Random Photos

I have been doing a poor job of adding my photos to my posts as of late, so I'm doing them all in a batch post so I can be caught up on those.

Emily and Braiden at the petting zoo on the day we went to the zoo

Kat and Charlie at the zoo with us
Funny sign I saw at a house I inspected this week

Shower gift from my friend Michelle.

Gifts from Ms. Kay (Josh's former Sunday school teacher) and Ms. Jill. They kindly gave us a gift card and these were my purchases with that.

Group gift from my friends who had the shower for me at church. I JUST hooked up the monitor and it will hear you drop a hair on carpet it's so good!!

These goodies were from our friend, Tracey. She gave us a gift card and these goodies were the result of that. She also gave us a cuddly baby toy and a photo album as well.

Gifts from my friend (and soon-to-be traveling partner) Jennifer. Check out the feet on the giraffe outfit -- they are little giraffe heads. Jennifer was also concerned that The Princess did not have socks. She is now covered along with some sleeping gowns.

This was also from Jennifer. The blanket is so incredibly soft. You can't tell from the photo but the outfit says "Little Princess" and has a picture of a frog with a wand.

So, now I'm caught up -- for now -- with the photos I have.

It is Quiet

My house is quiet. The animals are asleep and Josh is outside playing with his remote control boat and his trucks (more on that later).

As I fold clothes and pick up the house (much needed, I'll tell you!!), I realize the house is silent. I think about what it will be like in 52 days + 12. Fifty-two days until I get on a plane and twelve days until I return.

I wonder how our lives will change? Of course, I'm not crazy enough to not think things will be upside down and backwards for a while, but over the past few days as I do things I stop and think, "When Ellie is here, how will this work?" Simple things like running into the store in the mornings to get a cup of coffee will become a bit more challenging. I suppose coffee will be made at home (as it should be now). Things like waiting in the car rider line -- what if she screams the entire time? Things like grocery shopping with a baby who has a dirty diaper.

So... as my time draws closer, I'm trying to enjoy the things that won't be the same again. I plan to go see a movie with my friend; read a book; make hair bows; paint her closet; clean out a closet or two; paint my toenails; maybe, even scrapbook or make a few Christmas presents (yeah, right -- mark that one off). However, I know the time, although it seems slow, will go quickly until there isn't as much "quiet". I can't wait.

Psalm 107:30

Then are they glad because they be quiet;

so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Isaiah 14:7

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet:

they break forth into singing.

1 Timothy 2:2

For kings, and for all that are in authority;

that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Let's Have Some Fun ...

Found this on another blog and wanted to test it.

Using my name ...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 127 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

There are 1,269,921 people in the U.S. with the first name Maria.
Statistically the 23rd most popular first name.
99.4 percent of people with the first name Maria are female. (This makes you wonder, doesn't it???)

For Kevin:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 103 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

There are 1,025,999 people in the U.S. with the first name Kevin.
Statistically the 34th most popular first name.
99.7 percent of people with the first name Kevin are male. (Again, hmmmm....???)

For Josh:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 66 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

There are 664,689 people in the U.S. with the first name Joshua.
Statistically the 72nd most popular first name.
99.77 percent of people with the first name Joshua are male. (Are these numbers just statistical abnormalities?)

And last, but certainly not least (oh wait, she is the least, or smallest, of us), The Princess:

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

WELL SURPRISE!!!

There are 9,147 people in the U.S. with the first name Ellie.
Statistically the 1951st most popular first name.
More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Ellie are female.

"We Get Mail"

You know in magazines how they have a column where readers write in and tell them things? Well, I wanted to share this beautiful email I got today that really touched my heart. For privacy, I won't share who sent it to me, but they will know and will know how much this meant to me. One day I'll be able to share it with Ellie.


Oh, also, I want you to know, I had read that your court date was set for Aug. 8, I believe? Well, when we were on the beach, on the 8th, I explained that someone else I "knew" through the yahoo list, who was adopting from Kyrgyzstan, was having her court date that day, for a little baby girl named Ellie. I reminded the kids of how excited we were when we heard that our court date had happened and that we were approved, and that we should think good thoughts for you guys and baby Ellie. Well, my oldest daughter (11 years old and adopted from Russia in 1997), immediately said we should pray, right then and there on the beach, for God to guide the thoughts of the judge, and for him to approve you for baby Ellie. I agreed, and so we did. It just made me so proud of them. You know how you try and try to instill the right values in your children, and hope and pray that you are doing a good job as a mother? Then, when they do something like that, you just feel so good, that maybe you're doing something right, after all. Anyway, I wanted you to know that, even though things can seem very depressing and lonely with this adoption stuff, that there were 5 little kids praying for you on the beach, big time!

Can you imagine children being so sweet in spirit to stop their beach time and actually pray for someone they didn't know at all? Is that beautiful? I think it is. It gives me faith that all in the world is not bad -- the light of Jesus does still shine brightly in the next generation. Thank you for thinking for us and for praying for us.

Where Does Hair Come From?

Visualize if you can:

Josh is at the kitchen table, working on homework. I'm at the couch, entering work (well, supposed to be, but now blogging). Josh casually says, "Where does hair come from?"

Ahem. Do I know? "Cells in your body die and it grows hair."

"Oh, what if the cells die?"

"Huh?"

"Well, what if the cells where the hair comes from dies?" Oh.

Then you are bald.

"Is that why some babies are bald?"

Uh. No. I don't know.

Where do these questions COME from.

By the way, we got a new photo of Ellie today from our friend Holly who is in Kyrg visiting her son. We were so blessed by that photo. It came at a time we desperately needed to see her. I took it when I went to pick up Josh from school. He laughed out loud and said, "Well, she's sure wearing some ugly clothes." That was it. It is more than I expected from him at this point.

She is growing and looks well. It appears she has been moved from the tiny baby room to the bigger babies room. I am happy that she is growing and yet sad that I'm missing it.

53 days until I step on a plane.

Where does hair come from?

Authenticity

This post I got today from Purpose Driven Life sums up my attitude on life. I want to be authentic. I try to be authentic. Sometimes I'm told I share too much, but the reason I share is usually to help, to be authentic. I hope you all enjoy this devotional as much as I did. And, it's not all about being authentic only in church.

Authentic Friendships
by Rick Warren


But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:7–8 (NCV)


*** *** *** ***

In Christian fellowship people should experience authenticity.


Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing.

It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives.

They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.


Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow conversation.

People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.

It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. . . . If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7–8 NCV).


The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.


