Christmas Roundup

Christmas was a pretty low key affair this year. Rocky still believes, but chances are just barely and this is probably his last year. He got a bunch of Star Wars stuff (surprise) and some Lego's. Probably less than he's ever got, but he didn't seem to notice. The girls got some clothes and things they asked for. We had some assorted family over for dinner & it was a nice evening. Steff had to get up at 3am as they were heading to New Orleans for their mission trip, and the bus left at 4am. We left the house early as we needed to stop at the cash station. Good thing we left early as the darn ATM sucked up my card! How rude! It wouldn't give it back. Luckily enough we had time to run home & borrow from Shannon. I dropped her off & was back in my nice warm bed by 4:15(ish)am. She said they tore the roof off a church yesterday & that she had a sunburned face. Sounds like it's going well.

Christmas Preparations

We've been entirely too busy getting ready for Christmas, among other things. Tonight we created our Gingerbread Train, and made some cookie dough. Here's some pictures of the best helper ever.
Decorating the train...



Making the dough...


and finally, the tree. This is the smallest tree we've ever had. Small, but beautiful!

"Content of Their Character"

"They will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Can you imagine how great this world would be? We still have so much work to do...

Shopping

What to get for that person that has everything? How about a copy of the NEW Faces of Layla Book? Perfect for anyone who has or is in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Erin's review here is great! "Faces of Layla: A Journey Through Ethiopian Adoption" is a beautiful, large, hard-cover book that is full of stunning photographs of life in Addis Ababa and of Ethiopian orphaned children living at Adoption Advocates International's Layla House orphanage. The photographs are by photographer Emma Dodge Hanson, the foreward is by author Melissa Fay Greene and the text is by author Jennifer Armstrong. You can order a copy through the BenefitOrphans website
here or go directly to the AAI website & they can gift wrap it for you.
For more gifts that BenefitOrphans be sure to check it out! Great gifts galore!

Thankful

I am very Thankful for

My kids - they are indisputably and undeniably best things that ever happened to me. I can not imagine my life with them in it (even with the chaos).
My family - I love my family dearly. I am so thankful that they live close enough that we can celebrate together and remain close.
My health - without my health, where would I be? I thank God each & every day for my health, my kid's health, and my family's health.
My country - we have access in this country to so many things other people only dream about; clean water, an abundance of food, warm clothing, a solid structure to shelter us from the elements.
My friends - I would be lost without the love and support and humor of all my friends, those that I see all the time, and those on-line whom I've never met.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Favorite Adoption Post

Thanks to Erin at Transracial-Transcultural Adoptions Blogs for this one.

Adoption Is Hope

Thank you Erin.

Blessings...

I have been reading a lot of different posts regarding adoptions on a lot of different blogs. Nancy's post here really got me thinking about how my own life has evolved. I was pregnant at 18 & when my husband (boyfriend at the time) told my parents, I subsequently moved out. I had been living at home, working & attending a junior college. I couldn't live there anymore, it was not a pleasant place to be. My parents thought adoption would be the best plan, and wanted me to seriously consider it. It wasn't a plan I wanted, or wanted to hear about, so my husband's (boyfriend at the time!) parent's allowed me to move in with them while we searched for an apartment we could afford. I was so fortunate to have my in-laws on 'my side'. We got on with our lives, we began to heal the relationship with my parents, and we began to prepare for the baby. When my oldest was almost 8 months old, we were expecting again! A shock definitely, we were taking all the appropriate 'measures' to make sure that didn't happen. We weathered on, 2 stupid kids really. Then my husband passed away when Shannon was about 16 months & I was 8 months pregnant with my middle child.
I had a choice and I am glad I made the choice I did. I am where I am today, single parent to 3 of the most amazing kids I know, because of strength, determination, faith, love, and the willingness to do whatever it took to keep us afloat. Luckily enough for me, it was not only me that had those characteristics, my family had them as well.

Pictures!

I realized today, that I absolutely need to add some pictures to this blog, so here goes.



ALL 3 were in a wedding in early October! Aren't they too cute! Out of 5 pictures, this was best - yikes! Too bad we couldn't get everyone to look at the camera & smile at the same time... Rocky thinks it's 'cute' now to make faces at the camera, so I don't think we'll ever get another decent photo. Oh well!

