My big sister is getting married...

Yes it's true. My big sister Amanda is getting married. She got engaged on Sunday afternoon. It was a big surprise. She is so happy and I am so happy for her. Craig is a real nice guy. He plays with me and I really like him. They say he is going to be my brother-in-law, but I don't know what that means, I just know I like him. I get to be a flower girl, I am not real sure what that means, but I know I have to behave. I think I will have to practice that a lot. Here is a picture of me with my big sister.

The cutest pumpkin in the patch...

Well I must say she is the cutest pumpkin we could have ever found. This has been such a joy to dress her up and show her off. I had our sitter bring her to the HS today and she was the hit of the day!!! She is not feeling well, she has had a head cold for about a week and a half so I took her to the doctor yesterday and she is on an antibotic. I am glad I took her, I was going to wait it out and then decided it was best to take her instead of waiting for her to get worse and end up having to take her to urgent care. She is beginning to feel better. Tomorrow we will go to downtown Tulsa to cheer in our runners who are running the 15K and then in the afternoon we will go to our church's Fall Festival and then tomorrow night Darci will hand out Halloween candy to the trick 'r' treaters that come to our house. There must be a pumpkin shortage. I love to carve pumpkins but like to wait until a few days before Halloween so that the pumpkins are freshly carved and I cannot find a pumpkin to save my life. I am planning to go to Bixby tomorrow after the race to see if I can find some there!! Geesh!!!! Happy Halloween everyone!!!!

Pumpkin Patch Fun!!

Monday was still part of our Fall Break so Darci and I went with some friends to the Pumpkin Patch. I come from Illinois where we grow TALL corn and go to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins from the vine. Well here in Oklahoma corn is only 4' tall and pumpkin patches are at church parking lots or empty lots. Well I went in search of a REAL pumpkin patch and found one just north of where we live. We got to ride out on a tractor with a hay wagon and walked out amoung the pumpkin in search of that perfect pumpkin. Lesson learned...go earlier than we went since most of the pumpkins had been picked. None the less it was a wonderful experience and we are making memories!!! My long time friend that I have had since junior high came to visit. This was her first time to see Darci and we had a wonderful time together, she got Darci the PJ's so we took a picture of her in them that evening. On Sunday, I got Darci dressed for church and Brian put her little backpack on her and took some pictures. She looks like a little school girl. Oh no, my baby is growing up way too fast!!! Enjoy!!!

It's been a while and Halloween fun

Well life with an 18 month old is quite BUSY!!! No time to check out blogs or write on my own blog :( I get very little internet time and that makes me sad, but one day I will be able to be more regular at checking my favorite blogs and commenting on my own. Well Darci is now 18 months old and has been with her forever family for four months now. My how things have changed. She is VERY mobile and is into everything (safely) and is such a joy. I am always having to tell her "no" as she is into everything!!!! Brian said to Darci the other night "what does daddy say? 'I love you', what does mommy say? 'No, No, No!" Ha Ha, but it is so true!!! Last night we went to a city north of where we live that has a very cool kiddie park. Lots of fun little rides all for a quarter each. It is only open during the summer months and then they open for one weekend during the Halloween season. She had fun, but was not too crazy about the rides. Amanda's boyfriend's children came along but I think it was just too much for her. Next year will be better, but none the less we were building lasting memories. So here is what you have been waiting for!!! Pictures

Two months ago..

