very stubborn! Boy oh boy, can she be stubborn!

I could go on and on about Mylee, but I will stop now! What it all boils down to is that Mylee is a very normal 18 month old and we absolutely adore her and everything she does...even the stubborness!!!! Life at the Farmer house is great!

2011-01-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

Okay...so it's 2011 and I have only 2 resolutions! Its almost always about losing weight, but I tend to fail at that one, so I am trying something new this year! I have decided that this year one of my resolutions is that I want to be a little more organized. Both around the house and with my schedule. I am just wanting a little organization in my life this year instead of flying by the seat of my pants! That's just a little bit too exhausting for me! You would think after just moving I would have gotten rid of a lot of my stuff! Well...we did, but I still have way too much stuff!!!! So look out trash man....Gina is cleaning house!!!!!

My second resolution is to stay more up to date in my blogging! Yes, to put it bluntly....I sucked at it last year!!!!! Time is just something I don't have much of anymore. Especially when I have a very energetic toddler, 2 teenagers constantly on the move, a 5 year old who wants to be on mommy's lap all the time, a full time job, laundry, dishes, breakfasts, lunches & dinners to fix, games to go to, and the list goes on and on. But...all of that will strategically be planned with my new organizatonal skills and I WILL be victorious!!!! Wish me luck!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TONGUE...

2010-07-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July...

2010-07-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

This scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

Just Playing Around...

2010-06-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Fun in the Sun.....

2010-06-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Wedding Day...

2010-06-18T22:54:00.000-07:00

Wayne and Whitney's wedding was today at Beall Woods. I think this had to be the hottest day of the year! We went down earlier in the day to set everything up and then the girls all went to get their hair done. Donnie took one of his huge fans to run and at least get a little bit of the air moving. This was a lifesaver....we had to turn it on the cake so it wouldn't melt.

The wedding was at 6:30 pm and it was absolutely gorgeous! Beall Woods was an amazing backdrop for the wedding! As you can see by the pictures, it was beautiful! I did feel sorry for Wayne and the guys standing up with him. They all wore long sleeve black shirts and khaki pants. The sweat was just dripping off of Wayne. Whitney was a beautiful bride...of course I knew she would be.

We feel very, very blessed to have such a wonderful son-in-law! We love him dearly!

My Babies.....

2010-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

I Love Bathtime.....

2010-06-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Mylee Meets Grandpa & Grandma Yokel.....

2010-05-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

The whole time we were in Taiwan my Grandma Yokel was worried to death about us. She was so anxious to meet Mylee as soon as we got back home. So today we loaded up and headed to Albion to introduce Mylee to her and grandpa. Of course they fell in love immediately! It didn't take Mylee long to figure out they were Great Grandpa and Great Grandma. She sit on both their laps and gave them lots of her sweet smiles. I don't know if my Grandma will ever remember Mylee's name though.....she kept calling her Mynee. Funny!

Granny and Mylee
Mylee with Grandpa
Grandma and two of the most precious baby girls in the world!

Christmas, Valentines Day & Easter.....

2010-05-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mylee had accumulated quite a collection of gifts for her at home. Since we thought she would be home by Christmas she had her stocking and Christmas presents. Then there was her Valentines and Easter basket. So tonight we celebrated Christmas, Valentines Day and Easter...all at the same time!

One of her Christmas presents
Another Christmas present
and another
Mylee's very own laptop
Now for her Valentines
Look at all the goodies in my Easter basket

We're Going to the Zoo.....

2010-05-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning and decided we was going to go to the Evansville Zoo. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out. Once we got there, we decided maybe we should have planned it a little better. It was so miserable and hot outside that most of the animals were laying in the shade out of our sight. We did get up close and personal with the giraffe. Mylee got so excited every time the giraffe got anywhere near her. It was so cute!

After enjoying a nice picnic lunch we headed to our favorite place....Target!!!!

Peyton and Mylee
This goat was trying to eat our hand sanitizer

I was trying to get a picture but no one would cooperate

Hello there Mr. Giraffe

He got almost close enough to give him a kiss

Peyton's Graduation....

2010-05-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight Peyton graduated from 8th grade. I can't believe my sweet little Peytie Pooh is going to be a Freshman in High School. She pretty much took every award there was to receive. She received the American Legion Award, Science Award, Spelling Award, English Award, Math Award, Reading Award, Literature Award and the Health Award. Donnie and I were busting at the seams. We are so very proud of Peyton and all of her accomplishments. Oh by the way....did I mention that Peyton got the "All Season Athelete of the Year" at the Sports Banquet?

Allendale's graduating class of 2010
All the CRAZY girls in Peyton's class
Peyton and her bestie Ashley
Sisters

Daddy and his not so little girl

Now lets eat some cake!!!!!

WELCOME HOME....

2010-05-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

We flew into Evansville at 9:40 and had the entire family waiting for us at the gates! All the grandmas and grandpas, Wayne and Whitney, Debbie, Trish, Milady and Berkeley were there! They all had signs they had made to welcome Mylee home, balloons and flowers. Whitney was right up front with a bib on that said "I love my big sister" I wanted Whitney to be the first one to hold Mylee. She stretched her arms out and went straight to big sissy, then she laid her head on her shoulders as if to say "I love you WeeWee!" It was such a special moment for Whitney....as you can see she was crying happy tears! Then it was all the grandmas and grandpas turn! Mylee went to each and everyone without a whimper...she was such a doll!.

Trish and Milady were there with a big Taco Tierra Diet Pepsi with a big straw.....just the way I like it! And OOOOOHHHHHH it tasted so good! It definitely felt good to be home!

We loaded up all of our luggage and headed to Allendale! We had a lunchmeat tray, chips and cookies waiting for us at the house. We ate, visited a while and then we all laid down for a quick nap. Peyton has her "Sports Banquet" tonight at 6:30.....and we wouldn't miss it for the world!

I love you Whitney!!!

Grandma Barb snagging a kiss

Mylee with Mimi

Big Bubby Wayne and Mylee

Auntie Debbie with balloons for Mylee

Grandpa Bob

Papaw Larry

Still giving her love to Whitney

Home Sweet Home....with an awesome sign in the yard!!!

Peyton's friend Elise even made a sign and put it on our door.....too sweet!

Just a snoozin'

Our Last Day in Taiwan.....

2010-05-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

We woke up early this morning and got all our bags packed and weighed (that was a job!) to get ready to go home. But first we had to be at AIT to pick up Mylee's visa at 11:00. We had to check out of the hotel by noon, but our flight didn't leave until 11:55 pm. So Cheryl arranged for a friend of theirs, Jen Jen Chien, to meet us at the hotel and take us to the Handicraft Mart and also to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. Luckily, the hotel had aggreed to hold our luggage in the lobby until 8:00 pm when they would take us by van to the airport.

Jen Jen was right on time. We walked to the Burger King just down the street to eat and said she would be back in an hour to pick us up. A friend of hers had a van and he was going1 to drive us around. Thank goodness....I tell you this had to be the hottest day we were in Taiwan! Poor Maci threw up in the middle of the night and she still didn't feel good today. She ate a few fries and drank some sprite at BK, but that just came right back up.

Jen Jen and her friend picked us up and we headed straight for the Handicraft Mart. We had more souveniers that we were wanting to buy before leaving Taiwan and this was just the place for that. Ted had told us that we needed to go straight to the basement, because everything was cheaper there. Things got more expensive as you went up each floor! We found pretty much everything that we needed in the basement. Maci was such a trooper! She got sick a couple times while we were there...bless her heart.

