and the beat goes on...

So, what's up?

2011-12-08T21:33:00.008-06:00

Here's the latest rundown. Consider this your Christmas letter!

Jeff - has pretty much settled into his role as stay-at-home Dad. He has time out every week for breakfast with a men's group from church, time out with his accountability partner and occasionally he gets to go on a date with me! His hair was reallllllly long but has now been buzzed with a number 2 clippers (think Flo-Bee!!) He still wears earrings and has evolved his sense of humor to that of a three year old - they like to tell knock knock jokes and the classic "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Gotta love it! He hasn't been able to do much photography work but is looking to change that in 2012. Jeff has even attempted detangling Ruthie's hair! Way to go Dad!! A highlight for Jeff was poison ivy that covered most of his body :( We are glad to have that time of life past!

Noelle is now in 3rd grade at St. John's Lutheran School. She is doing very well and made straight A's the first quarter. She has joined Girl Scouts and loves it! She is also still very interested in Science, Computers, the Wii, Barbie, LaLaLoopsy and a few other things. She is reading the Dork Diaries currently and is very excited to see Gramma and Grampa at Christmas! She has grown much and is now in a size 3 1/2 shoe. Look out Autnie jen - she will be caught up to you in no time!! Noelle is still very artsy and will be taking classes in the spring.

Eli started preschool this year and is doing incredibly well! He is speaking in full sentences and is playing with his words. Our favorite quote of this year comes from questioning his Dad after Jeff had gone to the store to run an errand for me. Jeff walks in the door and Eli leans against the door jamb. cocks his head and asks, "Hey Dad, where ya been?" so cool and casual :) He is a bundle of energy and loves Barbie, the doll. Seriously folks, he needs a brother! Eli loves swimming and we are going to start lessons in the spring. School is going well and after the first few days of screaming and crying after being dropped off, he is now excited to go to school in the morning and has a best friend named Isaiah.

Ruthie, at first look, is a sweet and shy little girl. Oh how wrong you would be if you fell into that trap!!! She is vocal and strong. I am woman hear me roar!! And she is finally roaring at school. While she didn't speak at all in the spring at school (seriously - she only spoke 1 word the last week of class. period.) she has been a blabbering fool at home and will repeat herself a million times over until yu answer her question or give her the answer she wants to hear (as in, no ruthie you can't have a whoppie pie right now. to which she continues to repeat herself and includes the infamous, "But mom! I said please!" as if all the world changes because you remembered to use good manners!) She has begun talking to other kids at school now and playing on the playground. She has grown so much it is truly amazing. She has an amazing smile that warms your heart. She also has to pick out her own clothes every morning. It gets interesting.

Anna is still a joy and goes with the flow so well, unless you try to take her toy or a toy that she thinks should be hers. Anna turned 2 in October. Really? How is that possible! She enjoys taking everyone to school and then gets about an hour and a half of just daddy time! She is a character and is already trying out different facial expressions. She babbles constantly and has strung quite a few words together. She loves the chase. Anytime, anywhere. Including when you say, Anna, come here! That must mean the chase is on. She is also the one with the most injuries from this year. She fell and needed stitches under her chin :( she ran into something at the new house and got a lump on her nose and a black eye. Rough and tumble is the name of the game. She doesn't give an inch to big brother or sisters!

Jeanne -well I am still plugging away at EIU. I am enjoying my classes and my students and we have fallen in love with an Amish store in Arthur. They make awesome whoopie pies and have an old fashioned candy aisle. I had the chance to present at conferences in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Pennsylvania in 2011. It was a fun and fairly stressful first year at EIU

So that pretty much rounds out our year. here are a few more pics for you to enjoy.

Oh my. It has been over a year!

2011-12-03T00:15:00.002-06:00

Wow. Time really does fly! I can't believe it has been over a year. So much has happened and the kids have really grown in all areas of life. I will update and get pictures posted here over the weekend. I am amazed it has been over 1 year! Eli and Ruthie are in preschool now and TALK! Maybe we need a little video too. Check back soon!

Life down south

2010-10-20T19:55:00.003-05:00

We have had some wonderful days lately. I can't tell you just how much Eli and Ru have exploded in their language skills. I gave Eli a cookie for dessert (had to support our local breast cancer fundraiser!) to which he replied "Dank you mommy!" Three words in a row! He melts my heart. Ru is really quite something. She is still my cuddle bug. If the lap is available, she wouldn't mind sitting for a spell and listening to my heart beating - unless Eli and/or Anna are trying to grab the toy she left on the ground to come and sit with me. She is very possessive. So possessive and repetitive of some things that we are seeing signs of OCD in a fairly mild form (therapists have noted it as well). Somebody tell me, is that nature or nurture? Is it because of how her life has gone in the past 2 1/2 years that she wants to make sure everything is ok in the world and that Mommy knows if something is not quite right so that I can fix it and make it all ok? Does she keep showing me her ouchy that healed over 4 months ago so that I can reassure her it will not come back and even if it did, I would kiss it and put a bandaid on it again for her? She was such a good girl last night in the marathon detangling session - I hate shed hair at the changing of seasons! We left her hair au natural last night since it was too late to braid it. She looks adorable.

Noelle desperately wants a twin. We tried to explain that it isn't possible, but that doesn't matter to a 7 year old who has felt lost in the shuffle. We had a good cry session the other week, but it isn't fully worked through yet. We told her about the other babies that we tried to have and that she could have been triplets (yes, the Lord knew what he was doing when she came out a single!) and that helped a little. She wants us to adopt again - someone closer to her age. Sorry sweetie - that is not in the cards right now.

Anna is thinking about walking. She can't decide if she should do it. She has decided she doesn't want to be a baby anymore. She will not eat baby food, do not even try to mask it as real food. Ain't gonna work people. I want food and it better be what everybody else is eating. She growls nicely the therapists swear she said "thank you" this past Monday. Well, she is a year old now :)

People say ya'll here. I find myself slipping back into the Texas accent that I developed way back in 1988 thanks to my friend Severine - Teen Missions Forever!!

Welcome to Charleston!

2010-08-31T22:00:00.002-05:00

We have arrived in Charleston and are settling into our new home and new routines. I have been at work since the 16th, Noelle has started public school since the 18th and the twins have awesome DT and Speech therapy here at the house on Mondays! They have set up a mock preschool to work with the kids since they will transition to the school system when they hit 3 yrs old. I can't believe we are already talking about "transition" time. It seems like just yesterday we were in Ethiopia to get them! Wow! Jeff is discovering the joys of being a stay at home daddy. They wander to the park, play at the house, don't get to play outside in the fenced in yard yet since there is still poison ivy or poison oak out there.

I am completely overwhelmed with work, but I know it will get better. Kids have been eating a lot of pbj and pasta for lunch :) Jeff tried to make homemade mac and cheese today since I ran out of boxed stuff. Way to go honey!

Noelle is having a good start to 2nd grade. She has a teacher who understands and appreciates the nuances of her personality. I think it will be a good year for her.

Eli is in a stage where he doesn't want to obey which is definitely a challenge at this point. He thinks he can get away with it by smiling or sing-song responding to you when he doesn't like what you've said. I've got news for you buddy boy. Momma doesn't fall for that!

Ruthie is doing well with the move - much better than I thought she would given her transition issues. Our friends came over to go out to DQ with us and took Eli in their car with them. They left a few minutes before we did and she didn't really cry - looked nervous for a few minutes but never went into full on wail and gnashing of teeth! IS she growing out of it? I don't know. We will keep you posted.

