CHARLIE'S BIRTHDAY

CHARLIE'S BIRTHDAY
looks like a happy boy!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Charlie Bin Stephen Kneller



He is officially a Kneller. Charlie is bonding, and adjusting very well. and is 100% healthy.
pics below.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Time to Travel !!!

The count down is on... we received our TA ( travel approval) on November 15 and chose the option of December 4 over November 27 for our arrival in Nanjing China.
We needed the extra week to get all the details together. It is Tuesday November 30th and this is my last night in my own bed until December 17th. I am very excited and just as anxious.

Like Celina posted last time, we are busy busy busy. They tell you to pack light but how do you do that when you are going to CHINA??? We have a large suitcase full of orphange donations from our friends. Celina has packed her and Charlie's stuff. I will be packing tonite.

The most important thing we need to make sure we do not lose is the adoption papers and each other and of course the $$$ we must take with us for various expenses.

On December 6, Monday we will meet Charlie for the first time... I keep trying to imagine how it will go, what will he be feeling? Will he know what is going on? I do not want to overwhelm him with all the love and feelings of emotion we may have for him at the moment. I know I will want to just grab him and hug him and give him kisses on his cheeks.. but I will try to stay calm and let him warm up to us... it really seems unreal just thinking about it. Is this really happening?? YES IT IS JACQUELINE, it is real, so I must hurry with this post and get moving along my to do list. We will post when we are there but not sure that it will get thru the firewalls there.
We will also keep in touch by e-mails and phone calls.

I will be missing Blaine and Jude who will be staying home with Family and Friends.

China Trip Itenerary

Dec.03: Arrive in Nanjing on Flight OZ0349/13:50, guide will meet you at airport and transfer to Holiday Inn Aqua City.
Dec.04: Rest on this day.
Dec.05: Visit the Confucius Temple and the Old City Wall.
Dec.06: Go to the Civil Affairs to meet the child and sign the adoption agreement.
Guide will go with the family to the local department store to buy some daily necessities for their child.
Dec.07: Go to the Civil Affairs for adoption registration, notarization and child’s
passport.
Dec.08: Go by van from Nanjing to Yixing to visit Yixing SWI.
Dec.09: Visit Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s Memorial and Xuanwu Lake Park.
Dec.10: Visit the Provincial Museum. Pick up passport in the afternoon. Then Nanjing to Guangzhou on flight CZ3508/19:20-21:25, transfer to Victory Hotel.
Dec.11: Take visa photo for the child first, then do medical and TB test for the child.
Dec.12: Visit the Safari Park.
Dec.13: Pick up TB test result.
Dec.14: 09:30am visa appointment and Oath-taking ceremony at the Consulate.
Dec.15: Visit the Six Banyan Temple.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

BUSY BUSY BUSY

In just one week we will be wild people scrabbling to get all our ducks in a row for our trip. We will hop on the plane at 1:00 o'clock AM.Thursday morning. It will be wild. We will be stopping by Korea, well not just stopping by we will be laying around their air port for six boring hours. Tell me one thing. What do you do in an air port in a country that just bombed its self??? oh well how fun what an adventure of a life time. i can hardly wait. I have a feeling that my eyes will be filled with tears leaving and coming. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH here we come ready or not. I think its both, ready and not it both. So in less than a week we will be posting on the blog hundreds of feet up in the air. And across the world. any good books that will keep me busy and interested? let me know:-)

- CELINA

Saturday, October 9, 2010

HAPPY FALL !!! CHARLIE UPDATE

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!

WE HAVE BEEN NESTING AND GETING READY FOR CHARLIE TO COME HOME....
WE ARE BACK ON CHARLIE'S BLOG FINALLY AFTER A VERY BUSY SUMMER OF HOME REFURBISHING PROJECTS. I AM SO GLAD WE ARE ON THIS SIDE OF THE PROCESS. I LOVE SEEING AND ENJOYING THE FRUIT OF OUR LABORS .

WE ARE A VERY HANDS-ON, DO -IT-YOURSELF KIND OF FAMILY. WE ARE ABLE TO DO
ALOT OF OUR RE-MODELING OURSELVES WHICH SAVES US A TON OF $$$. I M SO THANKFUL FOR A HUSBAND WHO IS SO TALENTED AND SKILLED WITH TOOLS ETC. AND HE PATIENTLY TEACHES HIS BOYS AND CELINA HOW TO DO THESE THINGS ALSO.
WE HAVE BEEN IN OUR HOME FOR 10 YEARS AND HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SHARPEN OUR SKILLS MANY TIMES WITH MANY PROJECTS.

THE ADOPTION PROCESS HAS BEEN CONTINUING ON THROUGH THE SUMMER ALSO.
IAM REALIZING THAT IN ADOPTION YOU PREPARE DOCUMENTS, SEND THEM OFF, WAIT FOR THE NEXT DOCUMENT (IMPORTANT PAPER) SO YOU CAN SEND IT OFF FOR THE NEXT AND SO ON AND SO ON...

