Surgery Central!

Ok, so I haven't posted in a few weeks. Things have been crazy, as usual, at our house. Vince made it through his knee surgery just fine on June 7th. The doctor thought he had torn cartilage in his knee, but it turns out that he had dislocated his kneecap and when this happened it caused some of the bone to chip, so they had to go in and shave down these fragments. He is still recooping, but he is in physical therapy and is doing pretty well, although he won't be playing soccer for a while.

Hey Vince, still feeling the anesthesia? Or is that just the Lortab smiling at me?

Madison went to daycamp last week at Camp Sumatonga with First Methodist here in Springville and had a blast! We were a little worried because normally she is not an "outside all day" kind of girl unless she is swimming, but I know the fact that her best friend Neely and her cousins were there made it all okay. By the middle of the week she was begging to go back the next week and next year. We were so thrilled that she had a good time. She already is talking about going to spend the night camp, which I know I am not ready for yet, even if she thinks she is.

Scout is our Pug/Boston Terrier mix that we have had for almost 9 years.

She is absolutely the best dog ever, but bless her heart, she has trouble breathing and always has. She also snores louder than most people.

About 2 years ago, the vet had recommended that we have soft palate surgery done to open her airway, but we had just started the adoption process and decided to put it off. Last week, I took her to the vet because I thought she had double ear infections, which turned out to be hairballs in her ears (ewwwwwwwww), but no infection. The vet was talking to me about that and then proceeded to tell me that she needed to have eye surgery. Her eyes bug out (obviously) and rub against the folds on her face causing Kerotine to build up and can eventually cause blindness, which could be in the next year if she doesn't have surgery on her eyelids to prevent this buildup. So July 3rd our Scout is going under the knife to have eye surgery and we are having the soft palate surgery done at the same time. The vet seems to think she'll be like a puppy after the airway is opened up.

So keep our sweet Scout in your prayers!

Referral Update!

The CCAA updated their website today. They've now referred to November 7th of 2005. That puts us 36 days out since our Log In Date is 12-12-05. At least it was more than 2 days. We know that the next months will probably be the hardest as we closer to our referral, especially if we get down to 7 or 8 days out and they only refer 6. It has already been a big emotional roller coaster and I thought it would get easier the closer it got, but boy was I wrong. You get to the point where you're scared to check for updates because you want it to be a big batch. Continue to pray for big referral batches. We just want Zoey home by the end of the year. It doesn't have to be next month, although that would be FABULOUS, but just by the end of the year is what we are praying for. Pray that that is in God's time frame too, just home by the end of the year. Keep all of the waiting families in your prayers. Give them peace that it is all in God's Hands and He has the perfect plan for all of us. Keep all of the waiting babies in your prayers as well, not just in China, but all over the world that they will one day be placed with a "Forever Family". Thanks so much for all of your love, prayers, and support.

Happy Birthday Again

Sunday June 3rd we celebrated Madison's 7th birthday by having her birthday party at the skating rink. We had such a great time. The kids all did really well ice skating. For some of them it was their first time to skate, others had been before. We all had a blast! And of course no skating party is complete without a Big Ice Skate Cake and ice cream!

YUM YUM! The cake was delicious and everyone had BIG pieces so there wasn't alot left to bring home, thank goodness.

Hey Madison and Carson, say, "CHEESE".

Hey Emily and Suzanna, you guys did some awesome skating!

Tyler and Emily are taking a break after their medal winning performance on the ice.

Hey Bosworths! You guys are all awesome skaters, we're so glad you came!

Hey Madison and Bailey! We hope you all had a great time skating today, thanks for coming and Happy Birthday Madison. We love you!

Baby Shower? For Me?

June 2nd three wonderfully close friends and my precious sister threw me a wonderful baby shower. I kept feeling so strange, like a baby shower, for me? I'm not even expecting! But in a way I kind of am, but like an elephant with a gestation period of two years. Haha! The shower was so wonderful, from the invitations that were exquisite to the decorations, these four precious women really went over the top for me and I don't deserve it.




We received the most wonderful gifts, some to get ready for baby which we needed because with Madison being 7,we didn't have anything aside from furniture, and other things holding great sentimental value already, before Zoey is even home. One very special gift we received was a blessing bowl from my mom. When everyone came into the shower they were to write out a blessing, roll it up, tie it, and place it in the bowl. Next to the bowl was this beautiful poem:

It was a beautiful shower. The decorations were perfect to celebrate Zoey, her heritage, and her birthcountry.

We continue to pray everyday for her, her health, her birthmother, the orphanage and foster care workers, and all of the children waiting for their "Forever Families".

We received fabulous gifts from monogrammed diaper bags and changing pads to Bumbo seats and potties. Things have changed so much from when Madison was a baby. It's amazing what they have for babies now; spoons and forks that change color so you won't burn your babies mouth? With Madison we just tasted it to see if it was hot! She had a great time at the shower too and was a huge help with opening gifts and sharing in the excitement. She was given some gifts herself, Big Sister things that really added to her joy of becoming a Big Sister!

Our family is so blessed to have such supportive family and friends who have helped us along this long and emotional journey. It's not over yet, but soon Zoey will be home with us!