This Sunday!!! Come hang with us and see pics of our trip...

Oh my stars!!! I can't believe I totally forgot to let you all know!!! (I suppose it's been in the church announcements, but I know some of you probably didn't know about it)...Tomorrow night (this Sunday May 4), we will be showing pictures (and souvenirs) and sharing our journey to get Ellie!!! You are all welcome to just come hang out with us! Bring the whole family...it will be totally low key!!!

So here's the details...
May 4 at 5:00 PM
FBC Lodi (in the chapel)

You all have helped in so many ways and we want to be able to share our time in China with you!!! We hope to see you there!!

Come on out this Friday night!!!

Just a reminder...

Come help bring Nathan Eby Home!!!

This Friday, April 25 FBC Lodi
Squeeze Inn burgers served anytime between 5-7 PM
Concert 7-8 PM (Della Sandoli and (me) Tiffinie Nielsen)

We are not all called to adopt, but we are all called to do something!!! Come help support this amazing family as they work to bring their second son home from China!!!

Help spread the word!!! One less orphan, one more Eby!!!

Then and Now...6 Months Later...

Yesterday we celebrated the most important event in human history!!! Christ is risen from the dead!!! Christ conquered death and  proved He is who He said He was!!! He is my risen Lord and Savior and the One I live for each and every day!!!

 

As we celebrated Easter yesterday, I was reminded that 6 months ago to the very day (October 20, 2013) our lives were forever changed!!! A beautiful baby girl was placed in our arms to be part of our family forever!!! What a blessing she is to our family, and I can't believe how far we have come in these past 6 months!!!

 

Here we are with the other families we traveled with (minus one other family whose daughter was in a different Province)


 

I remember my heart filling with excitement as we waited in this tiny room with the other families!!! The kids were to be arriving shortly, so we had time to take a picture of our families before getting our kids. I remember talking with June (one of the other moms) about what our reactions would be...would we recognize our kids, would we cry, would they cry? We asked Sherri (our guide) if they would be bringing in the kids one at a time, and she said yes...
We then heard voices coming down the hall...could it be them??? NO...just 3 more families added to our crowded room. They were families from (I think) the Dominican Republic and were also coming for their kids.

So here we all were...and then...MASS CHAOS!!! All the kids came in at once!!! I couldn't find her (I had a serious disadvantage being the shortest one, lol!!!)...but Tim spotted her right away. The world stopped for a brief moment, much like it did when Jeremy and Drew were brought into this world!! We made our way to her, and the rest was a whirlwind!!! She was finally in her mommy and daddy's arms!!!

Here we are with one of the nanny's who took care of her.

 

 We took her back to the hotel to celebrate not only her GOTCHA DAY, but also her 1st birthday!!!

 

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!



Six months ago today (October 21), Jiang Chu Xue officially became Ellie Mei Nielsen!!!

A thumb print over every signature makes everything official in China!!
 

Those 2 weeks in China were one of our most funnest, craziest, hardest, exhausting times in our lives to date, but we wouldn't have traded it for anything!!!

Last days in China...We all have our kids now!!! We miss these families sooooo much, but are blessed with Social Media where we can still keep in touch!!!
 

We have been back for 6 months now, so I thought it would be fun to show a picture from each month!!!

November
(where Ellie decided to put everything in her mouth...legos, leaves, old food, etc.)

 

That first month home was CRAZY!!! Ellie went from drinking only out of a bottle to eating baby food!!! She screamed and cried when there was food and we had to quickly teach her sign language for simple words like "More!!!" We assured her that we would always give her more if she wanted it and she didn't have to scream for it! She put EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING in her mouth!!! I am glad to be past that crazy stage, yet know it was all part of the learning process!

December
What fun for Ellie to celebrate her first Christmas!!!

 In December, Ellie's personality truly came out!! She is a "ham" and sooo much fun!!! She LOVED Christmas and loved meeting her extended family for the first time!!!

January
In January, Ellie began to walk!
 

Ellie took off walking in January!!! She is fast, on a mission, and has incredible balance!! She loves to climb on things (like her big brothers)...the coffee table is one of her favorite places!! Her hair also became long enough for the cute "pig tails."

February
All "sporty" and ready to have some fun!!
 

She is definitely a "daddy's girl," and thanks to "big sister, Yay-Yay" she is sporting her daddy's favorite: Puma shoes and a Puma outfit!!! Each day she eagerly looks out the window for "DA-DA, DA-DA!!!" when he comes home from work!!! He is greeted each night by 2 crazy boys that are ready to tackle him and one beautiful girl who's eyes light up when she sees him!!!

March
Her first time at the beach!!!

In March we took another trip back to So Cal to see family over Jeremy's spring break. We made it to the beach one day, and Ellie LOVED the sand!!!

Here we are NOW!!!

Ellie wakes up each day with the CRAZIEST bed head!!! She is excited to start each new day with breakfast and is on the go until she crashes for nap time!! She is then on the go again until bed time!!! She makes us laugh like no other!! She is saying a new word just about everyday!! She loves her shoes, purse, bows, getting her nails painted and anything "girly," yet LOVES to wrestle and play crazy with her brothers!! She still is cautious in new situations, yet is finding comfort in the love and safety of our family...her family!!

THEN (October 20, 2013)



NOW (April 20, 2014...6 months later)
 

What a joy Ellie has brought to our lives!! These past 6 months have not been easy, but worth it all!!!

