March 22, 2006

Good morning Princess! It is 8:30pm here but in China it is 9:30am. I do hope that you are safe and warm this morning wherever you are. It has been quite cold here. We even had snow a couple days this week. We are all ready for the warmth of spring and the heat of summer. Big brother is getting ready for bed now so I wanted to take a minute to let you know that I am thinking about you and praying for you. Daddy is away this week. He is traveling and will be back on Friday night. Nate and Mommy cannot wait. We are ready for him to be home. We are really hoping that we will get to see that first picture of you in the next 2-3 months. As much as we are hoping for that we do also know that it could be another 10-12 months before we finally get to see your sweet face. I have to keep reminding myself that if it is in fact longer; it is because you are not quite ready for us. Mommy has waited a lot of years for a daughter so you would think that another year is no big deal ... well it has been. I am so ready to meet you. Your big brother too is ready to meet you. We wonder whether or not you have yet been born. We don't know but try to take comfort knowing that God is watching out for you and that when the time is right our paths will cross and you will become Mackenzie Eilene ??? Howard. We have the question marks because we want to incorporate your Chinese name as well. We have been so blessed by the support of our family and friends. It is overwhelming sometimes for me to think of all of the people that are praying for you and for us through this process.Gramma & Grampa Spiess are going to come to Kansas to visit us at the end of June. We are really looking forward to that visit. Nate get's to fly back to California with them and stay for a few weeks. I was thinking about this and how for sure by next summer there will be 2 little Howard children, Nate AND Mackenzie! I am teary just thinking about it.Nate has something he would like to say.