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Travel plans

Looks like we will head to Hong Kong on June 7 and then spend a few days there doing Disneyland and some of the sites there! The biggest Buddha and the peak view. Still open to suggestions so feel free to email your ideas! Then head through to Guangzhou via train! and stop off to visit the White Swan and various sites that all our American friends talk about! Then head up to Ganzhou by train again. WE plan to stop off there for a day or two while we visit Emily's SWI and that will be a great way to see China! Then train the final leg to Nanchang where we will be united with Alice probably on the 16 June and that will just amazing! Then head through to Beijing on the 21 and then fly out of Beijing on Thursday 26 June and arrive home here in NZ on 27. Have the children back in school for a week before the next school holidays!
I can't wait! It will be an amazing journey full of loads of expectations and stress but also full of an amazing time as a family we can spend together! It isn't often that we can spend 3 weeks together without the outside world impacting on us to a great extent! No laundry, beds to be made! ETC but I love the thought of heading back to Nanchang but sad that our travel buddies from our first trip will be be heading to a different region and we will meet up in Beijing!
Well off to bed but thought I should up date the blog!
For those who have spare time here are two great ways to waste time!
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/jigsaw-puzzles
www.freerice.com
Hugs Ruth

Referral Announcement Card

A few more details.
Alice is in foster care currently about 50 miles outside Nanchang. We hope to visit the orphanage and meet the staff and foster mother who has been caring for her!
We want to create some photos etc and pack up a care package for Alice and her carers.
She loves TV! OMG Emily will be in heaven especially since Alice likes TV where people sing and dance! Hi-5 rules here!
She is attached to her foster mother and cries when she leaves the room. As of 28 December she she is eating biscuits, rice and noddles.
So we have a fun time ahead waiting to have her in our arms!
Hugs Ruth

We have a daughter! Please welcome Alice!

It is with great joy and happiness that Aiden and Emily proudly announce to the world they have a new sister.
Her names Feng Min Shu and she was born on 4 July 2007 in Fengcheng city, Jiangxi Province 3.3kgs. She will become known as Alice Sandra Min Shu Kelsall
Along with Ruth and Keith welcome with love this much awaited treasure!
We hope to join her in China in Mid June.
Thank you all for your support on this most epic journey!
Arohanui Ruth, Keith, Aiden and Emily
Post more details when it has sunk in!

The eve of our referral

well within the next few hours we will recieve our referral of Miss Alice! She started growing in my heart before I even had left China! As we flew out of Beijing I cried for not only Emily losing the country of her birth but for her birthfamily she was leaving behind. I know that they are missing out on such an amazing life! I often sit with Emily and we talk about what her first family would be like do their eyes Sparkle like hers? Do they dance with the beat of the music? Just like Emily! Now 3 years 6 months later we are waiting for Alice's referral. I knew on that plane trip home we would be back! and soon we will be!
We didn't have a name and much to Keith's shock he agreed that a year later it was a done deal! Our paperwork left her in Dunedin on 17 September for Wellington then off to China on 16 December 2005! So after an official wait of 2 years 4 months we will meet Alice's face tomorrow!
Her brother and sister are so excited! They are reading books on the couch and they are spending great quality time together. My fuse is short just because of the stress of it all! I want to dance and sing about it but I also have this great sense of sadness. We have always felt deeply about the origins of all our children and something about not knowing Emily's and alice's birthfamily makes it harder for us!
We have had amazing support over the past two + years and we have been eternally grateful for it!
Tomorrow is the day that I will gaze upon Alice's face for the first time! And I hope that I react with great happiness! I know for sure that Emily and Aiden will! Keith said at dinner tonight that Alice will be about 8 months! I don't know where he got that figure from! Well we are off to set up for a workhop on Saturday and need to sort that out! A lifebook workshop! I don't know if I can concentrate! Oh well we will all start!
Hugs and thanks to all!
Love Ruth

We less than a day before referral!

I hope that this time tomorrow we will be sitting with great big smiles! We will have seen Alices face for the first time. We have had phone calls today from our Swer and they were sent an email saying the parcels are on their way!
We hope that we can sleep tonight I know that Aiden is so excited and it is wonderful to watch him feel so excited about the arrival of our referral!
Yeah Roll on tomorrow!
Hugs Ruth

Nanchang Driving!

I first saw this about 6 months after we were home with Emily!
I still look at it from time to time and thought I'd share!
Hugs Ruth

Red Marbles

This came into my in box from the Godmother of my children and thought I'd like to share with you all! It did bring a tear to my eye!
RED MARBLES


I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes.


I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.


I paid for my potatoes, but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas.


I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.


'Hello Barry, how are you today?'


'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good.'


'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'


'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'


'Good. Anything I can help you with?'


