New Project

OK, I decided a couple of months ago that I should pick up a hobby or something to get me through the wait. I decided I'd like to sew. I started looking on Craigslist for sewing machines, but every time I found a good one it was gone.
Brian went home to his parents for a couple of days this week (for a funeral, one of many factors in our past week) but while he was there his Mom generously gave us her old sewing machine. Now I'm going to learn how to sew.

Right.

Do you hear the crickets?

Where do I begin?

Any of you crafty ladies out there have some good recommendations? One thought is doll clothes, if I screw them up, E won't care. But someone said they're hard because they're small. What do you think? Where to begin? A simple project that can make me feel successful! Also, if it's something simple but cute that I could also give away as Christmas gifts, all the better (have to save up for the adoption)!

Thanks!

Link to advertise your fundraiser or shop some fundraisers

Shopping with a Purpose is the Blog Post over at A Place Called Simplicity. You can post a link to your own fundraiser (you need a fresh post re-explaining about your fundraiser) or you can shop. Just thought I'd share.

Prayers

If you have a moment we could definitely use some prayers. Some of it is adoption related, part of it isn't, but we could use prayers. Especially since we won't get any further answers until next week, I need to be present and in the moment this weekend, not wishing for Monday.
Thanks so much.

Peace

I am at peace tonight. Not because I have better news, not because life has changed, but I've prayed about it and I know that everything happens in God's perfect timing. He has given me a sense of peace about the whole situation. Hopefully I'll feel I can share more soon. I'm a bit more talkative about it on Facebook. Elisabeth and Sandra, I truly think you two were my sanity tonight. Thanks!

Very upsetting news...

I'm very sad tonight. I just got some frustrating news that may be very difficult for us to deal with. There are so many factors that I haven't written about so this could be a long post, but until I hear details directly from our agency I'm going to wait on posting it all.

But please send up a prayer.

Thanks.

A Cool Gift (edited)

The Government of South Korea gives a piece of wire from the DMZ to American Soldiers as a gift of Unity. The DMZ is the dividing line between North and South Korea. My husband came home with it today, I didn't get exactly how he ended up with one, I'll have to ask more later (evening is a bit crazy at our house these days, but in a fun way, so that's great, but spousal communication is a bit tougher).

It's in a shadow box and with info on the DMZ written in both English and Korean. We're planning to hang it in Little One's room. :) Just wanted to share.

Army 10-Miler - Best t-shirts!

I ran in the Army 10 miler on Sunday and I finished. Hurray! I started running about 3 1/2 years ago (because my husband said I wouldn't, but that's another post) and decided when we moved here that I would sign up for the Army 10 miler as my first race. DH used to run it in college and I thought it sounded cool because you run through the middle of DC.

Anyway, one of the things I really enjoy are the t-shirts.

I'm going to break these into categories. Unfortunately my memory is horrible and I wasn't exactly taking notes.

In Memory/In Honor of:
There are always a lot of these at races. I'm running for...who....
A couple of them made me cry. Do you know that it's very hard to cry and run at the same time? I don't recommend it. I had to get my emotions under control quickly, which is very difficult for me!

*One I really enjoyed though said:
My American Idol
then it listed the soldiers name/rank/etc.

Funny Running T's:
*Sofa King T-shirt with some logo about taking a nap (much wanted about mile 6)
*Please God, let there be someone behind me to read this.
*Hashing T-shirts: A Drinking Club with a Running Problem (they do have beer at mile 8)
*Will Run for Cupcakes
*Sorry, I've gotta RUN! :)
Our favorite:
*I'd run faster but I have no idea where I'm going.

Funny Military T's:
*Military Wife: Giving up Sex for your Freedom (funny story about this, for another post)
My favorite (ooh la la):
*I put the Ooh in his Hooha!

Just thought I'd share my observations. I had some other funny ones that I really wanted to remember but of course it didn't happen.

Personalities in friendship (mostly a rambling post - can't quite get my thoughts together)

Earlier in the adoption process we were observing our kids one day and Brian turned to me and said that he thought it was good that we had 2 kids before adopting so we can realize how different they are and not blame adoption when our 3rd child's personality is different still from the other two.

One way this is especially apparent is with friends. We're starting to talk about the kids' birthday party in December (a little early but usually it's almost Thanksgiving and I say YIKES! Their birthdays are just over a week later). G has a list of 7 or 8 people she genuinely wants to invite. She's going to be 4. B has a list of 3-4 people he wants to invite, and really only cares that 2 of them come. He has a list of about 5 more (that includes 2 cousins) scattered around the country who won't be there. He becomes GOOD friends with someone and only needs 1-2 friends. G is extremely social. She has about 6-7 friends scattered around that she'd like to invite (and we moved here when she was 2). She likes to have lots of people around and she makes friends easily. Part of that is being 3 but B never made friends as easily, but once he does, he is fiercely loyal. G is very loyal to her friends that become good friends but if she meets someone, she becomes great friends right away, then if she doesn't see them again, oh well. It's a funny thing to observe.