AS I ENTER THIS WE ARE WAITING FOR ONE MORE DOCUMENT WHICH WILL COME IN ABOUT A WEEK AND WE THEN QUICKLY FAX IT TO OUR AGENCY AND AND THEY SEND IT TO CHINA SO WE CAN GET OUR CONSULATE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED IN
GUANGZHOU CHINA. AFTER THAT WE PROCEED TO MAKE TRAVEL PLANS.

SO, AS A LOOK AT THE APPROXIMATE TIME LINE WE COULD BE TRAVELING IN EARLY DECEMBER, WHICH PUTS BUTTERFLIES IN MY STOMACH.

CELINA MENTIONED IN HER POSTING THAT IT IS ONE YEAR TODAY THAT CHINA WAS OPENED UP TO US WHEN WE SAW CHARLIES FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME
VIA E-MAIL. THIS YEAR WENT BY SOOO FAST. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO GET HIM HOME WITH US. EVERY TIME I WALK BY HIS ROOM I TRY TO IMAGINE HIM IN THERE AND WHAT OUR WORLD WILL BE LIKE WITH HIM HERE.
I KNOW WE WILL ALL HAVE TO ADJUST BUT TRUSTING IN GOD'S GRACE TO DO SO.

I WILL BE POSTING PICS OF OUR RE-MODEL AND CHARLIES BIRTHDAY PARTY HE HAD AT THE ORPHANAGE WHEN WE SENT A BIRTHDAY CARE PACKAGE, THEY WILL WARM YOUR HEART, MINE ABOUT BURST WHEN I SAW HIM BLOWING OUT HIS CANDLES ON THE CAKE. SOME THING HE HAS NEVER DONE BEFORE, HE LOOKS SO HAPPY. I AM IN LOVE WITH MY NEW SON I FEEL LIKE I ALREADY KNOW HIM. HE BRINGS MY HEART JOY ALREADY.







iT'S BEEN A WHILE NOW, but very worth it :]

It's now officially been a year today since we started the process of adopting charlie boy. Every time i think about that boy my heart beets a little bit faster. Can you imagine what i will be like when I'm in china holding that precious baby boy. I think i will probably cry...........ALOT. All i can ask you followers is to pray the three of us stay well while we are there and when we come back. The last thing i want to happen is to get sick from raw Chinese food......YUCK. I think I'm going to stick with open market fruit i can peel:] I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH DE DE { LITTLE BROTHER } LOVE JIE JIE CELINA { BIG SISTER }

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The fund raiser was a huge success thanks to all of our Charlie's Angels and Charlie Boys who helped us put it together and pull it off!!
We had 80 auction items... and they were wonderful!! The Bake Sale items were amazing.. I think there were three tables covered with so many yummy options.


The Charlie's Angels jewelry was a big hit. The pasta and pizza dinner was delicious.


We were so blessed by all who were able to come to the party and by all who contributed in so many different ways.
It was a very fun event, the music by the Peecher family, Stacey Stevens and of course, my own family; Rod, Blaine, Celina and Jude, was so good. The whole event went so smoothe and it was alot of fun visiting with everyone.
I will be posting more pictures as soon as I get them in from all who took them that night.

We raised 10,000 dollars at this event which was way beyond what we even thought we would.
I keep thinking about the fishes and loaves story in the Bible when Jesus multiplied the few fishes and few loaves to feed the multitudes and there was even baskets left over. Wow!! We serve an awesome God, he is so Faithful and he is all about Adoption, he cares for the orphan, he is a Father to the Fatherless. God multiplied the money of the efforts that was put forth at this event.
I am learning so much about how he wants us to trust him in this area. Just a couple of weeks ago a co-worker at the salon gave me an index card that she thought was mine it had 2 scriptures written on it, the first one said, "MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL MY NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES AND GLORY IN CHRIST JESUS,( phillipians) and the other one said, "CAST ALL YOUR CARES ON HIM FOR HE CARES FOR YOU!!!"

This was not my card but I received it and said, "praise the Lord!!" Within 2 days of that we got a phone call from our agency that God had provided $5,500.oo for some of our agency fees, WOW!! I just cried because God is so amazing and he really does care.

Then, at this fund raiser, God multiplied the gifts that came in and the total was $10,000.
So, we are only 2,000 dollars away from our 24,000 dollar goal. Praise The Lord!!
Now I can focus on Charlie actually coming home. Which will be at the end of the summer I am guessing. We are in what I call step #2 of this process. Our information is now in Texas at the Federal Level, so we wait to get orders for our Federal Finger Printing then get those papers back and then....Step #3, we send our Dossier off to China and then we wait again to hear about when we get to travel to get Charlie!!!

So in the mean time we live a very full life. Home educating our children, working at the salon and spending time with our families and friends and now in the spring/summer months, working outside in the yard and gardens and creating things in our Artfulife studio.