My little chickadees

I kinda have a thing about all my little chicks being close by and "under my wing".  When I had my kids in schools in 2 different counties, it about sent me over the edge when foul weather was setting in and we were all spread apart.  I think that is one of the biggest things about my (hybrid) home school that I love.  We are usually in one group or at least the bigs are together in one place that I can get to in one trip.  

This past weekend I got to see my sister who is living stateside for the next 6 months on break from their residency in The Netherlands.  It was wonderful getting to see her whole family that I haven't hugged in too long.  The best part is that her furlough coincides with the future arrival of our newest addition.  In honor of our adoption, my very best sister in the world made this for us.  

LOVE!!

My four little chicks

It is her first attempt at a tile mosaic and I think it is a beautiful one.  It symbolizes the dawn of a new day in our family as we welcome in our fourth child.  

As I look closely at the little birds, I notice the smallest on the end looking towards the others, maybe not quite sure of itself.  I pray my older children will guide our new one as they learn to live in a family and literally "come out of their shell" that they have lived as an orphan.   

Thanks dear Katy, this is a treasure.

Sidetracked

Well, the batch that was released on January 28th left us hanging.  I didn't know if my racing, unsettled mind could tolerate waiting another 4-6 weeks.  Well, life with 3 kids caught up with me and the answer was a resounding "yes".  As always, life goes on with places to be, things to do and projects to complete.  Thankfully February is a pretty busy month around here.
It kicked off with Mimi coming in town to see Alexia in the very excellent production of
Fairy Tale Courtroom   

I was so proud of her in the lead role of the Big Bad Wolf who was on trial for his many offenses to various characters in fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, the 3 little pigs and others.

Here's my part -nightly makeup and costuming!

The transformation

Its good acting on both parts
when the DA and the defendant
are actually friends!

Unfortunately the jury 

(played by the audience)

found my little wolfie 

guilty all but one night. 

But, that only took up the first week.  Now it is Pinewood Derby time!  I'm on our Cub Scout committee, so its double duty this week.  We have some great parents so really it is assigning and delegating and the rest of it is focused on getting that boy's car just right.  This year Caleb wanted to go with the nature theme and chose to make a crocodile.  Don't judge if you think it looks too much like an alligator :)  

He didn't win anything for speed this year, but he got 2nd place for design in the Wildlife category . 

It was an ice day Wednesday, so we spent some time working on some science projects.  2 kids in school and 3 science projects - doesn't add up in my mind very well either.   

Totally excited that my sister and family is on this side of the pond for the next 6 months.  We are having a big ol' party for her twins with lots of family getting together in a few weeks.
Then, its our annual Chick-fil-A seminar.  Its an awesome time of getting together with all the other CFA folks in some good Florida sunshine and working in a few days with the grandparents.
Whew, that brings us to the tail end of the month - referral?  Bring it on!  

Waiting Place

After the past few months of updating our home study, getting papers signed and our house inspected (fire, county code, AND social worker) we are only sitting here waiting for something to happen.  There is nothing to further the process at this point.  Waiting to see a slight rumor on my adoption boards and then wait for a phone call.

I think my brain is getting antsy.  All I want to do is sit and think of names (no boy name yet).  I want to check again and see if anyone out in adoption world heard anything.  More adoption books are coming, they can't get here fast enough.  I need something to do.  Oh, like focus on trying to teach my kids though the day?  It's hard, especially days like today when its snowing and they just want to be outside all day.  I want need this referral to come before I go see my family in 3 weeks.       

Oh the Places You Will Go

by Dr Suess

...Headed, I fear, toward the most useless place.

The Waiting Place

 for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come or a plane to go

or the mail to come or the rain to go

or the phone to ring or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Brushing off the Dust

Big long sigh...

I am picking the blogging thing back up...for now...for a few months at least.  Our adoption is finally in sight, getting closer, deadlines are critical. 

 I stared at the little snail ticker I put up years ago and wondered if real snails even live 7 years.  Well, ours has- and he is still marking the passing of time.  

I am not going to try to give a full update of the past few years.  Some changes I will highlight are that we bought a house that I just love living in, I am now a home school mom, my emotions over our adoption are turning raw.  So it is time for me to have some emotional outlet here in the writing world.

Our store is doing well, the kids are growing and Maryland has proved to be a good move for our family.
That's all you get - on to the current.  

Back in February our agency called to tell us to get our butts in gear paperwork ready because the slow boat to China was getting closer to land.  And so, we have done with due diligence what all the other adoptive families have done - jump through one hoop after another to be ready to accept a new child into our family.

So much remains a mystery.
Boy or girl?
2 year old or 5 year old?
Baby bottles or prepping for kindergarten?
Our bedrooms have been left in neutral colors since we have moved in this house not knowing which rooms are going to be shared or switched up.

Some wonder how we have endured this long time frame.  I have always had a peace about staying the course.  We had so many other big "life happenings" the past 7 years, it was not meant to be.  I was so happy to see so many  of my friends come home with their precious ones from various types of adoption over these years.  This past Monday we had three families we knew hold their children for the first time in China.  I knew my time would come and now it has.

So much more in my head that I need to get out.  Stay tuned.

Nature Center

Lydia and I took a little field trip to the local nature center. Our kids love it there. It was chilly today so we kept it inside looking at different animal furs, reading nature books and watching the birds up close behind big windows. The favorite is the resident turtle that is so friendly he swims right up to which ever peep window you look at him through. Here are some goofy shots of Lydia at the center (holding a turtle shell) and at the little conservatory next to it plucking the orchids (thankfully we were not seen and did not get kicked out).

snow days

Day 1 We woke up with a little snow and no school. It started really coming down late afternoon and the big kids ran out the door ready to build that first snowman. 5 pm equals dark up here so they came in and warmed up with a bath and dinner and we cuddled up to a movie when all went dark. It was close to bedtime so we pulled out all the heavy blankets and piled them high and watched the snow fall for a while. The kids all curled up in my bed and Lydia tried to have a spend-the-night party too, but she partied too much and was finally kicked out of the room.

Day #2 was lots of fun to look at, but still no power (or coffee). There was little draw to go outside if you can't come in to get warm. A great neighbor with a snow-blower bailed us out of our driveway and we took off for a warm meal at our favorite Chick-fil-A. The rest of the day held a nap for all, a Target run (for more heat) and then a pizza out then home to POWER! Erik was also a welcomed sight as he had previously been out of town.

Day #3 was fun with an early morning sledding trip with the big kids and dad. We had lots of friends over for the afternoon and fun in the backyard snow. A big fort, 2 snowmen, bundles of snowballs and one little bity snow-eating girl were all sighted.

Lydia finally "warmed up" to some outdoor fun. Maybe she realized her hands don't get so cold if she leaves her mittens on. Now to teach her the same about her hat!

indoor snow play

First day of snow this week didn't amount to much for the first part of the day. Since Lydia hasn't proved to be a big fan of the snow yet, I brought the snow indoors for her and her little play friend. They had enjoyed getting their hands cold and stuffing their mouths with icy fun.