Why would anyone take such a risk?

Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG).

Yard Sale

As you all might have noticed, there hasn't been a lot of blog activity going on the last few days.

We have been preparing for and holding a yard sale to help raise the last funds we'll need to travel back to pick up The Princess. On Tuesday, I was truly feeling despondent after going to the storage building and going through what was in there. In our minds, we wanted to raise $500 from the yard sale and the items we had in there just didn't seem like quite enough to get us to there. Remember, we've had a yard sale every year for the past three years, so I can kind of judge how it's going to work, how much we might raise and so forth.

Then on Thursday, we had so many people give us things for the yard sale. Jamma and Larry gave us tons of their daughter's name brand shirts and jeans that all the teens wanted. Our neighbor gave us a treadmill, tons of shoes, boots, purses, clothes, toys, coffee maker and VCR, media stand. Our friends Jennifer and Jason absolutely loaded us up on so much good stuff that I'm not sure where they were storing it. Their boys went through their toys and gave us so much good stuff, including about 20 video games which fetched a good bit. They gave us an elliptical machine, a glider/exercise machine, lots of household items, purses, camera and on and on. Kevin's mother had given us all of her yard sale items and his aunt and cousin gave us several loads of things as well. My friend Iris brought us by a Power Wheels jeep and a rocking horse. My mom let me have all her things left over from our last yard sale. We still had several things that folks had donated from that sale as well that sold this time.

And special thanks to my parents who allowed us to have our yard sale at their house where there is lots of traffic and who prayed we made more than we expected.

As I sorted through all the items, putting prices on them, I thought of all the love that was shared with us from each of these people. Each toy given up by Jennifer's boys was bit of love shared with us for our daughter. It's the truest example of Jesus's love I can imagine.

By the time it was all said and done we made right at $1300. What a blessing!!! I would have never thought we could have made anywhere near that amount of money.

Poor Kevin walked away with a sinus infection for all his efforts. He thinks it's from stirring up dust and such from all the boxes. He moved so much stuff this weekend, I'm surprised he's still walking around. And, kudos to Joshua and his friend Braiden who helped us move boxes of stuff on Friday night, Saturday morning and to break down on Saturday afternoon. I've never seen two ten-year-old boys work so hard. I was so proud of both of them.

Fifty-four days until we return. Hang on little bit, mama is coming. Soon.

Making Plans

Yesterday I made our tentative airline reservations to go back to get "The Princess". I never thought this would actually happen. They are on hold until September when I will feel a little more comfortable about purchasing them.

I have also made our hotel reservations as I was afraid the hotel would fill up before we made them. Elizabeth has also made hers so we will definitely be at the same hotel. This is good. I need to have Kevin call back tonight to give them a credit card number to make sure the room is secured.

I need to also call today to ask our agency to make the reservations for us at the hotel in Kazakhstan. They have volunteered the coordinator to do that.

Jennifer has applied for her expedited passport. Hopefully, it will be here in a couple of weeks and we can apply for our Kaz visas. For those of you who don't know, my friend (from way back in junior high), one of "The Girls" of GNO (girl's night out) Fame, is travelling back with me to get "The Princess".

So, plans are underway. We are getting closer. 57 days until we leave to go back for our little girl. I'm so excited -- and scared to death at the same time.

Load Lifted

It's funny. I went to my friend, Mayme's, house today to look at some infant sized clothes that she had bought for her daughter, Emma, who is coming home from China in just a few weeks. She, like me, had been buying clothes in varying sizes for a LONG time. Because Emma is 18 months old, she had several outfits in the 6-9 month size range she wanted me to look through to see if I could use.



We got to talking and I found it so ironic that we both felt the same way recently, and I wanted to share to 1) see if others have experienced this, or 2) let those behind us in line in on this information.



We both agreed that when we found out (me) that we were through court, and (her) that her referral was approved that we both felt like a HUGE load had been lifted off our shoulders. It was a load that we never really knew we were carrying until it was gone. I just feel a peace about everything from here on out. It was a peace I didn't feel too often until I heard that court was through and we had travel dates. It's like coming home at the end of a long vacation -- you were happy to leave on the trip, but coming home is oh so very, very sweet and you realize there is no place you'd rather be. It's a place where you can "let your hair down", enjoy life and be yourself.



We had a GREAT visit. It is always refreshing to talk about adoption to people who are in the throes of it all and who get what it's like to be there. It's also fun to hear their stories about how God put them together as a family. Mayme and I have families that are very similar, I think, and we could have likely talked all day long if we'd not both been crazy busy.

And, for those who were waiting to see a few more photos of my consignment sale finds, here are a few more of my favorites.

LOVE LOVE this one. It's a Christmas-y type balloon outfit accented with gingham bows and a raindeer appliqued on the front. TOO CUTE.

Another cutie-pie Christmas dress (can you start wearing your Christmas frocks in October so she can get them all in before the season is over??).

This was the cute little Gymboree outfit that I got for $8.50. It's three pieces and cute cute. The photos aren't so great. I have several cameras and end up using the camera on my PHONE to take these.

This is the Strausberg outfit -- pink corduroy -- very soft and smocked - $8.

And I love how soft this little jacket is. It's supposed to be a "bunny jacket" because it has a hood with ears. Cute, but SO SOFT!!!

That's about it for the consignment sale. I bought a few more things, but we are leaving this topic behind now.

Surprise Present -- Thank You

Thank you to the Kyrgz family who sent Ellie this wonderful handmade quilt with "ellie-phants" on it. What a surprise to get a package in the mail that is unexpected!!


It was even more exciting as I let Josh and his friends open it (who knew what it might be, after all) and they were all very excited.


Because the last name was on the package, I was able to do a little sleuthing via a phone call to our agency to find out who the secret giver was and I just want to say a HUGE thank you for the kindness you have shared with our family. You are a blessing!!


For blog readers who like pictures, here's your photo! I know it was made with love for our Princess! That's what makes it all the more special.

UPDATE:
Busted!! *smile* It was my friend, T. from California who sent me the blanket. She has officially 'fessed up and I couldn't be more pleased that it was her. I'm just amazed that a "stranger" (in the sense that we haven't met -- only share a love of a country where our daughters were born) would be so kind to go to the effort of making my sweet little one a blanket. It's a beautiful gesture that shows how very, very kind the Krygz adoption community is. I have never felt so much kindness and met so many caring people who literally never argue on the yahoo group. It's such a blessing -- and now this lovely gift. Do you think there is anything sweeter than her finding fabric with pink elephants on it? I love it!!

