Our Adoption Journey

2011-05-25T15:47:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been on here! I hope to be better. Here is a picture from Mother's Day. I am truly blessed!

Addison and Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T09:18:00.005-06:00

Had Addison in to the doctor yesterday. The last couple weeks she has not been herself and not sleeping well at all (up 2 or 3 times a night). We had her in 3 weeks ago and no ear infection or anything. So I've been attributing it to teething. Well yesterday I had enough and off to the doctor we went. She has a pretty bad right ear infection and her left ear was on the brink. So hopefully the antibiotics will do the trick, which means more sleep for mom and dad:) She weighed right around 16 pounds so she is really growing good.

As I reflect on this past year, I am so blessed. A wonderful husband, 4 beautiful children, house to keep us warm and food to eat and clothes to wear. This last year has been a roller coaster of emotions. Throughout we have had to step out in faith as God knew what would be best for our family. God planted many seeds along the way to get us to this point and He will continue to guide us through.

A song that has stuck with me through our Adoption journey's has been "Here I Am" by Downhere. I heard this song while driving home from work the day we found out that Joselyn's birthmom was expecting again and we could potentially have a 4th child in our home.

Sometimes Your calling, comes in dreams
Sometimes it comes in the Spirit's breeze
You reach for the deepest hope in me
And call out for the things of eternity

But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say

Chorus:
Here I am, Lord send me
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan,
Here I am

When setbacks and failures, and upset plans
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands
Are You not the closest when it's hardest to stand
I know that You will finish what You began

And these broken parts You will redeem
Become the song that I can sing

Chorus

Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness
And the fear that I'll fail You in the end
In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,
I can't put this together but You can

Chorus

Here I am, all my life an offering to You, to You
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan
Here I am

Wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving!!

Halloween

2010-11-03T09:00:00.007-05:00

Joselyn's Bee Costume

Joselyn and Addison

Keegan and Aiden were Darth Vador!

We went to the Hallelujah Party at Trinity on Friday night.

Our little pumpkin:)

Football

2010-11-01T17:04:00.002-05:00

Big football game tonight for the Nighthawks!! We all wore our Nighthawk Blue today.

Addison is 4 months old!

2010-10-16T09:05:00.006-05:00

Where has the time gone! Took Addison in for her 4 month checkup and she weighed 14 pounds and was 24 1/4 inches long. She's growing and developing well! Her and Joselyn are about the same length at this age but Addison outweighs her by 1/2 a pound. She's still not sleeping through the night but will occasionally surprise us. She is very content most of the time and loves to watch all the activity around her. She smiles for just about any one:)

Under the weather...

2010-10-01T09:05:00.005-05:00

Well Keegan has pretty much been sick all week. It started Monday when he complained that his stomach hurt. By Monday afternoon he threw up and continued to do so on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday he finally stopped that but still ran a temp. I took him in this morning and he has sinus infection, sore throat and inflamed tonsils. Hopefully the antibiotic can kick it! He looks pretty tough!

A small smile for today:)

Adoption Tax Credit

2010-09-30T08:15:00.004-05:00

The IRS just issued guidance on the expanded Adoption Credit available for Tax Year 2010. Here's the link:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=228301,00.html

In a nutshell the credit has been increased to $13,170 per child and makes the credit refundable, meaning that eligible taxpayers can get it even if they owe no tax for that year. The kicker is that in addition to filing form 8839 with your return, eligible taxpayers must include with their 2010 tax returns one or more adoption-related documents. I haven't yet found what qualifies as an adoption related document. The documentation requirements mean that taxpayers claiming the credit will have to file paper tax returns. It normally then takes 6 to 8 weeks to get a refund claimed on a complete and accurate paper return. The good news is you get all your money in one year; the bad news is you have to wait a little longer to get it.

Joselyn- 15 month checkup

2010-09-23T06:34:00.005-05:00

Had Joselyn in yesterday afternoon for her 15 month checkup. We had to go during the torrential downpour! Needless to say I was drenched and so were Aiden and Joselyn:) Her ears and lungs were clear so hopefully she is on the mend. No shots until 18 months, Yeah! She doesn't react well to them so I was glad to hear that. She weighed 20 pounds, 13 ounces and was 29 1/4 inches long. She's gained 2 pounds since her 1 year checkup. She's still pretty tiny only being in the 20% but she is growing:) Her and cousin Parker will have to fight it out as he is also the same size and only 9 months old:) She is defintely a girl as she loves her shoes and accessories. Every morning she has to pick out which shoes she wants to wear and it usually is different from day to day. Who knew a 15 month old cared so much! Her favorite words are "Hi Daddy" (and of course no hi mommy), hot, out, and she loves making puppy sounds for almost any animal.

Update

2010-09-20T20:16:00.007-05:00

Wow how time flies. We are back into full swing of school, work, and various other activities. Keegan and Aiden are loving school and are disappointed when the weekend comes. Keegan has lost 2 of his teeth and had his first accident in gym class. No stiches just some glue on the forehead. Aiden is learning to spell and write his name and his favorite part about school is recess and eating breakfast with Keegan. Joselyn is doing well at day care; however is currently fighting an ear infection and bronchitis. She loves Addison. Addison is growing like a weed. We call her our little chunky monkey:)

1 Month Old

2010-07-14T14:10:00.010-05:00

I realized it has been some time since I've posted. As you can imagine life is a bit busier at home so updating the blog is one of the last things that crosses my mind. As Keegan says, "Mom we have a busy family." As I sit her and type Addison is asleep in my arms which makes typing a big of a challenge:)

Addison is doing well. She seems to be gaining weight. Hard to believe she is one month old already! She has become our night owl and likes to be awake from 8 p.m until Midnight. For this mom who needs/likes lots of sleep that has been a challenge. The nice part is if she goes to bed later she's only up once during the night so I guess I shouldn't complain.

We have our first post placement visit tomorrow with our social worker. Praying all goes well. We have a couple pieces of information/paperwork to fill out and then our home study, etc will be complete. It has been kind of weird doing the paperwork after the fact, not something I recommend!

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks:

1 month old

All clean and ready for bed.

Sisterly love:)

Aiden riding his bike.

Swimming on vacation- Joselyn loves the water!

Check Up

2010-06-24T19:26:00.003-05:00

Took Addison to the doctor this morning. She weighed 6 lbs, 6 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. She's gained 7 ounces since she was born. PTL!

Our social worker came over this morning and we did marathon meeting to get our home study interviews, etc completed. The time went fast and I'm very glad that is over. Now only a few more pieces of paperwork to go.

Everyone seems to be adjusting well. The boys love her so much and Joselyn would give her hugs and kisses all day if you let her. let's just say she likes to be very close to Addison:)

Addison slept better last night than the night before. Hopefully tonight will be a little better.

Thanks again for all your prayers!!

Introducing......

2010-06-23T11:22:00.004-05:00

ADDISON MERCY ADEANNA

We welcomed Addison into our home yesterday around 6 p.m. Praise the Lord!! Thanks to everyone for all their prayers. More details to come.....

Update

2010-06-20T22:21:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who has been thinking of us and praying for us and the situation! We can't thank everyone enough. A court date has been set. We covet your prayers this week. It is in the hands of the judge at this point to make a decision on the future of this child. We pray he/she is able to take all the facts and circumstances into consideration to make a decision for this child. We pray that this child be placed in a loving, safe, healthy, Christian home; whether that be in our home or another (of course we hope it's ours). Thanks again for your prayers!

Climbing

2010-03-31T10:44:00.005-05:00

Joselyn has learned how to climb up the stairs. The boys stood behind her to make sure she didn't fall. Watch out world! She is such a busy girl and does not sit still for one moment:) The other day she pulled the garbage can over on top of her and she didn't think that was very funny either. She has also figured out how to turn the TV on and off. No matter how many times you move her she goes back and does it again:)

9 Month Checkup

2010-03-26T08:23:00.002-05:00

Took Joselyn in yesterday for her 9 month checkup. She weighed 17 pounds 7 ounces and was 26 1/2 inches long. She was in the 25th percentile for weight and 20th percentile for height. She's our little princess. No ear infections. Yeah!! We've had quite the problem with those this winter. She seems to be developing at slightly ahead of 9 months with her gross motor skills. PTL! She is constantly moving, crawling, standing or wrestling with her brothers. It won't be long and she'll be walking! What a blessing she has been in our lives:)

Pictures

2010-03-20T13:04:00.011-05:00

A few pictures from the last few weeks:

She is such a happy girl!

Aiden turned 4 on February 1.

8 months old.

Time for crafts. keegan didn't want to look at the camera...

Unfortunately for Aiden his ears are not his best asset:)

What a big smile!

9 months old.

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather!!