We love you, our sweet Ellie Mei!! Happy 6 month Gotcha Day!!!

 

 

One less...

Over a year ago, Tim and I were listening to one of our favorite CD's, "The Story of Your Life" by Matthew West.
Song #6 jumped out at us because of the words... it was our story... "One Less!!" It is the story of adoption and the fact that there will be one less broken heart in the world tonight.

We have another amazing opportunity to help there be one less orphan and I would love to personally invite you to help!!

Our dear friends, Steve and Sarah Eby (who we came to know through our adoption of Ellie), brought their beautiful son Peter home from China a little over a year ago.

God laid it on their hearts to adopt again, and they are in the process of adopting another little boy, Nathan...one more Eby, and one less orphan!!!

Here's how you can help:

 Friday April 25

FBC Lodi

Dinner/Concert Fundraiser to bring little Nathan home!!!!

 

"Squeeze-In" burgers (by donation) served between 5-7 PM

Concert 7-8 PM

 

 

I am honored that the Ebys have asked me to be a part of the concert, so I will be singing some songs that night to help raise money for Nathan...what a privilege!!

 

They will also be doing a silent auction that night!! If you would love to donate something, or would love to put of fun basket together of goodies to be donated please let me know as soon as possible.

 

We hope to see you there!!  



3 Months Later...

 

This is the face of the beautiful, vibrant, adorable girl who we have the blessing and privilege of raising!!!! We are truly blessed!!!

 

We hear it often said that she is so blessed to have us as a family!!! The truth of the matter is, it is us that continually reap the blessings!!!!! 

 

I thought that rather than writing a bunch of stuff, I would just outline our past 3 months by way of pictures...so fun!!!

 

Having said that, I have always tried to make a point to be real with everyone and never sugar coat our lives!! These past 3 months have been TOUGH!!! It has been extremely rough gaining an instant 1 year old and learning how to manage a family of 5. In the past three months, there has pretty much been at least one sick kid a week, and we have had many trips to the doctors! We have had sleepless nights and exhausting days...the laundry is always on "back order", chicken nuggets have been the dinner meal far too often, and the dishes are usually right where they were left :-)!!! Regardless, we wouldn't change a thing, and we feel as if Ellie has been with us from the start!! She is a perfect fit to our family, and only an all powerful God could orchestrate such an amazing thing...To God be the glory!!! 

 

Enjoy the pictures!!!!

 

First full day home asleep in her crib...the sleep didn't last long, but it was surreal to see her lying there finally at home!!!

 

We arrived home late October 30, so we were prepared for a little "trick or treating" on October 31st...of course she had to be a ladybug!!!

 

All ready for her first bike ride...she LOVED it!!!

 

"Are you sure about this daddy?"

She loves taking jogs with daddy on Monday's and Thursday's!!

 

First (of many I'm sure) drum lesson with daddy!!

 

Drew's 4th birthday party...Pirate style...Yo Ho!!!

 

Ellie loves to find her way under chairs and tables!!!

 

Got her ears pierced!!!! She looks adorable with cute little pearls in her ears, and despite getting them pierced, I STILL had someone think she was a boy...I tell ya!!

 

 

Getting out the Christmas decorations...the boys put the Santa hat on her and she loved it!!!

 

In early December we had to take a trip to Oakland for an appt. for Drew. I happened upon this amazingly cool playground where there was a Chinese Junk Boat to play on (just a mile from his doctor...been there countless times and never knew about this playground)!! You can tell by Ellie's knees that she LOVED crawling all around!!

We even went next door to the community center and found over a hundred Chinese adults playing ping pong!! There was a school next door that had mostly Chinese kids and they loved playing on the playground with Ellie!! It was so fun and I felt as if I was back in China!!

 

Ellie's favorite spot in the house...under the kitchen table :-)!!

 

At the Bass Pro Shop getting ready to see Santa!!!

 

"Hmm...I'm not too sure about this whole Santa thing..."

 

"I think I'm my brother Drew's favorite person to play with while Jeremy's at school!!!...He's crazy and makes me do crazy things, but he's a lot of fun!!!"

 

"I love playing with my new kitchen while mommy cooks!!"

 

"Just chillin' with my big brother!!"

 

"I might have to be rough and tough with my big brothers, but I love to carry my purse around the house!!! Being a girl is so much fun!!!"

 

At Impact Sports with Drew...this was the only picture she was still enough to take!!! She loved all the play structures and mats to crawl around on!!!

 

Picking up Jeremy from school is one of the highlights of the day!!!

Ellie learned to walk a couple of weeks ago and loves holding her brothers hands!!!

 

 

At church with favorite "big sis" Jamee ("Yay-Yay")

 

 

Happy Chinese New Year!!! January 31, 2014 marks the first day of the Chinese New Year!! We celebrated with the Eby's and the Liu's!!

 

Family day trip this past Saturday to Point Reyes to see the migrating Grey Whales and Elephant seals (in the background). We are thankful that Ellie (like our boys) is a great traveler!!

 

"This is the rocking chair that my Gramps made my mommy when she was my age..."

 

"I have the coolest big brothers..."

"And a pretty crazy family!!!..."

 

Together, we are all blessed!!!

 

We have enjoyed a whirlwind of a past 3 months with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas (a trip to San Diego), Winter Camp (with the "big kids" at church), and much more!!! We look forward to this continuous road ahead with our sweet Ellie Mei!!