Today/Tonight/Excitement

Where to start about this busy, busy day?

First off, we have anticipated travel dates of 10/12-10/23. It's a bit later than I wanted, but I can make it now that we have cleared court and have a set date. 10/14 -- Gotcha Day. CANNOT WAIT.

All of our excitement came very much unlike how I thought it would. First, Elizabeth called to tell me "She is mine!!" but I was on the phone and she left a message on my voicemail that was hard to hear. When I called her back, the call was dropped shortly after she told me we had gone through court and had return dates of 10/12-10/23. She was in a poor reception area.

I immediately called Kevin to tell him and be excited. I then called my mom to tell her. I couldn't talk long because I had arrived for my 12:00 dental appointment. While there, I saw my dear friend, Maggie, and we celebrated right in the lobby of the dentist's office. The entire time I was in the dentist's office, my phone was ringing and vibrating like I was AT&T. I didn't have time to listen to any of the messages because immediately after I finished at the dentist, I had to go next door to the doctor's office for my Hep A/B shots. By the time I got finished with that it was simply a phone-fest while I waited in the car rider line to pick up Joshua. How excited EVERYONE was to hear that her case was through court and she was OURS!!!

This evening, I had plans to do a focus study at my friend Susan's house. Ironically, Susan and I met at 20/20 research (same company that was doing this one) while doing a research study. She is the reason I got my job and that was how we became friends. So, tonight, she had agreed to do a study where she had to cook for three people and we'd come and be videoed and talk about things that were valuable to us and things that we thought were of value. It was SO much fun. Imagine the surprise of all the folks there when I come in announcing I was a new mom. HA! The looks are priceless. Anyway, I got to share the good news with these folks and they were so kind and interested. I love to talk about our adoption.

So we had a wonderful dinner (Susan -- it really was excellent) and got to talk about the economy and value and such. Turns out it was a research study/focus group for Campbell's. FUN!!! I gave the folks my blog and they said they would visit, so if you do, HELLO! I hope you guys enjoy Nashville. I had a great time. I also told them I'd put a recipe on my site using Campbell's Soup, so here goes:

Easy Cheesy Crockpot Chicken

This crockpot chicken recipe is so easy, made with cream of chicken soup and cheese soup, along with seasonings and chicken breasts.

Cook Time: 7 hours

Ingredients:
6 boneless chicken breast halves, without skin
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
2 cans Campbell's condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can Campbell's condensed cheddar cheese soup

Preparation:Rinse chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix undiluted soup and pour over chicken in a Crock Pot. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

Serves 6.

This is quick and good and great for nights when you have to be out the door to someplace like sports, school, church, etc.

So, now I'm back home, sitting where it is quiet (should be in the bed) and reflecting on the face pace of the day and the HUGE news that has come and changed our family. I've reviewed all the paperwork our agency sent and will begin working on that this weekend, after the yard sale on Friday and Saturday, Girls Night Out on Friday and church on Sunday. It will require my brain to be working so this is not the time to think about it.

I'm going to add a ticker counting down the days. Tomorrow, my friend Jennifer goes to get her passport to travel with me. She wanted something "big" and "exciting" to mark our 40th birthday (yes, I just told my age). Well, I think she just got it!!!

Thanks to all who have been so kind and left comments. It really, really means so much to us. You have supported us when we were down and it's even better to share when we are up!!

Our thanks again to the God who has made this possible. "I prayed for this child and God has given me what I asked of Him."

We Have a Daughter!!!

Three years ago this month, our family decided we wanted to adopt. Though our path has wound us through a path that included domestic, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and finally, Kyrgyzstan, today we found out that Ellie's case went through court today and that she is officially our daughter!! In our hearts, of course, court was not required. There is a mandatory 30 day waiting period before the judge signs the final decree, but we feel that she is definitely our daughter. I have waited three years to have a daughter and now I'm just overwhelmed with the emotion of it all. It's just ABSOLUTELY UNREAL!!!!

And, to give credit where it is 1000% due: THANK YOU GOD FOR GIVING US A DAUGHTER. Children are truly a blessing from the Lord. Without Him, none of this would be possible.

In preparation, I had already scheduled an appointment to get my Hep A/B shots today so as I sit here, there are bandaids on both arms -- a tangible piece of evidence that she is truly our daughter. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

After the 30 day waiting period, I will be able to post photos of her. I think these "teaser" photos will keep you going until September 11.

Don't you love her "incognito" look??? Shades courtesy of our friends Kat, Charlie and Jia!

Consignment Goodies

I know you guys are just waiting with baited breath to see the cool things I got at the Encores and More North consignment sale this weekend. Well, I finally managed to get some photos of the things today, but most of them are still on my phone. Yes, I do have multiple phones, but I couldn't find a memory card, or batteries or the right lens for anything. It was crazy so I just used my phone.

I got lots of fall and winter clothes that were so cute and so inexpensive. One of my favs was a Strasburg pale pink corduroy bubble outfit with smocking on it -- $8. I got another Gymboree outfit (the polka dot dog one -- can't remember the name of that line) with a long sleeve onesie, a pair of pink overalls and a matching jacket - $8. I was very excited to get the Volume 2 Set of Baby Einstein videos (6 of them - unopened, mind you) for $20. I got a bag of small baby toys for $7. I could have done more shopping but MY GOODNESS there wasn't room to move. I was having either hot flashes or it was incredibly hot in there because sweat was rolling off me. When I arrived, I stood in a loooonnnnnggggg line to get in, shopped for a little over an hour and then spent almost another hour in line to check out. It was all worth it though for the cute stuff I got. I did see several bags of bottles there, but my hands were full, so I might go back this week and check out more stuff. There was so much I didn't get to look at because it was literally too full to get to. Ironically, A. from Holding on for the Ride was there and we didn't even see each other.

So... here are a few photos. Of course, these are not my favorites. Apparently, I haven't sent those on from my phone to the computer yet. Nonetheless ...

Christmas outfit with hat and booties. Our little Santa baby.

Hoot owl PJs

Cutie little "mod" dress that I would have likely not found anywhere else. The Princess will be styling in this one. Reminds me a lot of the play dresses from Hanna Anderson.

Baby's First Thanksgiving Outfit. CUTE as a bug. Found a baby's first Thanksgiving bib to go along with it. Bib - $.50

I love plaid. The little Scottie on this is an added bonus. Black patent leather shoes - here we come. Oh wait, I have some!!

