Bi-Weekly Update

Time for an update. I'm realizing I'm not a very good blogger. Lots of other things going on, I guess.

The last couple weeks have been filled with lots of activity. We have been to Pumpkinland, mommy was gone for work, trip to Des Moines for the Wrestling Convention and to see my good friend Amanda, Fall leaves and Football Playoffs have begun.

We went to Pumpkinland with our card club (aka social group). We had lots of fun, even in the cool weather. There were 9 adults and 10 kids (all under the age of 6). What a blast! We did the corn maze and the kids managed to lead us around. By the end their little legs were tired. We enjoyed fun, food and fellowship afterwards at Craig and Rachel's. Here's some pictures:

Picking out the pumpkins

The corn maze...

In Des Moines we got to spend time with one of my good friends Amanda. We met our Freshman year at Simpson and have been best friends ever since:) Stan went to the convention and Amanda, myself and the boys did some shopping and relaxed all day Saturday. It was so nice to relax! Stan and I attended a banquet in the evening while Amanda watched the boys. The BHRV coaches were recognized as District Coaches of the year in 2007/2008 season. What a great accomplishment. Sunday morning we went swimming at the hotel and had lunch with Amanda and her friend Aaron before heading back home.

The boys have enjoyed some of the nice weather this month by playing outside. The strong winds seem to blow all the neighbors leaves to our house! The boys enjoy playing in them.

Okay, so I'm so sorry for leaving you all wondering about the coolest part of the story:) After posting yesterday and Stan and I were talking I realized I left a real good part of the story out and no it doesn't mean a baby, but at this point little things excite us!

When we got to the car dealership we found the car we had been looking at on the Internet. We left the boys in the car watching a movie and Stan and I got out and started looking at the car. A short while later a salesman started to walk over to us. I probably have a preconceived notion that salesmen can be devious and so I'm always a little skeptical. I can't say I've had a bad experience though, either. Curt, the salesmen, came up to us and started small talk. He asked what we were looking for as he noticed our envoy and was probably wondering why we were looking at something larger. We proceeded to tell him that we had 2 boys and we were in the process of adopting our 3rd child and knew we would need more room. He said, Wow that is so cool. We are foster parents and have found it to be such a blessing.

Okay at this point it was like it was meant to be. God sent this wonderful salesmen to take care of us who understood our situation. He shared stories of his own 4 grown children. They currently are fostering a 3 year old and a 1 year old, both of whom they have had for around 15 months. The 2 kids think they are brother and sister because they don't know any different and how hard it will be when they are separated. The 1 year was recently placed in a family and the 3 years old mother had just terminated her parental rights. The family that adopted the 1 year old was also trying to get the 3 year to keep them together. I always admire people who open their hearts and their homes to the foster care system. They love those children for a short period of time and I'm sure become attached and it is probably hard to say goodbye.

So that's the cool part of the story. The Lord sent someone to help us along this journey. Another small step on this amazing journey.

Stay tuned.... the coolest part of the story is yet to come......

Life and ..... a new car

My how time flies. I realized this weekend that it had been awhile since our last post. Aiden fully recovered from the flu, although it took him a few days to get his appetite back. No one else has been sick which is a blessing.

This last week flew by, between work, meetings, and school events. By the time it got to Thursday we were ready to stay home so we didn't make it to the Katelyn's Fund meeting. Hopefully next month.

As time goes by and we hear no news on the adoption front, my mind begins to "Think, Think, Think" as on the Super Sluths (too many cartoons with sick kids:) I wonder when we'll get the call. I think as I get busier at work, how everything will fall into place if I have to leave. I think as Stan will be starting wrestling soon how we will juggle that, my work and being there for the boys and each other. Oh so many things to think about....

And then yesterday we finally pulled the trigger on something we have been thinking about for a long time. For about 9 months now we have debated and thought about the need for a larger vehicle. On Friday we tried to fit all 3 car seats in the Envoy, and failed miserably. So we knew we needed to do something before the baby comes. We have been searching in town and on the Internet to see what our available options were, prices, and thinking and wanting to be fiscally responsible in our next vehicle choice.

I am not a Mini Van mom, sorry for those of you who are:) So we have been looking at Suburbans and Yukons. We knew we couldn't afford new so we have been looking at used with good mileage and the right price. Well yesterday we traveled about an hour away and found a Suburban! We were at the car place for about 3 hours test driving the car, figuring what we could get as a trade in on the Envoy, what financing we could get, etc, etc.

After talking through the financing with the credit manager, the interest rate was not as good as we would have liked. We told him we really liked the car, but didn't know about the financing and were thinking of contacting our local bank on Monday to see what they could do for us. The credit manager said he would call the bank he was working with and see if he could get a better deal. We told him we had to run some errands and would come back either that day or on Monday with our decision. As we were loading the boys in the Envoy the credit manager came out and said the bank would give us 1% lower than what he quoted us earlier in the day. Wow, a whole percentage point was a lot. We decided to run our errands and this would give us a chance to talk about it. If the car was gone when we got back, it wasn't meant to be.

After driving and talking we decided this was what we wanted. The monthly payment was going to be similar to the Envoy so we knew we could swing it. So we went back to the car dealer, signed all the paper work and drove off with a new car. It is a 2004 black suburban with relatively good mileage (77,000), tan interior and a few extra features. The boys were extremely excited and couldn't get over all the extra room and that they are sitting higher so they can see more! Now I'll have to get used to driving a bigger vehicle! I have picture to post but it's not very good, but it's better than nothing.

Well I better go, it's off to mom and dad's for Sunday dinner. Yummy!

Well Aiden is still sick so I (Abby) decided not to go to my class tomorrow. I figured it be best to stay home with the boys. Aiden hasn't thrown up since 4 p.m. and is now in bed. Hopefully he can get a good night's rest. I'm trying to pump OJ in him to keep him hydrated as he is not a fan of Pedialyte. After cleaning up after Aiden and disinfecting everything in sight, I'm ready to relax and take a long, hot bubble bath. Tomorrow has to be better....

The Flu...again

This time it's Aiden. It took him almost a week to catch it. I was hoping maybe he wouldn't get sick at all. He has only thrown up once so maybe he won't have it as bad as Keegan. I am suppose to go to a class tomorrow out of town so hopefully we can get something figured out for daycare:)