After that we went to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. We wanted to get there by 5:00 so we could see the changing of the guards. WOW! That is all I can say! This was an amazing sight and I am so glad we got to see it! Jen Jen taught me a lot about the Taiwan government and explained to me who Chiang Kai-Shek was. It was all very interesting.

After the Memorial we went back to Jen Jen's house and met her mother. Peyton still had some money left and she was dying to spend it. So Jen Jen said there were some shops around her house for Peyton to go to. Donnie, Dillon and Mylee stayed at the house while me, Peyton and Jen Jen set out for the shops. Peyton found a backpack and I found a diaper bag. I was wanting to get some formula for Mylee while we were out too. That turned out to be quite a feat! We went everywhere but still couldn't find the right formula. And let me tell you something....that Jen Jen is a power walker if I ever seen one! I could barely keep up with her! I am not kidding, I bet we walked at least 3 miles trying to find this formula. Finally we found a baby shop that carried it! Praise the Lord! I don't know how much more walking I could take. On the way back to her house, we stopped at a street shop and got some potstickers for supper. They were awesome! Then we walked back to the hotel to catch our bus ride to the airport! But not before we made one more stop at the corner 7 Eleven. We had to stock up on Digestives, HiChew and a few bottled Jasmine teas.

We were so thankful to Jen Jen for taking us around Taipei and showing us the sights. She is a lovely Christian lady with an amazing spirit for life!

We arrived at the Taipei airport around 8:30 and got all 12 pieces of luggage checked in. We were even able to get bassinette seating on our flight back. YAY!!!! We had plenty of time to relax and just walk around. I was wearing my His Hands shirt, and we were approached by an American gentleman who had many questions about adoption. He told us that he and his wife were talking about adopting but just didn't know how to even begin. We spoke for quite some time, then he gave us his business card so we could email him some information about His Hands Taiwan.

Even though we were all saddened by the fact that we were leaving Taiwan....we were all extremely anxious to get back home and see our family that we missed very much. And most importantly, to introduce them to our daughter Mylee Kai Xin Farmer. America...here we come!

Handicraft Mart
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial
Getting ready for the changing of the guards
Chiang Kai-Shek and his wife

This was a model of Chiang Kai-Shek's office

Our family in front of the Memorial

Jen Jen with Mylee in the 7 Eleven
Jen Jen and the kids in front of the Hotel....it's been a long day
Checking our bags....and ready to be home
Maci HAD to get her picture with Hello Kitty!!!!

Saying Goodbye.....

2010-05-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that I have not been looking forward to. While I am excited that we will be taking Mylee home with us in a few days, I am still very sad to see the Dunn's say goodbye to Mylee. They love her so much and while they knew this day would come...it was still very difficult for them. Although they handled it much better than I did. I couldn't keep from crying. We gave John and Cheryl a digital photo frame and a flash drive full of pictures of Mylee. I know that we could never repay them for giving their love and their heart to our daughter. But we pray that the photo frame brings them joy as they see Mylee's precious face and beautiful smile in all the pictures.

We also had to say goodbye to Rae Fang and her family. Mylee just loves Rae Fang...and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual! I will miss this little, but mighty lady. I'm so glad that we got to get to know her and her family! What a blessing she is to us and to Mylee.

Mylee got sweet hugs and kisses from everyone, and we took lots of pictures. I know that Mylee had no idea what was going on. But it's not goodbye...it's see ya later! Now when we skype with John and Cheryl, we will be doing it so they can see Mylee. We look forward to them coming home next summer on furlough. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time together! We love them all very, very much and consider them family. Of course to Mylee, they will always be Momma Cheryl and Poppa John.

The digital frame we bought John and Cheryl

Love by so many

Hugs and kisses from Poppa John
Flying high in Poppa John's arms
We had to get a picture of Mylee with Rae Fang's family
Our family together with Rae Fang's

The very special and very loved Dunn's with Mylee

One last pic with Poppa John

Last minute hugs from Momma Cheryl....

Our two families together as one

Mylee blowing kisses "See ya' later"

The Home of God's Love.....

2010-05-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

After some sightseeing in Taipei, we headed out to The Home of God's Love. Words cannot even express what wonderful people Ted and Bev Skiles are. They have such a heart for the Lord and their love for children is obvious. Helping out with the 25 babies was my mission. Yes...you read this right, they have 25 babies!!!! Each and every one of them absolutely adorable!

When we arrived, me and Cheryl just dove right in! Going straight to the nursery and grabbing a baby to help out. We rocked the babies, we fed the babies, we changed diapers and we got to visit with all the volunteers who were there helping. All the babies eat at the same time....so seeing 25 prepared bottles on a tray, each with the specific baby's name on it was quite a sight to see. Many of the older kids from the orphanage help with feeding time....which was awesome to see! There may be 25 babies there....but each one gets one on one bonding time all throughout the day. These precious little ones are definitely loved on "LOTS" before they finally get to go home with their forever families.

We were fortunate enough to meet a couple families there picking up their daughters. One couple were missionairies from Kurdistan picking up their sweet baby Gracie!

My favorite part of the day was nightly devotions. Every night the children in the orphanage have devotions with Ted. Each child who is 13 or over goes to the nursery and gets a baby and brings them to devotions with them. This gives the babies the outside stimulation that they need. I'm not sure who enjoys it more....the babies or the kids! It's just so sweet seeing the older kids holding these babies and singing hymns to them. It was a very moving moment for me.

More at THOGL.....

2010-05-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Peyton, Dillon and Maci made friends with lots of kids at The Home of God's Love. These are just a few of the pics. Grace and Peyton, in the first picture below, really hit it off. They were pretty much inseparable while we were there. In fact, Peyton and Grace have already exchanged letters since we have been home. Peyton is talking about taking another trip to Taiwan to help at THOGL. She has such a mission's heart....and has told us she want to go to school to be a missionary. Yes, I am an awfully proud momma who is bursting at the seams!!! The kids all just loved playing hangman with Peyton

By the end of our 3 week stay in Taiwan we had all mastered the art of chopsticks....even Maci!

Taipei 101...

2010-05-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

After an oustanding morning...we headed out to have a celebration dinner and to take in some sights in Taipei. We searched and searched for Chili's and were overjoyed when we finally found it! We enjoyed lunch and then walked to "The 101".

This building is beautifully massive...both inside and out! We didn't stay too long because we were going to The Home of God's Love and we also needed to check in to the "Bed and Breakfast" we were going to be staying at for a few days.

God is a Maker of Miracles...

2010-05-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Taipei late last night. I tossed and turned all night long worried about our AIT apppointment. I just keep praying that God would go before us and prepare the way with our appointment. I prayed that Miss Joyce's heart would be softened and the one paper that Mylee's birthmom did not sign would not effect their decision. We woke up early and met John and Cheryl in the restaurant for breakfast. I didn't have much of an appetite...I was way too nervous. We then began our walk to AIT.

We arrived right on time and asked the guard what floor we needed to go to. He informed us to go to the 2nd floor....so we did. We checked in at the window and sat down and waited to hear our name called. About 15 minute later we hear our name and walk up to the window only to find out we are in the wrong office....we needed to be on the 3rd floor. So we quickly go to the 3rd floor office and check in at the window, and sit down again to WAIT. "Li, Kai Xin" the lady from behind the window calls out. We go up, answer a few questions and she asks if we have the pictures of Mylee. My heart sunk! I forgot them back at the hotel! Luckily we were able to call John and after a quick search in our room he found them. Cheryl walked (she probably ran) back to the hotel and got them for us. WHEW!!!! We immediately took them to the lady at the window and she told us to have a seat on the other side of the room and wait for our interview. Okay....now the nerves have really set in!!!!