Ethiopian Diamond

Since the girls were both busy over the weekend, Rocky & I headed up to the North Side for dinner Saturday night at the Ethiopian Diamond. We had a blast. The lady asked us if we woudln't mind sitting in the back, and Rocky said sure! He wanted to be close to the band that was playing. We had a great time. He enjoyed the music & watching the musicians, and the food was delicious. Mmmmmmmm. Can't wait to go again!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Rocky's golden birthday! He's 9 on the 9th! He had a good day. He brought homemade cupcakes for his treat. For his special birthday dinner he picked: chicken drumsticks, tater babies, and egg salad. A rather disgusting combination, I know. The girls & I had Mac & Cheese and some cheese pizza bites. We had his grandfather over for some birthday cake & ice cream, then he opened some gifts from me. He was so happy!
Here's a cute picture of the handsome young man. He was in a wedding this weekend & really enjoyed wearing his tuxedo. He even kept the jacket on in the 90 degree heat!

Dossier - DONE!!!

The good news is the dossier is done! The BETTER news is that it arrived at the agency's office Monday morning!! Woo hoo!!
It's so exciting, yet overwhelming to be done with this part of the process. While I was paperwork chasing, I was in control, kind of. Now, we wait, and I have no control over what happens. A very odd feeling for me.

Anyway, here's a cute Back to School shot!

Summer Vacation

We decided to squeeze in a summer vacation right before the kids started back. We got a HOT deal on a trip to the Bahamas, Nassau to be exact. 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo right on the beach. Luckily enough, the kids got their passports about 2 weeks before. Booked the vacation Weds. around 11:30 pm., left Saturday morning at 9am. Not a lot of time to get ready, but you really only need shorts & a bathing suit, so we were set! We all had a good time, and Dean (hurricane) decided to go South, not North, so we didn't have to leave in a panic. Weather was great, water was beautiful, and we all had a nice time.

View of the island directly across from our beach!


Visiting the Pirate museum. Argh!


The boat I bought while at the Atlantis, Paradise Island (hee hee!!)


Playing in the sand...


Eating lunch..


We had a glorious vacation. Too bad we all hadto go back to school/work...

Life is a Beach

On Friday we headed to the Dunes in Michigan, one of our very favorite places! The weather was beautiful! Hot & sunny! I stayed under the beach umbrella when not in the water, to avoid being sunburned, which I hate. Stef got totally burned on her back. I kept telling her she was going to get burned, but she 'wanted to get tan'. Well, red is definitely not tan. She's still in pain today, and it's still beat red. Poor thing. Should've stayed under my umbrella, ella, ella, ella, eh, eh... sorry, didn't mean to lapse into song. Anyway, here's some fun pictures of our glorious day!

Back Yard Fun!

No matter how much I whine about having another thing to clean, I will miss the pool when we move. We had a blast out there today trying to stay cool in the 90+ degree heat. Even my father-in-law came over for pool fun & dinner! It was a great day!

TB Test - Check!

TB test completed! Just have to send the results to HS agency & I'm done with paperwork - for the time being at least! They tell me they should have the draft done next week! We are almost done! Yipee!

Adoption Update

With all the moving issues I haven't had much time to do or think about the adoption process. I let the HS agency know that the deal fell through & that I'd like to forge ahead full steam. I don't want to wait any longer in this 'holding pattern'. My brother & his beautiful wife were kind enough to send their reference paper work in. They were the last of the 5.. I have to get my TB test, then we're done. I think. I have to pull out my check list... I wonder if I packed it.

Not Sold....?

So, over the past 2 days I have been on an emotional roller coaster that unfortunately seems never ending. To make a long (very, very, long) story somewhat short, it seems that the deal may have fallen through. The lawyer found that the buyer doesn't have a job anymore. That is kind of an issue when you want to apply for a mortgage. Figures. Just when I started getting everyone used to the idea of moving. Just when I started getting myself used to the idea of moving. It's back on the MLS as of today. We'll just have to see what happens. It's a good thing we don't have much planned this weekend as we have to clear away the boxes and get the house back into 'showing' shape. Keeps us busy, right?

Sweet 16..

