I am thankful for a bus station......

This weekend is off to a great start!!! I have been so encouraged by amazing people lately! I met a sister in Christ who is adopting a little girl from, you'll never guess, THE SOCIAL WELFARE INSTITUTE OF WUZHOU CITY!!!! Yes the same orphanage that Jackzhen is in! We had an awesome converstaion tonight and she shared a ton of resources with me - I never knew they existed!!! Thank you Lord for Alisa!!! The first was a Chinese website and also how to articulate the search for his find ad.  It only took 10 minutes but I found it!

I had to take a deep breath before I read it.... I mean, until now, I have just accepted that he was abandoned... But reading his find ad would tell me where he was left, it was a puzzle piece and a visual to the start of his little life... This is what I found....

2008年9月25日在梧州市河东客车站候车室捡拾到一名男婴，2008年9月4日出生（估），入院时姓名不详，福利院取名：吴振秋。
September 25, 2008 in Wuzhou City, east bus station waiting room to pick up a baby boy, September 4, 2008 born (estimated), admission unnamed, orphanage named: Wuzhen Qiu

The waiting room at a bus station.... To some this may seem so cruel - but honestly I think it tells a much bigger story... You see Jackzhen was left when he was 3 weeks old - that means he spent the first three weeks of his life with his birth mom.  My new outlook is this; I believe that he was cared for and loved, for three weeks... A lot of newborns are abandoned immediately after birth, with their umbilical cord still attached, most don't make it through the first month of life. But there was a reason that he was 3 weeks old when he was left by his birth mother.   Wuzhou is a very impoverished region of China.  It is a very mountainous and there are a lot of poor farm workers that live there.  She could have very easily left him in a field, but I think she chose a place that was warm, indoors, and highly populated by people, because she truly cared for him.    There are stories of babies being left in gas stations, alleys, and sadly even dumpsters, I am thankful for a bus station...........

One day we will have to answer tough questions for Jackzhen and today was a revelation to the story we will share with him, then........

It was all about Jackzhen.....

We had been given an idea from a friend to have a spaghetti dinner and silent auction... We weren't sure if that was the route we wanted to go down, I mean, God had led us to this adoption and has orchestrated this entire thing, He will certainly provide the means!!! However, we had an overwhelming request from our friends and family to proceed forward and allow others to celebrate this adoption as well. I felt a peace that the people that would come and be a part of our dinner, would also feel a closeness to Jackzhen and in turn be a part of this bigger picture! We quickly changed gears and gave the dinner an Asian theme (Stir Fry!!!) My friend Tosha was the motivation behind our dinner. She donated things from her business for the silent auction part, as well as her friends and family. The kids and I also went around to a few businesses and presented our story. We were A-mazed by the kindness that was shown by our community! It was a great life lesson for our kids to see that there is love in this world, and God is present in everything! They saw the love and kindness shown by perfect strangers and as a homeschooling mama, I am always excited for life lessons that are lived right before my eyes!

The day before the dinner we were prepared to cook!!! However, we were not alone!!! My friends Alice, Lisa, Meg, my mom, mother in law, and my big sister Jen were all in my kitchen to help out. Ohhhh how I could NOT have done it without them... We cooked 96 chicken breasts, 40lbs of rice, and 12 bags of vegetables!!!

The dinner was a ton of fun! My favorite part was that no one felt obligated to give, it was not the emphasis of the night, but instead celebrating Jackzhen! We showed his video, told his story, and shared with everyone how we were led to him! I cant tell you how many times I cried that night! They were tears of happiness, joy, and even a few sad for a few people that couldn't be there! The dinner and auction was a huge blessing to our adoption, we raised over $4,000!!! Who but God can provide that type of blessing using rice??? One of my favorite memories from the night came a week after the dinner. A friend told me that she had so much fun and loved the food, but was surprised "we didn't see a box for donations..." my thought was "perfect!" It was all about Jackzhen....

Our Dossier is IN China!!!

Well it has been way too long since I have updated!!! I am staying sooo extremely busy with the kids and picture sessions that time is flying by! However, we have had some great news this past month, our dossier made it to the CCAA on October 24th!!! We were so thrilled to find that out, but really it means nothing! HA - Now we have to sit back and do some more and wait wait waiting on China to approve our dossier! I am told this could take 5-12 weeks and my fellow adoptive friend got her approval in 7, however my case worker through my adoption agency continues to tell me NOT to compare our situation to others........... WHY KESLEY??? It makes me feel better to do that :)  Oh well - God's timing is perfect and despite my outward impatience, my heart rests in that peace!

