It's official!

Fu Jun is officially Kambry Hope follwing our refinalization hearing this month!

Kambry's Gotcha Video

Finally, after 7 months home, we've made Kambry's Gotcha video. Thank you, Kuyler! Please turn off the music at the bottom of this page before starting video. Enjoy!

And there's more ...

These pictures of our sweet boy were taken last week by a mommy receiving her precious daughter. Thank you "M" for blessing us!

Doing the Happy Dance here! We just found out our dossier was logged in with CCAA on November 12. Let the countdown begin ...

Currently it's taking 90 to 120 days from LID to LOA (Letter of Acceptance). That's around the first of March.

What I am thankful for:

Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior

My husband

My children

My parents, brothers and sisters Johnson and Darnell

My dear friends

My church family

My country and its freedoms

Birth mothers

Good health

The things I take for granted

The trials that have brought me closer to the Lord

That His plans are far greater than my own

"...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thes. 5:18

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Happy Birthday, Oklahoma!

Our town celebrated Oklahoma's Centennial in a big way yesterday with events planned all day long. Our football team also won 2nd round playoffs and advanced to semi-finals next weekend ~ go Big Red!

10:30 a.m., ready for the party! 12:30 p.m., too much party :)

6:30 p.m., in awe of the fireworks

Yep, that's me, the real deal, nothing super, nothing special. Just the sleep-deprived, older mommy who is blessed beyond my wildest imagination. There's a lot going on in the world of adoption right now, and it causes me to reflect, and reflection causes me to share my heart. With the seemingly never-ending referral wait in the China program, the rigorous regulations, the closing of some IA programs and the corruption in others, I stand in awe that I have been so blessed. Four years ago God instantaneously and miraculously invited Clayton and I to join Him where His heart is at: adoption. We were totally clueless about the process, the cost, the heartache and the extent of the blessings! We proceeded on blind faith, only pausing occasionally when our own doubts and weaknesses crept in. In one weak moment I asked myself many questions, questions which I now realize may be typical, but have proven totally irrelevant! I wondered if I could love a child not born of myself, a child that didn't "look like" me, how I would survive not knowing his/her exact birth date, the circumstances of his/her "fatherless" state, his/her biology, siblings or not ... and on and on. These are all questions worth pondering but can also be traps of the enemy, lies he wants us to buy into, tapping into our own weaknesses and fears rather than relying on the strength of God Almighty.

My four year old daughter knows she is a victor, not a victim, but only because of Jesus! If you have a minute, she'll tell you all about Him :) I'm not so naive to think my children won't someday have questions about their birth family or find themselves wondering who they are and how they fit in. I can't fabricate the missing pieces, and just as I have learned to accept them, perhaps they too will find some comfort in knowing I am their "real" mommy and they are "real" siblings because they have been adopted by their "real" Heavenly Father. And that is my charge: to love, nurture, provide for and guide them. I take that very seriously. The rest is icing on the cake!

I've been kissing boo-boos, potty training, soothing after countless night terrors, teaching to tie shoes, praying for and with, and loving on my beautiful kiddos for 19 years now, so if you ask me if they are "real brothers and sisters," or I'm their "real mommy," I'll say a resounding, "Yes!" Additionally, three of them have birth parents I pray for. And to those birth parents, I say, "Thank you for choosing life and giving me the privilege of being their forever Mommy."

To think that God would give our family this short four-year time span to add three beautiful children to our family is amazing to me. Thank you, God!

Random ramblings

How could I not start with that picture! This is Kambry's true personality. What a week we've had. My kitchen counter looks like a medicine cabinet with a variety of liquids and chewables for various ages and symptoms.

Three "K"s left on the bus,

but the teacher called and said, "Kolton's still contagious."

Maybe next week we'll be healthy. Did I mention my dryer went out 3 days ago (yeah, no laundry!). Daddy's made several trips to get parts, none of which have healed it. So, Santa, if you're reading this, I want the largest capacity washer and dryer there is, but I need it now :)

Despite sickness we've had a lot going on this week. I finally finished Kuyler's senior scrapbook, now that he's halfway through his first semester of college.

We celebrated Kolton's 12th birthday, even though he was sick. Happy Birthday, my bighearted boy!

We finally received the FedEx package containing our PA and Kaeleb's original referral docs and pictures! Now that we have his Chinese name in print I taped it to some of the items in his care package and sent it! Poor FedEx guy didn't know he would be stalked by the crazy lady with the camera :) Care packageHave a great weekend!

God's Plan A

So, about the time change ...

Don't get me wrong, sleep is my LONG LOST friend, and I am an early riser ... but since the time change I have 2 little girls up and running at 6 a.m.! So much for my other long lost friends, quiet and solitude :) We had a great weekend hosting a family gathering. The kids enjoyed their cousins, and we all enjoyed fellowship and food.

My 3 beautiful girls before Kenzie's singing performance at the Charity Concert.

What can I get into next??? It's my first Halloween and what on Earth has my mom got on me? Charming!

Now if only we could rid our home of the virus that keeps rearing its ugly head ... for 3 weeks now! Somebody needs ibuprofen every 6 hours for fever, somebody needs a trash can close by for the upset tummy, and so on... but life goes on.

It came today! Basically PA (pre-approval) is CCAA officially matching us with our precious son. They recoginze our petition to adopt him, and based on the information contained in our LOI, they agree that we can proceed.

My dad needs our prayers this week

Celebrate, good times!