We waited maybe 5 minutes and we hear "Li, Kai Xin" again. We step up to the window to begin our interview with....Jennifer Joyce. She was very kind and began asking us questions. The interview took about 3 minutes. Then Miss Joyce looks at us both and says with a smile, "Have a safe trip home....Congratulations!" I said "Thank You" and turned to walk out of the room trying to fight the tears of joy. We made it to the hallway and Cheryl shouted " Praise the Lord!" She was crying, I was crying and Donnie was crying! The Lord truly performed a miracle today! Thank you Dear Jesus for answering our prayers!!! Mylee Kai Xin Farmer is officially ours! All we have left to do is pick up her visa on Monday morning.

We raced back to the hotel to give John and the kids the great news! Now it's time to celebrate! Let's eat!

An Evening with the Muir's & Campbells....

2010-05-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

After getting back from Kenting, our family got to spend the evening with the Campbell's and Muir's for supper. We went over all our paperwork and Holly and Trena told us what to expect at our AIT appointment on the 14th.

I was very excited that we got to meet Ken and Regan and all the kids! Our husbands seemed to hit it off great! Donnie definitely kept everyone in stitches, especially Trena! I'm always telling Donnie he is NOT a comedian...but everyone there thought he was a hoot!

All the kids got to hang out together, they even took the little ones to the playground. The evening was so much fun...but it went way too fast!

The Formost.....

2010-05-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

When we were in Kenting, we stayed at the Formost Hotel. John and Cheryl always stay here when they come visit. The owners are very nice and it was obvious that Mylee had been there before. They were quick to want to hold her and give her kisses. The Hotel was awesome! Our room was the Japanese style room.

Mylee with the owner The Formost

Our Japanese room

The kids were all in the lobby playing games

This was a truck we followed on the road. We couldn't help but take a picture and hold our breath everytime a car or scooter was on the right side of it. We just knew the load he was hauling was going to tip over.

The Leaning Load of Taiwan

The Beach in Kenting.....

2010-05-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

After the Mother's Day service we all headed out for Kenting. It was about a 2 hour drive there, and we were all very excited to get to the beach. We got there later in the afternoon so we didn't stay at the beach but a few hours. The beach is absolutely beautiful! We were all so ready to come back the next day!

Mylee ran a low grade fever during the night so we decided to stay in the hotel while the rest of the crew went to the beach. Then the plan was to go later that afternoon as long as she felt fine. Cheryl came back around 1:00 and picked me and Mylee up and off to the beach we went. I do believe we have another little girl who loves the ocean! Mylee had such a good time! Donnie and John both took her in! Maci was floating on a board and she got so relaxed she fell asleep. It was so cute! I think Maci would live on the ocean if she could....come to think of it, I would live on the beach if I could too!!!

Peyton fell asleep too....only while she was laying out in the sun. She paid for it too! She got a pretty wicked sunburn. Today is Donnie's birthday too! I can't think of a better way to spend yoou birthday than on a beach! It was such a fun time! We all had a blast!

This rock is supposed to look like Richard Nixon
Peyton's sunburn

Maci taking a little snooze in the Taiwan Strait

Moriah....buried in the sand

Mylee looking just too cute in her swimsuit and hat

Maci taking it easy

Swimming with daddy

I LOVE this picture of Moriah and Maci!

Mother's Day.....

2010-05-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

It was amazing being able to spend Mother's Day in Taiwan. John and Cheryl's church had a special service planned. They had invited lots of people and had the meal catered so the service was moved to the community center. The only bad thing....there was no air conditioning there and it was very hot outside. Luckily they had lots of fans and it really wasn't that bad.

The adult choir sang a few songs and so did the kids. The high school kids put on a puppet show that was hilarious. Even though it was in chinese, we could tell that it was about Mary and Martha. Mylee absolutely loved the puppet show! John did a mini-sermon and Eugene also spoke. There was also a little Bible trivia game! I actually answered one and got it right!

We had got Cheryl a charm bracelet with a couple charms on it that we wanted to present to her on Mother's Day. One charm was baby's footprints with Mylee's name on the back and the other was a picture of Mylee with the words "Always in my heart" on the back. We just wanted Cheryl to know how very grateful we were for her being Mylee's foster mom the first 9 months of her life. We also thanked the church for loving Mylee and praying so hard for our adoption. Our gift brought Cheryl to tears....but she loved it!

After the service we had lunch. Well, it was definitely interesting....but I tried EVERYTHING!!!! We had stir-fried rice, squid, scallops and cabbage, fried octopus, this pasta stuff that was NOT good, some sort of round things with bean paste in it, chicken nuggets, chicken wings, these whole little fish things (when I took a bite of this I thought I was going to puke), watermelon and cake. We also had the most amazing Jasmine Honey tea I have ever had. I bet I had at least 6 glasses of it.

We stayed quite a while and pretty much everyone held Mylee. This was going to be the last time they would see her. Dillon and Peyton played basketball and also had a little lesson on how to write Chinese.

The adult choir
The kids puppet show

John talking about MaryAll the kids playing basketball

Maci playing with one of the puppets

Dillon and Peyton with some of their new friends

Xiao Mei and Mylee

Holly, Cheryl, me, Rae Fangs mother-in-law, Rae Fang and Mavis, Rae Fangs niece

This wonderful family always kept Mylee on Sunday afternoons. They came by after the Mother's Day service to say goodbye to Mylee. It was very obvious that they loved Mylee and was going to miss her very much. They had a hard time saying goodbye to her.

This is a video of the kids singing one of their songs

This is Rae Fang's crazy aunt teaching Peyton a dance

Vacation for the Nannies....

2010-05-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

Oir family had the privilege of staying at His Hands to watch the babies so that the nannies could go to Kenting for a mini vacation. We started on Thursday morning at 8:00 am. I managed to give all the babies a bath and take their pictures for their families. At 2:00 pm a substitute came in until 10:00 pm. We were able to relax downstairs and get a nap before we took over. We let Dillon and Peyton go ahead and go to bed because we didn't figure they would be much help during the night shift anyway. Donnie put Mylee to sleep and I told him to go to bed too—if I needed him I would come and get him. The babies were all asleep when I got to the nursery. Maci and I laid down on the bed and watched a little TV until she went to sleep. At 3:00 am all 4 babies woke up hungry. I managed to get them all fed and changed . But none of them went back to sleep. Donnie came in and checked on me a couple times...and luckily I had everything under control. Finally at around 6:00 am, I was able to feed all the babies and get them to sleep. Then Donnie took over while I went to bed to catch a few hours of sleep. Donnie, Dillon and Peyton stayed in the nursery until 11:00 am when I woke up. Then we let Dillon and Peyton take a break from the nursery and take Maci to the playground.

At 2:15 pm on Friday, Donnie looked at me and said “That lady that comes at 2:00 is a little late. When is she supposed to be here?” I just looked at him and said, “Honey, she's not coming!” Donnie said, “What?!!!!” And I said, “We have the babies by ourselves until 4:00 pm Saturday.” I thought Donnie was going to freak out!