Anna has completely given up on baby food. You cant fool this princess. Jeff tried putting baby food in a real bowl like we do at dinner when I grind up whatever we are having. She took 2 bites, looked at him and shook her head no. She wouldn't open her mouth again. too funny. She is growing and makes us laugh all the time. in a week she will be 11 months old. how time flies!

I will try to get some pics up in the near future of the new place and town and the kiddos too of course.

Thanks for hanging with us!

Moderation

2010-07-15T22:48:00.001-05:00

Really tired of having to delete comments from folks so I am engaging my comment moderation rights! Please still leave comments, but I will need to press ok before they show up. Sorry to my happy and true blog followers. I don't know any other way to stop the spamming.

I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me

2010-07-12T23:09:00.003-05:00

If you are unfamiliar with the Mocha Club, I invite you to check out their website and see the great work they are doing in Africa, not just Ethiopia but all over the continent. I have added a link to them by the blog roll so it would be easy to find. Very compelling non profit org. Can you give up 2 mochachino frappalicious goodness to help out 2 of my kiddos homecountry? We are going to and I invite you to join my team! I will post when it is official and we will be supporting the Education work that they do (what a surprise huh?) If you don't want to join education, there are many other opportunities out there.

I will post family stuff soon, we are just going kind of crazy trying to pack up everything, sell our house, find a place to live and prepare for a new semester. Ugh.

Garage Sales!

2010-06-25T07:49:00.004-05:00

Oh the joy that summer brings when we can once again hit garage sale season! Noelle and I found this fabulous Santa for 50 cents at a garage sale in Charleston, the town that we ar moving to, brought it back to DeKalb and will be moving it back to Charleston once we move. Crazy I know, but the kids just love it :)

Hair night!

2010-06-05T19:33:00.003-05:00

This was my third attempt at cornrowing. Ru doesn't really mind sitting for me now because she really likes to have her hair all pretty. This one wasn't exactly what i had planned, but it's up and she is happy. Happy cuz mommy put in all the barrettes she wanted. kind of overkill, but Ru likes it!

New pics of all kids!

2010-06-03T22:36:00.006-05:00

Mostly shots from May

Puttin on the Full Armor of God - Last chapel of 1st grade

Love my froggy pool!

Plans of twins. only they know.

SPlish SPlash! Slip and Slide never goes out of style.

Chillin with Dad after much water play

Yes, he is pulling on his sister's braids

This is what happens after a day of water and no nap.

He couldn't finish his cheetos, but wouldn't let them go either!

Did someone say CUPCAKE?!!!!!

Boy meets cupcake. Doomed from the start

You want me to do what???

I love it when Noelle shares her food! Frozen yogurt anyone?

Anna is all about Joy!

Time Flies!

2010-06-03T21:13:00.002-05:00

Wow. I am a bad blogger. Then again, life is busy and I love it! Some news:

Noelle finished 1st grade with all As so we celebrated at "A"pplebees of course! which of course only happened because God gave her a great brain so we had to go to "O"llies for frozen custard dessert. get it? A to O? Alpha to Omega? She is sad to be leaving her friends and her school but is already excited about her new school and new house. She is an avid reader and hopes to become an Author (Book Writer in Noelle speak) so we are working on putting together some stories this summer with me teaching her about plot, characters, settings and such.

Eli is a horse. There is just no other way to describe this child. He is as solid as a boulder but falls over as easy as a danelion in full bloom. He loves speech therapy and is catching on to signing pretty quickly, but really would rather speak and so is working really really hard on making his mouth do what his brain would like it to do. He has gotten brave enough not to hold onto the railing all the time while walking downstairs now. He is a nature lover and water maniac. I can just hear some damsel crying out for "Pool Boy" in his future - my already buff (Yes he has defined muscles) and beautiful baby boy! Dogs are his joy and terror rolled into one. They just have really big teeth. We have our appt on June 16th to get some clarification possibly on why his body isn't moving like it should or how he thinks it should. Here's hoping the experts will comeup with a diagnosis and plan for his next year.

Ruthie is my passive aggressive queen of clean. Maybe a bit OCD?????? She has a true servants heart at only age 2. She loves to help, but not to share (Just ask Eli about the teeth marks on his arm!) She is in love with her baby sister and tries to help with feeding, nuking and burping the baby. She loves puppies and babies, but like Eli can skip the whole big teeth thing. She is finally letting me do her hair! She is all girl. Loves dresses and pretties in her hair. FLowers and sparkles and beads oh my! Still me nervous Nelly when it comes to physical adventures like stairs and jumping and such, but we have time for all those things to develop. It's okay Ru-ster.

Anna. Where to begin. Well, thanks to Brad our babysitter, Anna is crawling and trying to pull herself up on the bookcase to reach books on the top shelf. Her first word was Mama :) Atta girl! She hates babyfood breakfasts (including all those cereals we are supposed to feed her) but loves her veggies and fruits. She has major skin issues that we are trying to deal with and appears to be allergic to carpet (well, something in new carpet at least). It looks like we may finally have a red head for Gramma - jury is still out since my babies never have hair. She is large. She is in the 75th percentile for height and weight without adjusting for being a month premature. She is wearing 12 month clothing with a few smaller 18 monthers thrown in. She loves her brother and sisters and thinks they are a riot! No one makes her laugh harder than Noelle. Instant belly laugh when she sees her. They are also now sharing a room.

Jeff and I are doing fine with the usual amount of stress in trying to sell ahouse, buy a house and raise 4 precious gifts from God. Not going anywhere on vacation this year but we would love to have company once we move! I will try to update more frequently. Sorry anybody who still reads this.

Really? an update?!

2010-02-17T23:16:00.002-06:00

So, its been awhile. Sorry friends. I got sucked into the world of Facebook and ignored blogger. Can you forgive me?

We are all doing really well. Big news again from our household but does not include the word pregnant this time. I got a new job that starts this coming August so we are putting our house on the market in the next few weeks and prepping the house for a big move to Charleston, IL.

Updates by person:

Jeff is really looking forward to being a stay at home dad in our new home. work is still work for him and he is trying to find time to do the repairs needed to our current home before we put it on the market.

I am finally about healthy! Woo Hoo. Semester is going well and I have agreed to teach an intersession course for NIU so I will be done working by mid June.

Noelle is having a pretty good first grade year. Her academics continue to be top notch and she is really enjoying having siblings. She likes to hold Anna and play with the twins. They have built tents and made a very cushy spot to relax under Anna's crib!

Eli is still the big boy cruising around the house dancing and singing or shrieking all the time. Therapy is going well and we may have a diagnosis for some of his issues in the near future. He is a cuddle bug lately and I love it!

Ru is still the shy one but has gotten very gutsy with her brother and is aggressive right back with him if he tries to take her toy! She really enjoys Anna and tries to mother her. Then she goes and gets her own baby doll and mimics what I do. She is such a lover.

Anna is still the best baby ever. She is smiling, giggling and guffawing. Almost rolled over the other night! Absolutely a blessing and brings joy to everyone.

It's too late for pics but I promise I will post some good ones really soon. For now, these are all that I have.

Finally an update!

2009-12-08T07:50:00.004-06:00

So much has happened since my last post. Start with the good stuff!