S (my middle one)turned 16 Saturday. Hard to believe that I'm that old... :) Seems like she was just born. She's a sweet kid, who gets REALLY good grades, loves her friends, loves her phone, has a big heart, could probably help more around the house, loves the computer, loves basketball, and Irish Dances... She really is a good kid & I'm fortunate & blessed to have her in my life. Happy Birthdday Sweetie!

For Sale!

Well, the sign is up in the front yard & it's on the MLS. This is just the temporary sign until the bigger one that goes in the ground gets installed. Today I noticed that another house down at the end of the block has a For Sale sign in it's front lawn this afternoon.. That makes 3 For Sale on my block & one across the street!!

My Mom's Day Gift

My mom is the nicest! We were at a shower recently and the mom to be received a Vera Bradley diaper bag. I am obsessed with Vera Bradley, but can never bring myself to spend that kind of money on a bag. Anyway, I remarked that she had received my favorite print. My mom, bless her soul, was kind enough to remember my favorite print & look what showed up for my Mother's Day gift...

Guitar Hero

I was at a charity auction for work last week. One of the neatest things I bid on and won was the game 'Guitar Hero'. If you haven't tried it, you really should! It is the coolest. I'm currently on tour in the Rat Cellar in Detroit.... S is so good at it she's on an overseas tour currenly in England....

Always in my room...

So, since the computer is in my room so that I can monitor who's on it & when, my room becomes the 'hang out' room. There's a TV, a nice comfy bed, one which is highly suitable for jumping!!!!

Like this....

Soccer!

R had a soccergame Saturday. We found out his team is in first place & they get to play in the Championshio game on Saturday. Bad news is that the girls have dancing in Indy Saturday too... We'll have to see if R's grandpa can keep him overnight Friday & then take him Saturday. Hopefully!
Here he is walking off the field.

Moving?

Last year I had put the house on the market. It was entirely too late in the 'season' to put it on the market. It was end of July when the listing went in. I was hopeful, but fairly certain it wasn't going to sell as the market also wasn't the greatest. Anyway, today I had a meeting with a NEW agent, & I think it might go back up next week or the week after. I would LOVE to get to a more diverse neighborhood, but I don't know if I can afford the ever increasing taxes in Oak Park... We'll have to see.
He's coming back on Thurday & we'll tlak about listing prices & all that good stuff. I know that this one will go better than last time.

Dossier Packet!!

YAY!! The dossier packet from AAI arrived in the mail on Thurday!! How exciting! However when I opened and looked at all the stuff I still need to get done I almost fainted. I mean in my head I knew how much stuff I was going to have get done, but when you see the acutal list - Holy Crap!
Anyway, I'm going to get started on the easiest things tomorrow... It's supposed to be rainy & cold all day, so perfect for being inside & getting things done. I alreay have most of the stuff, so I know I'll be fine. One step at a time, right....?

Last Home Visit

This past Tuesday was the last home visit with the Social Worker. My SW is working with an intern who will be actually writing the report. She is a really nice young lady! This is the first one she's writing, so they are working together very closely. They are both great! Anyway, the visit was set for Tuesday, 7 to 9pm, so we could finish the last of some DCFS paper work as well as make sure I have given them all the documents they needed to finish the HS. Since they had met the kids last time, they wanted to know if we would could have some time without interruption to get some of it done. Luckily enough R has soccer practice Tuesday's so I wasn't worried figuring they would be with R at soccer. Well, then it rained all day Tuesday so of course practice was cancelled. Figures. So I gave them some money & sent them off to dinner by themselves (remember my oldest 2 are 17 & 15). I told them to return as close to 9pm as they could. The visit went well & we got through the licensing paper work for DCFS. They don't think we'll need another visit, which is great! The kids went to dinner as Applebee's & gave the waitress a 40% tip! I betcha she loved them!! She probably cringed when she realized she had been seated 3 kids... Little did she know!

Happy Mother's Day!

I am thankful for & know that I am fortunate to be blessed with such wonderful kids! This morning they brought me breakfast in bed - pancakes, bacon, & toast, with a wonderfully yummy mug of coffee. Then they gave me with presents. Very nice! Each one bought or made me something. It was so very sweet! They really outdid themselves this year.
To top it off, they even did the dishes once the tray was brought downstairs.
This afternoon we went to my mom's for dinner. It was a great dinner & we had a lovely evening. My brother & sister-in-law were there and the kids had a great time checking out the cicadas under the rocks.
Then we came home & since it was still fairly early, we brought my son's bike out of the garage. For the first time ever he was able to ride it! I was SO happy for him! He just needs to work on pedaling up hill & he'll be fine! What a great ending to a great Mother's Day!