Finalization

2010-01-25T19:58:00.005-06:00

Well despite the snow and wind we made a trek to the courthouse this morning. By the grace of God we had safe travels to and from and our family, the judge, the court reporter and our attorney were able to make it! Joselyn Grace Adeanna is legally ours!!! I thought I might shed some tears but I was too overcome with joy and happiness. What an awesome journey this has been and will continue to be for our family. Stay tuned as I'll continue to update and we continue on the journey of "Life".

Kids waiting patiently for things to start.

Joselyn and cousin McArthur

Finalization

2010-01-21T21:24:00.003-06:00

We are very excited to have our court date scheduled for next week! Hard to believe that 7 months has passed already. It seems like just yesterday we were picking up Joselyn from the hospital! I vividly remember the emotions from that day. We continue to pray for the birth mom and birth dad where ever they may be. We send pictures to Bethany to forward on to them and have not seen them since picking up Joselyn from the hospital. I have tried to write down as much as I can remember about them so we can one day share that with Joselyn.

Tax season and wrestling are in full swing and the weather seems to have a mind of its own lately. Is Spring around the corner?? It definitely has made my commute and business travels much more interesting, along with travels to wrestling meets.

Time for bed....

6 Months

2010-01-06T13:15:00.002-06:00

Took Joselyn in on Monday for her 6 month checkup. Had her in the week before with a right ear infection which has now turned into double ear infection, so we switched antibiotics. She weighed 15 pounds 3 ounces and was 25 inches long. She's a pip-squeak! She's in the 50th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height. Dr didn't seem too concerned. She eats good and sleeps all night so I can't complain. She has learned how to sit up on her own and is rolling everywhere. Now need to be more careful about toys the boys' decide to leave out!

Working on getting a court date for Joselyn's finalization. Hopefully sometime this month. We'll have to wait and see.

Enjoy the snow!!

Pictures

2009-12-24T13:01:00.016-06:00

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks....

Wrestling season is in full swing!!

Newest addition to the extended family- Parker Dale

A visit with Santa

A visit to Santa

6 Month pictures- December 18

Christmas 2009

Christmas Kisses for Joselyn (and yes she was laughing)

Sunday School Christmas Program- the boys did great!

I don't think it works to ride a scooter in the snow:)

Joselyn and I stayed warm inside!

Playing outside in the snow.

6 Months

2009-12-23T20:24:00.002-06:00

We had Joselyn's 6 month pictures today. She did awesome! It is hard to believe that 6 months has already passed. We are working with our attorney to petition the court for finalization. Hopefully that can happen in the next month or two.

I'm hoping to get some pictures posted tomorrow while the snow flies:)

Here is the link to her pictures:

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ThumbAccess.aspx?e=5951399

Password is joselyn

Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Baptism, and bears...or my

2009-12-02T14:01:00.018-06:00

We had a wonderful time last weekend starting with Thanksgiving on Thursday. We enjoyed a delicious noon meal at my brothers house, turkey, fixings and all. Yummy! We took our afternoon naps and headed to my Grandma's house for supper. More yummy food. Friday morning Stan had wrestling practice so I stayed home with the kids and then went to work around 11. At night we celebrated Thanksgiving with Stan's side of the family. Again more good food. I sense a theme here.... Saturday we ran to SF for supplies, birthday gifts and Christmas gifts. Saturday night we helped the M's celebrate birthdays and had a wonderful meal of Pizza Ranch and cake. The fun for the weekend was not complete until we celebrated McArthur's baptism. It was a jam packed weekend but lots and lots of fun. Joselyn was ready to be home and back in the routine come Sunday evening:)

Thanksgiving Day

The Wish Bone

Boy did they enjoy their dessert.

Cousin picture

Isn't she cute:)

More presents to open.

Self-portrait:)

Micah's Snuggie

Miles and Keegan checking out Miles' new toy.

Time to blow out the candles.

Family picture time.

Joselyn and cousin McArthur

Sticking her tongue out at Daddy.

Playing in the dirty clothes

Our first try at baby cereal. Not a big fan and she was very burpy after that!

Joselyn's 5 month pictures

2009-11-23T18:57:00.006-06:00

Here are the pictures I took on Joselyn's 5 month birthday. She's getting stronger and can even sit by herself for a few moments. She likes to be part of the action and gets upset when she can't see her brothers. She discovered yesterday how to blow bubbles with her mouth, in church no less:)

Boys will be Boys

2009-11-18T09:45:00.005-06:00

The boys had lots of fun last night lining up cars, trucks, basically anything with wheels. It was so cute I just had to share.

Joselyn is really starting to analyze things and discovered a new toy the other night.

Update

2009-11-11T12:20:00.010-06:00

So I realized it had again been awhile since I had updated the blog. It took Keegan about a week to fully recover from the nasty flu. Luckily no one else got sick or has gotten sick since then besides the runny noses.

Joselyn had her 4 month checkup on October 29. She weighed 13 lbs, 6.5 ounces and was 24 inches long. She has more than doubled her birth weight already. She's been rolling over since 3 months, loves her exersaucer, puts everything in her mouth, and has discovered her voice. The screech of a girl is definitely higher pitched than a boy:) She's doing well and right on track and even slightly ahead on a few things developmentally. What a blessing she has been to our family!

For Halloween I took the kids downtown to the local businesses on Friday afternoon and then on Saturday we hit a few places and went to a Hallelujah party in a nearby town and then pizza with friends and relatives. Keegan couldn't decide on what he wanted to be so on Friday he was Chewbacca and on Saturday he was Thomas the Train. Aiden was a Ghost (which is what Keegan originally wanted to be) and Joselyn was our little Pumpkin. Kids had a good time and there is still lots of candy left!

Wrestling starts next Tuesday. Keegan and Aiden are extremely excited for the season to start as well as Daddy! They were practicing their wrestling moves in the living room last night. It's a start to another fun but very busy season:)

Helping Dad rake leaves.

Hanging out in the high chair

Keegan as Chewbacca

Miss Pumpkin

No one really wanted to take the picture!

Aiden the Ghost

Keegan rolling the dice with his Thomas costume

Miss Pumpkin was worn out by the end of the night!

Sickness

2009-10-23T15:33:00.009-05:00

I'm home today with Keegan. He woke up around 1:30 a.m. complaining that he did not feel good. So I rounded up a bucket and some towels and let him be. No more than 10 minutes later he threw up and exclaimed, "I feel so much better Mom." Poor kid. He threw up one more time and then slept the rest of the night. He felt very warm in the middle of the night with a fever. Still this morning his fever felt high however he is terrified of the thermometer (it's only the one under his arm!) so I'm not exactly sure what his temp is. I've been alternating Motrin and Tylenol and that seems to help. Aiden stayed home with us cause I'm pretty sure he'll get sick and Joselyn headed off to daycare. I've disinfected every possible thing today including all the toys. That's quite a big job. He also has a cough and has complained that his head hurts, all signs of influenza or H1N1 or whatever. Hopefully no one else gets sick. We were suppose to go with Stan to a wrestling convention this weekend but looks like we'll be staying home:)

Here are some pictures of the last few weeks:

2009-10-19T20:48:00.002-05:00

I thought I would take a couple minutes to update our blog. I'm sitting in a hotel room on a business trip. Stan is home with the kids. We haven't had daycare the last 4 days so we have been scrambling. I took a day, Stan a day, my mom a day and Stan again today. I had to leave early this morning for my trip so Stan was able to take a sick day. Hopefully no more scrambling to find day care for a while. it's hard to find a place to drop 3 kids! Hopefully the boys behave and Joselyn sleeps for her Daddy! This is my first overnight trip away from Joselyn. It was going to happen eventually. I'll be ready to be home on Wednesday!

Joselyn is doing great. She has figured out how to roll over and does a much better job during tummy time. Although she still gets mad after a while and hasn't figured out how to get to her back. She's starting to be able to grab toys with her hands and loves sitting in her exersaucer. She's happy as long as she can see her brothers!

I'm going to try and go to bed early and take advantage of it while I can:)

Recent Happenings...

2009-10-04T17:17:00.012-05:00

Joselyn has mastered rolling from her back to her tummy. Unfortunately she can't get back to her tummy so she doesn't always enjoy being "stuck". She really enjoys sitting in her bumbo and we recently tried the exersaucer which she enjoys for a short time.

This weekend we enjoyed time with some college friends for our annual get together for Homecoming. Our count is 5 couples, 10 kids and 2 on the way! Great times had by all. Thanks to Scott and Lyndsay for hosting for the weekend. Lots of good food, homecoming activities and football. We even made a trip to the local pumpkin patch. It was awfully cold so we didn't stay too long. I needed a nap this afternoon to recuperate!

In a few short months we'll be able to finalize Joselyn's adoption. It seems to have gone fast yet the wait seemed like forever! It happened all in God's timing, not ours. Joselyn fits right in with our clan. The question I get asked the most is "Where is she from?" We have chosen not to disclose this information. I think a lot lately about creating her LifeBook and making that special for her so she can know where she came from and her beginning. I'm thankful we were able to meet both the birthmom and birthdad so we have snipits of information about each that we can one day share with Joselyn. I pray that God will let us know when the time is right to share this information with her. In the meantime I continue to pray for Joselyn's birthparents as they continue on their journey.

