So thankful.

Some days I slip a bit, and get weary with the day to day battles of this world.

I begrudge the mountains of laundry, dishes and household chores... being ungrateful for the fact that we have so much more then we really need.

But the past few days, I have been keenly aware of all God has given me. Not material things, but the awesome relationships that He has given me.

A very dear friend of mine was in a serious car accident a few days ago. I did not hear about it until the next morning, but even though I knew she was going to be fine..my heart just broke. When i realized how close I came to loosing her, my mind just ran with the truth that life is a gift. We are not promised tomorrow.

I found a sitter for the girls, and headed to the hospital to see with my own eyes that she was ok. As I walked down the hall to her room, i had a flash back to a few years ago when another dear friend of mine was in the ICU fighting back after a heart attack.

My two friends are very similar in height and coloring, so seeing J in her hospital bed was surreal. It took a minute or two for me too gain my composure.

We visited for awhile and when she fell asleep from the new dose of pain meds, I quietly left and headed home.

I chewed on all of the what ifs and was soooo thankful they did not come to be.

Then today, i was again reminded how precious life is. Michael was walking across the parking lot at the mall today when out of now where, a car that had pasted by just seconds before, shifted into reverse and hit him.

I looked behind and saw my son in a twisted pose on the ground. My heart stopped. So did my mind. I could not comprehend why he was on the ground.

Then I realized what happened. As soon as i did, Michael bounced up stunned but ok.

A few scrapes. but he is fine. And I am thanking God for His protection over Michael and also Logan. Logan was walking in front of Michael. Had it been Logan, things would have been a completely different outcome.

so, i am up very late..happily doing a mountain of laundry.

Is it really almost November?

Wow!

Craziness! Can not believe how fast this year is going.

I know I have a few things that keep me pretty busy, but I did get a little freaked out when I realized that I was buying an actual Christmas gift for one of the kids yesterday!

My head has been occupied with laundry, soccer, football, gymnastics, laundry, birthdays, laundry, homecoming dances, more room redos and finishing up Kira and Hudson's dossier....yes! We have another son!! Long story short..China has started a new program called Focus child, and we qualified...so we are bringing home a sweet 8 year old boy and Kira at the same time!!!

Logan is SO excited to have a brother, and we are SO excited to have another son! I love my girls more then life, but I also really enjoy having boys. So blessed that God has given some of each.

The girl's are doing great. Livy is playing JV soccer and loving it! She has survived her first few months of high school and is really enjoying the more mature aspects of it...eating lunch where you want and with who you want, lockers, teachers that are not threatened by kids who ask questions.... and the biggie... a dress code that realizes you are not a baby and can walk safely in flip flops and sandals. That may sound strange to some of you, but it is such a right of passage here.

Mia is in pre-kindergarten for a few hours a day and amazes us with her reading and writing skills. She worked hard at getting comfy with being away from home, but is really liking her class and all of the kids. Her teacher has been wonderful in working with her to reduce her anxiety and enjoy school. She still loving her gymnastics classes too. She just turned 5 at the end of Sept. and is really working hard at over coming her anxieties and enjoying the wild world going on around her. We went to a small fall fair this past week end, and she did not sit out any ride that she was tall enough to do! It was soooooo great to watch her let go and go a little wild.

Sophia is doing fantastic. She is doing great with her thalassemia, and is sooooo easy going and funny. She is so easy going that she moves much slower then the rest of the pack. The word hurry is not in this child's vocabulary. But, the chick is stinkin smart! She talks in sentences now! And seems to have a sarcastic side to her! Her English has come sooo far this past month and it is just obvious to all that she was meant to be with us. Even friends and neighbors comment on how it feels like she has been home forever.

The guys are doing great too. Logan has hit his stride with reading, and is really enjoying being able to read chapter books and not have to ask for help as much with his home work. He is also playing flag football again and loving it. Seems soccer is next on his list of things to try, he was not very cheesed with baseball. Not enough action for the little man. He is very, very ready to have another boy in the house to help even out the odds around here. It can get pretty overwhelmingly pink and princess like @ here most days.

