Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours! We hope your holiday season has been filled with love and joy!

Perfect Moment Monday: Answers

As you remember from my last perfect moment post, we were waiting for news from Victor's visit to pea's birth grandparents...

Later that evening, we received an email from Victor stating he had just spoken with pea's birth mother and was going to meet her within the hour! What a complete surprise!! Victor took her pictures of pea and a letter we wrote.

A couple days later, we were blessed with about 18 pictures of pea's birth mother and another family member. Amazing.

We also received more information about pea's birth family.

It has been a whirl of emotions, but I feel a huge weight lifted knowing we have made a connection with them.

It was such a perfect moment to see pea's face reflected back to us in these pictures...something most of us take for granted. A perfect moment of not having to wonder or fantasize. A least for a moment.

It was definitely a moment full of emotions and my mind has been reeling ever since. We are not sure how this will evolve, but making this connection is truly a gift.

Check out more Perfect Moment's HERE.

Before and After - Final

We have FINALLY finished our dining room! One room down...many more to go!

You have seen this picture, but here is the BEFORE.......drum roll, please....


AFTER!!!

I LOVE it!!! What a huge difference, eh?!?! Who wants to come over for dinner? :)

Next...we are building a kitchen island to make our kitchen more functional until we can tackle that remodel project (a few years).

Searching - Perfect Moment Monday

This past week brought a completely unexpected surprise through a random chain of events. I contacted Victor last week (in Guatemala) to arrange a time to skype with pea's foster family. In the meantime, I joined the Guat Mama group on facebook and was reading a thread about birth family searches. One fellow Guat Mama posted she hired Victor to search for her daughter's birth mother and had a wonderful experience. So, I contacted her for more information. One thing led to another and I found myself corresponding with Victor about a search.

Now, we have always planned to search for pea's birth family, but had planned to wait a little longer for various reasons. But, pea's birth family has been on my mind A LOT lately, especially after the slew of earthquakes and tropical storms that hit Guatemala this summer. I would have these moments of panic thinking, what if we miss an opportunity and it's gone forever?

Then, last Friday, I received an email from Victor stating he had found pea's birth grandparents. My heart stopped.

Victor explained that he traveled four hours ONE WAY to the town where they live and was able to get some basic information. He did not meet with them at that time because he needed to do some preliminary investigating first. Now, mind you, he was doing this on his own time. We have not paid him a dime, yet, and we had no idea he was going so soon!

I couldn't believe what I was reading. My heart swelled and I started shaking. For a moment...time stood still and shifted as this possibility seemed to be opening up.

This was a perfect moment of possibility.

The possibility of finding the family that gave my son life.

The possibility of getting information, any information, is amazing. Simply amazing.

The possibility of making a connection, whatever it may be, across the boundaries of country and culture. Because, regardless of what separates us...we will always be connected. Always.

Today, Victor is traveling again with the intent of meeting with pea's grandparents and, possibly, his birthmother.

Needless to say, our hearts are reaching across the miles today...filled with hope and possibility.

Check out more Perfect Moment Monday HERE.

November Roundup

Time to reflect on the past month! November FLEW by so fast and I can't believe it is already December. Here is a summary of November musings, activities, and other random stuff.

1. I am trying to accept that "mommy guilt" is just an innate part of being a mom. I definitely struggle with this, though it ebbs and flows. At the same time, it is also a measure for me. When the guilt starts growing, I know it's time to slow down and prioritize. I just try to remind myself that I can choose to allow the guilt to eat at me or I can choose to use it as a guide to shift gears a little.

2. Pea has started showing an interest in watching Scooby Doo lately, which means straying from Nick Jr. Which means...COMMERCIALS. I.HATE.COMMERCIALS. Thanks to commercials, pea thinks he needs a cotton candy maker. We try to stick to watching shows on the DVR so we can skip through the commercials, but that doesn't always work out. And, yes, I shamefully admit we have been watching waaaay too much TV lately.

3. A few weeks ago, I volunteered at Challenge Day at our local high school. It was amazing. Every high school should do this. If your high school participates in Challenge Day, it is sooo worth being a volunteer. Check it out HERE. I spent 6 hours with 16 and 17 year old kids grappling with some really tough issues and I was blown away by their courage, resiliency, compassion, and willingness to take a stand. It was awesome and I learned so much from them.

