Am I really going back to China again or is this a dream?

As we are getting things ready around the house to leave for China on Wednesday, I feel like I'm in a dream.   This will be our third time back to China, the first being an educational, mission type trip to help in English classes and visit an orphanage, the second to adopt our little Toby and now to adopt our little Talia.  David and I are excited, but also sad that we cannot bring our three biological children, Bethany,Luke and Cassidy with us.  They were able to come with us on the first two trips.  We are a team and when we have to separate,it just doesn't feel right.  We will be thinking about them the entire time and we know that they will be just fine.  We will be so excited to be a family of SEVEN when we arrive on January 29th.

We are starting to pack our suitcases and I had to pack up Talia's bag first.  I LOVE the birthday shirt that my friends gave her because you see, we will actually hold her in our arms for the first time ON HER 5TH BIRTHDAY.   We will do our best to make her birthday the best one she has ever had.  This is her last birthday to ever be an orphan again and we are giving her the gift of a family on the very same day that she was born.  (Tissue break) We will give you as many updates as we have time for.  Having Toby with us and a new child that we don't even know, will bring many time constraints as you can imagine, but when the children are asleep, we will do our best to communicate with our special family and friends.  We are so grateful for the many donors that gave to our adoption.  We honestly could not have done this without you.  Thank you for allowing God to use you in our lives. We are so blessed!