Anna is the best baby ever! She is eating and growing like a weed. She is two months old now and slept through the night a few times. Today, she has slept from around 12 last night and is still going! It is 8 am! She smiles and chortles and enjoys interacting with people - especially her daddy. She has lost that "I'm a newborn" look to her and has the best pudgy cheeks. Still wearing mostly 0-3 months clothes after being in newborn size for a month. She loves her teddy bear mobile and would rather be held and sleep on a person than any other place in the world. Daddy's side of the bed is a close second, however. She is such a Daddy's girl already :)

Twins are making progess in both therapy and teething! Eli only needs 1 more tooth to be caught up with Ruthie. He has been a grouch lately though because of all the teething. They go the dentist for their first appt just after the new year. Ruthie's speech is starting to pick up, but Eli is still very grunty and guttural in his language skills. Have a feeling that speech therapy will be starting in January. Eli was almost able to jump last week at therapy! Both feet off the floor and everything! It is a really big feat in case you were wondering! Ruthie is a very stubborn and strong willed child - not looking forward to the teenage years. BOth are wanting to sit in booster seats at the dining room table instead of in their high chairs. We will have to see about this!

Noelle is doing great in school - making straight A's on her report card and avoiding trouble more often than before. She loves reading, Bible time and art. She has been a great helper with Anna and is always available to wrestle with Eli :) She likes to build towers with blocks for Ru to knock down. Way to go big sister :)

Jeff has been a trooper since I am not always feeling up to snuff. He has put in a lot of late nights with Anna so that I could rest. Santa should be bringing him some extra presents for being so good this year.

My medical issues continue. Neurologist appt was good - headaches are due to my bp. My meds are not controlling my bp enough so Cardiologist appt this week. Just like my first pregnancy, i have a kidney stone and other urological issues, so appt next week. BUT I feel better these days and we are in finals week at work! Yeah!

Here are some random pics for your enjoyment!

Anna Joy 10-8-2009

2009-10-15T19:59:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the world Anna! We have had quite a time lately. Anna was born on Thursday last week with much strife and illness on my part. I ended up in the hospital for 8 days with my blood pressure doing really wacky things. It is still not quite stabilized but we are working on it. She was almost an emergency C-section on Wed night but my bp finally came down and we were able to wait until Thursday morning for her birth (she was actually due Nov 2nd). She is absolutely precious. We did an amnio on Wed morning to check her lung status. All was good. She weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz and 18.5 in long. She is too tiny for 0-3 month clothing so my sister-in-laws mom did some emergency clothes shopping for us :) All the kids are so excited about baby Anna. Eli and Ru can't get enough of her and try to kiss and touch her all the time. Can't stay at computer for too long so I will post pics and update more later.

Proud or shameless Parents are we. HELP!!

2009-09-27T09:44:00.003-05:00

We have entered Eli into the BabyGap casting call and would love your support. It takes a minute to go to www.gap.com/castingcall. Enter Eli's contestant number 946083687 and vote once a day. He is just the cutest thing - not of course to be outdone by Ru or Noelle, but his personality would actually allow people to take pics of him :) You do have to sign up for a Disney account - it's free and quick. Thanks much!

Baby Anna news and kids pic

2009-09-16T21:45:00.002-05:00

Baby Anna is over 4 1/2 lbs now and is looking good! Unfortunately, I am not looking as good as my blood pressure is going up, swelling is not going down and stress is rising as well. I head back for a check up on Friday of this week for blood pressure. Keep you posted.

Noelle came home from school today early because she was sick - well really it was just allergies that made her cough so hard she threw up. Oh ragweed, you really need to go away!

Eli and Ru are doing ok, but both are teething and ornery. Eli is getting 1st year molars and Ru is getting 2nd year already!

Enjoy the pic!

First Day of School

2009-09-06T19:30:00.003-05:00

Finally posting first day of school stuff! Noelle has been in school for 2 weeks already! Where does the time go? First grade and homework has begun but she loves to read and do math so its all good :) All other kids are doing just fine. New pics soon. Anna is still cooking and looking good. Another ultrasound this wed and hopefully a good pic!

Referral Anniversary

2009-08-12T17:22:00.004-05:00

Hard to believe that a year has gone by since our referral (Aug 11)! It seems at some moments like it was yesterday that we first saw the pictures of our new children, but then at other times, it is like they have always been with us. We are so excited to see what the next few months have in store for everybody. Ruthie is now walking on her own, up to 10 steps at a time! Eli is still running and crashing into everything in sight. The kids have grown so much. At referral and now there measurements were/are:
Eli: 2008 24 in. and 9.4 lbs 2009 34.5 in and 30 lbs

Ruthie: 2008 21.6 in and 6.8 lbs 2009 31.5 in and 27 lbs

We are so happy and thankful that they are with us. We can't imagine life without them and remember their birth mom often.

A fun evening and pregnancy update

2009-08-05T10:01:00.005-05:00

Well, it appears that I may have gestational diabetes. Oh yippee. I will be heading in next week to chat with the nurse and educator. All the kids are enjoying the warm weather - finally! Noelle has been swimming lately and the kids are enjoying going for walks. The pictures are from sidewalk chalk the other evening. Yes, we did have to change their pjs because they got full of chalk dust. it was a spur of themoment thing. Enjoy!

Basic news with pics

2009-07-24T20:33:00.006-05:00

We've been busy lately with VBS and the twins club picnic along with other daily common life stuff. Noelle has been at VBS learning digital photography for the week. I will post some of her pictures later since they are still on her camera. We had a great time at the twins club picnic with over 400 people in attendance - all families have some version of multiple births and there were soooo many babies there! It has been cold and rainy so we haven't gotten out very much lately - hopefully that will change. Enjoy the pics and new updates will come soon - another doc appt for Annie on Tuesday.

Ru's big mess

Twins club picnic

It's RU!!!!!

Ru and Mom

Feed the pig

Eli being helpful

Dad and Eli

Lookin Good!

2009-07-16T13:46:00.002-05:00

I had a doctor's visit and ultrasound today for baby #4. All is good to this point and the placenta is still working very well. Thank you all for your votes in the baby naming poll. While Abigail was the clear winner, we have elected to go off list and allowed Noelle to offer a name. We all really liked it and so, new baby girl will be named

Anna Joy Okrasinski aka Annie

She is currently in the 60th percentile for growth which is great for us and still projecting the same due date. The expected c-section delivery date is Oct 26th. Woo Hoo! Here is a pic of her smiling :) Keep praying and we will keep you all posted. She moved as the pic was taken. Sorry

Doctor visits today!

2009-07-14T14:09:00.006-05:00

So I have huge children. Not really a surprise. I thought for sure Eli was over 30 lbs though and he wasn't on the doctor's scale today. Officially at 15 months here are their results:

Eli - 28.3 lbs 34 in (that's 90th and 97th percentiles on US charts - unbelieveable)

Ru - 26.3 lbs 31.5 in (90th and 75th percentiles - can u imagine my little 4 month old 6 lbs ruthie is now in the 90th percentile for weight!!)

Since the kids came home in Nov, they have always been 2 lbs apart. must be a twin thing :) Kids are doing great and only cried for a little while from their shots :(

Noelle did good too and we are now on a more frequent feeding schedule with her for hypoglycemia. She may outgrow it by age 8, but we will see. Otherwise, all is good!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-07T14:00:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a great 4th! We celebrated with the whole family up at gramma and grampas house. We cooked out and had sweet corn. It was a fabulous time and the twins first 4th. They are almost citizens!! One more set of paperwork to go! Woo hoo!

First Haircut!

