Jahsin turns 5!!!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted. Things have been a little cray in our household the last 6 months, but we are starting to get back to our new normal routine. Today is a very special day so I thought I should update the blog. June 8th is Jahsins birthday. My little boy turned 5 today. O my goodness he's 5 already. He didn't really seem to understand the concept of birthdays this morning, but by the end of the day he was singing happy birthday to himself. He has come such a long way since we brought him home 10 months ago. His English is getting much better, Jaxon translates for him most of the time. He loves being outside. He rides his trike all around the culdesac and loves to swing on the play set. His all time favorite thing to do, whether at home or friends houses, is to vacuum or sweep. He is known to walk into our friends homes and go straight for the vacuum and start cleaning for them. He has such a big heart and worries about others if he sees them upset or hurt. He especially hates to see his brig brother in trouble. He will tell Matt or I to stop if jaxon starts to cry, or hug jaxon if he's hurt. He is also my cuddle bug, and could just sit on my lap on the couch and be happy. We feel so blessed to have Him in our family. He is also very strong willed, and knows how to test my patience, but we love him unconditionally and wouldn't have it any other way. Happy birthday big boy.

My Jaxon turns 7!!!

Wow I can't believe that Jaxon turns 7 today. I remember the day we first met him and how little he was. Now he's mister independent and growing like a weed. He woke up extremely early this morning so excited to frost his cupcakes for school. I asked him what he wanted his birthday meal to be and he says "pancakes, sausage, cheeseburgers, Mac and cheese and corn". I offered to make pancakes for him but he wanted to go to Yoders cause he knew they would make a fuss over him. So we woke jahsin up and met daddy for breakfast. He got his choc chip pancakes and sausage and the girls sang happy birthday to him with a candle lit doughnut. He loved it! So for dinner I was able to talk him out of the pancakes and sausage.
His birthday always makes me think of how Gods plan for our lives is always better then what we could ever imagine. Seven years ago today matt and I were praying for a child to start our family. And seven years ago today a women on the other side of the world was giving birth to a little boy she decided she wanted to give a better life to. So today is more then just another birthday for jaxon its a day to celebrate the life we have been blessed with. I would of never guessed that my life would be on this path with two precious little boys but God did, and Im so grateful for the many Blessings He has given us.
I love you my dear Jaxon!

The Heart of a child!!

My boys amaze me everyday, usually in a good way but sometimes in a way that makes me question my parenting skills :)
Today was one of those days that I smiled and realized that I must be something right. In the car we listen to a radio station called The Word FM. Since Thursday they have been doing a radiothon to raise money for next year. So we have been listening to this now for 3 days in the car as they are talking about the people calling in and donating and the stories of the people who listen and are affected by the station. I was telling Jaxon that earlier in the week they were having different pray themes every hour and one of those hours was for children. During that hour I had called and had someone pray for him and his brother.
So today when Jaxon got home from school he asked if he could give a donation. I said sure and called his daddy to see if he thought it would be a good idea. He said yes of course so I talked to Jaxon to see what he was thinking and he decided he wanted to give a dollar a day for this month. His birthday is in a couple of weeks so he wants to give his birthday money to the station. So I let him call and talk to the guy himself. Before he said goodbye he asked the guy if he needed more to keep the station running next year. The guy was super nice and told him that his donation will help them keep the station on the air for another year and thanked him for his willingness to give. Jaxon was so excited to have helped and that I let him do it himself. I could not believe how big his heart is. I wish I could have the child like faith to believe that what I need would be there. His birthday is not for another 2 weeks yet he believes he will get enough money to donate his pledge. I know that God is working in him and I am so thankful that He chose me and Matt to be his parents. He is a true blessing and inspiration to both of us.

First for Jahsin

As I was trying to do some cleaning around the house I needed something to occupy Jahsin so I could do something without him attached to my leg. I found this box in the garage and he had a field day with it. We colored it and then he decided he needed to fix it with his tools. He had a blast for hours. Who needs to buy toys when there are cardboard boxes around :)

Jahsin had his first haircut on Tuesday. We went with friends so that hopefully he would see Clayton getting a haircut and be excited. He was ok till I went to put him in the chair, then he started crying. The barber was great with him. He got him a lollipop and he stopped crying. He didn't sit still but the guy did a great job anyway. I think he ate a lot of hair but that's ok his hair is cut!


