once upon a time

Kaydee has been with us for a year!

2010-09-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it has been a year!

Kaydee is such a fun little member of our family, and we all love her very much! She loves the dogs and cats as you can see from this photo! She insisted that I take one of her and Winnie :)

Kaydee is doing great, and we can't believe all that she is able to do after just being with us for a year. We look forward to all the adventures that lie ahead for her and for our whole family.

We love you Kaydee!

Mom, Dad, Hailee, Jordan, Rylie, and Emilie.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

I hope that you are able to stand in awe of the wonderful gift that God sent us that First Christmas Night, Our Saviour Jesus Christ!

Blessings,

Angie

daddy's girl

2009-08-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

This one is too cute not to post.

Jason took Kaydee up to ride the carousel. She wasn't sure about riding on his shoulders at first, but soon she had a huge smile. She really loved the carousel ride!

gotcha day 8/4/09

2009-08-05T02:41:00.000-07:00

The day finally came for us to meet our sweet angel Kaydee!

We met her at Chung-yi orphanage around 10 am . By 11:30 am we were walking out the door with our girl!!

How amazing that after all the waiting, wishing, hoping, dreaming, and praying, that we are finally with our daughter and all the world seems right!!! We are so blessed to have a beautiful, happy, loving Angel to share our lives with. We can't wait to bring her home to share her with her brothers and sisters and all of our family and friends!

We love you Kaydee Anna Yi-Chun Christopherson!!

This poem is one that I have thought about since I first started planning to adopt a child. Now I can truly say that this is how my heart feels about Kaydee:

Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone. But, still miracuously my own!

My precious child, never forget for a single minute; you grew not under my heart but in it!

New Photos!!

2009-07-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

We recieved this adorable photo of Kaydee on July 4th. Also we found out that our final ruling and travel dates should be coming soon!! Please help us keep praying that soon we will be holding this precious little girl in our arms.

Blessings,

Angie

Be still

2009-05-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

The last few days have not been easy.
Mother's day was an emotional day for me and my sisters. We felt lonely without our mom there to celebrate. Then something out of the blue happened, We got a call from the hospital and they told us that my dad had been in an accident. We found out when we got there that he had been walking on Saturday night and was hit by a car. He is in serious condition in the ICU, and we aren't sure how long he will be in there. It could be weeks or months before he is able to go home. He will probably need rehabilitation for a long time. I am trying to stay focused on the present right now and not think about the future too much. I am also really struggling right now with being positive that all things will work for good. I know that my hope and faith will endure, I have been through the deepest of valleys in my life with the death of my mom. I just wonder how to stay positive, and feel like I should look forward to tomorrow when it seems as though things just keep getting harder. But, I see signs all around me that remind me that in the deepest valley, and the roughest storms I just need to have faith in my Father in Heaven who loves and cares for me.
The Freeway that I take to get downtown to the hospital has a huge sign on the side of the road that says : Psalm 46:10

That verse says: Be still and know that I am God.
That verse also hung on the wall of my mom's family room. The room where she spent the last month of her life lying in a hospital bed. The room I spent a lot of time in, staring at that sign while my mom slept. Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
It has been a source of comfort to me.
I will try to remember this during these times when I feel like giving up, and wanting to be angry and sad.

This song by Avalon is helping me too.

STILL MY GOD
by Avalon

Up and down like the tide is moving
In and Out we're in motion
And the ocean pulls us under
And even there you're found
YOU never change so I will Sing:

If I'm standing on a mountain
or drowning in the sea
If I am filled with hope
Or crying out for mercy
If I'm singing Hallelujah
Or scared to make a sound
If I am learning how to walk
Or when I'm falling down
I'm saying you are still my God
Still my God.

In a world where so much seems uncertain
You remain both for the strong and broken
No matter where we are you are never far
And nothing changes who you are

If I'm standing on a mountain
Or drowning in the sea
If I am filled with hope
Or crying out for mercy
If I'm singing Hallelujah
or scared to make a sound
If I am learning how to walk
or when I'm falling down
I'm saying you are still my God
Jesus, You are still my God.

You were , you are,
You will be forever,
You were, you are,
You are God.

Be still and know that I am God. Pslam 46:10

Blessings,

Angie

Our Hope Endures

2009-05-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to the park the other day, it is by the beach. They just couldn't resist playing in the sand, even though it is not quite warm enough yet to play in the lake. I did let them check the water temperature by wading in with their bare feet. They can't wait for it to be warm enough to go swimming!