2009-07-04T14:59:00.005-05:00

Eli had his first haircut by Dad today! It was okay at first, then not so fabulous but ended with big smiles and the reward of a bath! Both he and Ru love splashing in the tub! Enjoy the pics!

Happenings at the Os

2009-06-22T12:53:00.003-05:00

Well, Eli is really walking now. We will soon have video of this amazing feat (still a bit Frankensteinish, but getting better everyday). Ru has been pulling herself to standing and cruising furniture now for about a week. They are making huge gains in the physical area these past few weeks. It is so exciting to see. As is the destruction that occurs on a daily basis in the house!

Ru is also developing more language skills and is adding more words to her vocabulary. Eli finally slept through the night! Praise God!! He has done it for two nights in a row so far. We are hoping it is a permanent change!

We are halfway to filing our income tax return :) Ru's SS card came in the mail today so Eli's should soon follow. We did not file them together so that we did not have consecutive numbers. This was the advice given by the very friendly and helpful person from the SS office. We can't wait to pay off our adoption loan! Our state reimbursement came in last week and they awarded us the higher amount since the kids needed to be adopted together (put them into the harder to place category for adoption). So that covered a fourth of our loan and now we hope that we will get enough back from the gov in year one to cover the remainder. we shall see!

We went to the Gurler house music festival on Saturday and had a great time! (sorry no pics). We also went to a wedding renewal that evening and had a great time! We got to see Aunt Audrey and the twins enjoyed themselves immensely. Sunday was a great father's day up in Rockford with my folks. We played dominoes and had pork roast. It was yummy. We are in week 21 of the pregnancy and everything is looking good still. Baby girl is kicking up a storm and making my life oh-so-pleasant! Enjoy the pics!

The view from our place
A typical Noelle pic - i personally like the squirrel in the background
Chalk at lunch with Daddy!

Tub time anyone?

Naming Poll now open!

2009-06-11T21:50:00.002-05:00

We have thoughts on names and would love your input. Vote until July 4th!

It's a GIRL!!

2009-06-10T10:30:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update as our computer is down. According to the ultrasound, we are having another baby girl! No, we have no clue what her name will be, maybe I should do another poll :) More later with an ultrasound pic.
Jeanne

Florida trip

2009-06-03T16:13:00.007-05:00

What a fabulous week in FLorida! It was great weather with a bit of rain most days. We spent a morning at the beach and many hours in the pool at our friends' house. The twins loved all the dogs and were very well behaved. Ruthie cut all four molars during the trip and is also working on her eye teeth on the bottom. Eli cut one more tooth on the bottom - way to go slow teether! That makes 5 for Eli and a mouthful for Ruthie. Here are some pics with narration of our trip. Enjoy!

Our hosts for this fun excursion were Mark and Alana. They housed and fed us for the week. Thanks for the great hospitality guys! Food was of course awesome and we even got famous Alana cake (Bakin' for God!) Did I mention the dogs? 3 Chihuahuas - Tito, Paco and Lupe. Face lickers extraordinaire. Then, amazingly, a dog just followed Adam and Mark home from Petco over the weekend and now they have Bella - the sweetest most hospitable dog I have met. Eli liked to lead with his lips when approaching the dogs.

This is Paco and Lupe. Tito was in his kennel slepping.

Bella

All the kids had a great time playing at their house both inside and out. Here are some candids of the fam.

DId I mention that Eli is a camera hog these days? This is his typical ham smile whenever he sees the camera :)

The pool water was a bit colder than usual because of all the rain they had gotten the week before we came down and the first couple days that we were there. Very brave daddy, very brave.

Noelle and Sarah had a craft time quite a few days. They made visors with foamy stickers this day. They had a fabulous time playing with each other and swimming in the pool!

We went to the beach since the twins hadn't been there before (no time on our last trip). ELi is a water boy for sure! He loved wave jumping with daddy. Ruthie wanted no part of the big blue ocean and was very content to destroy all sandcastles that Adam and Noelle built! Did I mention that sand got every where? We are still getting it out of Ru's ears!

The guys decided to do a rockband for us after dinner at Mo and Jeff's one night. It was very entertaining! (Jeff O, Mark, Jeff D, and Adam). They just moved into the house after getting married in early April. It's a very cute place with a nice back yard. I am thinking a pool would be great back there!

If we get the pics from child dedication I will post those too. If not, then I will not be posting until after our ultrasound next week on Tuesday. After the ultrasound, we are hoping to announce teh sex of the baby so that we can start working on names. Might do a poll for that one. Names are really hard for us! Have a great week everybody!

Jeanne

Random Quotes

2009-05-14T18:37:00.003-05:00

Two quotes I never thought I would have to say:

To Noelle - "Don't comb the plant!" there are little hairs on the stem of the new tomato plants that we are putting in our garden. We will see if they live long enough to get planted!

To Eli - "Don't lick the stove!" Technically he is trying to kiss his reflection but that is just nasty!

I swear between raising kids and teaching middle school , I should have started a book a long time ago.

Jeanne

Random Pics

2009-05-14T14:57:00.003-05:00

Some pics for your enjoyment.

Eli and Ru

Typical smiley Ru

When all else fails, chew on plastic. They love the lids to the gerber fruits.

Quick update

2009-05-13T16:09:00.003-05:00

Doctor's visit today went well. The baby's heart beat is 146 bpm. Noelle was usually around 144 bpm :) We will do a level 2 ultrasound on June 9th and my next visit will be on June 12th. Updates after the 12th for the new little one unless something happens.

Eli is in the throes of a growth spurt! He is eating us out of house and home and is crabby as all get out. Sleeping a lot too! Oh boy. He is already in 2T tops. Reminder, he is only 13 months old right now.

RU continues to amaze us with her developing skills. She is doing fabulously at therapy and is actually accepting the therapists more as time goes on.

Noelle is ready for school to be over! She is excited not to have to wear uniforms for the rest of the year. Problem - we don't have many clothes that fit her since we figured she would be in uniforms for another 2 weeks. Her summer stuff is ok, but it is cold here again! only in the 50/60s today. enough of the cold already!

Sorry no pics this time. Next time for sure!
Jeanne

Catching up a bit

2009-05-08T16:47:00.005-05:00

Here is our April report. Yes, I know it is May. That 's why this is entitled, catching up a bit.

Noelle turned 6! She was super excited and we celebrated with the family at gramma and Grampas house. She got some fabulous presents and a delicious cake. Her birthday was on Easter this year so we had a fiesta Easter complete with Tacos and other such yummy items. We did have the traditional bunny cake for Easter as well as birthday cake. (Thank you Auntie Kris! The bunny was delicious!). We did an Easter egg hunt sponsored by a local church so we took everyone for a stroller ride and found lots of eggs - with chocolate and Bible verses inside!

Noelle was also a junior bridesmaid in a wedding in FLorida. It was beautiful weather, Noelle did great and the kids loved the pool! We are heading back there at the end of May so watch for more pics. The babies loved the warm weather as well.

Dad took the kids on a walk around NIU - Noelle got to wear her new hat (birthday present) They had lots of fun with the art students creations!

Noelle and Dad also had a formal dance at Cornerstone (her school). They had a great time eating and dancing!

I think that sums up April. New baby is still alive and kicking. Hopefully we will have more news in the near future to share!

Thanks for sticking with us!

Jeanne

6 Months Update!

2009-04-19T10:54:00.006-05:00

We had our 6 month check in wiht our social worker and everything is great. The kids are developing so quickly! Eli will soon be walking and Ruthie is really trying to get her crawl on! Here are the way overdue pictures. Enjoy!

