Reminders for my lovely blog readers!

Since our adoption wait time has decreased somewhat (with the exciting news that we were not 18, but number 10 on the waiting list!), we are hoping that more squishes will be returned sooner rather than later! There is no "due date" for the squishes. This is just a reminder to those who want to participate that we'd love to have them so that we can start putting the squares together! If you are trying to decide if you want to send one or not - decide yes! This is not only a good wish quilt from family members (although those are special and super important to us!). It is a quilt that we hope will be made from good wishes from friends near and far, also! Click the button below to get the directions for donating your squish!



Another reminder is about our magazine fundraiser. If you are interested in purchasing a new magazine, or renewing a current subscription, please use our site and a portion of your purchase price will be donated to helping to bring home baby sister! I am also excited to announce that the magazine fund raising site is not only offering magazines at a great price, but also cookies, books, and music! The time to start your Christmas shopping is just around the corner! Bookmark our site for when you need to buy gifts for that special someone!

So, a donkey falls into a well...

No. This isn't the start of a bad joke. It's a story about determination and persistence.

The story goes that an old donkey fell into a well. He couldn't get out because the sides of the well were slick. People tried to rescue him, but they didn't succeed. The people decided to put the donkey out of it's misery by burying him. They started throwing shovels of dirt into the well. The first one hit the donkey on the back and buckled his knees. But, he shook off the dirt and stepped up onto the little pile of dirt that was now under his feet. As the dirt was thrown into the well, it always hit the donkey and buckled his knees. But, he always shook off the dirt and stepped up, higher and higher, onto the pile of dirt beneath him. Eventually, the donkey was high enough that he could step up and out of the well. That is one persistent little donkey!

I need to take a lesson from the donkey today. My class this year has thrown me for a loop. The make up of the class is one that I haven't had for awhile. They are performing at a very wide range of abilities and I'm having a hard time feeling like I am reaching them all. I find myself getting frustrated that they aren't "getting" things that I think they "should" be getting at this point in the school year.

The bottom line, though, is this: they are where they are. I need to back up my game plan and re-evaluate the situation. What I thought I knew, I don't. What I think they "should" know isn't my current reality. When I get my knees buckled by a frustrating day (today), I need to shake it off and find a way to step up and try again. Like the donkey, I may fall many times, but eventually, I will figure this out!

To hear a great story about what to do when your knees buckle, click here and click on "Listen to this past Sunday's Worship message."

School Pictures

Both boys had school pictures taken recently. These are Evan's proofs - we are still deciding which one to buy.




This is Luke's picture. Doesn't he look so big!?!?

Luke's Parent Teacher Conference

Warning: I'm about to brag about my kid.

Today was our conference with Luke's teacher. For the first grading period in Kindergarten, they don't give out report cards, but they do a conference. His teacher said some really nice things about him and it made us feel good that he is doing so well. Some of the highlights:

• He has mastered most skills that they teach in Kindergarten. She only assessed him on the things they are supposed to assess for the first 9 weeks, but she flipped back to the end of the year assessment sheet and said he was able to do pretty much all of that stuff already. Some of the things she wasn't sure of (names the seasons, etc.), but was pretty sure he was able to do them.
• She said he has a creative and smart mind and that when he answers questions, he often comes up with some "deep thoughts." She told us that he thinks outside the box and can come up with answers that make sense to him are often more interesting or creative that the typical Kindergarten answer.
• She said he likes to talk... a lot. Hmmmm... wonder where that comes from??
• She is trying to keep him challenged by giving him books to bring home and read, working on a math program that challenges him, and also has him enrolled in a computer program that works with his individual needs to help him stay challenged when the rest of the class is working on identifying letters and letter sounds, etc.
• The areas that he needs to work on are: listening better and wiggling less. But, as she pointed out, he is very much a 5 year old boy. Silly, wiggly, and giggly. There could be worse things to be.
  

Overall, we are very pleased with her report. Luke has always been a smart kid who picks things up easily. We never "worked" with him on things like learning colors, numbers, letters, or any other academic skill. I hope this continues for him, because it can be so hard to be in school and be bored or overwhelmed. Right now, he loves school and is confident because he knows he can do the work. This is exactly what he needed from Kindergarten.

Ok, the bragging is over.

I love...