This past weekend matt and I went on our churches annual marriage retreat to the beach. I was really nervous to leave the boys for a whole weekend. Nichole stayed at our house so they could sleep in their beds and so she could watch the dogs. They did great and everyone survived including Nichole :). It was so nice when we got home Jahsin was so excited to see me he came running into my arms and would not let me put him down. Jaxon was more excited over the wii game he was playing to say hi but I think he missed us too. Jahsin has been a little clingy I think he thinks I'm leaving when ever he can't see me but getting better ever day. Matt and I really enjoyed being able to spend some time with good friends and each other with out the little ones, but missed them and glad to come home.

Home for 6 weeks!!!

Boys at the New Holland Fair

Jahsin watching Jaxon's bus going down the street as he cries for Jaxon

My boys on Jaxon's first day of school


I know I have been really bad with updating the blog since we have been home, and I apologize. I can name off 101 reasons why I have been to busy to do it but they are all just excuses. So I will try to keep this from being a novel ;)
When we first got home Jahsin strongly disliked dogs. He would scream and cry when he knew Homer and Shane where coming. We had to carry him around the house and the poor dogs had to gated in a room so he would walk around. He is doing much better just the last week or so. He is now hugging Shane and helping take them out potty. He isn't so sure yet about Homer, the yellow lab, but he's getting there. His English is improving everyday. He is talking a lot, not that we understand everything. He is mixing up his mandarin and English but he loves to mimic what he hears. So we have to be very careful what we are saying. His favorite phrases are "Cow Chicken" and "see ya later". so when we go places he calls everything and everyone "cow chicken". Its kinda funny till someone looks at you because your son just called them a cow. He is a good eater and loves to eat sweats. He likes fruits and veggies but loves to raid the cabinet for snacks. I had him at the doctors this morning and he is healthy and growing slowly. He has gained 4 pounds since we took him out of the orphanage. He is only in the 3rd percentile for weight and height, but at least he proportional.
Jahsin also experinced the small town fair last week here in New Holland. He had a blast at the parade watching all the big trucks and dancing to the Rajha music. I took the boys to kids day on friday and spent the day eating fair food and riding rides. They were both having fun and Jaxon was a great big brother and went on all "baby" rides with him.

He adores his big brother. It is very cute to watch them interact, sometimes. They fight like true brothers, but they also play like real brothers. Now that Jaxon is in school they get along much better. When Jaxon leaves in the morning Jahsin waves goodbye to the bus and when he gets home in the afternoon he is waiting at the corner calling out for Jaxon. It is so adorable. Jaxon is excited to see him too and they sit at the table having snack together talking about their day. (at least that's what I like to believe they are talking about)
Jaxon is in first grade this year so he is gone from 8:30am-4pm everyday. He is enjoying school and loves having recess. That seems to be only thing he can remember when I ask him how his day was. He also loves reading and is enjoying reading the Magic Tree House book series. He is doing Upward flag football again this year and karate has started back up. He likes doing sports and being my social butterfly. He spends more time talking with everyone then playing the sport. I'm not sure where he gets that from :)
Matt and I have been adjusting to having two boys. They keep us moving and on our toes all the time. But it's a good thing to be busy with them. We feel so extremely Blessed to have them in our lives. I can't imagine what life would be like without them. We are all adjusting still and trying find what our new "normal" routine is, but I feel like everyday is a getting better and everyday I feel more Blessed to have such wonderful boys in my life!

We made it home!!!

Three weeks ago today we landed in Taiwan full of anxiety, and today we are sitting on our couch with two little boys laying in their beds fast asleep. I can't explain the joy that has filled our home. Although I know that there is still a long road ahead, I also know that Jahsin was meant for our family and God is always leading the way!
Our flight last night was a little rough. We had a 4 1/2hour flight to Atlanta,n and at first Jahsin was very content with looking out the window and watching a movie. About an hour into the flight both boys feel asleep and I had a huge sigh of relief. A half hour later Jahsin starts screaming and kicking and nothing calms him down. So Matt spent the rest of the flight either walking him up and down the isle or sitting in the bathroom with him screaming. The flight from Atlanta went much better. All three of my boys slept till we landed! The kulp family was at the airport to pick us up. It was good to see them again, and Jahsin was excited to meet them all.
Our first day at home has gone well, except that Jahsin absolutely does not like dogs. We are hoping he will get use to them soon. We can't wait to introduce Jahsin to all of you, and of course Jaxon can't wait to see you all again.

