Seven more sleeps til we hit the road...er......skies!

So, I was browsing through old pictures and videos last night and came across these 2 clips. Just days after arriving home from China back in December 2004. A good reminder just how squirmy and wormy my little Dahlia was.

Which then reminded me to get my head in gear for the possiblity of another squirmy, wormy little bundle of energy.



Seeing Baby Dahlia this tiny makes my heart just lurch with anticipation.

I'll never get over this fact: China is giving us a human being, an actual person, a little bundle of beauty and love and all that good stuff (oh, and some nasty too...let's call it like it is).

No bigger gift than this!

:)

Travel Approval........YES!

TA's (China travel approval) have arrived. Looks like we leave - Fri.- August 7th.

This whole process has been one huge challenge, pain in the butt, learning curve. On my first trip to China to meet DD#1, Dahlia, I went a few days early, with some dear friends who were also adopting. We arrived in Shanghai and I vowed I would return with Danny the next time.

What a city!!!

But, as plans go, things change. Our agency has strongly suggested we stick with the group and we're not flying into Shanghai at all. (Even though Milana's province, Zhejiang, is within spitting distance.) So, we'll fly into Beijing (less chances for mix-ups in case we are quarantined (please God, no!......please.) Then out to Zhejiang, flying right over Shanghai, for a week to meet our Milana. Then back to Beijing for a week. I'll post an itinerary soon.

I'm very grateful to finally to be one step closer to bringing Milana home.

I am however, kinda bummed about a few other little details (to be perfectly frank). Our tickets are outrageous. It seems the 3 weeks of absolute prime ticket prices are last 2 weeks of Aug, first week of Sept. (due to students beginning their year). Thus, our tickets are about 50% more than they should be. And there's more - after waiting for almost 4 years with our dear friends whom we have shared this whole crazy parenting thing with - these same people who are the parents to our Dahlia's BF and our kiddies being from the same orphanage and were BF's since almost birth - we are being separated. Our second kiddies are from different provinces. It may seem like no biggy but we shared our first "gotcha moment" - dreamed of repeating it for our second daughters. The bond between our first daughters is amazingly strong - we longed for the same for our second. It meant a lot to us. But worse, we aren't even coming home together. Because tickets were so hard to acquire - our agency has split us up by provinces and our group has to WAIT a day later to return home. I'll adjust.....I need a few hours..........this is fresh and I just dumped it.......and I don't feel any better......yet. Thank you.

However, I am so happy we will be back in time to have a little rest before Dahlia begins Grade1. I dreaded returning back and having her miss the first few days/weeks of such an important step in her life. I'm really happy we'll be back in time.

And.......I'm very, very happy we will soon see our sweet little daughter - face to face.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

Look at those two sweet faces.

Just a couple more weeks and we'll all be together....at last!

Hang on sweet Milana....we're coming.

My Garden - June 2009

So this is my June garden - posted in July, which is late, but what with all the rain and cloudy days....

late is in keeping with the weather, no?

I love watching a bud, in it's baby stage, full of potential, ready to spring forth and beautify.

"hello sweet little thing"




(notice the curl on the outer petal.....too much rain....boo)
This is a heritage rose......heavenly.



William Baffin (they would grow under a shed - a good filler shrub rose - can't kill it.)


This one reminds me of a ballerina's tutu. (Hmmm...I think it is John Davis Shrub....I think....ummm.....I just made a mango margarita so I'm a bit fuzzy....oh, and I drank a good deal of it.)
:)
But I digress.

Now come on....is this not exquisite?

I threw this in as a good metaphor (below). This is a clematis (can't remember the name) - it is ancient. It blooms early (tiny purpley pink flowers) and then it is covered with these interesting little fluff balls. Morale: the dance is not over when the music stops - it's only over when you stop dancing.

Wow, that was good. Think I'll pour myself another. (Kidding!)

I have 3 arches along the side of my house (my 'Monet' attempt at shutting out my neighbours, as lovely as they are, I love my private little haven.)

Can you smell this one.

You know what I like to do. Stick my nose, really far, into a rose and sniff fairly deeply. Enough so the petals actually go up my nose a bit. There's nothing softer than that. And just drink in the fragrance.

Try it!

Look at this. It's a two-tone geranium. Cool, eh?

Had to throw in my most beautiful flower. Well....do you blame me?

No, that's not our backyard, haha. It's Lake St. Louis - about 20 minutes from home.

Peony's are in my top five favorite flower. They live for such a short time and with our rain this year, I don't think I got many pictures without water droplits on them.

I'm going to shut up for awhile. Just enjoy the flowers.

Ahem.....sorry.....I have to point this out. This, ladies and gentlemen.......is jasmine.

The fragrance is to die for. Period!

Just a few Irises.

OK, you have to click on the next 2 pics and check out the bumblebee, working very hard on this Japanese minature spirea.

Two perfectly magnificent fushias. Look at this flower and tell me there is no God. I dare ya.

So that's my June garden this year. I'll be taking pictures of July but I may not get to post them because of a little trip we'll be taking in August

to

China!

:)

(click here to see my May garden)

Happy summer everyone!

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday

DAHLIA'S HAPPY FAMILY!

This is the drawing Dahlia made the day after we received our referral for

Milana in June.

I love how we are all so happy!

I ♥ Faces (Week 27 - Pets)

My two little sweeties.

Zizi (umm...that would be the cat) seems to have accepted her lot in life. Wherever and whenever - be prepared to be loved, dragged, sqweezed and smooshed.

She does a fine job in her role!

I took this photo as part of my on-line course with BetterPhotos.com

when I got my new Nikon D300 and won the photo of the week for candid shoots with this one.

Our prof. was Tony Sweet (ahem y'all).

I'm submitting this as an entry this week as the theme is pets. Click on the link and check out all the other entries. Lots of fun!