I just said what!!!!!!!?????

Here are some things that I or DH have said this past week.  No one warned us that these things would pop out of out mouths…

Why are you combing your hair with your toes?

Don’t lick the bottom of your shoes!

No, you can’t have a cup of coffee (to my 7 year old).

I know there are other things that we have said, but the scarey thing is that so many of these things have become a daily event – things that we don’t even conside odd.  Why did no one warn me that these things would occur?  Or is it that my children are just weird?

Waiting

This time of year always makes me sentimental for things that have happened in the past.  From October to the middle of January, I have so many memories of holidays, family celebrations, and of course, something to do with China and my girls. 

I am sitting here, taking a work break, watching the cold rain fall and thinking about what I was doing 4 years ago…

I was in a cramped apartment, trying to figure out how to decorate enough that JB would have some sense of Christmas traditions, traveling downtown to the office every day, and waiting, not so patiently,  for the final travel arrangements so we could meet EB.  But deep in my heart I was not really ready to meet her.  We were very short on the funds we needed for the travel and final agency fees.  We were no where near ready to move into our new house – and the apartment we were living in was already bulging at the seams.  I was in the middle of my annual foray into the winter blues.  Life was just not how I wanted it to be.  But then I would look at this picture on my computer.

I was torn when I looked at that picture. She did not look happy – in fact she sort of looked like Chairman Mao.  Did I need another little dictator in my house? I wanted to get to her because I wanted to see her smile, I wanted to make sure she was ok, I really wanted to see how big she actually was under all those layers. On the other hand, I was so scared that I would not be able to love her as much as I loved JB at the time.  I was afraid that one of them would feel left out and and I would not be able to treat them equally.  I was just plain scared!

Then these showed up in my in-box…..

She was growing. She appeared to be thriving.  But I could not get a good look at her eyes – and there was no smile, just a somber little girl.  She was still just a picture – one of so many pictures that I had seen throughout my journey into international adoption.  All the pictures steal your heart, but you know you can’t adopt all of them, no matter how much you want to, so you kind of turn your heart off a little bit.  Then this picture popped up…

This was the picture that captured me.  In this picture I saw my daughter – cheeks I wanted to kiss, fingers I wanted to watch explore her surroundings, and that she liked being held but was still curious about the world and was leaning towards it. And she had a cold – her little upper lip was red from her nose running.  This was my child.  This is the picture that I fell in love with - the worst picture of the bunch – not posed, not well lighted – just a picture of a child.  Time seemed to move so slowly and at warp speed all at the same time.  It would not be until January that we could hold her.  Money was still an issue.  My apartment was not any bigger.  But I had another daughter, and she was going to come home – and I could not get to her fast enough!!!!

Some more vacation pictures

Here are 4 new layouts that I have completed of our vacation.

These are of the girls waiting on the parade of boats.  It was hot, and it was a long wait.  The girls cooled off with some rainbow iced-cream, compliments of Mimi and Popaw.

Credits – Emily Farnworth Autumn Delight

Credits – Emily Farnworth Autumn Delight

Finally the boats arrived – there was the Sheriff boat, some pleasure crafts, and then 2 Coast Guard vessels followed by the mamouth Mackinaw.

Credits – Emily Farnworth Paper from Going Coconuts, braid from Autumn Delight, button from Sweater Weather. Frames are stock PSE5

 

Paper – Emily Farnworth Going Coconuts, frames stock PSE5

Fall Update

My, it has been a busy month!  It is hard to believe that the holidays will soon be upon us!  I am continuing to scrap our vacation pictures, and it is going very slowly because I am trying new techniques and just having some relaxing creative time.  But that does not keep people up to date with current events!  So I thought I would just post some photos of our Halloween fun and a landmark event in JB’s life.  So hold on, here we go…..

We went to the pumpkin patch.  JB actually got to go 3 times, EB 2, and the rest of us just once. 

Our family outing to the pumpkin patch included the corn maze (which I refused to take a picture of).  Whoever dreamed up corn mazes was a very sick individual!  And those (like my children) who think they are fun, are also sick.  But I guess that is what we do out of love for our kiddos.

