Finally! Some photos of our fall and winter adventures.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Bit of Snow

Many people were expecting to wake up to a near white-out. At least, if you believed the meteorologists, that's what you thought. There was a dusting. Granted, the snow is still falling and we should end up with 4 to 6 inches. We'll see if that actually materializes.

I'm hoping to have Zeke Christmas photos on here this weekend. I know...we've been very slow about posting pics. And once Zeke gets his new glasses (today or Monday), we'll post some pics of that too.

I'm hoping we're now more than halfway through our wait for Quilla. Some families requesting infant boys got "on deck" emails this week. Obviously, we did not or I would've posted about it already. It's definitely possible to get a referral without being on deck but getting the "on deck" email is what we expect to happen next for us. The anticipation is really building!!

TEST

mesage

Praises!

We're so thankful that the ophthamologist found no evidence of anything other than vision issues. Zeke will need to wear glasses for several years but not the rest of the his life (unless he develops a problem with nearsightedness later). We had to bribe Zeke with suckers (ugg!) so we could put different frames on his sweet little face. We finally found ones we liked. Because the bridge of his nose is so flat, it's going to be hard for him to keep any glasses on his face. But we chose frames that have little pads that we hope will keep them from sliding down so much. We're also going to use a sports strap to keep them pulled up. Pray that Zeke will learn to like his glasses because the doc wants him to wear them all the time. Scroll down to see some photos of Zeke in frames. We are getting the ones he's wearing in the photo except they'll be smaller to fit his face better. The consolation in all this? He's super cute in glasses!

Zeke's Future Eyewear look

It's the only way to get a two-year-old to wear spectacles!

More Zeke Glasses Pictures

Candy Makes Glasses Feel Better

More Zeke Glasses Pics

Ain't he cute?!

Zeke and his eyes

Zeke's first glasses!

A shorter wait time?

Our agency publishes updates on its blog every month to keep families up to date on changes to the Ethiopia adoption program. Last Friday, the update included some great news for us. The estimated wait time for an infant girl had been 9-11 months. But on Friday, it was listed as 8-11 months. Hooray! We don't know if we will be on the short or long end of this estimate but it's great to see the official prediction moving down. As always, we trust God's timing and know that it will happen at the right time for us and Quilla. It's all very exciting...We will keep you posted!

More than half way there?

We have now been waiting more than 5 months since our dossier went to Ethiopia. Our agency currently estimates that the wait for an infant girl is 9-11 months. So, I'd say we're about halfway there. However, as I posted recently, we are now SECOND in line for a baby girl on the unofficial wait list. The last family to be matched to a baby girl was DTE in May, 2009. Our DTE is 8/20/09. We know there is at least one family between the May DTE and us. But we don't know how many more there are or if there are any. So, this guessing makes the wait more fun! We are in no hurry since Zeke keeps us busy and we trust the timing to be perfect for us and for our child. But I do enjoy trying to guess when we might get THE BIG CALL! It could be next month or it could be as late as July. We'll just have to wait and see!!! Do you have any guesses on when it might happen?!?!

Best Gifts Ever

For my birthday yesterday, I had the cutest little boy in the world (Zeke) sing Happy Birthday to me before I eve got out of bed. I didn't have to go into work until the afternoon. I wore jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops in the 60+ degree weather. I found some great bargains at the outlet shops. I had lunch with Brad and Zeke. I had dinner with two good friends. I found out I've got an interview for a freelance writing job. It was a great day!

Lessons from the Pool and We're SECOND!!

No, I don't mean swimming lessons. I mean, life lessons. Zeke and I were at the pool today. I saw a woman with two little boys. The boys were dark-skinned and she was fair skinned. It didn't seem likely that they were her biological kids. One of the little boys (age 5, maybe?) came over and flashed a big beautiful smile at Zeke. Zeke was too wrapped up in his water play to notice but I said "hi!" and he grinned before jumping away. I wanted so much to ask if they were adopted, but I also didn't want to ask in front of them since they were older. I just felt such warmth watching the three of them. And then it occurred to me. It's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Not so many years ago, these precious children would not have been ALLOWED to swim in this pool. I nearly wept at this realization...and that it meant my Quilla would not have been allowed in this pool because of the color of her skin.

So, we're now SECOND for a baby girl on the unofficial waiting list!!! As always, I must stress this is an unofficial list as our agency doesn't release the number of families that are waiting. A family that was DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia) in May, 2009 received their referral today (so excited for them!). The next DTE on our unofficial list is a family with a DTE one week before us. What we don't know is how many families are not on our unofficial list between May and August. God knows and holds all these wonderful details in the palm of God's hands. We trust in God's perfect timing. It's exciting!!

UMCOR Executive Director Dies in Haiti

The head of UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief died when a hotel collapsed on him during the earthquake in Haiti. He was there with a couple of others from UMCOR to determine how UMCOR could better serve the people of that country. Click here for the official press release about his death.

