We're coming, Zadie

Mom and I went shopping on Tuesday to buy the rest of the things we need for the trip to China. Since I was not at home - OUR TA ARRIVED. Ky called and told Tad and he called me at Zach's soccer game in Athens to give me the good news! It just took a long time to get from China to Washington! It must have been sent before the holiday. YEAH! We received our Consulate appointment date yesterday (Oct 6) and it is scheduled for November 3. We will hold Zadie in our arms on October 25! Only 19 more days!!! I am so anxious and excited and overwhelmed! God is so good. I cannot wait for our family to be all together. After trying to book flights and hotels yesterday until my eyes were blurry - I contacted a travel agent who is experienced in China adoption travel. She was sooo nice. I felt much better after I spoke with her. I need to relinquish control and let her do the job that she is experienced at doing. I cannot wait to see what she has arranged for our trip! She is working on it today so we should have flights and hotels in place by tonight!

I am taking Izzie to her pre-op today for her ear tubes. She will have them put in on October 14. I hate to see her go through another procedure, but I have talked to a lot of people whose children have had tubes in their ears and they have all been very positive. I pray that it helps her to avoid having more ear infections. I am glad that it will be done before we go to China.

School is going great for Zach and Jacob. They are tired, but they are hanging in there! They love being with their friends every day. I am thankful that they have good friends. Izzie loves preschool, too! She was invited to a birthday party by one of her classmates last week! It was so sweet! Lots of glitter and dancing and unicorns!!! Much different than the boys parties that I am used to with lots of light sabers and Nerf Guns and someone ending up needing a bandaid or 2 before the party is over!! I love being a mom!!!

Jacob and Zach both have birthday parties to attend on Saturday, Kerry and I are going car seat shopping and Tad is helping cut wood for the Slingerland's from church whose son was in a car accident. I also have to pack - so I had better go!

Bye!

Show Hope T-Shirt Fundraiser

I Dig SH

I SH pink

I Show Hope smoke I Show Hope red

White tree Long Sleeve

I Show Hope Choc.

back of I Show Hope

I Show Hope blue

Black Tree

We have been accepted in to the fundraising program offered by Show Hope and are selling T-shirts from their company to raise funds to bring Zadie home from China. The shirts are pictured above and send the message to the world about orphan care. We will be accepting $30 per adult shirts and $25 per youth and child (Only pink heart and I Dig come in youth and child sizes). $15 from each adult shirt and $10 from each youth/child shirt is what we can use for our adoption.

If you want to order a shirt you can email me at traceyculkin@hotmail.com with the style, size and quantity and mail a check to Tracey Culkin, RR2 Box 287, Troy, PA 16947.

Thank you for your support of our adoption and for orphan care around the world!

Black tree (S,M,L,XL,2XL) $30

Women's White long sleeve tree (S,M,L,XL,2L) $30

I Heart SH Pink (women S,M,L,XL $30 child 6mo, 12mo, 18mo, 2T,3T,4T $25)

I Dig SH (women S,M,L,XL,2XL $30, youth XS,M,L,XL $25)

I Show Hope red, chocolte, blue, smoke (S,M,L,XL,2XL,3XL) $30

Still Waiting

It has been a long time since I posted. Our documents were cabled to the US Consulate in Guangzhou on September 7. However, our agency representative was with another adopting family and our paperwork did not get submitted for our Article 5 until September 13. The Consulate only accepts these documents on Mondays and Thursdays, so there is a limited window. I was sad that our papers sat for 5 days because our agency only employs 1 person in China to handle all of their families. Moving on. Our Article 5 was picked up by our agency representative on September 20 and overnighted to the CCAA. Once they get those papers we wait for the CCAA to issue our travel approval (TA). Once our agnecy gets the hard copy in the mail from CCAA they fax a copy of it (TA) and requested dates for our Consulate Appointment (CA) which is the last stop where we get Zadie's Visa medical exam, TB test, shots and Visa to leave the country. I am still hoping for October departure - however, China has some holidays in October so things are shut down from October 1 - 7. If we don't get our TA and schedule our CA in the next 4 days - then nothing gets processed until after the holiday. My stomach is in knots and I keep checking my email. Our regular representative at AAI (our adoption agency) is out of the office at a meeting with CCAA reps in California this week and another girl is handling our adoption processing. I am so worried that she doesn't know what to do and is going to delay our travel. I keep on praying and praying that God will make a way - but I have to trust in His mercy and grace and follow His timing. I want control!!! I am also feeling anxious about leaving Zach, Jacob and Izzie for such a long time. I know that Mom and Dad will take great care of them - but I will miss them so much. The boys were so amazing when we went to get Izzie and I wish they could go with us again - but it isn't possible financially and it would be a hard trip for Izzie, even though she is a great traveller. We would need 2 hotel rooms and 2 cabs in China and it would be rough. Plus the boys would get far behind in school and that would be hard for them to play catch up. It will be ok - I am just a worrier. I am praying for God's peace during this time because I am feeling very anxious.
The boys are doing great in public school. They both have great attitudes and are getting ready in the morning with no complaining! I do miss them during the day. They are growing up so nicely. I am glad they have Jesus on their side! Zach scored his first goal in a JV soccer game a couple of weeks ago! It was great to see him persevere! All the "never give up" speeches were not in vain! I am proud of him. Jacob is such a great big brother to Izzie. He has been sleeping in the "pink bedroom" with his little sister for the past 6 nights! He loves her so much! He says that he realy likes the new sheets because they are soft!
Yes, the bedroom is done! I painted the boys old bunkbeds white and the walls pink. Grammy bought the girls pretty new sheets and comforters, too! It is sooooo girly! I love it! My back and my arm and hand will take a while to recover, but it was worth it!!! I can't wait for both the girls to be tucked into their beds here at home.
It is oficially fall. The sun is shining now and the wind is blowing the leaves off the trees! I love living here and watching the seasons change by God's design.
Kerry Doud and I went shopping last Friday and I bought some outfits for Zadie (and Izzie). I need to start packing - but I am not ready yet. I am sure I will panic when we get TA and then I will run around wondering why I didn't start earlier.
Gotta go read with Izzie and then it's naptime!
Bye!