I think I covered the "dressy" stuff for winter. We'll still need sleepers and such, but that's pretty easy, I think.

Tomorrow is the first full day of middle school. We've gotten school supplies packed up, checked off and ready to go. Fingers are crossed and prayers are being said that it's a good first day.

Blogger Award

My friend A. over at Holding on for the Ride gave me this award.

In return, I have to answer the following questions associated with letters of the alphabet.

A. Attached or single? Attached
B. Best friend? Hubs
C. Cake or pie? Both
D. Day of choice? Saturday
E. Essential item? Diet Dr. Pepper
F. Favorite color? Brown -- it's my new black
G. Gummy bears or worms? I don't like gummies.
H. Hometown? Joelton
I. Indulgence? Starbucks
J. January or July? July
K. Kids? 2 (you see, in my heart, she is already mine -- no matter what the court says)
L. Life isn’t complete without? God and my family

M. Marriage date? 11/26/94
N. Number of brothers & sisters? There's a question. Adopted - none there; Biological - One sister, three brothers on maternal side; and honestly, I don't remember on the paternal side, but I think it four siblings.
O. Oranges or apples? Apples
P. Phobias? Spiders
Q. Quotes? Jeremiah 24:11

R. Reasons to smile? It's laugh or cry and I choose to laugh -- at my life
S. Season of choice? Spring
T. Tag seven peeps! (see below)
U. Unknown fact about me? My life is apparently an open book -- read the blog. :-)

V. Vegetable? I like pretty much all veggies equally except carrots, which I hate
W. Worst habits? running my mouth; lateness; forgetfulness
X. X-ray or ultrasound? huh???
Y. Your favorite food? SUGAR -- in any form
Z. Zodiac sign? Capricorn

I'm supposed to tag seven people, so here you go.

1. Betsy -- another Krygz adoptive mom-to-be (hey, wait, we are moms, aren't we?). She says she likes lists.

2. Michelle -- my friend who gave me the guest passes to the consignment sale this weekend -- more on that in another post. She has my "tester" baby, Caleb, who I practice mommying on every time I see him.

3. Heather -- just home from Vietnam with her baby (will she or won't she have time to do this??)

4. Kelli - who is waiting ever so patiently for her little one from VN

5. Elizabeth - my travel buddy who says she never has anything interesting to blog about -- here's your chance. We are patiently (hahahahahaha) waiting to hear if court happened for us

6. Diane - my friend from Atlanta who hasn't blogged since we met in Atlanta the end of July. What's up with that?

7. Jeanne - patiently waiting for her son Ben from Krgyz as well who is always helpful when I have questions.

Have fun, guys, and thanks, A.!

Football Saturday

Today the Joelton Vikings 9-10 year old football team had two mini-games at MBA in Nashville. They played teams from West Nashville and Flatrock. The first game, they won 24-0 and the second game they won 6-0. Josh played the entire time for both games.

It was a much cooler day than last Saturday so there were no complaints about the weather. Instead of a long post, I'll share some photos of Josh.

Above: Josh is the one who arms are wrapped around the opposing player.

Above: Joelton Vikings Line

Above: Josh and another player taking on an opponent

Above: Josh in his three point stance

Above: Josh on the right getting ready to tackle

Josh is doing great at football this year. We hope this is the year our team goes to the Superbowl!!

Is my blog looking weird?

I had an email from a blogger friend (with photos) who indicated the colors are showing up "off" on her computer. She indicates the type is red and the ticker at the top with Ellie's age is unreadable. The header is cut off for her.

If anyone else has noticed this, can you leave a comment? The background is hot pink, the text area is white. The text is a grey/black.

Thanks for feedback if there are problems on your end.

UPDATE:
After a comment from another blog reader who indicates the same issue, I have emailed the lady who stylized the blog for me. The only thing I can think is it is from when I added the counters at the top. They may have to be removed. Thank you guys who are having trouble for commenting specifically. Hopefully it will be resolved soon!!

First Day of 5th Grade

Today was Josh's first day of middle school. It was a peculiar feeling taking him to another school and dropping him off with "the big kids". He was fine with it and didn't act nervous at all. It was, however, a half day, and his friends, Braiden and Kirstin were with us. Kirstin is a 7th grader, so she was there for "back-up" for both of them. It was nice that Josh had gone with us to parent's night so he knew his teacher and where his classroom was.

He reports that his new teacher is ok, the school is ok and his day was ok. I suspect that's "tween" talk for it was all fine.

Afterward he went to a friend's house for a pizza/pool party. He is home laying on the couch looking a bit like a lobster. I suspect that whole "sunscreen" idea blew past him. He is also tired from having gotten up so early. I have put aloe gel on him and a cool rag and he's resting.

My "little man" is growing up. I don't think I like it at all.

No News - Maybe Monday

Hmmmm.... this was not an answer I anticipated. I have no patience. I waited past the time our agency opened, past the time the director of the Kryg program came in and a little longer. I sent an email and decided after sending it, to call. See, I'm not patient.

I spoke with Joyce who said she had not heard anything this morning. I asked did that mean we didn't go to court. She said, "No." I said, "When will you hear?" She said, "Sometimes it's the next day, which, is bad for you because it's the weekend." Oh. She promised if she heard anything she will call.

Elizabeth is calling her agency. Maybe that will reveal some information. Otherwise, it will be Monday and while it stinks, what can I do? Joyce asked if I will be ok. I said, "No, but I can't do anything about it."

Oh well.

Cleaning House

Someone (I don't remember right now) suggested passing the time by cleaning. Wonderful suggestion -- she must have been peeking in my windows. *smile* It might be helpful if she would suggest working.


So, to pass time today I took on the stairway. They are cleaner than they have been in YEARS. I got my Mr. Clean eraser and took all the spots off the paint and the trim and the risers (where, apparently our feet are black and rubbing off on them), then took a soapy rag and cleaned all the walls and treads. WHOO HOO - productivity. I followed the stairway with the entrance hall, cleaning the door, glass on doors and side windows, cleaning the air conditioning return vent and the furniture in the entry way. Before the day is over I might have 10 or 12 sq ft clean (haha). There are two loads of laundry done and two or three more to go. I'm on a ROLL people.