Eli standing

Sisters

Ru is getting so big!

Out for a stroll

Kitchen Helpers

Aren't they the cutest?

Applebee's for birthday dinner (chosen by the big sister of course)

The kids :)

Eli

Ruthie's Easter Hat

Baby Picture

2009-03-25T20:33:00.002-05:00

If anyone still reads this, you are in for a surprise! The unbelievable has happened. For 17 years or so, we were told that getting pregnant on our own was just not possible for a variety of reasons. Well, we have proved them wrong without even trying - no, I mean really without even trying. It appears that I am 8 weeks pregnant! Yep, that's right, pregnant. As in PG. Heartbeat looks good, but we covet your prayers for this new little one as I was taking medication for my high blood pressure that can have negative effects on Renal development (Kidneys for all my non-medical friends out there) We will have a level 2 ultrasound at week 20 (June I believe) to look at kidney development and other such things. We are speechless, excited, bewildered, astounded, happy, scared, overwhelmed and a whole bunch of other things. I will put up a post about the kids birthday soon so you can see how huge my children have gotten and how much of a cake hound Ruthie is!!! We will keep you all posted :)

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

Reusable shoping bags are up for grabs in this giveaway!

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Bad Blogger

2009-02-20T13:26:00.002-06:00

Finally I am posting but it isn't with pictures - I will get them up soon. Life is moving forward and is full everyday. Eli is cutting his first two teeth, Ruthie is cutting her 5th and maybe 6th, Noelle is finally getting her top tooth coming in (she has lost 7 and is not yet 6 years old!). Our health has improved for the most part although the kids have never lost the congestion that they had while in Ethiopia. It is still a constant part of our lives and wiping noses is a continual project.

I have an interview on Thursday at Lewis University and have applied to 3 others. Some would mean that we don't have to move but 2 of them would require us to try and sell our house and relocate. They all sound really interesting and would be a good fit, so we are of course leaving it in God's hands and will wait to see if any one gives us an offer. If not, I will return as an adjunct for NIU in the fall.

The kids will be having a birthday soon and we are having a nice family gathering at the Gparents house. They come back from vacation next week. Noelle can't wait :)

Pictures soon! I promise!

Update

2009-01-21T17:00:00.003-06:00

Well, I still have shingles and it is annoying (painful too). We have had help coming in everyday from 8 am until 4 pm since I can't really hold the kids, feed the kids etc. I took myself off the pain meds as I had no life (very incoherent and such). I am on the mend, but it has already been 3 weeks. They told me it would probably last at least a month. I didn't believe them - I do now. We have also had many people drop off meals. The help we have received has been awesome. We would not have survived without it. Thank you so much to all who have helped us out in our weeks of need - you are very much appreciated!

The kids are doing great! We just had a visit to the doctor's office and here are the stats.

Eli - 22.4 lbs and 29 in
Ruthie - 20 lbs and 27 in.

Both kids are on the growth charts now and doing great. Both qualified for early intervention services and so will be having physical and developmental therapy starting in February. We are waiting to see the occupational therapist still. Here are there developmental ages:

Eli - 7 months
Ruthie - 4.5 - 5 months

We were very encouraged by these results given their past history! They are naking so many gains every day! Ruthie sits all by herself now and Eli can't wait to walk - forget the crawling! Ok, here are the pictures :)

Sickness update

2009-01-05T21:18:00.002-06:00

YOu aren't going to believe this, but I also have SHINGLES. Remember the chicken pox outbreak at the orphanage? Yep - shingles. and mighty painful too. Semester starts next week - fortunately I had just about everything already ready to go. I am house bound and on the couch until at least thus Thursday when I go back to the doc. Keep you all posted. Thanks for the prayers - boy do we need them now more than ever! Please don't forget Jeff as he is pulling full time baby duty at this point since I am not really supposed to touch the kids and things like that!

Jeanne

Sickness part 2

2009-01-03T20:32:00.002-06:00

Sorry everybody. I have had and still have viral pneumonia that just won't go away. I am on my third different antibiotic to try and get rid of it. I ended up in the ER last night for about 4 hours and discovered that I also need to have my gall bladder removed, but we can't really do that until I am over the pneumonia. This means that I am trying to live on vicodin while taking the antibiotics. It is not a pleasant site at our house. Some of you may be getting the "I need help!" phone call. Jeff goes back to work on Monday which means I need to take care of the kids. Hard to do when I can't really lift stuff. I will post pictures soon but have not been able to get them together as I am not really coherent or in good shape at this point. I promise the next post will be a much happier one!

Jeanne

Sickness

2008-12-18T10:53:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. We have all (except Jeff) been sick. The kids still haven't kicked the congestion from Ethiopia so we are heading back to the Dr. to see if there is something else he can do. Noelle is being tested for stomach parasites (such fun). I have the cough that won't stop mixed with congestion and fever. Doesn't life sound grand at our place? (Yes, that was a bit of sarcasm) I seriously will try to be better about posting but I am trying to sleep when the kids do, even though they have typically been on opposite schedules lately. This morning I actually woke a sleeping baby just so that they would both go down for a nap at the same time! Oh the evil that we parents do. Ok, enough blather - here are the pictures that I know you really wanted to see anyway :) Eli is now firmly into 12 month clothing and actually has long enough legs taht even some of those aren't big enough! Ruthie is in 6-9 month, but the legs are a little bit long on her - go figure. Noelle has lost her 5th tooth! She has the typical missing a top front tooth grin and sppech issues :) It is so cute!

Happy Ru!

Eli and his Blocks!

Happy Boy!

Home!!!!!

2008-11-29T17:18:00.003-06:00

We made it home finally! I will post more later, but wanted to get something up for you guys. Ethiopia was amazing. The people are so friendly and we had a great timemeeting fellow adoptive families as well. Here are a few pictures of the first meeting day. Enjoy!

The babies are huge (ok, in comparison to where they began they are giants!) Unfortunately, they are both sick. We are heading to the doctor on Monday to get everything figured out. They ate yogurt today and loved it :)

Today's the Day!!

2008-11-20T08:13:00.002-06:00

Word arrived in our email this morning that we are good to go for teh embassy! They finally received our paperwork. Praise the Lord and Hallelujah! We leave today for DC and Friday we leave for Ethiopia. We will not have a chance to post while in Ethiopia, but we will be sure to let you all know when we arrive home and will post pictures of the adventure as well. thank you all for joining us on our adventure of a lifetime! We can't wait to share our family with you!

Packing is almost done - sleeping is a distant memory (Noelle woke up around 6:30 this morning - wow.) Mom wil have updates just in case of emergency.

Chat later friends!
Jeanne!

We get to go!!!

2008-11-18T15:51:00.003-06:00

Our paperwork has finally found its way to Ethiopia! This means we do get to go get the kids and have a fantastic Thanksgiving! We are so excited that sleep is really not an option :)

Baby shower this past Saturday was awesome! We got to see so many friends that we hadn't seen in a while and ate great food. Eli and Ruthie have many new toys to play with and some darling outfits as well.

2 days to go - we can barely stand it!

Jeanne

Chubby Cheeks

2008-11-15T22:07:00.003-06:00

You won't believe that these are the same kids from the referral photos! Thanks to friends from AA for the pics - they were over this past week. I seriously thought they had sent us the wrong photos! Check out the kids! The one with all the personality is RUTHIE!! Yes, that is her with the puffy cheeks and double chin! Oh, I can't wait to see them less than a week from today!