Two months ago yesterday I received our youngest daugther. In so many ways these past two months have seemed like an eternity. The 37 month wait also felt like an eternity. It hard to believe that 2 months and 37 months of waiting are very different yet very similar. When we received Darci, she could only sit up when put in a sitting position. She could stand and very wobbly walk around the edge of the bed. Today she is crawling all over the place. Rolling from front to back and back to front. Can sit up all by herself. She pulls herself up and then walks around and this week she began to walk away from furniture and take some steps on her own. She still prefers crawling but I know in just a few more weeks our precious girl will be walking all over the place. I started back to work on the 5th of August and she stayed home with her big sister. This past Thursday was her first day to go to childcare and she cried when I left her. It broke my heart because I was so concerned that she would fear all day long that I was not coming back. When I picked her up she was happy and happy to see me but not ready to leave, a great sign!!! However Friday morning she cried again when I left her, but all was good and she doesn't cry for very long. I know she is in GREAT hands and is very LOVED while I am at work and I do not worry about this at all. I just cringe at another adjustment in her small little world. She has no idea what is going on, but she has a mom and dad who love her very much as do her sisters and a multitude of family and friends!!! I cannot wait (well yes I can) until the day she is old enough to understand the journey that we traveled to get her and how important family and friends were to us during the journey. There are so many aspects of our trip to China that I miss and cannot wait to take Darci back to her homeland to show her the country where she was born and its rich history. We have been blessed in so many ways!!! Darci you have been in our arms for 2 months now, but you were in our hearts long before that!!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much and so do your big sisters!! Happy 2 month anniversary!!!!

Shower

Some of my very lovely friends had a shower for me on Saturday, here are some pictures of the WONDERFUL day!! Some pictures of the Queen of Quite A Lot!!!

Momma and her baby



Gifts



Opening presents is so much FUN!!!



A friend and my sweet girls!!!



A sweet friend.



A beautiful cake!!



Sisters!!



A new toy!!! I like it!!



Wooden blocks!!



I see myself!!



Sweet friends who were the party hostesses



My friends!!



Sisters!!



Momma and her 3 gals!!



My 3 gals!!



What?? Who me??


Hold up, wait a minute!!



Sweetness!!



Smiles



MMMMM this finger sure tastes good!!



Pure SWEETNESS!!

























Things I'm not suppose to have, SHHHH!! Don't tell mom!!



What can I cook for you??



Welcome to my kitchen!!

Summer Time Fun!!!

A few weeks ago we went back to Illinois to visit family and here are some Summer Time Pictures!!!

Riding the carousel at the St. Louis Zoo with my big sister!!!





This is my Aunt D



My Cousin C



My Uncle T



My Aunt J



Aunt J and Uncle M (in the corner)



Mommy and me at the duck pond



Daddy and me at the zoo



Well summer is quickly coming to a close and next Wednesday I will return to work. It has been a wonderful summer and I am so happy that I got to spend my time off with our precious new daughter!!! I am looking forward to going back to work, getting in the swing of things and most of all having a routine. I do not do well without a routine!!! We did a trial run yesterday with the sitter and she did marvelous!!! I was kind of sad when I got in the car to leave that she didn't even shed a tear!!! She made up for it by calling me "Ma Ma" when I came to pick her up. My friend is taking care of her in her home and she has 4 daughters who are crazy in love with Darci and I know she will be well loved and care for!!! This blesses a momma heart!!! I have been busy sewing Darci's bedding that I have put off for 4 years now, a precious friend motivated me by agreeing to help me sew. Thanks P!! We have the bumper pads sewed and ready to stuff, the dust ruffle and quilt are all cut out and ready to sew. Pictures will be coming when all is done!!

One month ago...

One month ago this precious baby girl was placed in my arm screaming, crying, pushing away and nothing I said or did would take away her pain. She had been taken away from everything she had ever known, put on a bus with a worker she did not know, taken to a city she did not know, and given to a woman she did not know. This is the picture from that precious day.





Here is our precious baby girl one month later





It is so hard to believe that in one month this little girl has blossomed from a petrified, fearful, terrified baby to an energetic, bubbly, happy baby. We are so blessed!!!!

We're making a world traveler....

Our sweet Darci is becoming a world traveler. First she flys to America from China, then on Tuesday we drove to Illinois and she did fantastic!!! Brian's mother had to have a heart procedure done and we felt it was best to come for a visit. She had the procedure done today and did well and looks like things will be much better for her. She could already tell a difference. I have had some faithful followers who are anxiously awaiting pictures, so here they are, NOT!!!! I am sorry for some reason I am not able to upload any pictures. I just upgraded to Internet Explorer 8 and I think that may be the issue, I am looking on Blogger help to see if anyone else is having the issue. Keep checking back I promise to put pictures up as soon as I can!!

