Woo-hoo for us!!!

So, I couldn't wait any longer and I had to call again our adoption agency. Now, on my behalf I believe it's been over a month since the last time I called...so for me that's pretty good. Last time we were at number ten and all I could think about as I dialed the number was...oh, please don't let us still be number 10. I held my breath as she said "hold on while I go check"...(very cheesy hold music here....). She comes back with "well, you're number TWO now." "You mean to tell me that only one family is in front of ours?" "Seems to look that way"... "Woo-hoo for us!"

Look out Ethiopia...we are NUMBER TWO!!!!!!!

My heart skipped a beat...

So yesterday as the kids and I were about to go out the door for some errands the phone rang. Now usually I don't pick it up when we are that close to being all ready but the caller id said that it was our social worker...and my heart skipped a beat. Boy, oh boy, I just knew that this was going to be our referral call (we've been told that our social worker will most likely call to give us the good news). So trying not to sound like a maniac I raced to the phone...

"Hey..." I said. "Hi guys, I just wanted to check in with you and see how you guys are doing?" She had no good news. Nothing to share...she just wanted to see how we were doing. We'll I'd be a tee-tiny little bit better with a referral (is what I wanted to say...ARGHHHH!!!!!) This waiting thing is so incredibly hard. So now, I'm back to racing to the phone and waiting for a referral. I guess I'm just glad I've got caller id...otherwise, all my family and friends would really think I'm just that crazy.

Good ol' summertime...

It's just not summertime without a cheap ol' fire pit, smore's, a hammock swing and bugs galore. We love summertime here! We hope your weekend was as nice as ours...

Lovin' Legos...

I guess it began when he was barely a toddler and we got him a big bag of Duplos. Then the older he got he found Legos and nothing has ever been the same. Our son loves Legos.

Alright "loves" is not a strong enough word to use...maybe I should say obsessed. Yep, he's obsessed with Legos. That boy, builds with Legos everyday and when he's not building with Legos he's studying idea books on how to build better sets. And when he's not studying Lego idea books he's researching with his father on how he can get a job with Legos later in life.

Yes...that boy loves Legos and I can't wait to see God's plan in this one.

The quiet ride home...

Today we went to a nearby state park to do some creek wading and have a picnic with a friend of mine and her three kids. Man, oh man...was it a great day! Who doesn't love it when a child screams "Mom, mom...we caught a frog", or to look out and see 6 filthy kids with smiles all over their faces. They waded and bug collected till their hearts were content and at the end of the time it was a race to see who was more worn out. And the ride home....

...was oh so quiet...yes, it was a great day!

I wonder...

This afternoon was the dreaded cleanup/organizing of my smallest's room. Now, I have put it off just about as long as anyone could. I mean the poor thing had only a small path to her bed and to the bathroom...everything else was in the middle of the room. So I hauled up some storage cubes from the basement and nice baskets and she and I went to work (I say "she and I" loosely, but really, it was me...she lost interest in a short amount of time). That was for the best though, for it allowed me to "conveniently" throw away some broken, missing pieces toys. Needless to say, the room now is clutter free and we can again see the carpet...I had forgotten that it was beige.

I wonder if that same color is in the other two kids rooms...

The domino effect...

O.k....you know the domino effect, right. First one thing must happen, then another has to happen and so on. It's a bit like the kid's book "If you give a mouse a cookie" (where this mouse wants a cookie, then milk, then a napkin and so on). Well, my domino effect started with a piece of fabric.

In the nursery for the new babies, my husband and I decided that the theme would be a safari theme. So I shopped all over to find a safari bedding. I couldn't find anything pre-made that I liked but I did find fabric...and boy is it cute. Well, that began the domino effect. Of course, with the fabric I had to pick the color and paint the nursery on Saturday. On Sunday, I had to have my husband move all the nursery furniture (the crib, dresser, glider, etc.) upstairs from storage. On Monday, I began making all the crib accessories (so far I've made the dust ruffle from the fabric) Today, I'm making some sheets and the bumper pad that goes around the crib. My husband calls it my "nesting" but to me...

...it's just my domino effect (and at the end are "hopefully" two really cute Ethiopian babies)

So close...yet so far away...

Yesterday, I heard our dog barking away on our deck. When I looked out I saw her stalking this butterfly (on the pink flower in the pot).

Oh to be so close...yet so far away...

A little "thank-you" note...

Alright...I knew it was going to be a big shopping day before we even went. Yesterday, my smallest and I went to Costco to do our "monthly" shopping. Now, I am at Costco about every couple of weeks, but I normally don't buy meats or cleaning stuff or even that much cheese each time. But it was time to restock our extra fridge/freezer and pantry with the staples that we go through in a month. (Now, I did buy 1,000 Band aids and I'm banking on that being a lifetime supply...we'll see)

I have learned from experience that going with a flatbed is the way to go. Awkward, yes...but you have a large amount of room and I can seat kids each on a different corner, if needed. After a hour of being there we had that flatbed so packed full that one person actually asked us if we were buying for a company...sad, really. But I have learned from experience that this is by far the cheapest way to feed our family...even if you have to buy 20 lbs of flour or 30 cans of corn.

You'd just think that a "thank-you" note would come from Costco with that...

Getting very good at the dishes...

Right off the bat let me just say that my husband is a brilliant man. His brain is much like a vast amount of information stuck in there just bustin' to come out...80's information I might add. Me, I just live in the moment and probably forget it, in just a few moments (not really...but kind of), much less can I recall something from my childhood.