By that evening Donnie and I had a system going. I think the hardest thing for us was remembering to write on the log what time the babies ate, how much they ate and when they pooped! We definitely learned a little bit about each baby's personality in the two days we were with them.

CAYSEN—AKA BUTTONS.....He is definitely all about the hands. He loves to look at his hands, eat his hands and play with his hands. He also loves to be held and stare at you and give you his adorable smile that lights up the room. He loves to sleep on his belly and when he is done with his pacifier....he loudly lets you know it! Caysen is a serious cuddler! When you put him on your shoulder he puts his face right up under your chin and snuggles right in.

LEIA.....She is a happy baby and is pretty much always smiling. But when Leia is crying, she is most definitely the loudest! She is probably the most scheduled baby when it comes to feeding time. You can always count on her eating in exactly 3 hours. Leia also loves to sleep on her belly and likes to sleep on your chest. She loves being held when she is fed so she can look up at you. Leia is absolutely adorable!

MAREN—AKA MEG.....She is a very serious baby! But after seriously checking you out, she will give you that little smile that makes her big brown eyes sparkle. She is all the time saying Bababababa! Meg likes to sleep on her back and does not want to be held when she is being fed. She also loves to be held and stare at your face. You could just lose yourself in those big brown eyes and those eyelashes.....well I would love to have her eyelashes. I always knew when Meg was waking up because both feet would fly up in the air. She'd be laying in her crib and I'd see these 2 feet pop up. Too funny!

MIA.....Miss Mia is so sweet and so tiny!!! She makes this squeaky little dainty noise just before she is going to cry. Mia is such a little snuggler too. When she is laying in your shoulder she cuddles right in and seems so content. She is also pretty scheduled on feeding time. She loves a bath and is a very good napper. This little lady got the best of Donnie too....she not only peed all over him but she also pooped all over Donnie.

Dillon had “Star Wars” names for all the babies too! Of course there was Princess Leia. Then he said Meg had a Chewbacca sounding cry (which she does) so her name was Chewbacca. Mia was Yoda simply because she was so little. And Caysen....well he hadn't got a name yet and he started crying so Dillon said his feelings were hurt because he hadn't been named yet. It was at that very moment that Caysen was officially named Hans Solo.

The House of Hope
Leia
Meg
Mia
Caysen....I think he looks like he is getting ready to pray

Eating Out & Tea.....

2010-05-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

We have definitely done a lot of eating out since we have been here in Taiwan. Some of it has been....well...interesting to say the least. I will have to say that one of the things I will definitely miss back in the states is the "Ching Shin" tea shops. The tea is absolutely amazing! I have had bubble tea, milk tea, jasmine tea and green tea. But my favorite is black tea!!! I think I need to start a tea shop when we get back home.

Milk tea

Black tea with pearls

Purple rice soup with sweet potatoes....this was so yummy!!!!

More Pizza Hut buffet style....pumpkin pizza, spaghetti with squid sauce, surf & turf pizza and some sort of rice

My Pizza Hut salad

John even took us by an Auntie Anne's
A big bowl of noodles at the noodle shop

Dillon and Peyton enjoying their noodles

Maci doing the 2 handed chopstick move....

....see it works!

Eating out with Paul, Betty and Samuel

Every restaurant we go to, the owners all just love Mylee....and Mylee loves them too!

Some of the choices at the street bakery

Ice cream cone danish

Pig snout

A Taiwan Hair Shampoo.....

2010-05-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Ever since we have been here in Taiwan, Cheryl has told me and Peyton that she was going to take us to get our hair washed. I kept thinking to myself....what is the big deal about getting my hair washed? I do that every day! Well, let me tell you....a Taiwan hair shampoo is like nothing you can ever imagine! It is absolutely wonderful!

Cheryl picked us girls up from the House of Hope and took us to the shop she always goes to. First of all they set you in a chair and give you a massage on your shoulders. Which felt amazing and sometimes a little painful. Then they take this bottle and just squirt it on your dry hair and begin shampooing. WOW is all I can say!!!! They not only shampoo your hair, but they also massage your head. The girl cracked her knuckles, did this tapping thing and finger flicking thing....oh my goodness it felt sooooo good!!!! And all of this lasted about 30 minutes.....30 minutes of pure heaven!

Then they take you to rinse off.....only your not in a chair, you are actually lying down. By this time I am totally loving this hair shampoo! Then they dry your hair and style it for you. Maci and Moriah had their hair french braided. And what is even better....you get all of this for about $5.oo USD.

Now I totally see what Cheryl was talking about. I have NEVER in my life had a hair shampoo that felt so amazing! Cheryl said the girls who give the shampoos go to school to learn how to give them. We definitely need one of those schools in the USA!!!!!!

Maci getting her shampoo
Peyton was loving it

Cheryl getting her shampooMe, Maci and Peyton relaxing while we are rinsed

Maci's french braid

Peyton's all finished

Kaohsiung City.....

2010-05-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

These are just some random pics of some of the different places around Kaohsiung City

This is the view of Koahsiung City

Kaohsiung City

Kaohsiung at night

John and Cheryl's apartment

Pineapple field

Each plant produced one pineapple...I had no idea they grew on plants, I thought pineapples grew on trees

Dream Mall with the ferris wheel behind it

Bike Ride.....

2010-05-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

This evening John took Mylee for her very first bike ride and she loved it! Just look at our big girl in her sunglasses....isn't she adorable?

Church and Potluck.....

2010-05-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to church. Before church began they had a prayer service. Their church service was amazing! As they were singing I couldn't help but cry. The Lord is definitely moving there and it is so wonderful to see everyone praising God so freely. The prayers that everyone lifted up for Mylee and our family were very moving as well. I think Donnie and I cried through most of the service and we couldn't even understand what they were saying. Our hearts understood though.

After church was a potluck dinner for May birthdays. We all knew we were going to be eating some real Taiwanese food...but would we like it? Mylee loved it of course, Dillon loved the curry and rice, Peyton didn't like anything, Maci loved the corn soup and Thai noodles, Donnie like the curry....and I tried everything there. Even the fish head soup, seaweed and fungus. Which I liked....but I did NOT like the mango ching and some sort of seafood slaw that was absolutely awful!!!! The smell was bad enough, but I did try it!

This is a picture of the church

Birthday cake

Tina and Mylee

Rae Fang & Tina

Some of the kids doing dishes

Samuel and Benny

This is Purvis......Mylee loves him!

Rae Fang telling Peyton something

This was this woman and her son's first Sunday to church

Mylee giving Cheryl some lovin'

John, Cheryl & Mylee

The Night Market.....

2010-05-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

John and Cheryl took us to the night market....which was quite an experience to say the least. The only thing I can compare it to is Ag Days--only about 100 times more people! It was insane!!! There are vendors back to back with games, food, clothes, jewelry, shoes, purses and much, much more! Me and Dillon ate "squid on a stick" which was really good! The "cho dofu" or "stinky tofu" definitely lives up to its name! I wanted to get a picture of it being fried up but I couldn't stand to be next to it for that long. The smell is something I will NEVER forget for the rest of my life! In fact, I swear the stinky smell attached itself to the hairs in my nose and I could smell it even after I got home and took a shower! We're going back to the night market and I am going to try and psyche myself up to take a picture....we'll just have to see though.

Peyton bought herself a couple shirts and a pair of leopard tennis shoes while we were there. And we also got a banana milk too! Now that was delicious!

