Biker Babe

A few weekends ago when the weather was on the warm side, we ventured out and let Zeke take his Santa trike for a spin.

Happy Spring!

The Number Seven

As of today, it's been seven months since our dossier went to Ethiopia (DTE). Our agency estimates that the current wait for a female infant is 8-11 months after DTE. So, it would appear we are getting close. As recently as last week, our agency confirmed that its estimates are still accurate. It's a bit discouraging to think that we're this close and yet we still are not on deck. Of course, I'd take a referral over the on deck email any day.

There haven't been any referrals from our agency since the end of January. I'd like to think that we will get a referral in the next batch but it's hard to say if that will happen. Here's hoping!!

We woke up to rain and cold today. Even though Zeke slept through the night, he was asleep in the car by 11AM. I'm hoping he'll wake up refreshed and happy from his nap.

A Family With Our Agency Passed Court!

Check out the slideshow of their son by clicking here.

An Easter Preview

Zeke and I picked out his Easter ensemble a couple of weeks ago. I think we've chosen a very Ralph Lauren-esque outfit. The other day, he tried on his shirt and tie (He wanted to wear a tie like Daddy)...So, this is the result: total cuteness! As our Parents as Teachers educator said earlier this week...He doesn't look like a baby any more...he looks like a little boy!

A Couple of Weekends Ago, We Had Awesome Weather

If this isn't a picture of joy, I don't know what is!

Still Not Much...and We're Almost Seven

We hit the 7 month DTE mark Saturday. We have no idea when we might get a referral. Really...no idea. I used to think I had an idea but God had other plans and that's a-ok with me. If I had to guess at this point, I'd guess May or June. That's based purely on my gut feeling. Who knows! I may post a survey this week just to gauge your gut feeling on when our referral might happen. Just for kicks! Honestly, we'd just like to see SOME referrals this month. It's ok if ours doesn't come in March. We just want to see some movement. Amen and amen.

What We Know (Not Much)

We had our conference call with the adoption agency Thursday. They went over much of the information we already knew from the email they sent out Wednesday. They clarified that the second trip will likely only require one parent and will be for only 3-4 days. They also made it sound like the lack of referrals in February was a real anomaly. Brad and I were both left with the impression that there *should* be referrals in March. We'll see.

So, we took Zeke to St Louis to visit the Science Center yesterday. He had a big time. There were life-sized dinosaurs that he loved. We also spent time in the Discovery Room where a woman who was probably old enough to be a grandma handled a giant cockroach from the rainforest. The kids could touch it but Zeke did not. I (Missy) did not go near the nasty thing. We spent the night in Fenton and drove back this morning. We stopped in Lebanon to pick up some dainties from a new cafe that sells cupcakes. Oh, my...delicious!

Big Changes

We just found out today that we will be required to make TWO trips to Ethiopia for our adoption. The first trip will happen 4-8 weeks after we are matched to a baby. We will be in country 5-7 days and will have to testify in court that we want to adopt the baby to whom we've been matched. Then, we will leave and won't be able to go back to get her for another three months. We have many, many questions and we hope to get some of them answered tomorrow on the conference call. Please pray with us as this puts additional logistical and financial strains on us. We take comfort in knowing that this change is not a surprise to God and God will provide us with whatever we need to meet this new requirement.

Conference Call with our Agency Tomorrow

We are hopeful that we will learn more about what's going on with Ethiopia adoptions tomorrow when we have a conference call with our agency. There haven't been any referrals (babies matched to families) since late January. It's very discouraging and I'd just like to know what's going on. I will post whatever we hear tomorrow afternoon. Please continue to pray for us, the other families, children, birth families, our agency's staff, and government officials on both sides of this process.

Zeke has not been napping at school. Say a little prayer that he will go to sleep, at least for an hour. He's been taking late afternoon naps, falling asleep in the car after I pick him up. I've tried to talk to him, sing to him, and even make some stops on our way home in an effort to prevent this late afternoon/early evening napping because it throws off his night time sleep. It's much harder for him to go to sleep when he's taken a late nap, plus he's kind of grouchy when he wakes up from a late nap.

Zeke Gets a Doughnut

It's no wonder he likes going to church. It's the only time he gets a doughnut!

Beautiful Spring Weather!

Fun Lyrics

Ok...this is the secular edition. This post would be super long if I listed the lyrics of praise songs that I love. I'll save that for a future post. For now, here are some song lyrics that I really enjoy...

