aka Madeline

Cailey has really been into dressing up lately and can often be found walking around the house looking like Madeline....complete with itchy wig.

last paper needed....

Yesterday we received our last paper needed in order to travel. It was the approval from USCIS, which means that we are clear to bring a baby into the country. Brian remembers that this came right before the babies came home before so it looks like we'll be getting the call soon! Even though I knew it was coming it still didn't seem real. It STILL doesn't seem real. I'm not sure when it will sink in...probably when I'm packing at the last minute and freaking out about all the details. Or maybe when we're on the plane.

We are getting a baby. A baby! It's been a while since we've had one of those and I've gotta be honest...I'm getting nervous! Maybe it's nerves about traveling instead of going to the airport to get him but I think I'm terrified because it means we're going backwards. We need to get used to bottles, carrying a baby, baby proofing, taking more time before we go somewhere, figuring out where my coupons are going to go if there is a baby in the front of the shopping cart:), naps, diapers, booster seats....AGH!

We started this process more than three and a half years ago when we still had a baby and had NO CLUE it would take this long. It's crazy when I look back and think about the whole process. God knew we'd homeschool. Knew I'd need time to get used to homeschooling before we got a baby. Knew that Kinsey would need some extra time being the 'baby'. Knew that Braden needed a brother. Knew that I'd be more nervous than I ever thought I'd be. Knew that we'd get rid of most of the baby stuff. Knew that we had awesome friends who would throw us a shower. God knew about Ephram. God knew that Ephram would need us and that we needed him.

Thank you so much for all your prayers!! Please pray for Ephram's foster mom (and family) who has cared for him for almost 8 months. Please pray for his birth mom who probably thinks of him daily. Pray for Ephram, that he will have a smooth transition and not have a hard time of adjusting. Please pray that he bonds with us (as this can affect the rest of his life.) Please pray for finances for the travel expenses (both the airfare and hotel, etc.) as well as the finances for the adoption.

Please pray for our traveling that we will:
-have a smooth flight and easy time through customs
-not get lost:) and be able to find English speaking people
-be able to adjust to the CRAZY 14 hour time difference without getting sick
-be able to have a great time soaking in the culture and truly enjoy our time there
-I will be able to eat anything I am served (as I am pickier than ANYONE you have ever met)
-not do anything 'culturally wrong' and insult anyone unknowingly
-bring everything we need (including gifts, etc. for everyone)
-that our 22 hour flight home with Ephram (who will be grieving) will be smooth and that he can sleep on the plane.
-that things will go well with the kiddos at home (with Nonny) while both of us are gone for a week
-that God will protect us and keep us safe while we are away from the kiddos
***and anything else you can think of***

Thanks again for lifting us up and supporting us!

Audrey

Our next door neighbors have a granddaughter who comes to visit every few weeks and Cailey just loves playing with her! Audrey and Cailey have been friends for a few years now (Audrey used to live in Raleigh) and it's just so fun when she gets to visit! A few weeks ago we thought she was going to move away for three YEARS and were really sad but then things changed and they decided not to move...YAY! It's been so cold lately that the girls have needed quite a few 'hot chocolate breaks':).

Kinsey time

i had some of these from when i was a kid (from Austria)
and was psyched to find some new ones! kinsey was
making airplanes, boats, flowers, and people.

Kinsey LOVES doing preschool and I haven't been great about taking pictures this year but I wanted to post about things she's doing. We ordered some great resources for cutting, tracing, coloring, matching, etc. from rod and staff...which she LOVES. We are also continuing to do calendar time which includes numbers, letters, days of the week, reading books, months of the year, Scripture, singing songs, and playing with manipulatives.

Snowflakes

check out their different personalities...braden has a pile of trash
nice and neat, and cailey (who is JUST like her mama) has
it all over the place:)

anticipation of seeing the reveal!

great job!

opening it up...

how awesome is that??

Braden, Cailey, and I decided to cut out snowflakes last week and had a great time! I taught them how to do different things (like hearts, diamonds, crosses, squares, etc.) and they must have worked on snowflakes for two hours! We had such a great time just hanging out and making them together. Love you guys!!

20

We've had a COLD couple of weeks around here lately (and I mean MA cold!) The kiddos are definitely not used to it being so cold without snow and have to be reminded to dress warm when we go places. One of the 20 degree days we asked Kinsey to get her coat and shoes on so we could go somewhere. She came in like this....again....it was FREEZING! I told her it was a bit too chilly for flip flops so she went and changed but I just had to get a picture because she was so proud that she had obeyed quickly:)! I'm gonna miss the cold weather!

Viking Boats

Cailey and Braden made these great Viking boats with Brian as one of their History projects. They did a couple other projects as well but I wasn't there to take pictures:).

Once a Year!

we LOVE air hockey!

Once a year (during the weeks that Brian is off in December) we go to Chuckie Cheese's. We usually go as soon as it opens so it won't be crowded but forgot about that this year. (We won't be forgetting that again:). The kids had fun going through their tokens as quickly as they could and then collected another 200+ tickets to add to their running total. Every year they decide they'd rather save them up for something BIG:).

New Year's Eve 2009

baking cinnamon bread!

YUM!

Chinese food for dinner:)

Macy wanted to join in on the UNO game:)

JENGA!

We had a laid back and relaxed New Year's Eve this year. We ended up having a 'jammie day' and never even got dressed! The day was spent watching movies, baking bread, playing games, and just spending time together as a family. We were so blessed to get to spend so much time together while Brian was home! For dinner we had our traditional Chinese food, and spent the evening playing games:).

post op 'tea' party

Our sweet friend, Tricia, had surgery right before Christmas and the kiddos wanted to let her know they were thinking and praying for her. They decided that a great way to do that would be to bring her cards and the makings of a tea party...only with hot chocolate! (They debated bringing her Krispy Kreme too but we never made it over there and were glad because we found out she had homemade muffins already!) Her friend, Karoline, was there too and the kids were excited to see her again. Cailey kept filling up the mini serving teapot and would go around giving everyone more and more...because the cups were just so tiny:). We had a great time laughing...a LOT and felt great after seeing her...knowing that everything went well.

we used my childhood Holly Hobby Tea set and my grandmother's china

sweet ephram kept lovin' on Tricia so we think he 'knew' something
was up. we all love you, tricia! so thankful brian was there too!

Two Musuems: Part 2

After the Science Museum we went across the way to the History Museum for some more fun! We started in the store (I love museum stores) where the kids were actually encouraged to try things on...surprising and fun!

this nut thought it was HILARIOUS that she could touch everything!

they were able to learn about different wars and time periods
through the clothing!

picking out sweet treats!

Next up we headed to the Pirate exhibit which was very interesting for us grown ups and neat for the kids too. They covered all different time periods and the kids were able to correlate different facts with their History (and had fun doing it!)

making their own virtual pirate flags

my silly pirate!

they BEGGED me to take their picture in front of this car..too funny!

After the pirates we went upstairs to see the Native American artifacts and the kids got to mold and shape clay into 'masks' AND sit in a canoe replica that was simply amazing! The kids couldn't believe that you could carve a canoe out of a tree without modern tools.

We walked through the NC Sports hall of fame area (and wondered why Michael Jordan wasn't listed in the basketball area), checked out Barbies throughout the years, and some old cars (LOVE those).

We had no idea the kids would love the museum as much as they did...it was such a fun day together!