big day.

Actually yesterday was a big day too.  Most of note, I said goodbye to my twenties!  My family and friends made it so memorable and blessed.  Now, is it just me or do you remember being a little child and thinking you'd never be that old!?

Today the big news is we mailed off the final piece of paperwork for the adoption!  It goes to Texas and then someone from the local USCIS office calls us to make an appointment for fingerprints (yes, more fingerprints).  This time they are used to do an FBI background check, the final step of this process.  Once that's completed, we just wait.  And wait.  And wait a little more.  Until... one day... we get a phone call or an email and our agency says we need to purchase airline tickets.  The prescribed wait time is one year from now, but could we beg of you to be in prayer with us, that it would be much sooner?  It is so difficult knowing  our child is just waiting in an orphanage until that day.  My heart aches to think another year may pass until we can bring her home.  Please pray the papers would be approved at the embassy in D.C. in record time and that they would make the rounds in country speedily.  

Blessings, angela

p.s. Oh, and a picture to throw in for my mom who always asks for pictures.  Here were my little valentines last Sunday on her birthday.  

Sweet P.

There's a sweet new picture on the sidebar of the blog.  I was waiting to post a picture of Sweet P herself but decided she still needs her own "picture" until I can share the real deal.

I just got the best news I could possibly get today:  our homestudy is complete and it's in the mail!  I sort of want to scream "FINALLY!" but I'll contain myself so my kids will keep napping.

Blessings, angela

fishy.

My kiddos need no prodding to eat sugar.  I decided I wasn't going to stock the house with Valentine candy because I knew we'd be making our traditional heart cookies (in honor of my mom, a Valentine baby!), so the other day at Walmart I had an idea.  This is where the story should have stopped, a siren should have rung, a flag should have gone up... but alas,  I proceeded.  

We like to swing by the fish tanks during most Walmart trips, and this time I thought a 38 cent goldfish would make a mighty fine Valentine gift for Peanut and Buddy.  I figured if it didn't make it, no huge loss, and it would take the place of heart candy and chocolate.  The kids are good wheelers and dealers, and we left with three little fish... the gold one for Peanut, the greenish one for Buddy and spot for "our adoption child", as Peanut calls her.  So far so good.  

We made it a day before Peanut decided to feed the fish on her own, dumping a good pile of flakes into the bowl.  They lived, aside from residing in murky, nasty water.  I intended to change it but other to do list items won out.  Most importantly, we needed to make Valentine cookies.  My little helper joined me, along with my new double stacking cookie rack.  

All was well.  We rolled, cut, baked, cooled.  My Peanut is quite the sprinkler.  She firmly believes cookies are best when piled with a mountain of sprinkles, so I let her loose. She sprinkled and sprinkled until her little heart was content.  Time for a cute picture...

...then I snap another and notice through the viewfinder that my little helper (who must go wash her hands if she so much as licks a fingertip) is drinking the sprinkles straight from the jar.  Once I put a halt to it, I grab the dustbuster and go to work on the floors.

As I turn it off, I stand back up to see her blissfully throwing handfuls of sprinkles into the fishbowl!  Needless to say, I didn't stop to snap a picture.  I saw the fish already taste testing and rescued them from their death.  Below you will notice them all huddled together in the mixing bowl wondering what on earth just happened.

For all you PETA members, the fish survived and are happily swimming and eating fish flakes in their bowl as I type.  They are probably even happier because they got that aforementioned water change out of the whole ordeal.

...and I got my favorite Valentine treat of all, Mommy's sugar cookies!  

Happy birthday, Mom!

This one is my favorite cookie of all.  Peanut and I decided to make some crosses too, since Jesus' love is the best kind of love to have on Valentine's Day and every day.  She decided it needed one solo heart right in the middle.  Love it.  

Happy Valentine's Day to each of you!  Blessings, angela

ultrasound.

I remember all too well my feelings going into the big 20 week ultrasound with Peanut and Buddy.  Finally we would get to peek in and see all the body parts with enough clarity to measure and determine if something might not be quite right.  K and I both knew no matter what ultrasounds or blood work showed about our baby, it was ours.  The Lord predetermined all the parts and pieces of our child and we were confident whatever that meant, nothing would change how we felt about that baby.

Yesterday we received a doctor's evaluation of the child we have chosen, P.  We are not assigned to her yet, so we aren't at liberty to give full details.  However, finding the report in my email felt a little bit like going into an ultrasound.  I opened to read a thorough report of P's health history.  There were a couple of surprises tucked inside, including her birth weight.  Assuming P is ours, she will be the smallest of my children at birth by a pound an a half!    That may seem insignificant to you, but to this mommy, all those little details of her life are little treasures to ponder.

Our little P will likely be two years when we get to bring her home, and I already have feelings of loss over all the details and memories and moments I have missed.  I am praising the Lord for a couple holes that were filled in by the medical report.  It did leave us with a couple of questions though, but they in no way change our desire to have P in our family.  We hope to have that word within the next couple weeks.  It couldn't come soon enough.

Blessings, angela