We opted out of the football game to celebrate our DTC status and here's the result ...I'm so dainty ...

... or not!

I'm not sure what we celebrated, but it was a good plan!

DTC!

We just received word that our dossier is authenticated and on its way to China. We are officially DTC (dossier to China)! Now we wait for an LID (log in date), which can take anywhere from 5 to 30 days. Our LID determines when our official countdown begins.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psa 40:1

Surprise!

Imagine our surprise as we walked into church as usual last night and waiting for us was the kaddy of my dreams! It's a double jogging stroller from Kidz Kargo. Now Kambry and Kaeleb can ride in style, and Mom can get some exercise. I had put my name on a "wish list" for a second hand stroller at Children's Orchard, thrilled at the prospect of getting one for a decent price, when apparently my plotting friends made other plans :) And I have to share the touching words in the card ...
"Believing with you ~ in the wisdom of His ways, in the goodness of His love, and in the assurance of His presence as He keeps you every step of the way."
Those words speak volumes to me as I realize we are not on this journey alone. Anyone who has been down the path of adoption knows the journey is unpredictable, challenging, emotional and draining in many respects. I praise the Lord for so many friends who "get it" and are willing to hold our hands as we walk through the fire, ready to embrace us on the other side. If you are an adoptive parent, whether waiting or blessed to have completed the journey, I give you my biggest cyber hug ! And if you know someone who is riding the adoption roller coaster, please give them a hug today! Thank you, dear friends, for blessing our family in so many ways. May you be blessed in return.
..."I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Mat 25:40

Trash or treasure?

Oh, the treasures in our trash! Mom's secret is out ... the key to getting over that midday slump ~ Diet Mountain Dew!

If I do this ...

... then I can do this!

And speaking of treasures, Kambry has learned to give kisses. It's adorable! Pucker up, Sis!

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psa 34:4

What a difference a day (or two) makes ...

So what do you do when you've built your home to accommodate the 3 children God has blessed you with ... and then He blesses you with 3 more (oh, and adding on is out of the question because of adoption costs)? Improvise! We've repainted, removed clutter and rearranged. Painting is NOT my kind of project, especially 3 rooms in 3 days, but when I set my mind to do something, I tend to finish it. Of course, this means everything else went by the wayside, including the obligatory 4 loads of laundry per day, so today is catch-up, but look at the kids' "new" rooms!

This was Kolton's room, and now it's Kenzie's room
Before















This was Kuyler's "OU" room (don't worry, son, you still have a place to sleep when you come home from college!). Now it's Kolton (and Kaeleb's) room.
Before
















And this was Kenzie and Kayden's room. Now it's Kayden and Kambry's room, which means the crib is out of our room. Daddy added the extra touch of ladybugs on the walls :)
Before














After
As for our adoption process, we really expect to receive our PA this week, and be DTC! Maybe then we can just chillax this weekend!

Nearly official!

Today we filed Miss Kambry Hope's Petition for Adoption with the Court. See, even though adoptions are final when both parents travel to China, we must re-finalize within our state to legally change the child's name and acquire a US birth certificate or Certificate of Foreign Birth, showing us as her parents (so cool!). The law in our state requires she reside here six months before filing the Petition. So within the next few weeks we'll have the hearing and the Court will issue the Decree of Adoption. She's a Johnson through and through, but this will make it official!

While we wait for PA ...

... I just need to ramble (imagine that :) I continue to receive emails and comments from people who saw our Kaeleb on the WC list and prayed that his Forever Family would find him. It warms my heart to know God has honored the intercession of so many in uniting us with our sweet boy! To those who have prayed for our son, thank you! Every time you email us, it brings us to tears (of joy!). Even with all God has done and continues to do, it still amazes me that He has orchestrated every step of this journey to bring Kaeleb home ... from the way we "found" him, to a miracle in his referral paperwork, to God's abundant provision. Even in the waiting, He is blessing us. And to those mommies and daddies waiting on your Foshan NanHai sweeties, we plan to return the favor and pray over each one of them when we travel!

Totally off the subject ...

Thank you, LP, for the awesome sign!

Yes, that is a 'fountain' in Kambry's hair! We'll see how long that lasts.

How much can we do in one week?

What a week this has been! We gathered, priced and organized items for our garage sale Wednesday and Thursday, opened the sale Friday morning, watched high school football Friday night, hosted a 5th quarter, reopened the sale Saturday morning, tore it down and hauled off the leftovers, attended a Moon Festival party, then church and a birthday party Sunday.

We're exhausted.
Kayden and Kambry fell asleep during the 5th Quarter. The garage sale exceeded our expectations! We are so grateful to all who have invested so much into bringing our little guy home. Many of our church family donated items, have prayed for and encouraged us. And my hat's off to AM and LS for the countless hours you spent putting this thing together, loading, unloading, pricing, folding, sorting and on and on! Even though we've faced some obstacles, each one has been overcome and followed by God's provision and affirmation. We can't wait to see what He's going to do next ... maybe bring our PA this week???

Here are a few random shots from the week.

My sweet girls

Picking flowers for Mom

Spirit week and next fundraiser

Last week was Spirit Week, and the kids participated with enthusiasm!Even the Wookie (Kambry)!



How can we lose with a cheering section like that :)
Now we're preparing for our next fundraiser. We're having a 2-day garage sale October 12 and 13. We've got tons of donated items, it's in a great location, and we're prepared to work hard. I praise the Lord for our dear friends who are putting the project together!