Work That, Mary J. Blige
Feelin' great because the light's on me
Celebrating the things that everyone told me
Would never happen but God has put his hands on me
And ain't a man alive could ever take it from me
Working with what I got, I gotta keep on
Taking care of myself I wanna live long
Ain't never ashamed of what life did to me
Wasn't afraid to change cause it was good for me

I just wanna be myself
Don't sweat girl, be yourself

The Human Heart, From the musical Once on This Island

The courage of a dreamer,
The innocence of youth,
The failures and the foolishness that lead us to the truth
The hopes that make us happy
The hopes that don't come true
And all the love there ever was
I see this all in you.
You are part, part of the human heart.

You are part of all who took the journey
And managed to endure.
The ones who knew such tenderness,
The ones who felt so sure,
The ones who came before you,
The others yet to come,
And those who you will teach it to
And those you learned it from.
You are part, part of the human heart.

The World Should Revolve Around Me, Little Jackie
There’s only one me in the galaxy
I am an endangered species
This kind of flower don’t grow on Earth
Just lettin’ you know for what it’s worth
This kind of mountain shouldn't cause a depression
So I bide my time with philosophical questions
Not for nothing but what came first?
The chicken nugget or the egg mcmuffin?

From Pinch Me, Barenaked Ladies
It's the perfect time of day
To throw all your cares away
Put the sprinkler on the lawn
And run through with my gym shorts on.
Take a drink right from the hose
And change into some drier clothes
Climb the stairs up to my room
Sleep away the afternoon.

The Wait

Well, just when I thought we were getting close, it appears things are slowing down. It was looking like we might get a referral in March or April but now, I'm guessing May or June is more likely. We still are not "on deck" and I haven't heard of any referrals since late January. There are a lot of families waiting to travel and pass court. I wonder if there's a hold on referrals until some of the backlog gets cleared out. It's all pure speculation at this point. The wait was so easy in the beginning. Now that we're (allegedly) getting closer, it's much harder. Please pray that Quilla is safe, healthy, and happy wherever she is.

Cutie Zeke

Zeke got a haircut yesterday afternoon because school pictures are today. It's probably the shortest it's ever been but he seemed to like it. Don't know if you can tell but they cut it a little shorter on top so we have the option of spiking it.

Hello, March!

I'm so happy to be done with February...on so many levels. First, it's one month closer to our referral. Second, March=Spring! I'm so ready to be able to take the Zekester outside to play. I know he's tired of being cooped up. We're thinking about plotting a getaway in a couple of weekends to St Louis where we can take Zeke to the Science Museum. We've never taken him but we think he'll love it. There's a dinosaur exhibit on display now.

Yesterday, we went to a gathering of families who have adopted from Ethiopia and families waiting to adopt. It was WONDERFUL to see all the beautiful children (honestly, they were all so beautiful!) and to get even more excited about our pending referral. There were 2 bounce houses at the gathering. With Daddy keeping a close eye on him, Zeke had fun crawling in and out of the bounce houses. We also had a fun time seeing the Jay family, who is waiting to be matched to a baby girl with our agency. It's been wonderful getting to know them and we had fun seeing them again yesterday.

God Gives Us a Wink!

So, I remembered the other day that I used to have several dark-skinned baby dolls when I was little. My sister and I had twin cabbage patch premies that were cute, bald, and black-BeBe and Grace (how funny that Weedy named her doll BeBe which is what Zeke calls her). I also remembered recently that there was a photo of me with one of my other black dolls...I was on the couch recouping from being sick. This is it:

My mom recalled another photo of me, my sister, and her in which I was holding one of my little dolls. This is it:

As my sister would say, I think God was/is giving us a wink! It's like God is saying, "See, even way back then, your heart was ready for what I had in store for you!"

The View

Apparently the entire hour of The View on Thursday was on infertility. I haven't watched it but I'm really happy to know that a TV show that reaches so many people tackled this important topic. Infertility can be so lonely and heartbreaking and the support for couples experiencing it can be so lacking. I really want to scream from the top of my lungs: YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Check out the blog for a family that just passed court!

You can see a lovely video on their blog by clicking here.

And still waiting on an email...

I had really, really hoped that we would get our "on deck" email this week, telling us we are 1-3 months away from getting our referral. It hasn't come. We got another useful email with information about the referral process but it wasn't THE email we had hoped for...Oh well. Of course, I'd take a referral over the "on deck" email any day but typically, our agency sends the "on deck" before the referral. Pray for our continued patience as we wait to see who will be our Quilla!!!

