Forgot to post

I forgot to post something. When we went to the doctor today Ethan weighed 30 pounds. He has gained 4 pounds since his appointment in November. I think it is all in his belly. He has some of the littlest legs I have ever seen. He is the cutest thing. I just want to go get him out of bed right now and squeeze him and give him lots of kisses. He is so cute you want to eat him. God has given us two beautiful children. I look into Hannah's face and just want to grab it to kiss her non-stop. When she looks up at me with those big brown eyes they make my heart melt. Even when I have to get onto her for misbehaving. I love my little rugrats. Here is a picture Greg took of them while we were waiting for the doctor. I love Ethan's fashion look. He did not want me to take his shoes off.

Christmas With the Shockleys

We had a great Christmas this year. It was so good to have Ethan home with us. He really enjoyed opening the gifts. He was very happy that he had presents of his own. He also enjoyed our time with the extended family. We went to my mother's on Saturday. All three of my sisters were there with their families. We took some pictures of the whole family. I have added a slide show of them.

Hannah was very excited that she got what she asked for. She really wanted to have a baby bed, diapers, aqua doodle, and pink cow girl boots. She really loved the boots. Today is the first day that she has not worn them. She looks very cute in them. We have started spiking Ethan's hair. I have a picture of the new style.

Today we had to take Ethan to the doctor. He had a spot come up on his side that had a cluster of little bumps on it. It had a yellow crust on it. He also has some spots on his face. Gwen's friend Kristi whom is a PA looked at it Friday. She said it looked like impetigo. I checked out WebMD and it did look like it. I called the doctor on Wednesday to get him in. She said that it is impetigo. she gave us an oral antibiotic and a antibiotic cream. I hate how they get hit with everything when they get here from China. Their poor little systems have to get used to so much. Other than this he is doing great. Him and Hannah are getting along like siblings.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and have a great New Year.

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Merry Christmas to you all. We pray that you are enjoying your your time together with friends and family. Take time to remember that God loved us so much that he came down to Earth to make a way for each us to be with Him in Heaven one day.

How Many Kings
(by Down Here)
Follow the star to a place unexpected

Would you believe, after all we've projected,

A child in a manger?

Lowly and small, the weakest of all

Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl -

Just a child -

Is this who we've waited for? 'cause...

How many kings step down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

And how many gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that is torn all apart

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior

All that we have, whether costly or meek

Because we believe.

Gold for his honor, and frankincense for his pleasure

And myrrh for the cross he will suffer

Do you believe?

Is this who we've waited for?

All for me...All for you...

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The Nutcracker

Hannah and I spent the whole afternoon together on Saturday. We left the house at 12:00 to go to the big downtown. It was cold and rainy so I decided I would do valet parking. It was sad that it cost $18.00 and then I gave a $2.00 tip. It was worth it though just so I would not have to carry Hannah through the streets in the pouring cold rain.

I asked her if she wanted a snack before but she did not. We go and find our seats. She kept asking when it was going to start. I showed her my watch and told her when the numbers 2,0,0 were on the watch it would start. Of course she kept asking every 5 seconds what time it was. She seemed to enjoy it. She kept asking where the nutcracker was. She stayed awake during the whole ballet. It was a lot of fun. After the ballet we went to Krispy Kreme to get doughnuts. It was almost bedtime by the time we got home.

Today while we were driving home Hannah started singing along with the radio. One of the songs was "Do you hear what I hear". All she kept singing was "Do you hear what I see?" It was the cutest thing. She is doing a great job with Ethan. She is trying to teach him words. It is so cute.

Ethan is doing great at daycare. They all say that he is so sweet (which he is). He will wave hello and bye to all of the other parents as they come and go. It is just great though when we come in to pick them up and he comes running to us with a big smile on his face.

Plastic Surgeon Visit

Ethan and I got up this morning around 6:30 so we could leave by 7:15 for his doctor's appointment. As we were getting off of the elevators we run into Gwen, Scott, and little Miss Maggie. It was great to see them. It is sad that we leave so close to each other but do not see each other that often. They were leaving the doctor as we were coming. We actually were seeing the same doctor.

While we were waiting to be called back into the room a lady came in with her son. Come to find out she had adopted him and his older sister from Kazakhstan. It was good to get to talk with a fellow adopting mother. Her son was there because of his head.

The actually appointment was probably about 15 minutes long. We are waiting for Ethan's consult about circumcision before scheduling the palate surgery. They will do them both at the same time. The next appointment is January 11. Once we do the surgery Ethan will be in the hospital for one week. He will not be able to feed himself or suck anything for 3 weeks. They actually wrap their arms so they cannot bend their arms and place their fingers in their mouth. This should be really interesting. The boy loves those fingers.

Greg got home from work with a nice surprise for Hannah and myself. We will be going to see our local ballet companies production of The Nutcracker this Saturday. I am very excited to take Hannah to see this. I hope that she enjoys it as much as I do. I was showing her a few clips on Youtube tonight. Oh, I'm also taping Mary Poppins for us to watch. I know she will like that one.

Christmas Shopping

I have finished my shopping this season. I went today to do shopping for Ethan and Hannah. I spent a little more than we usually do. I could not help myself this year. I really want it to be great for Ethan and Hannah. I bought the VSmile system to be a gift for both of them. I know that Ethan might not be able to use it that much right now but he will learn how to use it. The gift that I thought would be the easiest to find was the hardest. One of the main things that Hannah asked for was a bed for her baby. I could not find just a baby bed. I ended up getting her a set of stroller, bed, carrier and new baby for her. The baby actually talks so I know she will like it. It will help her learn to take care of a baby. I am really excited about Christmas this year. It is going to be great.

Sound of Music

Yesterday Hannah and I watched The Sound of Music together. She now has a new favorite movie. I was later watching some of the extras on the DVD. When ever they would show clips from the movie of them singing she would start singing along with them. It was cute. Anytime I would look at her she would stop singing. I love that we now have this special movie to share together. I remember always watching it when I was younger and singing along with it. Special memories.

Blog Fairy

Thank you Verna for the new pictures in my header. I love the one of them walking toward the house along with the new title.