Love,
The Kulps

10 hours and counting

So we are 10 hours away from the last leg of our journey. We are starting to pack and get ready to head home. It was nice to relax this week and visit with family and old friends. Matt and I went out last night with one of my oldest best friends for a child free night out and then this morning got to hang out with another childhood friend and her family. It was nice to be able to catch up with them and introduce Jahsin It has been a great vacation and it has been very nice visiting family but Im ready to get home and get the boys in to a normal routine. We are hoping that the flight will go a little smoother then the first one with Jahsin. So our next post will be from PA!

Little Brothers Big Day!

It has been non stop craziness since we got to California. We helped my brother finish getting the last minute things done, like the programs, table seating chart and helped my mom with the flowers. Friday night was the rehearsal and the boys did really well meeting new people. We got home really late so on Saturday I left early to pick Melissa up to get our nails done and to get her to the wedding site. So matt had the two boys for the day to get them up and ready for the wedding. He was very excited about this. So the boys slept till noon yes I said noon. He got them up and bathed tried to feed them breakfast/lunch but jahsin wouldn't eat anything. This was really weird because the kid loves to eat. They needed to leave at 1:30 to get to the place in time for me to dress them. Ten minutes on the road and Jahsin got sick. He vomited for the whole 2hour ride to the site. Of course they got stuck in traffic and matt was trying to catch vomit as he drove. Needless to say he was not very happy when he arrived. Poor Jahsin slept till 4:55pm on a couch wrapped in matts undershirt. The wedding was to start at 5pm so I got him up and dressed in his suit. He was a little clingy but did not vomit again, praise God! The wedding went well, besides my moms dress zipper ripping when she was getting dressed, flowers dying due to the heat, jahsin vomiting, wedding crashers at the reception, everything was perfect! It was nice to see all my family even some Ive never met.
On Sunday we had melissas siblings and my family over to my parents for dinner. It was nice to say good bye to everyone. We then took Josh and Melissa to the airport because they were headed to Italy for their honeymoon.

In California!

Jahsin putting his foot down with Jaxon even while they sleep




We made it! Tuesday was a very long day for us. We took the kids to the Taipei zoo. It was so hot and humid out that most of the animals were not very active. But we had fun anyway. We spent a lot of time at the penguin house and panda house cause they were the two air conditioned places. We also found out that Jahsin does not like animals of any size. He would scream when ever we got close to a cage.
We got to the airport 4 hours before our flight and luckily found a playground close to our gate so the kids could run around. We were meeting my parents there because they had flew up from the south part if the island. We got a little nervous when we went to board and they weren't there. Their plane was an hour late so we sat on our plane for over an hour waiting for people from their flight. We were very nervous they weren't going to make it. We were excited to see them walk on till Jahsin saw my mom and freaked out! Luckily Jaxon had fallen asleep already but Jahsin then wanted nothing to do with us or sleeping. He spent the next 9 hours screaming on and off. Matt and mom walked him up and down the aisle. He would sleep for about 20 minutes then wake up screaming for 20 minutes. We finally laid him on the floor by our feet and he slept for about a straight hour then they turned the lights on for breakfast. He woke up as a happy boy wanting to talk to everyone. Jaxon was wonderful! He slept, woke up watched a movie and ate. He was excited to have a tv to himself that he was able to control. But after all that we made it! Got through customs and immigration with out a problem.
We got to my parents house around 1in the morning. We stayed up till 6am, then crashed, even the kids. Wendsday and Thursday were very long days. Our bodies were having a hard time adjusting to the jet lag. With my brothers wedding on Saturday we were very busy every day helping them get things done. We are looking forward to next week when we can rest and relax.