• Getting new squishes! Thanks to my Uncle Randy and Aunt Betty for their squish. It arrived this week! I plan to wait to get a few more before I post new pictures. Thanks so much!
• Knowing that my daughter is probably growing and developing right at this very moment!
• Having faith in a God that would never give me more than I can handle - even when it sometimes feels like I can't handle it all.
  
• Talking to Luke. Our conversation today about the upcoming conference Dan and I have with his teacher (just a routine conference to update parents on their child's progress)

Mom: So, what will your teacher tell us about how you are doing at school?
Luke: Perfect.
Mom: How are you doing with reading?
Luke: Perfect.
Mom: Math?
Luke: Perfect.
Mom: repeats same question for all classes and subjects
Luke: Perfect.
Mom: How will she tell me you are doing with listening?
Luke: (pauses) Um. Fifty-fifty.

At least he's honest!

What do you love?

Are you ready for some football?

Since football season is officially here, we took this opportunity to have a photo shoot with the boys in their Peyton Manning jerseys. See the slide show below for pictures of them playing football at the park in our neighborhood.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A big surprise!

Since we have been on the waiting list for 6 months, I contacted the representative at our agency to touch base about a payment that needs to be done soon. I asked her a few questions about the payment and then asked if she could confirm where we stood on the waiting list. We have been estimating our spot on the list by the place where we started 6 months ago (#32) and moving up a spot each time there was a new referral. So, we thought we were sitting at number 18. This was a great place for us, because our agency estimates 2 referrals a month (which, in 6 months would mean 12 referrals, but there were actually 14, so we were ahead of the time line).

Anyway, when I asked her to confirm our number 18, she surprised us by saying that we were NOT waiting at spot number 18. In fact, we are now waiting at number....

... not 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, or 11... we are now number...

We are shocked to hear that we have jumped up the list 8 spots! She told us that several families have had to withdraw from the program for various reasons and we got bumped up the list as they withdrew. While I'm sad for these families and the children waiting for families in South Korea, I am thrilled for us!

Typically, December-February are slow months, often with no referrals at all. So, we have a few months left at the end of this year to see some movement, and then next Spring when things pick up again, we might get our referral sooner than we had originally thought!

He Rides! He Talks! He Builds!

He Rides!
Luke has not liked his bike from the first time we got him one when he was two years old. He never enjoyed pedaling and said it was too much work. For his 5th birthday, he picked out a cool, big kid bike and said he would ride it. Nope. Hated it. I've been so frustrated that he won't ride his bike and that we wasted so much money. But, I've gotten over it (sort of) and let him use his scooter and other modes of transportation around the neighborhood.

This evening, we were playing outside and I suggested that he give the bike another try, since it had been months since he had gotten on it. We dusted the cobwebs off the wheels and he pulled it down to the sidewalk. I promised that if he rode a few driveways down and didn't like it, I wouldn't get mad or make him keep going. So, he got on and rode. And, rode. And, rode. Around the whole circle in our neighborhood (about 1/2 mile). He loves it. I don't know what clicked, but, I really don't care! He rides!

He Talks!
This one is about the other little "he" in our home. Evan has not been a big talker. He gets what he wants by grunting, pointing, or crying, and never really needs to talk. It's our fault. Dan and I are busy and don't even realize that we hand Evan his cup and don't make him ask for it. Or, we pick him up when he hasn't asked. Luke is just as bad as we are - giving Evan toys or getting things for him at even the littlest squeak.

This past weekend, Evan found his talking switch and turned it to "ON." New words roll off his tounge several times a day, and even his teachers noticed at school today. She said that he was calling his classmates by name, babbling stories, and saying new words all day long. He talks!

He Builds!
Luke had his first "project" assignment for school this week. He had to make a building from our community out of a shoe box. He choose to make our local ice cream place, Brusters, for his building. We drove by Brusters so that Luke could take notes about what he needed to include, and we picked up a few napkins with their logo on it to put onto the building. When we got home, I covered the shoe box in white paper and Luke's imagination took off! He had a lot of fun adding little details to the box and kept saying, "I love this homework!" over and over again!

Here are some pictures of the front of Brusters.



The drive-thru side.



And, the other side that includes the outdoor seating area. Complete with red tables and a rocking chair!



He builds! And, as you can see from the pictures, he is so proud of his project!

Another Squish

This one is from Dan's grandparents. Baby sister's Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Hoot.