We are deeply saddened by all that has happened in Haiti. We decided to contribute through UMCOR because 100% of our gift goes directly to relief on the ground in Haiti. UMCOR's administrative costs are funded through churches like ours that give regularly to keep UMCOR operational. This allows all gifts made in times of crisis to go completely to the needs in the field. We would encourage you to consider making a financial gift to help the people of Haiti, whether through UMCOR or some other trusted relief agency. We believe we are the hands and feet of Christ. Certainly, this is the least we can do to show God's love for the people of Haiti as they deal with this horrible crisis.

Interested in contributing to relief work in Haiti through UMCOR? Click here.

Movie Reviews

My dream job would be working as a travel writer. (I know...get in line.) Second to that would be being a movie critic. So, with that, I present my reviews of some recent movies we've seen.

It's Complicated: Not the best offering from Nancy Meyers. The Holiday and Something's Gotta Give are better. But given the skimpy offerings at the movies this time of year, it's worth checking out. It's chick lite but Brad found it entertaining enough. Alec Baldwin is funny in just the right ways and Meryl Streep is delightful.

Avatar: I wasn't sure how I would feel about this movie. Loved it! The visual effects more than make up for a rather thin story line. This isn't your parents' 3-D experience with the cheap-o paper glasses. This is the future of what it means to go to the movies! (Now, if only they would make Eclipse using this technology!)

New Moon: LOVED it. But you knew I would. Nuff said.

Star Trek: Can't believe we didn't see this one in the theatre. We rented from the Red Box when we had a date night over Christmas. My, my. Really fun movie. Absolutely loved it. The young bucks who play Spock and James Kirk are fabulous. They really get the parts right. You can see this James Kirk morphing into William Shatner in a few years. The effects are cool but the acting and story hold their own. Definitely worth renting!

Julie and Julia: I wish this had been a Julia Child biopic. The modern story line is irritating but Meryl Streep more than delivers as Julia Child...So much so, that I wanted much more of her story. How wonderful to see someone who is as enchanted by France and her people as I am. It made me very eager to read Julia's book that mom got me for Christmas.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: We started watching the DVD last night. I haven't read the books (shame on me!) so I had a hard time following along in the first 20 minutes. That's as far as I made it. Will muddle through it for sure but so far, there's not enough magic to keep this muggle interested.

Paranormal Activity: We saw this in the theatre back in the fall. Yeah, it's scary. Way scary. Only rent this if you can handle not being able to sleep at night for a week afterward. Brad recently got this on DVD. I refuse to watch it again.

We're going to see Young Victoria tonight. It's gotten good reviews. I'm eager to see it! We always look forward to the unveiling of the Oscar nominated films. We're rather bummed that there will be TEN best picture noms this year. It's too bad because it makes it less selective. Plus, we always like to do our best to see the 5 best pic noms and seeing 10 just seems way more daunting. Predictions for best pic noms: The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Precious, Inglorious Basterds. Other possibilities? Invictus, Nine, A Single Man (Colin Firth will get an acting nom for this one, at least).

Wild Turkey

When we had our big snow(s) last week, the kitties were INTENT on something out in the backyard. Later, I was walking through the living room and I saw something BIG in the backyard out of the corner of my eye. I ran to look and it was a WILD TURKEY! WOW! We only caught a glimpse because it hopped up on the neighbor's low fence and was gone. I even wondered if it were really a turkey, if I had seen something as big as I remembered. But this morning, there was that big bird in our front yard! It had migrated to the neighbor's yard by the time I grabbed my iPhone so this photo is the best I could do. We will keep watching for the turkey!!

Waterbug

Zeke is a total water bug. We went back to the pool yesterday afternoon. He LOVES it. He is seriously trying to swim. He likes to put his face in the water, which nearly gives me a heartache because I'm pretty sure he doesn't get the whole "hold your breath" thing. I tried to explain it to him. And thanks to our dear friend Kelley, he is still practicing blowing bubbles. But he gets really wild and will thrash around until his head bobs under water. Sometimes, he comes up smiling and blinking. Sometimes, he comes up sputtering and choking. Like I said, it scares me to death. And we're sitting in the shallowest end of the baby pool for all this. I can't even take him into the big pool anymore because he wiggles and tries so hard to get out of my arms. I would love to get him in swimming lessons soon. We will look into it for sure.

His eyes were crossing less and in a less pronounced way yesterday (thank you, Lord!) but we are still planning to see the opthamologist on the 26th. Continue to pray.

Zeke Update

Zeke's not up yet this morning so I can't offer a report on today but I can tell you that his eye crossing was less pronounced yesterday as the day wore on. He continues to act fine and normal. We did go see the pediatrician yesterday. She basically referred us to an opthamologist. She didn't seem overly concerned though she said this does require attention from a specialist. And the opthamologist told my pediatrician who told me that age 2 is when this kind of issue usually shows up. Obviously, I am still sick over the whole thing and will be until we get some information on treatment. Zeke's appointment with the opthamologist is on January 26th. Please join with us in praying for him. Wouldn't it be wonderful if his eyes corrected themselves before the 26th??? We will keep you posted. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers...keep them coming.