Squeak Squeak Squeak.....

We have been calling the UCIS in Texas once or twice a week for the past three weeks.  The reason was, to see if we have an agent working on our case.  NO! has been the answer of choice!  They tell us that it takes 45-90 days and that they only received our application on August 10th.  Although, I think to myself, "obviously that means nothing to me since I keep calling"!!! None the less I have to be patient...I am trusting in God's timing, not the government, so I continued to call!!! My thought was that a  Squeaky wheel gets the grease, so I was trying to SQUEAK very often yet kindly :)

Finally, on September 28th I called and again asked if there was any news on our case, and to my surprise, she said YES! We were approved on September 24th, the 45th day!!! I squealed in the ear of the sweet robotic government lady and she quickly told me to have a nice day.... I was hoping to break the 45 day mark, shame on me and my ungrateful spirit!!! However, Kelsey, the sweet social worker through my adoption agency, kindly reminded me that they are seeing this process take 70+ days! Thank you Lord, I will take it, and please forgive me yet again!!!!

I know this blog probably means nothing to most of you following, so I will break it down....
We first needed the US to approve us and our home study for international adoption.  This is the first "big step" after this approval we will wait 5-12 weeks on China to approve us!!! This may seem far away but really we are right around the corner!!!

Where in the process are you???

It has been a while since I have posted because, well, there isn't much going on :) However, I will tell you where we are in the process... Currently we are waiting on the US to approve our home study for adoption.  This could take another 4-6 weeks.  After that we will then send our dossier off to China and wait on their approval - this step could take 5-12 weeks, theennnnnnnnnnnn we will submit more papers here, there, and everywhere - okay so that wasn't very helpful, but frankly I am not even totally sure how many other steps are awaiting us.  I do know that God is in this process and I am resting in his still small voice..... We will be traveling sometime in early 2012, I am hopeful for February, but in the end God will write the final chapter to our adoption journey and it will be perfect !

Thanks for sticking by our side in prayer and support, I will be back to updating this page soon, when there is lots to type about !!!!

Peace xo

More than the starts that I taught how to shine!!!

I was talking to my grandparents tonight on the phone and I was excited that they were asking all about Jackzhen... I was telling them how I got all of my paperwork done, notarized, and submitted the UCIS in less than 4 weeks.... My grandpa made the comment, you are a determined young lady and you are gonna get what you want!!! I chuckled, it's true, I am an impatient, make things happen, kind of person!!! and obviously when my kids are involved it is ten fold !  Then I heard a song on the radio later on that went like this

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

Those words totally spoke to my heart - God loves us more than the stars that he taught how to shine!!! That thougtht in itself is amzing, but it gets better!!! He alone has has given us the love in our hearts... And even though our love here on this earth pales in comparison to the love our creator has for us, it is still an awesome thought... God has given us this amazing love in our hearts and I am motivated to use that love to fight through this process and get to our Jackzhen as soon as we can...
Thank you Lord for loving me more than any of your other creations and for instilling this love in my heart.... You alone are to be glorified for the guidence and provison through each step of our process!!!

Summer School Jackzhen Jar Style

The kids are loving their summer schedule, however with their Jackzhen Jar endeavor in full swing, they are having to use some of that summer sunshine for math madness.... We have been so blessed by the support of our family, friends, and community that I am seriously left speechless. Just today, the kids were given $25.00 by two blog followers and friends that just felt led to give!!! AMAZING!!!!

Their current total after 2 weeks and 8 jars is $233.46.... They are at over 20% of their goal (which was set by them to help purchase just one plane ticket for our trip) I love these children that God has blessed us with and seriously, cannot wait, to add the 4th monkey to our family....
Thank You Thank You to any of you that have given to our jars and also to those that have kneeled down in prayer for Jackzhen and our process, we are forever grateful !

He who brought us to, will also carry us through !