We made a quick trip to Indiana this weekend to surprise Dan's parents for their 40th wedding anniversary (more on that tomorrow - I'm exhausted!), and while we were there, we picked up this squish from Dan's grandparents. It's such a gift to have a special note for our daughter! Thanks!

Squish 3 and 4

My friend Kelleigh has turned in Squish numbers 3 and 4!

The first one is made from fabric that was used to make a costume for a school play that my class has done for the past 3 years. Kelleigh is quite the seamstress and she made polka dot whale tales for two costumes. This is some of the leftover fabric from those tails. I love it because it reminds me of a great adventure in teaching and the kindness of a friend that made these for me. In case you are wondering, whales with polka dot tales come from the song, "Down by the Bay." A classic kid's tune.

Thanks, Kelleigh!

I look forward to getting more and more squishes soon!

Half a year

Our adoption journey began a long time ago, but we have been officially on our agency waiting list for half a year. 6 months. 1+1+1+1+1+1. In that time, we have:

1. Moved from number 32 to number 18.
2. Went to Disney World.
3. Gotten approval from the USCIS to adopt a child from another country.
4. Got tan and water logged after a summer of being at the beach and pool.
5. Waited.
6. Moved up the list.
7. Waited.
8. Moved up the list.
9. Waited.
10. Started Kindergarten.
11. Waited.

We still have another 10-12 months of waiting ahead of us, but at least 6 months are already behind us! We will have our daughter home with us when the time is right!

Number breakdown: Baby sister's birth Mother is probably between 2-3 months pregnant at this point. Possibly giving birth around March - May 2010. That would mean a referral for us between August - October 2010.

We hope and pray for lots of matches with families from our agency. After the two month break between referrals in July and August, we are hoping for some good movement in the next few months. Around the holidays, and at the beginning of each year, things tend to slow down. So, getting in a few good months would be great!

gDiapers Discussion

Some of my dear friends have asked about my "real" opinion on the gDiapers, so I'm going to give a run down of what I see as the pros and cons of gDiapers vs. cloth vs. disposables.

Pros

• Disposables are easy.
• Cloth are very Earth friendly, and after the initial start up cost, cheaper than disposables.
• gDiapers are easy, Earth friendly and about the same cost of disposables.

Cons

• Disposables do not decompose in landfills. Google the statistics on how many diapers are thrown into landfills each day. It's crazy.
• Cloth diapers can get messy (even though there are flushable liners to help with the poopies) and can get to be a pain to wash. Start up cost can be enough to scare people off.
• gDiapers refills are about 10 cents more expensive than disposable diapers when looking at the cost per diaper.

My opinion is that if you are even attempting to be a steward of the Earth, and are even thinking of "going green" that diapers are one of the best places to start. Seriously, so many diapers in so many landfills doing nothing but sitting their stinky, plastic selves in the dirt and not decomposing. With that said, we use disposable diapers for Evan when he's at daycare (for now, we're working on switching him to gDipes at daycare, too).

I think that cloth is great, but not as practical for working families.I had to keep up with washing, because they are expensive to purchase up front and I only have about 12 cloth diapers total, so I was doing laundry almost every other day. While this can be done, it got a lot harder when I went back to work full time.

I think gDiapers are a great option because they are easy - you can throw them away without any guilt because when they arrive in the landfill, next to their disposable diaper friends, they know that in a few weeks, they will decompose and not take up space like the plastic in the typical disposable diapers. If you choose not to toss your gDiapers, you can simply flush them down the toilet because they break up in the water and go down like regular TP. Nice, huh? This is my preferred method. No stinky pee or poo diapers hanging out in our house. If you are really serious about the environment, you can toss gDiapers into your compost bin and make some good old fashioned dirt. Oh, and if you have the cloth diaper inserts (just the strip of cloth to put into a cloth diaper to add some padding), they fit perfectly into the gDiaper. So, gDiapers can use their disposable inserts, or cloth.

What's the cost difference?

gDiaper refills are $52 for 128 refills. Cost per diaper change is approximatly 40 cents. Typical disposable diapers (Pampers Baby Dry is what I used to get this estimate) is $49 for 176 diapers. Cost per diaper change is 28 cents. So, the gDiapers cost a little more per diaper change, but are SO much better for your Mama (Nature).

Newborns vs. Older kids?

For me, I think I'd use disposables on newborns until they get on solid food and the poop gets less messy. But, that's just me. When a kid gets to about 6 months, you can get the size "large" gDiapers and can go with that size until they are able to potty train.