First time in the exersaucer

Keegan feeding Joselyn

Tummy time!

Homecoming activities

Pumpkin patch

Trying to stay warm at the pumpkin patch

Rolling

2009-09-27T18:05:00.004-05:00

Joselyn has officially learned how to roll from your back to her tummy. Watch out world. She gets to her tummy but then gets stuck and tried to eat the floor! She changes everyday and is really starting to develop her personality.

I'm excited to be going to an Adoptive Moms meeting Monday night. Always nice to connect with other moms in the area.

I finally caught Joselyn's smile on camera. Oh so cute!

3 Month Pictures

2009-09-24T08:13:00.003-05:00

We had Joselyn's 3 month pictures taken last night. Although she didn't want to smile she did do very well. Here is the link:

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventthumbs?event=0JJJ02AT

The password is joselyn.

We also had our 3 month post placement visit with our social worker also last night and that went very well! Hard to believe that it has been 3 months since we brought her home:)

Baptism

2009-09-08T17:24:00.009-05:00

We celebrated Joselyn's baptism this past Sunday. What a wonderful day! We were surrounded by our families who play a very important role in our lives. Here are some pictures:

Baptism

2009-08-30T19:35:00.004-05:00

I was very excited because I tried on Joselyn's baptism gown just now and it fits! It's exciting because it is the gown I wore 30 years ago for my baptism. Thanks Mom for keeping it! Baptism is next Sunday.

Update

2009-08-29T12:51:00.006-05:00

I realized that I haven't posted anything for a little while. Going back to work and school starting don't leave much time for blogging!

Keegan is loving school and asks every morning if he can go to school that day. I highly doubt that love and excitement will continue forever but it is fun at the moment. We had practiced all summer on writing his name correctly and he did pretty well with it. So he came home the 2nd day of school with a paper. At the top was his name however it was written backwards and all the letters were backwards. He decided to be "Funny". So that evening we practiced his name again! His teacher thought it was pretty funny when we told her about it. She was just excited because Keegan had attempted to put some letters on a page:)

Aiden got to start Sunday School this year at church and in his eyes it is Preschool. So every time we go to church whether it be to get something, actually go to church or to another church function he assumes he's going to Preschool. He absolutely loves Sunday School and would go every day if he could. He is having a hard time adjusting to life without Keegan at daycare in the morning and having this "new baby" thrust into his life. AKA we are having a few more potty accidents. I can honestly say this is the first bit of jealousy I'm seen from him since we brought Joselyn home. It will get better.

Joselyn continues to grow. I'm not sure what she weighs this week but she feels heavier and has finally outgrown her Newborn clothes and is wearing 3 month clothes! She is becoming much more alert and recognizes voices familiar to her and is able to follow our voices. She's pretty tight with her smiles and usually gives them in the morning. She has been sleeping amazingly well and last night even slept through the night! I couldn't believe it. My guess is she was worn out from going to the Football game so it probably won't happen tonight:) Her head control is very good so I got out the bumbo that my sister-in-law is letting us borrow. She did really well and actually enjoyed it for a little while.

Tonight is card club "aka social group" and tomorrow is church. We are having Josleyn baptized on September 6 so we'll be busy getting ready for that this coming week.

Have a nice weekend!

2 month Checkup, Shots & 1st day of school

2009-08-19T19:13:00.009-05:00

Joselyn had her 2 month check up today. She weighed 10 lbs 4 ounces and was 22 inches long! Much bigger than I had anticipated. She is growing well:) The not so fun part of the day was the shots. The first vaccine she got was for Rotavirus which is liquid. Well that did not go so well. Joselyn was not a fan and ended up throwing it all up all over herself. Some how I managed to escape the carnage! So we had to do it again and the 2nd time it stayed down. After that was 3 different shots. She cried really hard and turned red and then calmed down relatively quickly. She's been pretty lazy the rest of the day so tonight could be interesting.

We took pictures last night since she was 2 months old yesterday.

Keegan started TK today and he is super excited. We went to open house last night and this morning I was able to bring him to school which is a treat I don't get to do very often.

Keegan's teacher Mrs. M.

Keegan found his name on the table!

We found Grandma DZ's music room.

Pictures from this morning. It was raining so we had to take pictures inside.

Our New Nephew and Cousin

2009-08-17T19:56:00.008-05:00

Congrats to my brother and his wife who had a beautiful baby boy on Saturday morning. His name is McArthur Charles and he is named after 2 special grandparents who passed away this last year. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. Stan and I joked that McArthur is bigger than Joselyn. On Sunday we put them on the hospital bed side by side and Joselyn was not much bigger!

Here is a picture of one of my first days back to work:( Last week was hard and tiring. It's hard to get back into a routine and get back in the grove. So far this week is off to a better start. As long as Joselyn goes to sleep on time we are all much happier:)

I have to take Joselyn to the doctor on Wednesday so it will be fun to see how much she has grown.

Back to work

2009-08-07T17:56:00.002-05:00

Today I went back to work for half a day to clean off my desk, check email and a variety of other things. I had tried to prepare myself all week for today but I knew it is never easy to leave your babies behind even when you know they are in loving, caring, capable hands. Stan and I both went this morning to bring the tribe. The boys were confused as to what was going on as that is not the normal routine. I teared up as we drove away and was pretty sad all the way to work. It was a long 30 minutes! I got to work and started up the computer and went to get some water. On the way ran into many co-workers and shed a few tears. So much emotion from the week. I can be an emotional person so for my co-workers to see me cry is nothing new. I knew it was going to be a hard week when I cried watching the Baby Story and the return of the American journalists from North Korea this week! I think back to when the boys were babies and the dreaded first day back to work. With Keegan I only took 4 1/2 weeks off and was a wreck when it came time to go back. I cried eating breakfast before I even left the house and I cried all the way to work and pretty much all morning! Then came Aiden. I was able to take off 8 weeks with him and by the end of that time I felt ready to get back into a routine. Shed a few tears but not near as many as with Keegan. Going back to work and leaving the kids behind will never be easy. If it was I wouldn't be human. Joselyn did great at daycare which I praying for:) Next week it will be all day so it was nice to be able to ease into it (mainly for me).

Have a great weekend!

Birth Announcements

2009-08-04T14:00:00.002-05:00

I finally got around to getting Joselyn's birth announcements done and they turned out very cute. I got them done at Van Maanen's here in the town and used pictures from her 6 week pictures. I hope to get them sent out in the mail yet this week.

She has been sleeping great the past 2 nights. She's gone to bed around 10:30 or so and slept until 4 or 5 a.m. The baby rash she got 2 weeks ago is finally going away but now her ears are starting to peel like crazy which I can't figure out. I keep putting lots of lotion on so hopefully they get better soon.

Tonight we're going out to eat for Stan's birthday with my brother and his wife. Always a good time as we find new and different routes to take and places to see:) And of course Cold Stone is involved which I'm extremely excited about!

One more week...

2009-08-02T14:25:00.003-05:00

Today marks the start of my last week of leave. I have mixed emotions about going back to work. I will miss the kids a ton but am ready to get back into a more steady routine. I know there is work for me to do when I return so hopefully that can make the days go fast. I also enjoy my job, my coworkers and my work so that helps also. The in-home day care we have is wonderful. There are currently no other infants so that is good. I am going to bring Joselyn there Friday morning with the boys while I go to work to clean off my desk, etc. A short first day at day care will be good for Joselyn and for me! I'm sure there will be a few tears shed by all. I am so thankful that I was able to spend the last 7 weeks at home and also that Stan was able to be home as well.

I'm going to enjoy my last week home taking naps with Joselyn, finishing up a few projects I started at home while on leave, and hopefully shopping one day. I had intentions of doing more scrapbooking but that just didn't happen. I want to do Joselyn's Lifebook soon so I don't forget!

Have a great week!

Pictures

2009-07-29T09:42:00.003-05:00

We had Joselyn's 6 week pictures taken yesterday along with some with the boys. Here is the link:

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventframe?event=0JJJ026V

Password is: baby

Have a great day!

The start of another week

2009-07-28T18:35:00.003-05:00

Most of the time I'm not too glad for Monday to roll around but this week I was. We have been gone quite a bit (3 out of the last 5 weeks) so I'm ready to be home and try to get things back in somewhat of a routine. We all came home from vacation with some sort of illness. Aiden had a cough, Keegan had a runny nose, Joselyn had a runny nose and some stuffiness, Stan didn't feel quite right and I'm just plain tired. So it's time to stay home for a little while:)

Sunday night Joselyn slept from 10:30 to 6 a.m. I couldn't believe it. Well I didn't get my hopes up too high because last night she was awake until 1:30 a.m. Happy as can be, she just didn't want to sleep! Hopefully tonight is better. She continues to be a good baby. She broke out with a baby rash while on vacation so hopefully that goes away soon.

