%^$&^%*)*&^&%$$!!! Why can't I post pictures???
I have some really cute ones I want to post from when we had Breakfast with Santa.

Tomorrow Tina is bringing Anslee to school at 11:00am for my class Christmas party. She is going to love it! She came to my classroom the night we had our Christmas pageant and didn't want to leave. The children love "helping" her do things in there and are so excited that she is coming tomorrow. Let's see if I can maintain any control at all.

Andrew's teacher told him yesterday that if you plant a starlight mint in the ground on Christmas eve that some of Santa's magic would fall off his sleigh and turn it into a candy cane. When he told me this last night he said he wasn't going to tell me because he wanted me to be suprised on Christmas morning to see candy canes growing outside. Thank goodness he decided to tell me or he would be one dissapointed little boy!

Here are two cute Santa sights you may want to check out with your children - or by yourself :-)
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/default.php
http://www.claus.com/village.php

I can't believe there is only 5 days until Christmas!
Terri

New rules for Chinese adoptions...

China has decided to tighten the requirements for adoption starting May of 2007. You can read about it here.

Some of the new rules:

No single adults

Couples will need to be married 2 years. If you have been divorced, you have to have been remarried for 5 years

Both parents have to be 30 to 50 years old

Certain medical conditions will disqualify applicants such as: HIV, blindness or low vision, wheelchair dependance, facial deformities, depression or anxiety that requires medication

Severly overweight applicants will be denied (bmi over 40)

Net worth of $80,000 up from $40,000

No more than 5 children living at home

No history of drug use and DUI's will be examined case by case.

Dancing

Keith picked out a Bose speaker to hook my ipod up to so we can hear the music in the house. It is so much easier to put it on the speaker than to try to hook it up to the stereo and the sound is awsome!! I've been blaring Christmas music ~ my current favorite is Chris Issak, but Leon Redbone's Christmas album is my all time favorite.

Andrew and Anslee like my choice in music although I can tell they both think I'm a nerd when comparing me to Keith. When Keith turns on his music they both start dancing and "raising the roof". Yesterday they were dancing over and over to "Jump". Anslee wanted me to keep jumping and if I stopped she would say "jump mama" and point to the floor. When I said it was my turn to pick a song they both were bummed.

Whoever is driving the car gets to choose the music so of course we are usually listening to Keith's tunes. A couple of weekends ago we were driving somewhere and I looked at the car next to us and they were pointing at our car and laughing. I looked back and Anslee is in her car seat dancing and had her hands in the air. She is so funny.

For some reason Blogspot has not let me post pictures the last couple of days but I'll keep posting anyway :-)

A year ago on December 11th

Yesterday was Anslee's "Gotcha Day". I can't believe that she hasn't been with us forever and then again I remember holding her for the first time like it was yesterday.





We celebrated the day by going out for Chinese. Keith got Anslee a silver prayer box bracelet ~how sweet and thoughtful is he?!





Three couples in our travel group already have their dossiers ready and are waiting to adopt another daughter from China. They are so excited about having two children. I think for now we are done having children but you never know what lies ahead...

Terri

Making a Christmas List

Every year I've taken Andrew to Toys R Us to look around and make a tenative Christmas list. This year we tried it with Anslee too. She was so funny. She loooves baby dolls and all their accessories.

We have a friend Julie who gave her two old ones her daughter wasn't playing with anymore. Although they both look exactly alike one has an eye that won't stay open ~ she likes that one the best. When I put her in her crib at night if we couldn't find the one with the lazy eye we'll put the other one in. Even in the dark she can feel around and tell that it isn't her favorite one. She'll throw that one out and say she wants "good baby". So Keith, Andrew and I have to scour the house to find it.

Can you tell she has us all wrapped around her little finger :-)



Terri

Holy Cow!! I can post!!

A year ago today we left for China! From the time we received our referral and saw Anslee's sweet little face for the first time, we were on pins and needles until we left. It seems like it was forever ago.