Happy Birthday, Ryleigh!

My sweet little tummy baby is 12 years old today! Can't believe how quickly time has gone by. Ryleigh changed our lives so much and she is the reason we love parenting so much that we have continued to grow our family. Even though she has her moments of whining and she can be a brat sometimes, she is growing into a beautiful, caring, Godly young lady and we are so proud of her! I am so blessed to be her mom! Had some bonus time with her today because she got sent home from school with a headache and sore throat (but really she was fine). I have to admit it was nice to spend time at home with her and relax for a few hours. Here are some photos of Ryleigh party last weekend. When we thought we were leaving for China, we changed the date of it. And also pictures of her opening presents this morning and having cake after dinner tonight. Apparently we are stretching this birthday out as long as possible!

We started our day with an email from Half the Sky with new pictures of Ethan. So sad that somebody shaved his head. It makes me sick to think about the humiliation of that. He is still a cutie pie and I can't wait to hold him and kiss those cheeks. Take a look for yourself...

Our update from GW said that they will be scheduling Ethan's surgery for either next week or the week after and then there will be a 2-3 week recovery time before he will be cleared to travel. It is hard to know how to feel. I don't want to be too excited because things seem to change so frequently, who knows how long this will be the plan. It would be the best birthday ever for me if I could have him in my arms on November 20th. Lots of birthdays, anniversaries, and special days fall in November and December, so hopefully we can add Ethan's Gotcha Day to that list. Have I mentioned how ready I am to have him home???????????????????????