Last night I went to an adoptive mom's support group meeting which I really enjoyed. It was nice to visit with others who have or are going through the adoption experience. We discussed Lifebooks so it was nice to get perspective on that.

We had Joselyn's 6 week pictures taken today. We did a couple with all 3 of them and then Joselyn alone. They turned out really good. I'll try to get a link posted later but I don't have the password yet.

We also had our first post placement visit today. Things went well. We sent a few more pictures along with the social worker to give to the birthmom and I have more yet to be developed to share with her as well along with the 6 week pictures we took today.

I go back to work on August 10 so I'm trying to enjoy these last few days at home! Tonight we're taking the boys on a bike ride which is something we haven't done since we took Joselyn home. Joselyn is going to stay with Grandma as we can't quite fit her and Aiden in the burly just yet:)

Bridges Bay 2009

2009-07-25T14:14:00.020-05:00

We spent the last week at Okoboji with Abby's parents and brother his wife and their 4 kids. We stayed at Bridges Bay which is on East Lake Okoboji. The hotel includes an indoor waterpark and an outdoor pool. As you can guess we spent a lot of time swimming:) We went out to eat at Perkins one night and to Arnolds Park another night. It was a wonderfully relaxing week although it is always good to be home. Here are some pictures.

Micah and Joselyn

Taking a nap in Grandma's arms.

Keegan had to wear his sunglasses while swimming

Aiden and Margo splashing in the outdoor pool

Joselyn in her swimsuit

Keegan and Miles going down the slide.

Keegan braved the tube slide

Riding the train at Arnold's Park

Waiting for the mini roller coaster

Daddy and Aiden

Riding the swings

Aiden on the merry go round with grandma

Mommy and Joselyn

Jumping on the trampoline

Grandpa and grandma and all the grandkids

1 Month Old

2009-07-18T11:12:00.007-05:00

Wow, where has the last month gone? It is hard to believe that Joselyn is 1 month old today! I think back to the night we received "the call" that she had been born and the roller coaster of emotions that has followed that day. Every time the phone rang the first week my heart jumped to my throat! Neither of us wanted to answer the phone. That time has passed and now we wait until 6 months when we can finalize the adoption. She is our "little miracle".

Joselyn continues to grow. I have not had her to the doctor so I'm not sure how much she weighs but I'm guessing around 7 pounds, maybe. I do know that many of the 0-3 month clothes are still too big so she is just a little peanut yet. She is very strong and holds her head up well and kicks her legs. She's pretty content most of the time as long as she is fed and has a clean diaper. The boys adore her and love to hold her and talk to her. If she's crying they will start to sing to try and calm her down. It is so cute. Joselyn is already a well traveled baby as we have gone to St Louis, Okoboji, and Omaha. She travels very well in her car seat which I am thankful for.

We're adjusting to life with 3 kids as we are now outnumbered. I try to take it one day at a time and try to meet the needs of each of the kids. I would say Keegan tends to be the neediest (is that a word??) and constantly wants me to play with him and has a hard time with being patient. He just can't understand that when I'm feeding Joselyn that I can't do much else. This too will pass and we'll get it figured out.

Many have asked what type of adoption we have. Ours is semi-open. We have not had any contact with the birthparents since Joselyn was born but have sent pictures to our agency to forward on.

Here are some pictures I took this morning. Enjoy!

To help Joselyn celebrate Aiden woke up this morning and puked 3 times. Hopefully no more of that:) He needs to feel better by tomorrow!

DZ Family Okoboji 2009

2009-07-13T10:26:00.018-05:00

We spent last week at Okoboji with Stan's side of the family. It has become an annual tradition and this year for the 29th year of vacationing. The destination changes on occasion but the fun remains the same. We spent time swimming, at the beach, playing games (Pinochle and 5 Crowns were the hit this year), boating, playing at the park, sleeping (my favorite), and eating lots of wonderful food. It is always a challenge to get my stomach back to where it should be after a week of great food! Joselyn did pretty well but had her moments of not wanting to sleep at night. I should learn to not mess with "the routine"; however most of the time it is worth it. The boys had lots of fun playing with their 2nd cousins all of whom are about the same age. Aiden enjoyed eating "pollylops" (aka lollypops) and Keegan must be growing because he was eating everything in sight. One night he ate a whole hamburger and a hot dog; which is unusual for him!

Joselyn continues to grow and change. Her face is really starting to fill out. After returning from vacation she had a couple good nights of sleep however Saturday night was not so good as she was awake until 2 a.m.! Last night again was better. We finally purchased another baby monitor and trying to get her to sleep in her crib instead of the pack n play in our bedroom.

Here are some pictures from vacation:

Playing at the park.

Keegan enjoyed the boat ride this year.

Joselyn's first boat ride.

Aiden was pretty proud to drive Brad and Paige's boat.

Bubbles are always a huge hit along with the Goggle this year! Keegan didn't want to take them off.

Joselyn and Great Grandma VM
Great Grandma VM and the great grandkids
Keegan and Jackson playing in the lake.
Aiden preferred to stay on the sand:)
Nap time!

Pictures

2009-07-04T11:09:00.008-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the past couple of days. Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Joselyn did not enjoy her first real bath!

St Louis Trip

2009-07-02T11:59:00.018-05:00

We just returned from St Louis late last night. We had a wonderful time. This has become a family tradition Stan and I started the year we got married. Stan is a huge Cardinals fan and by default I have become one also. This year my brother and his family joined us for part of the trip. We have always talked about going to a baseball game and this past weekend the Cardinals happened to play the Twins which is their favorite team.

We left Friday at noon and made our way to Columbia. We stopped to eat a picnic lunch at a rest stop and arrived in Columbia around 8:30 p.m. We got up the next morning and had breakfast at the hotel and headed to St Louis around 9 a.m. I think it was the hottest day St Louis had seen for over a year. When we left at 9 a.m. the temperature was already close to 90 degrees!! We got to the game, ate some lunch in the parking garage and then headed in. We had great seats in the 2nd deck, first row. Now remember it was 90 degrees already at 9 a.m. Bt game time it was close to 100 and I'm pretty sure the heat index was over 100 degrees! Well of course by now you are thinking I'm crazy for taking a newborn to a baseball game in this heat. Joselyn, the boys and I saw 2 outs of the game from our seats before we headed to shade! There was also not much of breeze. About the 5th inning one of the stadium workers came up to us (me, the boys, Joselyn, my sister in law who is 7 months pregnant and her kids: we must have looked desparate!) and asked if we wanted to cool off in some air conditioning. Of course we took him up on the offer. He took us to a special location where tickets are $100 and let us sit in the air. That was so nice of him and something he didn't have to do. You can see from the pictures that we were all pretty hot!

After the game we found our hotel and hit the swimming pool. The hotel was brand new and just opened in January and was an excellent find. Hopefully the prices remain reasonable so we can stay there next year. Sunday brought much laziness (I think from too much heat) and more swimming. My brother and his family left for home on Sunday. We relaxed most of the day and went to eat at Steak and Shake in the evening. The boys got free hats from there and looked darn cute!

Monday we went to the Magic House which is a Children's Interactive Museum in St Louis . We had been there 2 years ago and the boys had lots of fun again.

http://www.magichouse.org/

Monday afternoon were naps and we headed to another baseball game Monday night. This time the weather was much cooler. Our tickets were in an all inclusive area and included hot dogs, brats, nachos, pop and water. The favorite part for the boys was getting to meet Fred Bird which is the Cardinals mascot. The game itself was pretty aweful (they lost 10 to 0) but we have a great time.

Tuesday we packed up and headed to Warrenton to do some shopping at an outlet mall. Then it was off to see my friend Amanda and her fiance Aaron. We stayed at Amanda's house and her and I and Joselyn got to go wedding dress shopping on Wednesday which was a lot of fun. After shopping we headed back home. It's great to be home again but not enjoying all the laundry! They boys did great on the trip as long as they were fed, had a movie to watch or toys to play with. Joselyn also did great but now that we're home is sick of the car seat. I would be to after 18 hours round trip.

Transformers, formula and more...

2009-06-25T11:43:00.006-05:00

We ventured out last night to see Transformers 2 with Joselyn in tow. She did very well at the movie. Of course because she was held the entire time. We paid for our adventure last night as she really didn't want to go to sleep and had an upset stomach. When we came home from the hospital we had some free liquid based formula. When that was gone we have switched to a powder based which seems to upset her stomach a little more. Nothing like getting thrown up on at 2 in the morning:) Before last night she has been sleeping great.

Getting ready for a Pampered Chef party this evening that I am hosting. 15% of the sales proceeds go towards helping us with our adoption expenses. If you would like to order anything go to www.pamperedchef.biz/jvcookswithyou . You should be able to select my name or choose adoption as the organization.

Here are a few pictures:

Trying to beat the heat!

