The Olympics are Here!

We are so excited. The summer Olympics have officially begun. We are even more excited because they are in China. It's so hard to believe Bill was there 1 week ago. He sort of wishes he could have stayed. Especially seeing how the opening Ceremonies were last night. WOW! AMAZING! UNBELIEVABLE! Those were 3 words we kept saying all night. The show was awesome! I had tears in my eyes several times.
We drove down to Bills brothers house and had a fun dinner. Foods from different countries. The kids played and then it was time. Time for the show to begin. And what a show it was.
We left around 9:30 and headed home. Our girls spent the night with their cousins. They had a great time. They came home today around noon.
I couldn't help but think last night, was Billy watching the opening ceremony? How proud was he of his country? I wish I could know. Bill thinks that he was able to watch it. He said that there were TV's all over the place.
Here are a few photos from last night. We had fun. Now we're winding down the day. The girls are eating their dinner and getting ready for a bath.
I hope you enjoy watching the summer games! We will!
Love,
Debbie

Wednesday

I can't believe it's already Wednesday. At moments it feels like forever since we've seen Bill. Then other moments it feels like he's been gone a short time. Right now it feels like forever since we've seen him. I think back to a week ago, when he was stressing out trying to get everything done that needed to be done before his flight to China. And now, a week later he has 2 more days of camp left.
I was able to chat with him online for an hour yesterday morning. We kept talking and I did not want to say "Bill I need to go" so we kept talking. At one point in the conversation (about 30 min into it) he said "Well I'll let you go to bed...." I did not know what he meant. Close to the hour mark, I said "I need to go make the girls lunch" and he said "Oh, I thought it was night time there. I was wondering why you were still up typing". :-)
He is having a great time. He said he was a little discouraged the first day. But he chose to put that stuff behind him and enjoy the moment. He has gotten to meet and know a lot of people & the kids. His heart has been touched. I can tell he wants to bring a few of the kids home. I wish it were that simple. He told me he has come out of this comfort zone and has acted like a complete fool. He's having a blast!
He told me he is eating food, not just junk food. So that is good. And he told me the ONE thing that he HAS to have is Pizza! So my mom suggested I have pizza waiting for him when he gets off of the plane. I remembered that there is a Pizza Hut at the airport. Unfortunately they close at 9 PM and his flight gets in at 10:30 PM. So I might just have to bring cold pizza, which he enjoys too.
He called home again last night. He was able to talk to the girls this time. They love that he is in China with the "big kids" or his "buddies" as Abby calls them. They were busy making signs for Bill last night to hold when he gets off of the plane. They are so excited.
Last night was the first night I heard tears. It was Abby. She was going to sleep and she wanted her daddy. She was sobbing. I told her he would be home in 4 days. And then I told her how we were going to have a sleepover with Grandma, Pop Pop, Aunt Denise, Colin & Dillon. She got excited and was able to calm down.
Right now I'm waiting to see if Bill will get online. It's about 8 AM so the kids should be getting ready for bed. I think he got online around 10. I have errands to run for him and I don't know if I should go now, or wait for him to try to chat.
The girls & I are doing fine. I'm nesting right now, trying to get the house perfect for when Bill gets home. My wonderful friend Kris said she would bathe the puppies for me while we are gone. They suddenly are so dirty and smelly. They were not this bad last week.
Thanks for checking of us and on Bill. Please continue to pray for Bill & Pete as they finish out the week. Please pray for their strength, health, wisdom, courage etc. Please pray for the kids.
Love, Debbie
P.S. The A/C guy was here at noon yesterday. It took 30 min to fix the air. YAY! It's fixed. Tiff was able to sleep in her bed again. :-)

Bill is at camp

Bill called today. I did not expect this. We got home from church after 12:30. We decided to go and get lunch. I figured Bill would be trying to sleep so we did not rush home. Well he was there waiting for us. The IChat is not working, so he called. You can read about his adventure on his blog.
When I came home, Kim sent me an email to another blog. Nicole has been in China the past week or two. She is at the camp with Bill. She has a lot of info and photos posted. Get a tissue. I don't know how Bill & Pete are going to be able to say goodbye. I'm not even there, and after reading Nicole's post I cried. Why can't they just bring the kids home? I know Bill would if he could. And I would be okay with that.
I will add Nicole's link to the side and you can also click on it here.
Thanks for your prayers. The kids come around noon (midnight our time). I can't wait to hear about their day.
Oh, as I was talking to Bill, I think he was getting swarmed my mosquitoes. He said it feels like camping. :-)
Love,
Debbie