Flux

I haven't posted in a while because there hasn't been much news to report. We have been DTE for more than 6 months now. Hooray! But there are rumblings that the US Embassy is getting more deeply involved in investigating cases. We have no official word on this and what the implications might be. Since we've been there, done that with the Embassy in Vietnam, we've seen first hand how God will not let any bureaucrat or piece of paper hold up an adoption. So, we rest in that comforting knowledge. If we hear anything more, we'll let you know. Just pray that we'll be able to bring Quilla home in late summer or early fall. That is our heart's desire.

If you'd like to see some photos of a family with our agency that just got back from Ethiopia with their kids, click here. It's fun to see kids in their new homes!

Some Christmas Photos Courtesy of Zeke's Great Uncle Blue!

Zeke and Auntie Bebe

Our Robert E. Smith Painting

Sent from my iPhone

The Death of an Artist

Not too many people outside our little hamlet will note the passing of artist Robert E. Smith, though his work has gained national fame. You can see some of his work by clicking here. For one of our early wedding anniversaries, I commissioned Robert to do a painting of our wedding day. This was my gift to Brad. I turned over a handful of photos to him from our big day and waited eagerly to see how our painting would turn out. I was so pleased with how it looked. He always hand wrote a story and recorded himself reading it on a cassette for each painting he did. It was so fun to listen to the recording and how he said my name: "Maaasseee." Here's his obituary:

Artist, writer, singer and actor Robert Eugene Smith peacefully passed away Feb. 13, 2010, aged 82, surrounded by friends and family.

Robert was born Oct. 14, 1927, in St. Louis, Mo., the only child of Clarence and Mary Agnes (Walls) Smith. He grew up in St. Louis, Union and Garland, Tx. He was forced to drop out of high school to help support his family, and was very proud to have earned his diploma in 1970, at age 42. In 1981, he completed 60 college hours at SMSU and earned a substitute teaching certificate, and later taught occasional art classes.

Robert moved to Springfield in 1975, with hopes of acting at Landers Theater. Although he spent time in Columbia, Jefferson City and St. Joseph, Springfield became his home.

Robert held many jobs, among his favorites, selling concessions at Busch Stadium and selling Grit newspapers. But it was Robert’s artwork that brought him fame and national recognition. Though he had drawn since childhood, he didn’t take his art seriously until 1967, when he sold his first collection of drawings to a friend for $25. Robert was self-taught, taking inspiration from coloring books, photos, history, news stories and his own experiences. His “story paintings”— complete with a hand-written description of the painting and a cassette of Robert himself reading the story . The paintings overflow with color, humor and incident, representing a triumph of the imagination over a strenuous and difficult life. They have been shown at New York’s Museum of American Folk Art, Vanderbilt University, the Springfield Art Museum and sold at distinguished galleries across the country. He is featured in The Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art. His paintings are on display in hundreds of Springfield homes and businesses. A mural of his painting of Springfield’s former Colonial Hotel, complete with Elvis Presley and Ray Charles, remains downtown at Campbell and Walnut.

Robert was also a prolific writer, producing many self-published volumes of poems and semi-autobiographical stories.

Though he didn’t drive, Robert traveled coast to coast by Greyhound Bus and bicycled all around Springfield — once even riding to Branson. He carried a camera everywhere, to record scenes and faces for his paintings.

Robert loved life. He loved to sing, anywhere from recording studios to answering machines. He loved to be on stage and on camera, recently appearing in the film To and From. He loved to dance with pretty girls. He loved wearing bright colors and costumes, often appearing in a sombrero, wig or clown shoes. He loved baseball, holidays, parades, Shirley Temple and telling stories.

Robert had an incredible memory. He recalled the make and model of every car his family owned, St. Louis Cardinals scores, and the names of girls he danced with when Sinatra and Elvis songs first played the radio. Friends’ birthdays were always marked with a phone call, a song and often, a small painting.

Managing Stuff

As we get closer to a referral and Zeke is closer to being able to crawl out of the crib, we are starting to think more seriously about rearranging the furniture. We are going to see if Zeke will sleep in the queen bed from the guest room (soon to be Quilla's room) so we can move the crib in there. It makes my head spin to think about managing all the stuff in our house. We've decided that once we get Quilla home, we will begin the hunt for a bigger house. Even now, I'm praying that we will find the right buyer for our house and the right space for our family.