Last day in Taipei

It is 11am and we are finishing our packing and getting ready to check out of the hotel. We have to check out by noon but our flight isn't till 11:50pm. We aren't sure what we will do for the afternoon before we head to the airport. Maybe a museum or the zoo depends on how hot it is outside. We are excited to be one step closer to home and of course the last step to finalize the adoption! As soon as the plane touches the ground Jahsin is a US citizen!! We are hoping they will both sleep the night away till we get to CA but we will be happy with just happy boys playing quietly. ;)

The weekend

We had a wonderful weekend. We needed diapers for Jahsin on Saturday, and it took us over 2 hours and many, many stores later to find them. I was very thankful to have my mom with us to ask people for information. Apparently they don't use his size diapers around here. WE had to get size 2, luckily he is small. My parents left Saturday afternoon on the train to head down south to where my moms family lives. So we were on our own. We walked around Taipei a lot. On Saturday we went to the 101 Building. It is the tallest building in the world. We did not go up to the top because I had no desire to hyperventilate, however we walked around the inside and outside of the building shopping, and had lunch. It is a magnificent building. We then walked around looking for something to eat for dinner. It was a little more challenging then we thought. We had a hard time finding a restaurant with good pictures so we could just point to order, but we eventually found one after an hour of walking. During the past week, we have eaten lots of dumplings and beef noodles. I'm in heaven but Matt can't wait to have a hamburger or steak! Sunday is also Father's day here in Taiwan. So we celebrated with a trip to Starbucks and slurpee's from 7 Eleven for the boys!
Jahsin is adjusting well with us. He has his moments but for the most part he is a very happy child. He loves to snuggle with his daddy at night and he is following his brother around copying his every move. This tends to drive Jaxon crazy.

visa paperwork

NIGHT MARKET






ROASTED SQUID ON A STICK





CHICKEN FEET AND PIG SNOUT





OUTSIDE PARKING

On Friday we had an appointment with the AIT office to file the paperwork for Jahsins visa. We were told that it could take up to 6 hours of waiting, so we packed up all the toys for the boys(Jaxons DS and Ipod and the computers) and off we went. We got to the security door and we had to check everything in because you can't take any electronics in. Jaxon was bummed!!! So we sat and waited an hour till our name was called to go over the paperwork. Once we reviewed the paperwork, we then had to wait for an interview from a US rep. From beginning to end we were there for 1 1/2 hours! When we left, the room was full of families waiting to file their paperwork. We were glad to have an early appointment. We thought we would have to wait until Monday to pick up the paperwork, but our caseworker Grace told us we could use their courier service and have it delivered to the hotel. To our surprise we received the package Saturday afternoon!!!! We were a little nervous, because this was when things went haywire with Jaxons adoption. SO now we are just waiting to leave on the 10th. We are ready to be on US soil again. Don't get me wrong I love Chinese food and the people are nice, but we are ready to get into a routine at home. That said the time we have spent as a family of four alone has been beneficial, but I am ready to send Matt back to work :).

That night we went to an authentic Taiwanese restaurant, it was very good! We then went shopping at the Night market. Boy was that an experience. It's kinda like Green dragon but filled with Asians, fried animals of all kinds and cockroaches crawling around our feet. It had a very interesting smell that we didn't want to know what the source was. It was probably the size of 4-5 Green Dragons and was mixed within the downtown Taipei streets. The most frustrating thing for us is that everyone feels they have a right to come up and touch Jaxons hair like an animal. We can handle the stares, but the touching is getting old. Anyway, here are a couple of bad pictures of the night market.

Day 3 as a foursome

Thursday we decided to walk around Taipei with my parents and try to find some low key attractions. We came across a memorial for the late Taiwanese President Chiang Kai-Shek, and learned a lot about the Chinese/Taiwanese history and feud. We were able to catch the changing of the guards ceremony, and the boys loved it. They started marching around like little soldiers afterward. They had a beautiful garden park area and the kids got to feed the fish and birds. We had a great day touring this site and spending time as a family. It is still extremely hot and humid out all the time. It's been 96 with very high humidity. I have never sweat so much before! We ended the day early and spent the evening playing with the boys. Here are a couple pictures from the day.

A Family of four!!!