4. A few months ago, pea started chewing his fingernails. Not sure why. I then discovered that he was also chewing his toenails. Gross, right? I have not trimmed his toenails or fingernails in months! I learned that he chews his toenails in bed before he falls asleep. Every time I would ask him why he chews his nails, he just shrugged his shoulders so I let it go. The other night I decided to ask him again and he told me he chews them to "get the bugs off." Yes, he thinks he has bugs on his nails and he needs to chew them off.

5. I really hate the "rivalry" between moms who stay-at-home and moms who work outside of the home. I really, really hate it. You all know what I am talking about. We are all doing the best we can so why does it need to be this way? We need to support one another, regardless of our situation.

6. I have learned that you absolutely cannot reason with a screaming, out-of-control child. If fact, saying anything is enough to escalate the situation. Deep breaths. Wait it out. Be there to give hugs when the time is right.

7. Never place a mug of coffee on top of an icy car roof. It inevitably leads to a very cranky morning.

8. I have truly been amazed with myself at how patient and calm I have been waiting for "the call." Seriously!! Of course, I have had a few anxious moments, but they are usually fleeting. I assumed I would be a crazy, anxious, stressed out mess waiting, but I know the call will come at the most perfect time and I feel freakishly calm...most of the time. :)

How was your November? Check out more monthly wrap-ups HERE.

Magic

The mind of a preschooler is, like my mom says, magical! Like all kids, pea has quite an imagination and it definitely makes life very interesting! The pure, uninhibited imagination of a peschooler is such a reminder of how much we lose as we grow older. Witnessing pea's imagination come to life everyday is so much fun...most of the time.

Pea's newest thing is his imaginary friend, his brother. He has actually been talking about his brother for awhile, but it has become NONSTOP over the last 3 weeks or so and his stories are getting more and more elaborate. He often talks about going to his brother's birthday party and driving by his brother's house. His brother does not live with us, but rather seems to move around a lot. Sometimes he lives under a bridge, sometimes down the street from us, sometimes by the fire station, etc, etc. He talks about what his brother wants for his birthday, what kind of cake he is having, his brother's favorite toys, TV shows, and more. He weaves quite a tale!

The other day, however, he was deadset on going to his brother's house when Jason picked him up from school. Jason played along for a little while by asking our typical questions about where his brother lives, what he's doing, etc, and that usually diverts the conversation enough to get home. This time, however, pea was unrelenting and kept begging to go to his brother's house. Fast forward a little to big ol' screaming fit with threats that he was going to kick us out of the house, kick "all of the people" out of the house, his brother was going to be mad at us...you get the picture. Last night, he again started begging to go to his brother's house when we were out and about. He was actually giving us specific directions like, turn left here, go straight, turn right there. Of course, it was always the opposite direction of where we were going. Luckily, we dodged another tantrum when a police car drove by, completely captivating pea's attention.

Nothin' like a police care, ambulance, or fire truck to save the day...this time.

In spite of a few fits over not being able to go to his brother's house, I love listening to pea's stories. Sometimes he makes suff up just to be funny because he is a self-described "funnyman." And, most of the time, he is still able to let his imagination run wild. It truly is magical.

Perfect Moment Monday

The other night pea and I were reading an adoption story before bedtime. We talked about being different and how his skin is like creamy hot chocolate and mommy's is like a fluffy marshmallow. We laughed as we came up with various descriptions for our skin, eyes, and hair. Then, Pea asked,

"Why are people adopted?"

We talked about how some people are not able to take care of a baby for various reasons. We looked at a picture of his birth mother and talked about how he grew in her tummy. He then snuggled up to me and said,

"I don't want to be adopted again."

My heart instantly ached as I was reminded, again, of the loss my little boy has already experienced in his life and that the fear he may have that it could happen again. It was a reminder that love, as we often know it, is not enough and that attachment is not a one time event for adoptive families. It is a process that ebbs and flows throughout life and presents new challenges with each developmental stage.