While I was thinking about how these steps couldn't get any cleaner if I sandblasted them, I realized that somewhere on the other side of the world, a judge will awaken, go about his morning routine, go to work and shuffle papers on his desk. He might drink coffee, might don a robe (do they wear robes there in court??) and go to the court room. There, in our coordinator's hands will be a file with our dossier -- all those papers we painstakingly gathered before we saw her face, gathered in hope and love and excitement. I'm sure the judge has already reviewed the files. At some point, he will hear her "case" and sign a form and voila with little other flourish, a child's life, a family's life, a community, and our world will be forever changed. When I get up each day, I never stop to think about the one small thing I do that day that might just change my world and someone else's life -- forever. The magnitude of it all is amazing. Our God is truly, truly a mastermind whose thinking is beyond measure. I am amazed everytime I stop to think of all He controls.


Josh and I were singing today on the way back from visiting my grandmother. In all honesty, I was probably the only one singing -- he was likely rolling his eyes. No, wait, he was playing with his newly acquired Whoopie Cushion (not to be confused with Elizabeth's Whoopie Pies, which I just learned about today -- more on that later). Anyway, I'm off topic. I was singing, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and I got to the verse about "He's got the little bitty babies in His hands" and it just was such a peaceful reminder that He has my "little bitty baby" in His hands right now. It will be fine. If court is tonight or two nights from now, it will be fine. I won't admit that I'll like it but it will be fine.


Off to do more cleaning ....

I never finished this post and since then, I've totally cleaned the living room, re-arranged all the furniture and dusted (well, almost all of the furniture). I've cooked a large dinner and I'm still feeling a bit energetic. It's now 7:35 a.m. in Kryg and the day is starting.

Hoping for good news tomorrow.

AND.... tomorrow is the first day back to school (half-day) for Josh. More to report on that subject tomorrow.

Today???

It's 12:42 a.m. FRIDAY in Kyrgyzstan right now. In less than 12 hours, if court is going to happen for us today, it will. I'm a bit stressed. I'm going to work on cleaning house for a while to keep my mind occupied and then watch Josh swim for a while. I'm certain I'll not be able to sleep a wink tonight. Soclosesoclosesoclose! Excitement builds right alongside the fear.

I have called the agency. The country director is out today. I spoke with the agency director who doesn't have any reason to believe it won't happen tomorrow but commented that if for any reason it didn't happen it would be anytime because all things are in order and ready.

I just have to remind myself to breath. This is crazy.

Imagination Library - Registering Ellie

In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income. So she decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under 5 in Sevier County. With the arrival of every child’s first book, the classic The Little Engine That Could ™, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mail box. These moments continue each month until the child turns 5—and in their very last month in the program they receive Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come. For more information on the Imagination Library started by Dolly Parton, visit here.

Now, there is a foundation called the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation that makes sure every child in every county in Tennessee is eligible to receive a book each month from birth until they are five years old -- 60 books!!! -- mailed to their home each month.

I have sent offf an email to register Ellie for her books. I'm very excited because we love to read at our house (when there is time). When Josh was little we read every night before bed and I can't wait to read to Ellie as well. This program costs sponsors $28 per child per year -- a great investment in a child's future, I think!! Over 268,700 children have been served since the program started. Teachers have indicated those who receive the books are far more prepared for kindergarten.

Motivation (or lack thereof)

I am copying this post from my travel mate Elizabeth's site. I know she won't mind, but it seemed to mimic my life recently to a T.

I am motivated to do nothing but vegg lately. Oh and I have sooooo much to do but I just can't get moving on anything.

A list of the things I am procrastinating on:

• work - just in general. I am getting work done but not at my normal hectic pace
• paying bills - they aren't due yet but even if they were I think I would be procrastinating
• Ebay - we make alot of money by selling things on ebay....when I actually list things that is
• unpacking - we've lived here since June 14th and I have yet to unpack more than 10 days worth of clothes
• Russian - I am motivated to study before the next tutoring session, unfortunately the motivation doesn't kick in until about 30 min before the tutor arrives
• decorating - Bill is just about out of rooms to paint but I haven't gotten around to picking out colors for any of the additional rooms
• cleaning out my car - I always put this one off but it is now becoming a dire situation

I keep telling myself that once court is done, hopefully Friday, I will get motivated again. I soooo hope that is true cause I really do prefer my motivated, take on the world, kickin butt self...

Along those same lines, I've been feeling ANYTHING but motivated. So, those of you who have commented that I made a lot of bows and who might think I'm motivated and getting things done -- nope. Here's my list:

• Work -- can't seem to get motivated. Left home today and forgot the memory card. Went to buy one and hubby had check card. By the time I got both memory card and check card, it was after noon. I was supposed to leave home and start working at nine. I keep saying I'll catch up when school gets back in session.
• Housecleaning -- people, it's a dump, that's all I can say. I do a couple of loads of laundry a day and run the vacuum, but that's pretty much it. Kevin's been good about doing the dishes. I can't seem to get motivated. I WANT to...
• Finishing Ellie's room -- still need to paint the trim, paint a dresser, order the valance/curtains. Again, want to - haven't.
• Thank you notes -- need to get on them and get them done - nope.
• Car - Piled up -- nothing new here, unfortunately, but NEED to wash it and clean it. Not motivated.
• Finish organizing the office/craft room -- there are still the same piles that need to be gone through that needed to be done a month ago -- still in the same place.
• Bill paying -- it's a good thing most of our bills are automatically taken out and the rest I can pay (quickly) online or things would be ugly there too.

I thought it was just me, and then I read Elizabeth's post and realized, that I think it's the uncertainty of it all. I called our agency today to see if there was any chance that court wouldn't happen Friday. I wondered if they'd had any feedback from the in-country staff. Our SW and the director were already gone, so, no help there. I know Elizabeth would agree with me that it's like waiting on the call for an organ transplant or something. There is nothing you can do, but wait. Your mind is literally all involved in waiting and wondering and hoping.

I feel certain that if they call or email on Friday and say court is finalized, I'll be a mad woman again trying to get it all done in the two months we have to wait to pick her up. I really need a motivator right now, because not a lot is getting done otherwise.

Bows Galore

To fill my time (like I shouldn't be WORKING!!!), I decided to get out some of my bow making supplies and make some hair bows for Ellie-belly. I've been putting this off until we got the office/craft room done. It's not completely done, but I could easily get to the supplies and decided it was time. I have made several headbands with bows and just a few small hair bows. I have quite a few tiny bows made but can't seem to locate the 1 1/4" - 1 3/8" alligator clips to put them on. The 1 3/4" ones are too big. Anyway, when I can find those, I'll have a TON of little bitty bows.


I think Princesses should always wear a hair accessory. Hopefully, Ellie will share that same sentiment and not yank them immediately out of her hair.


