All Packed and Ready

Well.......

Almost.

There are a few last minute things I'll pack up tomorrow, but we've been busy today. The girls have been beyond excited, and had such fun packing their own backpacks for airplane entertainment.

A special blessing from the best sister in the world and our good friend Theresa. Tomorrow, our house is getting a cleaning!!!

I don't know if I'll have time to post tomorrow.

Work until 4:00 tomorrow. Wednesday night supper at 6:00. Home after church at 8:00. Up and ready to leave for the airport at 2:30 a.m. (Sounds fun, right?)

Today was the first day I've had the pre-natal, pre-adoptive mom jitters. I was writing the date, March 13th, when it occurred to me that we will have Zeke in 6 days. I don't know why it hit me at that moment, but it really hit!!! It's hard to explain how the anticipation has me anxious, but not fearful.

I'm off the bed for about 5 hours of sleep.

In 27 hours, we are leaving!!!!!

Months and months of prayer and leaning on Jesus are coming to the joyful end He had planned all along.

I Wonder....

We have been quite busy this past week, and I won't bore you with all of the details.

But, last night I stayed at school until almost 10:00 PM, coming home only for supper and going back. I have things nearly ready for my absence.

I'm busy watching blogs of others who are in China now, and I wonder....

I wonder how each of the boys will grieve....will they cry, scream, hit, or withdraw from us? I wonder when they will learn to trust that we are Forever Their Family. I wonder if they will bond quickly to each other. I wonder how they will interact with their sisters.

I wonder...what games we will play. I wonder what foods will be their favorites in China. I wonder how many times Zeke has ever even been out of the SWI. I wonder how he will react when we take a train, and even more when we take the train.

I wonder how we will get through security with luggage, two boys who don't understand English, one Josie-Tatum, and one Ellie.

I wonder what their laughter will sound like.

I wonder how the girls will react when they have to give up Mommy time to the brothers they have eagerly awaited, but who are really strangers to them.

But, last night, I wondered something new.

We are blessed this weekend to have all of our children home. Tonight at supper, the seven of us sat eating, talking about seating arrangements the next time we are all together with two more.

Brandon came in yesterday. He is home from UGA for spring break. (For those who are new to our blog, Brandon joined our family when he was 16 years old.) Something he did last night made me wonder. Something subtle. But, a simple act that spoke more than words alone can speak.

I was getting ready to go to bed. I had kissed Stan goodnight and walked across the great room. As I approached the love seat where Brandon was,

he sat up.

I didn't tell him, but, at that moment, I was moved.

Do you know why he sat up?

He sat up because he knew his kiss was coming next.

And, it made me wonder.

I wonder when Drew and Zeke will one day sit up, because they will know they are next. How long will it be before they come to anticipate the love and affection that a forever family has to offer?

So, last night, I was looking forward. Not to Gotcha Days, on March 19th and 21st. Not to adoption days on March 20th and 22nd. Not to our homecoming on March 31st.

No, I was looking further into the future.

I was thinking of a moment in time when I will walk across the room...and my boys will sit up, whether they are 7 years-old, or one week from turning 21, like Brandon.
I dream of the moment when they will know that a mama has loved the forever.

More Work to Count Down

Train ticket reservations from Beijing to Taiyuan...check

Boys' clothes to Nana's for washing and packing...check
(Thank you, Nana.)

Boys' bed assembles...check

Webcam purchased for skyping in China...check

Wide awake and unable to sleep...check, check, check......repeat.....

Count Down to China

We're making progress on the boys' room. Whitney has painted the walls. We've de-cluttered, put away, thrown away, and purged. Stan worked diligently on putting together the boys' new bed. The girls' were most intrigued and spent much time in the boys' room with their daddy. It was too sweet.

They even found a "strobe" light of sorts under the old bunk bed where Caleb and Brandon used to sleep. That brought much distraction, as they jammed out to the Christian rock band Red, and danced in the dark with only the strobe light. I tried to take photos, but they wouldn't work in the dark room, even when the light was "strobing."

We've written a new song in the Mattox house. The little girls and I wrote it, and we sing it every day. I wake the girls with it each morning. I sang it for my fourth grade students one day, and now a few of them sing it to me each day.

Enjoy!

Note: By the time you watch this, there will likely be a different word in the song:

In 19 Days...

In 19 days, the precious child of the KING in this photo....


will be meeting the people whose faces he first saw in these photos.

Our lives will change forever, but take a minute and imagine how his life will change.

He has only ever known the orphanage.

He has never known life in a family.

And, while we know his life will change for the better, he won't understand that. While we have been preparing for him for 15 months, he has only known our faces a few months. While we have fallen in love with him, he won't know if he can trust us.

Please begin fervent prayers for his little heart, for God to soften the blow that will surely come when he mourns his past. Pray with us that we will have wisdom to know when to hold him tightly and when to hold him loosely. We are so ready to be his parents. Pray that someone in China is helping preparing him to be somebody's son.

Needed--For the Boys' Room

So...I thought there might be a few of you out there who'd like to see this:



No...that is NOT the boys' bedroom, but it is the bedding I have purchased for them.

I am almost, but not quite, ashamed that the beds in that particular room are currently covered with the same comforters that I purchased for Caleb when we built this house...um....18 years ago...

Yes...go ahead...call me a trend setter.

Well, mine and Stan's room has been updated, the girls' room has too, but the boys...well they didn't really care.

And, since we leave for China in

SIXTEEN DAYS!!!!

I figure it is time to get busy with that room.

Whitney is, right now, as I type at 10:57 PM working towards getting the old Atlanta Braves wallpaper border off the walls. She has a desire to paint the walls, so I am going to let her...and she did get much practice painting during her mission work in San Francisco this summer.