I'm somewhere between my kids. I have lots of good acquaintances in the area. But I feel like I'm just starting to make some friends in the area. Finding someone I really connect with isn't always easy for me. I have some AWESOME friends. Most of them are scattered around the country. A couple of those are my lifelines even when they're far away. I'm blessed that I have them. I wish they were closer. So thankful for those in the area that I'm beginning to form good friendships with. K is amazing - so blessed to have met her! G is in Korea right now and our friendship continues to grow. Whenever we talk we have trouble leaving or getting off the phone. :) G and S whom I've met once but emailed with a few times and I look forward to seeing again soon! Adoption has really grown our circle of friends already and I'm thankful.

I also wonder what our 3rd child will be like. Shy, quiet, excited and boisterous, fun loving, serious, a bit of all of the above. Many more qualities not listed. So many possibilities and I can't wait to find out!

G's surgery was a success!

Thanks for all of your prayers! The surgery went very well. The doctor is pleased! Looking forward to visiting the hospital tonight.

A more positive note

OK, yesterday's post was a little whiney. It wasn't a bad day, just honest but leaning towards frustration. The problem is, it's frustration I put on myself. I feel like I have to be the perfect host. I have to remember that they're living here for 5 weeks, not visiting for 5 days. I don't have to fill up their time and have everything perfect. I need to relax. I'm doing a bit better with that.

I have to tell you, too, that J, G, and H are wonderful people. I'm finding it so interesting to learn about Ugandan culture and looking forward to trying more Ugandan food! ;) I'm always up for trying new things! G is really settling in with the kids. That manic-ness (not really a word, but it works) of the first couple of days for all 3 kids has calmed down into a more happy play time together.

On another wonderful note - I got a TERRIFIC email today! What a wonderful surprise to see an email from my friend, G, who is currently in Korea. I didn't expect to hear from her until she got home. I was thrilled to hear how things are going. Anyone know where you can find an umbrella stroller in Seoul for less than $150?!? I can't wait to meet her new little one!!!

Hope you're all having a great day. Taekwondo for B tonight and E gets a little Mommy time during it so those are good things. A bit more normal routine for them will be great. :)

How it's going so far...

G, her mom J, and the interpreter H have all arrived. It's definitely taking some adjusting for them to get used to the time change, the new area, culture, and food!

People are bringing us meals to help out, but I personally find this much more stressful. It's so nice of people to do it, and I would never want to tell them that but I enjoy cooking, it helps me relax in the evening, and I can accommodate the different tastes currently in our household. People aren't sure what to bring so I have a lot of food that either has to be stuffed into my already stuffed fridge or go down the disposal. I think I'm going to try to freeze some of it as well. My family can eat it in December when everything is crazy with the holidays! :) I'm also going to have to be at peace with wasting food, which is hard for me.

E is needing a bit of extra attention these days and I think her sleep schedule is also off. I feel like it's given me a peek into what's to come with a new sibling. Yikes! It does also confirm for me that we made the right decision to keep birth order with our kids. I know it works well for some families to adopt out of birth order and that's great, but I think we made the right decision for our family. I read "The Birth Order Book" by Kevin Lehman which is very enlightening and though I don't 100% agree with everything I thought he had some great insight. B is definitely the first born male (but the gentle type) and E is actually the 1st born female - which is possible. If the kids are different genders they can both seem like first borns. The past few months E has become a COMPLETE rule follower - possibly to her detriment (hmmm, who does she remind me of...anyone who knew me when I was younger would know). :)

G's surgery is on Thursday. She has a little cough so please pray that she doesn't get sick before surgery and that the surgery goes well! Thanks so much for all of the encouragement! This is definitely outside of my comfort zone and Brian has been working or doing school work at the library from sun up to bedtime every day so I'm feeling a bit lost. Your kind words help more than you know!!!

This (slightly crazy) Adventure called Life

Currently we're changing up our everyday lives just a little bit. We have a little girl from Africa, her Mom, and an interpreter all living with us. They arrived today. The little girl is having heart surgery which is the reason for the visit. It's through Samaritan's Purse. We're excited (and nervous about having people in our house) but if you want excited, you should see the kids! My 2 have been bouncing off the walls all day!

We picked them up at the airport this afternoon/early evening (they got out of customs around 5:30) and all 3 were pretty tired (almost a full 24 hours of traveling). The little girl, G (another G - so my daughter will be E for the time being) was so quiet and I wasn't sure if she was going to be overwhelmed by my two (who are anything but quiet or still or calm or...they're just overwhelming - even to me!). ;)

Well, we got home and all of a sudden there were 3 tornadoes whipping through our house. It was wonderful! All 3 of them had a terrific time. We're excited that they're all getting along. I'm still a bit nervous about living life with other people in our house, but I'm sure we'll all adjust soon. The important part is that G will get her surgery! No matter what my comfort level is or whether we're close to them by the end or just find it was nice and interesting to have met each other, G will have what she needs and that's what this is all about.

