We have our Travel Date!!!!

Big news folks!

We received our travel date and will be heading to China!!! We leave Nov 3rd- yes, next Tuesday- and will be back home on the 20th. This has all happened crazy fast, and we are slightly overwhelmed with so many different emotions.

This is what our trip will look like:

We will be flying to Beijing, then to Zhengzhou, and finally to Guangzhou. Each city serves a purpose with special appointments regarding Zi. From what we know right now, we will meet Zi on the 9th of November when we get to Zhengzhou. Because Zi is from the Henan province we also get to travel to his city Anyang for a day to have another appointment, which is a great opportunity for us to see where he is from and take some valuable pictures to share with him and our family. We are praying that we are allowed to see his orphanage, even from the outside.

We will have access to social media and emails while we are there and will hopefully have some time to update you all on our adventures and pictures of our little guy- whom by the way weighs 19 lbs.

We have felt so incredibly blessed through this whole adoption and we wanted to share with you all some of the things that have happened recently. Some of these things may seem very insignificant, but rest assured, they are small blessings that is apart of our new son's life.

       *We pay a monthly tuition rate for Aeri & Chloe's school and because a friend referred us they receive money of of their tuition for that year. Our friends decided to give that money back to us for our tuition! THANK YOU.
       *Someone gave us a toddler bed and mattress for Malachi, so the crib can be for Zi!
           THANK YOU.
       *We were given a car seat for Zi! THANK YOU.
       *Someone is paying for Aeri & Chloe's plane tickets! THANK YOU.
       *Someone is bringing us a meal on Monday, the night before we leave so we don't have to
          worry about cooking or cleaning up while trying to pack. THANK YOU.
       *We have had endless support with texts, calls, prayers, etc. THANK YOU.

 There is so much more that has happened recently, but this is a start of us writing them down so Zi can someday read them all.

God is so good, and he is faithful all the time! We have been reminded over and over again that it truly does take a village. We never imagined how much we would change and grow during this adoption. We knew we would change a life for Zi, but truly I think Tony and I won! Our family has grown leaps and bounds spiritually. We haven't even met our son yet, and although it won't all be easy, we know our family will forever be changed.

We wouldn't have been able to follow through with God's plan if it wasn't for all of you. God has planted many seeds through Zi's adoption and we can't wait to see what this will bring for His Kingdom.

Blessings,
The La Family

Meet Our Son!

We have some very exciting news to share with all of you. We have been matched and are locked in with a child’s profile! I believe this may be record time!

When we updated last, China had received our paperwork on 7/2. On 7/6, the China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA), received our Dossier and we were expected to get a log in date two weeks from that date. Well the next day on 7/7 we received our log in date. We were completely taken back that in one day, they would log us in! From here, we were prompted to take a couple of surveys within our adoption agency and download the Dossier Log-In Date Packet on their website. In the adoption world, this is called “the wait”. For months we made and attended appointments, sent out emails, made important calls, filled out endless paperwork, traveled to Helena and Bozeman, wrote a lot of checks, spent a lot of time on our knees in prayer and now- WE WAIT! We wait for the call with a match. We wait for God to orchestrate his plan. We wait for our son.

Three weeks later, that wait is now over. We were told the matching process would/could take 4-8 months. We were expecting a call at the earliest 2-4 months, but knew that it could happen at anytime.

 On 7/27, I was getting the kids ready to leave for gymnastics, in a hurry because I was running late, when a call came in from Colorado- where our agency is located. I looked at the number and immediately thought one of two things. Either something was wrong with our paperwork or they had questions about grant money that was due to come in. The lady on the other end was in the travel department from our agency, so I knew it wasn’t anything to do with a child’s profile. And then she said these words: “I have a child’s profile I’d like to share with you”. The only word I could muster was “What?” with an immediate “Okay!” She asked me if I’d like to get my husband and call her back.

