Happy New Year!

Bring it on!

Fireworks~ Sydney Harbour Bridge, midnight 1 Jan 2007

Will it be Blue?

Last month, a Victorian batch (another Australian State) had 3 boys allocated in it! And apparently 2 of the families, specifically requested girls?!!! Yikes!!! I don't know the details of the families involved, whether they accepted their referrals etc... just the news of it has shocked me!!!

Our initial application we applied for either male or female. After our Social Worker visit, she has recommended us for a female child. Maybe because we discussed our preferences, and we stated we were prepared for a female child, being that alot more females are up for adoption than males.

Anyhoo... I've spent the day with Mr Ts family, and my MIL asks me, what if we're allocated a boy! I told her about the Victorian batch, and she wets herself laughing! Plus to top it off, Mr T (reckons) he's always said it'll be a boy?!! I dunno what drugs that bloke is on, but he hasn't always said that (outloud, anyway!)

So my 13 year old nephew and I sat down with their 50,000 names, baby name book - and here is the list we concocted:
Alex (greek) means defender of men
Thomas (hebrew) means Twin
Kalen (arabic) means friend or (irish) means mighty warrior
Jed (hebrew) friend of God
Aaron (hebrew) mountain
Ben (hebrew) son of my right hand
Wil (English) means determined guardian
Asher (hebrew) happy
Mason (english) works with stone
Evan (hebrew) God is gracious
Quinn (irish) means strong
Archer (english) means defender
Max (latin) The greatest!
Jett (hebrew) means abundant or (english) means hard black mineral?!!
Axel (latin) means axe or (german) means source of life
Kai (Haiwaiin) means ocean or (welsh) means keeper of the keys - pronounced Kye
Jai (Thai) means heart - pronounced Jye
Aiden or Arden (latin) means firey
Jay (english) means Jaybird
Samuel (hebrew) God has heard
Jared (hebrew) means decendent

So give it to me. The best and the worst. I know which one is my fav.... but I'm not spilling the beans... yet! Remember... this was my list + my nephews list, I'm not sold on a few of them, although thought they were list worthy, as unusual considerations. MIL's pick was Jay, and SIL's pick was Kalen. Give me a name combo too... first and middle name!

Baggie Site

I found my beautiful baggie on this site. Under Cabin Luggage.

**But remember, I'm in Australia, so I'm guessing the free shipping is only to Australian's?!!! And of course, the prices are in AUS$$.**

Carry On Only?

Miss i-Con has always stated she is going to China, Carry-on only (meaning: no large check-on suitcase... just one little baggie to fit into the overhead locker!) I always thought this was near impossible.


But, as I lay in bed last night, I was thinking about our up-and-coming holiday to China (did you notice my new ticker?)... and my thoughts were of luggage. We plan on arriving in Beijing, then travelling by TRAIN to Xian, from there we'll fly to Shenzhen, then ferry or train over to Hong Kong. Hmmm... I reckon it's going to be a big fat pain in the butt, dragging two giant suitcases (carrying enough stuff for 2 adults and 2 children)! I think we'll go Carry-On only!!! So first thing this morning, I was up, checking out the carry-on sizes, and then doing some online research as to what is best.


I found it. I ordered it. WE ARE GOING CARRY ON ONLY, BABY!!!

This little beauty is called a Paklite Origin Trooper! Isn't she beautiful?!! I must have a "thing" for pockets and handles... coz that's what sold me on her! We are getting black. Although I like the khaki, coz it's different, Mr T liked boring black. Did I mention that she was half price, and free shipping, too?!!! Ahhhh... I love online shopping... no crowds of pushy smelly old ladies, no screaming kids (well... that's debatable, round here), no shopper-rage (Mr T even knows how much I paid!!!).

Yes, I'm in la-la land, thinking we'll be able to go carry-on only, but I've bought the bags, so we're doing it, damn it!!! I'm even starting to enter into the fairy-tale land of "Maybe we could go carry-on only when we go to get Mini?"!!! HA! We'll see about that...