I800 approval!!

Go Zach!!! First day of School
Go Jacob!!!

Izzie and Jacob haircuts!!

Izzie & Isaac

Yard Sale Friends

Well - there is so much to write today. The yard sale fundraiser was amazing!! God was definitely present as so many people shared their belongings and time and love! We raised about $550 dollars to help bring Zadie home. We were able to donate the remaining items to the clothing bank and to the American Relief in Wellsboro, PA.

Zach had his first JV Soccer game on Saturday. He and his team played well, and it ended in a 0-0 draw. Jacob had his first TAYS soccer game on Sunday and his team also played well but lost 6-4. I love to watch the boys and their friends play and use the gifts God has given them to enjoy soccer.

On Friday Izzie had her first big girl haircut at Mary Kendall's Beauty Salon. She was such a big girl! She loved it!! She lloks so big to me now! She is now ready to go to her first day at Sprire Nursery School in September!! She is so excited! I will miss her - but I am excited to see how much she has grown in one year. She loves people!

This morning the big yellow bus picked up my boys and took tem to public school. Jacob has been schooling at home since 2nd grade (5 years) and Zach went to public school in 6th grade but decided to stay home for the past 3 years. I miss them a lot today. I cannot believe that Zach is a sophomore in High School and Jacob is in 7th grade. They are growing up so fast. I love to see them becoming the men God wants them to be. I pray that they will make good choices and be a positive influence on others. I am so proud of them and I love being their mom. It is an honor and a priviledge.

Izzie and I had a good morning. We had pancake breakfast with Grammy and MomMom. Then we played some games at home and painted with watercolors. Then Amber and Calvin brought Isaac and Karis over to play. Amber had a doctor appointment for the new baby. I pray that they are both ok. I love them. So Izzie has had fun playing with her buddy Isaac and I have had fun cuddling Karis.

Now the BIG news. Tad talked to Officer Harrison today at USCIS! She said that our I800 was approved on Friday, August 27 and was sent to the NVC today, Monday, August 30!! We are getting closer!! Our Visas should be getting back to us this Friday, too! Things are falling into place! I am so hopeful that we can travel in October. Now we wait for the NVC to say that they will approve Zadie's Visa when the time comes. This can take 2-4 weeks. When we get this approval we send a copy to our agency who sends it on to the US Consulate in China. The Consulate then issues and Article 5 which will be delivered to the CCAA. Then we wait for the CCAA to issue the Travel Approval (TA) at which time our agency can schedule the Consulate Appointment (CA)! The CA is the last stop in China before we leave to bring Zadie home forever!!! The estimate from LOA to travel is about 70 days. We are at day 19 since LOA. There is hope for October!!!

Mike and Lisa Shanks are coming to visit us tonight. They brought their little girl, Lydia Hope, home from China this summer and we are so excited to get to meet her! They also have a little boy that was born about 3 months before they travelled to China to get Lydia! His name is Lincoln. They went to Nanning just like we did with Izabelle! I cannot wait to see their pictures and hear their story!! It is amazing that our daughter has helped us meet so many amazing friends!!! She had to come all the way from China to bind us all together! God is so good!!

Bye for now!!!

