The Problem with not Blogging Very Often...

...is that when you finally reach critical mass and REALLY need to draft an update, it's hard to know were to start.  Bullet points are always handy at a time like this:

• I cannot believe that it has already been a month since Christmas.  (I haven't even posted Christmas photos yet.  Yikes.)
• I cannot believe that yesterday was Lilly's last day of antibiotics following her December surgery.  (Please join us in praying that she remains fever- and pain-free as we get farther and farther out from her last dose).
• I cannot believe that the second quarter of school is wrapping up this week.  (High school has a steep learning curve for Mom and Dad, not just Jared.  Sheesh.) 
• I cannot believe that we are leaving for China--Lord willing--in roughly 2 weeks, pending confirmation of our Consulate Appointment.  (I have piles of things mounding in my bedroom, awaiting the suitcases being brought up from the basement...) 

Can YOU? 

2012 is off to a fun and frenzied start.

So, let me take care of my negligence in posting photos from Christmas....

Dessert Spread at my house on Christmas Eve...

Girls in their jammies Christmas morning
.

Nana, Pap Pap, and Uncle Doug

Presents at Uncle Justin and Auntie Lita's house on Christmas Day.

The kids perform a Christmas scripture reader's theather--somewhat begrudgingly (but with lots of talent...)

Quick photo op with Dr. Campbell just prior to headed to the OR...doesn't Lilly look happy to be here?

Getting ready for surgery...happier now that the doctor has left the room...

Tanya getting some Lilly lovin', AUntie Allison and me looking on at the fun...

More fun at Aunt Judi's house...

Anna hanging with Uncle Jer and Uncle Doug (Uncle Jer is sporting 5-year-old cousin Peter's brand new hard hat...nice!)

So that is just a few of the photos...we had a fabulous holiday, spending it like this:  

• Christmas Eve at our house with my family;
• Christmas Day at my brother's house with my family (Lita cooked up an amazing spread and Nana came through with the German Chocolate cake)
• The day after Christmas at my brother's house to celebrate my mom's birthday (and got to see the geezer dance...will try to post video if I can track down a copy...); 
• Then headed north to New Jersey.  Jared and Anna stayed with cousins and aunts and uncles and Grammy and Pop Pop while Lilly, Tom, and I headed to CHOP for her surgery. 
• Surgery went well--they removed the remaining portions of her rods on her left side in the hopes of getting out any remaining bacteria.  She recovered quickly, and we were headed back up To Grammy and Pop Pop's by Thursday for the fun Cantilina Christmas festivities over the weekend.

Christmas and New Years' now behind us, we have been back in the swing of school, swim team, instruments, band, winter track, and a few fun add-ons that were Christmas presents (archery lesson for Anna and rock climbing lessons for Jared).  For me, I have jumped back into Bible study and basic household management and personal fitness routines.  For Tom (who, by the way, is now a Colonel-select--woo hoo!), work is revving up and he is hitting his stride.  Life has been full and rich.

After another fun weekend with my family to celebrate all the January birthdays, Jared turned 15 and then I turned, well, I had a birthday too. 

And the best birthday present of all was that we received our Travel Approval (TA).  This is the final approval before we GO GET ISABEL!  Because the approval was mailed on the final business day before Chinese New Year began, we have to wait until all the offices in Beijing reopen before we can get our Consulate Appointment (CA) confirmed.  This is the date around which the entire adoption trip is built. We should have a confirmed Consulate Appointment sometime early next week and we can then book our airline tickets.

Tentatively, it looks like we'll be heading to China around the 10th of February, meeting Isabel on the 13th, and heading home around the 23rd or so.  I promise not to wait until we're home from China to update the blog again...I will post our actual confirmed dates once we have them.

I have some new photos I'll share of Isabel, along with an amazingly cool story:  

I was serving as a timer for Jared's indoor track meet two weeks ago, and, while passing the time waiting for the meet to start, I checked out Facebook on my iPhone.  There was a message from a cyber-friend who was, at the time, in China with her newly adopted little boy and girl.  Her little girl happened to be from the same orphange as Isabel.  This I had already known. 

But here's the really cool part.  My friend and another family in their adoption travel group had gone to visit the orphanage in Luoyang with their newly adopted children.  When they walked into the room where Isabel was, she was all excited and ran up to see her little (newly adopted) friend who was with her new mama and baba.  My friend and the other family spent quite a bit of time playing with Isabel, snapping photos of her, and even praying over her that she might have a family coming soon.  What they didn't know at the time was that Isabel is the little girl WE are waiting to go bring home!  When my friend got back to her hotel room and logged onto Facebook, she noticed a new photo of Isabel that I had posted (from our agency). 

(isn't that smile SO sweet?)

Recognizing her (really bad) haircut, my friend was so excited to realize and let me know that she had just spent some time with her!  I was thrilled to hear all about their visit and see their photos. 

I was also thrilled to know that someone had taken the time to pray for her.  And to know that she is witnessing her little friends going home with wonderful new mamas and babas who might look and sound different than what she's used to, but who take the time to smile and play and even pray when they visit.  Oh how I pray her ayis are taking the time to talk to her about the huge changes that lie ahead and to look through the photo books I have sent of our family so our faces look familar to her.