There was a hayride…

EB loved snuggling with Mimi and Popaw during the ride.  JB was very quiet, for some reason. Not sure what her little brain was processing, but it required some quiet alone time.

 

 

There was the process of picking out pumpkins…

JB is actually leaning on EB’s pumpkin, and EB is leaning on JB’s.  It was a big decision to choose just the right pumpkin out of all those in the field.

 

 

There were some big hay piles to climb on…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a pumpkin eating dinosaur…

He roared, he chomped, he moved his head around looking for the next pumpkin to devour.

 

 

JB JB was enthralled with watching him eat each pumpkin.  She would move around so that she was watching him head on every time he moved.

 

 

EB wanted nothing to do with him and stayed close to whatever grown-up family member she could find!

 

There was a huge slide.  Of course JB had to tackle that.  EB wanted nothing to do with it.

JB patiently waited in the line.  She was more than a little annoyed at her picture snapping mother, though.

  JB came down the slide at full speed – she even jumped off the top so that she got some air time.  Look at that hair fly!

 

 

Then there were the obligatory pictures on the big pumpkins.  By this time,  everyone was a little tired and cranky.  But by golly we were going to get those pictures and we were going to enjoy it and smile! 

This October we also celebrated our 6th anniversary of meeting JB and becoming a family.  It is hard to believe it has been that long. She has grown and changed so much!  We are so blessed to still get together with the majority of our travel group.  Those of us able to get together for a Gotcha celebration commemorate the day and those people in China who are so important in our lives – belly button parents, orphanage directors, police officers, and the people at CCAA – with a red balloon release.

 

 

After patiently waiting for the day before Halloween, the girls and DH worked on carving pumpkins. 

JB and EB both wanted friendly Jack-O-Lanterns.  

 

DH went for the free advertising!

JB decided that she needed to look cool during this time.

 

Then it was dress up time!  

Much thought had gone into the process by EB.  She not only wanted to be a princess, she wanted to be a PRETTY, PRETTY princess.  I may be biased, but I think she managed to pull it off.

 

JB revisited her obsession with super-heroes and donned her beloved Robin costume.  But this year she declared that she was not just Robin, she was Robin-Girl!  I guess Robin-Girl is identified by purple crocks!?

 

 

Dusk fell and it was time for my intrepid Trick-or-Treaters to head out and gather large quantities of goodies.  I stayed home and passed out treats to other characters who showed up at our door.

 

Monday after Halloween JB jumps off the bus screaming something at me at the top of her lungs and waving something at me.  My little one lost her 4th tooth. 

Please excuse the wonky eyes.  JB currently says I can only take her picture if I don’t use the flash.  Using the flash results in odd faces and much lamenting on her part.

 

EB, noting that her sister was getting all the attention, decided that she needed to be a little weird so that I would take her picture, too. 

JB came down this past Saturday night, all excited – another tooth came out.  She now has no top front teeth, as well as a gap on the lower left.  I am glad that the days of corn on the cob are over for the season!  I always loved those front 4 teeth because they were there when we met her.  Now I sadly must admit that my baby is growing up.  Thankfully, all teeth are still secure in EB’s head and I don’t have to worry about saying good-bye to her teeth for awhile!

Thanks for sharing the past few weeks with us.  Hope you enjoyed the ride!  Have a great day.

Some Great news and 2 new layouts

Let’s start with the great news.  I have been accepted by the talented Emily Farnworth to be part of her creative team!  I am so excited to be working with her products.  I have added her blinkie to the side bar.  Click on it and you will go right to her site.  She has a clean but fun style.  I am so thankful that I get to work with her and the other team members. 

So let me see if you can guess whose kit I used for these to pictures from our vacation?  That’s right – Emily Farnworth’s kit Autumn Delight   .  These photos were taken as we were waiting for the Parade of Boats as part of the Coast Guard week celebration.  We got there early and waited on the river bank for the boats.