Gymnastics starts at 3:45 and the agency’s office closed at 4:30. I called Tony and told him he had to come home now. I told him, “I think we just got matched”. Our plan was to meet at the house right after I dropped Chloe off at gymnastics. I rushed to drop off Chloe, shaking the whole time. I called a friend and cancelled our dinner plans that we were looking forward to that night. After I dropped off Chloe and was headed home, I called Tony. We talked on the phone until I pulled in the driveway. We kept asking each other if we were ready for what was about to happen. We were scared, nervous and excited. There was silence as we both sat on opposite ends of the phone shocked that this was happening so quickly.  After arriving home I put Malachi down for his nap and got Aerianna situated in the kitchen with an activity. Tony and I grabbed our computer and went in the living room and sat down to return the call.

 It was an 8 minute phone call with the representative from our agency reading over his profile and telling us everything they knew about him. We were instructed to check our email, look at his profile and make a decision in 3-5 days. We were told they also had 4 pictures of him, and a video! For those of you who don’t know- this is incredible. Sometimes their files are very limited, but his was not!

 I can’t even describe how we were feeling at this point. For months we were believing that the first file we saw, was it. That we would fall in love with his face, and just know that he was ours. And that happened! We fell in love and couldn’t hold back the tears. Aerianna was with us when we looked at his photos, and she also couldn’t imagine him not being her little brother. He is perfect in every way.

His name is An Zi Liang, and he is 17 months old. His first name is Zi (pronounced Zee). In the Asian culture they always put their last/sir name first. He was abandoned at the east gate of the orphanage in Anyang, Henan and was given an estimated birth date. His cleft lip was repaired when he was 3 months old and looks amazing! His cleft palate has not been repaired. In a couple of his photos he looked cross eyed and there was a call already put in to the orphanage to check on that, and within a day they responded saying his eyes are normal. He is crawling and will walk along furniture. He has the chubbiest cheeks and thick lips, which I can’t wait to kiss! I often find myself staring at his pictures, studying every little feature of his. I'm so in love with this child already! 

Meet our son: Zi Marshall La (This is his new name!)

We want to thank everyone who has prayed for us and supported us financially during all of this. We are blessed with the most incredible prayer warriors and support system, leaving us speechless. I’ll be writing another blog shortly explaining what we can expect from here until travel.

Prayer Requests:

1. For Zi, his caregivers, his orphanage, and his health.

2. That our paperwork would continue to go smooth.

3. That God would continue to prepare our hearts for this precious child.

4. That our financial needs would be met for this adoption.

Thank you!

God Bless!

The La’s

Fundraiser Update

First off we want to thank everyone who supported Rick’s race which helped fund our adoption.  Rick did amazing and finished the whole thing in just over 3 hours. What an accomplishment!! Together we raised a total of $ 8,475!!!! The great thing is that the checks keep coming in even after the race is over. We are so grateful to have people in our lives that have such giving hearts. The most amazing part of this fundraising  journey has been watching God bring people in our lives that otherwise we may have never met. We have been writing ‘thank you’ cards to people we don’t even know and THAT is amazing, and God gets all the glory! Friendships have grown stronger, new friendships have formed, and we are so much closer to bringing our son home.  A huge thank you to our amazing friends, Rick and Jocelyn- your support and love behind us leaves us speechless daily. It has been a blessing to be on the receiving end. We have had to humble ourselves. A simple ‘thank you’ does not seem enough, but we pray that you know our hearts and know how much we appreciate everyone who has had a part in this journey.

Since we wrote last, we were waiting for our last 2 documents to come back from The Embassy of China to complete our dossier. Well, about 2 weeks ago we got it back from the 3^rd party carrier we used. They helped us make sure the documents went to the right place and have the necessary signatures needed. It was a precautionary measure that we felt we needed to have to ensure that no hiccups happened this far into our journey. We sent off our Dossier (13 documents) to our adoption agency on 6/19 and they received it on 6/22. From there it was under critical review to ensure we had everything done correctly. Every document needed to be notarized, certified by The Secretary of State, sealed by The U.S. Department of State, and sealed by The Embassy of China. We want to write separate blog entries for all the paperwork we had to do to give our insight, so look for that soon! On 7/1 we were told the critical review process of our dossier was complete and was sent over to the translation and mailing department. Today, on 7/2 we received an email stating our dossier was sent to China! This is exciting news!