I have been enjoying a new CD that I bought last week, it is Natalie Grant's Relentless CD.
This Song really touched my heart yesterday as I was thinking about the impending first mother's day without my mom, and also 4 months since court for Kaydee and still no news. But, my hope will endure!

Our hope endures
by Natalie Grant

You would think that only so much could go wrong.
Calamity only strikes once
And you think this one has suffered her share
Life will be kinder from here

chorus:
Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear?
But our hope endures
The worst of conditions
It's more that our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged

How do we comprehend peace within pain?
or joy at a good man's wake?
Walk a mile with the woman whose body is torn
with illness, but she marches on?

Chorus:
Oh 'cause
Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear?
But our hope endures
The worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged

Emmanuel God is with us!
El Shaddai, all sufficient!
We never walk alone
This is our hope
But our hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than optimism
Let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged

Blessings,
Angie

Spring Sunset

2009-05-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a beautiful evening, and I thought I would capture the beautiful colors of a spring sunset as seen from my front yard.

Spring Sunset

2009-05-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Too many to fit in one post I guess, I love the colors!
God is the most beautiful artist!
Thank you God for the beautiful world you have given us to enjoy!

Happy Birthday Kaydee!!!!!!!!

2009-05-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kaydee's birthday on Friday night. I made a homemade card for her, and we all enjoyed a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. I included the picture from last year when we celebrated Kaydee's birthday. I never would have imagined last May that we would still be on this very long and interesting journey. We sure hope that soon Kaydee will be home and celebrating everything with us! We can't wait to be her family.

Dear Kaydee,

We hope you had a wonderful 5th birthday. We are very excited that soon you will be home with us and that we can celebrate many new and wonderful things with you as a family. We love you very much.

Love,

Mom, Dad, Hailee, Jordan, Rylie, and Emilie

New pictures!!

2009-04-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Please keep up the praying! Hopefully we will have some good news to follow these adorable photos!

Blessings,

Angie

PRAY KAYDEE HOME!!!!

2009-04-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Please join us in prayer this week! Kaydee is turning 5 on May 2nd!

We are still waiting for a court ruling so that we can finally get our travel dates to bring our beautiful Kaydee home!

Just Believe.

2009-03-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

When God Leads you to the edge of the cliff trust Him fully and let go!

Only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He will catch you when you fall or He will teach you how to fly.

God will shift things around for you and let things work in your favor.

God opens doors that no man can close, and God closes doors that no man can open.

JUST BELIEVE!

Blessings,
Angie

Thing I have learned

2009-03-17T16:49:00.001-07:00

I pulled this little notebook out the other day, Inside I found this list, it wasn't dated but I know it was from 2007. I am in my thirties and some of these things I probably learned long ago but maybe God taught them to me in a new way in 2007. I Know our adoption has taught me a lot about faith and patience! Maybe you have learned some of these long ago too, but I know some of these little things are very important because this list still seems as relevant today as when I wrote it!

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED:

1) HAVE FAITH IN GOD ALL THE TIME! ( it is even in all caps in my notebook !)

2) Some things take time...have patience.

3) Wanting something really bad RIGHT NOW! doesn't mean it is RIGHT, or you should have it NOW.

4) Have a budget and a plan, save extra money for hard times.

5) Keep praying, Especially for Wisdom!

6) Do what is right, don't follow the crowds.

7) Having patience is hard and takes practice.

8) Even ideal situations have their drawbacks, nothing will ever be perfect. ( except God)

9) Those who take care of little will be given much
those who can't take care of little will never be given much!

10) The Lord never gives us more than we can handle!

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it!

I hope some of these ring true in your life too!
I thank God for the lessons He teaches me every day.

Blessings,
Angie

In Loving Memory

2009-03-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

It has been a while again. Unfortunately it is because I was busy helping take care of my Terminally ill Mother. She had been battling breast cancer for 10 years, and on January 6th, 2009 we found out that her cancer had spread to her brain. We helped her get on a hospice service ( the same one that she had worked for as an R.N. a few years ago before she went on disability due to her cancer). She was able to be cared for at home by her husband ( my step dad) Me and my 3 younger sisters, my 3 close cousins, my 2 aunts, my step sister, and the hospice team that visited a few times a week.

On Sunday February 8th , 2009 my mother went home to Heaven. She went peacefully, with lots of family close by to hold her hand. I miss her very much.