Comments for Bill & Pete

Good morning all,

I thought I'd ask a favor for everyone who is reading this. Would you mind posting comments on Bill & Pete's blogs? I know they would love to hear from you. Just words of encouragement or prayers or just silly comments would be awesome. Even if you do not know them well, please post a comment. It's easy. Just hit the comment link under their post and then you can sign it. Bill's was set wrong the other day. I was able to fix it so everyone can post.
I would really appreciate it.
We did not get to talk to Bill last night. They were able to sleep late. He did email and I did track the flight and they landed 5 min late in Zhangzhou, Henan, China. Hopefully when we get home from church we'll have an email waiting from him.
Again thanks for checking on the guys and on us. I'm excited to see how God will be working in and through the guys this week.
Love,
Debbie

Saturday

Today was another hot one in FL. The girls cousin Grace came over today with Nanny and the girls all swam. Well Jadyn did not want to. Jadyn was tired from all the excitement that has been going on here this week. She had a melt down so she needed some down time. The girls swam for about an hour and then had lunch. By that time Jadyn felt much better. I think this is the first time Grace has been in our pool. She had a great time. Grace & Abby were pretending to be dogs most of the time. There was not much swimming, but a lot of crawling. It was cute. I have photos in the slide show.
The rest of the afternoon we just sat around and watched The Parent Trap (the re-make). It was on ABC Family. So with commercials, it lasted 3 hours. During this time, a good thunderstorm came through. It's still lingering a little. I'm happy with that. We need the rain.
After dinner, I asked Jadyn if she wanted to brush my hair. They like to do beauty shop. As she's brushing, I asked her if she saw a lot of white hair. She said yes. She asked why I have white hair. I said that's what happens when you get old. Then I said "Do you think I'm old Jadyn?" She said "no, I think you're new". So sweet!
Oh and last night during dinner, the girls usually ask "Mommy did you make this all by yourself?" They know that daddy usually helps and they are impressed when I do actually cook all by myself. So last night, they said "Mommy you did good cooking by yourself" and I said "Daddy helped me" and they looked at each other puzzled, and then said "No he didn't, he's in China! Silly Mommy!"
We're doing okay with Bill away. We miss him. Jadyn misses him a lot but does not like to express it. I think being able to see him and talk to him helps them. I pray that he'll have a good internet connection at the camp. I guess only time will tell.
He's been gone 3 days now. Some moments it feels like he's been gone a week. Other's it feels like he just left. One more week and he'll be home. I can't wait.
Hopefully he'll be waking up soon and we'll be able to chat with him one more time. I'll keep you posted.
Love, Debbie

We talked to Bill again

I just love this IChat. It's great to hear Bills voice & see him. I talked to him at 7:30 this morning and then the girls just finished talking to him. He looks tired. It's about 9:30 PM Saturday night in China. They have been awake since before 6 AM. I'm sure the time change is starting to catch up to them too. Bill is currently trying to journal and get photos ready to post on his blog.
They had a great day of tours. He told me (and he might mention this in his journals) that they have raised the prices on things that we bought when we were there adopting the girls. Things that were $2 are now like $15. He could not believe it.
They check out of the hotel tomorrow and then catch their flight to camp. I pray they have good internet there. We might be able to talk to him once more before they leave Beijing. That would be tonight, our time.
Please continue to pray for safety. Pray for their flight out of Beijing. Pray for the week at camp. That the kids will have the time of their lives and that Bill & Pete will have a blast.
Until next time...
Deb

Another "call" from Bill

Well we sat and waited for Bill to wake up. He said he had to get up by 6 so they could get ready for the day of tours. So we turned on the IChat and waited. Around 6:20 he logged on. It was good to see him. He looked rested. The girls were funny. They wanted him to show them his room. So he picked up the computer and gave them a tour. He showed us their view and it brought back memories. Construction everywhere and SMOG! Very thick smog. I don't know how they are going to breathe today.
They are taking a tour of the Ming Tombs, The Great Wall, a Jade Factory & lunch. Not sure what else is on the tour. Hopefully some more of the Olympics. Bill is hoping to make it to the top of the wall this time. And I told him I did not need any more Jade from the jade factory. :-) All I would really like for him to bring back for me is an Olympic t-shirt or something related to the Olympics.
It was good to talk to Bill. He is excited. Abby & Jadyn asked to see the "big kids". They know he is going to China to play with big kids. He had to tell them that he will not see them for 2 more days.
After we talked to Bill, we talked to his mom. And she invited all 3 girls over to spend the night again. The girls were excited. They spent the night last night and loved it. So they were very excited that Nanny invited to come over again tonight. I have the house to myself again (well I still have the puppies). I don't know what I'll do. I'm sure there is nothing on TV that is worth watching.
I hope to talk to Bill when we get up in the morning. I can't wait to hear how his day went.
Thanks for the prayers & emails. We appreciate it.
Love,
Debbie

