Changin' it up a bit

We decided to try something a little different for Valentine's since hubs was not working.  He wanted to take the girls out to eat for a special date, BUT who goes out to eat on Valentines?  Not a good idea for kids.  I offered to cook their favorite meal (Stuffed salmon...ready made from Sam's..ha!). They wanted to wear a favorite dress of their choosing.

Mary checking her lipstick.

THAT Is ONE excited little girl:) 

I borrowed this dress for Allie like three years ago from my friend, Amy....and I never gave it back.  Thanks Ames...Mary loved it.  I'll get it back to you!

Hubs wrote both the girls letters and read them while they ate.  

Wild man and I went to chick fil a.  Good gracious what a mess behind me. 

Allie wanted to pick a dress from MY closet!  She wore a sundress of mine and a shrug which looked like a sweater on her.  She wore a necklace that she made at a beading place a while back.  They LOVED the dress up part the most!

A perfect night...a perfect little photographer:)

Valentines and mid Feb

My sis-in-law, Melissa, passed along a gem of a scrapbooking site..The Lillypad.  I've used their site for several years to do all my scrapbooking.  They had a vday card kit, so I used it to make the kids' cards this year.  

Happy Heart Day:)


I've had many texts and emails lately concerning CC.  I haven't updated my blog in a while because I keep thinking we will hear something, and we just haven't.  It is discouraging.  We thought surely by now that the Korea program would be up and running based on the history of the last couple of years.  It is officially mid february, and no exit permits have been issued for any agencies this year.  The only email we've received said things like "keep your expectations gentle" and "we are entering a period of unpredictability that has not existed before."  To say the LEAST, these words are very unsettling to me.  We have prayed for many months that we would rest in God's timing. If "things" would resume, I'd be much less anxious knowing we are not far down the list.  The fact that things are not moving has me quite anxious.  Please keep praying for our boy!


Couple of funny adoption related "funnies" from the kids...


Last week when we were at the girls' school, Garrett walked up to a first grader who was adopted from China and said, "You look just like my little brother."  It was so sweet and hysterical wrapped into one. 


Our social worker came to update/redo our home study since it has now been one year.  She sat down to visit with us, and we sent the kids off to play (well coached all morning to be perfect angels and to certainly refrain from sharing anything other than glowing comments about our parenting skills..ha:), and then....


Mary came running through the living room with an adult pair of scissors yelling that I need to help her cut out her ground hog for Ghog day.  So the first words out of our sweet social worker's mouth to start our interview..."right in front of the social worker"..as she neatly pounds her stack of papers on the coffee table.  


Oh well!

The prayers of a three year old

"Dear God,  Thank you for me.  Thank you for myself.  Jesus, mommy says I can't have anything to eat because it's 8:00.  I have to go to bed, and that makes me so sad."  In Jesus name, Amen." ---Garrett  2/13/12

We are born selfish.  At 3, how selfish are we?  Add 3 decades of life, and I wonder how far I've come in my life.  Of course I don't pray, thank you for me.  I do, however, spend much time praying for my family, my friends, my, my,  and my.  

I've been reading a book lately.  Two of my besties and I went to hear Jenn Hatmaker speak a few weekends ago.  Remember Jenn??  She was the "after the airport" blogger that I referred to months ago.  Now, I'm a Jenn stalker.  She's hilarious, and she's blunt.   

She wrote a book recently called "7."  That's pretty much what she spoke on that weekend.  It's rockin' my perspective lately.  We are a SELFISH culture.  

I'm only half way through, and honestly, I'm afraid to keep reading.  

Wiggle, tug, and pull

That was the order of things ALL DAY on Saturday.  Mary's been wanting her teeth to fall out since she was three, only because she has seen the fruits of the tooth fairy.  Her big moment finally arrived, and she almost chickened out!  

Sweet daddy surveyed the situation.  It was more than wiggly...maybe almost hanging.  She seemed scared, but she didn't fight it.  

Allie was SOO sweet and encouraging...talked her through the whole thing!

She was SO excited!!  She is such a child of restraint, so to see her get this giddy was quite the treat!

Sporting two hands

Happy Happy Birthday to my sweet Mary! 

 Mary wanted to paint for her birthday party.  She does NOT like to be the center of attention, so we had a small group of girls, and it was quite calm.  She's getting so big...one of her teeth is WIGGLY!  No baby teeth, stay in!

Don't roll your eyes.  This was the only "over the top" thing I did. (thanks for the idea A.Mitchell) I just LOVE LOVE LOVE a computer full of pictures over the years, and so I have to find ways to use them...makes me happy:-)  Her friends liked seeing her at different ages.

When you do a pottery party, the kids don't get their item for another week, so we sent them off with cake pops.  No complaints there...

Last night when we were driving home, from the back seat, Mary told Garrett she "was going to get to use her WHOLE OTHER HAND!"  It took a minute to register, but she was talking about holding up 6 fingers when asked about her age.  Welcome to the two handed club Mary!!  Happy happy birthday to you big girl!  We have so enjoyed watching you come out of your shell a little bit this past school year.  We love your laid back, compliant personality...more than you'll ever know!!!

Wii are awesome parents

Who knew that if you put a Wii remote in his hand, and placed the boy in front of the tv...that he would play..all day?

The boy has been playing Mario Kart for about 2 months.  When he wakes up, that's all he wants to do.  When we walk through the door from being out, that's all he wants to do.  


I have enjoyed the virtual babysitting, but I guess it's time to set some limits.  That's no fun....

"So cool" to be 9!

We celebrated Allie's bday with ice cream!  

Here's the "scoop" (sorry I can't help myself)...She invited a few of her favorite pals to go out to eat.

....and of course some other of her favorite peeps.

Then we headed to the house to make ice cream sundaes.

Chocolate with cherries please!

I got the ice cream balloon idea from pinterest (where else?).  If you ever decide to try it, don't skimp on helium balloons.  Mine were too small, and the paper weighted them down in no time.  

Cupcakes and cones!

Oh hey Abbott...where have you been hiding?

Oh the sugar rush...yikes!

...a good way to ride the sugar wave:)  This was the only calm part of the night! Girls + beads = smiles.

Allie has always been a piñata girl.  This is her one and only request.  

My favorite cone head!

These ice cream shooters were trouble! 

What a sweet party!  I hope they had fun because I sure did!