But thankfully we still have Mike for a few years until college. That is a topic that I enjoy ignoring, but with the reality of PSAT's and college info showing up in the mail....I don't think I will be able to be in ignorance for long.

Thankfully he is looking at a few great state schools, so hopefully he won't be gone to far.

Mike is also still loving playing in the youth band at church, and has moved up to subbing for the main worship band. I am amazed that that young guy on stage, playing the electric guitar, is my little guy who used to cry if he felt that people were staring at him (:

Crazy stuff! Can not wait to get Kira and Hudson home and have the privilege of watching them grow, explore their new limitless futures and see what God has planned for them.

Love,
Claire

Sorry!

I am so sorry that it has been 3 months since I have last posted. It seems like a blink of an eye to me.

These past 3 months have flown by! We came home in early July with Sophia, and have been on the go since then. A family reunion/wedding, beach week, start of school and all of the activities that go with that, plus Mia's 5th birthday! Sweet baby has not missed a beat, she has seamlessly woven herself into this crazy bunch.

I can honestly say that it was a matter of minutes before everyone who did not travel lost their hearts to her. She is amazing. So loving, trusting, and really funny.

Although her transition was really great, we did have a few months of dealing with some serious sibling rivalry. Seems Sophia was not excited about having to share mama with her big sister, Mia.

There were times when I had to literally pull them off of each other , and call for back up. But just when I thought it would last forever, the girls decided to join their super powers and become a formidable little force.

They are quite the dynamic duo, and get too much joy out of tag teaming everyone.

And, according to Sophia's hematologist, she did not get the memo about how a typical thalassemia child should act.... she is FULL of energy, and has a great appetite. She looked so good that he sent her blood work off to the mayo clinic to have genetic testing done to confirm the previous diagnosis.

We were all a bit shocked to see that she has thal major, and will require monthly blood transfusions until a cure is found. But we knew it was a very real possibility and were prepared for it.

I know it sounds so cliche, but we could not imagine life without her. She is such a joy, her smile is amazing and just lights up the day.

She is picking up English so fast, and has no problem getting her point across. She is obsessed with stickers and lip gloss. Has a terrible sweet tooth, and no need for shoes or most items of clothing.

She has become a total beach bum and water bug. Not sure how things will go when it cools down and she can not " go paid-a big water!" Translation....go play in the big water. Any pool, lake or the beach.

Thankfully our cooler weather does not last long down here, so we will be back at the big water soon.

It is going to be such a joy to watch this little girl grow up, I can not wait to see what God has planned for her. It is going to be something great.

Hope all is well.

Claire

Final post from China

This is the famous "Red Couch" from the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou





Swearing in ceremony at the U.S. Consulate.


Tired and ready to go home.


Hey people!

My mom is packing, so I have taken the duty of writing the final post! Um, so it's been about a week since our last post... terribly sorry. Claire/my mom has been sick since Nanning, so she falls asleep with Sophia.

We went to the Consulate yesterday, which means when we touch ground in Detroit (after 15 hours of being on a plane, mind you), Sophia is officially a U.S. citizen! Yay!

This afternoon we are going to take the afternoon train to Hong Kong! Not quite the midnight train going anywhere, or the midnight train to Georgia, or the crazy train, but it's close. Sophia likes to sing the song: "Shwinkle, shwinkle, little sar" It's very cute.

We're anxious to get home, and see her interact with a more "normal" environment. Ex: Not living in a hotel. Well, we're off to lunch! Lucy's, here we come! Again! Sorry for the short post people.

This is the Taylor family, signing off from Guangzhou, China, one last ti... Forget it. Ya'll know this ain't the last time.

Peace out.
--Michael

Good to be back in Guangzhou!

Oh it is sooo good to be in guangzhou. Familiar sites and sounds, and an amazing breakfast buffet at our hotel!

I have not talked much about the food... although Nanning was pretty, the food was not.

So, with full stomachs for the first time in a week...we headed to Sophia's medical check out. She is 32 lbs and 37 inches tall! A few of the medical staff commented on how long her fingers and toes are, seems they think she might be kind of tall. Looks like Mia will be the big sister only in name.