In necessity to see what they would look like on, I coerced Josh into trying a few of the headbands on. PLEASE do not comment on this to him if you see him as he would be mortified to know I told someone. He was the only kid head around.


So, here are a few photos of the bows Miss Ellie will be sporting when she arrives home.

After school starts, I plan to paint one of her dressers in her room and finally finish the wall stenciling.

It's Wednesday morning in Kyrgyzstan. Two more days -- 48 hours. Praying for good news this time.

Baptizing the Cats

I'm certain that title has got you begging for details, doesn't it? It would me. Especially knowing my son.

Today was Josh day. We went for a much needed haircut, went to eat at Red Robin and went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D. School starts on Friday and I wanted us to have a special time before he went back to school and I wasn't with him every day.

On the way there, he was laying in the back seat and out of nowhere he said, "When Jesus comes back do you think it will be ok if I take my Kitty?" At this point I'm not sure if he's talking about the stuffed kitty he takes EVERYWHERE or if it's Little Kitty, the real one at home. I said casually, "I'm sure Jesus won't mind." Sometimes there is just no need to go into semantics. He was quiet for a minute and said, "Well, I wish he would come on and come." Huh??? What's this about. I'm still not sure where this came from, but I didn't respond and he said, "Will we have our regular bodies or will he make us die first?" Oh, my, hmmmm? So, I respond that I'm not quite sure but that I know when we get to heaven we will get new bodies (I'm going to be tall and skinny, by the way!) that are like God's and Jesus's and I'm just not sure how that's all going to work. Another pause, followed by, "Do you think my cats and dogs will be there?" "Yes, absolutely. I really believe animals will be in heaven." Longer pause and then the gut-buster for me. "Well, I'm going home and baptize all the cats and dogs so they can go to heaven with me." Oh yeah, right, THAT'S going to happen. *smile*. I said nothing. I'm trying to appreciate his tender heart and his love for his pets when he follows up with this one. "No, I think I'm going to tell them what Brother David told me." Think. Think, Maria, what does he mean?? Brother David is our pastor. OH!! "Oh, you mean you are going to share the gospel with them, right?" He said, "YES!! We have lots of Bibles and I'm going to tell them what Brother David told me."

God loves hearts like Joshua's. I know this. The Bible tells us we are to be like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. This was purity and love of God and all the things He created at it's finest. Parenting just doesn't get any better than this. I said, "I think that's a great idea, Joshua." Later, I told him I didn't think he'd get to far with the cat baptism because they would probably scratch him up pretty badly. He replied, "No, I've already put Little Kitty in the tub before." WHAT??? I said, "Um, when?" He said, "I ran just a little bit of water in the tub and put him in it." I replied, "But, didn't he jump out?" Superior thinker that he is, he replied, "Nope, I closed the curtain." Ahhh.... one cat down, several and some dogs to go.

T Minus 72 hours and hopeful

It's 9:27 a.m. Tuesday morning in Kyrgyzstan. In three days (or nights in this case), the Judge is supposed to hear Ellie's adoption case. By the time my agency opens on Friday, we should know something.

I will tell you I have debated for several days about writing this post about the severe funk I'm in right now about this adoption. I hesitated for several reasons:

• There are families who visited their babies in Bishkek long before I did who have still not gone through court;
• Some people think that Christians should not be "down" or "depressed" and I didn't want to "disappoint" them
• It's hard to share the not-so-pretty parts of life

However, I realized the following counterpoints to those three reasons:

• I have no control over the courts in Kyrgyzstan. While I have a large large amount of sympathy, actually empathy, for those families caught in the Bishkek court system, I can't change that and I know that they would feel like I do -- get any babies home as quickly as you can. I also know how they feel as we've been waiting two and a half months now and will defintely wait two more before we can pick her up.
• Christians are real people with real problems. I like to tell folks that Christians aren't perfect, we are forgiven. I think God understands when we are sad/depressed or just down. I don't think he wants us to stay there, but life here is often very hard. As much as I try to focus on God's perfect timing and His sovereignty, I am a human, and sometimes things are just hard to deal with.
• I've been challenged by other bloggers who encourage others to share the reality of life and not just the pretty parts.

So, along those lines, here's the reality. I am very sad, depressed, down, in a funk, angry . . . there are many words to describe how I feel, but it's hard to combine all the feelings I have right now into a concise description.

For THREE YEARS this month, we have been waiting for a child. We have actively pursued a domestic adoption, an adoption from China, attempted to get into a program in Taiwan and then started a process in Vietnam and now are so very close to finalization in Kyrgyzstan. This has not been an easy road, and we are so very close to the end of the road. We should be ECSTATIC, shouldn't we? And yet, I'm at the point where I'm just sad because so many things in the past few months have played out exactly the opposite of the way we were told or thought they would. Every time I have one expectation, it turns out to be the opposite. If I'm told the sky is blue, I can look up and it will be grey. While it's pretty close (blue and grey), it's not right (it's not blue). This has happened so frequently that I have a HUGE fear that court won't happen on Friday. We were told we'd return 6 weeks after court; now it's two months because passport processing is taking longer. We thought we would have gone to court a long time ago - then the judge went on vacation. We thought our case would be heard with the last four families; we weren't. I actually, at one point, thought I would be returning to pick up Ellie next week and that it would conflict with school starting. Now, I'm thinking it will conflict with fall break -- two months later. I thought I would get to travel with a friend and another mom who was going by herself -- nope, not that either.

I've tried to talk myself out of this funk. I've used all the logical reasons, but my head just can't convince my heart not to feel the way it feels. And, it's coming out of me in all the wrong ways. I'm short with Kevin and Josh -- I don't want to be, but I'm just irritated. It's not their fault and I'm trying to not do it. I just want to be alone to try to sort it out. But, I have responsibilities and life has to go on. Kevin and Joshua shouldn't have to pay the price for my funk, you know??

I've prayed about it. I've rationalized my need to be frustrated and sad and angry and that if I just give myself some time this will pass. I know it will. But again, I want it to pass -- NOW. I'm terrified beyond reason that court will not happen on Friday and I can't imagine how in the world I'll be able to handle that let down again. I see her beautiful face everywhere as we have photos throughout the house. I have a photo purse that I have her photos in. At back to school night tonight, everyone who has known us over the past few years asked about her and where we were with the adoption. We've played sports with so many families over the past three years that it seemed like 100 people asked about it. And while I was so happy to get to show them the photos of her, when they asked when she was going to be home, I felt like I should say, "I don't really have a clue." Instead, I told them I think we will be going back October 8 for pickup (two months after court).