Jeanne

Baby update time!

2008-11-12T20:02:00.002-06:00

We received an update today - medical only though - no pictures. The kids are getting so big and ELi can sit without support! My big boy!! Ruthie on the other hand likes to put her feet in her mouth :)

Ruthie is up to 14.7 lbs. Eli has gained another two pounds as well, moving him up to 17! I can't wait to go see them NEXT WEEK!!!!!! I am repacking and getting rid of the small diapers and tiny clothes that we had originally packed for the big baby clothes and diapers! This is so exciting!

Jeanne

GrosgrainStore.com Grand Opening & Giftcard Giveaway!!!!!!!!

2008-11-10T22:49:00.000-06:00

GrosgrainStore.com Grand Opening & Giftcard Giveaway!!!!!!!! and why not visit the store! http://www.grosgrainstore.com/

Tickets in Hand!

2008-11-08T09:55:00.003-06:00

Such a reality! The plane tickets came yesterday - including the tickets for Ruth and Eli! We leave on the 20th and start flying home on Thanksgiving. This will be a very exciting holiday season! We can't wait! I wonder if we will get an update on the kids before we go? Wait and see. Soon we will be on a plane over water. Wow.

Tropical Tree Frog Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-11-03T19:19:00.000-06:00

Getting ready for next year!
Tropical Tree Frog Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!

Introducing Eli and Ruthie!

2008-11-03T14:28:00.002-06:00

We officially passed court! We leave in 18 days to go get the kids. It is amazing that this is all happening so fast. Yet again we say God is so good. Praise the Lord and Hallelujah! If you move the mouse over the picture it will tell you who it is and how old they are.

2008-11-03T14:04:00.003-06:00

Court

2008-11-01T15:43:00.001-05:00

We got the phone call to let us know that we wouldn't be getting "the phone call" until Monday. Stay tuned!

Court tonight! (well, really tomorrow)

2008-10-30T18:55:00.003-05:00

Sometime this evening, there will be a judge making a life altering decision for a whole lot of people. It is more than just the 5 of us as that will be forever changed. The number just keeps growing. When we really sit down to think about how many lives are affected by this adoption, the number is staggering. Will anyone decide to adopt because of our experience? How will it change Noelle and her future goals differently than if she were an only child? What will Eli and Ruthie think about all this when they are grown up and leave the nest? The questions just roll right over each other and onto the next one.

As soon as we hear anything, we will post the news.

Jeanne

Paperwork update

2008-10-30T14:31:00.002-05:00

Well, our paperwork was found. that's about all I can say. They are dating our paperwork as of Oct 29th - 3 weeks after it was sent in and the check was cashed. We will wait until next week for our fingerprinting and then ask for an emergency review of our paperwork as we will be within the two week window. It has beena trying and time-consuming last 2 days. But we praise God that our paperwork was found and it will be processed. We also have enlisted the help of our Congressman Bill Foster's office who is going to follow up with USCIS instead of us badgering them.

Thanks for the prayers. Keep them coming as the next three weeks look to be insane. Did I mention that I have over 100 lesson plans still to grade?

Jeanne

Another free clothing giveaway

2008-10-29T12:44:00.001-05:00

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

Eli and Ruthie are 7 months old!

2008-10-28T19:54:00.003-05:00

The kids turned 7 months old over the weekend! Here are some glimpses of Noelle at 7 months for your enjoyment. With the new travel dates, we would be able to post pictures of the kids when they turn 8 months old!

Urgent Prayer Request!

2008-10-28T19:39:00.004-05:00

We received a call from the agency tonight asking if we could travel 2 weeks earlier than planned. All I can say is SWEET!!!!! Here's the glitch - USCIS has not officially approved our change of country request. I am sending them an email tonight requesting that they process it now so that our paperwork will have the time to get to the Ethiopian Embassy for our appointment on Nov 24th. Please pray with us to find favor with the USCIS so that this can happen. What a great birthday present for Jeff (Nov 29th). Thank you all for your prayers as we do believe in the power of prayer!

Jeanne

ps - Friday is our court date - we would appreciate your prayers for favor with the Ethiopian government to rule that we are going to be great parents for Eli and Ruthie :)

Update time again!

2008-10-24T09:38:00.002-05:00

We received a surprise update on the kids! It was such a nice treat! they are growing so much bigger and doing so many more things. That is great for them, but we are sad to be missing all the "firsts" It is clear that the kids are being well taken care of and well loved by the nannies at the orphanage. Court date is next Friday! When we pass I can start posting their actual pictures as they will legally be our children! Can't wait! Enjoy the bits as we wait.

Jeanne

Credit to Vicki for the paper used in the layout! http://vicki20.blogspot.com/

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-21T19:05:00.000-05:00

YOu guys have got to see this one. It is unbelieveable!!!!!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Tagged!

2008-10-21T10:03:00.003-05:00

Thanks Tania! My first tagging! So here are 7 random thoughts about me. Look to the bottom - have you been tagged?!! If so, post 7 random things about you on your blog and tag another 7!

1. I too am a picky eater and would love a separated dish. I only enjoy mixing corn into my mashed potatoes (It's good - really!) ALways have been picky, just ask mom who used to hide butter in my potatoes just so I would eat them.

2. Which brings us to #2 - incredibly competitive. We used to race getting our pjs on (again, good trick mom, but I didn't care because I needed to WIN!!!) I am very cranky if I don't win. Wonder where my daughter gets it from? And no, I dno't always let my daughter win. SHe even tells me "take it easy on me Mommy!" when I am skunking her at playing cards or tennis on the Wii :)

3. I am the baby of the family and my brother and sister still hold it against me. It is so not fair.

4. I love to cook and bake. My husband hates it because I don't follow recipes really well, and can't usually duplicate anything to a T. Basically, that means enjoy it while it is there because it may not come back again! I just found a yummy recipe for chocolate butter cream icing too. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

5. I don't eat breakfast. Never have and probably never will. I know that's not a good thing and my metabolism won't start and blah, blah, blah... My daughter doesn't eat breakfast either. I try to get her to eat but she won't do it.

6. We are sports fanatics and will watch just about anything live or on tv. We love NIU volleyball and Noelle has tried out ballet, soccer and swimming and will be starting basketball at the end of this month.

7. The thing that Jeff and I most would like is a piee of property in Wisconsin with lots of trees and maybe lake access to spend lots of time at over the summers and weekends. Someday....

Alright people! Consider yourself tagged!

1. Amber
2. Rachel
3. Lisa C
4. Joy
5. Sarah K
6. Mom!
7. Jen

Update Surprise!!

2008-10-16T12:56:00.003-05:00

We got an update today! SUrprise! We weren't expecting one but it was super exciting news! I calculated Bayush's weight wrong last month - it was actually 9 lbs, which helps make this month's number a bit more reasonable!

Bayush - 12 lbs (WOW!!), 24 in long!! We're out of 0-3 m clothes!

Firew - 15 lbs, 26 in long!

This is such great news! They are now having supplementary feedings along with their formula, transfering objects from hand to hand, reaching for known individuals,and....sitting with support! Yippee! I want to go get them now. Come on court date!

Jeanne

Paperwork Prayer Request

2008-10-14T13:59:00.002-05:00

OK everybody, our paperwork (I-171H and fingerprints) expire on Oct 30 & 31. Our court date is Oct 31. Please pray with us to find favor with the court in Ethiopia as we have not yet heard about our renewal application! We are resting (or at least attempting to rest) on God's promise: "And we know that all things work together for the good, to those that love God and are called according to His purpose" Rom 8:28 (a bit of King Jimmy for you today - I memorized verses old school). Thanks for joining us in praying this through.

