10 Days in Atlanta!!!

This was too good not to post! I took this on my cellphone this past weekend. Elizabeth is the FUNNIEST when she's just eaten (that's the only time she's ticklish too). She was oh so proud of herself and her eating on this day.

This is my toothy wonder loving her *3* new teeth ^>^ ...she's dayz from taking a big stroll too...WOW! Took about *7* steps tonight!! She's had a hard couple of days...my 1st 2 days of work. It's been good but am a bit WOW-ed w/ new new new and more new at work...sat in a mtg today about partnering w/ a ministry that encourages folks to partner w/ homeless - have a Young Adult Volunteer aspect to it too. WONDERFUL! It's SOOOOooo energizing and HEALTHY here...PRAISE GOD!!!!! And WORSHIP!! OH MY again!!! The sanctuary was FULL on Sunday, the music was SPLENDID, the Advent banners were OH SO classy, good sermon, and there were so many different kinds of faces...and all were equally and welcomed w/ such hospitality [including the cute lady creeping down the aisles w/ a smile on her face quietly shushing everyone and then finding a seat beside a nice and friendly pristinely dressed woman who welcomed her!]! I just wept!

Other Turnage updates...
*We are still amongst boxes...merging 2 houses is a real trick...oh my oh my...but we are making baby steps...2 guest rooms>1, 2 kitchens> 1, and 2 garages>1 are the biggest tricks.
*Mom&Dad are sick sick of boxes but incredibly thrilled to be in this new and oh so refreshing worshipping environ. They are champs at juggling boxes (and not tripping over them too much!) and granddaughters!
*Cath hit the wall last Thurs missing Mrs Fennell and her class BADLY, but she's been a real champ since then...little bumps. On my way to take her to school my 1st day of work i asked her what she was thinking on the way to school her 1st day last week she said 'i was a little worried and scared, but i knew my friends would help me thru it.' ...beautiful "Miss Matter of Fact"!
*Elizabeth has done GREAT til I went to work...eating like a crazy woman...cutting teeth and sharing a NASTY cold w/ me and mom. She's
OH SO close to walking...Friday night took 3-4 steps to Catherine in the middle of the prayer/blessing circle at the Search Cmte supper party...oh so darling!
*more pix later!

MORE ADVENT blessings to you all!
L! and crew!

The Lastest!

WOW!!! Assuming most of you got to this blog via our email blast, you know our new address/#s. We are so excited about this new venture. We will post more when we get to Atlanta...this will be the last post from Mt Pleasant (i'll figure out how to flip that last pix when i'm not on Dad's IMac). But I wanted you to have/see pix of the girls before we left. These were taken on the beach on Christ the King Sunday...Cath 'preached' on the Holy Spirit, and Elizabeth fell asleep in my arms. It was a wonderful, but cold, day! [Elizabeth is 14 months TODAY, Cath is a week from being 6 *AND ONE-HALF!*!!]

Our house is empty...we are having a 'sleepover' at Mom & Dad's (last night, tonight, tomorrow night)...then Thursday after Cath's party in her honor in her class, we hit the road!! [Movers hope to finish loading on Thurs a.m. - pray!] Now pray our houses sell immediately and sell well!!! We will be in a hotel in Atlanta Thurs and Friday night (we close on the house on Friday a.m.!), and unload the gigantic 18wheeler on Saturday. WOW!!!

Cath starts her new school on Monday and i'll start to work the following Monday (the correct website address is www.central-presbyterian.org ). Stay tuned for another update before Christmas. Ain't this going to be a wonderful ADVENT in the Turnage family! ...new school, new home, new family configuration, new job,...God IS good!
Thank you all for your prayers and notes! Obviously updating this blog is going to be our Christmas letter this year, but we can't wait to hear your Christmas news and updates.

Blessings and love to you and your families as we move into this amazing Advent season!
L! and crowd!

Look What's NEXT!!!

We are headed to ATLANTA!!! Central Presbyterian Church www.central-presbyterian.org has issued me a call to be their church educator. Last day of work here is Nov 14 and we HOPE/PRAY to move into our new house (WITH Mom/Dad) on Nov 30. Nov 11 was our last day of worship and we were nicely celebrated in worship and at a reception Thank you MPPC for your cards and notes! Your kind words are overwhelming. We will miss you dearly.

Stay tuned! We'll have more info out asap - pix of today's festivities and new numbers and addresses.

A FOR SALE sign went in our yard today...Mom & Dad have had one in their yard for 2 dayz. WEIRD! Anyone who wants to help me box my office is welcome anytime this week!!! Bring a box ^>^

More details out soon!
Don't stop our wonderful prayers for all these transitions!

Blessings and love to all!
L! and the girls!

Time at Home...get to know this new family...