My mom and I had a very close relationship, It is hard to believe that she will not be here to see Kaydee come home from Taiwan, or watch her children and grandchildren grow. I know that her spirit lives on in all of us who loved her so much, but things just don't feel right without her here.
My mom was very brave and fought a very long, hard fight against breast cancer. She was only 58 years old, she should have had many more years here with us. Still, I know that God is in control and that His eye is on all of His children. I know He has a plan for each of us while we are on this earth. The time that my mom had on this earth was short, but it was filled with love. Her life touched so many. It was evident as we all pulled together for the last month of her life. As a small but mighty group of family and caregivers we were able to provide her with round the care clock, and my mom was able to be surrounded by people who genuinely loved and cared for her. Each one of us had experienced so much of her love, there is no where else we would have been. I was able to spend many nights by her side holding her hand, saying how much I loved her, and praying for her when she was asleep. I am grateful for the time I had with her.

It has taken me awhile to be able to sit and put my thoughts on paper. It is hard to express in words exactly what it is I am feeling about losing my mom. This is a tribute I want to make to her:

Angels

My mother loved angels. In fact, I am named Angela because I was her first daughter and she felt that I was her little Angel sent from heaven. My mom loved me unconditionally. throughout my life she was the one person who I knew would never judge me, or abandon me in my time of need. She was always there for me.
My mom believed in Angels, she also had an angel collection. The first thing you would notice as you walked in my mother's house was her extensive angel collection. Shelves and shelves of Angels. People would often give them to her as gifts, and she knew each Angel and who it came from. At one point she thought about packing some of them away because she had so many, but she said she could not choose which ones to keep out or pack away, so they all had to stay out!

I believe in Angels too, but I never gave much thought about them until this last January when my mom became very, very sick. I prayed daily for my mother during this time, sometimes many times a day. I asked for God's peace and comfort for her and also for healing. There was a part of me that wanted to believe that if I prayed faithfully and earnestly, that God would heal my mom. When her condition deteriorated , I prayed that God's will would be done in her life, and that he would send His Angels to watch over her. His Angels, the ones she believed in, the ones she knew were always there. I finally felt that it was okay to put her life and mine in His Hands, and know that He was right there with us giving us peace, comfort, and strength to get through this difficult time. When my mom passed away, and was able to leave this world behind, I know that she was being guided safely home to Jesus by God's beautiful Angels. I pray that as she beheld all of God's glory in Heaven that she was able to hear the beautiful chorus of Angels and know that she had made it to her eternal home.

I love you Mom, and I miss you.
I know that you will always be with me in spirit. I will see you again when we are reunited in heaven.

Many blessings,

Angie

procrastination, hesitation, resistance?

2008-12-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

I have thought about this blog a lot since I first created it WAY back in June! What was it that prevented me from writing things down? I think it was fear, fear that this story would never have a happy ending. Their have been a lot of twists and turns along the way. And i have had doubts here and there. One thing that has really been tested throughout this has been my faith. Some days it felt much easier to listen to those nagging voices in my head, the ones who tell you to give up, its to hard, what were you thinking? But, at the end of the day I always knew that there is a Father in heaven who loves and cares about me, and all He wants me to do is put my trust in Him! God is good!

So, here we are today. A very good day. We received news about our court hearing today! It is scheduled for January 8th 2009! I am thrilled. I feel like things are really happening. It is hard to believe that after all this waiting we may have our daughter home in a few months!
Although this has been the goal all along, and I knew that eventually we would travel to Taiwan, I am feeling like I am not ever going to be ready for this trip. It is overwhelming to think about all the little details involved in getting ready to bring our child home. One of the first items on my agenda was to write in this blog, so Check one off the list. Next is to get a care package/Christmas present sent to Kaydee.

I do not even want to attempt to fill everything in from June 21st until now, so I will give a brief timeline to record some of the highlights. Here goes:

August 2006- made the decision to adopt a child.

October 2006- we sent in our application for our home study to Summit adoption home studies inc.

November 2006- made the sad decision to put adoption plans on hold.

August 2007- After a lot of soul searching and prayer, we decided to proceed with adoption.

September 2007- After doing some research we found an adoption program for Ukraine. We have decided to adopt a little girl from 0-3 years old from Ukraine!

November 2007- Notified home study agency that we are ready to proceed! Also, mailed I-600 a application to USCIS.