Jeanne

Beautiful Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-10T17:47:00.000-05:00

This is so pretty. Even if you aren't looking for a little girl's costume, go check it out!
Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Court and Travel Dates!!

2008-10-06T20:37:00.002-05:00

WOO HOO!! we got the call tonight about travel!! Our court date is Oct 31, travel on Dec 7th - 14th! Way too excited for words!! We are coming my precious little babies! Time to start buying the my first Christmas ornaments and stuff! Crib was put up this past weekend :)

Jeanne

Cool Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-04T16:36:00.000-05:00

This is soo adorable!

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

E & R are now 6 months old!

2008-09-27T15:39:00.003-05:00

Here is a peek into Noelle at 6 months! Enjoy!

On the adoption front, courts open again next week so hopefully we will hear about a court date. After we pass court it can be anywhere from 3-7 weeks before our embassy date and picking up the kids. WHile we don't think it will be a snag, our fingerprints and paperwork expire on October 30. We have sent in for a renewal and should have it within the time frame. We just keep reminding ourselves taht GOd is in control. As soon as we hear about a court date, we will post!

Jeanne

Yet another cool dress!

2008-09-26T20:59:00.000-05:00

Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Cowboy up everybody

2008-09-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

I would really like to win this one as we have the perfect horse to match :)

Sarsaparilla Skirt & Vest GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

My Babies have GROWN!

2008-09-10T13:57:00.002-05:00

Ask and ye shall receive! We got an update today with vital stats on the kiddos.

Firew: 11.25 lbs (he was 9 lbs on arriving the last week in July)
24.8 in long

Bayush: 7.9 lbs (she was just over 6 lbs in July)
22.8 in long

I found a great metric converter online. It is super easy to use.

I think we are giong to head in the 12 month direction for clothing with Firew, although he will swim in them width wise! I want to hold my babies! NOW!!!!!

Jeanne - a non patiently waiting Mommy with a sick daughter at home who is sleeping so I can't even go and hug her right now!

Gimme a P! Gimme an N! ...

2008-09-10T13:20:00.002-05:00

Can you spell pneumonia? Noelle either has pneumonia or bronchitis. She is a sick little kindergartener. :( We are spending the day in bed and watching tv, reading books, sleeping, eating a little, and playing some board games when we have a little energy. So much for school this week. She should be feeling better by this weekend. We were planning a trip to the apple orchard this weekend, and Noelle really wants to go. We will keep you all posted.

Jeanne

Hands and Feet

2008-09-09T06:55:00.003-05:00

We received pics of the kids! While I can't give you the actual pictures, here is a taste of what is to come. Ruthie has the tiniest feet! Eli is ready for some fist-pumpin fun! Enjoy!

A Video from Toukoul

2008-09-09T06:17:00.003-05:00

This is a video about the day in the life of Toukoul orphanage where our children are currently being very well loved and cared for! Hope you enjoy!

Our babies

2008-09-05T12:19:00.002-05:00

We had a brief email from the family that traveled. Suffice it to say, our babies are tiny. BUT, they said the orphanage is working hard to restore them to health and plumpiness (okay, I added the plumpiness part). We will get a longer update in the next few days and I will be sure to post it. Also, friends from the adoption agency are all emailing the coordinator to find out when/if we will receive official updates since our process is longer than usual. Keep praying my friends! Sorry - no cute picture for today.

Yours - Steven Curtis Chapman

2008-09-04T14:04:00.001-05:00

I love this song and wanted to share it with you all. I can't seem to make it work on the side bar as you lose to much of the screen.

Hiccupdate

2008-09-04T13:45:00.002-05:00

Somehow, USCIS was reading our old instead of new homestudy. That has been straightened out. The actual hiccup is that our CANTS clearance (DCFS) expired and the agency had not yet requested an update. USCIS won't process the paperwork until we have our CANTS clearance. This usually only takes about 24 hours, but because of teh holiday, it is a little more backed up - still shouldn't take past next Monday. We have until the 29th to have it all cleared up according to USCIS. I think we are ok. This will not affect our receiving a date for court as this paper is not needed until our embassy date. It looks like we will be ok.

On a new note, our paperwork (I-600a and FBI fingerprints) expires on 10/30/2008. We have begun the process to request our free one time renewal of these two items. Our court date may or may not occur before they would expire so we are going to get the renewal no matter what at this point. Just when you thought the paperwork was over!!

We are anxiously awaiting word from the family who traveled to our orphanage a week ago. We are hoping for some tiny morsel of information on our babies. Anything would be great! Yes, I am begging - I need info!!

Jeanne

Hiccup

2008-08-31T19:35:00.002-05:00

So USCIS has an issue with our I-824 (for those non adoptionists, that is the change of country form that we needed to file for switching from Taiwan to Ethiopia). Evidently something is missing. NO, we don't know what is missing, only that they requested a homestudy with all of the *checklist items. NO, they didn't send us a copy of the checklist. It only went to the HS agency. We are a bit concerned as we don't want to have our court date delayed due to not having our paperwork overseas in time! Please pray that this is a simple and quick fix!

Jeanne

I want to win this!! Wandering Waif Collection GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-08-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

This would look awesome on Ruthie! I hope she picks me to win it!

Wandering Waif Collection GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

5 months - Noelle Style

2008-08-27T14:52:00.004-05:00

Happy 5 month birthday to Eli and Ruth! They turned 5 months old on the 24th. Enjoy! I can't wait to see them in person! We are praying for you, our precious babies!

credit goes to Amanda Walters designs for all bits and pieces of scrapping for thsi page! Thanks!

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-08-23T20:27:00.000-05:00

This is a really awesome website that has frequent giveaways on beautiful handmade kids clothes. I am hoping to win this weeks fantastic ovrall set. Wanna see it? go here: Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Care Package Leaves on Saturday!

2008-08-20T19:58:00.004-05:00

A family heading to Toukoul orphanage was kind enough to take a care package over for Eli and Ruthie. We included woobies (of course), two small rattling and squeaking animals, and cameras for the care givers to hopefully ake pictures of the kids. We are so thankful that our gifts are going over, but wish we could be delivering them ourselves. :( Nothing much new to report as we don't expect to get regular updates or pictures from the orphanage. We can only dream about the babies right now and stare at their referral photos.

Farming, a bit OT

2008-08-17T20:39:00.003-05:00

Our first crop of tomatoes came in today. We planted Beefsteak, Mr. Stripey (Noelle liked the name), Best Boy, and Mortgage Lifters. We also planted some peppers - not knowing they were HOT jalapenos! Jeff took a bite (with seeds) and was very unhappy for quite some time! Our pumpkins alas, did not produce any fruits. We had a gazillion flowers and bees and things seemed to like them, but never made any pumpkins. Noelle wanted to bake the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year. Did I mention she really enjoys cooking? Anywho, here are a couple of pics of my beautiful tomatoes.

Noelle and her Faces

2008-08-17T20:35:00.003-05:00

Noelle wanted to make some faces for the blog. Here are two: the first was spontaneous, the second she requested :) She has grown so much since the 4 month old pictures I posted yesterday! Where does the time go anyway?