Just some of the food being cooked up
Dillon eating "squid on a stick"

Some squid tentacles sticking out of Dillon's mouth

Fruit Kabobs with a glaze that hardens

More shish kabobs made out of several different kinds of meat

The crowded night market

The sidewalks are always lined up with lots and lots of scooters

Maci playing one of the games

Youth Group.....

2010-05-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight Dillon and Peyton gave their testimony at youth group and they also told all the kids about a day in the life of an American. Kids in Taiwan go to school at 7:00 am and get out at 6:00 pm. So they couldn't believe it when Dillon and Peyton told them they went from 8:00 to 3:30 pm. In Taiwan you cannot get your drivers license until you are 18...so they were all very jealous that Dillon had his at 16.

Monkey Mountain.....

2010-05-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

We left the house this morning around 6:30 am and headed for Monkey Mountain. I can tell you right up front....this mountain kicked my butt! I had Mylee in the hip sling and we started our hike. At the very beginning we started seeing monkeys. I think the kids said they saw 54 monkeys in total. At about the halfway mark the sweat was dripping off of me. We met a little 80 year old woman on the way up.....she was definitely doing better than me at that point. John called the steps the "Neverending stairs". And that's exactly what it felt like......the stairs were neverending! I was praising Jesus when we finally made it to the top! The view was amazing, and we saw several monkeys there.

When we headed down and got to the bottom, Cheryl decided to buy some mango ching (Sour mango) As soon as the lady gave her the bag, a monkey came from behind and grabbed it and darted up a tree. Oh my goodness.....it was so funny!

We then headed for a bathroom, which was of course a "squatty potty". I opted to hold it and wait until we got home. Maci could not wait....and let just say she has not mastered the art of the squatty potty!

When we got home we were all fighting for showers! We were all just a little stinky!

The very beginning of our hike....yes that is monkey mountain in the background
monkey statues

Dillon.....monkeying around

The first monkey we saw

The are the "Neverending Stairs" that go on and on.....

....and on....

.....and on.

The kids pose for a picture at the top

more monkeys

The Farmer clan

A monkey very, close up

The beautiful view from the top

Looks like Donnie made himself a friend

Peyton and Maci

The CRAZY Dunn's

Mama and her baby

The thief who stole Cheryl's mango ching

The squatty potty

Mylee's Adoption Physical.....

2010-04-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning we took Mylee to the hospital for her adoption physical. Once we arrived, Cheryl checked her in and she was weighed and measured. Mylee is 18 lbs. and 26 inches long. Then they took her blood pressure and checked her pulse. After that, they sent us upstairs to see the doctor. After seeing the doctor, he decided that Mylee should have blood work done....which was not what we wanted to hear. The nurses downstairs were not too thrilled about having to draw blood on her either. They were so sweet with Mylee as they were getting her ready. Donnie held Mylee, because I just couldn't. They tried in her hand and got a little blood. Our baby girl is so brave...she never cried or even whimpered. They were even moving the needle around in her hand to get more blood and she was just looking around. Now mommy and Aunt Cheryl on the other hand WERE crying. The whole time we were both praying to God that it would be over. Then we find out that they didn't get enough drawn. So they have to stick her again...this time they did it in her arm and she cried a little bit. Praise Jesus they got enough! I don't think me or Cheryl could have taken seeing little Mylee being poked again!

Check this out....exercise bicycles in the waiting room! Genius!

Just Pics.....

2010-04-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

"Up".....

2010-04-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

These are some pics of Maci and Mylee watching "UP" on the laptop. They were too cute not to post! It looks like Maci is going to be a great big sissy!

The House of Hope.....

2010-04-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a trip to the House of Hope before Mark and Christine had to fly out of Taiwan so we could meet them and pray for them. As soon as Christine and I seen each other we just hugged. Mark and Christine are such remarkable people....and very strong willed! They are going to bring Owen home--this is a fight they will not lose! I told Mark and Christine that if they heard from USCIS before we came home we would gladly bring Owen home for them. Owen is so darn cute! When he gets excited he has the cutest mouth ever!

Then Christine took us upstairs to see the babies! Oh what a beautiful sight to see! The first baby I saw was sweet little Jasper. He was fussing in his bed until Cheryl swooped him up. Then I saw sweet little Mia...she is so little. She just smiled at me behind her pacifier, she is quite a beauty! Then I noticed little Caysen all snuggled in his seat sound asleep. Oh what a handsome little fella he is! Then I saw smiling Leia...and that is exactly what she is always doing--smiling! Her little eyes just light up when she smiles too! Then I saw Meg. She was getting her bottle from Mary when we got there. She is such a cute little baby....and very serious. I tried really hard to get a smile out of her but she just kept looking at me like I was some crazy lady!

We gave Holly and Trena the staff shirts that the HH families bought for them and they were so excited! They just loved the green color! We even got to meet Xiao Mei and Joshua for just a minute. She was on her way to a bible study.

We got to visit with Mark and Christine for a little while and then Cheryl prayed for them just before we had to leave. Continue to keep this family in your prayers as they fight to bring sweet little Owen home where he belongs.

Holly, Owen and MyleePeyton holding Owen and Mylee
Leia is on the left, Peyton is playing with Mia and Cheryl is holding Jasper

Mary is giving Meg a bottle

Jasper

Caysen

Mia

Leia

Maren

Mark, Christine and Owen

Gotcha.....

2010-04-28T23:45:00.001-07:00

"I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him." 1 Samuel 1:27

I cannot even begin to explain how amazing today was! We are so happy to finally have our Mylee in our arms! Our flight got into Taipei a little early so John and Cheryl had to scramble to get to the HSR when we got off the train. John's friends Craig Thompson and Peter Bennett met us at the airport and rode with us on a shuttle bus to the HSR. We had 12 suitcases all together so it quite an achievement to get them all on the train in around 5 minutes time. I don't know what we would have done without Craig and Peter there! Then we had about an 1 1/2 hour train ride. I didn't really get too nervous until about the last 15 minutes of the ride....then my heart started beating really fast and I was getting emotional. John was supposed to meet us at the platform when our train arrived....but they were running late because they didn't expect us until around 10:00 am and it was 9:00 am. The workers at the train station were so nice, they helped us unload our 12 pieces of luggage and started heading toward the elevator with it when we saw John running down the station.

Cheryl called and told us to call her when we were getting on the elevator.....and I said "Cheryl, we're getting on the elevator right now." She said "Okay, gotta go!" and hung up. When we were coming up on the elevator the kids were hollering at me saying "There she is Mom! There she is!" But I was looking the wrong way....until there she was! All smiles! Andrew and Moriah were holding up a banner with Mylees picture on it. I went straight to Mylee and wrapped my arms around her and just breathed this moment in....and it was AMAZING!

Our Welcome banner!

Mommy and Mylee's first moment together

Daddy and Mylee

The whole gang at the train station

I think she likes her big sister Peyton....

.....and Dillon too!

Dillon with his 2 little sisters

Daddy giving Mylee his first bottle

Mylee....Here We Come

2010-04-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has finally arrived....we are going to Taiwan to get our baby girl! We spent most of the evening last night getting our bags packed, weighed, repacked and weighed again. We had so many donations and extras to bring that we had to pack 3 extra suitcases. We were more than happy to help out though. We had to make one last stop to Walmart for John to get Giradelli White Chocolate chips....sorry John, they didn't have any. I went ahead and bought Nestle though. I'll find that recipe for you on Google. I promise!