 Here’s what we expect for the next month-

*the CCCWA (China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption) will receive our dossier in 3-5       days.

                *we will receive our dossier log in date (LID) within 3 weeks

Once we get our log in date, we are able to look at Waiting Children with “LID only” files. Although, our Waiting Child Department will continue to monitor incoming children’s files that may match our Medical Conditions Checklist. So basically in short- THINGS ARE GETTING REAL!! J We still do not know a timeline. We are told that the matching process can take up to 8 months, although people in our shoes have waited only 2-3 months for a match.

 Writing that gives me goosebumps. Emotions are at an all-time high over in our household.  We have had to talk about some really hard things, some emotions we never thought we would have to confront, ever. Sometimes God calls you to do things that are really hard. Painful is a better word. But beautiful at the same time. Adoption isn’t easy…we are only in the beginning- but we are preparing ourselves the best we can with what we have. One thing we have had to discuss is what will happen when we get the call with our match. We obviously pray that God would match us with a child that is meant for our family. So when we see this child’s picture, when we read his name, and when we look through his file- we would just know that this little boy was meant for us, and that we were meant for him. But what if he’s not?!?! I hate ‘What If’s’.  But honestly, I don’t believe God would bring us this far to have us shut down the first profile match we receive. The reality of our feelings and emotions is still something we have to talk about though. This is just one of many conversations we have had, and we would love to update you on more in the near future.

We want everyone to know that although the race for our fundraiser is over, they are still taking donations for the next couple of weeks. We have had a lot of people ask us if they can still contribute, and the answer is yes. Please let us know if you have any questions on how to donate to our adoption.

Prayer requests:

1. That our paperwork would continue to go smoothly in China.

2. That our hearts would be prepared for what is to come.

3. For our son, his parents/family, his caregivers, and his health.

4. That or financial needs are met for the rest of the adoption.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Love you all!

The La Family

 

 

               

We're adopting!!

Some of you may already know we are adopting, but a lot of you don't. So bare with me while I update!

   When Tony and I were first married, adoption always came up in our conversations. We both felt this deep desire to adopt. After Aerianna & Chloe were born, we had 2 miscarriages and a tubal pregnancy. Honestly, another pregnancy seemed daunting to me. We talked about adoption and wondered if this was the right time. But a year later, our 3rd child, Malachi was born. Talk about a miracle! I remember the conversation that was a turning point in our decision to adopt. I was starting to clean out Malachi's closet when he was 4 months old. I asked Tony what I should do with all these clothes that didn't fit anymore. We also had bins full of girls clothes in our crawl space. We agreed we would indeed adopt a boy, and was prayerful that God would open those doors when the time was right.

   Fast forward 6 months, right before Malachi's first birthday. We started researching adoption and what it would look like for our family. We reached out to multiple people, asking as many questions as we could. We spent hours on the computer researching adoption agencies, and different countries. A couple months later, we felt that every door was closing. Every country we looked into was either closed to adoption, or was mild to severe special needs only, for the age we wanted. We looked at domestic adoptions and found that we would likely be in the pool for a very long time because we already had 3 children of our own. I raised the question of mild special needs to Tony, and he shut down every conversation. People that know my past, starting in 8th grade, know that I've always had a heart for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

   After a couple of months of praying and waiting for direction, we had some of the most divine appointments happen. At Summer Adventure Week (SAW) through a local church in Missoula, a good friend came up to me and asked if I had seen her sister in law. After a few times of her asking, I finally answered with "no, why?". Her answer gives me chills, knowing what I know now. My friend said she just felt like we should meet. The last day of SAW, right before walking out of the church, I finally was able to meet my friend's sister in law, Kristin. We met her family, including their youngest son who was adopted from China with cleft lip/palate. I fought back tears the whole conversation.  I have no words to describe all the emotions that were racing trough me. After Tony and I got in the car to leave, you could almost hear a needle drop from the silence between us. Not minutes went by before we both agreed that this was the route intended for us. Shortly after we confirmed an agency (CCAI) for China, we researched all the conditions on the medical checklist from CCAI. We had so many questions, we decided we needed to talk to our pediatrician for some answers. I'm so thankful our friend listened to the Holy Spirit to have us meet her sister in law.

