A Successful Swim Meet

We had a wonderful weekend in Carrollton, GA for Jared's Divisional swim meet. It was great just to getaway for some family time as our lives have been a little hectic with the travel/adoption plans. We enjoyed a nice dinner on Saturday with some swim parents and other swimmers at Longhorn Steakhouse. Jared swam in 10 events (including 2 relays) over the 2 days and set personal bests in 6 of his 8 individual events. Jared knocked 39 seconds off his best time in the 100 yard backstroke and another 13 seconds off his best time in the 100 yard butterfly. Overall, he shaved off approximately 65 seconds during this meet. The pictures are of Jared swimming the freestyle in the 200 freestyle relay and of Jared and his best friend, Jacob "The Cob" Patrick, at DQ. We went to DQ to celebrate the boy's swim accomplishments. We all had a great time!!

Travel Approval!!!!

We received our travel approval on March 11th. We now know when we are finally going to get Shae. We leave on May 5th and come back on May 21st (Karen's Birthday). We will fly to Shae's province on Mother's Day and will be able to receive her the very next day (May 10th) -- what a great belated Mother's Day present!! See our tenative timeline below:

May 5 - Leave for China

May 6-8 Beijing (Sightseeing - Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City)

May 9-13 Xi'an City (Gotcha Day May 10, Sightseeing - Terracotta Warriors, Ancient Wall of Xi'an)

May 14-20 Guangzhou (Medical exams, Shae's Visa and Consulate Appointment)

May 21 Fly back to Georgia


It is so hard to believe that after 4 years of waiting and praying that it is finally going to happen. Please keep our family in your prayers as we go about getting ready to travel and thru the whole travel process. All prayers are appreciated.

Great Job Jared!!!

Jared received his 3rd quarter report card today and received all A's. This is the second straight quarter in which Jared is on the Principal's List (All A's). Jared has worked real hard over the past quarter and never lost focus even with all the excitement of the adoption. Jared also excelled at swimming over the past months as the coach told Karen that of all the boys in his swim group he had knocked the most seconds off his swim times since the beginning of the swim season (ie: 103 seconds total!). Mom and Dad are so proud of him!!

Our Little Helper

We have found out recently that Shae Rose is quite the helper. Amanda has told us that Shae Rose will sweep the floors, including using a dust pan, and has straightened up Amanda's room, including taking her dirty clothes to the laundry. She also helps pick-out the birthday cakes for the other children at Starfish. Above are pictures that Amanda sent of Shae Rose making bread. We had the pleasure of Skyping last night with Shae Rose and Amanda and it was such a great experience, but it does make us miss her even more. We were told that Shae Rose is telling everyone that she has a family and that she is coming to America. She is really excited about having a big brother, a dog, and a "Big Bath" (Swimming Pool). I laugh everytime I think of the "Big Bath". Hoping to find out the exact timeline soon as we are still waiting on our Travel Approval.