'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.'
'Would you like take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.


'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'


'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'


'All I got's my prize marble here.'


'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.


'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'


'I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.


'Not zackley but almost.'


"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble", Mr. Miller told the boy.


"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."


Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.


With a smile said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever.


When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'


I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man.


A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.


Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one.


Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while there I learned that Mr. Miller had died.


They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them.


Upon arrival at the mortuary; we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.


Ahead of us in line were three young men.


One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking.


They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.


Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.


Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket.


Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.


Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles.


With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.


'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them.


Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt.'


'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho '.


With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.


The Moral : We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.


Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~ A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself.


An unexpected phone call from an old friend.


Green stoplights on your way to work.


The fastest line at the grocery store.


A good old sing-along song on the radio.


Your keys found right where you left them.


Send this to the people you'll never forget.


I just Did...


If you don't send it to anyone, it means you are in way too much of a hurry to even notice the ordinary miracles when they occur.


It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived

Wings must be sore!

No News yet but we are sure that the stork must have sore arms by now!
The whole travel group are on edge waiting and waiting do we think it will be Thursday or Friday? We think Friday but are happy to be wrong! We are just relieved that the referral is on the way!
Yahoo!
The cyber buddies, friends, collegues and of course our diverse family are waiting on tender hooks all I hear is have you heard when I make a phonecall!
We had Emily at the hospital today and they have adjusted her script for her glasses and that will help! So not much change but enough to make a difference I have ordered her new glasses already and asked for transitional lenses as well as a plain pair so shje has a choice she choose the exact same frames and hopefully at some stage on Friday we can go in and look at them!
Well Emily is calling! Must dash!

The Stork is in the Air!

I couldn't decide on which one to use so I used both!
We have heard today through top level channels that we are included in this batch and our paperwork is being translated by Bridge of Love Adoption Services in Beijing and should be here within a matter of days hopefully by Friday rather than Monday! :)
So hopefully we will have more details to share ASAP we will keep you all postyed thanks for your support!
Hugs Ruth feeling relief at knowing that we will know soon!

Molly has cancer

It has been confirmed today that Molly has lymphomia so we will end up putting her to sleep when life becomes too hard and the way she is heading downhill it will be sooner than later we are hoping to have a few more weeks with her but we will talk it over with the vet!
So a sad day at our place.
Arohanui Ruth

Molly is very sick

I looks like Molly won't be here with us much longer.
We are filled with great sadness that Molly the beautiful cat born just within days of Keith Dad's passing is not going to be an active member of our family for much longer! She has lost at least 25% of her body weight and in reality that has just been in a matter of weeks. She was at the vet on Monday and the vet said that he thought she had cancer and we could expect about a year or so if we treated her. She had an ultra sound scan and biopsy on Wednesday and the news wasn't great there is a growth on her bowel which is why she has lost so much weight. She can't pass anything and that will be causing pain and explains the vomitting the other day! Today is Saturday and we haven't heard from the vet re results but Molly has lost more weight and she is going down hill fast. Keith and I have made the decision that we will not put her through more invasion if the result is cancer which we are positive it is.
We have spent the last few days coming to terms with this hard decision. And today she had an accident inside which is so not like Molly. She has sort out each one of us today and that has been great but she moves so slowly and looks a mess so come monday we will talk with the vet re results and then Keith thought we would see if she can hang on until the children are on holiday. That is two weeks away I don't think she will be here then even without intervention. So I am feeling very sad! Molly has been such an amazing cat and so regal it is so sad to see her becoming a very sick kitty.
Hugs Ruth

We have a teenager!

Well Aiden is a teenager! Amazingly he was born 13 years ago at 3 am and we knew nothing about him until 4.5 months time! He woke up ready to open his presents but sitting on the table were only cards! he walked right past his presents!
A Good joke we thought!
He got the usual
Chocolates, Music, DVD, socks and PJ's!
Then a new hoodie sweater and a really cool pocket knife swiss army and loads of feratures becoming a teenager is celebrated in our household!
From Keith's Mum he got a stereo. From kathie and Rob, Lilian and Caitlin another DVD Hitch hikers Guide to the galaxy.
From Grandma Miriam a book and cash! He was very excited about the cash!
And loads of messages from around the country! He truly feels spoilt!
I will post more pictures later
From inside his card here is a section of what we wrote!

We love the way you hug,
Please keep hugging us.
We love the way you chat,
Please keep chatting.
We love the way you sit and read,
Please keep reading.
We love the way you love Music,
Please keep the beat!
We love the way you love us,
Please keep loving us.
We especially love the way you love Emily,
Please keep loving her!
And we will always love you unconditionally!
You make us strive to be the best parents!
You are amazing!

I am so proud of him each and everyday he is developing into an amazing young man

Hugs Ruth