seeing with new eyes

A little over a year ago, I was sitting down with my kids watching Disney's Tarzan.  At the time, we had been seriously contemplating adoption and were at the start of our researching stage...  I had seen this movie a few times before, but this time I was seeing it with new eyes and I bawled like a baby when the mama gorilla finds the infant Tarzan and claims him as her own. 

As a couple, our hearts have been tugged and opened to loving and claiming a child as our own regardless of what the world may say about how "different" they are from us... we desire only the good favor of our God and King.  And I think this sweet mama gorilla sets an amazing example for us to follow. 

we'll be "out there" soon!

Well, after I wrote that title, I realized that it could mean one of several things... but what I mean today is that our adoption profile will be online in the next 24 hours for all to see!!!!  We were notified this morning that our contract and payment were received in California. (confused?  see the next post) Our profile consists of a paragraph written by yours truly about us, a link to our new and improved adoption info blog, a picture of us, and a link to some other basic info about us on their website.  (Occupations, education, reasons for adopting, hobbies, race of child we're hoping to adopt, and more!)  This will all be out there along with their other "waiting families"!  If you'd like to see us in all of our nervous and excited glory and see the other families waiting, comment that you'd like a link and I'll share it with you outside of blogger! 

We'd like to keep who we're using to advertise and market us as an adoptive couple private for now and not share all of that info for all the world to see!  (Not that readers of my little blog are all the world, but I do know that I don't know some of you.) 

We're one step closer to bringing our baby home!  I keep thinking that our baby may be "out there" somewhere too.  He or she may be nestled safely in his/her mother's womb at this moment... and that is a weird, exciting, and exhilirating feeling.  We are praying for good communication, a safe pregnancy/delivery, and that a woman would be drawn to our family for her child.  There are so many other things I'm praying right now, but they are hard to put into words. 

We have no idea what state we'll be traveling to, if we'll have to travel more than once, if this baby will be a boy or a girl, what race this baby will be, and so much more!!! Some of this will become more clear after we are matched with a birthmom... meaning we will begin communicating and she will choose us.  But this match could happen anywhere in her pregnancy.  She could be just pregnant, somewhere in the middle, or be ready to deliver!  And this... just so you know... drives this lady just a tad insane.  But it thrills me all at the same time too. 

We are choosing to be open to gender, seeing that we have 2 boys and 2 girls.... and open completely to race.  This child holds so many surprises for us right now.  Sometimes I think I'm really ready to have a boy, since we so recently did the girl thing and it's been almost 8 years since we welcomed a baby boy... and other times I'm really ready to welcome another girl.  I truly have NO preference and that feels good! 

moving forward

After much prayer, the seeking of wise counsel, and a few miraculous happenings over the past couple weeks... we've been accepted and have contracted to adopt through an organization that is licensed in California to facilitate adoptions!  This organization is not an adoption agency, but rather an advertising and marketing agency for adoptive parents.  We have been drawn to this type of organization from the start, but it hasn't quite worked out to be involved with one... until now!  So Lord willing, we will still be adopting a newborn here in the United States through the use of an attorney, but now we'll be doing it with a little help.  Women that are expecting and are wanting to place their baby for adoption across the nation will have access to us as a choice for their baby.  We are really excited to move forward in this direction!  We have contacted several families who have adopted thru them and feel really great about walking into this. 

God has been so good to us and we can't wait to see who He brings our way!  But I think we'd better buckle up.... our profile should be up on their website by the end of the week and our first contact with birthmothers could happen soon!  Gulp...

Please keep us in prayer as we navigate this process, and that our hearts would be protected by our God.

the mix up

Some of you have mentioned that you use my blog as a jumping point to scoot around to your favorite blogs via my links.... well, just so ya know, they're all out of order now!  They're now organized by the one that was updated the most recently to save me from scrolling down when I'm doing my own blog hopping! 

Happy hopping!  Also, if you never leave a comment because that silly 'ol word verification bugs you?  Well, it's gone now too.  I love getting comments, even if you are a "blurker" = blog lurker and I don't know you. Stop by and leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.  :) 

Look who turned Tutu!