Currently in the room are bunk beds, and they have long since served their purpose. We bought them for Whitney's room over 20 years ago when we were expecting Caleb!

Now, however, I do not want Drew or Zeke sleeping on a top bunk when we come home, so we are going to put a double bed in their room.

Since the title of this post is "Needed--For the Boys' Room," I should share with you what we need.

We need a set of full mattresses.

I figure there must be at least one of our readers who has an old set they would like to sell for a very cheap price...or maybe even just ask us to take them off their hands.

So, if you or someone you know is that person...and if you or that person you know happens to live in south Georgia...email me!

And, now that it is after 11:00 PM, and I must teach school tomorrow, while being kind to fourth graders at the same time, I am off to bed, just 1 1/2 hours past my bedtime.

Off to sweet dreams of China!

Making a List and Checking it More Than Twice

Plane tickets---check

Beijing Hotel reservations---check

We're Going to China in 3 weeks!

We have our dates!!!!

And, our wonderful agency was able to get the adoption proceedings expedited so we don't have to be in China 3 full weeks. Praise the LORD!

Pending the purchase of airline tickets we will:

Fly out on March 15
Land in Beijing on March 16
Visit Drew at Amazing Hands on March 17
March 18---Stan and my anniversary....take the train to Taiyuan
March 19--Drew's Gotcha Day
March 20--adoption proceedings--then fly to Zhengzhou
March 21--Zeke's Gotcha Day
March 22--adoption proceedings
March 23---Fly to Guangzhou
March 28--consulate appointment
March 29--obtain visas

Dates....Almost

Well, we're making progress.

Today we received our CA....that's our consulate appointment date.

Our consulate appointment is March 29th...which means our last day in China is March 30th.

The facilitators have to plan with the end in mind. They can make all of the other appointments now, with two separate provincial governments...since the boys are from two different provinces.

We should have more specifics in a day or two...but we are surely leaving a China the middle of March at the latest!!!!!

I Am Slowly Going Crazy

So...there's this song that I used to sing with the children when I directed children's programs at my church. It went like this:

I am slowly going crazy.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Switch.

Crazy going slowly am I.

Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Switch.

Repeat.......

Repeat......

Repeat......

Repeat.......

Our case worker is trying to get information as to why our dates are taking this long to get.

Pray with me.....

And/or sing with me...

I am slowly going crazy.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Switch.

Crazy going slowly am I.

Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Switch.

Repeat.......

Repeat......

Repeat......

Repeat.......

Waiting--not so Patiently

We are waiting to find out our final travel dates.

I must admit that I am not waiting patiently. Funny how we say we trust Jesus, and then we find ourselves growing anxious when we are forced to wait. Or is it just me?

I am growing anxious, too, about the amount of money we will need to be able to take the girls with us. I am growing anxious about the price of airline tickets. I am growing anxious about the amount of time we will be in China....is there a theme here?

I've said this before, but I believe today is a good time to repeat myself.

I feel like the Israelites. Praising God one minute. Murmuring and complaining the next.

Please join us in prayer. Like the man who said to Jesus, "LORD, I believe. Help, thou, my unbelief."

That's where I am today.

LORD, I believe. Help thou my unbelief.

DID YOU HEAR ME SCREAMING????!!!!!!

Did you hear me screaming??????????

You should have seen me dancing!!!

REALLY.

I was dancing all around the room.

I was squealing with delight!!!!

It's our TA!!!!!!!

Our TA is on its way.

For those of you who don't follow adoption websites, like crazy addicts...those letters mean one thing:

China says, "Come get your boys!!!!"

Sometime in the next day or so, we will have our EXACT dates. We've requested to leave four weeks from now.....FOUR weeks. Oh, my I will never sleep tonight.

The text came at 9:40.

Our agency needed some paperwork I was given last week. I thought I had at least one more week to get it done. HAHAHA!

So, I've been busy completing that paperwork...and now I should be going to sleep.

But...........

who can sleep??????

Waiting on Travel Approval

We are officially waiting on a most prized possession...our TA!

For those of you who don't know what that means...TA...is Travel Approval.

I can hardly believe we are just one step away from knowing our offical dates to China.

Pray and hope with us that we receive our TA in two weeks.....

Then, travel should be about 3 weeks later.

That means, travel in about 5 weeks....

Wanna guess why I'm not sleeping...what thoughts keep my head spinning everytime it hits the pillow.

Yipee! Jesus!!!

Zeke and the Shower of Blessings

And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.(Ezkeial 34:25)

Stan and I have been studying Ezekial as we wait to bring home our Zeke. What a might prophet he was! What a mighty man of God we hope our Zeke will grow to be.

As I was studying during my Saturday morning quiet time, I came across the verse at the beginning of this post. I thought I would use it when we were in China, but then, just like my Jesus, he sent the shower of blessings earlier!!!!

We used Gifts to China with Love (highly recommended) to send Zeke a CNY gift. We found out yesterday he had indeed received the gift. Then last night while I was sleeping, these photos of him with his gifts were delivered to my inbox.

In the first photos, he is admiring/or playing with his gifts. We are excited to know he actually was able to see them and know they were from his family.




My Second Favorite Photo!
You've got to love that smile!!!



My Very Favorite Photo!
He's looking at the photo album we sent him, with pictures of his family. Click the picture, enlarge it, and you will see whose faces he is looking at.

You can't hide from God or Mama

This morning, I had an extended time with my BEST Friend Jesus. It was so sweet.

I had told the girls we would start house work as soon as I had my quiet time.

When I walked out of my bedroom at 10:30, here is what I saw.


I was fully aware that the girls were not asleep. We had already shared breakfast before my quiet time.

So, I took a picture and sneaked up behind them, began to tickle them, and heard Ellie say...

"It was worthy a try!"

Happy weekend everybody!