Ethan's Doctor Appointment

Update on Ethan's appointments:
We went last Friday to the Peds doctor. She said everything looked good with him. His ears looked fine. He weighs 26 lbs and is 3 feet tall. We have an appointment December 10 with the plastic surgeon concerning his cleft palate. We then have an appointment January 11 with the urologist about circumcision. I am not sure what all is involved with the palate surgery. We will find out all of this when we meet with the doctor on Monday.

I will be going back to work on December 11 instead of the 10th due to his appointment. I'm looking forward to going back to work (kind of) but not all of the drama that it includes.

Playing Outside & Ethan's first visit with the Horses

Today Hannah stayed home with Ethan and me. It was a very nice morning. We went outside to play. Here are a few pictures. We also went next door to visit the horses. This was Ethan's first time to see them. He tried to pet them but got a little scared. The young colts were out in the field but ran to the fence when they saw us coming. They are beautiful horses. I was trying to get Hannah to play ball with Ethan but he did not seem to understand that he was suppose to play with her.

After playtime we came back in for lunch. While they were waiting for their lunch I put on "The Sound of Music." Hannah is really enjoying it. I have let her stay up from nap to finish watching it while Ethan is sleeping. This will give us some time alone together.

Enjoy the pictures!

Update on Lyn Clark

I wanted to update you all on my friend's brother. He is now at Walter Reed Hospital. He is going to have to have intense speech therapy but is doing much better. Heather sent an email out with his address at the hospital. I do not know if any of you would be interested in sending him or any other soldier a Christmas card. Here is his information. The address would be the same for any other soldier.

Hey! This is a great idea to do for Christmas! I'm sure that any soldier would be glad to get a Christmas card! This is where Lyn is also, so if you would like to send him a card, whether "Get Well" or Christmas, I would appreciate it as well as he would I'm sure! Just address it
Ward 58: Attn.- TSgt. Cecil L. Clark instead of the second line written here!
Thanks again for your pray and support!
Heather

*A Great Idea!!!* *
When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please
include the following:

Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Attn: A Recovering American soldier
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001



I will be posting pictures of the rugrats soon.

Prayer Request

I want to ask you all to please pray for my friend Heather's brother, Lyn. He is in the US Air force. He was serving in Iraq and suffered a stroke. They have taken him to Germany. The email I received from her states that the doctors said that his speech is affected a little but everything else looks ok. I believe he is in his early 40's. He has a wife, Peggy, and two children. I know there are prayer warriors out there. Thank you.

Pictures of our two Rugrats

Here are some pictures of Hannah and Ethan together. Hannah is doing well with him. She tries to help him with different things. If he needs his mouth wiped she will run to help him. She is jealous of him though. If one of us is playing with him or tickling him she runs over wanting us to do the same to her. Things are going well. It is still hard to communicate with him but getting better. I'm trying to teach him some sign language to help with this. He is starting to understand us with certain things.

Our lab Zoe loves him. She has already given him two kisses on the mouth. Ethan does not like it too much. He has to get used to her. I think once he does he will love her.

We went to my Dads (Palpaw) for Thanksgiving. It was just us and them. It was kind of lonely without my sisters there. It will be good to see them at Christmas. Ethan loved the Thanksgiving meal. MaryAnn (Dads wife) is from the Philippines. She cooked one traditional dish for us. It was a sour pork. Ethan loved it. One good thing about Hannah wanting the same things as Ethan is we can get her to try different foods. They have their Christmas tree up. Ethan really liked it. I wonder if we should even put ours up this year. I do not have the energy to continue to tell him no do not touch while it is up. :) Hannah has started telling us what she wants for Christmas. She isn't really asking for too much. Christmas will be fun this year.

OK, I just heard this loud thump outside. Our lab has started laying in the swing that we have out on the patio. It hits the house when she gets out of it. She is such a baby.

Thank you all for your prayers while we were in China. Enjoy the pics.

We are Home at last.

Sorry that I have not posted in a few days. Our week of internet at the White Swan ran out on the 16th. That was the day that we had our oath ceremony at the US Consulate. It was very emotional. Gwen and I were standing beside Sandi during this time. I wish you all could meet this sweet lady and her little Hannah. I am so thankful to God that He moved the hands of the US government so that she was able to return home on her original schedule. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

We left China on the 18th at 8:30 in the morning. Can I just say that security at the Guangzhou airport has gotten crazy. You have to fill out two forms in order to leave their country. One is for departing and the other I believe was a quarantine form. Then we went through security. They put our bags through the x-ray machine and searched them. Then before we could get on the plane they checked them again at the gate. It was crazy. We also had to go through security check in Tokyo airport before catching our connecting flight. It all made me want to go hunting for Osama myself and take care of him. Anyway.

Ethan was ok on the flights home. He did cry on the long flight when we tired to get him to sleep. I had to hold him until he fell asleep. I was not having to do this back at the hotels. Most of the time he would let us know when he was ready for bed. He is a wiggle worm in his sleep so I was up making sure he did not fall out of the seat. By the time we got home and in bed I believe I had been awake for 30 hours straight. Needless to say I did not feel great on Monday. I am feeling much better today though.

Today we went to the Social Security office to apply for his card. It is nice to be in a small town now. We walked into the office and checked in. Before we could sit down and get comfortable they called our number. We were probably there a total of 15 minutes. It was so nice. The lady was surprised at how quick I was at going to get this taken care of. Greg had called the insurance and mailed them the papers they need to get him added.

Ethan's first doctor's appointment is November 30. We will see about getting the name of a specialist for his cleft palate. I am going to ask for one at our local children's hospital here in the area. We also have our first post placement appointment with our SW next Wednesday.

Our house has changed so much with a little boy in it. Hannah is doing great with him. She will help us with him. She was holding his hand when we were out today so he would not run off. I meant to get a harness for him while we were at Wal-mart but forgot. I will have to go back sometime soon. I don't really want to get one but the boy does not care about running off from us. I really think it is just because he is very curious about everything he sees.

I have not gotten pictures of the two of them together yet. I will post some pictures later after taking some. We have to have six pictures for our post visit anyway. Well, I am going to go for now.

Three Days Left

It is hard to believe that we only have three days left. Our paperwork has been sent to the Consulate. We go tomorrow for to take our oath. This trip has been so different from when we came to get Hannah. I think it is because of the little issues that we have had. We are ready to get home to see Hannah, our beds, and our small town and home. Ethan is doing well. It is amazing the bad smell is gone. Gwen's friend Christy is a Physician's Assistant. She told us that she thought he might have something lodged in his nose. Sure enough he did. She pulled it out for us and there is no more bad breath (except Greg's LOL). Thank you Christy!!!