EDIT: ADD BAGGIE DETAILS:

Paklite Origin
Teflon Coated Polyester and Nylon Fabric
Inline Skate Wheels For Easy Manoeuvrability
Height Adjustable Trolley Handles
Waterproof Pockets For Swim Wear Or Shoes
Detachable Shoe Bag Included
Trooper Trolley 53cm Airline Int'l CABIN SIZE 40Lt 3.8kg 56 x 39 x 24
Huge Main Compartment
Detachable shoe bag to prevent soiling
Internal tie downs to secure contents
Internal - One full length and two half-length mesh pockets
External - One full-length and two half-length side pockets
External - Top Wet Pocket
Tough Easy Roll wheels with corner protectors
Wide tracking wheels for easy manoeuvrability
Extendable retractable trolley handle
Three carry handles - top, front and side - for easy loading and lifting
Soft-touch rubber grips on carry handles
Extra strong webbing straps
Integrated compass
Bottom and side scuff guard
Protector strips on side and back
Corner protectors on top of bag
Integrated ID name tag
Lockable zippers on all compartments and pockets
Extra strong size #10 zipper on main compartment
Foldable space saving design for storage
Brand: ( Paklite )

Christmas Day 2007

630am Christmas Morning ~ all is quiet...

As always it was a wonderful, fun, jam-packed day! Mr T woke me up when he got up to use the bathroom at 10 to 6, and I couldn't go back to sleep! I lay there til 630, and decided, I was getting up - so everyone else should be getting up! I put my Christmas music on nice and loud, and made myself a cuppa tea! H-Man was out in the lounge room in less than 2 mins, so I got him to go round and wake everyone else up!!! My folks stayed overnight, Christmas Eve and had to endure our early Christmas morning too!

We wanted to go to our Christmas Church Service, at 9am, so we had lots to do in a short space of time! The presents were opened, ooo'ing and ahhh'in proceeded. Miss M got her coveted digital camera (one I bought for me about 2 years ago, but it was slow, between shots and didn't have movie with sound! so I put it back neatly in the box, wound up the cords, and wrapped!) H-Man got a couple of Nintendo DS games, I gave Mr T a Sony Cybershot camera... and the family got a Wii machine! My family also gave me a CHINA calendar, that has some awesome photos in it.

I got the Webber BBQ Kettle going and was just ready for the meat to go in when we went to Church. We got home around 1030am, and I got busy making lunch for 14, while the kids played with their new toys (Mr T set up the Wii, and they can't get enough of it!)

The adults sat in the dining room:

The kids sat in the courtyard, just next to the dining room:

Everyone arrived around 1230-1pm for lunch, we had a yummy banquet of roasted pork, turkey and lamb with roasted spuds (potatoes!) and steamed peas, corn & carrots! Mmm-M! Pudding or cheesecake for dessert - then we all lounged around on the couch coz we couldn't move from eating too much! Mr T's Auntie & cousin called in for a quick cuppa, and present distribution.

Miss M & cousin, clowning around:

At 6, I got up to organise some dinner, but we were all so stuffed, we just snacked on leftovers! (no formal sitting at the table... grab a plate a crash on the couch and watch TV!) Everyone was gone by about 730pm, ahhh peace... and my folks came back from a visit with my Gran, who's in a nursing home (BTW... I'm not going to get old.) We watched Griswald's Christmas on TV, then the kids and Mum and Dad went to bed ~ Mr T & I played a Bowling Championship on Wii... who's the champion ~ ME! I'm no good at the batting games - but I CAN bowl! Score of 197, thank you very much!

H-Man just before bed, Christmas night:

I hit the hay around 1230, Mr T was still up playing "crossbow" on Wii - I have no idea when he came to bed!!! I drifted off to sleep thinking of Mini... I hope she is safe and warm, and we'll get to have her home next Christmas.

"W" in Christmas

I saw this on another blog, and felt it was so good, I needed to pass it on! The author of the story is unknown, I have no idea if someone made it up, or whether it is a true story, regardless - I thought it was lovely:

And may I take this time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and may your Christmas be filled with love and remembering of all the love given by so many all year long.
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

C H R I S T W A S L O V E

Nice story, hey! The message was true at Christ's birth, and still rings true today. Remember the reason for the season. Our Saviour was born.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, TO ALL!

