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.

I know everybody has their funny Wii videos. Our kids are deprived, we have not given in to the trend (yet). However, they do get a little combat time in when we go to my brothers place. I do mean combat. It is all about the active sports-defeat-thy-sibling games. Yesterday, in an unusual turn of events, Caleb was annihilating his sister (4 years older) in the game of fencing. We then all had to take turns with him and this is him even putting smack down on his daddy. Uncle Andy is the only one that ended up being able to defeat the mighty Caleb.

good Saturday

Okay, so this was yesterday, but I have no pictures today, and I can't pass on these from yesterday.
Lydia has recently shown an interest in playing with play dough. It's been a while since we have made Peanut butter dough (here is the first time), but I decided to make up a batch for a cold Saturday. It was still a hit with all the kids.


Then for a nice evening, we went to my "little" brother's to celebrate his and his little daughter's recent birthday. The little girls are about 2 months apart and are so cute together. They pranced in tutus, read books, sucked each others pacies, and hugged each other until they fell over and rounded the evening out by watching a little bit of ballet . I can't wait to see them grow up together.