Junk

All three of us are battling junk. We've got junk in our noses. Zeke is on antibiotics now. I had a terrible night with my nose stuffed up (not even nose spray could save me!) so I'm going to go to the doctor today or tomorrow. Blah. One more reason I'm ready for warmer weather!

I was thinking about the two families we know who adopted their children this winter. It will be SO MUCH FUN when the weather is nice and they can take their babies to the park. We love taking Zeke to one park in particular where there's a small lake with lots of ducks. There's also a big grassy area where we would spread out a blanket and just sprawl out. *sigh* Can't wait to do all that again!!

Ash Wednesday-The Start of Lent

Observing Ash Wednesday and Lent are still relatively new to me. This time of reflection and repentance has become a very important part of my spiritual life. During Lent this year, our church is doing a study called "One Month to Live." How would we alter our behavior, thoughts and priorities if we knew we had one month to live? It's a powerful question and we're looking forward to this Lenten study. If you are unfamiliar with Ash Wednesday, as I once was, here's some info on it.

From Wikipedia:
Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and it marks the beginning of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in Job 42:3-6. Job says to God: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. The other eye wandereth of its own accord. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

You may have heard someone say they were giving up something for Lent. Our church encourages us to GIVE for Lent instead of just giving up. For example, you might decide to give up Starbucks coffees for Lent and donate the money you would've spent on lattes to a mission project. Lent asks us to honestly evaluate our priorities and then make the necessary changes.

Lent leads up to Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. Our church offers such wonderful observances of all these events. On Palm Sunday, children walk down the center aisle, smiling and waving palm branches as a man portraying Jesus re-enacts His entry into Jerusalem. The Maundy Thursday service commemorates the Last Supper. It's held at twilight, ending as the sun goes down, leaving the sanctuary in darkness as the congregation files out in silence. There is a prayer vigil at our church on Good Friday. And that evening, our youth group will light a bonfire in the front yard of the church at the foot of a giant wooden cross. They keep watch here in shifts until sunrise on Easter morning. There are amazing stories of how people driving by the busy road in front of our church have been impacted by the site of young people sitting at the foot of a cross. People who don't attend our church have stopped to pray in front of the cross during the vigil. It's a powerful testimony to our community and I'm always so proud of our youth for doing it. Of course, this all culminates in the beauty and glory of Easter morning. With all that in mind, it's with anticipation that I begin Lent...

Waiting for Spring

I loved going through Target today with Zeke. We both found fun pairs of spring/summer shoes. There was also Easter decor and candy out and a few summer outdoor items. There WILL be an end to this long and cold winter! I think almost everyone will agree with me. It's time for some warmer weather! I love that today is Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent. I always begin to feel more hopeful that the cold won't last THAT much longer when we enter Lent. Ok, so here is Zeke with his new shoes.

Missy's new shoes

Well, as hard as we try, the glasses sometimes get askew.

Zeke loves to line up cars.

Yep, that's Baby Signing Time on the TV in the background. For some reason, he's been wanting to watch that lately.

Zeke Explains Turkeys

Mom: "Zeke, where does the turkey go when it snows?"
Zeke: "To the turkey house."
Mom: "What does the turkey eat?"
Zeke: "Pizza."
Mom: "What does the turkey play with at the turkey house?"
Zeke: "Cars."

Zeke thinks the neighbor's shed is the turkey's house. Maybe he's right!

On an unrelated note...File this one away under "be careful what you ask for." I was just saying not long ago how I'd love to do travel writing. Lo and behold if I didn't get info a week later from a friend about doing freelance travel writing for a website. It's been fun and some nice extra $$. I just got a "bigger" assignment that pays better and is even more fun to write. I won't name the website for which I'm writing but here's a hint. The website had an ad on during the Super Bowl!

Lunar New Year Celebration!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Zeke and the Turkey

First, cutie Zeke. (Scroll down for photos of the mythical turkey!)




It's our belief that our kitty Pierre Clovis has bewitched the turkey and is keeping it around as his pet. We believe these two photos are proof that our theory is correct.