On Valentine's Day, we celebrated Annika's 2nd birthday!

We invited 3 of her favorite toddler friends

 and family for a Tutu Party!

Below, is Annika on her "real" birthday enjoying a birthday cupcake in her swimsuit.

We had a great time eating, talking, and laughing while we celebrated the 2nd year with our sweetie pie. 

My Mom and I worked on these cake pops the night before... they were fun to make, but also a bit of a challenge!  Our cake pop tree turned out really cute, and the pops themselves were YUMMY! 

Check out this site, for great ideas and recipes:  http://www.bakerella.com/

Anita, baby Dylan, and I were matchy-matchy that day...

And finally, Annie's buddies gather for a group photo!  They were all born within 3 months of each other, 2 of them are cousins, and 2 of them were born on the same day! 

Thank you, friends and family for making it a memorable day!

flabbergasted

It is 10:43pm and our boys just came out of their room and asked for permission to tell us something. Mind you, they've been in bed almost 2 hours! (It's usually a big no no to come out unless there's an emergency, throwup, or a much needed bathroom break.)  But, they seemed REALLY excited to tell us something.. so we said they could.  They nervously and excitedly stood before us with their hands clasped behind their backs and explained that they wanted to do something to help Haiti and fundraise for our adoption.  I'm all ears at this point!

(Warning!  Much rambling is about to ensue as I try to remember what my boys just told me...)

They divulged that they want to record a CD of songs they've written and sell them.  And they want me to make "leather" cases for the CDs, since I make purses and things.  :)  They did add, that they would save 5% of the money for themselves and the rest would be given away.  And that we have a lot of blank CDs we can "record" on.  They said that they did have one problem though... they like to sing, but have a bit of stage fright... so they'd have to work on that.  Gavin would do the singing, and Drew would beat-box and snap.  Gavin was practically jumping out of his skin and said, "I'm sooooo excited..."  With his big toothless grin.  I catch Gavin singing his own made up catchy tunes quite regularly and I've gotta say, that boys has some soul in his singing.  :)  Drew was using lots of large hand motions to explain their plan. It was one of those moments where you are really, really proud of your kids.  They thought that since they owned a microphone and had blank CDs that they were set... we talked logistics a bit and said we'd look into it!  Oh, I love these boys... their tender hearts to those in need is a precious, precious gift.  Oh, and their band name is Bacon Brothers of course!  And... they want to start a blog, I wonder where they got that idea???

I'll keep you posted on the debut of the Bacon Brothers.  I can't wait to hear the songs... Gavin said he was writing one about obeying your parents... perfect, love it.  And Drew said he was working on one about God protecting us.  Wow and wow.  Maybe the lyrics will make an appearance here soon.. stay tuned!

we've got a tight schedule to keep....

On Valentine's Day, I found this lying on the counter:

Feb. 14, Sunday, Drew
To Do List  Drew Bacon

• 7:30am, wake up, go to the bathroom, get drest, brush teeth, come hair
• 8:00am, go upstairs to get Brekfast, start the car
• 9:00am, play
• 9:30am, go to church
• 11:00am, go home
• 11:15am, feed the dog, play
• 12:00pm, play video games
• 12:30, lunch, go outside
• 1:00pm, play
• 2:00, Sanks (snacks), play
• 4:00, Annie's brthray
• 6:00, dinner
• 6:30, wach tv (Olympics)
• 8:30, go to bed

I love that one of my children is a list maker like myself!  My Mom overheard him saying that morning to Gavin and Morgan, "Come on, you guys... we've got a tight schedule to keep!"

not the luge

As we were watching the Games tonight...

Me:  Gavin, if you could go to the Olympics in any sport, what would it be?

Gavin:  Ummm.. in the summer, volleyball for sure.. and... in... the... winter?... not-the-luge-NOooooOOO-WAY!!!.... I'd pick.... snowboarding!!!

fillin' the piggy

I am in need of some major brainstorming help here!

We are at a point in our adoption journey where we need to be putting some serious money away to fund the adoption fees that could come up for us at a moments notice.  Do you have any fantastic ideas for fundraisers that our family could put on??? 