I can't believe that I am now a mother of two very active little boys! On Aug 3, we woke up for the final time as a family of three. At 9am we walked into the orphanage for the final time to say goodbye to the caregivers. Jahsin also gave us a tour of the place and said his goodbyes to his friends. He introduced his big brother to everyone. He loved riding in the taxi and looking out the window at all the trucks. He was talking up a storm and we didn't have a clue what he was talking about but he was happy!!!! The family took us to a museum that afternoon.
We stick out like a sore thumb everywhere we go. With Jaxons blond hair and Jahsin yelling and screaming plus the Philly hats, every one is staring and looking at us. Everyone here is a Yankee fan. Everything went very smooth the first day and night. He went right to sleep and slept through the night till 8am!! Wednesday now is a whole different story. The family left to go back home in the afternoon so that night we were on our own with my parents. We decided to walk around and look for something to eat. We found a little place to eat and just as we were finishing Jahsin lost it!!! and I mean LOST it. He was screaming so loud as I carried him down the street, Matt and my mom stayed to pay and my dad and I started back to the hotel. Two blocks we walked as he screamed and yelled, then all the way through the hotel lobby. AS we got off the elevator towards our room he stopped, we put him down and he ran into the room laughing and started playing. so since then around 7pm every night he has a melt down. We walk around and then 20 minutes later he's a different child. He is very strong willed and has a temper to match it! Matt thinks he's just like mamma :)
We were prepared for the struggles with Jahsin, but we were so unprepared for the struggles with Jaxon. He is having a hard time adjusting to the attention that has been given to Jahsin. I know its expected and normal, I just didn't think he would act out this soon. Please keep him in your prayers that he won't feel so neglected and replaced but will feel the joy of having a little brother!

Taipei Day One

Day one in Taipei was HOT!!!! You lift a finger,you sweat. You take a shower you sweat! You dry off with a towel, and you start sweating in the areas you already dried! That said, we were also blessed with a great visit with Jashin. We were able to meet with him for about 2 hours in the orphanage, then we took him out for the evening with us and the family. Jaxon and Jashin hit it off, and we were extremely thankful that Jaxon was able to share in the experience with us. We spent the afternoon playing and just getting acquainted with each other.

When we left the orphanage we went to a very famous alley with shops and restaurants. The alley is especially famous for its "stinky Tofu". This dish has earned its name. The Tofu ferments for weeks prior to cooking. I don't know what it ferments in, but it smells like rotten garbage to say the least. Well...the theory is that it smells very bad, but it taste incredible. We have learned first hand, that it is a LIE!!! At least to me anyway. It taste as bad as it smells, but at least we can say we tried it.

After the Stinky Tofu, we met the family and got him acclimated to everyone. We spent a number of hours shopping at some outdoor markets and took him for probably his first slice of Pizza. After the Pizza, we had to have him back at the orphanage by 8 pm. Wednesday is the day we were able to take him out of the orphanage for good! Here are some pictures of our first day in Taipei.

3 days into our Journey

We are currently sitting on the train from the southern part of Taiwan to Taipei. We are 4 1/2 hours away from meeting Jahsin!!!
It has been a whirlwind couple of days. The flight was very long and Jaxon only slept for 5 hours. I think he would have slept the rest of the way but they turned all the lights on 5 hours before landing to feed us breakfast. When we landed my mom and uncle met us at the airport because we were unable to get a connecting flight to the south where my moms family lives and so they met us and we had to drive 5 hours to get to my aunts farm. Poor Jaxon was so tired of being couped up but he did very well. He was very confused because here they do not use car seats so he got to sit up front on my moms lap. We have done a lot of visiting and of course a lot of eating. We were staying at my Aunts house till Monday, and sleeping in her master room. It is very nice but they sleep on a very old fashion bed that was built by her husband. Basically it is a wooden box with a sheet on it. Every bone in my body is hurting! but we appreciate the fact that we have somewhere to stay for the weekend.
I have some many stories to share to with all of you, I hope I don't forget them.
For all my Guatemala "Girlfriends" I never thought I would be doing this again but I am throwing my toilet paper in the trash can! Jaxon thinks this is to funny :)
There are a lot bugs around, and for anyone who knows me, knows what a huge fan of reptiles I am. They are everywhere!!! I was taking a shower the other night and one decided decided to join me in the bathroom. Matt thought I was hurt when I screamed and came running in worried just to find me in the corner and wanting him to turn off the water so I wouldn't have to get close to it. We have also eaten a lot of interesting foods, such as goats meat, baby octopus , and chicken with its head still on. Jaxon thinks its funny its watching us eat.
I will hopefully be able to post some pictures tomorrow. For now I will go, I can't wait to post some pics tomorrow!!!