Thankfully, due to her anemia, the doctor waived all but 2 of her required shots. Since the new rules, Hague rules, have gone into effect...the children are required to get 7 immunization shots and a TB screen all at one time.

After the check out, we met the Horner family, wonderful friends, for lunch before they headed back home to the US. It was so surreal to be having lunch with them and our 3 new kiddos in China! And it was a sweet gift to lay eyes on some people we love while being so far from home.



After lunch we did a little shopping, but it was too hot to do any real damage .But, it was Michael's 17th birthday today! So as promised, I bought him some God forsaken Katana, big sword thing. It is very cool looking, but will have to be well hidden out of Logan's sight!



When we got back to the room, our guide had ordered a beautiful birthday cake! Sophia placed the candles on it, and we sang and had a great treat.



Another big step aside from the medical check was taken today. Sophia actually got into the tub and stayed there for a bath! She was hesitant at first, but soon was having a blast. And I was excited to finally give her something more then a sponge bath.



She played with her tooth brush a bit, but that ended when I put tooth paste on it. Do not think that she has much, if any experience with brushing her teeth. But, it is a huge goal of mine.



Why you ask? Well, I can honestly say that this girl is THE queen of back wash. The picture of the water bottle has been in no way altered or enhanced. Let's just say that she gets her own drink no matter the cost.

All in all it was a really good day. Sophia is opening up more and more. She is freely letting us hold her and carry her. She even let me "eat" her toes tonight at bed time. She thought it was hysterical.

She loves to walk around, look at things and talk to me like I have any idea of what she is saying. Too stinkin cute. She is also quite taken with flowers, and got us in trouble with the front desk this morning when she picked a few from their flower bed. Really people? There were hundreds of plants in it. So, I decided that I have been here enough times to shoot the desk clerk back the same look she shot us.



Bed time is getting less and less stressful for her. But tonight I think we were out too late for dinner. She was pretty tired and was trying to lay in my arms when she just became really teary eyed and looked afraid. I went outside with her where it was more quiet and we snuggled until
Pa and Michael finished eating. Not sure what it was all about, but once we were back in the room, she relaxed.

She is sound asleep now, and sleeping on her stomach for the first time. Hopefully that is a good sign?

I can not believe that we have only had her for 7 days. She just feels so right. Can not wait to get her home and let her get to know her other brother and sisters.

Tomorrow we will brave the heat, visit a famous Buddhist temple and do some shopping at an outdoor market that is said to be fantastic.

Hope all is well at home. Miss everyone so very much!

Claire

Leaving Nanning today

Hey out there!

Hope that all is well. we have just finished a late lunch, and Sophia is down for a nap.

She has a pretty good cold going, so hopefully some sleep will help. She does find it very funny to blow boogie bubbles out of her nose, so she is still in good spirits.

Today was very low key. We played in the hall with other adoptive families while we waited for Sophia's Chinese passport application to be processed, and packed our bags for Guangzhou! We are on the down hill slide towards home!!!

We fly into Guangzhou tonight. Saturday morning is Sophia's medical check out [for U.S. immigration]. Then we are meeting some dears friends, who are here in china adopting their 6th and 7th kiddos, for lunch before they head out for home.

The rest of the week will be spent doing Sophia's final immigration paper work and end with her swearing in ceremony at the American Consulate. Between paper work and some site seeing, I am sure that we can squeeze in a few minutes of shopping on the Island!

Well, to be honest..things are going very well. Sophia is a hoot! Despite the fact that we can not understand a word she says...she gets her point across just fine. So far we have not seen much drama at all. She is easy going, but does know what she likes and does not like.

She has given Michael the "what for" a few times. It is hysterical, and unfortunately our guide was not around to translate. She gets this very serious look on her face and puts an arm straight out with her wrist bent so the hand is palm out. Then while she is saying something that she really means, she will hit his arm with short, fast hits.