My babies are 4 months old

2008-08-17T00:29:00.003-05:00

Since I can't share their pictures with you, I thought I would do the next best thing. I will be posting pictures of Noelle during the same month just to give you an idea of how my twins might look :) Enjoy these great shots of the "Big Sister"

Thanks secret pal!

2008-08-16T23:56:00.002-05:00

I have been sharing gifts with my secret pal to make the wait seem shorter. This month was a clothing theme and boy did my pal do fantastic! Just the right sizes and they are such cute outfits! Love the faux fur on the pants for Ruth! Thought I would share a pic with you all. Thanks again secret pal!

The Beauty of a Name

2008-08-12T09:07:00.002-05:00

We have decided on names for our babies. Since Ethiopia has such a rich Christian heritage, we decided to go with Biblical names. Our new little man will be named Elias (Eli) which means "the Lord is my God" with his given Ethiopian name as his middle name. Our new daughter will be named Ruth (Ruthie) which means "Friendship" with her given Ethiopian name as her middle name. Hope you like them! So here is our whole family:

Jeanne
dh Jeff
dd Noelle (5)
ds Elias (4 months)
dd Ruth (4 Months)

WOO HOO x 2

2008-08-11T15:33:00.001-05:00

We got "the call"!!!! Our precious new loves were born in March and are just adorable. We will post more soon, but remember we can't post pictures due to Ethiopian regulations. Trust me - you could eat them up :) One precious boy and his beautiful sister

Jeanne

Wings over the Ocean!

2008-08-08T18:05:00.002-05:00

Our dossier has left the building! It has officially been shipped to Ethiopia! We will be watching that little airplane symbol every 15 minutes (who am I kidding - every 5 minutes!) to see where it is in transit. Woo Hoo!!

Big Changes for the Os

2008-08-08T12:52:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the silence. We have done much praying and contemplating and have decided to request only 1 child at this time. Twins sounded and still sounds like an awesome adventure, but we are feeling led to only 1 child, etiher gender, ayap. We will keep you all posted on the progress. As afr as we know, we are still awaiting the return of our dossier from DC.

Jeanne

The Woobie Store- our new project!

2008-07-29T02:42:00.004-05:00

Announcing: The Woobie Store where you will find all sorts of cool Woobies to purchase. What's a Woobie? Glad you asked. A Woobie is an affectionate term for a blanket that is used by babies and small children when they need a bit more comfort. These Woobies have the added bonus of all different kinds of ribbons attached to the edge of the blanket. See picture below if you aren't sure what I am talking about.

I am making a few different sizes with a bunch of different fabrics. Pictured above is Ladybug Fleece with Red Fleece backing, Aquarium Fleece with Light Blue furry backing, and Ladybug Fleece with Bubble Animal silky backing.

Why not go and check it out right now?

I am not doing any real advertising, more just word of mouth from friends. Do you have any friends? If so, would you please tell them about my new project and send them to my site? I would greatly appreciate it.

We are getting nearer to our Dossier flying over to Ethiopia! Currently, the Dossier is headed back to Oregon from DC (we think). Keep you all posted!

Jeanne

Adoption project

2008-07-26T07:19:00.004-05:00

We have decided to do a new project! I will be handcrafting some very special items for our new "lovies" to enjoy! Watch for details coming soon! (I gave you a hint already) They are very soft and silky and so much fun to rub fingers and faces on when you need a little comfort. Just wanted to give you all a heads up!

Jeanne

Hey Buddy! Can you spare a dime?

2008-07-23T18:07:00.002-05:00

Well, we thought everything was going along very smoothly. The original contract that we signed with the agency was written for only adopting 1 child, so our financial part was incorrect. What that means is that we need to come up with $1800 right now. We are praying and trusting that God will provide the funds so that our paperwork can keep progressing. Our dossier is in DC!! Next stop will be Ethiopia. Please pray with us for the finances, but also in deciding whether or not to adopt two unrelated children of close to the same age or only 1 child if twins are not available. It is a major decision and one we will not make without prayer and discussion.

Thanks for stopping by and praying for us!

Jeanne

Noelle's pictures

2008-07-14T19:57:00.001-05:00

In case I forgot to mention, Noelle took the pictures in the slide show. A girl after her daddy's heart.

A 5 year olds view of Chicago

2008-07-13T19:10:00.001-05:00

Go Time!!

2008-07-13T18:49:00.001-05:00

Just in case you wanted to see the package being sent - Here you go!

Paperwork Away!

2008-07-13T00:41:00.003-05:00

Finally!!! Our dossier will be on its way tomorrow to Oregon for our agency to finish compiling with their additional paperwork. Our notaries are now all happy and state sealed. Here's how the rest of the process may work out:

1. Dossier sent to State Dept in D.C. for authentication (Courier service hand delivers)

2. Dossier then moves on to Ethiopian Embassy in D.C. for their stamp of approval (Courier again hand delivers)

3. Dossier moves on to Ethiopia to be translated and the search for our twins begins!

4. Notification of referral!

5. Scream, cry, praises lifted on high!

6. Chat with Eddie about the health status of our precious babies (I know, I am already thinking of them as part of our family!)

7. Accept referral and await a court date (sometime after October 3rd due to the court closure)

8. Await court date

9. Pass court and get assigned an Embassy date!

10. Go to pick up our babies and spend a few days in Ethiopia getting acquainted with them and complete the Embassy appointment

11. Fly home and start living the dream as one big happy family :)

That doesn't sound so bad!

Let the real waiting begin!

Jeanne

Fun in the Sun

2008-07-06T16:48:00.002-05:00

In preparation for our trip to Florida, we put up the whale pool today. Noelle had a blast. I got my feet wet :) She really enjoyed herself. I can't wait to see how much fun we will have with Auntie Lana and family in the big pool! Enjoy the slides and her different "styles" of sliding!

Pool Party!

2008-07-06T16:47:00.001-05:00

Guilty Confession

2008-07-03T22:27:00.004-05:00

Do you have any idea how hard it is not to shop during sale season? Since we don't know yet if we are having boys, girls or both, I have tried soooo hard not to buy things. In a moment of weakness, the following occured.

Our day on the town

2008-07-03T18:32:00.001-05:00

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

2008-07-03T18:12:00.000-05:00

Today was Noelle's first train ride! We had so much fun taking a ladies day train adventure to shop on 3rd St. in Geneva. We rode the train, shopped at many stores, ate ice cream and caramels, bought fairy dust and a doll ornament, and just had a great time! We are definitely doing this again. Noelle was such a good girl and enjoyed almost every part of the trip. She was mostly patient even though our train was late due to the heavy traffic today from the Taste of Chicago. She wants to go again tomorrow, but we will wait and see. Stay tuned for the slide show and tomorrow's possible adventure!

Glitch

2008-07-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today was a frustrating day. We thought it was going to be a highlight reel day of finishing off the dossier and sending it to the agency. As it turns out, we are redoing someof our documents due to notary errors. We hope to attempt a second trip into the city for official completion of the dossier at the end of next week. Here are some photos of the journey. The train ride was fun :)

Paper and alpha created by Vicki Parker Designs. Thanks!

Twice the Fun!

2008-06-26T18:43:00.000-05:00

After chatting with our coordinator, we are definitely adopting two little ones from Ethiopia! We hope that they will be related twins, but if not, they will be two children approximately the same age. Holy Cow!! We are starting to read up on raising two kids and joining Mothers of Twins clubs and garage saling for another high chair and everything else. It is mind boggling which is great because I am sure the reality of it will actually be mind numbing so I will settle for mind-boggling right now :) Just thought I would share with those who care!