An Update to Our Adoption Blog

More of my blogging focus over the next few months will be at our adoption blog, Journey to China. So much is happening, and I know I won't be able to be faithful to both. Recording our adoption journey is so very important because one day it will be a piece to the puzzle of Grace's life journey. It is her history, and I want to record it well.

So, join me next door. I promise to say hello from this venue from time to time as well :)

God Has Given Us A Daughter!

Those of you who hang around here much know that my family has been on an adoption journey for the past year. If you are interested in the story, you can find it at the blog link in the right sidebar. I told you a few days ago that we had some big stuff going on that would take me away from the blog for a time. Well, this is it! We've been matched!

I finally have the privilege of introducing the newest member of the Rainey family to you. Her name is Abigail Grace. Her Chinese name is RuoYun Liang.



Our adoption agency recently had the extraordinary opportunity to access a database of children that they do not often have access to. This has allowed them to match us many months before we really expected it to happen. We received her photos and information about a week and a half ago, but have been waiting for a certain pre-approval from the CCAA before we were allowed to share her information online.

Our beautiful baby girl just had her first birthday on Sunday. It makes me sad to have missed this milestone. But, I know that we will share many more with her!

These are the things that we know:

~Her Chinese name, RuoYun, means "like a cloud", the surname, Liang, identifies her as a resident of her particular orphanage.

~She was abandoned at approximately 4 days old at the gate of the orphanage where she resides.

~There is much poverty in her province.

~Her province has the highest rate of both birth defects and infant mortality in China.

~She is with people who truly care for the children in their charge. I have been in contact with families who have been there, know the director, and attest to the children receiving the best care possible in their given situation.

~She has a unilateral cleft palate and lip which will require one or more surgeries and speech therapy once we get her home.

~She is a quiet child.

~She likes to play with blocks.

~She loves music.

There are many children in her orphanage with mild to severe special needs. The population of the orphanage increased significantly last year. Many of these little ones have very little hope for adoption. The fact that such kind care is given to so many with special needs is a tribute to the Nannies and Orphanage Director. It is a comfort to know that she is with people who love her.

The orphanage was damaged by an earthquake in 2008. Caring people there have been working since then to raise the funds to rebuild so that they can be in a safer structure. This building is being erected now, and they hope to move the children around August.

So here's the BIG question...When do we go and get her?
We don't know for sure. We are waiting for a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from the CCAA. When we get this, it will include an invitation to travel. The trip will be planned at that point, based upon the appointment that we are given at the US Consulate in Guangzhou. I will share more about the details of the trip when the time draws nearer. We expect (hope) to travel within 4-6 months.

We are so excited, so thankful, and so very blessed to have the privilege of parenting this sweet girl, and her big brothers Sam and Seth.

Deals and Steals ~ FREE Movies Thru Summer!

I am very excited to announce that Regal Cinemas will once again be offering FREE movies this year, and that they are doing it two days a week (Tuesday & Wednesday)which should cut down on the crowds a bit.

If you are in my neck of the woods, Westview in Frederick is participating, as well as the Regal theatre in Westminster. The first showing at both will be on June 15th at 10:00 AM, Planet 51 and The Rugrats Movie. Go HERE to find participating theatres close to you. You can also browse the movie schedule and dates.

Yay for free summer entertainment!!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Big Weekend for My Boy

He Hit Double-Digits

He Was the Only 4th Grader to Participate in the Maryland State Geography Bee.

What a Great Kid.

Geocaching Success!

I told you last week about this new adventure that my family has decided to embark on. I also told you about the incredible deal that I found online for a second-hand GPS unit.

First I want to give you a little more info on the GPS. I ordered a retired rental unit from a company in Wisconsin, gpsrentals.biz. I spoke with the owner of the company over the phone and was very impressed when he offered me a 6-month guarantee on the operation of the unit. I ordered it on Tuesday afternoon. It was delivered Thursday afternoon, after travelling cross-country to get to me. Honestly the packaging had me a little concerned because it appeared worse for the wear. But, inside I found all of this.

The unit turned right on (batteries included), and is in fine working order. Honestly, the only thing that makes it noticeably used is the identification number that is written on the back of the unit.

I told you this was an incredible deal. Let me share just how incredible. You can see HERE that Amazon sells this unit new for $279.95, with a suggested retail of $321.49. I paid $75 plus $10 shipping. (!!!)