We had the medical exams yesterday. Ethan weighs 28.7 pounds. He is putting some weight on. We still have the drooling issue. He has gotten good about wiping his own mouth. He is a sweet little man. I love to hear him laugh.

Update on Sandy, we have been told that she will have to stay another two weeks in China to re-do her paperwork. I am not sure about her family being able to come over or not. Please continue to pray for her. I have been able to talk with her a little. She says that she is doing better each day and that little Hannah is helping her through it. Please pray that she will be able to get everything done sooner than two weeks.

There is not much that I have to post about. The sad news that we received this afternoon is hard for me to process at this time. This was to be a joyful time for the family but has been scared by this tragedy. What do you say? How do you act? These are all things that are running through my mind. Greg and I did not get to spend much time with Dennis. We had just meet him on the 9th. He was rather quite but seemed like a nice man. Sandra has a very sweet presence about her. I know that there has to be so much running through her head at this time. I just pray that God will show me if and what I might need to say to her. I cannot imagine what I would do if this had happened to me and Greg. Please keep them in your prayers.

I am posting this picture of Ethan.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE NEEDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greg and I just learned that earlier this morning one of the gentleman in our group pasted away from what we believe to be a heart attack. Please pray for his wife Sandra right now. She has many decisions she has to make. I will not post more than this due to her privacy.

Made it to Guangzhou

We made it to Guangzhou last night. Ethan did ok on the flight. He did not cry, well except when Greg tried to take the food away from him. Just like all of his clothes that we brought him even the pull ups and diapers were too big. We had a very running BM on the plane ride. It smelt so bad. Greg went and changed him on the plane. We were not able to change his pants until we got to the airport.

There was someone from the hotel that met us at the exit. She directed toward a waiting area for the shuttle. While we were waiting a group of musicians came up and started talking to us about Ethan. They all started playing their music and singing for us. They "sang" Old Aung Said (sp) and Jingle Bells (or Chigle Bells) and then a Chinese song. It was some kind of special song. After they finished a lady that had just walked up to hear them came to tell us that Ethan was very lucky and that we were good hearted people and this is why they sang for us. It was actually very emotional for me. I almost started to cry while sitting there. The head lady and one of the men made me think Peking Opera singers. The lady was very funny and sweet. They all liked Ethan.

Our driver to the hotel was a young guy. He was driving about 100 mph. It always amazes me how fast they drive here in China. The bicyclist and walkers are very brave. If you ever visit China be sure to watch when the locals cross the road. If you do not you could be hit like Frogger.

We met up with some of the other BCS families today for site seeing. Ethan isn't the only boy either. We went to see the museum that is about the Chen families temple. It was nice architecture. We arrived there just in time to see the Olympic torch come in to be passed off. It was neat. Greg got it on video. I will post picture of today later. For now here are pictures of our welcoming party at the Guangzhou airport.

We went looking at the shops. There is actually one young lady, Emily, that remembered us from last time we were here to get Hannah. It is probably because Greg really stands out over here and is crazy. Oh, I am not able to view my blog so you will have to let me know if the pictures are not working.

Orphanage Visit

We leave for Guangzhou today. Right now the boys are asleep. It is amazing how Ethan has started bonding with us. Last night after we got back to the hotel he would run up to each of us and wrap his arms around our legs and hold on tight. It was so sweet. I know he is probably saying words to us but we are not able to understand because of his palate. He is a sweet little boy.

We went to visit the orphanage yesterday. It was a very emotional visit. Ethan was very quite on the way there. Miranda told him that we were going back so he could tell everyone goodbye. Once we got there we were greated by the director and assistant director. The assistant was one of the people that brought him to Zhengzhou. They were very nice. I just hated that they was a language barrier. It is always hard to really talk to someone through an interpretor. The director gave Ethan an apple. He would not let go of that apple for anything. Once we left the office to go walk through the orphanage some Ethan just took off walking around. He did not seem to mind being back there at all. This makes me think that they must take good care of them there. The firs that we saw were the three little toddlers in the crib out in the corridor. They saw Ethan and started yelling at him. They were so cute. They had the split pants and all. When they had to use the toilet they would just go and sit down on it. Maybe the split pants are a bad idea. LOL

Ethan's nanny (Ayi) came up to get him. It was so nice to see how much she really cares about him. Of course they said that he did not have enough clothes on the bottom. I only had one pair of pants because it was going to be 72 that day. Oh well. Next we went to visit his classmates. The three little boys standing with him in the picture are his best friends. We were told that they were being sent to the CCAA to be placed in the adoption pool. I pray they get families quickly. There was one little girl in the crib in the classrooom. She was such a beautiful little girl. There is something wrong with her legs but from what I could gather from hand motions she uses her arms very well. Let me tell you when she smiled at me and said hello I wanted to grab her right then and bring her with us. Please pray that they will send her paperwork to the CCAA for adoption also. She just really touched my heart.

Next we went to see the little babies. A few of them were awake in their cribs. They were all so sweet. I made sure that I went by and touched everyone of them and said a prayer for them. One of them was a very happy baby. He/she would laugh and smile at us while we were talking to him.

Then it came time to say goodbye. This was the really emotional part for me. This is where Ethan had spent all but a few months of his life so far. His ayi had taken care of him from the start. She was really the only mother figure he has know. I know that it had to be hard for her to see him leaving but happy to know that he would have a family now. I gave her a hug and told her thank you for taking such good care of him. We both just held each other tight for a about a minute. It was very hard for me to just up and leave this woman that had cared for him. I'm even crying now as I type this. I know that there are some orphanages out there that do not take good care of the children and then there are those that do all that they can for them. I truly believe the latter is Ethan's case.

We did get the directors email address. I am going to try and send them updates as often as possible so they can see him grow. I hope that we might be able to send his Ayi a gift from time to time also. Enjoy the slideshow.

Chasing Daddy

Here is a video of Ethan. He loves to hit things. I'm working on this. We have learned the Chinese for no "Bu Yao!". We are using it quite a bit. We have started seeing more of his personality today. He is a sweet boy. We went to the orphanage today. I will post pictures later. It was very emotional for Greg and myself. Ethan did great. Enjoy the video.