Saturday Night

Last night was my big Saturday night on the town. I went to a surprise 65th for my Uncle M at the Clubhouse in Oakbrook. Very nice & he was very surprised. My Uncle is my Dad's brother. My dad passed away 4 years ago from pulmonary fibrosis. His sister had it & passed away a few years before he did. My uncle has it, but he is doing very well. He was diagnosed with it about 2 years ago which is awesome that he has come this far! We were very happy to celebrate his birthday. Most times death is within 2 years of diagnosis. It truly is a horrible disease. Thankfully my Uncle is doing extremely well! It was a great celebration with the whole family & truly great evening!

Soccer Today!

Well the little guy had his second soccer game today, but it was the first one I saw. Last week I was luck enough to be in an adoption education class all Saturday. Anyway, his game was at 1pm today. The weather was beautiful! He played very well. He's much better as a forward than on defense. His team won, which was very nice. Then we came home & I decided to clean out the inside of my car. The kids tend to leave all the kids crap, I mean precious stuff and it becomes a pit. So I got the vacuum & a garbage bag, and off I went. 2 hours later you could actually see the carpet on the floor and see out the windows! It's so nice to have a clean car! At least the inside anyway!
Woo Hoo!!!

I'll Stand By You

From Amrican Idol Gives Back. Carrie Underwood in Africa. Very moving footage & a very fitting song.....

You Raise Me Up..

Josh Groban & the African Children's Choir. Awesome...

My Wish

From American Idol Gives Back. Happens to be one of middle daughter's favorite songs.

Adoption Education

Ok - Sorry for the mini vacation there, I'm back. I have to do 10 hours of adoption education for DCFS requirements (need a foster license for adoption only), as well as adoption education hours through AAI, and one of the tools is a set of DVD's. The DVD's are broken into 4 sets of disks, and there are 4 sets of tests to take after each 'module'. So every night I load a disc into our personal DVD player and watch. Each mod is about an hour in length. I have watched 2 disks, a total of 3 mods, and taken 3 online tests. Each one is scored & the results are sent off, somewhere... So far, I've aced all 3!! Too bad I fell asleep in the beginning of the second one & had to watch the whole darn thing all over. Note to self - Don't watch them in bed after a long day at work! Anyway, it's going fine, but I want to finish soon! I have one more mod, one more test, but 2 discs left. The last disk you are not tested on, but they talk about a lot of resources & things, so I want to see that one too. Tomorrow I have a 6 hour adoption seminar that I have to attend. That will get me through the rest of my hours. The seminar tomorrow deals more with domestic adoption, but I am sure it will be helpful. It may even help with my youngest, as he has MANY questions & thoughts about his own adoption that are popping up now that we are going through the process, so it will be interesting to hear what they say. Anyway, the young lad has his first ever soccer game tomorrow! Great timing! Anyway, the girls are going to take him for me, hopefully someone will remember to take pictures for me. I'm sad that I'm going to miss it.... Well, there's another one next weekend, and the weekend after that, and after that...

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!! Last night (4/7) I headed out to the backyard to put the recycling into the bin (yes, that probably is the most dreaded job in the house). Anyway, I look past the lovely view of the bowling alley parking lot behind our house to try & see where the loud noises I hear are coming from. Low & behold it's fireworks! Yes folks, Easter fireworks! Very Strange... They were the big kind, not like the kind your neighbor does at the 4th of July. This was the picnic in the park kind, big booms & all. So I yelled for the kids to come & see. The oldest 2 couldn't care less, but the little guy& I stood outside to watch. We huddled by the dryer vent for warmth (it was only 20 degrees out ya know) while watching a beautiful display. Here's some pix. Not the best, but it was cold & I was shivering...

I wonder what we will do to celebrate Easter 2008?