Gpsrentals.biz only has these units for sale occasionally. But, I did check this morning and they are still showing available units for sale. They also have automobile GPS units. I've not tried the rental option with this company, but with my experience in purchasing I feel very comfortable recommending them.

There is a bit of a learning curve on handheld GPS units. They do not operate like the automobile version at all. And frankly, the manual is about as clear as mud. But, I was able to muddle through it and figure out how to enter coordinates.

Yesterday, on our way to Harpers Ferry with my folks (who are visiting from South Carolina), we decided to try and locate our first cache. I chose this one carefully from the Geocaching website. I wanted to make sure it was one that we could find! So, I chose a location that we are somewhat familiar with in our small town. I also chose a chache that is larger in size.

Success! This cache was very easily found (with hints from the website and the GPS coordinates). We signed the log and traded trinkets, and my boys were hooked on treasure hunting. The top photo is my boys and I with our first find! (Yes, that's a do-rag...my hubby and I were riding the Harley.)

I plan to pick up a glass jar, like an apothecary jar, to house all of our trades. I think this is going to be a great memory-maker for our family.

On our way back from Harpers Ferry, we decided to pull into another area close to the first for another hunt. This one was in a parking lot for a local grocery store. I have discovered that you need to be a little comfortable with strange looks from others while you poke around in the shrubbery of a public place. But, if you coupon the way I do, you are no stranger to odd looks from others.

This cache was more stealthily hidden, and frankly I had given up. Then my dad decided to give it as shot. In about 2 minutes, he had located it. This one was a 35mm film canister, embedded in a fake rock. Yeah...wow! Obviously this one had no room for trinkets, but there was a log to sign. The photo below shows me, my oldest son, and my dad. I am holding the rock...that was in the shrubbery, under mulch.

Thankfully, the geocaching site has a rating system for the difficulty of the find, and the terrain where a cache is hidden. If you've ever considered trying Geocaching, I highly recommend it. Treasure hunting is fun. I did my happy dance when we found the first one ;)

Geocaching ~ A New Family Activity?

I have been intrigued by the idea of geocaching for several years. Now that the boys are a little older, I think it may be time for us to give it a try.

What is Geocaching? Well sir, I have recently learned that it is classified as a sport. If you ask for a book on geocaching, you will be taken to the sports section, who knew? The basic idea is this...there are "caches" hidden all over the world, 1,020,027 of them to be exact. Using GPS coordinates found on geocaching.com, you travel to the general location of a cache, and poke around until you find it.

What is a cache? It is a small container that usually contains a visitor's log and small trinkets that have been left by others that have come before you. When you find it, you sign the log and exchange one of the trinkets inside for one that you brought along. The only rule is that the item you leave should be of equal or greater value. You may be walking or driving past one or more every day, without even knowing it!

After finding one, you log back on to the website and make a note of your find.

These things are hidden in the woods...hidden in the city...hidden all over!

As a matter of fact, I just entered my address into the geocaching.com search engine and found 184 caches within 10 miles of my home. Wow!

The one necessary tool of the trade is a handheld GPS. If you have an iPhone, there is an app that you can purchase for about $10, according to Christy over at Southern Plate who is also a geocacher. (You MUST go try some of her recipes!) Since we don't have an iPhone, I started researching handhelds and discovered that you can spend from $70 to several hundred. The typical starter unit is the Geomate, available HERE. My concern with this one is it's lack of maps. Instead it has an electronic compass.

Enter my BFF. Knowing of my hunt, she called to tell me that there is an article in this month's Family Circle that discusses geocaching. In this article they list several sites through which you can rent a unit for a few days, to see if you like it. As I perused one of these, gpsrentals.biz, I discovered that they have retired units for sale. The same model that is currently available to rent (retailing for several hundred dollars), for literally a fraction of the cost.

I really wondered if this was too good to be true. So, I checked out the company with the BBB. And, they are BBB accredited. I still had a few questions, so I called the number on their website. Whatdaya know, the owner of the company picked up the phone. I had a nice conversation with Mr. Skinner. He assured me that the unit would come with all of the pieces that it came with new, including the USB adapter and car charger. Then he knocked my socks off. He said, "I don't think I have this up on the website, but if you have equipment failure within the first 6 months, let me know and I will replace it for free." Get...Outta...Town!

I placed the order online yesterday afternoon, and received notice early this morning that it had already been shipped and should be here by Friday.

I plan to go treasure hunting one day next week. I really hope the family enjoys this as much as I think they will! I'll keep you posted!

