Heading back to Springpatch

We leave Tennessee to make the 14 hour journey back to Springpatch. We hope to make it to Jonesboro, Arkansas tonight. We'll drive the rest of the way tomorrow. Please pray for our safe travels.

It's always sad to say goodbye to family after staying with them for so long. We're blessed to have the opportunity to take such a long break from work at Christmas and New Years.

Well, we movin' on up!

We're now NUMBER 3 on the unofficial wait list for a baby girl. It's really, really hard to know how excited to be about this because it's an unofficial list so there are surely families ahead of us who are not on this list. Second, based on current projections, the earliest I would expect to get our referral is May. I realize that is not so very far away.

One thing that will clue us in on how much longer we have to wait is the timing of our "on deck" email. The "on deck" email means we are within three months (or less) of getting our referral. We are not yet on deck...but you better believe we will post on here as soon as we get that email!!

Be-Be arrived safely in Bangkok and is having a great time. Read more about her adventures here.

Following Be-Be

If you're interested in my sister's journey to Thailand, she'll be blogging here. It's worth heading over to her blog just to see her darling pug, Maybelle. But you'll find plenty of other stuff there of interest too!

Ode to Aunt Odie

My (Missy's) great aunt passed away December 26th. We called her Aunt Odie (her real name was Leola). She was a regular presence in my life growing up. She didn't have kids but my mom spent a lot of time with her: visiting with her, helping her, caring for her. Our hearts are heavy because of this loss. Even though Aunt Odie had slipped into a coma, I'm thankful that my mom, my sister and I got the chance to spend time with her just hours before she passed away. That's really remarkable when you consider I'm only in Kingsport once or twice a year and my sister lives 6 hours away. Aunt Odie was a wise, strong woman. We will miss her greatly.

My sister is really sad that she won't be here for the funeral tomorrow. However, she's doing something that Aunt Odie would definitely approve of: she's leaving today for Thailand for a 3 week trip. Aunt Odie gave Weedy a "great commissioning" before she left to live overseas in 2007. We pray for Weedy to have safe travels and a productive trip.

Merry Christmas!

Sent from my iPhone

We're Here!

We made it to Tennessee Sunday afternoon. We delayed our trip by one day because of an epic snowstorm. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any icy roads. We didn't even see significant amounts of snow on the ground until about 30 miles outside Kingsport. It's wonderful to be home with our parents. Zeke slept in until 9:10 yesterday morning, a true Christmas miracle!!

Brad and I had some time to ourselves yesterday to do some running around. We enjoyed that and in fact, it made me feel like a stupid teenager in love, all over again! It's good for the grandparents to have some time with Zeke and for me and Brad to have some together time.

We're thinking we might try taking Zeke to see Santa again...we'll see.

Snow...Boo!

Well, our plans to leave for Tennessee tonight have been scratched thanks to what some are calling an historic snow event in the eastern US. Just got off the phone with my parents. They report having 8 inches of snow already in Kingsport and had just lost their electricity. Brad's parents were barely able to get cell phone service earlier this evening. It's so weird because all is calm on the home front here. It's not even THAT cold in our neck of the woods. Oh well...Since there's no rush to hit the road tonight, Brad is still at work. Not exactly sure what our plans will be. Pray that the snow will move through quickly so we can get home safely. I'm ready to head to Tennessee!

Christmas Cards

I love getting Christmas cards. Got one from my beloved co-worker this morning with this sentiment:

In an unlikely place...unimaginable hope was born.

It goes along with a Harry Connick, Jr. Christmas song I was listening to driving to Jeff City yesterday. Here are some of the lyrics:

People with hope have a special prayer
a louder drum, a brighter flare
This is a song for the hopeful
May God hear it sung

Amen.

A story on a grandmother with AIDS

I'm proud of how this story turned out. It aired on my station this morning as part of a series on local people who have demonstrated courage.

Christmas and Quilla

Quilla is always present in our hearts and in our prayers. But it's nice to have a visual representation of our daughter-to-be on our Christmas tree. I found a beautiful ornament at Target a few weeks ago: a little dark-skinned angel girl holding music and singing. How perfect! This ornament is a particular favorite of Zeke. We don't talk to him much yet about the adoption (for a variety of reasons) but when he picks up that ornament, looks it over and then looks up at me with his big eyes, I say, "That's your sister, Quilla." He smiles. We will definitely spend more time talking to him about Quilla after we get our referral. At that point, we will have photos, which will make it more real for him.

