All Things Mr. Tate!!

by Steph // Monday, June 1, 2015 // Comments off

First of all, can I hear a shout for this text I received this afternoon?

Go, paperwork, Go!!! YAAHHOOOO!!!

Ok, now that we got that out of our systems, can I hear another shout for all of this?

The UPS man is visiting us daily!!

What a blessing it will be to pack all these things up and carry them to China!!

*There are still many needs and a whole month to participate in the Amazon shower! The details are on the side bar at the top!

In other Tate news, our traveling crew will be Blake and Grant this time.

Hmmmm…..

In all seriousness though, this decision was not easy, and it will be very hard for me to stay behind.

I loved China. Loved, loved it. And when I close my eyes I can still hear the sounds, smell the smells, and feel the heat and humidity of that amazing place where I left a piece of my heart.

But we have been approved for this plan, and do feel it is best for many reasons.

Blake and Grant’s passports are at the consulate in Chicago getting their visa stamps on them!

I also finalized Tate’s clothing needs!!

Once we receive some measurements, I will buy him a pair of shoes too!

The Lord has been blessing our efforts to sell some things so that we can gather pennies for the trip and to finish Tate’s adoption!

Bye, bye, old broken tractor!

Anybody need a 2002 Ford conversion van in great condition?

We call her Bessie, and we do not all fit in her anymore!

Sweet Tate, we cannot wait to meet you!!!

Can I hear one more shout? Praise the Lord!! We will be there soon, our sweet little boy!!!

Very soon.

Ten Months

by Steph // Saturday, May 30, 2015 // Comments off

Ten months ago yesterday, one exhausted Mama and one completely overwhelmed sweet baby finally arrived home from China.

What an amazing journey these last ten months have been!!

Eliza went from sleeping in a crib and short baby hair bedhead….

…to sleeping in a big bed and wearing a pony tail!

Eliza’s language has developed from the days of taking my hand and saying, “Show you, show you!”…

….to telling me “It’s broken, but Daddy will fix it!”

When we gave Eliza her first bath that day in China, she would not sit down, was terrified, and screamed the whole two seconds we took to wash her…..

….to bath time being her favorite time of the day!

She has been through spinal surgery, and more doctor’s appointments and medical tests than all of our other children combined…..

….which has given her a spunky confidence that we love so much!

We have celebrated Eliza with a shower at church….

….and also with her third birthday, which was her first birthday with us!

This journey has not been without its challenges, but the Lord has given us exactly what we need, exactly when we needed it…..every step of the way.

What a privilege it is for Blake and I to be trusted with so much.

We have a new journey about to begin! We are beside ourselves with anticipation!!

I can’t wait, sweet little Tate, to reflect on your first ten months here at home!!

Ten months, Eliza Claire!!

Ten months that have blessed us so much!!

Seasons of Change

by Steph // Friday, May 29, 2015 // Comments off

The seasons are changing again and I think summer is upon us!

Although it may not stick around full time yet, because we do live in Wisconsin after all.

When you wait so long for spring and summer to arrive here, and then they are so much shorter than they are in other places, you relish in these days very much!

We have had two beautiful days in a row.

Eliza’s favorite thing of all is to be outside.

She is so happy when we can be outside!