December 2007- completed the 2 home visits for our home study.

January 2008- FBI fingerprints taken for USCIS. Medical exams and blood work done ( required for Ukraine)

February 2008- Home study sent to USCIS.

March 12th 2008- after deliberating about waiting for a trip to Ukraine for a referral, we found the photo of our sweet little Kaydee from Taiwan on a photolisitng. We received her information the next day, and committed to adopt her!

April 2008- we have a revised home study for Taiwan. The orphanage in Taiwan is reviewing our application and home study!

May 2008- Our agency calls to let us know that we are approved to adopt Kaydee!

June 2008- contracts arrive from Taiwan! no USCIS approval yet though :(

July 2008- Still no USCIS approval!

August 2008- Our agency closes! Not to worry, they are transferring our case to another agency!

And of course one week later... our USCIS approval comes!

September 2008- finally get our case transferred to the new agency and finish compiling dossier.

October 1st 2008- Dossier on its way to New York, then Taiwan! Yeah!!!

November 2008- We get our very first update and photos of Kaydee since her photolisting photo, and a full medical report!!

December 12th 2008- ( exactly 10 months later) we recieve a court hearing date for January 8th , 2009!! Also, we get a Skype meeting scheduled for January!

More to come!!

Hopefully it wont take me 6 months to update this blog again!

I will add more as I get it. No matter what twists and turns this story may take, it is sure to be an exciting adventure! I know it is one I will never forget.

Blessings,

Angie

let the paper chase begin

2008-06-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome! Please join me as I create the story of our journey to a little princess who is waiting for our family in Taiwan.

We are a family of 6, soon to be 7! We have 4 bio kids ages 11, 9, 7 year old twins, and our princess waiting in Taiwan who is 4.
We started this story awhile ago, July of 2006. God had moved my heart and I felt that adopting a child from another country was His plan for our family. At first I wanted to adopt an infant from China, but we did not meet some of the requirements. We looked at Guatemala, Russia, and Taiwan, and decided that Taiwan was the program for us. In October we had gathered enough information to feel comfortable starting the home study process, so we filed our application. In November, we had some unexpected financial downfalls and decided that we would not be able to move forward with our adoption. I was heartbroken, but I trusted that God would do what was right for our family. I knew that He was watching over our family, and that He knew the plan for us. As hard as it was I kept on going, and tried not to feel discouraged; there was an empty spot in my heart where a little child belonged.

I refocused my energy on raising my four amazing kids, and homeschooling them. One thing that researching adoption did for me was give me a heart for orphans and needy children around the world. I helped my kids to learn more about helping the poor and needy, and helped them understand what it means to be an orphan. Looking back, I am sure that God's plans are perfect and that international adoption has left a permanent burden in our family's hearts to help those in need.

As 2007 kept marching on, the feeling that I was supposed to adopt a child kept tugging at my heart. I made the decision n October to tell my husband that I felt that it was time to try again. At first he was surprised and a little resistant. I think he had made peace with the decision not to adopt, but when I explained to him that this was something I had felt very strongly about all along, he agreed to move forward. We decided to try an independent adoption in Ukraine. We also decided that we would be open to adopting a child from 0-6years old, and we would consider some minor special needs. In November we started our home study and filed our I 600 A.
We finished the home study in December right after Christmas. I was so excited to be moving forward with everything that I bought a stocking for our new daughter, and hung it on the fireplace! We also decorated a bedroom just for her.

In February of 2008 I was starting to get restless waiting for the I 171 H to come because in Ukraine you have to send your dossier over and get logged in before you can travel, then you get a referral while you are in country. I was thinking this could be months and months, because Ukraine had some changes happening, and seemed to be moving slowly. I was feeling discouraged. I started looking at photo listings of waiting children both international and U.S. kids. I also contemplated doing foster care. One night I was feeling really down, I was doubting why I ever started this whole thing. I remembered how I had felt when I first heard God speaking to my heart about adopting. I prayed that night for His guidance,"Father, what should I do?" That night, I found a photo listing that had a photo of our little girl! I could hardly sleep all night, I knew I needed to call the agency that was representing her right away in the morning. That was March 12th 2008, and through a few twists and turns we are holding her contracts in our hands today! Praise God.

We would love to have you with us through this exciting journey. I have already been so encouraged and blessed by other blogs and adoption stories. I hope our story can be a blessing and encouragement to you!