    Before meeting with our pediatrician, we met with a couple of different friends. One, a PA-C (Physician Assistant), who happened to be involved with the Palate Team here in Missoula. Come to find out we knew every Doctor on the Palate Team. It was an amazing feeling. We felt God was opening doors. Once we sat down with our pediatrician, we got her up to speed on our plans and that we were stuck medically. We didn’t want to close a door to a child because of our lack of knowledge on the medical side. We wanted to go through all of the terms and get information from our pediatrician’s experience so we knew what it would look like for our family. After an hour of talking, our pediatrician said we didn’t need to look any further. She said that it was very clear God opened this door to cleft lip/palate, and we were meant for it. This was music to our ears!! Sometimes it takes speaking things out and someone just listening to wrap it up for you.

   At this time we had everything we needed to begin. We had our adoption agency lined up with the application in hand. We knew the home study agency we were going through and had their application ready to send. We knew we wanted a boy, 0-18 months, with cleft lip/palate, from China. We also knew that the adoption process for us was going to take 11-15 months from start to travel, depending on how fast we got our home study completed. The only thing we needed to start, was money. This adoption, home study included was going to cost us $30,000+ and there was no way we could come up with that money in 15 months. No way! We had money in the kid’s accounts and a little bit of money in savings, but not much. We researched different avenues with financing, and grants, but nothing would come close to what we needed-so we decided to wait. We asked everyone we knew who adopted, how they funded their adoption, and not one person could give us a clear answer. They all would mention how God provided, and it just all was paid for in the end. I was too melancholy to go into it blinded, so we sat it out. One day after we left church Tony approached me and was adamant about starting the process and not waiting any longer. He said God was dealing with this heart and nudged him to trust Him and believe that everything was going to be taken care of. This wasn’t our plan, this was His, and He would see it through till the end. Soon after, Tony came across a quote that he printed off and put in our kitchen to remind us every day. It reads “It doesn’t matter whether you’re short of money, people, energy, or time; what God invites you to do will always be greater than the resources you start with. Living with the hand of God upon you means that at times you will be asked to act in spite of the evidence…and then watch the evidence change”. – Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

   So with limited funds and full trust in God, we started our process  in the beginning of November, 2014. Our first confirmation that we were doing the right thing was shortly after beginning the paperwork. We were given a check for the amount of $2300 from some incredible people. Little did they know, this was exactly what we needed to start our adoption. The exact amount! There was no explanation on why they picked that amount to gift to us. It was a blessing to see God at work.

   We have a lot of updating to do and things to type about, but this is getting long! So I will fast forward to where we are at now and what we are working on at the moment.

Where are we now?

   We are currently waiting for some final documents to be completed so we can send in our Dossier to our agency who then will translate it to Chinese. Once this is done and China gives us our Log In Date (LID), we can get matched at any time. Once we are matched and receive a Letter for our specific child, we will then travel to China for 14-18 days and take our son home. We should be traveling no sooner than 8 months, but that is subject to change every day.

   We have some amazing, supportive family and friends, and we are so thankful for every one of them! Some close friends of ours Rick & Jocelyn Hoaglin have put on a fundraiser for us to help fund our adoption. Rick is competing in a Triathlon ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ in San Francisco in June, and is running this race for our adoption. He has partnered up with a nonprofit organization here in Missoula called Love Has Come (LHC). All donations made during this fundraiser will be tax deductible and be sent directly to our adoption agency for qualified adoption expenses. This is an amazing opportunity for us to help bring our son home and also for friends and family to be a part of our adoption story. We feel blessed in all aspects of this fundraiser. We are grateful for any donation and are humbled by the Hoaglin’s heart and support behind us. Here is the flyer they put together for our adoption:

Above all, we ask for your prayers and support. This road is not easy and there are a lot of unknowns ahead for us and our family. Without your encouragement and prayers, we wouldn’t be able to do this. We invite you all to be a part of this journey with us. We are excited for everyone to get a glimpse of what adoption has done for our family. Check back soon for more updates! Thank you!