Oh the tricks and milestones we celebrate! Sometime this week we will have 2 nights in a row of sleeping thru the night! Everytime I brag on Elizabeth and Catherine both getting a full night's sleep, one or the other of them wakes up and is up for 1-2 hrs. UGH!...this jetlag! I KNOW it's almost over! ^>^

Catherine and Elizabeth get along SPLENDIDLY! Catherine DOES like to check out my level of love for her periodically, tho, but nothing abnormal! Cath can make Elizabeth giggle faster than anyone. She's a GREAT big sis! She's gotten the 1st laugh, the 1st kiss, the 1st hug, ...she'll probably get the 1st walk too!

Elizabeth is having several doc tests run this week. She had *4* shots last Friday and seemed to weather them and their aftermath w/ just a little irritation. The nurse said "WOW! She's tough!" We have to 'test' for all kinds of blood stuff...nothing scary...just making sure on what vaccines we need to re-do. [we re-did ALL of them for Catherine].

Elizabeth looks to be a little more introverted than Cath...she O.D.ed on Sunday, had a quiet Monday, and seems to be on a better cadence this week.

TRICKS: She crawled a real crawl - from living room to kitchen [she was hungry ^>^] - for the 1st time on Monday (the 8th!). (She's been sitting up, leaning out prone, rolling over and sitting up again, and so on to get around... ...that process just got quickened ^>^ ) We are FINALLY on TABLE FOODS too - that's huge! Now if we can move off a heated bottle, we'll be in GREAT shape! A "high 5" is in the making, she signed 'more' tonight, AND her wildest 'trick': she blows her nose at will ^>^ [it's just a funny noise unless she has a cold ^>^ ]

This pix is tonight post-bathtime - obviously: ...Big Sister/Little Sister shirts...and all their CWA (Christian World Adoption - CWA) and other China bears.

Your notes and cards and emails and texts and above all, PRAYERS are amazingly wonderful and appreciated!!!!!!!!
Blessings and love to you all!

Catherine & Elizabeth in Changsha

This pretty much describes what the girls thought of the 'photo shoot' we did on our next to last day in Changsha (now almost 2 wks ago)! I have 2 DELIGHTFUL books of pix and a 'screen' of each of the girls, plus the CD these came from. WHAT a TREASURE!

Cath got to have her hair all done up and make-up on...Elizabeth didn't smile for a one, but we got some pix to treasure!

We are SLOWLY getting schedules back to normal. Catherine is doing better than Elizabeth and I are. So THANKS AGAIN for your wonderful prayers, notes, calls, gifts, emails, texts...your support and TLC means OH SO much to us!

Blessings and love to you all!

L, C, & E!

Elizabeth & Mimi en rt home AND our travel 'cousins'

We're home!

WOW!
The best thing about Sept 27 was that it was Elizabeth's 1st b-day and we got home! It was incredibly long and fairly rough trip...the planes were fine, food OK, but sleep was nonexistent for at least one of us at all times on that long trip. The HongKong>Chicago was hard, but we made it! AND Elizabeth will be able to say her 1st b-day was literally 36 hrs long! ^>^

Jetlag is harder than i remember...that stay-up-too-late feeling is still here on day 3 at home. BUT - Catherine Eason just left after spending 3 nights w/ us to help organize, order, re-enter, play w/ Catherine, debrief, sort, feed, and more! She was God-sent! She'll need 3 days to recoup from all she did for us!

We all can't thank you enough for your prayers! And don't stop! There is SO much new for all of us...we haven't put Elizabeth in her exersaucer and jump seat yet b/c they are such loud colors ^>^, but she can tear it up on the walker: including LIFTING it over the quarter-inch threshold kitchen<>living room!

We have a well-baby check up this week i am really looking forward to. Elizabeth is a bit behind in moving to table food (which was NO problem for Catherine). She eats OK, but not to FULL, so fills with a bottle which means we are doing a lot of diaper and bed changing as we figure out these food<>sleep<>play<>potty schedules. ...that makes nights long and weird. As many of you traveling w/ children know, you can rejoice w/ us in our glee that Elizabeth is "regular" and that is a huge blessing amongst all this change for her.

Catherine is a FANTASTIC big sister! She and Elizabeth just GIGGLE at each other! It's delightful! Cath can get a smile and a lunge and a giggle out of Elizabeth faster than anyone!

I'm going to post a few pix and get more details to you here soon. This will be our primary way of getting info out to folks for a while. I'm hoping to be off for the month of October, but we'll see how that goes. There is PLENTY to acclaimate to! ^>^

Thank you again for your prayers, texts, calls, emails, visits, and ALL your support! Don't stop! We love and appreciate each of you!
Blessings and love -
L! for C & E too!

Update from Catherine!