That time of the month!

22 months logged in.

3 MORE DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!

Summer?

It started to rain last night, and its still raining! Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining! We need water! I wish I had a camera when I drove to the bank this morning - the road was completed flooded! On some corners, the water went up to the doors, of some smaller cars!!! You can't really see that its raining in this photo, but it is! I have sheets on the line, and they are so wet they are nearly dragging on the ground!!! Also see our new fence! YAY! Last week both our Dads, Mr T and a friend, put up the back fence and a new side fence (not in this pic) - it's the cream one, at the back. Its lovely. No more sheets of ironing flapping in the breeze, that I'd tried to tie up with bits of wire and stuffed bits of wood in the gaps, to try and stop Chewy Dog from escaping! Next on the agenda, is Gingerbread cookies! I went to my sis-in-laws yesterday to watch a couple of the kids, while she worked, plus its a good reason to go down for a swim in their pool!!! The kids had a ball with their cousins, as always, and we made some gingerbread cookies too! They are sposed to be for Christmas Day - but I'll be very surprised if we have any left by then!!!
And lastly, a very good friend of ours is a Patisserie Chef and makes amazing dessert creations - this year, its Gingerbread Sleighs & Truffle Trees. Her Mum works for us, and gave us a Sleigh as a gift! Its amazing. She's so clever! I've ordered 2 Truffle Trees, and when they come, I'll snap a pic of them too!


4 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!!! (now I'm starting to freak myself out!!!)

Christmas is...

5 MORE DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!

In Memory of Trish

Happy Birthday, beautiful friend

I miss you, more than words can say

Batches, BBQs & Bedtime

Batches: We caught up with our batch on Sunday, unfortunately only one other family could make it... so it was a nice intimate BBQ lunch! The weather was perfect, about 26 degreesC, and sunny ~ we met at a local park, with a great playground and lots of space to kick the footy. As we usually do, we chatted about how much longer we could possibly be waiting. The general consensus was we hoped it'd be by Christmas next year... but we aren't holding our breath! (sorry, no pictures... did you know it's illeg@l in our state to publish photos of adopted children? I'm not sure how that will work with our own child... might need to check into that) EDIT: Apparently its not allowed in "mainstream" media. So all should be good with the blog!

BBQs: On Saturday night, we had my best friend from School and her beautiful family over for tea. They have gorgeous 3 yr old twin girls (that are very UNidentical!) and she's due to have her third child in January. She assures me there is just one, but I've always thought there could be two in there!!! It was a fantastic night, as it always is when we eventually catch up (maybe twice a year!). The girls talked about babies, and the boys talked about their new toys (motorbikes, race cars, playstat!ons and projectors!) And I think my son has really taken to these girls... how will he ever choose which one he's going to date?!!!

Bedtime: I needed another B word for my title, and this was the best I could come up with!!! Sad, hey. Yep, I love to sleep.... what were you thinking I was going to talk about?!!

7 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!!! (yay!!!)

I'M DONE!

Christmas shopping ALL DONE! Except for a few items of fresh food... I hopefully will not need to step foot near a shop (with my children in tow!) With the exception of a Christmas Eve eve midnight trip to the supermarket, coz I hate the crowds!!! (yes, I did say Christmas Eve eve... the day before Christmas Eve!!!)



This party season has my poor old body struggling. I don't think I've eaten a vegetable in about a week. Argh. I love my veggies - I NEED my veggies... but two dinners at Maccas (Wed & Thurs night), a sausage in bread (Tues night), and a chicken curry (Mon night) - I NEED A VEGETABLE!!! I've just made myself a kick-butt salad! A bed of lettuce, carrot sticks, grilled chicken and roast tiny potatoes, all with a tiny smattering of ranch dressing... YUMMY!!! (BTW I didn't eat Maccas tonight - the kids had their FINAL class party, there - so they ate it not me!!)