Shao Lin Temple Visit

Today we went to visit the temple. It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive from our hotel. It was interesting. There was a lot of smog so we did not get a great view of the mountains but they were pretty all the same. Here are some pictures from our trip. While we were waiting for our van driver some other drivers came up to talk. One of them gave Ethan some of his pancake that he had. I have a picture of him in the slide show. Greg and I both looked at each other at the same time and said, "he looks like a Chinese George Clooney." I think he liked that. The whole time that we were walking around people would come up to Miranda and tell her that Ethan is going to have great fortune. They say here in China that if you have big ears you will have great fortune. I guess he is going to have a lot come his way.

We are both wondering if the orphanage was extremely off on guessing his age. By what they said he would be 31 months old. He is acting more like a child just under two or having just turned two. They told us that he could drink out of a cup at 19 months but he really does not know how to do this. We do realize that he is having the usual attachment issues but there is more to it. We asked our guide, Miranda, how old she thought he was and she said the same thing as us. We go to the orphanage tomorrow. I am going to ask if he had a note with him stating his birthday.The paperwork does not say. I also discovered that some of his smell issue is his ears. I thought I had cleaned them when I gave him his first bath but I did not scrub hard enough behind those ears and inside. They were so bad they smelt. He has lots of wax inside of his ears. We are going to ask if there is a doctor that might be able to get it out for us or get some wax remover. He is very unsteady on his feet and sometimes acts like he does not hear us. I think it might be because of the wax build-up. Hopefully we can get this taken care of before we get on the plane Thursday. Keep Ethan in your prayer as we go visit the orphanage. 9:00 am Zhengzhou time 7:00 pm Central time. He was a little afraid at first this morning when we got into the van for our trip. After we got out and walked around he was ok. He loves to explore. When we got back Greg went down stairs to exchange money for our rental van tomorrow. Ethan started crying for him. It was so sweet. He really likes Greg. I made him mad. He was right in front of the t.v. and was putting stuff on the screen. We would say no but he just laugh. So, I went and picked him up and put him on the bed. He cried big tears. Then he got his bath where I scrubbed his ears. He does not like the bath anymore. Bye for now. Hopefully I will not be back up at 2:00 am.

GOTCHA & ADOPTION DAY

At 9:00 am we met Miranda in our hotel lobby. We drove about 10 minutes from our hotel. It was literally just down a block and turn right. We go into the small office (temporary) of the Civil Affairs building. There was an American family there that was working on the final papers of their new son that is four years old. They had their six year old son also with them and the father's mother. The bio son did not understand why he could not be in the photo for the adoption decree. It was so sad to see him cry because he "was not special." This is not what his family was telling him but it how he perceived it. Miranda asked us why we did not bring Hannah while he was sitting with his grandmother crying. I looked over at him and said "because of that." If a six year old does not understand how much would a three year old?

We waited for about an hour for them to show up to the office. There was a traffic jam on their way. Then there he was. He is so cute. He was very shy. I did not want to push myself on him right away so I just beside him and held his hand for awhile. The nanny kept looking at me and talking to Miranda. I think she thought I did not want him since I was not holding him right away. Miranda came over and told me I could hold him. We had to go to a photo shop to get the family photo made. While we walked out the nanny picked Ethan up and carried him. I do not think she wanted to let him go. After awhile he started to warm up to us.

We went to eat lunch. There is an Italian restaurant in our hotel. We both got pizza. Ethan loved it. I would take his plate away because he would put so much food in his mouth at one time. I was afraid he might choke. He would stick out his bottom lip and look like he was about to cry. I stopped taking the plate away after that. He is laughing. Greg really makes him laugh but then again who doesn't laugh at Greg. :)

I did give him a bath. I know that they suggest that you do not do this on the first day but he really did not smell well. After the bath though we realized it is his breath. I believe he has a cold. He is coughing some. Right now he is asleep as is Greg. Also, he is much smaller than the measurements they sent us. Even the 2Ts I brought are too big for him. He is small. There is some development delay as well. I am not worried. Once we get him home he should catch up just like Hannah did.

They did bring some of the toys and clothes that we sent him in the care package. He has been carrying the ball around with him the whole time. He took his bath with it and is sleeping with it. He really likes it. Another thing he likes is looking at himself in the mirror and cameras. He likes that he can see himself in the picture. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

THE BIG DAY

It is 6:45 am here is Zhengzhou. We are up and have already eaten breakfast. It is a little strange not seeing anymore adopting families at the buffet. Especially our Pingjiang families. Oh, Stef, I forgot to post last night that we thought of David yesterday. As were were walking to our hotel two people walked by with carts full of animal skins. I was assuming they were for sell. I told Greg we should get one for David. It would go great with the hat. :) Greg is out taking pictures of the hotel. I told him that I was going up to the room to relax because after today I will not be able to for 18 years. I'm a veteran now. I know what is coming.

It is hard to believe that in 2 hours and 10 minutes we will be leaving to go get our son. We are very excited. Greg always tells me that he cannot tell if I'm excited or not. He says I don't really show it. Trust me I am. I am just wondering what he is going to be like. Will he be silly like Hannah or more reserved. I am so looking forward to discovering his personality.

Well, that is all for now. thank you all for your continued prayers. Please pray for me. I have a sinus infection. thankfully I have some meds for this and am taking them. Love to you all.

THE AMAZING RACE OR ETHAN'S ADOPTION

WE HAVE MADE IT TO ZHENGZHOU CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After traveling over about 19 hours by air we made it into Guangzhou last night about midnight. We flew on a DC9 to Detroit. We were on the very back row. I had to put ear plugs in to keep the ROAR of the engine from busting my ear drums. I really do not like this plane. Our flight from Detroit to Tokyo was good. We were not able to watch any of the movies because our speakers in our seats did not work. they gave us vouchers for $10.00. We land in Tokyo around 5:45 have to make it through security and to our connecting flight that was scheduled to leave at 7:00. We literally went from one plane to the next with no stops in between. I had to use the restroom so bad. I had the hardest time getting to use the one on the plane. We had lots of turbulence on all flights. Some were a little scary.

