Blaszczynski Family Update

I haven't posted in a while, just been really busy. Well quick recap of the last few weeks: Madison has started her Christmas Ice Skating Show practice so we pretty much spend Saturday at the Pelham Civic Complex. She was tested at skating last weekend and has moved up to Freestyle 1. In the last year and few months since she started she has moved up 9 levels, I think that's awesome, but then I am a little prejudice! She also has learned how to ride her bike. It's been a process, but last weekend we went up to the high school parking lot and she did wonderful, of course, I didn't bring the camera. We spent last Saturday at Vince's parents house celebrating his brother David and my birthday. It's always fun to get to spend time all together and see our nephews and neice. Saturday night Madison went to sleepover at her cousin, Suzanna's house and they camped out in the backyard. That was Madison's first tent experience and I think they all had a really great time! We haven't heard about when the next update will be, we're praying that they will at least get into December, but we have no clue. We just continue to pray everyday for Zoey and that she'll be home soon. I'll try to post again soon.

Nashville....Here we come!

Friday afternoon we left to go to Nashville for the weekend. High School Musical the ice tour was there this weekend and we had bought tickets about a month ago to surprise Madison. Our friends, the Bosworths, had done the same thing for their kids, so we had planned on meeting up at the show on Saturday. My best friend, Tricia and her family, live in Brentwood, so we told Madison we were going to visit them for the weekend, which we did. We went up Friday and went out for some dinner on Friday night in Franklin. The weather was so perfect. We went to Mellow Mushroom Pizza and sat outside, it was great, then to Baskin Robbins for some yummy ice cream. Saturday morning, Jon, Tricia's husband, made a Starbucks run for us for breakfast and then we got ready to go to HSM. Madison thought we were going shopping. We got downtown and parked, then walked to the Sommet Center, where the Nashville Predators play. As we were walking in, Madison saw the guy selling programs outside the door and asked, "What are we doing? Meeting the cast of High School Musical?" We were like, "Um NO, it's HSM on ice." She was so excited. Hope and I then called each other and found each other so the girls could see each other there. They were so surprised! It was a really great secret we had kept, they were thrilled. I tried to get Vince and Pat to pose for a picture to show how "stoked" they were to be there, but I got the big "I don't think so" for that one. The ice show was so great. That is Sharpay and Ryan above doing their audition for the show. "Get Your Head In The Game!" There were two acts, HSM1 and HSM 2, which we didn't know they were going to do, so that was a bonus! This pic below is just for you Lee, this Troy saw himself and didn't recognize his face either! The skaters were great and really got into the characters! We all had a really awesome time. Of course Disney made a small fortune off the Blaszczynski "suckers" with the souveniers. I think we all had the most fun with the fabulous hat that came with Madison's cotton candy. Is that Lucas Grabeel I see at the performance?

Or is that?
No, maybe that is?
Oh, that's him for sure!!!!!!!

After the show, we went back to Tricia and Jon's. Vince and Madison went miniature golfing and go-carting while Tricia and I had girls afternoon out and shopped!!!! Tricia and I have been best friends since 5th grade and it's so great when we get to spend some time together. We miss getting to see each other often.Tricia and Jon's daughter, Ella, is almost 2 and is so precious. We had so much fun getting to play with her and Madison got even more excited about getting closer to bringing her sister home. Saturday night we really had an awesome time watching the Alabama/Arkansas game too! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Trip To The Dentist And Mom Cried????

Today, Madison had her regular six month check up at the dentist. As usual, she wasn't jazzed about going, but she is usually a good sport. The one thing they've never been able to do is get x-rays on her, she has an unbelievable gag reflex. She just can't take those cardboard pieces in her mouth. Well at our dentist they have T.V.'s in the rooms for you to watch (which is awesome!) and something came on advertising for Christmas. I made a comment how hopefully we'd be in China for Christmas, thinking that I had told the dental technician before (because we always see the same awesome tech) that we were adopting. Well apparently I hadn't, so we started a whole conversation about it and by the end I had her tearing up with chill bumps, which is so exciting for me, I love that people are so supportive. She told us to be sure and bring Zoey by when we got back from China so they could check her teeth (if she has any) to see if she needs to start flouride treatment from having a bottle in her mouth more than a baby should. Once Madison was done with her checkup (no cavities, yeah!) they always give you a toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. Well, they now have been giving little travel bags for you to use to hold your toothbrush and toothpaste when traveling. The dental technician handed Madison hers, which was purple with a pink and a purple toothbrush in it, and had written her name on it. She then handed her another one with Zoey's name written on it with a Dora the Explorer toothbrush, and told Madison to be sure and take it to China so that Zoey would have her first toothbrush. I started tearing up and so did she, it was so sweet. Little things like that make it so much more real that we will be bringing our baby home in just a few months!

Garage Sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labor day weekend we had a huge garage sale. We had decided a while back to have one after some friends that were adopting from China had such great success with theirs. We sent fliers out to our whole neighborhood and to all of our email address list to let people know we were having it and that we were excepting donations. God was completely behind this idea and its success. What an amazing outpouring of love and support from our friends and neighbors!!!!!! You can see from the pictures of our garage we received sooooooooo many donations. We were completely overwhelmed. And what is really amazing is that these pictures, I hate to say these were taken on Friday night, after the first day of the garage sale. I totally forgot to take any pictures before the sale or during it on Friday, I was so overwhelmed with how many people came! We were swamped Friday morning, I couldn't believe it. God is so good! I have to say that the garage sale itself would have never even happened if it hadn't been for the long hours of help from my friend Hope. She helped me organize, price, move stuff, hang clothes, she was absolutely amazing and I am so appreciative of what all she did to help us get ready! Her whole family, Pat for bringing all the tables, donations, and lunch, Neely, Gibson, and Alec all pitched in in some way to help out and we love you guys so much! I also have to thank Madison and Vince for bearing with me the week of the garage sale, I know I was a complete ball of stress. I have to thank my sister, Lee, for delivering many of the items to my house and for helping that weekend, my nieces Michela, Emily, and Suzanna, and brother in law Tyler for coming and helping Saturday and doing a fabulous job with the lemonaide stand!!!!!! My parents were a huge help, thank you so much for your donations (all of them!) for all of your love and support through this whole process, I love you more than you know and am so glad you'll be traveling with us! Vince's parents, thank you so much for all of your donations, for all of you love and support through this long process, you guys are such a blessing to us! Sandra and Tammy thank you both for helping out too with your donations, your tables, helping price, moral support, you'll never know how much I appreciate it and Brian for bringing the popup canopies, it really helped Saturday! And anyone else I didn't mention you know who you are and how much we love you and thank you for everything! Laine and Rob, you guys are such an inspiration to us and we thank God everyday that we have met you and have you to learn the ropes from! Everyone who donated items-we made enough that weekend to pay for a plane ticket to China, which is absolutely amazing, we have to thank God, without Him none of any of this adoption would be possible. We are so truly blessed to have such incredible family and friends! Thank you all so much!

This would be Saturday night after the garage sale, it was time for a little R and R!!!!!!! And a girls night sleepover!

CCAA Update

Today it was posted the CCAA has issued referrals to all those logged in through 11-25-05. This is what we were expecting only a few days this time. This puts us 18 days down the list. We're still praying for a referral in November but it is looking more like it might be December which will put us traveling after the first of the year. We'll continue to see Zoey's sweet face by Thanksgiving, but only God knows when we'll get to see her. It would be a wonderful Christmas present. Have a great week!