Home sweet Home!!

We are home and still not all the way on home time!!! Last night we went to bed at 10:30 and I woke up at 3:00 and laid in bed until 4:00 when Darci woke up, I gave her a bottle and she stayed awake until about 6:00 am when we both went back to bed and slept until 9:15. She stayed up most of the day with a very short nap this afternoon on the way to daddy's allergy shot appointment. About 8:00 pm she got fussy so we gave her a bath and tried to hold out as long as we could, she finally crashed around 8:30. We started for bed about 10:00 and she woke up so I gave her another bottle but she didn't take very much of that. She is asleep on the couch next to me. I am waiting until she is good and out before I transfer her to the bed next to me. It seems moving her there wakes her if she is not totally out. Other than the sleep issues things have been going great!!! She is adjusting beautifully and I could not ask for things to go any better!!! She is attaching to both Brian and I and is doing well with her big sister out of the picture. She does whine and fuss a tad when Amanda first walks into the room but it is much less now than when we were in China so I know that she is doing well with me. All of her bottles come from me, except for the one bottle daddy fed her when we arrived at the airport. Don't have any pics since I have been out of it. I got sick on the plane ride home and am still not back 100%. I think it was a combination of being dehydrated while in China, MSG in Chinese food, different diet, being constantly busy, and then the hectic schedule of the Oath Swearing at the Consulate, rushed off to the train station, carrying all of our bags up 2 flights of escalators, down 1 flight to the train, off the train up another set of escalators, across the street, up an elevator, up a ramp into the mall and over into the hotel for 5 hours of sleep!! Up at 4:00 to shower and get dressed, have bags ready for pick up by 5:30 am and down to check out by 5:45 to leave for the airport. WOW that will make one ill and it did make me ill!! My arms have lost all strength and I am slowly working my way back to having some strength, I think I just completely DRAINED myself!!! Off to bed!! Hopefully for a full nights sleep!!!

Update on Blog Access

I guess some of you are having a hard time accessing the Baby Jelly Beans site we have set up. If you go to http://www.babyjellybeans.com and in the lower right hand corner is "Search for website" put in Darci Roberts and it will bring up our site. I realized I had a box checked that would not display it under the search, I have taken care of that so you can access it now. Things are going great, cannot wait to get home and show her to everyone.

Blogger Blocked in China, Follow Journey Here

http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/folder?ID=533044&parent_id=533044

We have arrived in St. Paul

We are here and are waiting to board the next leg of the journey. We leave here at 3:20. I am so ready to go to sleep. I stayed awake until 1:00 this morning and woke up at 4:00 to head to the airport. Got there at 5:00 and I am glad we did since there was a line. I'll be back on to report once I am in China.

Bags are packed and I am out of here...

In just a few short hours I will be on my way to the airport. Went today to have our bags weighed and 1 bag was over by 7 pounds and 1 bag was under by 10 so we did some shuffeling and added 1 more carry on so I think we are set as far as weight limits in China. I have had all kinds of emotions today. Scared, nervous, excited, unsure (of what will happen during travel), feeling of being unpreapred as far as paperwork goes, although I know that I have everything I need. It has been a roller coaster day. My girlfriends have called to wish me well and to tell me they love me and that they are praying for me and everyone is excited to meet Darci. I just find it so hard to believe that after all this WAITING it is finally going to happen. I'm getting on a plane tomorrow bound for China. WOW!!!! Well I have a few more things to do, I am trying to stay up as late as I can tonight so that I can sleep tomorrow during the day and hopefully get on China time! Ha not so sure how that's going to work!!! Thanks for following along, thanks for the prayer and thanks for the support!! We love you all and cannot wait to share our precious Darci with all of you!!!!