Greg and I are the only family that is adopting from this province so we were on our own. we have felt like this is more of the Amazing Race than our adoption. As we are leaving the airport we are looking for the taxis so we can make a 45 minute trip for 4 hours of sleep. One guy tells us that he is a taxi driver so we follow him. As we are doing this we pass a taxi stand. Something did not seem right with this. then he turns to us and says "Yeah I'm a taxi." While looking over his shoulder. All of the sudden he takes off to the parking lot and tells us to stand and wait for him. Two security guards (airport police) come up and tell us that he was not a taxi and that we could get one at the taxi stand. Crazy. Don't worry, we would not have gotten in if his car was not actually a taxi.

So, we get to the Holiday Inn about 12:45. I shower and go to bed to try and get some rest. I had to put ear plugs in to drown out Greg's snoring. We wake up at 5:00 am. I have a huge headache from lack of sleep and fluids. I was not feeling the best. We get to the airport and go to check in. The lady behind the counter starts making this face like she doesn't understand our reservation. She takes our passports and goes now to another counter. she was there for about ten minutes. Finally her supervisor brings us our broading passes. I think that when the reservation was made it put us in row 32 but the plane only had 22 rows.

Now we have landed at the airport in Zhengzhou. We were told that after we got off the plane our guide would be there to meet us. I'm sure you can guess what I'm about to say. She was not there. We called the main contact in China. She informed us that she had gotten a text that Miranda would be able to be at the airport but that someone from the hotel was suppose to meet us. Well they were not there. We had a gentleman come up and asked if we needed help. We thought he was trying to get us to let him take us to the hotel. We were wrong. He told us that if we took this bus into town then a taxi it would safe us about 50 yuan. After he told us this he said goodbye and went into the airport. Thank you God for the make up of the man earlier. We took the bus into town and then walked about a block to our hotel. No big deal on that.

We meet Miranda at 9:00 am (7:00pm home time) to go get Ethan. The office is about ten minutes from our hotel. Hopefully we will get some rest before then. We will upload pictures when we get them. Please keep praying. Pray that the rest of the trip will run more smoothly. Oh, we might get to go see his orphanage on Wednesday (Tuesday night).

China Itinerary

We got our itinerary for China travel today. We are a little disappointed. Since we had been to Beijing with Hannah's adoption we wanted a couple of extra days in Zhengzhou (Ethan's province) to get adjusted to the time change. We had started making plans of things that we were going to do on those days before we got him. We met Pam and Clay through their blog. We were hoping to meet up with them. We are not sure if we will be able to do this now. Our itinerary is

• arrive in Zhengzhou Nov 4th at 10:00 am
• Get Ethan and finalize adoption on Nov 5th
• free day Nov 6th
• visit museum (hoping this will change to something else) Nov 7th
• leave Zhengzhou arrive in Guangzhou Nov 8th

OK, so I'm really trying not to be upset about this. I know that we are there to get our son, but we also want to experience the area that he is from. We were told that it was arranged this way due to a conference in the city starting Nov 8th and they thought we would be more comfortable leaving then. I emailed our SW to see about changing the museum to something that is more living. The response she got from the corporate office said that they hoped we were not disappointed but that the guide in China thought since we were the only family in the province that we might get lonely. What is the real reason. Am I over reacting?

Oh, I know that our ticker shows that we have raised over our goal. After getting our China travel we are still about 1600.00 short of what we need. We thank everyone that has given to bringing Ethan home. We are so grateful.

Our Sweet Girl (most of the time)

We left church this morning and was on our way to eat lunch. Hannah was sitting in the back seat talking away like she always does. Out of the blue she says " Jesus died for our sins." I almost started to cry. Of course she still does not fully understand everything but she is learning about His love for us all. She amazes me every day.

When we were out eating we went to a restaurant that we go to often. There is one of the waitress, Bonnie, there that always comes up to talk with Hannah. Today she gave her this little teddy bear. Hannah told us later that she was going to give it to Ethan because he did not have that many stuffed animals. She told me that I have to take it with me to China to give to him. I pray that this continues after he gets home.

Greg found this lady's blog that actually lives in Zhengzhou where we are going to be going. Her and her husband take care of orphans and teach English. We are hoping to be able to meet up with them while we are there. You should check out her blog.

One Week to Go

It is hard to believe that this time next week we will be on our way to China. I am almost packed. Greg has not started packing yet. He thinks I'm crazy. We are still waiting for our in China travel info. I am excited to see it all.

Oh, Gwen, I found some stacking cups for Maggie. They are cheap ones that I found at Big Lots, but they should be fun to play with.

I do not have much more to post. My brain does not want to work here lately.

The time is Here!!!

We got our travel date. We are leaving on November 2 and will return on November 18. There is so much to get ready before we go. We are getting necessary papers ready for Greg's mother who is watching Hannah for us. Hannah is getting excited. Greg and I both are very stressed. We should be on the same flight back as Gwen (I think). We are now just waiting to hear how much our in China travel will be to see if we have enough money.

They had my shower at work today. They did a Chinese theme. They had made red and yellow paper lanterns to hang up. They really did their research on the colors and everything. They ordered Chinese food. It was great. Ethan has more clothes than Hannah does now. I lost track of all the outfits. They also took up money for us. All together we got $410. It was great. We should be able to keep everyone updated while we are over there. We will post some pictures.

Ethan here we come.

God's Blessings

There is a lady that I work with (Elaine) that is a strong Christian woman. She has been my prayer warrior at work. Today was pay day. She came over first thing this morning and gave me a card. She has placed a check for $200.00 in there. She said that she felt that God was wanting her to give us the money and provided her with overtime so that she could.

God has placed wonderful people in my life. Verna and Elaine are great.

Then before I left work today my friend Chrissy was acting strange. She ended up distracting me so she could delete an email that she sent to me by mistake. She went ahead and told me that my department is taking up money to help us out. I also believe that they are throwing me a surprise shower on Monday. I did not tell Chrissy that I had figured that out. Now I have to act surprised.

Travel is coming soon.

Got a call this morning from our SW. The home office is trying to get in on the November 15 group that is scheduled for the US Consulate in China. If we get in on this group we will be leaving the end of October or beginning of November. I am so excited. We would be meeting up with Gwen in Guangzhou. That will be so exciting to be over there with her again. It is hard to believe that we could be celebrating Thanksgiving here with our new son. Gwen, thank you for your prayers for quick travel.