Something else to consider: It's possible Quilla has already been born. We're requesting a baby 0-12 months and we expect to get matched to a baby in May, June or July. So, even if she's not yet born, she is certainly "here" in the sense that she is in the womb. Wherever she is, please pray for her and her birth family. Ask God to prepare the way for Quilla, to ensure her health, safety and happiness as she waits for us to come. Pray for comfort for her dear birth family as they make a very difficult decision to place her in care.

Not that anyone wants to see photos of us anymore...

Since I'm very hard to photograph, I was thrilled with how these turned out. A photo/graphic design student who is working for our station this semester took these photos at one of my favorite restaurants downtown: a breakfast diner called Gailey's.

Zeke: Just Say No to Santa, Yes to Trains

I took Zeke to see Santa at our little town's city hall yesterday morning. I should've known things were going to be rough when he cried upon our arrival for Daddy. I finally convinced him it would be fun to go inside and see Santa. Once through the door, he was transfixed by a train set. He watched as the train ran around its table-top tracks. It only took about 3 minutes for him to start shouting, "Mine!" And the line to see Santa was right there next to the darn train so we couldn't very easily get away from it. I explained several times that the train was not ours. I told him he could tell Santa that he wanted a train of his own. So, once we got to the head of the line to see Santa, Zeke was none too happy. When I put him on Santa's lap, he melted into tears. There was no photo. I hastily picked him up and we retreated into the room where kids were coloring. This only prompted a reprise of "my train" chants. So, we went into the cafeteria where we donated our canned food items and got a plate of pancakes and sausages in return. By then, he had calmed down and the sweet syrup and greasy sausage took his mind off trains for a few minutes. Even though Santa had encouraged us to bring him back once he calmed down, the line was longer than it had been before so we just left. There is no photo of Zeke with Santa...not yet anyway.

Merry Christmas from our TV selves!

Movie Guide

It's been a while since I recommended some flicks that you might enjoy. Here are some not so recent movies you might check out if you haven't seen them:
*Michael Clayton-There's a reason this film was nominated for best picture: Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilinson are great!
*The Bourne Movies-I'm not a big fan of Matt Damon. But we became big fans of these movies when we watched them on DVD a couple of years ago.
*Something's Got to Give-Directed by Nancy Meyers, the same director who has "It's Complicated" coming out this month...a fun and enjoyable movie that's above the rom com genre
*Lars and the Real Girl-Lots of heart...Just watch it!
*About a Boy-Fun with Hugh Grant and Toni Collette. Need I say more?
*Muriel's Wedding-Speaking of Toni Collette...this movie is lovely and fun, especially for anyone who ever felt they weren't cool enough.

Update...

We are actually now FIFTH on the overall list and FOURTH for a baby girl. We were so happy to see a family with our agency was matched with a baby girl this week. How wonderful! Remember, don't get too excited...we still have months of waiting ahead of us...but I do enjoy celebrating these little milestones!

Number 6

We've had a flurry of referrals with our agency in the last week or so. We are sixth on the unofficial waiting list for our agency. We are number 5 for a girl. Keep in mind this is an unofficial list and I know there are other families out there who are ahead of us. Still, it's fun to see our names moving up the list!

I have to give some big props to my friend Kel who posted a brilliant suggestion for dealing with Zeke's "Go away, Mommy" comments. When he says that, I will say to him, "My job, Mommy" because most of the time, that's what he's trying to say. A wonderful way to re-direct the comment in a positive way. Thanks, Kel!

Milestone

Zeke took off his pants by himself last night. That may sound like a small, silly thing to note but it's not. When our Parents As Teachers educator evaluated Zeke a few weeks ago, one of the big developments to watch for was undressing and dressing himself. At that time, he didn't do anything related to dressing or undressing except occasionally kicking his shoes off in the car. Last night, I told him was time to put on his PJs. He was bouncing on the bed and I asked him to take off his pants. He stood up and put his hands on the waistband and started to pull them down. Well, Daddy and I cheered him on until he had taken them off completely! Woo-Hoo! He definitely "helps" get dressed but he doesn't seem ready to do it himself. So, that will be the next big thing.