We've talked to Bill

Literally, we've talked to Bill. We are so excited. He got connected to IChat and it worked. I talked to him at 7 AM this morning. He was tired, but excited. He said the flight was great. Bill & Pete had great seats, with an empty seat between them. You can read all about it on Bill & Pete's blogs.
It was so good to be able to hear his voice and see him. They were going to go out and try to see some of the Olympic places. He wanted to talk to the girls but they were at his mom's house (they had a sleepover with Nanny). So he said he would call back.
Everyone was here by 9:30 this morning waiting. Around 10:15 he got back online. The girls were happy to see him. He looked really tired. He said he is ready to crash.
They are getting up around 6 AM and taking a tour tomorrow. He's excited about that. They will be making it back to The Great Wall. He hopes to make it to the top this time. I can't wait to get his update tomorrow.
Thank you for your prayers. They were definitely felt. Please continue to pray for them as they are in China.
Love, Debbie

Bill is on his way to China!

I just checked the flight status. He has left Newark. They are estimated to arrive in Beijing 16 minutes early. :-) Hopefully they will pick up more time and get in even earlier.
Bill called today from Newark. He talked to the girls. They were happy to talk to him, but did not seem phased that he is gone.
I on the other hand could not take saying goodbye. I know he knew I got choked up. I just sat there thinking that I will not hear his voice again until we see him Aug 2nd. He said he would call again and I told him he did not have to. He was going to board the flight in 45 min so I said that unless he had to tell me something, he did not have to call. The next time we'll hear from him is from China. I pray that he will have internet connection so we can get updates from him. We already miss him so much.
Thank you for your prayers. The girls & I are doing well. It's rest time now. I hope I can rest for a little while. I've already been up over 10 hrs.
Love,
Debbie

2:30 AM- FLIGHT CANCELED!

Well, Bill is packed & ready to go. All the stresses of packing and if he's bringing enough are gone. We were all in bed and asleep by 11 PM. Things were good.
At 2:30 this morning, the phone rings. Whenever the phone rings late at night or early (and I mean early) in the morning, it usually means something is wrong.
The call was from Pete. Bill answered. Pete said their flight to Newark has been canceled.
WHAT? Are you kidding? It's 2:30! They are supposed to leave in 2 1/2 hrs for the airport. Could this really be happening?
Bill is still on the phone with Pete right now. I have no idea what they are discussing. So I came out here to see why it is canceled. This is what was on Continental's website:

Northeast - Excessive rainfall and flash flooding loom for much of New England and Long Island today as a cold front creeps eastward through the region. It could be a difficult day for travel--both on the ground and in the air--around New York City, and maybe in Boston later in the afternoon or evening. Maine, however, could escape the brunt of the watery assault until tonight. A few severe storms will probably rumble over southern New England and Long Island during the day.

Now I think I heard Pete say they could take a flight out of Orlando today and still make the connector to Beijing. So why would Orlando still fly there if Tampa will not? Are they not supposed to leave today? I don't know. It makes me so nervous.

Please continue to pray. I will update once they have decided what to do.
Thank you in advance!
Deb

Family Time

Bill has been going crazy trying to get everything done before he leaves in the morning. Of course, we had the unexpected when the air conditioner in Tiffs room broke (she is upstairs and has her own unit). We called the repair man and he was here for 3 hrs. It basically just needed a charge, but he over charged it and broke it. So now it's over 90 degrees upstairs and we're praying the new part comes in tomorrow. Because of this, Bill could not really do much in way of packing/buying more supplies for the trip. The guy finally left around 1 PM and he and Tiff headed out.
Bill received an email today from China saying they could use a few things. So while Bill was out, he got it (just things like markers, face paint, beads to make jewerly, children's medicine etc). He and Tiff got home around 4 and they jumped in the pool with Abby and Jadyn. They had a great time together. Bill bought a new water proof camera to take to China and he wanted to try it out. Below is some video that he took of the girls. I hope it works. I'm not good at uploading videos.
Now it's after 6:30 PM. Bills mom is picking him up around 5 in the morning. She is taking him to the airport so I won't have to get all the girls up. Bill is starting to stress out a little. He's afraid that he will forget to do something or pack something. I know he will be fine. Once he leaves the house then I think he will be able to relax, a little.
We are going to miss him a lot. I'm sad just thinking about him leaving. I know the girls will cry tomorrow and when they go to bed at night. Please pray for the girls. Pray that they will be okay with daddy gone.
I do have to tell this sweet story that happened tonight. Bill was going through his things (again) and Abby and Jadyn were in there "helping". I was doing the dishes and Bill comes out and gives me the biggest hug. I could tell something was wrong. He had tears in his eyes. He was holding a Lion King book and he said that Jadyn ran to her room, got this book and told Bill to take it to China to read to the kids like he reads to her. She is such a sweet girl. It broke Bills heart. He is going to miss his girls so much, and then the thought of the kids he will leave behind in China makes him sad. Please pray for Bill as he has to leave us to be with the kids in China, and then pray for him when he has to leave the kids in China to come home to us. I don't know how he's going to do it. It's going to be hard.
Well I'm not sure if I'll post again tonight. I want to spend more time with Bill before it's time to sleep. I will journal tomorrow with photos. I plan on taking photos of him leaving.
Love,
Debbie