Hannah and I went to Wally World to buy a bed spread for Ethan. We found a cute blue spread that has baseballs on it. It will be nice to have his bed up and ready for him.

Hannah and Chopsticks

We went to the Genghis Grill for dinner Friday night. I was craving fresh Asian food. I was really wanting some real Chinese but this was as close as I will get right now. Hannah usually can only use the chopsticks by spearing her food. Friday night she actually was able to use them correctly. I was so proud of her.

Update on my aunt, at this time they are waiting to do CT scans and MRIs to see if the cancer has spread to her brain. After they get the results back from this they will make a treatment plan.

With the funds that the Blog Fairy has raised for us plus money from family and friends we have raised $1400.00. We have $300 coming from Greg's mother's Sunday School class. This is wonderful.

PRAYER REQUEST

My mother has a fraternal twin sister. Today she went into the hospital to have some test done on a mass in her lungs. The doctors determined that it is cancer in both lungs. I have not heard what back from my mother yet. While we were on the phone the doctor had come into the room. All of the doctors are suppose to meet tomorrow to discuss her case to determine the best treatment. She is very sick already. I do not think that she would survive chemo. My mother is very upset. Please keep my aunt, Jean, and the family in your prayers.

Visa Applications Are Off

This morning we went to the UPS store to ship off our visa applications. It is a relief that is done. After we shipped that off we headed over to our Fall Fest our small town was having. We walked around and looked at all the booths. We also went to a consignment shop and brought some 3 outfits, 1 pair of pjs, and a coat all for $35.00. They are nice clothes also.

We ate lunch while we were there. We had empanades that were home made. They were so delicious. It reminded me of the ones that I helped make while on a mission trip in Panama. I can still taste them in my mind. Ok, I have to stop because my mouth is started to water.

After getting back home I check the mail and we had a few check in there from Verna. We are so thankful for Verna and her help. Also we want to thank all of you that have had Verna update your blogs to help us out.

Handling the Wait

Ok, so we get our LOA Tuesday when we get home from work. We opened it and signed our letter. Greg went that night to over night it to Grand Rapids. He got to the store at 6:20 and they closed at 6:30. The UPS man waited for him to finish. I am now working on the visa applications so I can get those shipped off.

It is hard to believe that we could be traveling in as little as 8 weeks. I have been stressing, crying, and happy. I had forgotten how much of an emotional roller coaster this is.

Since Verna is doing a fundraiser for us we have had people asking about how much we need to raise. Verna suggested posting it. I have placed a ticker on the side bar to keep every one updated as we go.

Hannah's New Friend

Our neighbors have several barn cats. One of them has taken to come by the house every day to see Hannah. We do not know his name but Hannah has started calling him Kitty Nuggets. Where she got that I do not know. Here are some pictures of her carrying him over to the swing. She also likes to kiss him while she is carrying him. It is very sweet. One night after Hannah came back in the house I looked out and saw him sitting outside looking in after her and crying for her. I wish I would have gotten that on video.

LOA is Coming

We received an email today from our SW. Our LOA should be here tomorrow. It is coming via UPS. The time from LOA to TA is usually about 1 month. It looks like we might be able to have Ethan home for Christmas. That will be the best present ever (outside of Jesus Christ) for me. I will not need anymore presents this year.

We received a check in the mail today. Thank you Stef. It will help us out a lot. It is wonderful to have such generous friends. Ethan is definitely loved. We thank everyone that is helping us out.

New info on Ethan

We received an email from our SW with Ethan's updated measurements. Greg had asked her about it early in the week because we had received an email stating that they would send out updates on COP children before the parents travel. Lisa (SW) thought that we would probably receive it closer to time of travel but a couple of days later had the info for us. Could this be a good sign? He isn't too far behind Hannah. She is about 36 inches and 32 lbs.

Height - 33 inches
Weight - 26.5 lbs

With our move to the new house Hannah has told us that she does not like her new room. We have decided to have her and Ethan share a room for now and just make the other bedroom a playroom. We are hoping this will help get Hannah to sleep in her bed once Ethan gets here. She will fall asleep in the living room at night. We put her in her bed. She wakes up to go potty then finds Daddy and sleeps in the floor near him. Crazy.

6 Months Waiting

Today is our 6 month DTC anniversary. Verna sent me a nice graphic to post but I was not able to save it to my computer at this time. I have some wonderful friends that are keeping us in their prayers. I need them daily. This wait has been much harder than Hannah's wait. I will rejoice when I am able to hold Ethan in my arms.

I want to thank everyone that has visited The Blog Fairy and requested a new look for their blogs. We are so thankful for all that you are doing. We will be able to tell Ethan that many people had a hand in bringing him home. Be praying for another fundraiser that we might be doing. Gwen Oatsvall told us about this one. We are looking into having a pancake breakfast at Applebee's. Greg is waiting on a call back from the marketing guy on the details about it.

I am getting ready to send Ethan's care package to him. I just finished putting all of the pictures in the little album and labeled them. I hope I got the labels correct. I am going to try and get it sent off this Saturday.

Yesterday was Greg and mine 9 year anniversary. We did not due much. All three of us went downtown to this Irish pub. I had been craving these eggs (Scotch Eggs) that they have. They take boiled eggs and wrap them in sausage and bread crumbs. Then they are deep fried. OK, not too good for the cholesterol but I don't get them that often. They are really good.

Tomorrow is Greg's 37 birthday. We will go out to eat tomorrow night to celebrate. We have cake at home already. We might even go out to "honk up some cows."

Fundraiser

One of our friends that we traveled with in China when we got Hannah is doing a fundraiser for us. Verna (the Blog Fairy) is going to donate the funds that she raises from creating blog templates to our fundraising for Ethan's adoption. We are very touched by Verna's thoughtfulness. Please check out her template site. I have placed it in my sidebar. Oh, Verna is the one that created my lovely template. I told her what I would like and she went from there. She is very talented and taught herself. You rock Verna.

News on Our Wait

We received news from our social worker. It appears there has been a snag in our cases process. Please keep this in your prayers. Also, we are still a little short on our funds. Please also keep that in your prayers. Well, that is it for today. Nothing more at this time.

