Three Years ago

It was 3 years ago Today That our Dossier Left for China. Who would have thought that 3 years later we would be still waiting with no end in sight. I am just hoping that now that the CCAA is finally done with March 2006 , That things will speed up.

Not much going on..

Can you believe that it is November already? Where has the year gone? We only have about 7 more weeks till Christmas, and I am not ready for that.. This past weekend I passed out Halloween Candy in 3 differant places, I just love to see the kids all dressed up. This was the first year my Nephew Landon went Trick or Treating.. He has gotten so big, he is 17 months old now , and so funny. Here are some pictures of him dressed up.. And a Picture of landon and Mommy.

Our Anniversary

Today we celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary.. This week was filled with mile stones. On june 21st it was 3 years since we were accepted into Children's Hope China Program and on the 22nd we were logged in for 29 months.. I never in my wildest dreams thought we would be waiting this long to get a referral. The wait has taught us patients that we never knew we had. And everyone knows that old saying good things come to those who wait..

Mother's Day

Another Mother's Day goes by and Nicole is still not home.. I guess one of these days I can Celebrate Mother's day officially.. I got an e-mail this morning with my Nephew Landon in it and it said "Hi Aunt Tammy, Happy Mothers Day! Love Landon xoxo

He is such a cutie.. He will be 1 on the 26th

Another month down

Today we have been logged into the CCAA for 27 months. With each month that passes the wait gets longer. They talk about children in china aging out of the system. But with the longer wait times the adoptive parents gets older, So can the parents age out of there adoption?

Ten things you Didn't know about the Great Wall

1. Newly mapped parts of the Great Wall of China add about 180 miles to the previously believed length of the wall. Keep clicking to see what else you didn't know about the Great Wall.

2. At its peak, the wall was guarded by 1 million men. It was built to keep out Mongols and other invaders, and guard stations and watchtowers were placed at regular intervals along the wall.

3. It spans about 3,900 miles through the northern part of the country.

4. It's been estimated that between 2 and 3 million Chinese died while building the wall over centuries.

5. The first set of walls was built during the Qin Dynasty, 221 to 206 B.C. Major construction of the walls took place during the Ming Dynasty, 1388 to 1644.

6. According to urban legend, the wall is the only man-made object that can been seen from the moon with the naked eye. But that's just a myth. Like many other objects, it is sometimes visible from low earth orbit.

7. It averages 25 feet in height and 15 to 30 feet in width at its base.

8. Bricks, earth, stones, wood, tiles and lime are some of the materials used to build the wall. Some parts of it have been reconstructed.

9. On a section of the wall near Badaling almost every brick has been carved with names or other graffiti, according to Chinese state media.

10. Some parts of the wall have been demolished to make way for roads or other construction projects.

Remembering my Brother

It was 5 years ago today that we lost my brother Kenny. He was 47 . I know he is up in heaven with my mom and my oldest brother Bill. And my mother is keeping her boys inline. I am sure that they all look down on us and get a good chuckle when my dad gives my husband I a run for our money..

More New Clothes

This one was too cute to pass up.

Of course the stores have there Spring line out now .

I had to get this one because of the ladybug.

I found this dress on the clearance rack after christmas, I love Burgundy.

Lydia

Lydia ("Liddy") Li-mei Eiko Miyashita, age 5 1/2, earned her angel wings at approximately 4:35 p.m. on February 25, 2009 in Punta Gorda, Florida after a six month battle with acute myeloid leukemia. She was the daughter of Mark and Monica (Raber) Miyashita of Orrville, Ohio. She was born in Guangdong Province China July 3, 2003 and met her forever family in China on July 4, 2004. Lydia lived in Orrville and was a kindergarten student at Maple Street Elementary School in Orrville, having also attended both St. Mary's Sharing and Caring Preschool in Wooster, and Trinity Nursery School and Child Care in Orrville. She attended Trinity United Methodist Church in Orrville.
Lydia was an extremely bright and energetic child, who loved to act, dance ballet, swim, and play her violin. She loved the beach and Lakeside, Ohio. She was well-traveled and was a fan of all forms of theatre, including and in particular, the musical "Cats". Lydia had three cats of her own: Daisy, Sherlock and Aggie, and loved to wear grease paint and dress up as a Jellicle Cat with her brother Max. She was a talented artist who noticed the smallest details about people. Lydia will be remembered by all who knew her, met her or even heard of her story as an effervescent, exuberant, unique and special child.
Lydia is survived by her parents, Mark and Monica (Raber) Miyashita; her three year old brother Maxwell; maternal grandparents John and Betty Raber of Wooster, Ohio; paternal grandparents, Yoshifumi and Linda Miyashita of Brookfield, Ohio; paternal great-grandmother, Haruko Miyashita of Hachioji Japan, as well as by the doctors, nurses, staff, patients and families of the 5600 Unit at Akron Children's Hospital, and by the numerous extended family and friends who knew this special child, including very special doctor/friend Dr. Xiaxin Li. She is also survived by her birthparents and two sisters and one brother in China. A brother in China predeceased her.
A Memorial Service, open to the public, celebrating her life will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 1556 Rex Drive in Orrville, Ohio on Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. with the Reverend David Kowaleski and Dr. David Wilcox officiating. Calling hours also open to the public will be held at Auble Funeral Home at 512 East Oak St. Orrville, Ohio from 6-8 pm on Saturday February 28, 2009. Lydia will be interred at Crown Hill Memorial Cemetery in Orrville in a private burial service at a later date. Lydia's family established a caring bridge website during her treatment for friends and family, and those wishing to visit and leave a message for the family may do so at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lydialimeieikomiyashita

