Another outdoor Day!

September came and went with a bang... Tessa is now 23mos now... and has been home a year and 2 mos. Where does the time go........ She has adjusted perfectly other then the usual 10:30 wake up to come to bed with us... Don't know how to stop this one yet....But either way, she is happy, beautiful and is all ours...........No worrying about the small stuff in our eyes.
We just have to hope Trey Jing Lai is as good of a sleeper as they say he is... It says he sleeps soundly... will see.....Tessa just seems to need that warm, breathing body next to her to finish off her nights sleep....Since this is how she was use to sleeping in Taiwan. We do know Trey JingLai
shares a room with his foster brother who is 11 but hopefully he doesn't sleep with him, or else we might be moving out of our king size bed for the 2 youngest kiddos.... He He...



Cheese!
Full Belly laugh.
I love my sissy!
Tatumn's special rock of the day.
What a beautiful smile...
Tessa still plays favorites with Travis..
Lovin life on her glider.... As always.......

Beautiful Day!

Palmer really had a blast in the rock pile. Who needs toys!!!!
BFF's forever.(best friends forever)
I love my buddy Palmer.

Tatumn, Tessa, and Palmer....... Tessa worships Palmer. Lets hope she feels the same way about her new brother Trey JingLai...
Palmer is almost exactyly the same size Trey is right now at 4. So there really isn't too much difference with 2 1/2 years between Tessa and Trey. Tessa is still in the 90% for height and weight on the American charts.

Homecoming for Travis

All grown up and such a handsome young man....Man what a tie will do for a guy....

Travis and Shari

Our sweet Travis had homecoming tonight. This will be his first dance with his first girlfriend as a Junior. We wish him the best and that he lets loose and pulls a Saturday Night Fever or a Footloose on them all... Ha Ha.... I think Tessa had other plans for Travis's date....Hoping she wouldn't show up and she could go tooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya Travis....

Two from Taichung!

I figured I best get started on blogging our news on Trey Jing Lai.

He will be our son very soon. We heard news on July 1, 2008 that we were approved to adopt him through CY orphanage in Taiwan. He was very badly burned on his chest when he was 11 mos old and has lived with the same foster family since he got out of the hospital at 13 mos old.

While his scars are only a reminder of what happend to him we didn't even look at that part.

He is a beautiful 4 yr. old little boy. He really won't know what hit him when he comes home to this crazy house of 4 children already. Words can not say how lucky we feel to have been given the opportunity to adopt him. He will also be coming from Taichung where Tessa is from. While I spend most of my time worrying about him and how he will do with the transition with no language to communicate with us on how hurt he is that he has lost the only family he has ever known. This will not only be hard on him but his foster parents.

One day I hope he knows how hard we fought to bring him home. The back and fourth with this orphanage proving we could love more children. He will someday see and hear all the stories and grief we went through to bring him home. With our agency closing with his adoption documents sitting on their desk and the urgency to rush to get these documents certified, I believed I was living the Amazing Race. I just hope he shares the love for us that we share for him.

Our documents left back for Taiwan on Aug. 18th and we should hear anytime that we are in the courts....

We will keep everyone informed as we go...

Please keep us in your thoughts as we finish out our wait for Trey Jing Lai to come home.

We hope to travel back to Taiwan sometime between Dec.-Feb.

July 2007
June 2007
May 2007

April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
Our Referral Photo: December 12, 2006

I don't even know where to begin in my blubbering post. Other then just to start.

I will never forget that phone call from our case manager Traci, standing outside the grocery store. You have a girl............. What???? OMG!!!!! Feels like yesterday.... The shaking knees, the tears and the urgency to drive home without a speeding ticket and remembering if the lights were even green just to see that special picture of our girl. Her name, Huang Yi Ling born on October 20, 2006. Our new daughter..............

We have come along way in a year. The couple months of living in the lazy boy, making sure she bonded, the showers with her standing on the side making sure I am still in sight. The one shower where she joined me just like an otter with a paci in your mouth and in her jammies...The insecurities that she had when she tried to sleep, to a very beautiful, very independent, strong willed, smart as a whip little girl. Might I say she is also a lefty just like her Daddy. The only one in the house....

Tessa now continues to amaze us with her quick witt and spunky personality. She is talking sooo much now and learns so many new words in a week..... She loves the outdoors and has all the kids wrapped around her little fingers.... She mastered us at least 10mos ago.... She still feels the need to join us in our big bed around 1am everynight.... We will allow her to as long as she is not 20.

We just want to say how truly blessed we are to have brought you Tessa Yi Ling into our lives and how much we love you. We will never forget that long agonizing 7 1/2 mos wait to finally touch you.... No longer did we have to cry and wait to hear about rulings, videos, or updated photos.... We will be forever greatful to your birthmom for allowing you to be placed in our arms for your future life. The gift of a great life. We hope you always finds peace in the decision that your Birthmom made to give you a loving, stable, fun and crazy home.

Thanks for letting us love you Tessa Yi Ling........

We love you and can't believe you have been in our arms for a year now.....

Happy 1 yr Gotcha Day sweet baby Tessa....

Love ya, Dad, Mom, Tyler, Travis, and Tatumn

One Year Later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Day and the Life of Tessa!

I love to play DS with my sissy.
Yes, I love to do sommersaults and stand on my head.
Beautiful smile after my sommersault.
One of most favorite toys. The old strainer.
Ponytail flying in mid jump on my Zebra.

In my jammies.
Got the coolest trike that Mom and Dad can push outside.

Dad did not feed me fast enough.
Just hanging out with my salami on my Travis's legs.