If you wish to donate to the fundraiser, Click on the link below to open up and print the flyer in a PDF file. 

Fundraiser Flyer Link

   

  

Following my Heart

    Today I had the opportunity to go watch Aerianna at Awana. Usually Tony and I drop her off and head to our church for Wednesday night service, but something was on my heart to stay and follow her around with her group called Sparks.

   See...today I picked up my daughters' friend from her school to have a play date while her Mom (one of my best friends), finished up work. I will admit I was sad when I walked through to the office, down the hall, to the gym, to the playground, and back to the classroom. I was able to see this little girl in her element, playing with friends in a structured environment. I was sad because I haven't been able to see Aerianna like this because we have currently chosen to Homeschool our kids.

  Background:  I am not against parents who choose to put their kids in public/private school. Both Tony and I were in public school from K-12 grade. We however, have chosen to Homeschool for the time being for many reasons. Tony works on the extra board as a Train Dispatcher. He does not have a set schedule and often does not find out what his shift is until that current day. One week he worked all afternoon shifts M-F, (3:30pm-11:30pm). If the kids were in school away from home, when would Tony have time to spend with them? Getting them ready in the morning and the weekend? This didn't settle right with Tony or I, so we did a K-4 (Kindergarten for 4 year olds) program at home with Aerianna last year. Everyone in our house responded well so we continued with K-5 (Kindergarten for 5 year olds) this year.  Our kids get a lot of social interaction, and anyone who has met them knows this....  This is ONE of many reasons we decided to Homeschool. I don't feel it's necessary to go into the other reasons right now.

   Don't get me wrong, I am happy with our current decision but I was sad today when I really stopped and thought about it. I love to watch my children interact with their friends, experience new things, and grow. But I don't get this opportunity outside of the home with the activities we do have besides sports. So back to the topic....I was thrilled to stay with Aeri and be that fly on the wall. I loved watching her try new things...succeed...laugh. I loved her excitement...her glowing smile...her eagerness to learn and her genuine heart. You honestly have no idea how this made me feel...I can't even describe it. It made my day, week, month, and year. It made me realize that what we are doing is O.K. and a good choice for our family and that she will be just fine Homeschooling.

   I am happy I followed my heart and stayed tonight to hang out with Aeri. It really enlightened me. I have a feeling I will be doing this a lot more in the near future.

   Here is my sweet Aeri!! 5 years old!

 Sarah Wornath Photography

                                                         Sarah Wornath Photography
  

  

Baby Announcement!

                                                       (Sarah Wornath Photography)

   I have been thinking about this blog entry for some time now. I am still trying to figure out exactly how I want this post to go. I don't want this post to glorify Satan and his disgusting works, but I want it to Glorify God, and his miracles...

   We are beyond excited that we are expecting a child due the beginning of April. I am currently 14 weeks pregnant right now. This road has not always been easy, and I know I am not the only one who has struggled along the way; which selfishly provides some comfort to me. Let me update on the bumpy roads..

   This is our 7th pregnancy...that is not a typo. I have had 3 miscarriages and 1 ectopic pregnancy. There are only a few people who understand what my family has gone through, and I thank God for their kind spirits and wordless hugs. I have never been a person to dwell on things, but when I stop and think about it, it hurts sometimes. Not only do I go through the loss, but the emotional pain of watching my husband and children try to understand what is happening. I will never forget when we found out about our first loss, I had already knew something was not right, but when the Doctor told us and my husband broke down in tears, I couldn't help but think I let him down. That is a dark place I never wish to ever be again. But most importantly God brought me through all of them. I feel closer to him now then I ever have. I don't want answers, because it will never make a difference. I day dream about what my children look like, and the day I get to see them in heaven, and that is all that matters.

