Remembering a very special ladybug. . .

Since 99.9% of the people who read my lil' ol blog have been touched by China adoption in some way, I will spare you the legend of the ladybug and it's significance to adoptive parents. A lot of us have a special ladybug story, and I have a few of my own. But there is one very special little ladybug who changed the course of our lives five years ago this week.

It was the spring of 2003 that God moved our hearts towards adoption. There were specific people and events that He placed in our path and made it clear that our child was waiting for us. It was also at this very same time that a birthmother (in a part of China that I never knew existed until our referral) was discovering she was pregnant. She probably already knew that she may not be able to raise this baby as her own. But she chose life, nonetheless. For that reason alone, a faceless woman whom I will never know will always have my eternal gratitude and a special place in my heart.

Eric and I made the decision to adopt on one fateful afternoon in March 2003. But we took several weeks to research the options, international vs. domestic and which international program best suited us. I spent endless hours on the internet gathering facts. From the very beginning, my heart was drawn to China. Russia was a close contender. We were seriously considering both countries, weighing the pros and cons of each. In my internet research, I had stumbled upon the Ladybug Legend and thought it was all very cute, but I was focused on facts, not superstitions.

Eric had pretty much left all of the research up to me. He just wanted to know what we needed to know, make a decision and move forward. I am not sure that he felt a heartstring pulling in any particular direction. But I did. Everytime I thought of this child, I imagined a little Asian girl with a sparkling smile. (Funny how the 1st thing everyone notices about our daughter is her amazing smile & dimples!) So one afternoon in late April, as Eric and I were driving out of the neighborhood, I immediately launched into a conversation about our adoption. I was telling him that I really felt like our child was a little girl in China. As I am telling him this, we were driving past a certain neighbor's house (who would later host my baby shower for Linzi!) and I looked out my window to see a ladybug clinging to the outside of my window! That was my sure sign that THIS was the path God was leading us toward. When we came to the stop sign, I rolled down my window and set her free. That random little ladybug was my beacon, pointing us in the direction of our daughter. I have never been more sure of anything in my life than I was that particular day. It took another 18 months before I would actually hold her in my arms. But on that day, my daughter was born in my heart. What is even more amazing, is that based on her age, it is quite possible that she was conceived or the pregnancy was discovered about that same exact time.

And now that I am on the flip side of this story, five years later, I am still amazed, humbled and honored that I have been given such a beautiful gift. And I believe with all my heart that God sent that little ladybug to nudge us in the direction that He had planned for us all along.

Right after we came home, a ladybug got into our house and I had to get
this picture of Linzi & her ladybug who almost crawled into her mouth!

And of course, that smile of hers ~ it is sparkles even more than I had imagined!

I am trying to catch up!!!

We have been back from spring break for two weeks and I am just now getting around to catching up! There just hasn't been any time to blog but I have plenty to blog about.

For starters, we had a wonderful, relaxing spring break at the beach. Some of my favorite moments:

• Bike riding with Alex & Mandi. We rode several miles, all up and down the beach and through town. Linzi was too little of course, so it made for some nice one on one time with them.

• Early morning walks and bike rides on the beach with Mandi. We didn't get up early as many mornings as we had planned. But the few that we made it out the door at sunrise were worth the lost zzz's. Mandi and I always try to walk the beach at sunrise when we go. It is our special time. Now that she is on the cusp of being a teenager, there are so many important and meaningful conversations to have. I couldn't think of a more perfect way to connect with my oldest daughter.

• Watching Linzi play "ponies" on the beach. Yes, this child is STILL obsessed with ponies. Like I have said before, she doesn't just like ponies, she wants to BE a pony! At the beach, she was a wild pony, galloping joyfully in the sand.

• Looking at the multi million dollar Parade of Homes model homes with my mom. It's always fun to dream. . .and to be inspired (on a smaller scale of course) :D

• Boat rides and dolphin spotting at sunset, with a margarita in hand. Doesn't get anymore relaxing than that!

• And if you are still reading, my last and probably most favorite time was the evening spent, alone, with my husband. We had a wonderful dinner at a little Inn on the water. But the best part of the evening was sitting in the lifeguard stand, on the ocean, at sunset, with a blanket and drinks in hand. We soooo needed that time to reconnect with no interruptions! We are possibly facing some life changing decisions and it was the perfect setting to discuss that. More on that when we have the answers we are waiting for. It's nothing bad, as a matter of fact, it is all good, no matter how things turn out.

When we got home, we hit the ground running. So many different things are going on right now, my head is spinning. I have a lot to blog about like Linzi's Spring Program, you HAVE to see my little HAM! It is too funny. I will try to get the video uploaded this weekend. I am also very busy with a few adoption video projects and have a few more on the backburner.

More coming, I promise!!! And I also promise to get around to visiting everyone else. I have popped in here and there, but haven't left any comments lately. I will try to do better!

Teddy on vacation

I love my dog and couldn't imagine a vacation without him. It would be like leaving one of the kids behind. Lucky for us, we are able to take him with us when we go to the condo. One of the best things about traveling with Teddy is seeing everything through his eyes, full of enthusiasm and adventure. Everything (and I do mean everything!) we do with him is like the best experience of his life. I wish I could face my daily grind with his gusto.

Today we took the boat out for a little while to Disappearing Island. The kids had fun and Eric and I enjoyed ourselves. But Teddy is the one who really had a blast. I have never laughed so hard at my goofy little guy.

Spring Break is FINALLY here!!!

(this is Linzi at one of our favorite places. We call it disappearing Island because it comes and goes with the tide. You can only get to it by boat and when the tide is out, it is huge. There are not usually a lot of people there so it's like having your own private island.)

It is finally time for a much needed vacation! A lot has been happening in our house lately. Each one of us (except for Linzi) has some type of stress or issue that we are looking forward to leaving behind. It is time for a renewal of each of our spirits. It is also a time that I hope will give us clarity in some decisions we are facing.

We are leaving for the beach condo tomorrow afternoon. I am usually a go-go-go type of traveler. I tend to try to cram three weeks worth of fun into one week. It can get a little crazy - especially for my dear sweet hubby who just wants to chill. Since the beach condo is conveniently located near all of the attractions in Central Florida, there is usually an amusement park or two on our list of things to do. Not this time. Lately, our day to day life has been pretty hectic and surprisingly, I am really looking forward to downtime with no real action to speak of. We will spend lazy days on the beach, taking the boat up and down the intercoastal and dolphin watching. That's pretty much it. Can't wait!!! I am taking the laptop to work on a video project, so I will try to blog while we are gone too.

Have a great week!