I actually slept extremely well....but was up very early. I think I was just way too excited! We were all up, showered and ready by 9:00 am. Barb, Debbie and Whitney came to take us to the airport. When we got to the airport I was so excited to have Patty Spencer come to see us off. She gathered us all together and said a wonderful prayer before she left. I love you Patty!

Donnie's dad was able to slip away from his job long enough to give hugs and kisses for all of us! I was glad he could make it too! The biggest surprise was Andrea and Libby Berry! I was so happy to finally meet them both! What a sweet blessing to see a beautiful little baby from Taiwan as we are getting ready to go! Thanks Andrea for taking the time to come and see us!

The flight to Chicago was uneventful and the kids did just great! Maci was the star attraction on the flight! The stewardess announced her name and said she was American Airlines special guest on the flight! All the passengers clapped for her! I wish you could have seen her face....she looked at me and said "Mommy.....how did she know my name?" It was way too cute!

We're at Chicago O'Hare right now and have a couple more hours until our flight to San Francisco. Then at 1:10 AM we take off for Taiwan. We will arrive in Taipei Wednesday at 5:50 AM their time....Tuesday, 4:50 pm our time. John has arranged for a missionary friend of his to meet us at the airport and put us on a shuttle bus to the HSR, then help us get tickets and load our luggage for Kaohsiung. Please pray that happens without any problems.

The entire Dunn family and half of their church will be there at the train station to greet us! Oh, and Cheryl said Mylee will be right up in front of the crowd! So that means we will be holding our daughter in a little over 24 hours! Praise God!

We have encountered another bump in the road....but scripture says "And we KNOW that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose'" Romans 8:28 and "If GOD is for us, who can be against us" Romans 8:31

AIT are questioning the one document that the birthmom needed to sign, but Holly and Trena, who have Power of Attorney, signed instead. They are willing to accept it as long as Immigration in the states will approve it. So PLEASE pray that Immigration will approve the document that Holly and Trena signed. AIT called Rae Fang and told her that they couldn't guarantee our appointment on the May 14th because of this. I was a little upset when I heard the news...but I have faith that our GOD in heaven will take care of the whole situation. AIT is also demanding that Mylee's birthmom be present at our AIT appointment. They have informed H/T that if she cannot be there....they need to have documentation of every single time they have tried to find her, phone her, text her, etc. Pray for this situation as well!

A scripture that is one of my favorites has really gotten me through some difficult times during this adoption process. "May the GOD of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in HIM, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 That is exactly what I am doing....I am casting all my worries to the Lord and trusting in Him so that my hope and joy is overflowing! GOD IS GOOD AND FAITHFUL!!!!

The Farmer Family at the airport ready to go

Debbie and Barb with all of us
Auntie Debbie with Maci
Andrea and Libby Berry

Peyton acting silly before her very first flight

Our little Maci....she's an old pro and flying

Dillon waiting for take-off

We Got It...

2010-04-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to explain to you the events of this glorious day!

I woke up this morning, much like any other day. I went straight to the coffee pot to prepare my morning cup of joe. I then checked my email and ate me a couple pieces of toast. I then proceeded to clean my house. I had made a list of all the things I needed to do and I was very eager to get them done.

Around noon I heard the mail truck drop off our mail. I had no expectations of anything exciting arriving today...It had become normal for me to always be disappointed. When I opened the mailbox....there it was!!! The envelope I had prayed for for so very long!!! My heart started beating very rapidly and I could almost feel my legs turning to rubber. I made it in the house and looked at Dillon and said "I think this is it!" Then the shaking became uncontrollable. I had so much trouble opening the envelope Dillon even offered to do it for me. When I got the letter out and looked at it...I knew what it was! Our I-171H!!!! We are finally approved to go to Taiwan and pick up our sweet Mylee!!!! Then the tears came and I bowed my head and thanked our God and Savior for answering our prayers! Dillon immediately called Donnie and gave him the news...at this time I believe I was about to hyperventilate. The next 15-20 minutes are kind of a blurr to me. I remember calling my mom, but I don't really even remember what I said.

I have emailed a copy of the I-171H to Holly and Trena, and I also emailed AIT for our TAI2010#. We are praying for a quick response from AIT so we can send our TAI# to Holly and Trena, then they can make our AIT appointment. I do know that we will most likely have to stay in Taiwan a little bit longer than 2 weeks. Mylee cannot get her adoption physical without her passport...and since Mylee is legally ours in Taiwan, we will have to apply for her passport as soon as we get there. It could take anywhere from 8-10 days to get that. Then Mylee can get her physical. We are prepared to stay in Taiwan as long as it takes!

We are all in a state of shock!!! This is something we have been wanting for so long....and now that we do it just doesn't even seem real. God has been so faithful! I have relied on Him to give me the strength to make it through each and every day. I cannot praise HIM enough!

“O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” Isaiah 25:1

All I can say now is "Mylee....Mommy and Daddy love you and we ARE coming really, really soon!"

Still Waiting.....

2010-03-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

We have now been waiting 8 weeks for our I-171H from the Chicago USCIS office. I have emailed several times and have even left a message on their "emergency" number. But still I have absolutely no idea when we will receive it.

Our adoption journey to Mylee has been quite a roller coaster ride, full of ups and downs and even a few loopity loops. We have relied on the Lord to give us the strength to make it through each day...even when we thought we couldn't. I have to admit that within the last few weeks my spirit has definitely been bruised. I continue to read God's word and pray that His grace and mercy will surround us. We are extremely blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends who pray for us daily. All of my "His Hands" families have been a true encouragement as well. Your words of support help me each and every day. We know that Mylee will be in our arms very soon and the painful wait will be just a distant memory. Until then...these pictures of our beautiful daughter are what brings us joy! She is an absolute beauty! God has BIG things in store for this little girl...I just know it!

A Little Ray of Sunshine.....

2010-03-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Bathing Beauty.....

2010-03-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

I'm loving these bath time pictures! I can't believe how big Mylee looks. Cheryl said she weighs about 17 lbs now. Just look at her chubby little legs. I love it!

Moriah & The Berenstain Bears.....

2010-03-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

These have got to be some of my favorite pictures yet! How sweet to see Moriah reading to Mylee. I can't wait until she is finally home all snuggled up in my lap so I can read her a bedtime story. Soon..... Moriah....this book is so interesting.
I love this book!

My little angel

That is so funny!

What a cutie pie!

Maci is packed and ready to go.....

2010-03-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

The other day Maci climbed in one of our suitcases and said "Mommy, I'm ready to go to Taiwan!" I had to run and get my camera to video it. She is just so darn cute! Bless her heart...I think she is just as tired of waiting as we are.

Skyping Pictures.....

2010-03-17T15:22:00.001-07:00

The last few times we have skyped with John and Cheryl I have forgotten to post the pics of Mylee that I took. So.....here they are! Just look how big our baby girl is getting! Her smile just melts my heart everytime I see her!

Earthquake in Taiwan....

2010-03-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

We got the news last night around 10:00 that there had been a 6.4 earthquake in Taiwan. And the epicenter was in Kaohsiung. My baby girl is in Kaohsiung. I immediately said a prayer, then got on the computer and emailed John and Cheryl. MSN news said that all of the electric had been down in the city, but I sent a message anyway. It was a very restless night. All I could think about was that Mylee was half way across the world and I did not know how she was. She honestly has not felt more far away than she did at that very moment. I want her home in my arms even more! God please protect her and let her know that her mommy is coming!