   I want to Thank all of the people who prayed for us and for your continuing support. I am so thankful to have such close friends and family who love us, and share our excitements with us and mourn during our losses with us. It is a blessing!

   We had a lot of appointments and blood draws in the beginning but baby is right on track. I am thankful each and every day that I have once again been given this beautiful gift of becoming a Mother!
 Here is our recent family picture.

(Sarah Wornath Photography)

 

 

 <3 you all!

  

   Let's finish updating...

   When we found out we were pregnant with Aerianna we were beyond excited and nervous like any first time parents. We had Tony's little sister living with us for almost 3 years at that point, and although we went from having no kids to becoming parents of a 10 year old, we were still very nervous. :) When we went in for our 20 week ultrasound we decided we weren't going to find out what we were having. But at the last minute we decided otherwise and the tech told us the baby was sitting Indian style and she couldn't even see her feet. Little stinker... So we had to go back in a couple of weeks later so the tech could get a good look at her legs and feet- the anticipation left us wanting to find out even more. When the tech said "You are having a baby girl", Tony was so sure we were having a boy that he asked "Are you sure? What is the chance you could be wrong?" :) I think secretly Tony wanted a big brother and a son who could help take care of me and his siblings if anything were to happen to him. This is exactly who Tony became when his father passed away when Tony was 10 years old. When i met Tony, he was working at his mom's restaurant full time, taking his sisters to school every morning, picking them up from school every afternoon, and he was only 17...etc..  But it didn't take long for Tony to love his little girl when Aerianna LaRae La was born on April 29th, 2007 weighing 6lbs 7oz, 19 inches long at 6:25pm. She came earlier then we expected at 37 weeks exactly. What a joy and blessing she has become to us!
                               Here is a picture of Aeri in the hospital.

                     Here is a picture of her now!

                                What a beauty!! :)
   Shortly after Aeri was born we realized  how badly we wanted our family to be close. Tony's family was living in California, and mine were in Missoula, 12 hours away. We decided to try different options to get us closer to home either to Great Falls, or Spokane area, both failed. Right after Aeri turned 1, we became pregnant with Chloe. Morning sickness set in early at 3 weeks and didn't leave until 16 weeks. I can't remember much from this time other then being really sick. :) When i was around 18 weeks pregnant, Tony's 6 years serving in the military was up and we made the decision to leave the military life and venture to civilian life. I commend anyone who is affiliated with the military. Its a rough life, but a spiritually rewarding life. I look at the meaning of Hero differently then i ever have, not only concerning the men and women who serve, but their spouses and children. This didn't fit our family though, so we packed up and headed home to Missoula. People thought we were nuts being pregnant and jobless, but i thought otherwise. That's called being comfortable...and everyone knows i don't get too comfortable with anything when you are married to a man who likes cars. :) Okay that was funny... 

   We moved in with my parents, bless their hearts! :) Tony was fortunate to get on with Montana Rail Link as a Switchmen with in a couple of months. Praise GOD!! He was working in the Billings area and we were in Missoula, so it took some adjusting at first. Tony was scheduled to leave to go back to work in Laurel, Mt a day before i hit 38 weeks. He had his bags packed and that night he got a call saying he could finish training in his hometown. What a blessing, cause the next day I was alone in Huson at my parents house and i felt a contraction, i got Aeri ready and drove to Frenchtown to my Grandma's house so i wouldn't be alone. I went in to my Doc's at 2:00 and she said i was in early stages of labor but didn't want to send me home. By the time i walked in the hospital and got in my room it was 3:30p.m, and Chloe Ann La was born at 6:25p.m. weighing 7lbs 8oz, 20in long on 1/28/2009, and daddy was happy he was here, otherwise he wouldn't have made it in time. This girl is truly the sweetest peanut ever!!
                               Here is a picture of Chloe in the hospital!

                             Here is a picture of Chloe now!!

                              Love it!!
  Thanks for reading my post and getting updated on our family! <3 you all!