interpretive.

Buddy's favorite song, right behind the Veggie Tales theme song, interpreted by two crazy kiddos.

trivia.

Comment with your best guess where she got this:  

dream

I woke up July 12th from a dream that I was holding my Sweet P.  It made me physically sick to my stomach and hung like a dark cloud over my head for a couple days.  I just long for her so much to be home with us!  It renewed my prayers for her paperwork to be sent soon.  

So far we have only seen her at two points of her little life:  a video of her a day after her 1st birthday and pictures of her in April when she was 1.5 years.  I look at those pictures every single day and wonder what she is doing, what she is eating, what she is saying.  

We recently got a letter from our agency letting us know about some new procedures to the adoption program.  It also mentioned a few families would go soon to pick up their children.  

Hmm.

Got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, one of those families would be going to the same orphanage where Sweet P lives.  When I asked, I was told one family would be going there!  We got an email today from that family, saying they'd be happy to look for our Sweet P and take pictures when they are at the orphanage.  

I'm beside myself thrilled.

I'm sharing in the excitement that another family is mere days away from holding their precious child, and I'm thrilled they may be able to share with us even small tidbits of what our Sweet P is like and take pictures of her.  I have tears just thinking about it.  

As much as I want to have pure and noble and right thoughts about this time of waiting, I do have moments when I feel so discouraged.  It seems downright pointless to have our Sweet P at an orphanage when our family is willing and ready to pick her up right this minute.  I've been encouraging my spirit with this promise...

"A father to the fatherless... is God in His holy dwelling" Psalm 68:5

I'm also continually blessed by the ways Sweet P is already part of our family.  The kids talk about her daily and pray for her.  Peanut depicts our family like this:

I'm encouraged.  Blessings, angela

on a roll.

May as well keep posting pictures while I'm in the mood.  It may not last long!

One of my favorite people on the planet came for a visit last week.  We had to take her to Rita's Water Ice, of course!

J is a precious gift from the Lord and I have walked many miles through unchartered territory with her.  It finally feels like that part of the journey is over, and it's exciting to see what the Lord has in store.  Friends like her are a rare and beautiful treasure.

On another hot day, we met for a playdate at the local fine arts center.  Buddy was ecstatic to use paintbrushes, since this momma hasn't been brave enough to try them at home.

It should be no surprise to many of you that Peanut drew herself with her cat into this VanGogh "painting."  She always says she wants to grow up and live in an apartment with her cats.  Once when I told her I won't be able to visit because I will scratch my eyes out, she said I will die when I get older and it will be okay for her to have cats.  

Thanks so much.  Glad she's thought that through so thoroughly.

Blessings, angela

whew!

It's been way longer than I intended since I last posted.  In the midst of the past month, we had major computer issues, our 8th anniversary, a visit from a dear friend, and many days of 100 degree heat.  Today is one of them.  ...and being the parents we are, we're following through with a visit tonight to Busch Gardens since we promised before we checked the weather forecast.  


Lesson learned.


Here's some pictures to catch up on the last month and I'm hopeful to be back posting about Sweet P in the next few days.  Don't bet on it, but I will do my best.


June and July were filled with moments like these...
a tea party with a princess

weekends with Daddy home

VBS (she went a few days to another church's and loved wearing her cowgirl get-up around the house while hollering "Giddy up!  Howdy partner!")

hands on hips (Buddy walked around like this for a full week straight)

playing any game I could think of like hide-n-go-seek so we didn't have to endure the heat 

the 4th of July

growing a giant sunflower

eating lots and lots of homegrown tomatoes (they are hidden in his chubby cheeks!)

celebrating another year of marriage to my man

Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day

I have a few more to post but need to retrieve them from my camera... and I've got to get out the sunscreen for said outing tonight.  Be back soon.


Blessings, angela

pictures.

I'll admit, I'm not always in the mood to read a long blog post that has not one picture.  Here's a long post where the pictures will do most of the talking...

We survived the first Chuck E. Cheese visit and Peanut gave it a big thumbs up.  Buddy, on the other hand, quickly exited this ride.

He had an abundance of self control, seeing as the cupcakes were set withing six inches of his face.

Look who found the sandbox at a friend's house...

Be sure to note the red eyebrows in the background of this one... since day one with this little guy, it's no guesswork to tell he's upset.

Father's Day!

I never want to forget that my oldest loves to eat fresh herbs.  Many a day she'll come in from playing and has onion breath from eating chives in the backyard.  This year she's moved on to the mint, sage and basil too.

A fitting end... translation: 

By Alannah 

(written for Mommy about her and Buddy)

"my kids are silly"

Indeed.  

Blessings, angela

patience.

When you are waiting, it's easy to get bored or even get a little irritated.  Think back to your last doctor visit as you sat in the waiting room.  That's how I feel quite often.

It's all too easy to get bogged down in the irritation and the "hurry up already!" feelings.  Thankfully, I serve a Lord who knows a lot about waiting, and He's the model of patience.  He also knows the exact number of days we will be waiting to bring Sweet P home.  For that reason, I think He delights to give us little reminders that He cares... He cares more for Sweet P than we ever could.

On many of those bogged-down days, the sweetest little reminders have surprised us.  One day I sat sewing and thinking of Sweet P when the phone rang.  I picked it up to a lady named Heather calling.  Heather is the daughter of a couple who have lived across the street from my parents for nearly 30 years.  She was already out of the home by the time I would remember her, but her mom is like a grandma to me.  Heather has adopted two children from Sweet P's country!  She was full of helpful ideas and tips for our travel, and it was encouraging to be able to ask questions of someone who has walked this road before us.

Here's a sampling of what I was sewing that day, which leads me into my next story.

POCKET RUNWAY

POCKET ROADWAY

POCKET TRAIN STATION

POCKET PRINCESS

While K was on a work trip a month or so ago, I got on a sewing kick.  I made up one of the pocket roadways for Buddy out of fabric on hand.  A friend saw it and asked to buy one for her road trip.  That quickly led to more orders and soon I was in business -- accidental entrepreneurship!  

I heard Steven Curtis Chapman was coming to Busch Gardens to sing for the summer concerts and was aching to go.  He has an amazing voice and an amazing family.  If you don't know about his adoption story or sweet Maria, go here.  Inspiring, to say the least.  I asked K what he thought about buying summer passes if I could sell 12 pockets (to cover the passes and my costs) by that Friday.  I sold 12 exactly!  So, we bought tickets and were on our way to BG to hear Fransesca Battistelli, Building 429 and Steven Curtis Chapman.  I knew it was a God thing since I sold exactly 12 and because the guy who took our parking money was from Sweet P's country.  I'm sure he was super-duper excited to have some lady telling all about our adoption, when you're just supposed to hand money out the window and drive on, but oh well.  ...and just because I love details, I have to add that he checked our passes again the next week at the gate.  

I love my God.  I love that He is in control and He cares for even the smallest, most insignificant details.  He knows my heart aches to have Sweet P in our arms and He cares enough to give sweet reminders as we wait.      

I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for them.  

Blessings, angela