4 more days and I'll be on my way

Part of the packing is done, cleaning the house needs to be done, a few loads of laundry are left and just trying to relax. I have finished everything at work and so summer vacation officially has started. I will have Monday and Tuesday to finish up last minute things. Money is being wired to China on Monday and I have my clean crisp fresh one hundred dollar bills. Pretty much set to go just got to put it all in the suitcases and backpacks. I'm not as stressed out as I was on Thursday which is a good thing!!! Went to meet with our China director on Friday and all of my paperwork is in order so I shouldn't have any issues with paperwork in China. I have unloaded a lot of my plate and I am in a much happier place. Thanks for following along!!! It won't be very much longer and Darci will be in my arms!!! I will see her precious face and hold her for the very first time on Sunday afternoon which will be early Sunday morning here at home.

6 Days and I will be on my way

Just 6 more days and so much left to do!!! I think the minute I step onto the plane I will crash and burn (Not the plane, just me). So much to do and so little time. For those of you who read this blog and are in the process, here is some words of wisdom and advice.
1) start buying things now (bottles, diapers, wipes, etc.)
2) don't go crazy buying clothes (you will not know what size until referral. (I know sometime shopping is just good for a momma's heart).
3) do your homework, reading, etc. Don't keep putting it off because you have plenty of time. It sneaks up on you and then you have to scramble to get it all done.
4) relax and enjoy (do all the above early enough in advance, so you can do this one).
I know when we started this journey I lived through others who were farther ahead of me in the journey and I know what an inspiration they were to me so I hope to be passing the baton to those of you who are behind us in the journey. It is the ride of a life time and trust me when that referral comes you need to sit down and buckle yourself in because the ride gets bumpy and it goes real fast. Off to get some zzzzz's This tired momma needs them!!!

7 days and counting...up up and away!!

One week from today, I will be sitting in the airport getting ready to board a plane on my journey to China. Darci is in a loving home on the other side of this world and has no idea that her world is about to be turned upside down. Although this is all for her good. She will have no idea who I am, who her big sister is but in time she will learn who we are and how much we love her and how long I have carried her in my heart. Packing will begin tonight, tomorrow and the goal is to have it all done by tomorrow. Keep checking back to see pics. Darci, mommy is coming to get you!!!

I'm LEAVING on a jet plane

Yes you read that right, buying my tickets tomorrow. We have them secured through a travel agent, we were waiting for someone else in our travel group to see what kind of prices they got from another agency and we are getting a much better deal so I am booking them in the morning!!! Leaving here on June 10 arriving in Beijing on June 11. Still do not know when Darci Day is, but I will give you all a shout when I know!! We will leave China on June 24 and arrving home on June 24 in the evening. Remember we are traveling backwards in time. When we leave China it will actually be June 23 here. Darci's visa will be issued on my mother's birthday. Mom has been gone for quite sometime and never knew of our adoption plans, but I somehow think God is allowing her to peek over heaven's banister and get a look at her precious granddaughter. I will post again as we get closer to leaving. Got bags to pack and stuff to do, my head is just swimming!!!

My baby graduates from Nursing School

Our middle daughter (used to be the baby, until we got Darci, she is still my baby) graduated from Nursing school 3 weeks ago. We are so proud of all of her hard work over the last 5 years. She has sacrificed much and studied hard to get where she is today and I could not be more proud of the young lady she has become. She has moved to MO and will begin her new job tomorrow. She will be working at the hospital where she did her internship last summer. After she interviewed for the job and then was notified that she got the job she called me and said "Mom, I've got a big girl job!" She is going to do a wonderful job. She has so much compassion and she has the perfect job to show all the compassion God has given her. K, your dad and I are so proud of you and pray that as your follow your dream that you will be guided by your Heavenly Father!!! Love you!!! MOM

We have TA

God is in the business of answering prayers!!! We have our TA. One of the mother's in our travel group was joking that getting TA on May 29 would be a wonderful birthday present and YES we got TA on her birthday. We are waiting for our agency to secure consulate appointments so if everything goes as requested we could be leaving June 11. Prayer Warriors - I need your prayers, we have a van and a boat that we need to sell ASAP. Please pray that God will send a buyer right away. I am excited and scared all at the same time!!! So much to do and so little time to get it all done!!! YIKES!!!!!