This perfect moment presented itself in a seemingly imperfect way, but that is often where we find the most precious things! I squeezed pea extra tight that night and we snuggled a little longer than usual knowing these are the moments that help bond us together. And, whatever adoption issues come our way over the years, we will navigate through them together.

Check out more Perfect Moment Monday HERE.

FFF - Give Thanks

I have so much to be thankful for this year. This has been a really transformational year for me, which required a lot of soul searching. The year started out with plans to move away, start a new life in a new city, and change careers. Something I thought I REALLY wanted to do for a very long time. For several years, I just couldn't wait for the perfect opportunity to make such a huge change. Then...the opportunity came. It was right in my fingertips...I was so excited and swept away with all of these new possibilities. A new beginning. It's what I wanted, right?

But, I walked away. It was an extremely difficult decision and I really cried my eyes out in the midst of letting it go...letting go of the dream that I had been holding so tightly for so long. I was scared of what that meant, what I was losing, wondering what would happen now, and having this fear of being "trapped."

But, as the dust started to settle, I felt a weight slowly start to lift and I started to see my life with a new vision, a bit cloudy, but still new. I started to realize that I was not ready to walk away from the life I have. I started to open up my heart and mind to setting roots and really building a life right here. It was not at all what I expected. But, that seems to be the story of my life!

It took having the real opportunity to walk away to realize what I already have and to really envision creating a new beginning right here. Once that decision was made, everything seemed to start falling into place and, for the first time since moving back to my hometown 10 years ago, I finally feel like I belong here. I finally feel like this is home.

Finally feeling settled and knowing this is where we are going to be for a long time is a pretty amazing after feeling so restless for so long. I can finally let go and allow myself to find my place here.

So, this year, I am so grateful to finally feel at home and I am so in love with our life, the life that we completely unexpected!

( I am also so in love with this beautiful Japanese Maple!)

Check out more FFF on Hannah's blog HERE.

UPDATE!!!!!! AMAZING NEWS and perfect for Giving Thanks!!! Remember my dear friends, Brittney & Daniel?? They have been fighting like mad for THREE years to bring their daughter home from Guatemala and they recently find out that they FINALLY have PGN approval!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go give them lots of bloggy love. They are sooooo ready for their sweet girl to come home. Click HERE.

Perfect Moment Monday (I know, it's Tuesday!)

Have you checked out Write Mind Open Heart (formally Webbles Wobblog)? She rocks! Every Monday she hosts Perfect Moment Monday. It is about noticing a perfect moment, not creating one. My sister often talks about Perfect Moments so I was immediately drawn to this idea. And, after losing my patience too many times over the weekend to a very bossy pea, it helped me to step back and find a perfect moment in the midst of some not-so-perfect moments!

Here goes:

I LOVE popcorn!! I especially love popcorn cooked on the stove and drizzled in real butter. YUM! That is a rare guilty pleasure as I usually just indulge in the generic microwave variety. Pea also looooooves popcorn and gets so excited he literally bounces around the kitchen as the popcorn pops. The other night I got out two little bowls for our popcorn and pea suddenly stopped jumping and ran over to me. He grabbed one really big bowl and said, "Let's share out of this bowl, mommy."

We then snuggled on the couch under a blanket with our big bowl of popcorn and watched Dino Dan (pea's newest obsession). Pea then gave me a big hug and said, "I love sharing popcorn with you mommy! This is the best!"

Definitely a perfect moment!

Check out more Perfect Moments HERE and link up to share your own Perfect Moment!

What I learned last month

One of my favorite new blogs is Strocel. Every month she posts what she has learned over the month and I love that idea! Sometimes it feels like life is just flying by at lighting speed so I love this idea of reflecting back on what has really mattered over the last month. So, here it goes...

Over the past month I have learned...

• My husband is incredibly handy! He has worked so hard on our house and I am amazed at how much he can do! I remember back when we were buying our first house and he was so nervous about being able to take care of things. Well, he is awesome!


• I have also discovered that my hubby does so much more for our family than what I often give him credit. That is very humbling for me.