I got up this morning to wonderful news! Everyone was okay! The Dunns, Mylee, the babies at His Hands, the nannies and Holly & Trena and their families! Thank you Lord for answered prayers!

Still Waiting....

2010-03-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

We still are waiting on our I-171H to arrive. I just want to give a little heads up to others out there who are also in the adoption process. Pay close attention to the dates of home visits on your homestudy! When we sent in our I600A application we had plenty of time before it expired according to the date it was signed and notarized by our social worker. Well, apparently USCIS goes by the date of the last home visit...not by the notarized date. Unfortunately we found out about this the hard way! And I have to say makes absolutely no sense to me at all! But, we have to do what the government says.

So, we had to get our homestudy updated before we could send in another I600A application. This process took around 4 months total. This is why we are waiting on our I-171H at this time.

During this whole adoption process I have definitely learned the true meaning of patience. We continue to rely on our Lord and Savior for comfort as we wait. We know that God's timing is ALWAYS perfect.

Wanna Buy Some Corn?

2010-02-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

Now I just want to know something? If you were walking along the street and saw these two amazingly cute babies selling corn...wouldn't you buy some? I am confident that they sold every ear of corn they had!!! I don't know whose idea this was, but that is definitely some pretty smart marketing in my book!

Mylee and Joshua look so cute in their Chinese New Year outfits!Joshua....say cheese! They are not looking too excited about this whole corn sale. Maybe we'll just go ahead and shuck the corn
Precious!
I just LOVE Mylee's dress!

Matching PJ's....

2010-01-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

Even though Mylee is in Taiwan, she and Maci still need to have matching pajamas. I think both girls look absolutely adorable!

Aces Fan in Taiwan.....

2010-01-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

We sent a maroon and gold Aces shirt and hair bow to Taiwan for Mylee. She's got to cheer her big brother on in football....even if she is in Taiwan. I absolutely LOVE these pics of her! I can't wait to take her to her very first Mt. Carmel Aces Football game! The football is as big as she is!

I've Found My Tongue.....

2010-01-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

These have got to be the most adorable pictures that the Dunn's have sent me yet! John says that Mylee has just found her tongue and is all the time sticking it out. Well, as you can see she has certainly found out that she can do an awful lot with it!Sweet laugh!

I LOVE this picture!

Open up and say AHHHHH!

Skype Call at 3:30 am.....

2010-01-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

These past couple days have been very difficult for us. We knew that Holly, Trena and Cheryl were going to meet with DCFS to see if there was anything they could do to help with Mylee's case and also to talk with them about the House of Hope. We still haven't heard anything as far as the judge deciding to rule on whether we have to have Mylee's birthmom do her homestudy. They have diligently tried to find her...but no luck. I don't think she wants to be found. We did get our local congressman Timothy Johnson to send her a letter on our behalf. Plus Donnie and I also wrote a letter to her. We are praying that she will find it in her heart to issue our final decree without it.

All day I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that the DCFS meeting did not go well. Before going to bed, I went in Mylee's bedroom and prayed over her crib. I just asked the Lord to bring our baby girl home very, very soon. Then when I was putting Maci to bed she wanted to pray. She prayed for BIG snow and she prayed that Mylee would come home soon!

Well, at around 3:30 am I heard our computer ringing a skype call. I raced down the stairs so fast and answered the call. It was John, Cheryl and Mylee! By the time I got it answered, everyone in the house was up and in front of the computer screen. Cheryl said "Do you hear a baby crying?" In the midst of being half awake/half asleep I answered "no". Then she said "Mylee is telling you to come and get her....the judge issued your final decree!" We all woke up really quick then! We were jumping up and down, laughing and crying! Praise God! We didn't need the birthmom's homestudy! Mylee is officially ours in Taiwan!!!

We did find out from Cheryl that the meeting with DCFS did not go well. At one point in the meeting they were even threatening to take Mylee away. Cheryl broke down in tears when she was telling us. God covered them with HIS protection and that did not happen.

We are just on top of the world with the news!!!! We feel so blessed and cannot wait to travel to Taiwan. We continue to pray that will happen very soon! Oh....I forgot to tell you that both of Maci's prayers were answered! Not only did we find out we will be bringing Mylee home soon....but we also got a BIG snow!!!!

Just look how happy Mylee is about the news!!!!
YAY!!!!! I'm a Farmer!!!!

Mylee Is Just Too Cute.....

2010-01-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

Maci has this dress as well. I can't wait until Mylee is home with us and I can dress the girls alike. I've had lots of people tell me that Maci and Mylee look alike. I just think they are absolutely beautiful and 2 very special gifts from God. This is one of my favorite pics of Mylee
That looks like a very mischevious grin to me!

Here is Mylee looking at the picture book of her family!

Christmas Pajamas.....

2009-12-25T23:58:00.000-08:00

We were in China during Christmas when we got Maci. So we bought some cute red Christmas pajamas for her. Well, I saved them and sent them to Taiwan for Mylee to wear for Christmas. Both Maci and Mylee look equally adorable in them!

Mylee is looking awfully cute in her PJ'sMylee with one of the Christmas presents we sent her!
This picture of Maci in her Christmas PJ's was taken on the day we got her. We never got a smile out of her until the next day.
Our sweet Maci on "Gotcha Day" Christmas Eve.

5 Months Old...

2009-12-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

Miss Mylee is 5 months old today. Cheryl sent pics with her very first piggy tails! How sweet is she? Her smile makes my heart melt! Praying that soon, very soon, we will be traveling to Taiwan to wrap my arms around her sweet little body and kiss that precious face.

I LOVE how her eyes disappear when she smiles!

Mylee In Her Walker.....

2009-12-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

Mylee is almost 5 months old in these pictures. She is changing every day and I hate it that I am half way around the world missing it. But I cherish each and every picture that I get of her. John says that she will play for long periods of time in her walker as long as she can see someone. If they get out of her sight she lets them know. Right now her little "Love Bug" that we sent her is her favorite toy! Just look at that smile....I could just eat her up!

We Are Seeking God's Comfort...

2009-11-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Mylee's mom did not show up for her homestudy. Cheryl and Rea Fang went to pick her up at the designated place and she did not arrive. They are sure she is still scared and sure that something will happen to reveal other things she has done wrong.

The social worker told us that the next step is to file a missing person's report and declare Mylee abandoned. His Hands actually had her sign a paper that states they have the right to report her missing if they can't contact her. Rae Fang will continue to try and contact her this weekend and let her know that they are going to file this report. It is possible that if they can contact her she will be afraid enough of the report that she will allow Holly and Trena to take her to the social worker's office. If she does not respond before Monday they will file the report. God gave His Hands an amazing contact with a high ranking female detective last week. She was very touched by His Hands and told them to call her if they ever have a problem. Holly and Trena could not imagine why they would need her...but maybe it was for just this time.

Once the report is filled, if she is not found and a homestudy done within 4 months then Mylee will be legally declared abandoned and the social worker will submit the paperwork with what she has. The process will take up to two months after she is declared abandoned to be completed. So we are looking at 6 months. This is very hard for us to hear and we are praying that God will prepare our hearts and minds and give us peace through this whole situation.

Two specific things we can pray for:
1) Mylee's mom will answer Rea Fang's call this weekend and will agree to let His Hands take her to do the homestudy to keep us from filling the report.
2) If one does not happen we will pray that after the report is filled they will find Mylee's mom during the month of November. If they are able to find her and bring her to the social workers office she will drop everything and do her homestudy. She will delay writing up todays report till the end of this month to give them time to find her.