Doctor Checkup

2009-06-23T18:38:00.002-05:00

Took Joselyn to the doctor today for her very first checkup. Everything was great. She weighed in at 6 lbs 2 ounces, so she has gained 3 ounces since we took her home on Saturday. PTL! She is a peanut topping the charts in the 10th percentile. She had a better night last night so hopefully we can figure out a routine so we all can sleep:)

Update

2009-06-22T18:52:00.009-05:00

Well, where do I begin. There are so many words to describe the last couple of days. Joselyn is doing great and we love her to pieces. Saturday night she was up every 2 to 3 hours, ate and then back to sleep. Well last night was a different story. She fussed from about 9:30 to 1:30 and finally fell asleep in her car seat. She was up again at 3:30 and Stan fed her however did not want to sleep. So in bed with us until morning. Hopefully we can keep her more awake tonight so she sleeps better! Talked to the social worker this morning and the paperwork has been signed for termination. Now we wait another 96 hours (or Thursday around 10 p.m.) for the revocation period to be up. Joselyn has a doctor's appointment tomorrow here in town so hopefully everything is well. We bought a few more clothes at a local consignment shop this morning as well as a bed set for the crib. We thought the trucks were a little much for our princess! Also received a phone call from a college friend/fellow golfer. They too have adopted and she has many teeny tiny clothes she is willing to let us borrow. Thanks Sarah! Joselyn is tiny so they will come in handy. Here are a few pictures from the past couple of days:

Big brother Aiden.

Happy Fathers Day! Keegan refused to take a picture:)Family of Five:)Nap time in the crib.
First time checking out the bouncy seat.

Introducing...

2009-06-20T16:27:00.007-05:00

Joselyn Grace Adeanna

We arrived home this afternoon safe and sound. Thanks for your prayers. We continue to ask prayers for the birthmom as she had a tough morning saying goodbye. What a day of different emotions. Joselyn has lots of dark hair and dark blue eyes. The boys adore her.

This is the day that the Lord Has Made...

2009-06-20T05:53:00.002-05:00

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Today is the day we get to meet our little girl. We will be leaving shortly to go sign some paperwork and then head to the hospital.

Her name will be Joselyn Grace Adeanna De Zeeuw. We praise the Lord for this wonderful blessing!

It's a GIRL!!!!

2009-06-19T12:12:00.002-05:00

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Time: 7:19 p.m.
Weight: 6 lbs
Height: 18 in.

We are excited to announce the birth of our baby girl. We received the call last night around 9:00 p.m. Out of respect for the birthmom we are not yet revealing the name as we want her to be the first to know. We just talked to the social worker and the birthmom and baby are doing great. The baby has been eating and pooping (which is a good thing) and she seems very healthy. PTL!! She has dark hair and eyes and is already a thumb sucker just like her birthmom. We are still working out the details as to when we will get to meet her and take her home. We'll post when we know more!

Thanks for your prayers!!!

Life

2009-06-17T13:08:00.001-05:00

The ADVENTURE of life is to LEARN.

The GOAL of life is to GROW.

The NATURE of life is to CHANGE.

The CHALLENGE of life is to OVERCOME.

The ESSENCE of life is to CARE.

The SECRET of life is to DARE.

The BEAUTY of life is to GIVE.

The JOY of lif is to LOVE!

- William Ward -

Baby or no baby?

2009-06-16T19:39:00.002-05:00

That is the question....Well no baby. Talked to the social worker yesterday and nothing new to report. Stan and I both decided that it is much better to be "waiting" this way instead of "waiting and not knowing" what's on the horizon or if anything is in the works. Thanks again for all your prayers!

Scripture Passages

2009-06-13T16:06:00.005-05:00

Haven't heard anything on the baby front. The birthmom has another appointment on Monday.

I wanted to share a few scripture passages that have special meaning to me as we have been on this adoption journey:

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

Psalm 139: 13-14

"Be still and know that I am God..."

Psalm 46:10

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:34

Hope you are having a great weekend. We are off for a birthday celebration in the park with my family.

Swimming Lessons

2009-06-11T20:49:00.007-05:00

Keegan started swimming lessons on Monday and the weather has not really cooperated. Monday they met to go over safety but did not get in the water. Tuesday they did not meet. Wednesday and Thursday they got in the pool. Today has definitely been the nicest day of the week. I worked from home this afternoon because of a dentist appointment so we picked the boys up early from daycare and headed to the park before swimming lessons. The boys have been begging to go to the "orange park" all week. Today it was finally nice enough.

Time to jump in....The water was cold!

Working on his kicks.
Working on his back float.

Talked to our social worker again this afternoon and nothing new to report. "Be still and know that I am God".

No baby yet, but...

2009-06-09T20:57:00.003-05:00

...our social worker did call today. The birthmom had a doctor's appointment and everything seems to be progressing with the baby. The due date is tomorrow so hopefully within a few days the baby will be born. The birthmom will have another appointment Thursday if the baby doesn't arrive before them:) Thanks so much for your prayers and checking in on us. We continue to pray for the birthmom, her health and the health of the baby. Every time the phone rings my heart beats faster and feels likes it is in my throat! Could this be the call? Soon that call will come! As far as having "things" ready, I think I'm ready (i.e. nursery ready, house cleaned, laundry caught up, etc). I try to prepare for lack of sleep, but for me that is hard as I am a person who needs lots of sleep. Speaking of which I think bed is calling my name:)

Pictures

2009-06-06T13:19:00.007-05:00

Nothing to report on the baby front. Last talked to our social work on Wednesday and she had nothing new.

I thought I would add some pictures from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

New one wheel bike for Keegan

Playing baseball with Miles at the M's on Memorial Day.

Helping mom in the kitchen:)

Sick kids

2009-06-03T16:42:00.003-05:00

So I'm really not a fan of sick kids. Got a call from the sitter at 3 this afternoon that Keegan had puked twice and Aiden has loose stools. Yeah! So now we're home. No more puke yet but I'm prepared with blankets, towels and the bucket. We were suppose to have eye appointments tonight but we'll see how the boys are. Well I better get to disinfecting more of the house:) They both seem fine at the moment and are watching a movie.

Nesting

2009-06-02T21:01:00.003-05:00

Last night I was on a mission. The nursery has been serving as our toy room since Aiden moved out of there almost 2 years ago. I would do the occasional spot clean but it was time to get down to business. The boys helped me take all the toys out and put them downstairs. I'm hoping that's where most of them stay. I rolled up the rug that was protecting the wood floor, cleaned the floor, Keegan dusted and we disinfected the crib, changing table, etc. It felt so good to get it clean and ready to go. I then got the car seat out of the closet and cleaned it up and found all the necessary pieces to go with it. The boys helped me set up the pack n play in our room for when the baby comes home. Eventually he/she will sleep in the crib but the first few nights/weeks I'd rather have them close to us:) I dusted the living room and did a few loads of laundry. I was tired after all that and was in bed at 9:30!

Tonight I'm working on getting ready for a Pampered Chef show I'm hosting on June 25. It is a fundraiser show where a percentage of the sales will go towards our Adoption costs. More info to come later. If you're interested in attending or want to purchase something let me know.

Update

2009-06-01T18:07:00.003-05:00

Nothing much to report on the baby front. Visited with the social worker this afternoon and she received the birthmom's medical records today. She was going to look through them and let us know if there was anything different than expected. The records did say that the due date was between June 10 and June 14 so we have that much confirmed. Praying for the health of the birthmom and the baby. She also mentioned again that the birthmom was very comfortable with us and felt she had made the right choice. Now we wait. It feels like I'm 9 months pregnant again:)

Awesome Weekend

2009-05-31T19:55:00.002-05:00

As you all know I was kidnapped on Friday after work. Minde picked me up around 5 and we headed south 2 hours. I had no idea where we were going. After checking into the hotel and going up to our room for the first time (lots of stuff to carry for scrapbooking), we stepped off the elevator to get the 2nd load and there was my friend Amanda! I couldn't believe it. What a surprise!

We ate lots of good food, talked and scrapbooked the weekend away. I got a total of 42 pages done which I was pretty pumped about. I look forward to these type of weekends when I can get a lot done!

Thanks so much to my awesome hubby and wonderful sister-in-law Minde and best friend Amanda for making this weekend great!!

P.S. No baby news to report yet. Don't worry you'll know when something happens:)

Weekend Plans

2009-05-29T15:37:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm sitting in my chair last night drifting off to sleep like always. Mind you it was only 9:30 if that! Stan hands me a piece of paper. I recover from the groggy state I was in to read it. It was a poem from my sister in law. The end of the poem reads like this:

"Your cutters, paper, pictures and tape runner are a must.
So pack those black bags and the rest you will have to trust.

I'll see you after work,
I hope the anticipation will be a perk."

And let me tell you the anticipation level is high! So last night I packed up all my scrapbooking stuff and off to bed. I could barely sleep!! I woke up this morning but Stan didn't reveal any more information. When I returned home from work this afternoon he informed me to pack my overnight bag. I said How many nights. He said I don't know but figure on more than 1. I said what time do I have to be ready. He said don't worry, you'll have plenty of time.