Have you heard of a great idea? 

Thought of one your self?

PLEASE SHARE!

At this point we are looking at raising a mountain of money (to us) that needs to be in our account when all is said and done.  I'm kinda leaning toward starting with one big "event" of sorts...  We're planning on a garage sale this summer already, and will gladly take the donation of your stuff to sell!!! 

And I couldn't stop with just one piggy... they were too cute!

lovin' the dots...

maybe he will be our mascot...

and maybe this is how piggy will look in the end...

And yes, the adoption journey is going well... we've learned a lot these past 5 months... and also have some decisions to make about the direction we're heading with this... we covet your prayer and support as we wait to see who the next little bit will be.   

Happy Birthday, Annika Scarlet

Two years ago today, a baby girl named Annika Scarlet was born. 

She weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was adored by all. 

She has bloomed into a giggly, chatty, and glowing girl

whom we adore more by the day. 

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.

On the day of her birth, back home in the arms of her ecstatic and exhausted parents. 

Look at that sweet face and bald head! 

Annika  at 4 months.

You keep us smiling!

My Mom is HERE!

So my sneaky husband showed up last night at dinnertime with my MOM!!!  She surprised the socks off of me and the kids!  She was here exactly one year ago, and that was the last time we saw her...

She will be here 5 days, and we will TREASURE each of them!  Hooray!!  Jeremy said he tried his best to get the house looking it's best before he went to bed the night before, and didn't want to give me any cleaning hints the day she flew in so I wouldn't wonder what was up.  So she walked in the door to me in sweats, crazy hair, no makeup, two sinks full of the day's dishes, our kitchen island FULL of homeschool books, and me changing a stinky diaper on the floor!!!   I just came off of 2 full days of the stomach flu, so I was feeling less than inspired in the house and with my self.  It was just ironic that the ONE day, I do nothing with myself(except make dinner) by the time Jeremy walks in the door... that my MOM comes!!!  Such an amazing surprise!! The kids were jumping up and down, up and down and screaming, "Grammy is here!!!!" 

What a gift...  I love having time with my Mom.

Jeremy took a video of us seeing her for the first time... and it's real, raw, and uncut.. and hilarious with the kids jumping up and down, and me not being able to come hug her because I'm in the middle of a poopy diaper change and don't want to leave my little cutie until she's securely fastened!  Maybe I'll get it to load soon...

I'll owl-ways be your friend!

When I first "spotted" these owl Valentine's in this month's issue of Family Fun, I knew they were the project for us! My Mom had just sent a fun Valentine's box of goodies to us, and included in it was a pack a Valentine's pencils!  So today, while Annika was napping (this was key), we hauled out some scrapbooking paper that I had in my craft stuff and printed the template here.

 

Aren't they so very cute???

You're Owl-Right!

To a real wise guy...

You're a hoot!

which routine are you doing?

Lately, I've been seeing Francis Chan's name all over the place, yet didn't know who in the world he was!  And now I do.  Thanks, Melissa (if you're reading this) for posting this on facebook!

Challenging words... 

What do you think?

the chit chat beam girls

This picture says it all... some serious gymnastics is going on in the background... and Megan and Morgan are pausing after walking down the beam sideways... one fixing her hair, the other picking at her fingernails.  These two are inseparable at the gym, which is no surprise.  Each week in class when it is time to head to beam, they choose one to share and chit chat walking down the beam and back.  It is a joy to watch their friendship bloom and grow and I'm thankful to have a front row seat. 

splendid Saturday

Today was a day with no agenda.  The only think I hoped to accomplish was to exercise and shower!  Early in the day I checked those two things off my list. What to do with the rest of the day?  Jeremy decided it would be fun to build a campfire in the snow and roast hotdogs for lunch!  I stayed inside and got Annika down for her nap, and enjoyed some alone time reading Last Child in the Woods.  And I secretly felt good that my kids were actually outside at the moment I was reading a book about the epidemic of children no longer playing outside.  I'm not sure I would have felt the same had they been inside having their computer time or watching a movie. 

I love that Jeremy spent this time with the kids.  It made my heart warm.