Tomorrow we have our last appointment - a VISA appt at the American Consolate (sp?). We leave here on Thursday a.m.: early flt to Hong Kong, a little layover, and leave HK at noon-ish our time (midnight Thurs a.m. your time), for Chicago and then on to Chas/Mt Pl! Prayers now can be for the trip home.

Here's some comments from Catherine about her sister:

"I can make her laugh. She gave me 2 kisses. One was slobbery. She get up by herself in her crib. She has 6 teeth - 4 on top. She has 4 more to go. We'll be home soon. I bought a race car, maybe I can bring it to school and show you how it works. It's not a race car real, it's just a remote control race car. Maybe we can take turns. Oh I'm sorry we can't because it doesn't have much battery...it only has like 5 min of battery."

Stay tuned again for pix!
Blessings and love to all!
L! and C!
...and Elizabeth and Mom too!

Guangzhou at last!

We are in a wonderful city of 11million (i think) just over an hour from Hong Kong. We'll be here til we leave on Thursday a.m. I hope to send pix to Dad to post - can't get them to post today. ...stay tuned!

Elizabeth had her medical exam today - a formality mostly. She's GREAT! 20lbs and 76cm! She's the oldest of our 4 babies, but not the biggest. We have loved getting to know our "travel cousins" and now are enjoying the GREAT food here and catching up on sleep. The colds seem to be subsiding, so we are all feeling better.

Now we wait for papers and for the Visa appointment and swearing in at the American Consolate.

Please continue prayers for safety, good health, attachment, knowing in our heart of hearts that there is enough love to go around!!!...AND sharing that too!

We are staying in the White Swan Hotel - WHAT a treat: http://www.whiteswanhotel.com/eng/Public/index.asp if you want to check it out! There are several special needs children around in addition to the babies. It's prayerfully tear jerking to see these elementary-age children with eye problems or some kind of facial abnormality (which are no problem for our docs) walk shyly or exuberantly with their new parents thru the sensory overloads of this hotel, town, and now new lives. Mom and I weep 'happy tears' (as Catherine says) of HOPE for these new families and are all the more grateful for ours.

Thanks for the notes, prayers, prayer beads, cards, and all the different ways you all are supporting us! (and Dad too!!!)

We'll be home FRIDAY! ...til then, stay tuned for pix! ^>^
Blessings and love -
L!...and Catherine, Elizabeth, and Anne!!!

Changsha>>Guangzhoa

...ooooI hope this posts...the only english on this screen is what i'm typing and 'Catherine's Little Sister' in the upper corner ^>^ ...so i hope it posts in english ;-)

We are great! TIRED, but great! It's Sat, Sept 22, just after 3pm here in Changsha, Hunan and we leave here in the a.m. for Guangzhoa! We are REALLY ready to get to this final leg. Things are good:

Mom is AMAZING and a PRICELESS help and support and JOY!!! I only PRAY i can do for Catherine and Elizabeth as she has done for me!

Catherine is a GREAT big sis! She's of course jealous, but LOVES entertaining Elizabeth and reall yis a good help! She's not getting enough exercise, so ran like a crazy woman when we got to a park w/ the group today.

Elizabeth MayLin Turnage is a delight! She's got a thick cold right now, so she's a little testy. But she's showing us that she'll be just the kind of sister that Catherine needs :-) We hope to post another pix sometime after we get to Guangzhoa.

Tonight we get the girls' Chinese passports with their American names in them, then one more stop in the Washington, DC of adoptions: Guangzhoa to get their physical exams and then their American visas, then we are OFF.

...Fun Elizabeth tricks: she blows her nose whenever she needs...whether you are ready or not! ^>^
...and she shakes her head and giggles and smiles HUGE whenever she sees Catherine play peek-a-boo over the back of the chair in the restaurant - like "i can't believe this is MY sister"!

Yall's prayers have been amazing supports for us! Thank you all for these and your notes too! Don't stop!

Blessings and love to you all!
L!
...for Catherine, Elizabeth, and Mom too!

Elizabeth's nanny, Eliz, and Lynn

To Mrs Fennell's Class ALL! CHINA!

Dear Class,

I missed you on the trip. My mom is typing this for me from Hua Tian Hotel in Changsha, Hunan China. I actually really think this is funny so and um...i wrote 20 notes - one to myself - one for each person in my class. It was silly of me to write 20 b/c one was to me since there is only 19 in the class. There's 10 notes and 9 faces for yall.

Today (Wed, Sept 20) we are going to a museum today to see a real mummy. I think the first day when we get home it will be my sisters birthday. She is very cute. My mom says i'm the best big sister ever.

Love,
Catherine T.