This weekend, Zeke told me to "go away" when I was helping him eat. What he really meant was "I'm done eating and I want out of my chair." I told him that it's not nice to tell someone to go away. I left it at that. Later, we were playing. He was trying to crawl onto the chair where I was sitting. He said "go away" and what he really meant was "I'm trying to get up on this chair and you're in my way. Would you move?" I put him on my lap and I told him that when he told Mommy to go away that it made me very sad, in fact, it made me want to cry. I told him that it was not a nice thing to say to people. Later, when we were playing again and he didn't want me to take him out of the clothes hamper, he said, "Go...Mommy." So, at least he softened his words. I know that he has just heard a kid at school say "go away" and that he doesn't understand the tone of the language. I'm sure this is the first of many unpleasant things he'll pick up from other kids.

Peace

Today is the second Sunday in Advent. Today's focus is peace. Ponder in your heart the reason that we celebrate peace this season. Do not give in to those who try to make this a season of controversy and "war." We are called to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. It's not about the words displayed on a marquee or spoken hastily by an over-worked cashier that define this season. It's the words of love, hope and peace that are written on our hearts by the same hand that made the universe. It is from here that we begin to understand what this season is all about and what our response should be to the greatest gift ever given.

I was reminded of the beauty of different cultures today at church where we had a display of nativity sets brought in by families in our congregation. There were sets from all over the world. There was a set made of wood, designed especially for children to hold and play with. There were fragile sets of stained glass and porcelain. It was beautiful to see so many interpretations of the same blessed event.

A Sinfully Delicious Treat

This week, we'll do our annual holiday potluck lunch at work. A few years ago, a co-worker brought these awesome treats. I'm going to share the recipe with you because they're quick, easy and DELICIOUS! (Oh yes and they're very fattening...please enjoy responsibly.)

1 18 oz. package of Oreo cookies
1 8 oz. brick of cream cheese
1 12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips

Crush Oreos.

Mix Oreos with cream cheese.

Roll mixture into small balls.

Melt white chocolate (while you are melting refrigerate or freeze the balls).

Dip balls into chocolate.

Place balls back into the fridge or freezer until chocolate hardens.

Enjoy!

Heading to K-Town Two Weeks from Today

Bays Mountain...near Kingsport.

It's hard to believe we'll be on our way home to Tennessee two weeks from today. That means Christmas is THREE weeks from today. Yikes! I've got a lot to do between now and then.

I MET AND INTERVIEWED KATHLEEN TURNER!!!

What a nice lady! She was a really fun interview. Afterward, we talked about the local theatre scene and how important the arts are. I told her about my theatre background and how important it was in preparing me to be a radio journalist. She was kind, gracious and totally down to earth!

Coupon for T Shirt

If you want to buy one of our Adopt Africa T-Shirts here, use the coupon code 10OFFTSHIRTS to receive a discount!

My Story on NPR

It aired this morning. If you missed it, click here. The story's about two different restaurants that are sharing a physical building.

T SHIRTS! Take 2

Let's try this again. I've improved the design. To buy the shirt, CLICK HERE. You can buy the design on about any color or style of shirt you want. We'll get about $10 for every shirt sold. Right now, Zazzle is offering free shipping...Thanks!

Holiday Flicks

What are your favorite holiday movies? While my sister was here, we watched The Holiday. That's a great one, for sure. I love White Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas (I get teary-eyed every time!), and The Snowman (yes, the animated short set to music). When I was little, I loved the Christmas cartoon Nester, about the donkey who carried Mary. Talk about getting teary-eyed. Poor Nester. I also still get a kick out of Home Alone. If you didn't see Nativity Story, which came out a few years ago, I highly recommend it. It's very well done. What are you watching these days to get you in the Christmas spirit?

Scrubs Last Night

It only had a few mildly funny moments. The show has definitely jumped the shark. It's too bad...

Adopt Africa

We designed this shirt to show our love for Africa. Buy it and we get a portion of the proceeds. It's that simple.

Prayers for Babies/Kids Coming Home

I've blogged about this before...but please pray for the children as they make their transition to the states. A while back, a group of families came home and almost all the kids were sick. Another family that recently got home has their baby in the hospital. Please pray for healing for these children and for strength for their families. Even now, please pray for our Quilla (and her birth mom because she's probably in the womb...isn't that wild to consider?!?!) that God will keep her healthy and protect her from illness and harm.