So here I am packed and ready to go and extremely excited for what the weekend holds!

P.S I turn 30 in 10 days! and No I'm not having a hard time with it:)

Meeting

2009-05-27T21:46:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone for your prayers today! Stan and I felt the meetings went well. We were comfortable, felt at peace, and felt that we connected with the birthparents. During the meetings I felt so at peace and I knew God was calming my nerves! In talking with the social worker afterwards she said that the birthmom said she was comfortable with us as well. I'm glad we got the opportunity to meet them. No news from the doctor's appointment. Now we wait as everything is a go. Please pray for the health and well being of the birthmom and the baby. We covet your prayers as we continue on this journey and wait for the baby to join our family.

Prayer

2009-05-26T20:43:00.003-05:00

We found out today that the birthmom has requested to me with us. So tomorrow we get to meet her for the first time at 4:30 p.m. After that we will meet separately with the birthfather at 6:30 p.m. They are not on speaking terms so better to keep them separate. The birthmom has a doctor's appointment prior to our meeting so we may find out more news then. Please pray that the meeting goes well and that we can connect with the birthparents as we continue on this journey. It is all in God's hands!

Perspective from a 3 year old

2009-05-25T10:58:00.002-05:00

Nothing new to report since our last post but I wanted to share Aiden's thoughts on the adoption. As a family we talk about the adoption so the boys kind of know what is going on, so it isn't a total shock when this all happens. We pray for the baby at night and will randomly discuss where the baby will come from. To keep things as simple as possible we tell the boys that God will be bring us our baby. Many times the question arises, "Where is God?". The answer usually is God is in the clouds up in Heaven.

A week or so ago we were riding in the car. From the back seat I hear Keegan and Aiden talking about the new baby. Keegan's usual line is that, "It sure is taking a long time to get our baby."

This time Aiden had quite the story to tell: "God is going to come down from the clouds with our new baby and walk on the sidewalk. He's going to come to the back door and come in the house and give us our new baby." So interesting to see how toddlers process things:)

We'll keep you posted of any happenings. Thanks again for all your prayers and support.

Adoption Update

2009-05-22T19:55:00.003-05:00

I'm sure many of you have been checking in for any updates:) We met today with the director of our agency. We learned on Wednesday that the birthparents were interested in and had picked our profile. The director wanted to meet with us today to go over all the information the agency had gathered. We had received bits and pieces throughout the week. We met with Kim at 11:30 today and after looking at all the information decided to move forward in the process. There are many details I would love to share but we have chosen to keeps those within our immediate families. We covet your prayers as we continue on this journey. The birthmom is due within the next 2 weeks so it could be any time! I am excited, nervous, anxious, along with so many other emotions. God's plan is perfect. God has brought us to this place and God will guide us through!

American Cancer Society

2009-05-19T08:14:00.003-05:00

Who: Anyone!

What: Tip Night

When: May 20, 2009 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Sheldon Pizza Ranch

Why: All tips and a % of sales go to the American Cancer Society

Phone Call...

2009-05-18T19:15:00.003-05:00

As I returned home from work today after picking up the boys the phone ring. Stan was coming around the corner to tell me their was a message on the machine. I picked up the phone and it was the director of our agency (who had also left a message earlier). She started by asking if I had time to talk. My heart began to flutter as I knew she was calling about something. They had a unique situation with a birthmother she wanted to run past Stan and I. It was nice Stan was also home so we could hear the same story. The birthmom had come to Bethany just a week before. The director proceeded to tell us about the situation and by the end I was like Wow, information overload. I won't go into details but lets just say this mom has been through a lot. The details of the situation did not match our profile; however, because of the uniqueness of the situation Bethany was calling all families who were waiting to get a feel if they wanted their profile shown.

We did elect to have our profile shown. The last week has been up and down. "Be still and know that I am God." Yesterday I had this urge to go through the baby clothes and items I do have to find anything neutral which was tough because we knew we were having boys so didn't buy anything other than blue. Why I had this urge I don't know. I washed the clothes and got a diaper bag together. "Be still and know that I am God." I felt so at peace after talking to the director. Having our profile shown is no guarantee of placement, however, this is more than we have had in the past. The situation is unique. Stan and I both feel if it is meant to be, it will. If not we move on to the next situation. The profiles are being shown to the mom tomorrow.

I ask for prayers for this birthmom as she has a tough decision to make. I ask for prayers for peace, guidance, and understanding for our family as we continue on our journey. I'll keep you posted.

Keegan's Birthday Party

2009-05-17T12:20:00.012-05:00

We celebrated Keegan's birthday last night with a party. Keegan woke up in the morning and said, "Is it my birthday?" I had to break his heart and tell him we were just having a party and it wasn't his actual birthday. So hard for a little one to understand:) The theme for the party was Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Grandpa's, Grandma's, aunts, uncles and cousins were all able to make it. We have a lot of fun. We had yummy food, played Bingo, opened presents, and ate cake. Here are a few pictures.

Here's the birthday boy!

Playing Thomas the Train Bingo

Our guests.

A new baseball helmet.

Aiden waitng patiently as Keegan opens his presents.
Rockets!
Time for cake!

Be still and know....

2009-05-14T12:13:00.002-05:00

that I am God." Psalm 46.10. I don't know if this is irony or the good Lord working but on my way to work this morning I was listening to Life 96.5. The life verse for today was "Be still and now that I am God." I'm pretty sure it is the Lord working:) He knew I needed that this morning!

A not so adoption update.....

2009-05-13T18:25:00.003-05:00

Well many have asked how things are coming with the adoption lately. And the answer is nothing new has happened. Within the last month we were assigned a more permanent social worker and she has given us 2 updates. In my accounting terms I would say the last update was, "A lot of demand, with little supply." Bethany in Orange City also works with the offices in Mason City, Fort Dodge, and Council Bluffs. Many of the birthmom's have chosen to parent and others have chosen other families.

So we continue to wait for that phone call. Every time the phone rings, I wonder if that could be "the call". It's all in God's time. A song/phrase that has constantly been in my head lately is, "Be still and know that I am God." I know God is trying to tell me something so I'm going to listen, be patient and wait. The wait some days is extremely hard. We know many family and friends who are expecting and that makes me desire this even more! "Be still and know that I am God." I find the words continually in my head and on my tongue.

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in who, whose thoughts are fixed on you." Isaiah 26:3.

Happy Birthday Keegan!

2009-05-12T19:02:00.014-05:00

Wow, it is hard to believe Keegan is 5 years old today. He has grown and changed so much this last year. I guess that's what preschool does to you. You have learned how to color, cut and write your name. You have learned how to write your numbers even if we get a few backwards:) You have made new friends and really enjoy breakfast at school with Grandma DZ. You are a very special little boy!

1 month old

3 months old

8 months old

15 months old

2 1/2 years old

almost 3

almost 4

4 years old.

We love you very much!!

New Bike

2009-05-06T20:45:00.008-05:00

For doing fairly well for the whole wedding ordeal, we had promised Keegan a new bike which is also doubling as a Birthday present:) We went to Sioux Falls the Saturday after the wedding and Keegan got to pick out his own bike. He was pretty excited.

We've also been enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having. The boys love to play outside and unfortunately are finding the dandelions in the neighbors yard. The boys think they are "flowers" however dad is not thrilled:)

Wedding, Part II

2009-04-26T10:19:00.022-05:00

Friday was an exciting day for Keegan. In the morning at Preschool he got to have doughnuts with Dad and Mom got to pick him up from Preschool which pretty much never happens. Then in the afternoon it was off to the wedding. Keegan and I (mom) arrived at the church around 3:30. As I'm getting him dressed I realize we have no shirt. At this point we had the pants, socks and shoes on. The shoes were his favorite as they were very shiny! So off to the sanctuary to find a shirt. Ken was gracious enough to run and get it from the store downtown and returned in a few short minutes. I got him completely dressed and he was loving it at that point. I even got a few good pictures.

Keegan and Aunt Paige.

Keegan and Hailey, the flower girl.

Playing before pictures.

The bride and groom then were going outside to take pictures so Keegan would have to wait for his. We found something to eat and tried to keep him occupied with books, colors and games. Well an hour and a half passed and it was then time for Keegan to take pictures. I said the word "pictures" and he burst into tears! He had been so good up until that point. So Paige and I tried to calm him down but of course he was not going to smile. Hopefully the pictures don't look too bad.

Look at that big lip!

At least he's looking this time.

The photographer wanted Keegan to bit his finger. Then we got a little smile.

After pictures we had some time to get some more to eat and wait. This time we started a movie to entertain the boys. After a while Keegan was ready for the wedding, which unfortunately it was only 6:40. He was not pleased. So he and Dad had a "nice" talk about behaving, no crying and walking down the aisle nicely. As Stan would say he "took him out to the wood shed". Whatever Stan said seemed to do the trick and he walked down the aisle as nice as can be.

