Nursery

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.+

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picking out the pumpkins

The corn maze...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life and ..... a new car

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Flu...again

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

NWC Homecoming

We had a great time last weekend at NWC's homecoming. Each year we get together with 4 other couples that we went to NW with. We are all married and have kids now. With all the kids it gets a little crazy at times, but oh so much fun. There are 9 kids total with Keegan being the oldest at 4 and then there 8 kids under the age of 3! It is fun to see them interact as many of them are the same age. At one point we all had children within 1 year of each other and they are all now 2 years old.

We attended Morning on the Green. The boys had a blast playing the games. After that we ate lunch and amazingly all the couples were able to get their children to nap at some point in the afternoon all in the same house, even if we used the bathroom:) We playing Four Square on the driveway in the afternoon, went to the park, and had Pizza Ranch at night. It was a great day.

Aiden trying to win a fish.

Keegan's attempt at bowling.

Family picture time!

What a crew!

Well Keegan appears to be feeling better. Yesterday he threw up most of the morning till about 1:30 when he was finally able to keep some liquids down. He had a piece of toast this morning and that seemed to sit okay. We went for a walk and they played outside for a little while. Keegan wasn't too interested in dinner which made me nervous thinking he was going to throw up. As of now, no puke to clean up:) He is napping now so hopefully he feels better when he wakes up.

Bumps, bruises and the flu

Keegan has had an eventful 24 hours. Yesterday morning at preschool he tripped and fell into a bookcase leaving a large goose egg on his head and a small cut. The school nurse gave him a band-aid and that seemed to make it all better:) Then this morning he woke up at 4 a.m. with flu and at this point (10:30) is still sick. Hopefully he gets feeling better soon and that nobody else gets it! It has been going around school so I'm not surprised he is sick.

Hopefully this weekend if everyone is healthy we'll head to Northwestern's Homecoming. We are meeting up with some college friends for our annual get together. It should be a great time.

We've been enjoying the nice weather we have been having playing outside. The boys love to play outside and ride bikes and just be boys and get dirty!

If anyone who reads this is interested, I'm having a scrapbook get together on Saturday October 4. Leave me a comment if you would like to come.

Nothing new on the adoption front...

Thanks for checking in!

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

Isaiah 26:3

No new news

Nothing new on the adoption front. The last 2 weeks have been hard as families we know have either made travel plans to get there little ones or have been placed. Don't get me wrong we are extremely happy for them; however, we become disheartened as we wish it were us. We know that God has a child for us and that there will be difficult days as we are on this journey. Some days I am at peace and others I cannot stop thinking about the adoption. Keegan asked me tonight when our baby was going to come to our house? I tried very hard to explain that God has a special baby for us and we need to be patient. If only it were so easy to take my own words to hear. So hard for a little guy to understand. Nightly we pray for the new baby that God will bring to our home. So for him it should happen tomorrow. Lots of fun conversations to have with a 4 year old who only understands at this point that baby's come from mommy's tummy:) Yours prayers are coveted for patience as we continue on our journey.

Busy, busy busy

The last few weeks have flown by. School started, we made a trip to Des Moines, and we helped family members move and work on their houses.

Keegan started his first day of preschool on August 19. We went the night before to open house and he was so excited. I (Abby) was able to take him to school on his first day. I think it was harder for Mom than Keegan for this new beginning. He is enjoying it immensely and learning a lot. The letter of the week was "M". He was busy telling his teacher all of the M names that he knew (all of my brothers family's name start with M). Each morning he goes to school with Stan and has breakfast before heading off to preschool. He thinks he is pretty big stuff.

Keegan and his preschool teach Mrs. Hanson.

Aiden has adapted well to the slight change in routine and enjoys being one of the older kids at day care in the mornings. He even has amazed us lately with his urge to use the big boy potty. Hopefully we can say goodbye to diapers in the near future! That would be nice before our new baby arrives! He definitely is 2 as he now has a distaste for the bath tub. He either refuses to get in and wants to sit on the potty longer or after getting in asks to have a time out as he knows he can then get out of the tub. Oh how quick they figure things out:)

We also made a trip to Des Moines to visit a college friend and enjoyed the Farmers Market and a trip to the library to learn about Monarch butterflies and of course shopping for mom:) We also attended the town celebration and the weather was just perfect.

Nothing new to report on the adoption front for ourselves. We did learn today that some friends we had met through Katelyn's Fund received a baby yesterday. How exciting! What a whirlwind for them. We'll keep everyone posted if we learn anything new. We know that our timing is not God's timing and we need to trust in his perfect will for the child he has for our family.

Summer Fun

Family Vacation with Schuitemans

Bridge's Bay Waterpark


Riding the boats at Arnold's Park with cousins Miles and Margo

Playing with the slip and slide.

Abby's trip to Washington, DC

Riding in the burley.

We realized the other day that it had been quite some time since our last post. July was busy with family vacations and get aways and now we are only a few short days away from school starting. Stan heads back for inservice tomorrow. Keegan will start PreSchool next Tuesday. Hard to believe he is old enough already! He is very excited and keeps reminding us that he is big enough to go to school. I think it will be the hardest for Aiden and Mom. Aiden will miss his big brother at daycare and will probably feel lost for a few days. Mom on the other hand can't believe this time has come!

We have nothing new to report on the adoption front. We continue to wait patiently for God's timing, although being patient is really tough:) 2 weeks ago we went to the Katelyn's Fund picnic. It was really nice to connect with other families again in the same situation we are. I think both Stan and I constantly think and day dream about the new baby that will join our family. We pray each night with the boys for the baby that God will bring to our home. Keegan is constantly coloring pictures for our new baby and making plans on where the baby will sit at the table and what toys he/she will play with.

We covet your prayers as we continue our journey. We pray for patience and know that God's timing is always perfect and may not be what we had in mind. Please also pray that we may be able to garner the financial resources needed for this journey. We have applied for a few grants. We received one, were denied on another and still waiting to hear on one. We have faith that it will all work out.

Overdue Pictures!!

Here are some much overdue pictures from our trip to St. Louis!

Keegan and Aiden taking it in from our seats!!

Keegan enjoying the game and looking cool!!!

Aiden just haning out, like his brother!!

Dad, are you enjoying the buffet??

Burning some of that energy off at the hotel!!







As you can see we had a great time at St. Louis with just the four of us, even if it was only for the weekend. We look forward to some of the other vacations we can take with our families later on this summer, as we are truly blessed to have such wonderful extended families!