Then she will walk away and stop with her back towards you. I'm sure if we understood it, it would not be as cute. But it is really pretty funny.I have a feeling that Sophia will be able to hold her own when she gets home.

She has also come to love Coke. She had one sip, and it was all over. She is also a huge fan of candy and all things junk. Seems that is a sign of being spoiled by the foster parents. But, when those goodies can't be found,,,she loves to eat all types of fruit. I have never seen a 3 year old peel grapes before. Pretty impressive.

She is also a huge fan of dresses only. When I pull out a pair of shorts she just shakes her head no and stands there. As I look around town, I do not see any girls in shorts/pants. Guess it makes using the squatty potty tough.

She is doing great using the western potty, but can tell it isn't natural.

And, as for our bonding.. If having your own personal rest room attendant is any sign, then I would say that things are going great. She calls for me, will hold hands and let me kiss her. She still does not understand what they are, but has resigned herself to the fact that it won't end anytime soon.

We can tell that she is feeling much more comfortable. She is having a good time exploring our luggage and likes to hand feed us treats.

Night time is also going better. We have gotten a nice little routine going and she likes her space in the bed, but also likes to have a hand or foot on me during the night.

So, that is the scoop from here. Our next post will be from Guangzhou. About 7 more days until we come home!

Love you all,

Claire

Pictures from the Park on Thursday

Sophia and company went to a park in Nanning on Thursday.

--Bart

Nanning Minority Museum

Sophia went with the people that talk funny and keep giving her things (i.e. Claire, Michael, and Mike) to the Minority Museum in Nanning on Wednesday.

Here are the pictures Michael emailed me.

Note that I saved the best for last!

ttfn (ta ta for now)
--Bart





Michael was impressed with the agricultural advances.




The foyer of the museum





View of countryside. Very lush, hilly, with lots of history.




Our oldest holding our youngest.



What a SMILE !!!!

Beginning to Bond

Claire wrote and sent the following, I'll post pictures as I get them. --Bart

sorry that it has taken me sooo long to sit down and tell you all about this amazing little girl that we are so blessed to have. the few times our internet was connected, i was not able to sit and post. hopefully it will stay on until i finish this.

we are getting to know sophia more and more each day. she does not answer much by the chinese name we were told she is called, so we started to call her mei mei, and it she seems to like it. we will go with that for awhile before we start with sophia.

she seems to be doing great health wise. has a lot of energy and eats pretty good. she just had a transfusion the day before gotcha day, and they are done about every month. so we will get things all straight when we get home. no other medical issues, and she is pretty smart too. likes to draw circles with her orange crayon, and is already repeating a few words.

she is very comfortable with me and my dad, and seems to feel really safe with michael. she lets me hold her hand and do all things for her, but michael is who she wants to carry her when we are outside of the hotel.

a few adoptions ago, i would have taken her want for michael personally, but i have come to realize that this is not about me or any of my wants. what ever makes her feel safe is what matters most. she seems to be pretty social and out going. we went to the play area yesterday, and she had a blast.

we can tell that she was very loved and well cared for. she is very trusting and easy to smile and laugh. becomes more outgoing every day. her foster family sent a back pack with her. it was filled with treats, and a few of her outfits and a photo album. i looked at it when she was sleeping, and can see why she is so very home sick for them.

despite this total upheaval of her little life, she is really sweet. slightly cautious when doing something new, but once she sees it is ok..she is ready to go. she has a mind of her own, but isn't hard headed...

so far (:

she sleeps ALL NIGHT!!! and takes a long afternoon nap. and, she is a complete bed hog like mia. talks A LOT, even in her sleep. it doesn't seem to bother her that we can not understand her, she keeps on going.

she sleeps with a little red sippy bottle/cup. and actually drinks from it in her sleep! no wonder she is not dry at night. i was told to wake her up at 12 and 3 am to go potty. uuhhh sure...she can have her water bottle, but this mama brought pull ups. the LAST thing i am going to do is wake a sleeping kid 2 times a night to go pee!