Today was day 1 of our 3 day yard sale fundraiser for Zadie's adoption. We had so many great friends donate items to sell to help us raise funds! It was such a short time from deciding to have the sale on Saturday to Thursday - but it was great! We are so blessed by our friends, family, community, and church that we cannot put it into words. Traci, Stepphen and Nathan Spencer, Laurie, Lydia, and Emma Kenny (Brighton and Mary, too), Kim and Faith Foulkrod, and Emily Doud all came to spend time with us to help us at the sale! I cannot even name all of the people who donated, but I will try ( I hope I don't leave anyone out): Becky, Naomi, Jill, Brenda, Kerry, Mom, Grandma, Laurie, Traci, Stephanie... So many!!! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts! And then there are those who came to buy!!! It was amazing!! Zadie has so many people who love her already and she hasn't even met them!!! It is hard to imagine that for her entire 4 years of life she has been an orphan and now she has a HUGE family!!! I am glad God chose us to do His good work!!! I cannot wait to hold His precious child in my arms!!!

Tad, Zach and Jacob are at socer practice tonight. Izzie fell asleep on the couch watching Dora the Explorer. She worked so hard selling lemonade to raise funds to bring her little sister home from China! She is going to be an amazing big (if only by 3 months) sister!!! I cannot wait to see the two of them together. And of course - the big brothers will love her as they love their sweet Izabelle! How did I ever get here? I am so blessed! A loving, godly husband and 4 amazing children! OK. Just feeling thankful.

Tomorrow we take Jacob to middle school orientation. Then Izzie and Jacob get their hair cuts for the first day of school. Then it's back to the yard sale!!

Tad talked to our USCIS officer today. She told him that as soon as our I800 and I800a were "matched" then she would get the file and give us our approval!!! YEAH! Maybe tomorrow!! Tad mailed our Visa applications and passports to "There's Always Hope" today, too. Things are moving! I am still praying for end of September beginning of October travel. It would be nice if they placed Zadie in Tad's arms on his birthday October 2!!! I have a feeling she is going to be Daddy's girl!!!

Bye

August

It is now August and I have not been posting here as much as I originally intended to. We received our LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation) or LOA (Letter of Acceptance) on August 11th! That is the letter from China that officially states once we sign and return it that Zadie (Xu Shu) is our daughter! All of our dossier documents have been reviewed and accepted by CCAA! We have sent a copy of the LOA and our I800 application to USCIS (Texas lockbox then Missouri to officer Harrison) and we are waiting for our I800 approval.
This weekend we worked hard to clean the basement and pack up the photo studio equipment. I am taking a break from photography for a while. We have given the studio space to our 15 year old son, Zach. He is so happy! Last night was his first night down stairs and he was a little bit lonely, but he likes having his own space. We bought Jacob a loft bed/desk/futon for his room. He is not sure how he feels about sleeping up so high - but he likes the futon!!! He is so easy to please. Zach's old bedroom will now be transformed into a girly, pink room for Izzie and Zadie. Grammy and Kathy Harkness have offered their painting skills to help me complete this task. Grammy is buying the girls' bedding as a Christmas gift. I am painting Zach and Jacob's wooden bunk beds white for the girls' room. I can't wait to see it completed!!
Since we had so much "stuff" from the bedroom moving process - I decided to have a fund raising yard sale this weekend!!! So many friends have donated items to sell to help us raise money for the adoption! We are so blessed. I hope we have a good trun out and that everyone can find something that they can use at the sale!!!
We have also been approved to sell Shirts of Hope through the Show Hope organization. Tad will be printing the order forms today so we can start selling. These shirts help raise awareness of orphans and will help us to bring Zadie out of the orphanage in China where she has lived over 4 years of her life and bring her home to her family forever! We are so excited to see how God is providing us opportunities to raise the funds for Zadie's trip home!!!
I hope to spend more time here recording our journey. I also have to figure out how to post pictures!!!
Bye for now!

Today is a beautiful, sunny day! Last week was a crazy week. Izzie started getting sick on Tuesday. Took her to the doctor on Friday and started antibiotics. She was so sick Saturday and Sunday morning she was having trouble breathing. Took her to the Troy ER and they sent her on to Arnot Ogden where they admitted her with pneumonia. Poor baby. Tad had drill, of course. The only time the kids get really sick is when he isn't home. He came home immediately. Friends and family helped with Zach and Jacob while we were at the hospital. However, Jacob got very sick while we were gone. Izzie was released on Monday afternoon and then I was home to take care of Jacob. Took him to the doctor and started an inhaler, nasal spray and antibiotics on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Zach and I ended up with some kind of sinus infection on Wednesday and we both started anitbiotics!! For a family that rarely get sick - we hit the jackpot!!! Tad is the only one who has avoided the illness! We are all on the mend now and enjoyed a picninc lunch outside today!!! Tad had to go to the Gap this weekend to be on an evaluation board. We are hoping to be well enough by Tuesday to attend a PA Cyber Charter field trip to Great Wolf Lodge - an indoor waterpark in the poconos.