Zeke's Eyes

When Zeke got up this morning, we noticed his eyes weren't in sync. We are going to get him to the doctor today, if we can get an appointment. Obviously, we are very concerned and would appreciate your prayers. Brad's brother had the same thing when he was little so we're thankful for the reassurances we've gotten from TT since she has dealt with this before. Zeke acts fine so we're thankful for that.

Prayers for the People of Haiti

I cringed as I heard the news about the big earthquake in Haiti. Please pray for the people of Haiti, the rescue workers and that people around the world will open their hearts to help the rescue effort.

Haiti is on the same island as Dominican Republic, which Brad and I visited with his parents in 2004. About a week before we went to Dom Rep, there was an earthquake. I remember the property managers told us the earthquake had caused a foot of water to slosh out of the pool in front of the house where we were staying. Yikes! While we were there, Brad, his dad and TT felt the earth shake but I never did. It was definitely on my mind while we were there.

Oh Mercy!

Zeke was having a hard time picking up a tortilla chip at the Mexican restaurant yesterday and said, "Oh Mercy!" I totally cracked up. He's copying everything we say. What a wonderful "check" on the sweetness of our words.

I left work early today since I had a marathon work day last Wednesday. Zeke refuses to nap, which is really frustrating because he's so tired. I'm going to take him to the indoor pool this afternoon to swim. It's been a long time since we did that. It will be good to enjoy something "summery" in the middle of winter. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Greg and Laura have Anna!

What an amazing way to start the week! Greg and Laura have Anna. Photos are on their blog, click here. Brings tears to my eyes to see God's plan for their family being fulfilled!! Last night, about the same time they were going to meet Anna, we decided to celebrate by getting out the video of our "Forever Family Day." Zeke was pretty unimpressed. He only stopped playing every now and then to point to the screen and say, "Mommy!" or "Daddy!"

It's a bit warmer here this week. With temperatures in the 20's this morning, it felt downright balmy. Ok, that's an over statement but it was quite a difference from last week. Thank goodness! I'm not sure how many more days of single digit highs I can handle!

Adoption Travel Blogs!

Two families we know are traveling right now to get their kids!!! SOOOOO exciting! Follow Greg and Laura as they travel to China to adopt Anna here. Follow Roger and Abby as they go to Ethiopia to adopt Ari by clicking here.

Prayers as our Dear Friends Travel to China to Get their Baby!

Our dear friends Greg and Laura are supposed to leave Thursday morning to go to China to adopt their beautiful daughter, Anna (follow their journey here). We are supposed to get snow tomorrow night. Please join with us in praying that their trip is smooth and without delays. We know God is going before them, making the path clear. It's the breath-taking end of their adoption journey and the exciting beginning of their new adventure as a family of three. We're filled with joy as we watch the miracle of adoption unfold for them!!

Moving Mountains

Click here to read about how God moved mountains for a family with our agency to adopt a precious baby girl. They're in country now and just got her. Read the last couple of posts, including the one about Christmas in Ethiopia...I'm tearing up here at my desk!

Snow Chez Nous!

There's snow! We woke up to 3+ inches on the ground. Brad and Zeke stayed home while I went to church. I probably would've stayed home too but I was the only piano player for our contemporary service today so I felt I needed to go. The roads weren't too bad. I went slow and easy. However, everyone time I looked out a window at church, I could see the snow STILL coming down. It's still coming down now! I'm not sure how much we'll end up with by the time this is over. I'd say we have 5-6 inches now. Maybe more. Any snow where you are today?

New Year's Resolution=Cook More

Missy's Cheese Souffle (click here for recipe)

With a brand new set of pots and pans (thanks, Mom!), I decided one of my new year's resolutions would be making more food at home. Not just the usual stuff...but stuff you might see on the Food Network (for those of you who have cable....we don't). Anyway, I saw two recipes in the October issue of O Magazine that looked tempting. The first seemed the easiest: a skillet of potatoes and garlic (recipe here). The second was a cheese souffle (recipe here). The potatoes did not turn out the way the recipe described. Not sure what I did wrong. It obviously requires infinitely more skill than I have in the kitchen. Even though they didn't look like the photo, the potatoes did end up being garlic-y and tasty. Not bad, even though they looked awful. I figured since the potatoes were a disaster, the cheese souffle would be awful. However, I did two souffles in ramekins and both turned out very well. One was much fluffier than the other (too much folding with the egg whites) but otherwise, they both tasted delicious. I used Irish white cheddar as my grated cheese. I think that made a HUGE difference.

Zeke and the Turtle

Be-Be got Zeke this massive turtle for Christmas. We didn't fill it up with pillows until last night. Zeke loves it!

Home!

We're back home. The kitty boys really missed us. Zeke is napping now. Pierre Clovis is nestled in my lap and Little Buddy is nearby. Zeke had so much fun playing with his new toys here at home. It was like he was playing with them again for the first time. He had a major meltdown this afternoon when we attempted to go out for a little while. He couldn't decide which cars to take with him. Then, he didn't want to sit in his car seat (I can't blame him and we were silly for thinking we could go out with him after all our big travels). So, Zeke and I (Missy) came back in the house. He cried it out and drifted to sleep. There's still a lot of clean-up to do so I'd better get to it.