California arrival and departure

We made it safely to California last night. It was a long day of traveling, I'm glad we were able to stop and rest at my parents. We flew out with 3 large bags and 6 carry ons, and I was able to repack last night to 3 large and 2 carryons. One of those carryons is full of Jaxons toys for the long plane ride. We made our morning run to Starbucks and are feeling refreshed and ready to go! So, off to the airport we run! ;)

12 Hours to go

It is now 12:35am and we are finally done packing!! Our flight is in 12 hours! I can't believe it is finally here!
Although it may be a surprise to most ;) we are ahead of schedule. We are planning to post regularly while away to keep everyone updated on our trip. So now I will attempt to go to sleep and not think about all the things I might of forgotten to pack or if I have enough activities to keep Jaxon occupied on the flights.

12 Days and a Blessing

I can't believe that we will be leaving in 12 days!!!!! We finalized our trip yesterday with the purchase of our tickets. So we will leave Pa on July 28th and stay the night at my parents to catch our breath before the long journey begins. Then on Thursday the 29th we will take a flight from LAX and land in Taipei Friday night. We will be spending the weekend with my moms family in the southern part of the island. Monday we will travel back to Taipei and finally meet Jahsin! We will be leaving Taiwan on Aug 10th and staying with my parents till Aug 19th and getting home the 20th.

I had a wonderful Girlfriend Bless my family this past week. I received an email asking if their family could help ease the financial burden of our airfare. We prayed about it for several days because it is very humbling to accept financial gifts from people, but realized who are we to refuse a Blessing from God. You know who you are and THANK YOU so very much for your generosity!!!

WE HAVE A DATE

Its hard to believe that 10 months ago we received a picture of a little boy who we were hoping to make a part of our family. Although it has been 2 1/2 years since we have started this process, the last 3 days makes it seem like a blur. After calling our caseworker on Thursday (for the 100th time this month) and finding out she was on vacation till July 6th we figured we wouldn't hear anything anytime soon. However we were surprised to receive an email from her Saturday afternoon. She starting by telling us that she was able to arrange a Skype date for us and Jahsin for July 6th and we were thrilled to be able to see him again. Then she proceeded to tell us that she had good news, we have a a Visa appointment for Aug 6th and we can pick him up from the orphanage on Aug 2nd!!!! After reading it several times I finally told Matt and we both about passed out. Its the moment we have been waiting for and yet not ready for at the same time.

Fast forward to Tuesday July 6th and anxiety has set in!!!!!!!! Scheduling, planning, packing, 4 plane tickets, brothers wedding, etc... the list goes on and on.

As of today we are planning on leaving Pa Wednesday July 28th and flying to Ca. We will then leave from LAX to Taipei Taiwan on the 29th. Arriving in Taipei July 30th. We have our visa appointment Aug 6th and hope to fly back to CA Aug 10th. And make it to my brothers wedding on Aug 14th! Then head for home Aug 18th. Wow when I look at that I realize how crazy the next month is going to be, but a good crazy of course :)

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers as we prepare for this journey. We will post more info as soon as we finalize things and of course photos as soon as we are allowed.

First Skype Session!!!

We received the ok to skype Jahsin on his birthday this past Tuesday. We were very excited to be able to see him and talk to him. Unfortunately Jaci had to travel to Seattle for a funeral so we were not able to talk to him as a family. Jaci did skype him with her family Monday evening as Matt and Jaxon listened from the phone. It was a little overwhelming for Jahsin. Jaci's mom was there to translate for us and that was very helpful. It was during their playtime so he was not very excited to have to sit and and look at strangers on the computer. He did get happy when I showed him a picture of Jaxon and he called him brother. We are hoping to be able to skype him again next week so that Matt and Jaxon can talk to him.
We also received the translated version of his monthly updates. He seems to be full of energy and life. He is not a picky eater and loves rice and noodles! Sounds like he will fit right in with our family. The best part about reading the reports was to see our names listed as his mother and father.

FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!

After two months of waiting for an update, we finally got one! We received an email today from our caseworker that informed us we have already had our court date. This is the court date we have been waiting for.... We were told that court was held on May 11th and everything went well. I guess it was an answered prayer, because we didn't have to worry about the hearing, since we didn't know it was happening!

Currently we are waiting for a formal decree from the courts, and then once received, we will be traveling within 3-4 weeks. What does this mean? Well...depending on a couple scenarios, we will be traveling sometime in July.