Time to color.

Keegan and Uncle Brad

Show time!

Great job Keegan!

After the wedding, the reception was in Alton. We had nice meal and even did some dancing. By about 10:30 the boys were ready to head home after a long day.

Dinner with Mommy!

Dancing with Miles.

Wedding

2009-04-24T13:20:00.006-05:00

Well Keegan is the ring bearer in my cousin's wedding this evening. We have been talking a lot about this wedding to get Keegan used to the idea. We are even bribing him with a bike. I know what you're thinking, but I'm desparate:) Last night we had rehearsal. The first time was a complete disaster:

I had to drag him down the aisle. We had a long talk after the first time to make sure it didn't happen again:) The second time was much better, everyone clapped:)

Afterwards Keegan got a Thomas the Train track set so he was pretty excited. Keegan is attempting to take a nap at the moment. I put him down at 12 and I'm pretty sure he hasn't slept yet. Hopefully that doesn't mean meltdown! He is very excited about his tux and shiny new shoes. I also bought a new movie and some other small things to keep him entertained between pictures and the wedding. I'll report back on how it goes.

Bridges Bay

2009-04-21T21:20:00.008-05:00

We had a great time this past weekend with college friends and families from Northwestern. There are 5 couples and between us all we have 9 kids all under the age of 4. At this point we are not outnumbered! It was fun to get together again and see how our kids have changed. Rebecca was able to find a great winter deal at Bridges Bay in Okoboji. Each family had their own suite, passes to the waterpark and a gift certificate to Minerva's all for a very reasonable price. Thanks Rebecca!! We usually only see each other once a year at Homecoming so this was a treat.

What a fish!

Playing with the water gun with Quinlan and John

Big Splash!

"Dad, don't make me do it!!"

Aiden liked it much better just playing in the water.

What a crew!

New Pictures

2009-04-13T21:37:00.007-05:00

I'll try to post a few updated pictures....

Star Wars shirts....

Reading with Mommy...

Playing outside in the snow...

Aiden turns 3 on February 1:)

Social Worker

2009-04-13T12:28:00.003-05:00

Well last week Stan was able to connect on the telephone with our new social worker at Bethany. Her name is Monica and she works 3 mornings per week. Stan had a great call and felt we received more information in that phone call than we had gotten in the last year and a half. Hopefully this is a sign that things will go better.

Things with tax season are winding down and less busy so it causes me to think more and more about the adoption. It is hard to believe it has been a year and a half since we started this journey. Time sure flies. Stan and I were in Wal-Mart awhile back and I commented to him about the cost of baby formula and I was glad we didn't have to pay for that yet. Stan's comment was I wish we were, and he is so right. It is all in God's timing.

We are excited to be heading to Bridge's Bay this weekend with 4 other families for a get away. We were there last summer with my family and Keegan definitely remembers and is very excited!

Home Study

2009-03-22T19:47:00.002-05:00

We received our approved home study update in the mail yesterday! Woo-Hoo:) We were waiting for our fingerprints to come back. We must have checked out okay:) Nothing else new to report. We were reassigned to a more permanent social worker so I prayer that transition will go smoothly. We have not yet met or talked with her, but hopefully soon.

Our busy times are winding down so I'm looking forward to some relaxation and decompression (and more time to blog and scrapbook)!

Life

2009-01-26T19:53:00.002-06:00

I realized it had been 2 weeks since I posted on our blog. Life flies by during tax season and wrestling. Last week was crazy as I was out of town for work, luckily home at night, but not until later. Both Grandma's and Grandpa's were a great help in picking up the boys and feeding us supper. What would I do without them!! This week is a little quieter; which I will enjoy as next week I am on the road (overnight) for work. Of course it is a really busy week for Stan as well so hopefully all goes well. Each one of us has had or has a cold as we seem to pass it from one to the other.

Nothing new on the adoption front. I stopped at Bethany last week to drop off almost all of our information needed for our update. Our social worker said that since they failed to send us our fingerprint forms on time they wouldn't hold up anything if they weren't back in time. One answer to prayer. Hopefully the fingerprints come back quickly. I and the boys will head to the clinic tomorrow morning to have our lab work done and that is the last thing we need to get done.

Nothing much else to report. Don't worry you would know if something happened:)

Home Study, etc

2009-01-14T12:41:00.002-06:00

So yesterday I (Abby) made it back to the office around 11:30. After being gone since the Friday before things were hectic and I was so scatter brained. All I could think about was our home study update later that afternoon and the call we had received from Bethany on Monday night. I had to leave work by 2:30 to pick up the boys and get home in time to pick up the house. I wasn't sure how many toys would be out since I hadn't been home since Sunday:) I prayed for peace and contentment on my way home to try and calm myself down. I picked up the boys and rushed home to pick up the house. Stan did a wonderful job of keeping it clean so it didn't take too much work

Our social worker arrived around 3:45 p.m. Everything went well with the update and we were done in 30 minutes. The boys played nicely and behaved themselves, which I will have to say they do not act half bad all the time anyway. We went through our home study document and discussed what forms we needed to update. We discovered during our conversation that our social worker had mailed us finger printing forms and criminal background forms in December that we never received! As many of you know it takes 4 to 6 weeks to get the finger prints back. Hopefully that does not hold things up as our home study "expires" January 28ish. Hopefully we can get our hands on those forms soon to get them completed. With the weather being bad I didn't get a chance to get my blood work, etc done yesterday so I'll have to find another time soon for the medical forms.

Shortly after our social worker left, the phone rang. It was Bonnie. She informed us that we had not been chosen by the birth mom. Hard to hear yet I know the time will be right and it will happen when it is suppose to happen. While traveling Sunday I said a lot of prayers and just gave it to God. He is in control and knows what is best.

Update

2009-01-12T16:55:00.002-06:00

So here I (Abby) am sitting in a hotel room in Council Bluffs because of the wonderful weather we are having! I spent the day in Red Oak and it took me 1 hour to get to Council Bluffs when it should have only taken me 20 minutes. Oh how I would love to be home but my life is more important at the moment.

In between calling home to Stan and calling the office, I received a phone call from a social worker in the Mason City office of Bethany. My heart jumped to my throat as I prepared for what she had to say. You just never know when you'll get "that call". She had a birth mom come in today wanting to go through the adoption process. She is due on the 17th. The baby is fully African American. Bonnie, the social worker, was wondering if she could show our profile. We said yes, so now we wait. No guarantees but encouraged that our profile is being shown.

Our home study update is scheduled for tomorrow, barring any weather problems.

I hope everyone is staying warm. I'm trying to decide if I want to venture out in the weather to find something to eat!

What are the giants in your life?

2009-01-10T17:14:00.001-06:00

Sunday we had a sermon in church with the title, “Slaying the Giants in Your Life” and the giant we discussed was Worry. So I have to admit that I worry way too much. I'm a good Dutchmen and isn't that in my genes?(smile)? One of the versus’ our pastor had selected was Matthew 6:34, which happens to be one of my favorite.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

God is always there and God is in control. If we focus on God, the giants will tumble.

Throughout this adoption process I have had to learn to let go and let God and realize I'm not in control. I'm definitely not all the way there yet. By nature I want control over situations and want to be able to plan. Well now I can't plan and it is so hard!

It has been a year since our home study was approved. I ask myself if this is the path God wants us on. I truly feel that God has called us to adopt, I just don't know the details. We are on the domestic path but is he calling us elsewhere? At times I get angry and frustrated. And then I get back to reality and realize I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and 2 wonderful healthy little boys who bring so much joy to my life. But I have a strong desire for another child for our family. I know God is in control, I just don’t know the details!

Traveling to and from work provides a lot of windshield time (1 hour round trip each day). Every day I listen to Life 96.5 and every day they have a Life verse. Friday’s verse was from Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Oh how fitting for me lately. We can trust that God will always meet our needs. Whatever we need on earth he will always supply.

We weren’t able to attend Katelyn’s Fund Thursday night because Stan had a wrestling meet. I miss the great time of fellowship and support. Hopefully we can make it next month.

Tuesday we have our Home Study update. Our interim social worker is coming to our house at 4 p.m. We covet your prayers that everything goes well.

Christmas, New Year's, etc....

2009-01-02T21:33:00.014-06:00

Wow, hard to believe that 2009 has arrived. I (Abby) had to work today and let me tell you it sure felt like Monday. Tax season is in full swing and we begin working Saturday's tomorrow. Yuck! I thought I would post some pictures of the last few weeks of Christmas parties and other family gatherings. We have our home study update on January 13 and are working on getting our medical forms completed. Hopefully can wrap that up soon.

Aiden and Aunt Paige

Keegan and Aiden on Christmas Eve- Where did they learn to smile?

Grandpa and Keegan

New table and chairs from Grandpa and Grandma DZ

Keegan's new St Louis Cardinals shirt.