• Over the past month, I have really grown to loathe dinner time. Mind you, I love to cook so it is not that. It is the end of the day transition...everyone (eh hem...Pea) is tired, grumpy, and hungry. Predinner time is also known as the witching hour in our house when the little monster emerges. Once dinner is on the table, then I hear "I don't like that. I want something else." Now, pea eats about ANYTHING. I believe this is more about a 3 year old trying to assert some control! It's just a phase, right?!


• Unfortunately, I have discovered that stress has wreaked havoc on my teeth. During pea's adoption process, I started experiencing a lot of jaw and tooth pain. Come to discover I had started grinding my teeth at night. Now I wear a bite splint every night and it makes a huge difference. But, the damage had already been done and my tooth is now cracked. It's a crown for me. Sheez.


• I am constantly amazed at pea's memory. He has this ability to randomly pull out memories of things that happened ONE TIME months and months ago. I have no idea how he does this when I can barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday. He only needs to see or hear something once and he will remember. Sometimes they are not things I want him to remember...for example, today he mentioned the time I hit a mailbox when we were parking at a garage sale. This happened MONTHS ago! I nicked a mailbox with my mirror and all I said was "OOPS! I hit that mailbox." We never talked about it again until this morning. How does he remember this stuff?!


• Over the past month, I have been reminded that I work with some pretty amazing people who are some of my best friends.


• My dad received a prestigious distinguished alumni award last month from his Alma mater and I was so proud. I learned all over again that my dad is amazing. I love you, dad!
  
  

What have you learned this month? Check out more month in reviews HERE.

FFF - Family Fun

We definitely like to have fun! And, we most often find it in the simple, everyday stuff. One of our favorite activities are family walks in our neighborhood. Have I mentioned how much we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our new neighborhood??? All pea wants to do is ride his bike and he just can't seem to go fast enough! Typically our walking route entails going to the fire station. Shocking, I know! We no longer live right beside a fire station, but we still live within walking distance of another one!
Another fav activity is playing in the yard. Pea decided that using the tee to hit the ball is just too boring. In fact, he is actually pretty good at hitting a pitched ball! He is much better at hitting that I am at pitching!

Just hangin' around at home. Pea and his daddy ALWAYS have fun together. Daddy has a very special way to always make pea laugh. I just love watching them play together.

Check out more FFF at Hannah's blog HERE and have a great weekend!

Welcome!!!

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Peas and Carrots!!!

Ya know, I really debated over the new name and felt like it needed to be something really deep and meaningful, but nothing felt right. And, to be honest, I just couldn't give up "pea!" So, what pairs perfectly with peas??? Carrots, of course! A perfect pair with their own unique little qualities. I think it's perfect.

As you will notice, I also couldn't leave everything behind so I just moved all of my previous posts to our new little piece of the blogosphere.

Hang in with me as I get settled in our new home and do some organizing and cleaning. In the meantime, make sure you don't miss any other BIG announcements by

signing up as a follower. :)

Siblings and family connections

I recently started reading some of the blogs in the Open Adoption Blogs network (check it out HERE) and there have been a lot of discussions around siblings lately through the open adoption round table. It was perfect timing because I have been thinking a lot lately about pea's birth family and the birth family of our future child. At this time, we do not have any contact with pea's birth family, but we do have some limited information, which is incredibly invaluable. But, it isn't enough. I want more. I have been feeling this sense of loss knowing pea's birth family is out there, somewhere. Knowing that there is an entire family, community, culture connected to my son that we know very little about is very painful sometimes. These are pieces of my son. Parts of his life story. And, there are others in this world who look like him. I find that so amazing to think about. I don't know why, but maybe it is because those connections seem so far away and out of reach. We really hope to find some of pea's birth family, but there is definitely a possibility that we may not, given some of the circumstances.

We are very lucky to have a few pictures of pea's birth mother. I look at her picture and I can see my son through her eyes. I often wonder if his siblings have the same eyes, the same mannerisms, and the same little quirks that make my heart smile. Perhaps one day, pea will be able to see a reflection of himself through his birth family. But, until that time, we just hold on tight to what we do have.