So I have been told that this process will have its share of ups and downs, and in the past month I can atest, that is every bit true.  The sad fact that most of this process falls in the hands of people who are so unemotionally detached from the situation, quite frankly, stinks.  The next stage of our process is approval and the processing of one piece of paper.  That doesn't sound too bad, right??? However, that approval could take 45-90 days!!!! My heart just aches over the reality of the "process" but I have faith that He who has brought us to, will also carry us through.  I am reminded by wonderful people that the time frame given isn't always an exact.  I have also been encouraged that we have blazed through the first part of our process and we are ahead of the norm.  It helps that school, dance, music, soccer, and LIFE is about to get very busy this month ! I am not losing hope that this will be completed before I know it !!! Although in the meantime, I will just have to order Jackzhen another package in order to get another update with his little face...

"with faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’..." Luke 17:6 I find this verse to be much more thought provoking than the thought of a mountain moving.....

The List........

I am so excited about this little endeavor, for not only my three kiddos here, but also for that one little kiddo of mine who doesn't even know how much he is loved and supported!!!  We have been blessed with so many awesome people who have allowed us to put our jars on their counters! Below is a list of where you can find these cool jars of ours!!!  If you have loose change, my kids LOVE to do math and you would add to their summer fun  :) HA - but all kidding aside these are great businesses who have done an awesome thing by allowing us to hang out there! So stop by and support them... Thanks everyone !!!!

1. Rising Sun Cafe - 10 South Main Street Brooksville, FL 34601 - http://www.risingsuncafe.com/index.html

2.   Hair Studio One - 1204 South Broad Street Brooksville, FL 34601 - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hair-Studio-One/128364937229439

3.  Allstate Aldrich Agency (as if there are any others :) -
10004 Cortez Blvd Spring Hill, FL 34613- http://www.allstateagencies.com/JASONALDRICH2/Welcome/

4.  Cupcake Heaven - 2721 Forest Road Spring Hill, FL 34606-3377 - http://www.cupcakeheavenspringhill.com/

5.  Integrity Auto - 18829 Sakera Rd Hudson, FL 34667-
http://fl.serviceslisted.com/5892910-IntegrityAutoCare.htm

6.  Get Tanked Saltwater Aquariums -
13162 Spring Hill DR, Spring Hill, FL 34609-
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Get.Tanked.Saltwater.Aquariums.and.Supplies.352-596-3461

7.  Ram Setlur, DDS - Courtesy of our favorite Hygentist Summer -
14539 Cortez Blvd Brooksville, FL 34613
http://www.healthgrades.com/dentist/dr-ram-setlur-ylts7.cfm

8.  TBA

9.  TBA

10.  Hendersonville, NC

11.  Savannah, GA

I have two jars left if you would like them to sit on your business counter!!!! Email me, mandy@gigglestogracephotography.com 

 

Passport Photos

Two weeks ago we tackled passports! It was a learning experience, as is everything lately ! We went to CVS and met a client friend Joe who kindly spent the time to take our photos. As he was cropping them on the very high tech looking machine I asked how much they were, just small talk! I about choked when he said they were 10-15$ a PIECE??? I embarassed my children with my next comment of, "oh no- never mind!"  Thankfully it was a learning day for him as well on the big high tech machine and he said no problem !!! There is a reason I have a photo studio in my house and with the help of google I found the guidlines for passport photos, and voila - we had our pictures for a whopping $2.00 :)   Thank you Lord for a kind person who understood my GASP!!! and to the nice lady at the court house who loved our photos more than anyone elses she had seen in her 15 years :)

no words...........

I have no words to express the feelings in my heart right now.  We have already experienced a few mini roller coasters of emotions through this process, but tonight was the ultimate joy filled high! We received a three minute video of Jackzhen taken on Monday.  This is not something that is ordinary.  In fact, most people only have 2-3 pictures to cling to during their entire process.  However, the orphanage staff is guarded for Jackzhen's heart because of what he went through last month, so they sent a video for us to see the extent of his handicap. Although, to us the video was nothing more than an awesome way of seeing our son, for them it was a peace of mind that we knew what we were "getting into".  It is my belief that the family before us did not know the extent of his limb difference and they couldn't accept him for who he was. However, the video just affirmed our love for him and the fact that he is, without a doubt, 100% perfect!!! God absolutely has a plan for Jackzhen's life, and clearly, he was meant for us.  Their loss, and I mean that in every ounce of that word, is completely our gain!!!
We couldn't be happier to make him a part of our family !

We are doing all we can to get this process completed - soon very soon !