His favorite thing to do is 80's song trivia. We listen to the 80's channel on XM/Satellite a lot. Now, this man knows his 80's songs. We both grew up in the 80's era, but apparently I was sleeping when "Bow, wow, wow" or "Talk, talk" came out with their song. But my husband would know. That man knows A LOT of music from the 80's. So when a song comes on the 80's Satellite radio station it goes much like this... "Quick who sings this song...loser gets to do the dishes." I scramble to find someone that it might sound like and most often fail. I mean I don't even get close to the singer....

...but I am getting very good at the dishes

While I'm Waiting...

Lately, I've been feeling a little anxious about our adoption. I see women in church with their tiny babies and my heart aches. I know our children (in Ethiopia) by now must have been born. I pray for them everyday in generalities but not specifics. I pray for their safety, their health and most importantly the caregivers...please give them a kind and gentle heart. I may not know the children yet, but God does...he has hand-picked them for us. Personally, I'm ready to go and get them...however God's plan is sometimes different than mine. I want so badly to have a referral...a name...a face...my child.

This morning while I was driving the girls to gymnastics practice a song was playing on the radio that hit me like a ton of bricks. I have heard it a hundred times but this time it just seem to talk to me. It was all about waiting on God's timing...while I sure am trying to be patient...there are days that I fail miserably...good thing God's still there.

It could only happen to us...

We picked up our new van today...again...with a brand new windshield installed. This time I'm going to have to chalk this one up to...it could only happen to us. You see, throughout our course of marriage my husband and I have had a few...how shall I say it...unusual things happen to us...to put it nicely.

When we first got married we were driving down a road in the pouring down rain. The road just happened to be closed due to flooding but you were not notified this in advance. So not seeing any signs, my husband was not able to stop in time and "barrelled" through a barricade (just like the Dukes of Hazzard...minus all the horn tooting) and right into the flooded area.

Sometime later, when we were driving (yet again) my husband hit a bat which then proceed to get wrapped around and stuck on our antenna (...a BAT...I thought they were suppose to notice something big like a car...figures we'd get the one "not-so-smart" bat).

Another time, my husband entered us both into the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" show. I really didn't mind so much, I figured no one ever gets picked that we know...wrong again. They picked...yep, you guessed it...me. Now, if you personally knew both of us, you'd know that my husband is incredibly smart and me...well, I'm more of a "fall apart, spastic, over talker, crazy one"...in a nice sort of sense. Figures we'd get the producers who just wanted great reality TV.

There are hundreds more things that we have just chalked up to "it could only happen to us" and this windshield thing is one of them. So I guess...I'll just take it one day at a time...cause with our family...you just never know.

Do it again, Mom...

For the past couple of days my kids have watched the movie Bolt. We checked it out from the library and since we only have it for three days, they wanted to see it each day. If you've not seen it yet, the movie is about a dog who thinks it has "super" powers...it's pretty cute.

That being said, my 5 year old daughter comes in from playing outside and says..."Mommy, I have a question." "What's your question?" I said. "Do you have any special powers...you know, like Bolt?" "Hmmm...let me see." I said scanning around the kitchen. I had just made a lasagna, put it in the oven and had cleaned up all the mess (point being, she never saw me make dinner...). "I bet I can make dinner appear in the oven...watch." She fixed her eyes on me as I pretended to stare directly at the oven. "O.k., this might take a minute...but watch." She looked at me intently with a little smile. "Whew...that was tough, but I think it's done." I opened the oven door and showed her the lasagna.

She laughed and said..."Do it again, Mom..."

Simple in theory...

Today my goal was to try and get all the bathrooms cleaned. Simple in theory...yes...in reality, not so easy. In the course of today, I was a grocery shopper, a cook, a Playdoh ice cream maker, a referee, a hairdresser, a dentist, a computer technician, and a laundry person. However, a bathroom cleaner did not make the list today...maybe tomorrow. I think I'm up for zookeeper and space astronaut....maybe I can squeeze it in.

Happy Fourth of July everyone...

Every fourth of July we go and visit my husband's parents. They live on 180 acre farm (minus all the animals...except our dog we bring), and I have to tell you I love it here. The pace is slow and relaxing and the kids can roam free without a care in the world. They have a pool and by the end of each day our kids are worn out so much that there is no trouble getting them to sleep. Their church does an amazing firework show and cookout (and they even throw in lots of inflatables as well). It's just a great time.

Now my favorite thing to do here is run. I run all the time...in any weather, but here it's a little different. Here I get to run on a road that cars are few and cows outnumber everyone. (O.k....that scares me, but I can suddenly become an Olympic sprinter if chased by a cow) Today I decided to sign up for a local 5k held in a tiny town nearby. My husband was wonderful enough to be my cheering section for the morning (with help from the grandparents, we could leave the kids back at the house). It was all you would expect from a small town race. Everyone knows everyone and people sat on corners and cheered runners on. It was so much fun!

We leave tomorrow to head back home...back to our daily grind. But for this one small moment, we wanted to wish everyone a happy fourth of July...relax and enjoy it!

3 miles and an EXTREMELY LARGE rock...

Okay...as my husband told me repeatedly..."it's better to laugh than to cry"... I'm having a little difficulty with this one. You see, I waited eleven years to get a brand new fancy van. Eleven years to get a CD player, and eleven years to get the electronic closing doors. Think basic van, that's what I had for eleven years. So when we finally bought a fancy shmancy new one, I was giddy with delight. Eleven years...remember...and it only took 3 miles and an EXTREMELY LARGE rock to bust the windshield completely (I mean...less than 24 hours we have owed this van and we have to replace the windshield completely). UGH!!!!

So is it really better to laugh than to cry.... I'll let you know ...excuse me while I go and get a tissue...