PS - [from LT] We are all doing well. Had a few bumps w/ paperwork, but all's well now and we have Elizabeth Maylin Turnage: head of dark hair w/ great sideburns, beautiful big eys, a precious smile that reminds me of Aaron/Daniel, great disposition!!! LOVE LOVE LOVES her big sister! Thanks for all the prayers! HOpefullly we'll have a picture up in the next few days if I can figure out the port for the flashdrive ^>^

Don't stop the prayers! We love you all - blessings to ea of you!
L! & C! & E! and Mimi

WE;RE HERE

ARRIVED IN BEIJING THIS IS DICTATED FROM MAC. WE ARE EXCITED! WE GET THE GIRLS IN CHANGSHA, HUNAN MONDAY AFTERNOON AROUND 3:00 . THAT WILL BE 3:00 AM MONDAY EASTERN TIME. TODAY WE ARE HEADED TO TIENANMEN SQUARE SP?), FORBIDDEN CITY, GREAT WALL, JADE MUSEUM, AND MORE. FOOD IS GREAT. WE'RE GOOD. THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS.
LOVE FROM CHINA. LYNN, CATHERINE, ANNE.

We're OFF!

Thanks for your prayers! You all are GREAT! We're about 36hrs from blast off ^>^ ...yes, i'm petrified!

When you go to bed on Sunday night, say and extra ATTACHMENT prayer for Elizabeth Mei and her new family! And especially for Catherine too - to fall deeply in love with her new sister! (China is 12 hrs AHEAD of EDT!)


God IS amazingly good! Please note the amazing connections God has already put to work in, not only getting another "Hunan spiceygirl" (as the adoptive community calls these precious ones from Hunan province) but, us even staying at the same hotel where Catherine and i 1st laid eyes on each other!!! ...AND and we come back home ON Elizabeth's 1st b-day!!! ...these are little pieces of God's amazing story of Elizabeth Mei Turnage!!! whewee!!! I believe God put her in our family from before conception - so pray God's mighty hand is weaving our hearts together now and esp.ly Monday afternoon, Sept 17(China time).


I hope to have a post up here by Monday night, EDT. ...and if i'm lucky, we'll try to get some pix on too. ^>^


Blessings and love to you all!

Prayers & Trip Details

We are soliciting prayers for obvious reasons again, but most esp.ly for Monday afternoon [China time] Sept 17. That's when we complete our family. SPECIFIC prayers would be for Elizabeth's attachment to us and us to her and esp.ly for Catherine to fall in love with her sister at 1st site and forever. She's already testing and checking and thinking about 'how much love I'll have left for her'.

So here's the official details if you are in to more specific prayers...
1 14SEP Charleston (CHS) Chicago (ORD)
2 14SEP Chicago (ORD) Beijing (PEK) (300P Ar 15SEP)
3 27SEP Hong Kong (HKG) Chicago (ORD)
4 27SEP Chicago (ORD) Charleston (CHS) 1042P

Baby Elizabeth's update:
High 71cm [27in]
weight 9kg [19.8lbs]
teeth up 3 and down 3 .

Itinerary for Family Turnage, adopting Lin Yan Xue >> ELIZABETH MEI TURNAGE

September 15 Arrive in Beijing 15:00, stay at Capital Hotel in Beijing

September 16 Sightseeing the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall

September 17 fly to Changsha from Beijing, Meet the child in the afternoon, stay at the Hua Tian Hotel [SAME hotel that Catherine and I met in!!!]

September 18 Registration and Notarization

September 19 Local sightseeing: Provincial Museum

September 20 Local sightseeing: Hunan Embroidery Museum

September 21 Local sightseeing: Yuelu Academy

September 22 Local sightseeing: the Zoo

September 23 Get passport, Fly to Guangzhou from Changsha, stay in the White Swan Hotel

September 24 Physical test and Photo taking, visit Liu Rong Temple

September 25 Visa application and visit Cheng Jia Temple

September 26 getting the visa, visit Liu Hua Lake Park

September 27 Leave Guangzhou for HK and home late that night

WELCOME TO CATHERINE'S LITTLE SISTER

Catherine was 6 on June 5, 2007. On August 2, after almost 2 years of waiting, we received this referral pix from Christian World Adoption http://www.cwa.org/. Catherine's little sister was:
Lin, Yan Xue
Born September 27, 2006
residing in Linxiang SWI
Linxiang, Hunan, China

She is now:
ELIZABETH MEI TURNAGE and is:
71cm [27in]
9kg [19.8lbs]
and has 6 teeth

We were 'expedited' to China to get ahead of the October Trade Show and holiday seasons. So - we leave Charleston early 14SEP and arrive Beijing 300P 15SEP.
And return leaving Hong Kong about noon 27SEP and arrive Charleston 1042P

Stay tuned! There is a 12hr time difference between China and the EDT. We will later post our travel plans and be soliciting your prayers for safe and healthy traveling and immediate and deep attachments all the way around.

Thank you for viewing our blog!