I want my faith in the absolute perfection of God and His timing to take over my heart and my mind and I continue to pray and beg God for this peace. I just need my head and thoughts to be overcome with a confidence born only from the belief that God WILL take care of all of it. My head knows it; I just need my heart to get the memo. I am impatient and I know this. I have always struggled with that. I WANT to be overflowing with joy that I finally have the daughter our family has wanted and sought for so long.

So, that's reality, folks. That's the reality of adoption and of my life right now. Adoption is a beautiful thing, but it can be anything but a beautiful process. When people say that adoption isn't for the faint of heart, it's true. People who have never experienced the process cannot begin to understand the roller coaster -- how one day you can be on top of the world and a phone call can drop you to the depths of pain. How it never truly leaves your mind -- no matter what you are doing, it's sitting in the background, like a TV running without sound. People cannot understand the heart wrenching pain of the process and the ultimate, top-of-the-mountain euphoria and how they can co-exist. It's like explaining to someone how their lives will change after they have children -- when they don't have them yet. You just can't describe it until you've been there.

And, so, with this post, I've cut off another 30 minutes of the countdown until Friday (Thursday night our time). Maybe this time.

Where did my baby go??

Tonight was parent's back to school night . . . at middle school. Josh is entering the fifth grade, and where we live, that means middle school. How did this happen??? Was it not just yesterday that I took him in and dropped him off at Mrs. Wilson's kindergarten class and was worried about whether he would take a nap? And now, I'm worried about how long it will take for him to get moved from a "really cool" seat at the back of the room with his buddy Alec to the front right in front of the teacher? I'm wondering how long it will take before his heart is broken and when or if he will end up in the principal's office. I worry that he won't be able to open his locker and will be late. I'm worried he won't make good choices in friends, that he will struggle in his classes and that his teachers won't be "nice". (Ok, you teachers who are reading, know that I'm not knocking teachers, I like teachers, I'm just a mom here worried about her son.) I'm worried that the school is big and he'll get lost, that he won't understand how things work and will be too embarrassed to ask.

Middle school brings so much more responsibility and with ADHD, this is something we already struggle with on a regular basis. I really want him to do well -- to achieve at the level I know he is capable of. So many things are out of my control.

So, we open a new year with a new school, new teachers, new opportunities and new challenges, and all I'm wondering is, "Where did my baby go?"

Baseball End of the Year Party

Yesterday Joshua's baseball team had their end of the year party at The Martin's house. There was pizza, cookies, pie, drinks and, best of all, a pool. The kids had a great time. I missed about two hours of it because of the shower, but I went afterwards and got to enjoy the presentation of the awards. That's really my favorite part anyway. :-)

The team mom, Carla, was SO nice and gave me a present for taking photos all season. I got a cool baseball purse (for next season), a neck warmer (the kind you microwave and put around your neck) from Beauticontrol, some brown sugar scrub from Beauticontrol and a REALLY COOL framed photo of Josh. Of course, as much as I LOVE the photo, I'm sure it will be commandeered into Josh's room. *smile* Much like last year's football present was.

Sadly, I didn't take my camera so there are no photos, except the photo of the gifts I got.

Shower!!

Yesterday some dear friends at church had a shower for Ellie. I say it was for Ellie even though the church bulletin said it was for Kevin and I. The gifts were for Ellie and it is because of her that we got to visit, eat cake and enjoy presents, so it was definitely for Ellie. I wish she could have been there, but we made sure to "take" her with us in the form of buttons on me and my mom. So, her sweet little face was present even if she couldn't be. As a side note, I was reading on David and Jayne's blog that the daily temperatures are around 100* every day there. I think about my sweet little one over there in that heat and it just breaks my heart. God keep her cool.

Here are some of the photos from the shower, courtesy of my mom.

Baby bootie cake, courtesy of Cecilia. Wasn't it pretty??? It tasted awesome too!!

Hostesses with the "mostest"!! Thank you all!!

My mom and I -- sporting our Ellie buttons!!

I am so thankful to have such kind friends who are thinking of us and wanting to "shower" us with love during our wait.

Oh... and "my girls" and I were talking about "How many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop". Brittany (who has the MOST energy and pep of anyone I know) knew where there were some Tootsie pops and they all rushed off to get some and test it. The only one of the group to lick long enough to get to the center was Makayla and she called me after I left to tell me to official number is 253!!

Here are "my girls" (minus Sara -- where were you!!) that I taught in AWANA? Are they not all just beautiful??? They are beautiful inside as well as out and are good, Christian girls!! Ellie is going to have some great role models!! (and babysitters!)

It's Football Time in Tennessee!

We've had a busy day today. Josh had two football pre-season games so we were in Donelson at 9:00 a.m. They played at 10:00 and 12:30 and won both games. It was HOT!!!! out there. The boys and parents were all sweating profusely. Here is my favorite photo from the day:

Josh is the one with the orange cloth and his head leaning back. This was taken during half-time of the 12:30 game. Do these boys not look tired and hot??? Tonight his face is sunburned. We should have thought about sunscreen.

Here he is stretching before the second game.

Here's a photo of him getting ready to block.

And, finally, here he is assisting with a tackle.

Josh did really well today. He did his job on the field and there were several times I heard his coach yell across the field that he had done a good job. I think this will be a great year for the team and for him.

After his games, we headed to Academy Sports to get new cleats for the year. He has worn the ones he is wearing now for both last year's football season and this year's baseball season. They look rough. He got a really cool pair. After that, we went over to the Babies R Us store to look at strollers. I've been having some issues deciding which stroller will be best for us. They have changed SO MUCH since we had Josh. Now, there are full sized type strollers that are so light -- aluminum. I think we all agreed on the Chicco Cortina. Here is a photo of it:

The product description says:

The Chicco Cortina Stroller is loaded with features that both you and your baby will enjoy. The Cortina Stroller has a multi-position, fully reclining seat with “Memory Recline.” The stroller also comes with all wheel suspension, a multi-position leg rest, and a reversible sun canopy. Both you and your child have a tray with cup holders, and you have the added convenience of a storage basket that can still be accessed when the seat is fully reclined. The Cortina has a one-hand fold and automatic storage latch to make packing up easier.

I like the fact that it is very light weight, the seat reclines to flat, making it more like a bed for baby, and the tray in the front swings out, allowing you to get the baby out without their legs hanging. There were two colors, but we all agreed that the grey one was a very pretty shade and had a nice design. The other was more sporty. Josh likes that the front wheels turn 360*. The fact that he noticed this is somewhat scary. I remember all too vividly the story of him skating through the zoo behind our nieces' stroller.