With that said, however, I can definitely see how a lack of information and connection can lead to the development of fantasies about birth families. I even find myself doing it. With no information, we create the story and image that feels the most comforting. So, how do we develop "realistic" images of birth families that we do not know? And, most importantly, how do we help our children do this as well?

How do you try to "fill the gaps" without creating a fantasy image of birth families? And, how do you do it in a way that is validating? As pea starts to ask more questions (specifically, why? why? why?), I sometimes find myself stumbling around trying to answer his questions in simple terms, but I struggle at times! I would love to hear your approach and any tips for having these conversations with your little ones.

FFF - Fall Fun

We have been having a lot of fun this fall and definitely keeping busy! It has been all about pumpkins and Halloween around our house lately. Pea has visited three pumpkin patches so we are up to our ears in pumpkins!

The pumpkin fest started a couple weeks ago...
Pea probably would have taken home every pumpkin in the patch. This is his "cheese" smile.

Posing with Mr. Pumpkinhead

We also rode the pumpkin train which took us to a little pumpkin patch and then pea went on a field trip with his preschool class to yet another pumpkin patch.


Halloween also started tonight for us with a super fun Halloween party! My mom's group put on a really great Halloween party for all the kiddos and pea had so much fun. They played pin the nose on the witch, climbed in and out of tunnels, played tag, and went trick or treating in the "spooky" hallway. Pea especially enjoyed being on stage putting on his "show." He is definitely a little ham sometimes and knows how to milk it! Here is his little spidey pose before "spinning" into his dance routine.

He definitely took center stage!

Those of you on facebook know that pea initially wanted to be a booger for Halloween...then it was a snake...then it was the Masked Avenger (from Backyardigans)...then it was Mr. Cracker (????)...then it was a shark...a chicken...he finally said he wanted to be spiderman. After all that and he ends up being spiderman??? (Oh, you may also remember that last year he really wanted to be a giant clam.) Should I admit I was a little disappointed he changed his mind about being a booger?? How funny would that have been? I had a really great costume idea, too. Oh well! He makes a mighty fine spiderman!

We have more activities this coming week, too. The Halloween parade, trick or treat night, and a fall fest. Hope you are having a fun fall, too!! Check out more FFF on Hannah's blog HERE.

Still waiting...

for the phone to ring!! This adoption process so far has been very different for many, many reasons. For starters, the paperwork for this adoption was a BREEZE compared to Eli's adoption. Nothing really compares to compiling an international dossier! But, we were required to complete an adoption profile, which is a profile (kind of a like a scrapbook) all about our family. When we first started exploring adoption many years ago, the idea of creating an adoption profile really turned me off. I hated the idea of it, to be quite honest. I realize now I was just scared and very uneasy about domestic adoption for many reasons. And, it just did not feel like the right path for us at the time. We were so strongly drawn to Guatemala and, of course, now we know why!

Even so, domestic adoption still made me uneasy. There are so many misconceptions about adoption and about the women who make an adoption plan and I am sure that fueled some of my fears. I also felt very nervous about the idea of an open adoption. Would that somehow undermine my role as mom? Would it be too confusing? Too complicated? Too messy? What if she changes her mind? etc, etc, etc. It certainly is A LOT to think about and requires much soul searching. And, it is extremely important to explore these fears and concerns before moving forward.

But, now that I am a mom, an adoptive mom, and a mom in a multiracial family, my perspective has completely shifted and I am not scared at all. I realize that many of my previous fears were very self-centered, but that is because I did not have any other experiences to draw from. Now I know that it is not all about me. Why would I NOT want my child to know his/her birth family, to have answers, information, someone to resemble, and, most importanly, more love? Yes, it could be messy and complicated, but...aren't all families? One of the greatest gifts I can give my children is an open heart - open to the fact that each of my children has a family and a cultural history completely different than my own. It is part of who they are. I am certainly not naive to think it won't sometimes feel uncomfortable or be difficult, but navigating those waters is my responsibility as a parent.

We have no idea what the next phone call will bring. We have no idea what our relationship with the birth family will look like. What we do know is that our family will grow in ways we probably do not expect! It is very exciting. Of course, we are nervous, but our hearts are wide open and we are ready.