While we were battling the illnesses - we received great news via email! Jeff and Ky were able to get us some updated info and pictures of our sweet Zadie in Datong!!! I will try to post them here - but am having trouble figuring out the picture upload process. She looks kind of sad and grumpy! Don't worry sweetie - we will be there soon!!! We can't wait to hug her and kiss her chubby little cheeks!!! The wait is soooooo hard!!!

That's all for now. I am going to go outside and transplant some of Great-Grandma's iris bulbs!!! Welcome spring!!!

The Great Paperchase

Today Tad and I went for our physicals. I took all 3 of the kids yesterday for theirs. All 3 kids required shots and it was a tough day! The boys did well as I told them that if they cried then they would scare Izzie. They were very brave big brothers, I am so proud of them! Izzie paniced as soon as she saw the dreaded rubber gloves! During her hospital stay at CHOP for her open heart surgery she encountered many people with rubber gloves who subjected her to many shots, IVs and blood draws. She does not like ruber gloves!!! Poor girl. She still has the bandaids on the injections sites today and will not let me take them off!! We should be getting our packet for the dossier checklist this week. We are pretty sure we have it almost completed. WE just have to make an addendum to our homestudy for the update then Eckel's can sent our I-800a on it's way! We are also waiting for our clearances to come back to go to Eckel's and to AAI. Then I am pretty sure we can send our dossier to China! Tad has done an amazing job with the paperwork again for this adoption! He is feeling a bit stressed because he knows our little girl is waiting for us and he wants to get through all of the red tape and get on a plane to bring her home. I am trying to remain calm - but would really like to getour PA (pre-approval) this week so we can share our good news with our friends!
We get to help set up and serve at a fundraiser dinner for our friends Morgan and Sherry White this weekend. They are adopting their 2 kids from Europe! It is so exciting to see how God is bringing orphaned kids to Troy, PA and uniting them with thier families! I feel so blessed to get to share this journey with Morgan and Sherry! I can't wait to tell them that we are adopting again!!!
Izzie just asked if wecould go outdoors - but it is very cold! We are supposed to get some snow tonight! I am ready for spring!
Zach has decided to attend public school at Troy High next year. I am excited for him and we sat down and picked classes for him this morning. I will miss having him at home, but he is growing up and I know that he will enjoy the high school experience. He is a good kid. He has a lead in the upcoming high school play of Godspell. He is playing Lamar and will be singing a solo, "All Good Gifts". I can't wait to see the play! He has made many new friends and is enjoying the experience.
Jacob has joined 4-H and will be raising 2 market hogs to sell at the Troy Fair this summer. He spent time at the bar this weekend with Grampy building the pen. He is good with animals. I am not sure how he is going to feel when he has to part with the pigs. He has a big heart and gets attached to animals easily. This will be an interesting experience for him!
Yesterday we were excited to see 2 bobcats in our backyard! They ran so fast! It was pretty close to the house, which made me a bit nervous, but we are so blessed to be able to see God's creatures as they play in our yard! I love living here in Troy, PA.
Last weekend was Grandma's 88th birthday. We celebrated at the Chinese Buffet in Sayre, PA. She is an amazing person and I love her so much. My friend, Nancy, makes glass beads and fashioned a beautiful necklace for Grandma. Gary and Bonnie sent her a beautiful lamp with dragonflies on it as dragonflies remind us that Grandpa is in Heaven with his new body waiting for us to join him!! I have rambled on and changed the subject many times - so now I am going to sign off and make Izzie some cocoa!

Here we go again!

We received a file for a little girl from China on February 12, 2010. Tad and I agreed to move forward and attempted to call and email our adoption agency. They had already closed for the day so we tried to find our agency rep on Facebook! We actually found her and sent her a private message in hopes she would get. We asked her to lock in the file for Dang Xushu, DOB 6-1-06. Then we waited. We were very nervous because with the shared list of waiting children any agency can lock in a file at any time. With the long holiday weekend (President's Day Feb 15) we were afraid we would lose her. I tossed and turned and prayed for God's direction and guidance. I prayed for this little girl - if she was to be a part of our family or if He had different plans for her. After getting Izabelle and myself ready for the day, I checked my email! There was a note from Ky! Just at that moment Izabelle informed me that she had to use the potty! That is her impeccable timing! I called tad and he read the email! Dang Xushu was still on the list and Ky locked her file for us! I guess that means that God has plans for her to be a Culkin! So we wrote our LOI (Letter of Intent), filled out our financial status, sent a family photo and passports to our agency and are currently filling out out I-800! We are on the path to adopting our second little China girl!!! This is my first Blog - so I have every intention of going back to fill in the beginning of our story when we adopted Izabelle! Also important information about our two amazing sons, Zachary and Jacob! I hope I am diligent enough to keep this up! It will be good to have a record of our journey!