whew.

Tonight is going to be a really good night.  In about an hour I'm going with my kiddos to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party.  This inaugural trip to the big Cheese will be memorable for sure.  I've heard the stories on some of your blogs about the infamous pizza-hawking rat.  Good times are ahead, my friends.  


But actually, that is not why tonight will be so great.  Tonight my man K gets back from two weeks away on a work trip.  Aah.  Mom will get a well-deserved break.  ...and I should have the perfect opportunity thanks to this long weekend.  We've had a really blessed two weeks and the Lord has sweetly taken care of us, but it's always tough to have Daddy gone for that long.  I am always renewed in my appreciation for all K does for us!


No real news on the adoption front, but I thought I would take a minute to explain what we are waiting on currently in the timeline:

• Sweet P's file and our dossier is presented to the Adoption Board for approval (this may have already happened!)
• Her medical history and birth certificate are sent to our adoption agency
• The I-800 form is filed with INS to approve her for us to adopt
• Once approved from both fronts, we will get an appointment to meet with the Adoption Board in her country
• About a month later we will fly over to finalize paperwork and be interviewed by the Adoption Board and then bring her home -- this trip is usually 14 days since there is much to complete in country 

While K has been away I've been occupying myself with projects.  I have searched the web to find things I could make with supplies I already have on hand, and here's what I came up with:


Not worth the mess it makes in your muffin pan, but the kids had fun watching them melt...

new crayons from old pieces

a cute pin cushion 

(are you happy, mom?  I've graduated to using one instead of having a zillion pins in a tiny case!)

LOVE this one:  an I Spy game!  

My kiddos love I Spy books, so I knew they'd love this one.  Collect a bunch of tiny objects from around the house and in the toybox...

... mix up some rice (I only have brown in my pantry, but white rice would probably look best) and beads for a little more color...

...then add the objects and pour into a clear jar.  I have yet to print up and laminate a list of items to search for, but that will go on a rubber band around the jar cap.  

Confession:  this is a huge plastic parsley jar from Costco but I ran it through the dishwasher to clean it out first.  Not the smartest thing I've ever done.  It warped up from the heat, as a smart person might likely imagine before pushing start on the dishwasher.  Anyhow, I like to think it makes the game more challenging.  :) 

I'm also 75% done with a little dress for Peanut and may or may not post a picture when I'm done.  We'll see after she tries on the final product.  Blessings, angela

continued.

Our last full day with my parents and Drew was Mother's Day.  I already posted pictures from the morning, but then K prepared everything for a trip to the beach....  complete with picnic, kites and pictures in the sand.  I could not have planned a more perfect evening.  Thanks, K, for making the day so special!

I am not sure whose grand idea it was to let Buddy hold the kite all by himself, but he proved trustworthy and never let go.  

I'm convinced the beach is not the place to get pictures with cooperative smiles from kiddos!

These kids adore their Uncle Drew!

I love being a mommy.  I also loved being with my mommy for a few days!

We did end up getting pictures of our Sweet P and I am happy to email them to any of our friends and family if you want to see!  ...or I have one in my purse if you see me.  It is a treasure to have pictures of her from April 29 to see how much she has grown since the video of her in September.  The report we got says she is walking, saying a few single words, and healthy. 

It's a joy to have news about our Sweet P to share since we don't get news often.  We now wait as paperwork is processed back and forth across oceans.  It cannot happen soon enough.

Blessings, angela

zoo.

My parents arrived with my little brother for four days of fun before going to D.C.  We made the most of our short time together, and began the visit with Peanut's request to go to the zoo.  Embarrassingly, we've never gone to the zoo here, I guess because the zoo where I grew up is amazing.  The zoo here was high quality, but no so much on the quantity of animals.  It was just right for a morning visit though.

Traffic was light so we got there a little early and played on a great park outside the zoo.

Peanut pretending to be a rhino.

Buddy's favorite was the train.

Time for this sheep's dental check-up?