We are EXTREMELY blessed with the news of the court date, however we are still praying/needing prayers for the remainder of the process. It is becoming more real everyday, and we are in crunch time to get everything ready.

We thank you all for your prayers. It has been a LONG process, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The best news today, was that we are going to be able to Skype Cheng in the next couple weeks, and this will be the first time we get to talk to him. We are hoping to be able to do it on his birthday, which is next Tuesday, June 8th. We would appreciate if you all would keep praying, and we will start updating more often when the information arrives.

Still Waiting

Well it has now been 4 1/2 months since our paperwork was turned in to the Taiwan government. Our last update from the orphanage was in February. We have been expecting an update since march, but still no word. We are still hoping to travel in June but of course they haven't asked us when it would be convenient for us :). I know everything happens on Gods timing not ours, so we continue to pray and wait. Chengs birthday is June 8th, we hope to be with him, or at least be able to skype him. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we wait, and especially for Cheng, that God is preparing his heart and mind for the huge life change he is about to undertake.

PROGRESS!!!!!

Well its been awhile since we have gotten any news or updates of the adoption of Chang. I emailed our caseworker to find out what is going on and received an email today that our court appointed caseworker in Taiwan had a few questions about what resources we have available to us if Cheng has any issues when we bring him home. I am taking this as a good sign that our file is on someones desk and hopefully closer to getting in front of a judge soon. So we are still waiting for the call to travel and hopeing it will be before his birthday in June.
We are narrowing down names and the top name right now is Jahsin (Jason). You now me, I can't spell anything the common way. But I do have good reasons for this different spelling, his birth name is Chang-Hsin so I wanted to use part of that for his new name so with my dads help I came up with Jahsin. It took some convincing for Matt to agree so that is why we are not 100% sure of the name yet.

Following in his big brothers footsteps!!!!!

We received some updated photos of Roco the other day from our caseworker who was in Taiwan for Chinese New Year. We were very excited to see how he was doing, but then became concerned when we noticed his left arm was in a cast. There was no information given with the photos so we immediately emailed our caseworker, and was told he fell on the playground. We still do not know any details on what happened or what he broke but praying that he will heal quickly and be pain free. Some of you might remember a year and a half ago Jaxon fell off his swing set and broke his arm. We are hoping that this is not a sign that he will be following his big brother with all bodily injuries. :)

Our first Post

Hello everyone! We have decided to start a blog to keep everyone updated on the progress of our adoption, as well as our family during the adoption process. As of today, February 20 , we are waiting for our call to travel, and pick up our new son baby roco.

For some of you that don't know our story to date. We started the process of adopting our second son in October of 2007 from the country of Taiwan. Why Taiwan? Jaci's mom is from Taiwan and we felt it was important to keep the Chinese heritage in our family. It has been a long journey, as most adoptions are, however on September 30 of 2009 we received a call with a referral of a 3 year old little boy. While we were excited to get the referral, we were actually waiting for a baby girl at the time. When the call was made to us, we were informed that we would need to make a decision whether or not to accept within 24 hours. After we hung the phone up from the agency, we decided to pray and sleep on it, and talk about it the next day. After more prayer the next day, we both came to the conclusion that this little boy was a perfect fit for our family. So....we called the agency, and to our surprise we were told we were one of forty couples that accepted the referral of this little boy. All of a sudden, our excitment turned into anxiety and we had to wait 2 weeks to hear the decision of the orphanage/courts as to their choice of what parents they wanted to bless with this child.

Two weeks came and went and we still did not have an answer. Then, at 10 pm on October 12th, we recieved a call that informed us that out of the 40 couples that accepted the referral, we were selected by the orphanage. As any of you that have adopted before know, as soon as we were selected, the paperwork began. Boy....there is alot of paperwork! The paperwork has been completed, and now we are playing the waiting game for the Taiwan courts to do their part. But, like in the states, the court system is very unpredictable and it could be anytime from April to July that they will complete there process and we can travel.

This process has brought back good, and bad memories of our first adoption process. However, we are VERY excited to see what God has in store for our family with the new addition. Jaxon is soooo excited to be a big brother, and we know he will be a good one. He may have alot to get used to not being the only grandson/nephew anymore, but we're sure he will do fine.

Thank you all for your prayers and support over the past years, we truely appreciate.

We wanted to start this Blog, and intend to use it as an update to where we are with updated news.