We picked up a little bath "thing" for me to take back to Kryg with me to give her a bath. We know that she will not be sitting yet and the tubs at the Silk Road are HUGE. This is like a pillow on a metal incline. It folds up very small (about the size of a travel pillow) so it won't take up much room. I suspect she's never had a "bath" before -- only washed down. I wonder if she'll like water??

Wait for it --- wait for it --

Tonight when we got home from our loooonnnngggg day out, Joshua was mad at me because I told him to carry all his things in from the car -- including the computer. He got huffy and I told him that he brought it all and he had to take it all back in.


When I came in the phone rang and I was talking to my friend Susan when I heard him mumbling something. I barely caught it, told Susan I had to go, hung up and said, "What did you just say?" "Nothing". "You need to tell me what you just said." "Nothing." "Joshua."


"All you care about is Ellie." In all honesty, the statement could have just as easily have been: All you ever talk about is Ellie. You love Ellie more than me. I'm tired of Ellie. You could take your pick on how the statement was going to come out Well, there it is. I wondered how long it would take. I knew it would come, just not when. I told him he needed to think about all I had just done for him today: taking him to Chattanooga to the museum, taking him out to eat several times, stopping to look for him some new football cleats, getting him a new mouthpiece for football, playing with him at the museum. I reminded him of the things I had done with him in just this last week. I asked him what brought this on. He said he was upset that HE wasn't getting presents in the mail like Ellie was and that I was making Ellie a blanket. *sigh*


I sat on the couch and tried to explain to him that when she comes things will change, but that instead of taking some of the love that I had for him and giving it to her, I would just have more love and that I would love her just like I did him. I would do for her just like I did him, but that HE didn't have to give up my love or time or the things I did for him just because she was coming. There would be enough for both of them.


I said, "What is sitting on the coffee table in front of you?" He replied, "My baseball book". Each year I take photos all season of his team and make a book for them at the end of the year. I said, "Who did I do that for?" He said, "Me." I asked him why did he think I got took the photos at every game. "For me." Yes. It is. I asked him if he thought I would have done that for the team if he were not on it. He said, "No." He's right. While it's a great team gift, it's for him that I do it.

I told him that when he was born he got lots of presents too and that for a little while, Ellie might get lots of present. This caused him to need to see the photos of when he was a baby. We got out eight photo albums and scrapbooks of him when he was little. There was one filled with photos of all the presents we received when he was born. He was amazed. We spent a long time looking at the albums and talking about his life when he was a baby. I think he felt a bit better when we were done. I'm also going to find the cross-stitched blanket his Aunt Angie made for him when he was a baby too. This one is very similar, which is why I got it. I wanted them to have similar blankets when they get older -- things to take with them when they get families and babies of their own.


I asked him, "So. Are you still going to be jealous when she gets presents at first?" He smiled that mischievous grin of his and said, "Maybe. If I don't get something too." *sigh* I know this is an emotional issue that's not going to be easy. I'm trying. I'm loving. I'm praying. And very open to suggestions from other families who have had older children and have adopted on how to deal with this issue.


Oh, and here's the contents of the package that started it all. My friend Terri will be mortified to read this because she is SUCH a sweetie pie to have sent us these goodies for Ellie. I think it just hit Josh on a day when HE really wanted mail. He even commented that day, "I used to get mail ALL the time."

Terri found the cutest stuffed elephant, embroidered an elephant on a mint green bib and added Ellie's name to it. In addition, she sent a onesie that says, "Worth the Wait". Too cute!!! I love them.

How Many Licks to the Center of Tootsie Pop?

That title grabbed your attention, didn't it? Those of you who are mature enough (notice the word OLD did not come to play here), will remember the commercials of boy who asks a hoot owl who decides he's going to determine how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. He starts out, "One-tw0-three-CRUNCH".

Is there a lesson in patience there? Yes. Did I LOVE that commercial? Yes. Have I learned any lessons from that commercial? Apparently not.

NOW... for those of you who are scientific in your approach, know that I thoroughly researched this and found the following websites to be of HUGE interest on actually determining how many licks it takes.

• Research study on "How Many Licks?" - Their conclusion: rotating sides takes approximately 505 licks. If you concentrate all your licks on one side: 253
• Wikipedia gives some fascinating data on the Tootsie Roll and Tootsie Roll Pop and has a link to the actual commercial (factoid: in 2003 20 million Tootsie Pops a DAY were produced)
• UnsolvedMysteries.com gives some interesting findings
• And finally, while researching this MOST important topic, I found that at Tootsie.com, they are having a $50,000 contest whereby you guess how many licks for your chance at the grand prize. Do you NOT think I am entering this contest??? On the same page there is another contest to vote for the next Tootsie flavor.
• And for those aficionados who want to view the commercials straight from the Tootsie.com site, click here.

Interestingly enough, there was NO reason for this post topic AT ALL other than I was trying to think of a title and this just popped into my head. My thought process is scary. You would NOT want to be me.

And, off the Tootsie Roll Pop topic, we went to the Children's Discovery Museum today in Chattanooga. We had a great time. I left my cell phone home by accident and I think it was a GREAT idea. I had Josh's phone if I wanted to call, but no one knew how to reach me other than my mom. Liberating, I tell you. Let's just all throw them away (yeah, right).

Tomorrow starts football. Our team was invited to play in a jamboree against the Donelson Warriors. It's basically a good practice for us before our regular season starts. I am ready to be back on the sidelines taking photos. Because I had such trouble with my camera last year (the photos got worse and worse quality as the year went on), I sent it in to be cleaned right before baseball started. I still had lots of "issues" with it during baseball. Finally, my mom decided it must be the lens. I have a Canon Digital Rebel EOS body and was using a Sigma lens. I've since gotten a Canon lens and am hoping that will solve the problems. Tomorrow is it's inaugural game. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

I've set up the blog for Joshua's football team. If anyone is interested in visiting throughout the year, you can find it here or at the links on the side.

I've started cross stitching a blanket for Ellie (in my obvious spare time). I've found working on it in the car today was relaxing. We are supposed to go down to Atlanta for our nephews going-away party (he's going in the Navy) next weekend so I'm thinking I could get about 4 hours work on it as we drive down. There is a football scrimmage too, though, so I'm not sure which will happen.

Stay tuned for the post I was dreading having to write: when the jealousy begins.