Jackzhen's Jar

We thought it would be a good idea for the kids to be a part of raising support in bringing home their brother.  We came up with the idea of Jackzhen's Jar ! I made up a little card to attach to it and the kids helped me tie red "threads" around the top of each jar, as well as some red "threads" in the bottom of it.   I am excited for them to see that every little bit counts ! The kids will be in charge of keeping track of where the jars are, as well as collecting and counting the money that comes from them.  We already have 3 local businesses that have allowed us to place our jars on their counters.  We are also sending one jar each to our older sisters.  Their kids will also be able to be a part of raising support in bringing home their cousin !  This whole process is so amazing to me.  It is awesome to see how many people can be touched by just one little boy.  In the past month I have heard so many people say what a lucky little boy he is, and although I appreciate the kind thought that our family is worthy of loving and providing for this little boy, we truly are the ones that are being blessed by this process.  I am excited to share with him one day all the love that is being exuded, and all, just for him !

Born in my Heart !

Much to my amazement I had an email today from Ann... There were 13 pictures of a handsome and perfect little boy!!! On top of that there was a summary of his little life ! We are over the moon in love with this little guy, I can't imagine how much more love we will feel when we finally get to hold him in our arms.  It is the same kind of love that I felt when I saw my children on the ultrasound machine for the first time, just a glimpse, but enough to hook my heart !

Thank you Lord for Jackzhen, he may not have been born from my womb, but by your grace, he was born in my heart and forever loved !

On it's way..........

I spoke with Ann today and she has our album done and ready to send to Jackzhen. She had requested more pictures so that she could make an even bigger album. She wanted to prepare him and the orphanage staff for our family. I am thankful for her. This is not something that she had to do, it was all something she chose to do for us ! Below are the pictures she took for us to see our care package before she sent it !    Thank you Lord for providing the right people at the right time, your ways are perfect.  Deuteronomy 32:4

 

We will only love..............

I received an email from Ann, of The Red Thread, last night.  I was hopeful that she would have some new information about Jackzhen, new information was an under statement.  The email read like this.....

Dear Mandy :

First ,I just requested xxxxx's  information for you .

Second ,the orphanage told me that one family supposed to adopt XXXX but gave him up on adoption day in June ,the orphanage staff is still very pity and sad on this part ,they worried that he got hurt on this part too,so it might take longer time for them to share updates and pictures .

Third ,I will suggest you to email me 20 more family pictures ,this way I can make one silk album for XXX,it will be better for the orphanage staff to prepare XXX for you this time ....

How??? that is what I asked her.  How could someone do this.... Why??? Why would they give their heart to a child only to take it back in the end? This poor boy has faced rejection from his birth mom when he was three weeks old, possibly because of a special need that he possesses,  spent almost 3 years of his little life in an orphanage, just to find out that his prospective adoptive family has changed their minds. I requested more information from her.  I wanted to know how much of the situation he knew about.  I was even more saddened to find out that they had, in fact, met him and then decided that "their hearts were not ready for this boy".  I felt totally deflated, I was hoping that the pictures we just sent to him would help prepare his heart and mind for our family, but instead I was fearful that it would instead frighten him from the mess he just endured.  My mind was spinning in so many directions, I was mad and sad just to name a few.  I just couldn't stop crying.... My poor boy, I just want to hold him in my arms and tell him that it will be alright very soon.  I want him to know that we will never abandon him, we will never leave him, we will only love him !

Jason just hugged me and said, it only proves that there really is a reason that this little boy was meant to be in our family! I love him for that, the strong, reassuring voice he has, comforts my heart, and I know it will be ok !
.

I spent all night and day in prayer.  I prayed for Jackzhen's heart to feel love, to feel safe, and to have a peace.  I prayed that the orphanage staff would see our love through our letter and choose to release new information to us.  I am stronger now because of this revelation and ready to blaze through this process, even more than before.  I believe that although sometimes it hurts, everything happens for a reason ! I have to keep my faith strong. I have to trust that God knew this was part of Jackzhen's story and He also knew that one day he would be in our arms! The seeds of sadness may forever mark his heart, but the love of this family will grow stronger and deeper than any circumstance that will ever come his way....

Scanning and Emailing....

This has been such an amazing week, approval to move forward with the adoption for Wu, and revelation that we have an amazing support system here. Friends and family are brainstorming fundraising ideas and are willing to help me be the feet behind it all. We didn't go into this process thinking that we would be going this route, but let's face it, if we do have help from our community we will definitely be able to travel and pick him up a whole lot sooner!!!