New pictures of Ethan

These pictures are compliments of Monica. Their daughter Mercy is from the same orphanage as Ethan. Monica had seen my blog before they left for China. She took these pictures for us while they were visiting the orphanage. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness. These pictures have helped lift my spirit. I love those eyes. He looks happy. I could never mistake him for anyone else with those ears. I think the wait might be a little more bearable now.

Monica, thank you so much for these wonderful pictures. I will be calling you soon to talk about everything.

Just an update

I have not been posting lately because I just do not feel like there is much to post about. It has been 5 months since sending in our letter of intent to adopt for Ethan. I emailed our SW last week for clarification on what we our waiting on next. I miss understood the letter that was sent with our package. Because we did not have a LID when we sent the letter in the first things we are waiting on is a pre-approval letter. They say that it usually comes within 5 months. A month later is when the TA usually comes. Our SW has called Grand Rapids to see if our case is on track.

The other day we were driving home and talking about Ethan. Hannah said "Ethan's never coming. He won't get here." It was so pitiful. She is also ready for her brother to get here.

I did receive a post from Monica. She just picked up her daughter from Xinxiang SWI. This is the same orphanage that Ethan is at. She thinks she might have pictures of Ethan to share with us. It will be so great to see some pictures of him.

Another saying of Hannah's. On that we live in the country you cannot drive anywhere without passing a field of cows. Greg has this habit of honking a live stock or and kind of wild life. While he and Hannah were out driving around the other day he started honking at cows. Now when we pass cows and horses she says "honk up the cows (horses)." The things that children say. So go out and honk up some cows and think of Hannah.

Weekend Away

This past weekend we had a little family getaway. We went to Cherokee, NC. I have family on my mother's side that were Cherokee. I have been wanting to go there for some time. They have a museum and mock Cherokee village. They also put on a play that tells the history of the Cherokee nation. It was very educational.

Sunday evening went drove over the mountain to Sevierville, TN. There was a group doing Legends of China shows. We got to watch a show about Kung Fu. Of course we had several of the people that work with the shows ask us about Hannah. We also told them about Ethan.

Ethan is in Henan provience of China. It is there that the Shaolin temple is located. This is also where Kung Fu originated. We found out that all of the boys in the show were from the temple. We were not able to talk with them very long. They were very nice.

One of the main guys had a partial right arm. I would say he is probably in his 20's. Knowing what has happened to so many children like this in China I could not help but wonder what his story might be. Did his parents decide to keep him in spite of his disability? If they did not keep him did they drop him off at the temple or did one of the priest find him on the steps to some office.

Anyway, if you are ever in Sevierville, TN I recommend you go see the show. It was really nice.

Hello I'm Still Here

Sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. Work has been crazy and all I have wanted to do when I come home is relax. I started reading the Harry Potter books from the very beginning.



On July 30 we celebrated my 35 birthday. It was a nice day. Greg had been out of town the week before that.



I have been kind of depressed. I think it is a combination of things. I am wanting Ethan. I have been working overtime and feel like nothing is getting done. I am definitely ready for a break. Today was also a very hard day. But enough of that.



There is no news about Ethan. We are getting a care package together for him. I am seeing if some friends can translate a letter for us before we mail it.



Hannah had pictures made at daycare. Here there are. I will being mailing them out to the China family soon.

My Smart Little Monkey

I found a cheap puzzle of the map of the USA at Target the other day. I bought it for Hannah. She loves it. It has amazed me how she is already starting to learn where several of the states go. Also, when asked which one is her state she will find TN and show us. She is a smart cookie. My sister who teaches Pre-K said that her Pre-K teacher will be happy to have her in the class. I just hope we can find a good one for her to attend.

She also is learning what streets lead to our house. On the way home she will ask what street we on on. When we get on the street that our road is off of she will shout that our road is next. Then she will shout out our address at this point. I taught her our address with the tune of Our you sleeping Father John. It starts with her singing her name"Hannah Shockley, Hannah Shockley, is my name, is my name, "address", "address", is where I live, where I live" After we sing "her" song we have to go through all of our families. We told her that she will have to help teach it to Ethan.

Lord Send Your Angels

This is Greg: ) Today was the first time I cried for Ethan. Praying that he is safe and that he can feel our love for him across the ocean. This song is from Daddy to my son Ethan. I love you son! You will soon be home in our loving arms. Until then, I pray that God's angels will hold and protect you until the day that we are united. I love you!

Nothing new

Nothing new here. We are still waiting to hear something about Ethan. Greg and I were talking the other night about how it gets tiring to have to keep answering peoples' questions about whether or not we have heard anything. I know that all of you waiting and those that have done this in the past understand what I'm talking about. I appreciate that people are interested. I just wish that they would not ask every day.

We are probably going to get a care package together to send to Ethan soon. I am going to put questions in there hoping that they will answer them for us. I want to know as much about Ethan's life before we got him that they will tell me.

I am getting very antsy waiting. I could handle the whole waiting for the referral better than waiting to find out when I will travel. That I think is the harder of the two. It is great to have friends that have been through and going through the same experience to talk with.

Back Dorm Boys - Peking Opera

Favorite Photo Friday - God's Masterpiece

This morning we looked out our back door to this beautiful scenes. It just amazes me sometimes at the beauty of God's creation. He is such an amazing artist. Every brush stoke is perfect. These pictures were taken at the same time just looking at different sections of the sky.

Ping Jiang reunion

This past weekend was the reunion of our China travel families. It was down here in the Nashville area. We had a blast. It was wonderful to see all of the families again. We have missed them greatly since coming back from China.

Hannah had a wonderful time. She cried, let me say screamed, for 25 minutes start on the way home Friday night. She was sleepy and did not want to leave all the fun. She was very happy when we went back the next day.

It was neat to see all of the girls that were there. There were so many different personalities. They all seemed to get along so great.

Hannah spent most of the day Saturday in the pool. She really started doing great. She had on her swim vest and floaties. At first she would just hold on to Greg or myself. By the end of the day she was swimming off by herself. We really need to get her into swim lessons.

I forgot my camera so I do not have photos of the weekend. I will get some when the we get the disc of photos the professional made. If you would like to see some pictures you can visit some of the other families blogs in the sidebar.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

We had a fun 4th this year in our new community. My sister, Barbara, was in twon with her sons, Austin and Dylan, husband James. We went to the local fireworks show. It was pretty good for a small town. Hannah had a lot of fun. She really enjoyed having her family in town. She had fun playing with her cousins.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!!