Waiting for Baby

Waiting...waiting...waiting for the phone to ring. The phone call that will forever change our lives...again. The first few weeks was a piece of cake, but now I am starting to feel a tad bit anxious. I realize I have not written much at all about this process so far so that will be the next post. In the meantime, here are a few more before and after photos.

Baby's room BEFORE. Lovely calico carpet!



Post carpet


Just before the floor sanding commenced.


AFTER!!! What a difference





Ready to personalize for baby! We took the shutters off in order to paint them white. My brother is also in the process of recovering the cushion on the glider and ottoman.



Pea LOVES going into the baby's room. After the furniture was moved into the room, Pea announced he wanted to see the baby's room. He ran in and said "Awwwwww...this is a cute baby room! I love it!' Last week Pea went into the baby's room and said "maybe the baby is in here now."



Pea also asked me last week when we were going to Guatemala to get his baby brother. Yes, now he thinks he is getting a brother. I explained that the baby was not going to be born in Guatemala and he seemed very perplexed because, after all, aren't all babies born in Guatemala? :)

Pea Faces

Pea has been learning about feelings this week at school (and he certainly expresses a lot of them!) so he had fun showing me all of his "faces." He took a break from building his firehouse and firetrucks for this game.

Happy face...so sweet!

Awwww...the sad face.

Mad face...he was trying really hard not to laugh so this is not really a true reflection of his mad face. Actually, his mad face is a full body experience.

Excited! This is the silly kind of excited.

He called this is "ferocious" face. I love the half chewed candy corn in his mouth!

His "empty" face. Not sure what to think about that description. Are they talking about empty feelings at preschool?!?!

Sleepy face.

And...the SILLY face. Fire hat, blinking glasses, and...dare I admit to this...a fart sound toy. Ahhh...the joys of being a boy.

Before and After

Just so you know...we really have been working very hard on our house so here is a little taste. I need to take some more "after" pictures so I will post more later.

First of all, here she is!! We have done NOTHING outside so we are surrounded by a jungle right now. As you can see, there is a strip of grassless yard in the front...one week before our closing the water company discovered a leak in the main water line. The previous owners had it repaired right away and paid for it! We were so lucky! Plus, the initial plan was to tear up the driveway, but thank goodness they found a way around that.

Pea's room BEFORE. Lavendar walls and lovely purple carpet! You can see the "after" in my previous post. We ripped out the carpet and had the hardwood floor refinished. We painted the walls and the woodwork. My brother is also currently working on some super duper cute valances for pea's room and I can't wait to see them! You may remember that he also made pea's crib skirt and a matching valance. We are reusing those in the baby's room.

Our lovely, lovely dining room...BEFORE! There were three layers of wallpaper, ugly paneling, and hideous carpet. We ripped out the carpet and had the hardwood floor refinished. It is BEAUTIFUL! We took down the paneling and all of the wallpaper. Painted the ceiling (including the beams), walls, and woodwork. Then, my brother worked his magic, yet again, by designing and installing the custom wainscotting. He is a genius. Seriously! He and my brother-in-law can do absolutely ANYTHING house related from custom window treatments to major renovations. They have been more than generous with their time in helping us with some of our projects. Oh, and the wall to the right will eventually be opened up into the kitchen. AFTER...we still need to paint the wainscotting (white), but it is already a huge improvement! (don't worry, the curtains are gone!)
There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are slowly making it OUR home. It really is a great feeling! Yes, the work really sucks and we are a little tired of it, but we have a lot of the major stuff done for now so we can slow down for awhile, especially when the baby arrives. By the way, the nursery is painted, the crib is ready, itty bitty onesies and sleepers are in the dresser...all patiently waiting.

FFF - Jump!

Okay, this is not a "literal" jump...but, our family is definitely jumping feet first into some big changes! We recently finished painting pea's room and he was finally able to "jump" up into his real big boy bed. He is very excited and even told me the next day I was not allowed in "his" room. What?? I thought that didn't happen until the teen years?!?!