USA Soccer is on the tv and I am scanning documents for our home study  ! Thinking of you Jackzhen man and wishing you were here with us now !  I got word from the Red Thread that she will be processing my order and request tomorrow. I am hopeful that we will have a response by the end of the week if she was able to get an update and a new picture of our little man! But none the less, even if not, he will be receiving a photo album of our family, labeled in Mandarin, so that he can start learning our faces ! The thought of that makes me well up! I wish I could see his face when they tell him, you have a mommy, daddy, brother, and sisters!!!  Your forever family is in love with you Jackzhen !

another check for the list.....

Today Jason and I went to have physicals and blood work done.  My dear husband has a huge dislike for needles so our doctor friend Josh is the only one that he will allow to puncture his arm!!!  Thank you Josh and everyone at the Springs Family Medical Center for letting us bombard your morning and getting us through another check off our list............

Monday I will tackle passports.......... 

As I go to bed tonight I am reminded of that song, you know the one from American Tail, where the mouse sings to the sky.....

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there
And even though I know how very far apart we are It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1foSWTOIFc

We love you Jackzhen and we ARE praying for you underneath the same big sky !!!  Be safe little one.... We are coming soon............

you asked for it..................

I debated on posting this picture because it is not recent.  However, he is just so sweet not to share!!! This is the most recent picture I have of him and I am guessing that it is almost 2 years old.  He will be 3 in September ! Thank you all for sharing our Joy!!! Introducing Jackzhen Wu Aldrich...................

Jackzhen - almost a year old !

What do you say.......

We are excited about the opportunity to utilize a service known as the Red Thread of China.  It is a service for adoptive families to be able to send care packages to their adoptive children as the process of international adoption can be long ! As part of the service this lady, Ann, automatically requests updates and pictures of the children to share with the family.  When I found this out I about fell off of my chair !!! I mean the chance to gain a little glimpse into Jackzhen's world, even though he is miles away, is priceless. I ordered a photo book, which will be filled with our pictures and labeled in Mandarin, as well as a cuddle blanket, and a camera.  The orphanage can use the camera (labeled for him) to capture his life over this process ! I am very fond of pictures *in case you didn't know * haha
So this is a very precious gift they can capture for us.  Another part of the service is a letter.  You can write a 400 word letter to your child and Ann will translate it so that the orphanage staff can read it to your child.  WOW I was floored when I found this out, the only hard part is, what do you say? Do you tell him his new name? *how frightning to a 2 year old * Do you tell him that we can't wait to come and get you? *stranger danger* Do you tell him that............. I played this game all day, and my final conclusion was LOVE ! You just tell him that you love him, so I did... It was the strangest, yet heart felt, letter to write.  I think the last time I took so much time to write something so special was my first letter to my other children.  The times I would stay up late to write in their baby books, I didn't want to miss a thing ! This is how I know that this love God has given me for Jackzhen is divine ! He is our child just as much as these three other blessings are to us! They are each a gift from God and I will cherish each one of them until the day I go home..... Thank you Lord for Love................. night...........

Poor Maggie

Maggie was minding her own business being the family dog when wouldn't you know even she has to be a part of the adoption process!!! We have to get her shots up to date as part of our home study!!! So off we go to Pet Luv.....  Madison said she may faint at the thought a needle - oh brother !!! :)

Approved !!!

We got the approval today !!! It could have been a 14 day process but it only took 5, thank you Lord !!! The kids are bursting at the seams to tell their friends and frankly this blog is a little boring, considering I am the only one that reads it HA !!! Thank you Lord for your little trinkets of grace as we start this process.......

Happy Anniversary Thai Style...

So today is our 12 year wedding anniversary!!! We had no clue where we wanted to go for dinner ( we have just a little on our minds right now hehe ) We just decided to head south!!! I really wanted Chinese, I really like it, but truth be told it makes me feel a little closer to our potential situation as I use my chop sticks haha!  Well we settled for Thai and as soon as we walked into the restaurant and sat down, I got tears in my eyes.  Jason thought I was a little nutty *as usual* but I could not help it, I was over come with emotion of our surroundings and I just kept thinking about Jackzhen sitting in his little orphanage... I drew the line when I felt compelled to hug our waiter (thought that would be taking it too far) :) :) :) Jason and I had an awesome dinner!!! I am so blessed to be married to such an amazing guy!!! I love you Jason Aldrich ♥

Invisible Red Thread

There is an old Chinese proverb called the Invisible Red Thread - it goes like this........