An Adoption Journey to Latvia

We first met the Tuckers at Cheddar's in late 2006. We had just started talking about adoption. This family was the regional contact for Great Wall China Adoptions and they met us at Cheddar's for dessert to discuss adoption. We met Kristin and Tim along with their two beautiful daughters: one biological and one adopted from China. It was so great to see how perfectly normal they all were. Not only normal but exceptionally kind and willing to answer all our questions. Even though we are unsure if we'll ever adopt from China, given the slow pace of that program, we are thankful that we met the Tuckers. They gave us so much advice as we prepared our dossier for China. They are wonderful advocates for adoption! Now, they are in the process of adopting two girls from Latvia. They are in Latvia now. You can follow their blog by clicking here. We are so very excited for them!

Musings

Zeke is doing so well with his glasses! He's a real champ about keeping them on. He doesn't like having them put on but once they're on, he leaves them alone.

We had dinner Saturday night with Greg, Laura and Baby Anna. Anna is so CUTE and is super happy. It was so much fun to see her and Zeke together. Zeke talks a lot about Baby Anna. It's been a good starting point to introduce the idea of us getting a "little baby." Zeke refers to himself as "big baby" so we assure him he will still be the big baby, even when the little baby arrives. Of course, we don't talk about it a lot yet because there's no way to make it concrete for him yet. Once we have our referral, we will have Quilla's photo around the house (just like Zeke's!) and it will be easier to talk about her arrival with him.

The passport is on its way. Putting my beloved passport in the mail yesterday was a leap of faith. It's silly because if it gets lost in the mail, I can just apply for a brand new one. However, that passport symbolizes all the fun trips I've made in the last ten years: my first trip to Europe, subsequent adventures all over Europe, my first trip to Asia, my first trip to the Caribbean, our journey to Zeke. It's such a neat keepsake.

Passport

The reality that we might be getting kinda close to a referral prompted me to get moving on my passport. It expires in June. It's so hard to believe I've had it almost ten years! I originally got it for our trip to Paris in 2000. I've come a long way since then as an international traveler. It's exciting to think that the first documented trip in my new passport will be our trip to Ethiopia! So, I will send off all the documents this afternoon, ensuring I get my new passport in plenty of time.

There's really no new info on the wait for our referral. We just keep hanging on, eager to see what news this month will bring!

A Tasty and Healthy Recipe

BANANA BERRY MUFFINS
¾ Cup All purpose flour
¾ Cup Whole wheat flour
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Oatmeal
2 tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Salt

2 Bananas, mashed
½ Cup Soy milk, unflavored
1 Egg
2 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 tsp Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Vanilla
1 ½ Cups Fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk to blend. Place bananas in a separate, large bowl. Stir in milk, egg, oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and then add the blueberries. Mix.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and serve!

SOURCE: Zorba Pastor on Your Health

Kitty Boys and Celeb Follow-UP

Scroll down to see photos of Zeke in his new glasses!

Pray for the kitty boys. They are at the vet getting their teeth cleaned. They are put under anesthesia for this. I always hate the fact that I can't explain to them what's going on. They were both growling around at me this morning because they were hungry. However, I had to take away their food as of 10 last night. So, if all goes well, I will pick them up this afternoon after I get Zeke.

On the celeb look alikes...That photo of my (Missy's) doppelganger IS Elinor Donahue, aka the chic from the Andy Griffith Show. It's just a later photo of her that I think looks even more like me! The resemblance is scary!

Pics of Specs

We're now using the head strap to keep the glasses up on his nose. Otherwise, as you can see, he lets them slide down and he just looks over the top of them.

Zeke's Glasses, Day 1

We got Zeke's glasses yesterday evening. Oh mercy, he is so CUTE in them! We went to Target. We were eating a snack in the cafe and these two older ladies literally stopped and stared at Zeke. They were just watching him with these big grins on their faces. Zeke was obliviously eating his cookie. I didn't think it was possible for Zeke to be any cuter but he is extra cute in his specs. I know...shame on me for not posting any photos. I will soon! I just hope that today at daycare, he doesn't break his glasses. I also hope the other kids don't bother them.

Celebrity Dopplegangers

This week on Facebook, people are changing their profile pic to their "celebrity doppleganger." Brad thinks I look like Mary Eleanor "Elinor" Donahue.


Brad wasn't sure who he looks like. I suggested Tom Cruise. I actually had someone ask me once if I had met Tom Cruise. I said, "No. Why?" The person said, "That looks like you and Tom Cruise in that picture." It was me and Brad. Of course, I would argue Brad is MUCH better looking than Tom Cruise.

Who do you think our celebrity look-alikes are?

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.