Hannah is now 3. We celebrated her birthday with some family and friends at Chuck E. Cheese's on Saturday. Hannah took a while to warm up to everyone and start to have fun. She enjoyed having me play skee ball. She would always put the the coins in the slot for me. She did not like Chuck E. too much. She was very happy when she opened our present of a little keyboard that she wanted.

My sister, Barbara, and her sons Austin and Dylan are staying with us a few days. Hannah is having alot of fun with them here.

Emily's Birthday Party

This morning I got up and bake some cranberry/orange Amish bread. It smelt so good. After that was done baking we left to get lunch before heading to Emily's birthday party.

The party was a lot of fun. This was the first time that Greg had been to the Oatsvalls home. We got there before anyone else. Hannah was ready to get into the pool. Hannah and I swam. She even went down the slide. I need to get her into some swimming lessons.

It was time to leave and go home. We get into the car and buckle up. As we were pulling out of the drive way Hannah started to cry. Greg decided to turn around during the middle of his turn to see what she was doing. At just that time he ran into the ditch that was across the street and headed straight toward a tree. Thankfully he stopped before we got to the tree. He then decided to try and pull out of this pretty deep ditch. Every time he moved mine and Hannah's side of the car got closer to the ground. Needless to say I was very upset with him. I am always telling him not to turn around and look at her when he is driving. I hope he learned his lesson. Check out Gwen's blog for more pictures.

My Rotten Girl & Father's Day

I have to brag on my sweet, rotten little girl. The other night she was asleep in bed. While I was getting ready for bed I heard her crying. I went in to see what was wrong. She told me that she had to go potty. this was the first time that she awoke and told me that she needed to potty. I think that it is one step closer to being fully potty trained.

Now for Father's day. Hannah and I picked out a T-shirt for Greg. I decided we would give it to him on Saturday since we would be with my Dad most of Sunday. All morning Hannah had been running from the bedrooms to the living room throwing clothes at Greg. He kept telling her to stop. When I had her come sign the card I gave her everything and told her to take them to him. She went running into the living room and threw them at him. He got upset and was getting on to her before he knew what it was. Poor thing started crying. I could not help but laugh. She got over it very quickly.

Necklaces for China sisters

I have been trying to think of what I wanted to the reunion for the girls. I love to make gifts for people so I wanted to make them all something. I decided to make them all necklaces. I have never done this before. I think they turned out pretty good. Hannah really likes hers. I hope that the girls like them just as much.

I thought that if I knew people would buy them I could make some more necklaces and sell them to try and make some money for the adoption. I might have to look into this.

Enjoying the pool.

We finally broke out the wade pool. It has been so hot and humid that I thought it would be nice for Hannah. I got her a new swimsuit for the reunion that is coming up in July of our China families. She as having a lot of fun. She usually ask about getting into her pool everyday. This Saturday she wanted to get in. We told her that if she took her nap she would be able to but she did not take her nap. She was very upset. Today she was able to get in though. These pictures are from last weekend.

Hannah's third birthday is coming up. Greg and she were at the store the other day waiting until time to pick me up from work. She saw a little piano that she told him that she wants. I asked her today what she wants for her birthday. She told me a piano. I think we will probably be getting her a piano. we will be having her party at Chucky E. Cheese's. This will be the first one that we invite children from daycare to. It should be fun.

Photos of New Home

Here are the pictures of our new home. My favorite room is the laundry room. It is nice that it does not take me two cycles to dry my clothes now. I really wish you could see the view from our couch. It is wonderful to see the hills of Tennessee. We had a wonderful weekend. We had my mother's 60th surprise birthday party on Sunday. She had fun. The grand kids had fun playing in the creek at the park. Hannah at first did not want to get into the water but eventually got to where she did not want to get out. Hannah enjoyed her time with all of her family. I did not have batteries for my camera so I did not get pictures of the party.

We heard from Bethany Christian Services today. We had applied for a grant that they give to families adopting children with special needs. We were given a $5000.00 grant. God has really blessed us with this adoption. I am still praying and believing I will be going to get Ethan in July or early August.

WE ARE IN

We have finally moved into our new home. Once we get everything unpacked I will take some pictures and post them. We can sit on our patio and watch the sun rise. We can sit on the front porch and watch the sun sit. We no longer hear the bouncing of a basketball outside of our window at night while trying to sleep. I had my first ride into work. It took about 45 minutes. I got to enjoy all the nice open spaces. If any of you are ever in the area you can come stay. We have an extra room above the garage.

Our little artist

Ok, first let me say that I did not get a picture of this. I now wish I had. We had packed up Hannah's room the other day. The boxes are still in her room. Wednesday before church Hannah comes into the living room from her bedroom. She showed me her hand where she had written on it with the black marker Greg had used to write on the boxes. I go to the room and get the marker and put it out of her reach. Did not think anything else about it. Hum. later that night when we were putting her to bed Greg discovered where she had written on the carpet. Thankfully we were able to get it up with hairspray. I of course could not be mad at her. We did explain to her that she is not suppose to write on the carpet. I asked Greg why he left it down where she could get it. He said he didn't think she would use it. of course he is talking about the little girl that loves to get pens and draw all over paper.

Move update

I'm sorry that it has been awhile since I last posted. My mind has not been on the computer lately. I keep wondering when I will hear from China about traveling. If my sister doesn't get to go who will go with me. It is too late to get someone that does not have passport already. I am just believing and claiming that my sister will get to go.

Then there is the move. We will be closing on the house on the 15th and move in on the 19th. It is exciting. We went to a small town festival up there last weekend. It was small but fun. I bought a 16 oz tub of 100% African Shea Butter. It is wonderful. Very little is needed.

We are packing up the house. it is one room at a time. Greg has done most of the packing. thanks you Greg. We took down the crib/toddler bed that Hannah had been sleeping in. We took it to Good Will. Hannah stated "I have no bed to sleep in." She then told us that she would sleep in our room for the week. She is getting so big. We went tonight and bought the mattress and box springs for her bed that she will get in the new house. My father made the bed about 7 years ago. She seems excited about the move.

NEW BATHROOM LOOK

We decided to get a new bathroom set since we are moving. We found this monkey theme at Target. We both thought it was cute. We also found these cute pictures of a boy and girl monkey. Hannah really likes it.