Mommy and Keegan

Mommy and Aiden

All of the grandkids.
Aiden's new race track.

Grandpa and Grandma S with the grandkids.

The nursery...

I wish everyone a blessed and Happy New Year!

Nursery

2008-12-30T12:53:00.002-06:00

So over the weekend I had the itch to clean up the toy room/nursery and get the crib set up. So I boxed up some of the boys toys that they no longer play with and got to work. We left the crib set up after Aiden was done with it almost 15 months ago but had shoved it in the corner. Since then it had been used for an occasional time out and basically a place to store stuff or for the boys to pile their toys in. I had Stan raise the crib mattress up, washed the sheets and put the bumper pad and blankets back in. Looks much better as a nursery again:) The bedding was Aiden's and is of course boy related. We have no idea whether we will be getting a girl or a boy nor did we specify either sex. The walls are white and green so neutral enough that a change in bedding will make it ready for a girl or boy. I will have to post pictures later as I'm at work and don't have the camera or pictures with me.

Happy New Year!

BRRRRR is it cold enough...

2008-12-22T17:30:00.010-06:00

Like many of you we are surviving the very cold below weather conditions, including freezing temperatures and blowing snow. Are we enjoying winter yet (it's only day 2)?

We recently found out who our interim social worker will be and were able to schedule our home study update with her. We also need to have our medical forms updated. Bethany is hoping by the end of January to have another full time social worker hired. Once that person is in place, they will become our social worker. Still no word on any possibilities and we're unsure if our profile has or is being shown. Patience has become the word of the day. The definition in Webster's dictionary for patient is: bearing pain or trials without complaint; showing self-control; calm; steadfast; persevering. God's plan is perfect and He knows the time and the place that our baby will join our family. We just need to put our faith in Him.

Wrestling is in full swing and soon tax season will be also. It is easy to get caught up in the moment and forget the real reason for the Season. May each of you be blessed with a very Merry Christmas.

Here are some recent pictures:

Daddy's wrestling meet: No one was in the mood to smile:)

Watching daddy's wrestlers.
What a cute smile!
Who's that crazy kid?!?
What's up with stickers.....
Church Christmas Program. Keegan did awesome!

God Bless!

Grandpa

2008-12-22T17:19:00.002-06:00

Last week was a sad week as my (Abby) Grandpa Schuiteman went to be with the Lord. He will be missed and we have many great memories of Grandpa to hold on to.

Update

2008-12-13T15:43:00.002-06:00

Another week has past. We found out this week who we would be working with in the interim until Bethany is able to hire another social worker. It is nice to know who we can contact now after our social worker is gone December 19. We are in the process of setting up a time with the new social worker to get our home study and paperwork updated. We covet your prayers as we go through this transition.

Stan had a wrestling tourney today. He just called and said they got 2nd place! They were pretty excited. The boys and I and Stan's parents went to the tourney and came home around 2 so the boys could nap. Once he gets home we are headed to my work Christmas party. We are going out to eat and then to a semi pro basketball game. Should be fun!

Hard to believe that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away! I have all the presents bought but very little wrapped. Something I don't totally enjoy doing. The boys have done well at leaving the tree alone this year. We have a little mini tree they are allowed to touch:)

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Adoption Update, Part 2

2008-12-08T17:29:00.003-06:00

While out on my lunch hour today, I ran into someone we had met during this adoption process. She asked if I had seen the ad in the paper for our agency advertising for a social worker. I said I had. She said that our social worker (same one they were working with) had resigned. I said really, I hadn't heard anything about it. So when I got back to the office I emailed the director of our agency to confirm what I had heard, and it was true. The agency is in the process of interviewing for a new social worker. In the meantime our case will be temporary reassigned. Please prayer for us and that this transition goes smoothly.

God bless and have a great day!

Wrestling

2008-12-08T17:11:00.007-06:00

The boys had a wonderful time at the wrestling meet on Saturday. They were so very excited to put on their wrestling gear. Once we got to the meet and got them dressed, the first question out of Keegan's mouth was, "When can I wrestle?" and time after time I would have to respond, "After the big boys are done." Very hard to have patience for a 4 year old. Finally after the 2nd match they took a 15 minute break and I let the boys lose. Very entertaining to watch:)

Adoption Update

2008-12-05T12:26:00.002-06:00

Time seems to fly and I realize it has been a while since our last post.

We received an email from our social worker this week that there may be a few birthmoms that may want to look at our profile. Also she was going to send our profile to Missouri. This is more activity then we have had, so that is encouraging. Now we continue to wait. On January 28, 2009 it will be 1 year since our home study was approved. In the next month or so we'll have to work on getting everything updated to keep our home study current. Does anyone know what all is involved with that?

This Saturday is the first wrestling meet of the year. I'll have to post some pictures of the boys after Saturday. They are excited to go!

Our prayer requests would be for patience as we continue to wait and in updating our home study. God has a plan. We just need to be patient.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Wrestling

2008-11-21T17:09:00.007-06:00

For Christmas we decided to buy the boys wrestling gear. Keegan had his own singlet, head gear and shoes from last year but they were getting a bit small. So we decided to buy new for Keegan and give the other to Aiden. The good thing is Aiden is to little to remember that it was actually Keegan's stuff from last year:)

We decided to give them their gifts early, before Christmas, so they would have everything for going to Daddy's wrestling meets. Here is some fun pictures from the other night.+

2008-11-16T21:11:00.002-06:00

It has been a busy few weeks and thought I better do the update for once. Especially since I am batching it until Tuesday, since Abby is gone for work.

We had an absolutely amazing experience last weekend at the marriage retreat we went too. It was sponsored and put on by our church. It was a great experience for us and even though we had to be away from the boys for two days (which I am pretty sure that they did not mind at all since they stayed with uncle Brad and aunt Paige) we really enjoyed it. God really used the weekend to open our eyes and draw us closer together and be thankful for one another. We had an excellent group of people and felt really blessed to be there and be able to listen to others as well as spend some time alone. The one homework assignment we had from the weekend still needs to be completed. We were told that everyone needs to see the movie FIREPROOF as a couple, and we just have not had the chance to do that yet. Hopefully we will be able to some time. May have to be a late night showing, after the boys go to bed or something. But that presents a problem because then Abby has to stay awake! I am sure we will figure something out.

Tomorrow wrestling practice begins, so that brings a new level of business to our lives. But it is a really fun time of year and the boys love going to the meets and watching the guys wrestle and then going on the mats themselves if they get the chance. I look forward to it as well. Our team will be young, but it will be fun to see how the develop and grow as young men over the course of the year.

Please keep us in your prayers as we ask for continued patience from God as we wait. As Keegan told me earlier this week, "Dad we are waiting a really long time for the baby right!" Sometimes kids can be really blunt but it was really funny. We just pray that as we travel on this journy that we follow the path God has laid out for us. Thanks for your support!

Suggestions Welcomed

2008-11-07T17:27:00.004-06:00

We learned this morning that we did not receive the Gift of Adoption grant that we had applied for. Very disheartening as we were also denied by Shaohannah's Hope. So I'm asking and welcoming suggestions on other grants to apply for and other ways to finance adoption or what other families have done to fund your adoption. At this point we have raised just under half the cost of the expenses owed to Bethany. The reason Gift of Adoption stated for not giving us a grant was that less than 50% of the total reported adoption costs have been funded. Which makes me a little mad since that is why we are applying for the grant because other avenues have fallen through. We did receive a grant from Katelyn's Fund and from our church, which we were very thankful for. So if you have any suggestions let us know!

Have a great weekend!

Halloween

2008-11-03T20:28:00.008-06:00

We had fun this year on Halloween. Keegan was Thomas the Train and Aiden was Lightning McQueen. Wednesday was Trick or Treat night in town. I, Abby, was gone for work so Grandma took them to Trick or Treat at the local businesses. Then on Friday night we went to the babysitters house and then headed to a local town to visit some relatives, go to the mall and finally the Hallelujah Party. The Hallelujah Party is hosted by a local church. They have many free games to play and hot dogs to eat. The boys enjoyed themselves but were ready to be done. We then went to my aunt and uncle's house and enjoyed Pizza Ranch. Yummy! Then on Saturday night Stan and I went to a Costume Party with our card club. We joined with another card club and had about 10 couples. Stan and I went as 15th century Vikings. Lots of fun, games and fellowship. During the day the boys and I attempted to rake some leaves, but there were so so many. Here are some pictures from the weekend:)

Don't they look handsome...

Candy from Uncle Brad...

Hallelujah Party.....

The Vikings....

I couldn't find the boys in all the leaves...

Have a great week!

Bi-Weekly Update

2008-10-30T17:02:00.012-05:00

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.

2008-10-13T18:53:00.003-05:00

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.

2008-10-12T11:26:00.002-05:00

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

Life and ..... a new car

2008-10-12T10:54:00.007-05:00

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!

2008-10-01T20:11:00.002-05:00

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....