"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." - Ancient Chinese Proverb

Although I believe that God allows everything to happen according to his perfect plan, I think that it goes along perfectly with this way of thinking... I know that there are so many pieces to our puzzle that didn't make sense at the time, but they were all a part of His perfect plan ! Wu Man we love you so much already and we are thrilled to be your forever family !!!

and we wait....

Our application was submitted today.  It could take up to two weeks before we get an answer, Jason suggested that we wait to tell everyone our news until after we have the approval from the CCAA (China) I am not sure I can wait that long !!!! eeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkk :)

72 hours...

We have 72 hours to submit the paperwork we need to be considered as the adoptive parents of Mr. Jackzhen Wu Man.... letter of intent, birth certificates, marriage license, and a whole list of other things.  That is just the initial application.  After our approval we will have a whole list of other things and hoops to jump through !!! I am so excited to get this paperwork process under way!!!

Let's move forward....

Those were the words that I heard from my awesome, God fearing, husband tonight as I stood in the kitchen with my two older children preparing dinner.  I literally screamed and ran in a circle, hugging anyone in my path!!!  I was so JOY filled..... Joy that Jason sought God and His will for our lives, Joy that my children are so excited about the thought of a new sibling, and Joy that we are going to adopt a beautiful little boy who will quickly learn the love of a mommy, a daddy, a family..... Just so much JOY!!!

Didn't mean to fall in love....

Website after website I read and researched adoption, wondering what God was going to do with the desire and love that was in my heart for another child... I questioned if these feelings were from the Lord and prayed that if they weren't then He would remove them from me, but they didn't go away ! I found myself sobbing like a baby for no reason at all for a child that I didn't even know, hadn't even seen, so in July 2010 Jason and I started looking into domestic adoption.  We wrote emails, researched agencies, and door after door, nothing opened.... We felt a peace that God was at work but we weren't sure exactly what was in store for us.  So we put seeking away for the time, although it was never far from my mind! I would very often come back to the thought and pray that God would use me and make known His will.  Now fast forward to March 2011, I have a fellow homeschoolin', Jesus lovin, photo taking friend named Lindy who, with her husband, was in the process of adopting 2 special needs boys from the UK.  I was so excited to read her journey of raising support and preparing her own paperwork for the adoption.  As they traveled in May to pick up their boys, my kids and I watched each video with joy in our hearts.  I, of course, also had tears in my eyes knowing that God was again at work in my heart.  I started praying about it again and then in June we watched a show about a family that adopted 5 children from Ethiopia, the most beautiful children, and then the seed in my mind FINALLY blossomed into something more ! "What if we look into international adoption?" Jason thought I had gone off of my rocker a little.  You see the bug doesn't "travel" although he loves our sisters, he very much dislikes the travel to another state here in the US, let alone a transpacific flight! But none the less I encouraged him to pray about it! Then I found the website that changed everything ! It all made sense when I saw this beautiful little face ! I didn't mean to fall in love, I was just trying to find more about this international adoption thing.... But that is how our God is, when it is His time, it is right !  Jackzhen, "Wes" at the time, was made available on the Rainbow Kids website the afternoon that I started researching.  I just kept coming back to his little face, so after a few days Jason agreed that it would be a good idea to get his profile.  I requested his information on Thursday the 30th!  I knew in my heart he was the one that God had burdened my heart for a year prior.  I knew that there was a divine plan and it was finally all coming together.  However, this wasn't a decision that I was making on my own, knowing that Jason hadn't reached the peace in his heart yet, I waited and prayed... If you know me in the least bit, you know I am far from patient person, so this in itself was a miracle !!! I wrote the adoption agency asking if this sweet little "wes" still needed a forever family to love him, it was Saturday before Independence day so I was not expecting to hear back from anyone until Tuesday, but much to my amazement she wrote me back right away ! She said that she had checked his status on Friday and he was still there, but that she would check again Monday and let me know!!! That was the ounce of hope that I needed to get through the weekend, all the while praying for God's will to be done !!! Tuesday July 5th I got an email confirming that he made it through the long weekend and was still available on the list.  I forwarded the email to Jason and then waited........ again..... :) He called to check on the kids and I around 3:30 that day.  As we were about to hang up I asked him if he got my email, he said "yes", that is all, just yes he got it.... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh But it was OK, God was at work and that I was confident of !!!  Be still my heart is what I kept telling myself...