Home Visit

The first home visit will be April 12th, while the kids are on Spring Break. Luckily enough for me (please note the sarcasm), it's on a Thursday, so I'm sure the house will be immaculate - NOT! Also, since I am planning on taking Thursday & Friday off from work, that means I most certainly will be working late on Weds., which means midnight cleaning! Can't wait. To top it off, she isn't coming until 1pm, which means I have to convince my son to eat breakfast & head right outside. Do not pass go and do not collect $200 either! Oh well, I'm sure she's seen a somewhat disorganized house ("What do you mean the PS2 controllers don't belong on the floor in front of the TV? Really?") before, right?
Now, I have to warn her about the 4 beers at the wedding two years ago story that my son repeatedly tells at the most inopportune times, or bribe him not to bring it up at all.... I don't normally drink, at all, EVER. At my cousin's wedding, I happened to drink a couple of beers. My lovely daughters happened to tell him that I had 4! To this day he still talks about, it must have made a BIG impression. Most times, like in the Kohl's dressing room, he just says loudly "Mom, I know you like to drink beer. You were drinking a lot at that wedding." I am sure everyone there thought I probably over indulge frequently. Which is why I feel the need to get my story out there before he does... We'll have to see

A Few of my favorite things..

A kiss from a friend... or is he trying to eat his ear?

Sure I can drive one handed, no worries!

Say Cheese!

Who is that hooded driver?

My sweeties!

Envelopes...

Ok - I bought 2, count 'em, 2 boxes of envelopes today at the store! Now I can send in the fingerprint receipt & about 6 pages of paperwork so they can begin the background check. The girls had to fill out paperwork to, as they are over 13. I told the middle one that I hope I don't get a surprise when hers comes back - Ha Ha! She didn't find it quite so amusing. I cracked myself up.
Anyway, she kept me company on my journey to Arts to get printed yesterday, She also couldn't find the bathroom there on the 2nd floor after two trips upstairs. After we left, she reminded me she still had to go, so we stopped at Mickey D's. Then we headed back home to meet the other 2.
This evening I finished filling out some of the back ground check paperwork. I get to put those papers into the envelopes (yay!) I just bought & drop them in the mail tomorrow.
Now, if I have stamps, I'll be all set!

Fingerprints Today!

Today I got my DCFS fingerprints done at Art's. I have to send in the receipt & the first part of the paperwork, but first I must buy envelopes. Who runs out of envelopes, really? Oh well, we don't have lunch bags either this week - the brown paper variety & the small plastic ones that get filled & go into the brown paper bags. Ooooops. The kids have had to throw their lunches into plastic bags. It works.
Anyway, I digress... Now I just need to get my prints done to send in for the other background check as well as the clearance letter from the local police. I wonder how long that will take me?

We've Started...

OK - so I talked on the phone to the SW assigned to us last week. She seems to feel, without ever having met me and told me first thing in our conversation, that 1 child is better for my 'situation'. Whatever!
I still don't know how I feel about that whole conversation. My mind veers wildy from one end of the spectrum to the other. At times I feel she is absolutely right, I'd be out of my mind to take on 2 more, 1 is definitely enough. Then at other times, I feel that I should stick to MY original plan of 2. I don't really know where it will end up, but I do know that the final result will be whatever His plan is for us... We only get what we can handle. I pray for guidance every day.

My Daughter...

My middle daughter loves basketball, and everything related to basketball. She attends a high school that has a very competitive high school team - recently the girls team won first in state. That being said, she did not make her sophomore team this past season... She was very sad, but became the team manager instead. She went to practices & games with the team, keeping the score book, etc.
She really is a good player, tall, but just seemed she never gave it her 'all'. Those kids play with ferocious intensity. She just didn't have the killer instinct... I really wish she did because she ABSOLUTELY LOVES the game. She watches high school, college (we've only just begun March Madness), and of course the beloved Chicago Bulls.
I think that if she pushed herself including intense conditioning (must be in TOP physical shape), summer league & more specialized training, she would make the varsity. She doesn't believe me. ... I do however, believe in her & whatever she decides to do.

Here's the 3 of 'em

The Beginning

OK -so here goes the first post. Figured I'd hop on board the Blogging train & create our adoption blog. We are in the beginning stages of an adoption from Ethiopia. I am a single parent to three gorgeous kiddos. They are 17,15, & 8. I am a pondering a sibling set or in the 3 to 6 year old range... We have been accepted as a client of Adoption Advocates Intl. (Jan.17) & are doing our homestudy with Adoption-Link in Oak Park.