No TA

We still do not have TA (Travel Approval). I spoke with our agency yesterday and if we were to get TA tomorrow, then we would probably leave somewhere around the week of June 15. We know TA is not coming tomorrow so I am thinking the soonest we will travel will be the week of June 22. This journey has always been in God's hand and I have never questioned why we had to wait 37 months before we saw our precious Darci's face and I will NOT begin to question why I have had to wait 6 weeks and counting since we sent back our letter of confirmation for travel approval. I am choosing to see the blessing in waiting instead of allowing satan to steal my joy!!! He will not get my joy!! My joy is in HIM!! We will travel when He says it's time!!!

What does one do while they wait for TA???

Well you run a relay leg in the OKC Marathon!!! We had 3 relay teams from the school district that I work with and we left yesterday and headed for OKC. We visited the Expo, got our race packets and went to eat LOTS of pasta!!! Headed to the hotel and went nighty night. Up at 4:30 in the morning as the race started at 6:30. I shuttled out to my leg 5K and waited around 2 1/2 before I took off. It was my very first 5K run and I was very excited!! I really didn't know what to expect which made the run quite interesting. I really don't run, I wog (jogging & walking). I began mid Fall at the encouragement of two ladies that I work with. I am not much on running when it's cold or wet or anything else, yes I am a whimp!!!! So I really didn't push myself until about 3 weeks ago. I kept the pace of run 5 minutes, walk 2 minutes and my leg really was 3.6 miles and I did it in 56 minutes. The longest I had run was last Tuesday I did 3.0 in 50 minutes so I was proud of my time for my very first race. I got a little emotional as I came into the hand off area and when I met up with my other friends!! My next goal is to continue and bump it up to 6 - 2 and keep going until I can run a 5K with minimum walking!!! I was handed a beautiful medal that I am very proud of!!!



This is a team mate and myself last night at the Pasta Dinner, our team name was "Chicks that Run" We originally started out with 5 girls, but one gal had to drop out so we picked up a guy and he was great about it. So we called ourselves "Chicks that Run and Kraig". So we are doing the chicken move!!!




One of the other teams from our school district and the ladies that I hung with!!




The lady 2nd from the left ran in the Boston Marathon last week. She also ran the same leg that I did and she finished way ahead of me and came back when she saw me and help encourage me and ran with me across my finish line!! THANKS "M"!!!



This is the other team that ran from our school district. This picture was taken the night before at the Pasta Dinner!!!
Fun was had by all and no one was hurt. It was a great race!!!!!

Please Pray

I follow this blog and I am asking for prayer warriors to join her and her family as they pray their daughter through this difficult situation.

Happy 1st Birthday DARCI!!!

Today in a home on the other side of the world a little girl named Nian Xuan Feng is celebrating her first birthday.

Darci, mommy and daddy wish that you were here so that we could share your first birthday with you. A celebration fit for a princess, the princess you are!!! That is not going to be able to happen because we are not together yet. We are celebrating your birth by remembering who you are and the day that you came into this world. We also stop and remember your birth family. We do not know who they are or where they are, but we remember the fact that you were brought into this world on this very special day!!!
Happy First Birthday Darci, we love you!!!
Mommy & Daddy

She is the luckiest baby in the world!!!

The ladies that I work with threw a surprise birthday party for Darci today. I came into work and was all busy passing out my Easter treats and walked into the conference room to hand out treats to the co-worker that was in there and lo and behold there it was, I just turned around real quick and said "I'm sorry". I was surprised but I walked into my own surprise without anyone else to say "Surprise"!! I started this job back in July and these ladies are the best ladies to work with!! I love my job and I love working with these ladies. Darci will turn 1 tomorrow in a home in Jiangxi province of Fengcheng China. She has a foster mother but I have no idea if they will celebrate her birthday. Half way around the world some very precious women helped this mommy celebrate her youngest daughter's first birthday. Thanks ladies!!!