Little Boys (and girls)

My kids like me to sing to them before bed. Their current favorite is "Puff the Magic Dragon". It does make them a little uncomfortable though when Mommy starts to cry while singing:

Dragons live forever, but not so Little Boys
Painted Wings and Giant's Rings make way for other toys.

I try to hold it together to finish the song but I'm choking back tears from there to the end. I always sing the "made up" last verse too. Here it is for those of you who aren't familiar:

Then one day it happened
Puff woke from a dream.
He thought he'd heard a familiar voice
and Jackie's laugh it seemed.

He looked around the cavern,
and over by the door,
was a little boy with a piece of string
and a smile he'd seen before.

He said "Hello I'm Billy,
My dad gave me your name.
He said I'd find you in your cave
Along the Cherry Lane"

Puff that Magic Dragon
Smiled in his joy
He'd never be alone again
For this was Jackie's boy!!

Celebrating!

Celebrating my friend's very exciting news!!! Yay G! Can't wait to meet your Little One!!! :) Just had to share because my heart is overflowing with joy for their family! I have another friend who also shared some news that is celebration-worthy so it's an exciting day!!!

Grace and Min, sending up more prayers!

J - praying for legals

Elisabeth and D - praying we get referrals soon!!!

K - praying for your homestudy

Prayers for many more of you, this is just a small list!

Fall Fun!

B and G both fed the goats.

The corn maze occasionally had areas with large
(fake) animals in it.

Playing in the Haystacks


Both kids got a chance to milk a cow (G was scared
and I had to help her)


B stepping through the jaws of a great dinosaur (on the
way up to a very cool dino slide).

We went to Cox Farms about a week ago (I'm slow uploading pics). The kids had a terrific time. They had a corn maze, all kinds of cool slides, animals - goats, pigs, etc., yummy food (always the best part), live music, and lots of pumpkins! So glad we got to go do this with them. It (almost) let me forget that the closest place to go apple picking is 2 1/2 hours away. :( This is the first year I haven't taken them. B even asked when we were going to NY to go apple picking (we often visit my parents in the fall - :( but not this year). We had a terrific time and we did make homemade applesauce this week so not all is lost! :) Unfortunately the applesauce is gone so perhaps we have to make more...

3 months since HSTK!

OK, it's been 3 months since our homestudy was sent over the ocean to Korea. We're hoping for a referral (well, as soon as possible!) in about 3 months. Even the longer estimates say 5 months so I'm GUESSING that our child has been born is about to be born. I pray for our child frequently and just recently started really picturing our newborn baby. It makes my arms and heart ache thinking about that. But it also makes it a bit more real. We have a baby! We just don't know it yet. So strange in a way. The wonderful thing is that I've felt a bit of peace this week. I was feeling like I wanted our referral NOW but now I'm more at peace. I realize it will likely be in January and I've said January all along - it could be Feb or March (looking more likely unfortunately) but I realize that worrying and wanting won't change anything. I'm not in control. I have to be at peace with God's timing.

Praying for EPs and TCs all around. So excited for Heather and her husband, Bill who arrived safely in Seoul! Grace and Min - thinking of you! Hoping to hear good news soon.
Also my friend, G, got her I-600 approval this week! Hurray! Hoping to continue to hear good news soon.

What I learned from 3 year olds today...

1. That I can share and talk to someone any day of the week and they can become my friend (or best friend).

I often talk to people and they stay acquaintances. G becomes great friends with those she meets and talks about them incessantly for a week or more even if we don't see them again in that time. A little strange but at the same time, it's great that she gives out love so easily and let's people into her life so easily. What a gift.

2. I don't need to worry.

This is something I struggle with so much. I need to just have faith and not worry. My friend's little girl was described as "not having a worry in the world" and I thought how wonderful to have that childlike faith.

3. If you love someone and are happy to see them, let them know it.

This isn't just from today but it hit me today. I am so thrilled with the joy and exuberance that G meets me with when I pick her up from church or PWOC or preschool. She is just so happy to see me and doesn't hide it one bit. Now I can show joy and excitement at seeing my children, but do I let other people know how happy I am to see them as well? Do they feel cared for when I talk to them? Lots to learn from little ones.

There are so many more things but these are a few that hit me today. I've learned SO much from my children. I'm pretty sure I've learned way more than I've taught them at this point. Just some points to ponder.

Another AP Get together

Today I had the pleasure of getting together with another family who is going through our agency. K is an amazing woman and I really enjoy talking with her and getting together with her. Plus her daughter and my daughter are only a month apart. They're still learning to play together (3 is kind of a strange age) but we're excited for them to continue to become friends. K and family are a few months behind us in the process and we're excited that (hopefully) our youngest children will be pretty close in age as well.

Thanks K for having us over! We'll figure out our next get together soon. :)