On the eve...

Last night Mark and I gathered with some friends for dessert and prayer. I fully intended to take pictures and got so wrapped up in conversations with friends that it didn't happen. I did get two pictures though...

Mark playing with some of the kiddos

Our friend DJ and Jack

Thanks to our friends David and Tanya for hosting. And thanks to our friends who came and to all of our friends who couldn't come but have supported us through this process. Mark and I have been through situations in life where we did not openly discuss how we were/felt about things and it helped us realize the importance of letting others be a part of our lives. The support, encouragement, and prayers offered to us by those around us have been so helpful and we feel truly blessed by those who are in our lives. ~~ Last night the dessert was plentiful and very yummy. The conversations were real and up-lifting and we walked away excited and encouraged about our upcoming trip...tomorrow!!!

TONIGHT...
We finished up our last bit of packing. We loved on our little boy. We ate dinner for the last time as family of 3. And then Mark made my favorite drink, a BBC, and we watched last night's episode of LOST.

Preparations

Yesterday we received confirmation for our embassy date next Monday in ET. We have been making last minute preparations. We are mostly packed, just a few little items left to take care of before we leave...in 2 days!!!!

Mark and I had some alone time on Sunday night, we went on a date and it was nice to spend intentional time together out of the house. Also, we know it might be awhile before we get to do that again - so it was extra special.

Now we are just packing the last few things, finishing up another round of baby food for the freezer, and making sure the house is clean before we leave, and of course making the most of our last few days as a family of 3! (I have more to say about this...will post on this before we leave)

Girl Power

(Look at the cute little hand cookies in the Back Right)

Kelly and Me.

Last weekend my friend Kelly and I had a joint baby shower. She is due with baby Wyn very soon and Hannah will be joining us this week!! Both of us already have boys and are excited to be joining the world of all things cute and girly. Thanks to all my friends who helped with the shower and for coming to celebrate!

Dolls...


and sparkly crocs...

I can't wait to have a little girl!!

We also got some donations to take over to Ethiopia: formula, lotion, and disposable cameras.

St Paddy's

We didn't really do much to celebrate St Patricks Day. I wore some green and I tried to dress Jack in something green. However, by outfit # 3 for the day for Jack - I gave up. We did have green food though and that added a little excitement.

Breakfast for Dinner
(Green French Toast)

Mint Oreo Truffles

Here's how to make your own mint oreo truffles; it is super easy. I used a food processor to grind the oreos. Then mixed the oreos with a package of cream cheese which made a huge goopy mess. I then made them into little balls and stuck them in the freezer for a few minutes to let them harden. I covered them in melted milk choclate. Finally, I used white chocolate that I colored green to drizzle on the top.

Like I said, they are very easy. But don't say I didn't warn you, it is very hard to say no to these sinful little chocolate balls.

I should know better

Today I was changing Jack's diaper downstairs in the playroom. I got his pants pulled down, unbuttoned his onesie, and took off his wet diaper. Then I realized his diaper basket was out of diapers. I left the room to walk to the hall closet to get more diapers (gone less than 10 seconds.) I walked back into the room just in time to see him standing at his activity table and peeing on the floor. Yikes! I do have a little boy and I should definitely know better.

Happy 7/8 Months to Hannah

We were originally told that Hannah's birth date was July 06, 2009. However, this week when we got her birth certificate it says August 05, 2009. According to our original report she was left at the orphanage approximately 12 days after being born, which is clearly still July and not August. Thus the birth date discrepancy.

No matter how old she is we love her already and in just 2 weeks will hopefully be meeting her. I can't wait - I love her curls and those lips. I love her lips, so cute! I love you Hannah!

Happy 10 Months

You have grown by leaps and bounds this last month. You have abandoned your old inching-like crawling for the real thing, and you are Fast! You pull yourself up on EVERYTHING...bathtubs, toilets, drawers, couches, the entertainment center.

You are cruising and transfer yourself from item to item around the room all while standing. Most of this last month you have pulled yourself up in your crib and do not know how to get down; I think though in the last day or so you have figured this out.

We bought a baby gate for the top of the stairs as you can get to the stairs oh so quickly. You talk to us and your favorite noises are the ones where you make noise by putting your hand over your mouth and moving it quickly up and down. We hear strings of all kinds of consonants that you put together. One of your favorite toys is a pink egg that you like to shake. You are getting so curious especially now that you can move...last week you found the dog's water bowl and promptly turned that upside down. You also took great delight in examining all the vents on the floor. Pretty much everything is new and exciting.

You make your dad feel so good when he comes home from work and you crawl to him. We still love to hear you laugh and enjoy tickling you just to hear our favorite sound. Reading is still so fun with you. You have your favorite books and really like the ones where you get to lift the flap yourself. Also peek-a-boo has become a great game where you love to pull our hands off our faces and the blanket off your head --and then you just grin because you are so proud that you figured it out. You are growing up so fast and learning things so rapidly - we're so proud to be your parents.

We love you soooooooo much. We will enjoy this next month with you as after that we will be watching you in a "brother" role to your sister Hannah.

TP

I feel like I have had a long exhausting day. We got Hannah's Birth Certificate and it says a completely different birth date than we had been told, the Department of State has issued a statement warning adoptive parents that investigations are possible before travel (this may or may not affect us), and then I had a little visit with the Dentist. I got 2 fillings...I suppose this is what happens when you eat pounds of gummy worms when you are pregnant.

After arriving home with half my face and tongue numb I took J upstairs to start getting ready for bath time. I decided to put a load of laundry in the washing machine and when I came back to check on Jack because he was exceptionally quiet (he always is when he is getting into something) I found him with a pile of toilet paper on the floor. I have heard of other children doing this - I just wasn't expecting my sweet little curious boy to find it so soon. Luckily it wasn't that much and glad he had fun.

Necklace Giveaway

In the fall of 2008 when I was pregnant with Jack, Mark and I were already planning to adopt from Ethiopia. (We were just not exactly sure when we would start the process). I found out about Junk Posse from a friends blog and fell in love with her designs. Tracy, founder of JP makes the most beautiful jewelry. I ordered a beautiful necklace of a heart with Africa inside. I love it! I talk a little bit about this necklace in an older blog post.

Anyways, Junk Posse is having a Haiti necklace giveaway. Make sure to check it out!!!

Real Boy

Mark commented to me after we attended our friend Cain's 2nd Birthday party this last weekend, that Jack is a "Real Boy." What he meant by this is that Jack is growing up and starting to interact with other kids. We took J to Cain's birthday party and he pulled himself up to look at the trains the other kids were playing with, he played with the balloons, and crawled all around investigating everything.

(Cain in the red @ the table and little Jack next to him)

It is exciting to watch our little man start to take a real interest in the things the "big kids" are playing with and we are excited to watch him develop relationships with our friends children. Jack even got a party favor bag upon leaving the party.

(Isn't this kid adorable?)

So...Happy 2nd Birthday Cain, we are excited to be a part of your life.

Scones

(Maple Pecan Scone--yummy! Its a PW recipe)

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my friend Lindsay. I am so glad to know her and so very proud of her - her book Scones and Sensibility was released this last December.

It is precious. I loved the main character Polly and her romantic notions. Polly works in her family's bakery - what a fantastic job - and she reminds me of the way I thought as a girl. Only, my thoughts did not have the actions behind them that Polly's did. You should read it for yourself...it is wonderfully delightful and I would highly recommend it.

Lindsay, wishing you an incredible year filled with many good things.