As I was exiting a shop today, I heard one lady say to another "Yeah - it's just all the drama of Christmas, hey" I've been thinking about that. I think that is really sad. Christmas is sposed to be a time of joy, giving, family, warmth, food and love. Somehow its become a mad dash for the shops (that are chockas FULL of obsessed merchandise grabbing people) looking for that bargain or "the" item of the season, that their kids MUST have, grumpy overworked shop assistants and irratable impatient shoppers. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE gifts, especially buying them and giving them. But its not sposed to be a drama. I'd be a liar if I said that I don't worry that some people are particular and "will they like my gift", but I always come back to my attitude - I believe I'm giving it because I've thought about that person and think they will like it.



I hope your Christmas, is not a drama. But one of careful thought loaded with heaps of love and happiness.


12 MORE DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!

Exhausting!

This time of the year, is exhausting!!! Between the kids (school), Sunday School, Church, Work, Friends & Family... we're party animals, nearly everyday!!!

The kids only have 2 more days of school then they're off for their 6 week Summer/Christmas Holidays - WOO HOO!!! Yesterday, we had an "All School" Pool Day at a local (outdoor)swimming pool - which was fantastic (sorry no pics, was too busy watching 100 kids!!) Its a beautiful pool facility, with loads of huge Gum Trees for shade and lush grass to sit on. It's got a toddler pool (about 3 inches deep!), a medium pool (up to 90cm deep) and then the big Olympic size pool - so there was water to suit all the age groups of the kids - they had an absolute ball. We came home for a quick shower and change, then back to school at 5pm for Presentation Night. Each child is presented with a "Character" Award. Miss M was presented with "Application" - Single-minded and diligent concentration towards given tasks until completion. And H-Man was presented with "Compassion" - Sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Showing sympathy and consideration. I love how our school does this. It confirms that the teachers, do know our children. It is such a comforting feeling have found a school, that we love and our children love.

I'm packing hampers today, with our Church to give to people in Shelters and other folks nominated by people in our Church. They did about 100 the first year, 300 last year and I think we're doing 500 today! I nominated a friend of ours, who's wife has recently left him and their two teenage daughters. Its only a bunch of food, but I hope that he sees that people do care.

13 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!!!

Challenge

Ahhh - I've been so busy the last few days! I haven't even checked my emails since Wed!!! We've had our two Christmas Parties this week (have to have 2 on different nights, so that our guys on rotating rosters, all get a chance to come!). The kids have had a class party each. Classroom pack up and cleaning, at 930, yesterday morning, then onto our China Adoption Support Group Christmas Picnic! This is my third year at the Adoption Support picnic. I thought I'd feel like a square peg in a round hole. Our friends have their little girl now, and we're still waiting. We laughed and chatted with our friends, and some folks from their batch. Mr T was Santa, so that was a good laugh! (only about 6 babies cried!!! I said to their Mums the first time he asked me to sit on his lap, I was scared too!!!) We all bring a pressie for our kids, clearly labelled with their names - so it's really good, coz we know what our kids want etc!!! We told our kids before we got there, that Dad was going to be Santa, because when Miss M was about 3 at a Daycare Christmas Party, we recognised her Daddy was Santa and started screaming "That's my Daddy!" I had to usher her out pretty quickly, before mass hysteria broke out!!! The kids were cool with that, but had to be sworn to secrecy!! While our friends were busy chasing their new baby, I noticed a couple sitting by themselves. They were close enough to our group, to know they were with our group, but far enough away to say "we're not quite part of your group yet"! I went over and introduced myself followed by a tactful "So you're waiting parents?.... Me Too!" We had a fabulous chat (for over an hour!), and discovered, their file only went in August this year. They said it's ok - coz they've been told from the outset - it'll be a few years!!! The Christmas party is always bitter-sweet. Its wonderful to see all the newly arrived babies, and the kiddies that have been with their families for years - but it still breaks my heart, that we don't have our little one yet.

Rum0ur Qveen has posted a record of referrals over the last year or two. And for the last 9 months CC@@ have not allocated more than 8 days in a month. Before that, they were allocating 12-18 days per month. I hope the rumours come true, that once they hit the 2006 files, they'll start allocating closer to 15 days per month. If that's the case, we can expect a referral next year. If it doesn't happen - it'll be 2009.