Our hearts are breaking at this moment in time. We know that God has a reason for all things and we will continually seek His peace and comfort. He knows the cry of our hearts and He knows how badly we want Mylee home. He is going to work this for good, because He promised in His word that He would.

Court Date.....

2009-10-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well...today was our court date. And as you read on, you will see that it was certainly a day filled with drama.

At about 2pm Cheryl called Holly and Trena. They assumed she was calling to let them know that she and Rae Fang had been successful in picking up Mylee's birth mom...that was not the case. Cheryl, who praise the Lord was in the car with Rae Fang, had just received a frantic phone call from Mylee's birth mom saying she had been in a car accident and was in a hospital way on the opposite side of town. Holly and Trena immediately decided that Cheryl and Rea Fang should go and see her and take pictures and wait there in case the judge wanted to talk to her and Holly and Trena would go on to court with Mylee. They said they prayed and asked God to go before them all and prepare the way. As they were about to enter the court they got a call from Cheryl telling them that the whole things was made up...Mylee's birth mom was not in the hospital, and had not been in an accident. She was simply afraid to come to court, so she lied. (she has several outstanding fines and is afraid they would make her pay them) There was nothing for Holly and Trena to do except go into the hearing without her. When the judge asked where she was, they explained to her exactly what had occurred and she just laughed, and said there is nothing I can do about her fines. She assured them that it did not matter if the birth mom was there or not, they had all the notarized release and proxy papers that they needed. She asked all the normal questions and then told Holly and Trena that she would not require another court date. She said she would just get Mylee's birth mom's information from the HS report that will be written by the social worker. So Praise God the fact that she was not there had no bearing on our case at all.

There was one thing that judge would not budge on, she wanted some notarized, translated, TECOed documents. The documents that we need are notarized copies of all the following:

1) Health Report of letter written by your physician

2) Criminal Check

3) Letter of Employment

4) A financial report or summary

As soon as we have these documents notarized we will email them to His Hands. They will send them to AT-Link to be translated, then send them right back to us to attach to the originals and have them TECOed.

Holly and Trena went straight to the Social Work office downtown after court and talked to them about our homestudy. They talked to the Social worker that is in charge of our case and explained Mylee's birth mom's situation. She agreed that they could do the HS with Mylee and Cheryl and the birth mom all at the House of Hope on the same day. This way, they will have a little more control over her being there. The social worker was very sensitive to our situation and eager to get the HS done.

This was a lot to take in, but we truly know that God is at work and is in control. The homestudy has been scheduled for November 6th, we just pray that the birthmom will show up.

11 Weeks Old.....

2009-09-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Mylee is 11 weeks old already. She is getting so big! And the hair....well it's obvious it has a mind of its own!

Pretty in Pink.....

2009-09-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

At the end of June of this year, my best friends son Jordan, and his wife Rachel, went to Taiwan for a month long mission. They stayed with John and Cheryl. When they left, I had bought a pretty little pink dress with a matching hat to send with Rachel to Taiwan. It was just wishful thinking that we would get a referral while they were in Taiwan. As it turned out...we got our referral while Jordan and Rachel were there in Taiwan!!!! The pink dress was way too big so Cheryl saved it for Mylee until she grew into it. This past Sunday Mylee wore that pretty little pink dress to church! I think she looks absolutely adorable!!!

Pretty in pink

My sweet little angel

Cheryl and Mylee

Moriah and Mylee

Wordless Wednesday.....

2009-09-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Catching up.....

2009-09-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing a very good job updating my blog...so I am going to try and get caught up on all that has gone on in the past month or so.

After we recieved all of our translation papers on August 15th, we needed to get them State certified and then sent to the TECO office in Chicago. God definitely had a hand in the timing of all of this! My best friends son Jordan, and daughter-in-law Rachel, were moving to Chicago the very next week. So Rachel offered to hand deliver them to the State office in Chicago and then take them to TECO for me!!! This would definitely save a lot of time instead of sending them in the mail! Rachel dropped the papers off at TECO on August 25th and I recieved them in the mail on August 27th!!! I couldn't believe how quick it was!!!! God is so Good!!!

The next day, August 28th, I sent everything to Taiwan via Fedex! Then I found out that the paperwork was submitted to the courts on September 4th. YAY!!! We're one step closer to bringing Mylee home!!! Now we wait for the court date! Which could be anywhere from 2-6 weeks.

On September 13th, I was skyping with Cheryl and Mylee. Mylee had her face all up in the computer and was smiling at me! I think she was even trying to hug me through the computer screen! She is just way too cute!!! Before I hung up with Cheryl, I told her laughingly that the next time she skyped me I wanted her to tell me that we had a court date! She laughed and said okay!!! She even told me that she said, "God, wouldn't that be neat if I could call her later and tell her that." Well, guess what? That next morning at 6:30 am my phone rang and it was Cheryl from Taiwan! She said, "Gina....you have a court date! It's October 7th at 3:15!" I couldn't believe it! God must've thought it would be neat too!!! I'm still completely blown away how fast everything is going to bring Mylee home to us!!!

Then on Monday, September 21st, I found out from Holly and Trena that the court ordered the homestudy on Mylee! This is such a blessing! It will make things go even more quickly! Our Lord and Savior has been so faithful! He is continually blessing our family with answered prayers!!! Praise be to God our Father in heaven!!!!

On September 29th, we will go to Louisville, KY to get fingerprinted! I am praying that our I600A approval is wired to Taiwan quickly!

Mylee is changing every day! She is so stinkin' cute! And that hair...I can't wait to do that hair! She is such a happy baby! It is very obvious that John and Cheryl absolutely love and adore Mylee and are spoiling her rotten! Words cannot even describe how grateful we are to them! The have taken our baby girl into their Godly home to care for and love on until the day they can place her in our arms!!! We love John and Cheryl and their entire family with all of our heart!!!

Below are some pics of Mylee! Ain't she adorable!

A Day at the Beach.....

2009-08-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

At 27 days old, Mylee got to go to the beach for the first time! It looks like she pretty much took it easy and relaxed most of the day. Except for when Cheryl dipped her feet in the ocean for the first time...she obviously didn't like that at all! But just look at the picture of Cheryl holding her and letting her know it will be alright! Donnie and I thank God for the Dunn's each and every day and their willingness to take care of Mylee until we go to Taiwan! They are true blessings and we love them very much!

New Pictures.....

2009-08-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

16 days old

19 days old

3 1/2 weeks old

Wordless Wednesday.....

2009-07-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Skyping With Mylee.....

2009-07-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed to have John and Cheryl Dunn take care of Mylee until we travel to Taiwan to pick her up. They are such a blessing to our family and we thank God for them each and every day. We have been able to Skype with them several times and see Mylee. I just want to reach in that computer screen and hug her and kiss her beautiful little face! She is absolutely precious! I can tell that John and Cheryl are so in love with Mylee too! It is such a comfort to know that she will be loved on and cared for by two wonderful Christian people...we are blessed! These are some of the pics from our Skyping sessions. They aren't the greatest in the world...but they are priceless to me!

The Referral of our Baby Girl.....

2009-07-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

NAME: Li Kai Shing
BIRTHDAY: July 8, 2009
AGE AT REFERRAL DATE: 8 days old
WEIGHT: 2955 grams
LENGTH: 48 cm
NATIONALITY: Taiwanese and Aboriginal (Ru Kai Tribe)