gotcha day went really well. i had no set expectations, but she came over to us and hung out. she was very quiet and shy, but did not cry until we were headed to the van, she put it all together..and broke down. the type of crying that breaks your heart. she was calling out for her foster parents over and over and looking around.

once we got to the hotel, she was a little more calm. but as it became time for bed, she became really upset. we had our guide come and talk with her because she had cried so hard, so threw up a few times. she was carrying her little back pack and asking to go home.

it was heart breaking. i cried too. not sure it helped, but you could just see how lost she was. but, our guide is fantastic and was able to help me get her a bath and settled for bed. sophia did let me lay down with her, and she feel fast asleep.

she woke up the next morning very stoic, and was crying very quietly. unfortunately, we had to be back at the adoption building at 9 am, so there wasn't much time for just letting her relax and get ready slowly.

going back to where gotcha day was, and seeing the nannies again was not easy. she seemed to be really confused, and went between us and them.

after we had our interview, sophia became officially ours!! we took a few pictures, but basically snuck out while the nannies weren't there.

last night's bed time was better. she stilled cried that quiet, heart breaking cry, but didn't throw up. she let michael hold her while i rubbed her back for awhile. then we laid down and she faded off to sleep.

no tears this morning. but still confused. we got dressed and headed to bkfast. she ate much better today. then we headed out on a tour of the city and went to a new museum the area . i am not a big museum person, but i really enjoyed this one. the expeditions were about the different minority groups in china. showed their housing, costumes and way of life.

we headed to pizza hut for lunch, then visited with a family in the lobby from canada. they are adopting their first child, and a little bit over whelmed. seems their little guy has no use for the mama...only wants daddy. mom is taking this pretty hard and dad is worried that the kids will never leave him.

so wish i had some advice for them, but just can't relate (: we talked for awhile and tried to assure them it would be ok in time. seriously handsome little man! he didn't want anything to do with me either, but i'd still take him!

so, sophia is napping right now and when she gets up we will do a little exploring. found a sweet dress shop where the dresses are hand made form sophia's home town. can not leave with out a few of those for the girls!

she resembles mia a little in the forehead and nose area, and they have the same type of thin..light colored hair. they will be taken as bio sisters i think, but not twins. they are not built alike. sophia is pale, more solid in build, and has bigger hands and feet. she is shorter then mia, but really just stinkin beautiful!

she has tiny ears and hardly any chin. under her eyes get puffy when she is tired.a really cute smile and a lot of very straight teeth. our guide even commented on how nice her teeth are.

we have come to know one of her "looks" when she thinks that she is getting away with something, she will put her bottom teeth out. kind of a half smile, half yikes look. pretty cute.

safe to say that we are in love. am looking forward to getting some smooches on those lips. they are to die for. she has no problem being kissed on the cheek and head, just looks at us like we have 3 heads. probably won't appreciate a lip smooch for awhile.

so that is about it from here. things are really going well, but we are really missing everyone back home. not bringing everyone has its pros and cons. have to see how it weighs out when all is said and done.

take care!

claire

Gotcha!

We got her!!! Claire says Sophia got a bit upset when the nannies left her with Claire (understandable), but has done pretty well since then.

She's very talkative and playful, but a bit confused about what's going on since Claire doesn't speak Chinese.

We had a very good Skype video call this morning (Monday night there), and she was most excited to see herself in the little box on the computer screen. I don't think she knew what to make about Bart, Olivia, Logan, and Mia in the big box on the screen trying to talk to her.

Claire says it very obvious that she was well cared for and taken care of.

Hopefully, Claire will be able to work through the internet issues and provide everyone a good update.