*Geocache Container image courtesy of Geocaching News.

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Rite of Passage

My 9-year old son just graduated to Men's shoes this week...I was shocked.

I think he's proud of himself.

*This post is linked to 5 Minutes for Mom.

My Son and the National Geographic Bee

My oldest son is a regular smarty pants. Really. When he was 3 1/2, I taught him to read. From then on there was no stopping him. He. Reads. Everything. He had read the entire Chronicles of Narnia Series by the time he was seven years old. I am so very thankful for his love of books and learning.

Up until this year, I had heard of a Spelling Bee, but never a Geographic Bee. Early in the school year, schools across the nation test children grades 4 and up on their geography knowledge. The top scorers then participate in a school Geographic Bee, sponsored by National Geographic of course.

We weren't really surprised when he made it into the Bee, he has loved maps since he was five. What did shock us, was when he won...and beat out all the fifth graders. Wanna know the question he answered to win?

"What country holds the worlds five highest mountain peaks?"

Do you know?

We had recently had a discussion about Mt. Everest at our house. Afterward, he did a little more investigation on his own because his curiosity was piqued. During this he discovered that one of the countries that Everest touches is Nepal. He had read enough on the topic to reason through the answer and conclude that Nepal had the 5 highest mountain peaks. He was right.

The teacher guiding us through this process informed us that the next step would be a written test. If he scored high enough on this test, he would qualify to go on to the state competition. In over 10 years of teaching, she had never had a student make it to that level. She began one on one tutoring with him once a week. At home, we had discussions with him about how proud we were of how far he had come. We also talked about how difficult the test would be, and that no matter what happened he should be proud of himself.

Well, wouldn't you know it, we got word a few days ago that he qualified! He is going to compete against 99 other kids, two days before his 10th birthday. He will be among the youngest in the room. Very few fourth graders ever make it this far. We are so very proud, and absolutely amazed. What in the world will he become?

There is a National Geographic Bee Webpage that has daily questions from previous Bees. Today's first question is...

The Jaffna Peninsula, a region inhabited primarily by Tamils, forms the northern tip of what island country?

Do you know?
Me neither...
....
....
....

SRI LANKA

What am I supposed to do with a kid who is already smarter than me at 9 years old?

St. Patrick's Day Lunch

My oldest has been a bit obsessed with St. Patrick's Day this year. He picked out what he wanted to wear over a month ago. And, he has been reminding me a couple of times a week to make sure that "the green shirt with the storm troopers on it" is clean. I suspect that the olive green shirt he wore last year didn't cut the mustard with his classmates. There must have been a whole lot of pinching going on. So, this year I decided to surprise him with a green lunch to go with his green shirt. Green is his favorite color, too. He is gonna love this.

Today he will be having:
~Green Kool-Aid
~Lime Jello with pineapple
~Green Goldfish (From a box of Goldfish Colors.)
~These Muffins, dyed green
~Green Peeps (for dessert)

I know another mom who has a Leprechan visit her house while the kids are sleeping. He leaves all kinds of mischief, including green water in the toilet. What fun things are you doing with your kids today?

Wordless Wednesday ~ Hope that Spring is Near

My sweet boy with the eagle eyes found the first flower of Spring in our yard.

It must have been growing under the snow, which is still receding.

I have never been so grateful for the first warm day...58 degrees...heavenly!

A Tribute to My Valentine

When I consider the directions that my life could have gone, in fact...how it almost went...I am in awe of where I am right now.

I met my husband when I was 12. He was 14, and he thought I was a little kid. We were friends for many years, seeing each other only occassionally, until I was 18. Suddenly the age difference (all two years of it) wasn't such a big deal to him any more. We started dating a few months after I graduated.

We married days after I turned 20. That was 15 years ago. It is hard to believe that it has been that long. And yet, so many things have happened over those years.

He is my best friend...

My heart still flutters when he puts on cowboy boots...

He is an amazing father...

He sings beautifully, I love his voice...

He sacrifices much to care for our family...

He loves God first and me second, for this I am thankful...


I want to share an example of how amazing he is. In the past week he has spent countless hours working in blizzard conditions to keep our roof cleaned off so there would be no risk of collapse, digging out the heat pump so that it would keep working, and clearing the driveway so that we could get out in an emergency.


And yet, on his first opportunity to get out of the house after the storms passed, he brought me these "to remind me that Spring is on the way."


I am truly blessed, I love you Sweetheart!