Lifestyle Photo

On Sunday, my great friends Micky, Lyn, Ken, Andrew, Taylor and Brett help pose for my "lifestyle" photo. This is a photo that you are asked to send with your letter of intent to show China what goes on in your life. Now, there are lots of things that go on in my life but hanging with these guys is one of my favorites!

And his name is...

drum roll please, Bryce Russell Hull.

I was driving down the street the other day and the name Bryce came to mind. I googled other boy names but none resonated with me like Bryce. Russell was a natural fit since it was his Grandpa's name. I wish dad were here to see this all take place. He would be giggling about all of it. Not only that, Bryce would be smothered with "Grandpa Russ" kisses.

My letter of intent (LOI) has been signed and sent to my agency, Great Wall China Adoptions in Austin Texas. I am also sending the addendum to my home study that includes "boy, clef pallet". Thanks to my social worker Susan at Christian Family Services for getting this complete before she left for vacation.

Hi everyone,

So, have you ever noticed that when God answers your prayers, they dont always look like you thought they would? But what He provides is perfect. Well, Sophie Ruth is a boy!

Back in January, I applied for the "Waiting Child" program with my agency and received a call on Friday that there was a 15 month old little boy waiting for his forever family. The Waiting Child Program was established to help find outstanding families for older children and children diagnosed with special medical needs. I saw his picture and new I had to bring him home. Attached are photos of Zhao Xingchong, my new son! Its ok to laugh, I did!. He looks like a sumo wrestler and is a happy healthy boy who is 90th percentile on the charts. He makes me smile all the time.

Zhao has a clef pallet and post operative clef lip. He will require surgery a few months after he comes home to repair his pallet and addtional surgeries at age 5 and 7. Childrens Mercy Hospital in KC has the finest clef repair team in the country. He has been well taken care of and is perfectly healthy physically and developmentally.

I do not have a name picked out yet afterall, for the past 3 years he was going to be a girl!

We need to get him home to introduce him to his GIANT family!

More to come....

Love to all and thank you for all your prayers.



Zhao's Mom, Shelley (oh, and Sabrina's brother)