The day didn't exactly end as planned.  Buddy started having breathing issues on the way home and by the time I was getting dinner going, he was really working to breathe.  My dad went with us to the ER, where they took Buddy back immediately for breathing treatments.  A few hours later and three treatments later, the doctor admitted him for the night so they could watch him and give treatments every couple hours. Needless to say, it was a long night for K and Buddy.

Buddy was an excellent patient, putting his arm out or turning his ear every time nurses needed to check him.  The meds made him overly energetic though, so by lunchtime he was ready to break loose.  Thankfully, he got to come home by about 3:00.  (Obviously, it's best to get sick on weekdays when doctors make their rounds early... on weekends they make rounds at their leisure.)

Buddy is doing much better and now has the meds needed to prevent asthma attacks in the future.  This mommy now feels a bit more confident on what to do if one happens again.  Scary!  

More of our visit when I have another free minute.  Blessings, angela

mom.

Yesterday was a wonderfully blessed Mother's Day!  My parents and Drew were here visiting and we shared the day together.  There's nothing better than having your mom and your kids with you for Mother's Day!

My mom is quite the seamstress and she used her skills to help me sew dolls for my girls.  They are exactly what I imagined!  You may have noticed one with us in pictures above... that's our Sweet P doll.  She's on the left in the picture below.  We actually made two identical dolls for Sweet P because the plan is to mail her one.  Then when K and I go pick her up, we'll take the other one so we have something familiar to her with us.  We have done some reading about kids crying when white people come pick them up at the orphanage... it must be absolutely terrifying to have strangers come get you and take you "home" to a place with unfamiliar sounds and smells and faces... our goal is to help minimize the unfamiliarity.

Peanut wanted a doll too, which is sort of a surprise.  That girl has never met a baby doll she likes.  It's animals for her, but she really wanted a doll like Sweet P's.

I did quite a bit of thinking yesterday about my Sweet P.  I also thought a whole lot about Sweet P's birthmom.  I am not sure whether her country celebrates Mother's Day, but I am sure if they do, Sweet P was on her mind too.  I'd be willing to bet not a day goes by that Sweet P doesn't cross her mind.  

I have so much gratitude for that woman.  ...for allowing Sweet P to have life and for the courage it took for her to place Sweet P for adoption.  I hope she finds comfort knowing her sweet baby girl will be in the loving care of a family who already loves her with their whole hearts!  I have no idea if I will ever be able to express my gratitude to her sometime in the future, but I hope so.  

We had a great visit with my family, and I'll be posting more pictures soon!  Blessings, angela

matched.

I had the self-control not to call our agency all last week while J (from our agency) was in country, but today I couldn't stand it one more second.  I sent a quick email to ask if there was word on whether our paperwork had been processed to match us with Sweet P.  Oh, and while I was at it, I figured I should ask if there are any pictures they could send.  Ahem.  Okay, I confess.  That was the only reason I emailed.


I almost want to fly to our agency right this instant to sit face-to-face with J and ask her question upon question about our little girl.  What makes her smile?  What does her laugh sound like?  Is she talking?  Is she walking?  What shade of brown are those little eyes?  How does she curl up in bed when she's sleeping?  Is she an early bird or a night owl?  Does she like to give hugs?  I'm all teary-eyed just thinking of all the questions I want to ask.  It feels much too long until I will have her in my arms to know all the answers for myself.  J will send us a personal update on Sweet P soon... I'm sure she's swamped with things after being away from work for a week.


Pictures are also forthcoming.  They are being developed (aren't we in the digital age?) and should be ready for us today or tomorrow.  


As of sometime last week, we are officially matched.  We now wait for the country to send us a "child history" on Sweet P, and then we sign a placement agreement.  Easy enough.  There's nothing that could be in that history that would keep us from saying yes.  She's been ours in our hearts for quite some time now.  


Thank you, Lord, for adopting us as your children and for now allowing us to adopting Sweet P!


Blessings, angela