Next is the baby's room! We will be painting that room this weekend and we have to get it set up ASAP because....we are officially APPROVED! Woohoo!!!! So, that means we could get a call any any time and that call could be "can you be at the _____(fill in the blank) hospital in 24 hours" or we could get a call to be matched with a birth mother due in 8-10 weeks. According to our adoption coordinator, there is a high probability we could receive the first kind of call so we have to be prepared. This process has been so completely different so it is a little hard for us to wrap our minds around everything! One question a lot of people have been asking us is if we can choose the gender of the baby and the answer is no. So it will be a big surprise! How fun is that?! Pea is convinced he is getting a sister...time will tell! Nothing like "jumping" right in with no idea what that next phone call will bring!

See more FFF posts at Hannah's blog HERE.

Bargain Hunter or Hoarder?

You all know from previous posts that I love a good bargain! So, I have been taking FULL advantage of some pretty amazing diaper deals to get ready for our newest addition! I have been carrying around all of these diapers in my trunk for about 3 months and finally decided it was time to take them out (the nesting has begun!). Pea decided to take full advantage and built himself a diaper house. I counted up the diapers and figured we are stocked up for about six months! Isn't that crazy?!?! Seriously, I got these diapers either free or under $5.00 a package. Who can pass that up?!

So, we are finally starting to settle in more at our new house. All of our floors are either newly carpeted or refinished (hardwood) so we have been able to start unpacking a little and arranging our furniture. Before the floors were finished, we were basically living out of one room! It feels so great to be able to spread out and really start to enjoy our house. We still have a lot of work to do, but we can relax a little more now.

Adoption news...we had our final home study visit last Sunday and we are almost ready to go "active." That means we will be ready to take a call at any time. Our agency has been informing us that we could be matched very quickly so we have to be prepared. Consequently, we had to delay our process a little bit due to our move (unthinkable, I know!). We could be matched with a birth mother who is due in 10 weeks (generally no longer that that) or we could be given a 24 hour notice to be at the hospital. This process has been completely different and the idea that it could possibly happen quickly is a little mind boggling! Of course, we all know that the adoption process is unpredictable so anything is possible. Even so, we are excited and nervous about the possibility of welcoming another child into our family in the next few months.

Pea is also starting preschool next week so that will be a very big change for him. But, I think he is going to love it!

This summer has been about big changes for our family...new house, new day care, and preparing for a new baby. Very exciting stuff!

Work hard, play hard

We really did not intend to buy a fixer-upper, but...that is what we fell in love with! And, it is A LOT of work. We will be spending the rest of our lives fixing up this house. Thank goodness I have a handy husband and some REALLY handy and creative family members! We have not really been able to unpack much, yet, but we should be able to settle in more over the next few weeks after all of our flooring is done. We also have our second homestudy visit on August 15th so we really need to get a bit more settled before then! Right now, our house looks like a construction zone.

Painting the living room.

Three layers of beautiful wallpaper in our dining room. (There were four layers in the upstairs hallway!)

Lovely, eh? All of this wallpaper is at least 50 years old.

In spite of all the work, there has still been some time for play! Pea loves his new backyard. Our yard is MUCH smaller than our previous yard so that has been a little adjustment, but we love it. Oh, the bike in the pool is what happens when daddy is in charge. :)

At the kids fest.
The highlight of our week....meeting PABLO!!!! I made the "mistake" of mentioning to pea that Pablo was coming to town and he asked about it several times a day, every day, for two weeks.

Coming up for air

The last few weeks have been caRAZY! Packing, moving, unpacking, ripping out carpet, tearing down wallpaper, and visiting with family! Oh, and throw a homestudy visit in there somewhere. :) We are TIRED and it has only just begun. We moved into our new house last weekend (FINALLY!!!) and we have A LOT of work to do. Jason's parents came in for the weekend to help out so Jason and his dad spent 12 hours ripping out carpet and then we had lots more help from my family the next day on the hottest day of the summer. It was brutal!



So, the next few weeks, months, years...will be spent working on our house. Even so, we LOVE it and we are going to be here a long time. Seriously. I am never moving again.



If you've got nothing to do this weekend, bring your scrapper and paint roller and come on over!

Ugly deer scene wallpaper...GONE!

Jason and his dad ripping up the living room carpet.

Pea running wild in the chaos.