-- Bart

In Nanning, China

hey!

we are having some internet issues, seems to come and go. so we are doing our best to stay in touch.

got some good sleep last night. about 4 1/2 hours. the beds are hard, but still love those white, fluffy comforters! our goal for today is trying to stay awake this afternoon so we can sleep tonight.

breakfast was good. buffet is like the first hotel was in beijing. more of the local foods. but had eggs and fruit, so we were good. then we met our guide, lisa...very nice!..and walked around the hotel area about 5 or 6 blocks to get oriented.

she showed us a few good places to eat and shop. then we took a cab to the wal-mart. crazy on a week end day! looks like it will be more fun to shop at the local shops @ here. we are very close to a nice fruit/small grocery type store and a bakery. nanning has a nice feel to it. big city, but not so over whelming like GZ was.

probably because we have a little experience over here. the people are not very used to foreigners, we are very..very...very few and far between. but with dark hair, and not being tall...we don't stick out to bad.

the city is nice. very humid, but also very over cast so you aren't in the hot sun.

it is very tropical here. a lot of lush plants and palm tress. there has also been a big rise in the people using electric scooters instead of bikes and many more cars. kind of bitter sweet, losing that image of bikes everywhere and with little kids on the back. now they ride standing up between the parent and the handle bars.

i'm sure the locals are fine with it!

we are headed out for lunch, and will make a stop to check out the pool. it looks huge.

we are scheduled to get sophia around 3:30 monday afternoon! while at wal-mart, lisa helped me to pick out a sweet little back pack for her. it has a goat and a wolf on it. a VERY popular kids movie/show in china.

hopefully it will buy us a few moments without tears!

ok, i have a hungry Pa waiting. we are off to search for food beside McD's.

LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU!

claire

And they're off

Claire, Michael and Mike (Claire's dad) were dropped off at Orlando International at 6:45 Friday, 6/25. Three flights later --with plane changes/layovers in Detroit and Shanghai they'll should land in Nanning, China on Sunday morning around 1:00 AM.

Then get Sophia sometime Monday.
-- Bart

Almost on our way!

We fly out very early Friday morning, and some 3o plus hours...3 lay overs and 4 flights later... we will land in Sophia's province!

We will have a day to get settled and ready for our gotcha day. Some time late Sunday night, our time...Monday afternoon in China... we will get our little girl!

We will spend the next 2 weeks in Nanning and Guangzhou completing the formal adoption, immigration and medical paper work. We will end our trip with the swearing in of her American citizenship at the United States Consulate in Guangzhou! Then we will begin the trip home and God willing be home on July 9th.

TRAVEL APPROVAL!

We got the call today! Our agency has received our travel approval, and God willing we will be in China in a few weeks!

It has been almost a year to date since we saw Sophia for the first time. A year that has flown by in so many ways, but has also dragged in our wait to have our newest daughter home.

But God is good, He has seen us through the seemingly endless piles of paper work and red tape.

Just a few more weeks, and we will be Sophia's forever family. Pretty stinkin cool!

Claire

Room is ready!!! Give me my girl!!!

O.K.....

This wait does not get any easier. It has almost a year since we saw our sweet Sophia's face for the first time.

We are so very ready to have our little girl home.

I do have a few other things going on that keep me pretty busy, but she is always on my mind.

Most of you know that I turn my anxious energy towards home projects. Thankfully, Mia and Sophia's room was one that honestly needed to be done.

So, for the past few months I have completely enjoyed transforming my 16 year old son's "man cave", into a room fit for my two precious little girls.

Don't worry, Michael is happily settled in his new man cave. Even though I know Michael would prefer his own room, he has been great about sharing a room with Logan. And Logan is LOVING it.

Hopefully the noise coming from Mia and Sophia's room will be one of good times, minus the electric guitar wailing and random, odd odors.....

Claire

Happy Birthday sweet Mei Mei!

Tomorrow is Sophia's 3rd birthday. It is a bitter sweet day in many ways.

She is not home to celebrate with her forever family, and she is not celebrating with her birth family.

There are two women on opposite continents thinking of her, loving her and missing her. Two women who long to hold her, kiss that sweet face and hold that little body close.

To say that I will be forever grateful to her birth mom for making the decision to give her life is a huge understatement. But I will say that I will love her as my own for the rest of her life, and will cherish having her for a daughter.

I don't know the circumstances that lead to her becoming orphaned, but I do know that those days are coming to an end. We can not wait to get her home!!

Happy Birth day sweet girl. May it be filled with joy.

We love you!

some more pictures of my favorite people