If building a campfire in the snow wasn't enough to make my husband a winner, he baked bread before he headed outside with the kids! 

And it was oh-so-yummy as always, especially right out of the oven with a pat of butter. 

With nothing pressing today, I decided to get crafty and make a baby blanket for my nephew who will be born to my brother, Sean and sister-in-law, Vanessa very soon!  I love to sew, but only break out the sewing maching every couple months.  I love how it turned out, and I love the thought of my new nephew snuggled up in it even more. 

I was also feeling rather festive today with Valentine's Day just around the corner.  I remembered that I had some felt in my craft things, and a long black piece of ribbon that I bought for something a long time ago.  I cut all the hearts I could out of three felt squares, and sewed them on the ribbons.  I ended up with three strips which I hung in my living room windows in the middle of my curtain rod.  Not earth-shattering, or overly cute, but it was definitely a good outlet for me today... and fun too. 

The day ended with a lovely batch of chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

The delicious brown sugar frosting was made possible by my sweet neighbor, Mary who allowed me to drop by to borrow powdered sugar after 8pm.  Thank you!!!  Days like these are very few and far between, but to me they are the best kind of days.   

done!

This last week, Gavin finished his big, thick Beginner's Bible that he is reading through for school this year.  It is by far the thickest book he has ever read, and he was very proud to be done!  He has been assigned to read a few stories per week since the beginning of the school year, it is quite the accomplishment for my little man!  He thoroughly loved the stories and pictures too.  Way to go, Gavin!!! 

snow, snow, glorious snow

Lately this kids have been outside every day enjoying the fresh snow and good temps.

Last weekend, Jeremy helped them build a GREAT snow cave that they have enjoyed playing in. 

We have great sledding hills on either side of our house that are just steep enough to give the kids a fun place to whoosh down!

Annabelle, our trusty lab, is always happy for us to come out and play with her too!

The smallest cave dweller all bundled up.

home study ready!

We received an email this morning from our adoption home study writer stating that she is finishing our home study write up in a couple days!  Our FBI and state background checks came back, and she can now finish her work on it.  Woo Hoo!  She came once in both November and December, and will visit again for a post-placement visit once our new baby arrives in our home! 

In a private adoption (non-agency) like we're doing it isn't as important to have it done early...

but we wanted to have it done in case a situation arises where we need to act quickly. 

For those of you interested in adopting privately yourselves... our lawyer stated that most families wait until they are matched with a prospective birth mother to get the home study started since they'll possibly have a few months until the delivery in which to get it done.  But we didn't feel comfortable doing that, we felt that God was leading us to go full steam ahead and get it done now.  It's a really good feeling to have it done, now it will be on file with our lawyer and us for later use. 

Also, if we decide to go with an agency or facilitator down the road, we'll be ready to apply.

Anyways, just wanted to share a step  in our adoption journey with you!

almost 2!

Annika is turning 2!

Next week, our sweet, silly, singing, talkative,

and darling girl has a birthday...

She has quite the personality and is our most talkative baby yet,

it's good she's the 4th child because we probably would have

wondered what was wrong with our other three had she been born first! 

Her favorite new phrases and words include:

there ya go

bye!!!!!!

there it is

I see a _____

uh oh

mine!!!!

peesh (please)

he go  (thank you)

mama

dada

Ga-Ga (Gavin)

Drew-Drew

Sissy

horsey

moosey

cat

hat

my _____!

dog

(her favorite dog even has a "voice" and she turns his head

 to look out the window, and he "eats" snack with her!)

oh _______!

like: Oh, paci! There it is..

sit

 (she pats the floor and asks me to sit next to her and play)

and many, many more!  She keeps us laughing constantly. 

She has a song in her heart and a dance in her steps ALL DAY. 

Annie enjoying ice cream on New Year's Eve!

She is also a whirling dervish, and in less than a minute she was doing all of these things:

talking apart the boy's computer time timer....

being silly by putting two pacifiers in her mouth...

pitching a quick fit...

then grabbing my boots and trying them on for size, on the wrong feet of course...

Our home just wouldn't be the same
without the presence of Annika Scarlet. 

We love you, love you, love you.