I attempted to clean up Ground Zero (my office) yesterday and found this, hidden under a pile of stuff!

It's a counted cross stitch I bought on ebay about 2 years ago! (yeah, it's probably been 2 years since I gave the office a good clean!!!) I love it. Its definitely a challenge, and finding the time to do it, will probably be the bigger challenge!!! I hope I do get it done.

We went to a friend's place for a bbq last night, and as happens quite often when I get together with my friends - the discussion turned to children/babies! I love to talk about our adoption, she IS a real part of our family, and I like our family and friends to think of her that way too. Anyway, we got to talking about names (again!). It is truly my favourite topic. I love to hear what other people like/don't like. Mr T still wasn't convinced the name I really like, is the name for our daughter. Mr T would like to give her a Balinese name. We tossed around a few other names, that I don't mind, and I talked to the kids about it this morning. Miss M said she was going to leave home, if we changed it again and H-Man said I like what you like Mum!!! So it was put back on Mr T - and he's agreed to her name! He's adamant on her middle name... I can cope with that! Ahhh - it's so exhausting trying to agree on a name. I like to think that it's now set. And NO, I'm not telling til she's allocated, otherwise you might say something to make me change my mind again!!! So, God willing, that her name doesn't become the no.1 popular name of the year - she has a name.

Bitsa

Miss M had her final Piano Recital today, after 6 months of lessons - I think she's doing really well! She did play another song, as well, but I thought everyone would know this song!

H-Man got a lift to School with Daddy, in the race car the other day - to say they were "stars" is an understatement!

CC@@ have updated their site - they allocated children to families who's files were logged on/before 14 December 2005... 6 days worth of files, from last month. I guess, they're consistent?!! 69 more days, til our Logged in date divided by 6 days per month = 11.5 more months. Last month it was only 9 more months!!! Crappola. And Sept 2006 is out of Review! Good for You! I hope you DIDN'T get a phone call... all will be well!!!

But for some families, this week... this suit will be speaking volumes!!! Picked it up at K-Mart, of all places... couldn't resist - and it scanned at about $4!!!

Who's been playing with my Camera?

Panic Stations!

ARGH!!! I've booked all our hotels... but Guangzhou. I've tried to book about 4 in Guangzhou, but I keep getting the same email back, saying they haven't fixed their prices yet, because it's the Canton Fair!!! OH NO!!! This is going to sounds ridiculous, but I'm not a big fan of crowds... yeah, yeah - I know - we're going to the busiest, most populated country in the world!!! But having the city overloaded because of a fair is freaking me out! What's more - my "organisational clock" is off the dial, because I can't book anything til next year - maybe even as late as March - we leave in April!!! I want it booked NOW. I want to know, how much I'm paying, and that I've definitely got 2 rooms waiting for me when I get there.

ARGH!!!! Oh, I already said that. If it was just Mr T and Me, I could do the whole "fly by the seat of my pants" thing. But when I'm towing two kids... I wanna know I'm booked.

It's also got me thinking, that we'll probably have to pay double, the normal price because of the stupid fair, that we're not even going to!!! Stupid.

There. I've vented - but I don't feel much better.

Yeah, have a good laugh, I know that come our referral, we'll only have a couple of weeks to book. Maybe this'll be good practice in patience and faith?!! I'm not coping too well at all. I'm off to check some other websites, to see if they'll let me book!!!

2008 Holiday

+
+

+

= HAPPY KIDS!

One of our dreams will come true! Its booked and confirmed... WE ARE GOING TO CHINA! WOOHOO! Sadly, As you can see, there is no pic of our new addition. A few of our friend's have said, this is the test run!!! We're taking the kids on our annual family holiday ~ using frequent flyers and some tickets we'd won in May - it'll actually be cheaper than our Queensland holiday this year!

This is the BEST Christmas present I could ask for! Except of course, seeing our daughter! T reckon's we should (quote) "Just ring them and tell them we'll be over there, maybe they'll get it all ready for us?" I laughed, and said "Yeah right, if that was the case - everyone would be doing that?!!!!" If only we were a Movie Star or Pop Star?!!!