Just so I won't Forget

I just love the ages of my children. We are moving quickly from preschool age to school age. In fact, M starts K-5 in a few weeks. I guess that will officially make all my kids school age! Anyway, they constantly keep me on my toes with all of their questions and comments. As we were camping this past week, E had a great comment that I just had to write about because otherwise it would be gone from my memory in just a few days. I never can do justice when I try and recount a conversation, but oh well, maybe I will read this years from now and have a little laugh over the sweet memory.

One of the bonuses of our campsite last week was that is was very close to the bath house. Now that the kids are older, I will let them go to the bath house for their shower instead of using the tiny shower on our camper. As we had done before, I suggested E go to the bathhouse for his shower. E responded to me telling me that he did not want to go in the men's that he would rather go into the ladies. My son is 8 and quickly reaching the age of being way too old to use a shower house that females would be in. In the past, even when he was small and I had no other choice, E adamantly opposed going into the ladies restroom. Curious about his change of heart I questioned him about this. I ask him why he wanted to shower in the women's restroom and not the men's? He then informed that the men's restroom had Grandaddy long leg spiders in it. (E is very scared of insects...I think it is a genetic trait passed down from his Father.) Knowing that the women's restroom also had Grandaddy long leg spiders in it, I continued to probe.

Mommy "E, dont you think that if the men's showers had GLL spiders in it, that the women's showers probably would too?"

E "Mom"
This is said with his mother don't you know anything voice.


E "Grandaddy's, Daddy's...duhhhh, men, they are boys mom, they go in the men's room"


I think E found out soon enough that spiders are not gender specific when choosing restrooms, but hey I guess his logic was pretty good!

Camping at Last

I can't tell you why I love camping so much. We haven't been this year at all. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer, I just had to go. The minute we got here I remembered why I missed it so much. Within the first hour after we had gotten here my kids had already been on a bike ride, a hike, and down to the lake. Nothing can substitute being in God's great outdoors!!!

Beach Trip 2012

Enjoying the last few days of our beach trip to Panama City. We have had a great trip!!! It is so much fun to have kids old enough to play while we watch. The weather could not have been better! So thankful for this time we get to spend together.

You might be on the adoption journey if....

1. You have a personal Fed Ex account and the Fed Ex man knows you by name.

2. A perfect stranger (your social worker) knows more about your life history than your spouse.

3. Just in case you were worried, your septic tank is working ok!

4.  The one notary public you know, runs when she sees you coming.

5. A perfect stranger interviewed your children your children about your parenting skills as you listened in and prayed they didn't take the opportunity to share with some of your worst parentingk moments.

6.  Terms like dossier, USCIS, home study, embassy, I-600, and I-800 are now an everyday part of your vocabulary.  In fact you have learned a whole new language, and not the one your child will be speaking.

7.  You could write a book...101 things to know about fingerprints and background checks.

8.  You think it is perfectly normal to own 15 copies of your marriage license and birth certificates. You never know when you might need an extra.

9. You know the drill at your local immigation office...all cell phones, purses, and bags must be left in the car.

10.  Last but not least, you have a love in your heart for a son or daughter you cannot wait to meet and all the "stuff" you are doing to bring them home will be so worth it!!!

Update



After months of paperwork, fingerprints, interviews, and education, we have finally reached a major milestone in our adoption process.  Our dossier, all the papers we have to send to Ethiopia, is in the mail! Wow that seems like such a simple statement, only those who have been through this or are in the process can appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears this stack of papers represent.

A part of my heart went with those papers in the mail.  My hope and prayer for a child I don't know, who is somewhere in Ethiopia and going through a tragedy, that I will never fully understand. For with all the joy and excitement adoption brings, there is a child going through a hurt that only God can heal. There is a birth mom who has lost her life, or at the very least, lost the abiblity to care for her child. Father God, you know this child and have picked him especially for our family.  You know the plans you have for him, plans to  prosper him and not for harm.  Plans to give him a hope and a future. (Jer 29:11) Thank you Father, that you are in control of every detail of this journey, and promise us that you work all things for good.

Spring Ball!

Just catching up on some spring ball pictures.  I guess I will never catch up, just try to stay afloat.

50 different directions

My mind is so full these days. I guess when I think about the alternative, an empty mind I should not complain. It does seem as though my mind is continually going a million miles an hour in a million different directions. I am continually thinking of 50 different things about our adoption. What is my child doing in Ethiopia? Is he even born yet? (I subject that brings me to tears) I just have to say a prayer, give it to the Lord and move on. What is going on with our paperwork? Where is our paperwork? How long will we have to wait? Those are just my thoughts about adoption and then I move on to my children I already know. How will the adoption effect them? How are they doing? Am I being neglectful to my children with my mind so full? Sometimes all this thinking can just wear me out. I was so glad to talk to another Mama recently who has her little girl from China home. She assured me that my never ending thoughts are perfectly normal and will not even go away once we bring our little boy home, they will just change. So maybe someday I will lay down and actually be able to get to sleep without a million thoughts running through my head, but I guess in the meantime I will just be content with all these thoughts continually in my head. Until I bring my little boy home that is all I have.