Another Angel in Heaven

Today Lydia earned her wings. She is the little girl I wrote about in my last post. She passed away in the arms of her family at 4:35 pm . Please pray for this family in there time of grief. Lydia was only on this earth a short 5 years , but she leaves a big mark on the world .

Prayers for a special Little Girl

I am writing this post tonight after reading a blog I have been following for about the last 5 months. Its about a little girl named Lydia that is 5 years old. She was adopted at the age of 1 from the Guangdong Province in China.. Lydia was diagnosed with AML a form of Leukemia in August 2008. With all of the medical technology we have today, they have not found a cure for Lydia.. Right now the end is drawing near, and I am asking everyone to keep Lydia and her Family in their prayers. The death of a loved one is terrible thing , but when it is a child it is unimaginable.

Total Loss

On Thursday Feb 5 at 12:15 am a family friend from the Greater Cincinnati Area lost there home to fire. At the time of the fire only 4 of they 7 family members were home . The father and one of the boys got out , and two of the boys 11 and 16 were trapped in the 2nd floor bathroom. Matt the 16 year old happened to have a cell phone and called 911. To listen to this 911 call is heart wrenching. The 2 of them finally escaped by jumping out the window. One of the boys were treated for smoke inhalation. The family are now staying with family members ,as they try to pick up the pieces of there life. The family had no insurance. Please keep this family in your prayers

When is Chinese New Year 2009?

Chinese New Year falls on Monday, January 26th 2009.

The Chinese New Year that is celebrated for about fifteen days is one moment in the year when the whole nation feels united as they can imagine each other's enjoyment. The Chinese New Year gets determined by the chinese new year calendar and therefore it is sometimes called the Lunar New Year. In 2009, the Chinese Lunar Year Festival would start from 26 th of January. As every one is aware of its significance, the working people in china can take weeks of holidays so that they can join the company of their near and dear ones and a feast with their family members on the chinese new year eve or Lunar New Year's Eve. Although with the changing times and increasing mobility of the people the celebration of Chinese New Year Festival has undergone some changes, everybody still very fervently follow all the customs that their elders have taught them.

Log in Anniversary

Today is our LID Anniversary. We have been logged in for 2 years . When we began the process we were told the wait was 14 to 15 months.. Now 24 months later we still are waiting with no end insight. Good thing we are patient people.. But to tell you the truth it does not seem like it has been that long. But the years seem like they are going so fast.. I guess that means I am getting old...LOL

Let it Snow

We had no snow for Christmas , but we sure got dumped on this weekend. It started friday evening and by the time Saturday afternoon got here we had over 14 inches of the white stuff. The bad thing about all the snow was our snow blower we bought last year bit the dust about three weeks after we got it . And if you know anything about the men in my family, they never take anything back that breaks. And I totally forgot to go get a snow plow blade for our Yamaha Rhino. Its one of those things that you keep putting on the back burner until you have a foot of snow in your driveway.... Anyway my Dog is loving all of the snow , she loves tunneling through it. Now if I could only have her fit with a shovel.

Christmas & New Years

Can you believe that Christmas is over. It came on so fast and was over just as quick. I am glad it is over though. This year I just could not get into the christmas spirit. Plus the last two weeks before christmas I was working 58 hours a week. All that was done here was a tree put up, and that was up for a week before decorations was put on it. I would like to Thank Patty & Terry our fellow adoptive friends for the two beautiful ornaments that they sent for Nicole , plus the Happy Adoption Day book and the bracelet, That meant so much to us... This year my husband got me a Wii for christmas, Now for those of you that are saying " WHAT". We are just two big kids at heart.. If any of you have played games on the Wii, you know that it is fun for one and a really good source of a workout.

Now that The New Year is here , I hope that it brings a speed up in China , so next year at this time we are alot closer to bringing Nicole Home.