24 Hours

In 24 hours, Bill & Pete will be on their flight to Newark. I can't believe the time has come for them to leave. Bill has been packing & repacking. Originally he was going to take 2 medium suitcases. Now he's down to 1 medium and 1 small. I'll let you know tomorrow what he ends up taking.
Bill & Pete are both very excited. Pete just called and they have good seats on the flight over to Beijing.
Today Bill will spend doing last minute things, and then spending time with us. The girls know that he is going to China. Abby thinks that he's going to bring home a baby brother for her. Jadyn has not really had any thoughts. Tiff of course wants to go, and maybe next year she will be able to.
I have 2 photos from the university that they will be at next week. Bill was excited to see that the pool is indoors. And they have a gym so another good thing for Bill. He has been concerned about the sun and getting burned.
Please continue to pray for their safety and their health. Pray that the kids will have the time of their lives. Pray that lives will be changed for the good.
Thank you! I will be posting updates from Bill here and he hopefully will be posting from China. So be sure to keep checking his blog Princess Journals Dad
Love,
Debbie

Bring Me Hope Camp is near

We are down to the final days to when Bill will be leaving for camp in China. He is very excited, and nervous and anxious. We have been busy the past few days getting everything that we think he'll need for next week. He will have 1 translator and possibly 2 kids to be a "big brother" to. Bill will not know who the kids are until next week. They could be a boy, or girl between the ages of 5-18 years old. That has been hard for Bill to plan.
Originally the camp was going to be held in or near Beijing. Well those plans have changed. So Bill was able to book a flight in China to where the camp will be. It was either take an hour flight, or a 7-8 hr train ride. Bill opted for the flight. LOL Bill has information on where the camp will be on his blog.

He also received an email from David with Bring Me Hope. He is there already and has been trying to get the camp all set up. Below is an email Bill received today. We are so excited to see how God is working......

Hello from Xin Zheng, China! About 1 week ago we had some news that none of us saw coming. We found out that our Beijing camp would need to move because the government was shutting down the hotel we were staying in. I still don’t understand exactly what happened. But everything is CRAZY in Beijing with the Olympics coming. Anyway, we had four days to be out of the hotel. So we prayed! The months of preparation for the Beijing camp were gone in just a few seconds. And we still had over 400 people coming.

We began putting the word out and ended up really connecting with an orphanage that has about 600 orphans. We found a college university (SIAS University)that was willing to host our camp and within 2 days we were off to explore. We got the approval from the school and had the rest of the team leave Beijing and take the train to our new camp. One of my favorite memories was unloading the truck with ALL our random camp items. One of the translaters said, “You brought everything but the kitchen sink… But I saw that you brought one of those too.” Kids and volunteers and craziness arrive at the train station tonight. I’ll let you know how the week goes!

Our good friend Pete (who is going with Bill to the camp) was asked by their local paper to do an article. He did a great job on the article. Here is a link so you can read it. (Going Back to China)

You can also read his journals on his blog Living in Cinderella's Castle.

I'm really excited about this. Bill & I feel so strong with helping the orphans in China. We would love to do this full time. But we really do not know how we could manage that. Right now all we can do is raise awareness & money for Bring Me Hope so they can continue to do the camps every year.

Thanks for checking on us. Be sure to check out Bills blog. He hopes to update it in China. I will also update mine when we hear from him.

Please pray for Bill & Pete as they travel. Pray for everyone involved in the camp. Pray for the children who will be coming.

Love,
Debbie

Bring Me Hope

As most everyone who is reading this blog knows, we are involved with an organization called Bring Me Hope. Bill met them by making the adoption websites. A family who signed up for a site asked Bill to donate their money to BMH. So Bill did and read more about their cause. They do summer camps for orphans in China. Of course China has a very special place in our hearts, since that is Abby & Jadyn's birth country. So Bill chose to donate all of the website money to BMH.
This year Bill is going to China to help at the camp. He is excited. I'm excited for him. I can't wait to see photos and to read his journals.
Anyway, it cost money to send the kids to camp. BMH has fundraisers during the year. They also ask for sponsorships. If you would like to help a child go to camp, to get out of the orphanage for a week, please click on this link (or go to the Bring Me Hope Link on the side) and donate. Nothing is too small. It cost $250 for 1 child to go. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your help in helping the orphans in China.

UPDATE 6/23/08- I have added a slideshow below of our BMH Night Walk!



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