Somtimes You Just Have to Laugh (and grab the video camera!)

I could go so many directions with this post. It's an honest look at what life is sometimes like around here. (In case you are wondering, my girls aren't always sweet and smiling - although I know you find that hard to believe!) I could also talk about how sisters share everything, even the bad moments. How about the difficult moments of life with my "almost twins"? I could reminisce about my pre-kid days when I watched other parents deal with not-so-perfect kids and thought how that was NOT going to be me with my kids - they would NEVER act that way. Instead, I think I'll just smile and laugh and tell the story about bringing Kerri home from the hospital. After all, that's where this all started.

We walked into a quiet house, excited to be bringing our sweet little bundle home. Emma Lee was napping, we were tired (you know how much rest you get in a hospital), Kerri needed a diaper change, and with thoughts of a quiet day as a family of four, I went off to take care of little Kerri's needs. Here are the things I quickly discovered about Kerri: (1) She was a screamer, (2) She didn't like to have her skin exposed to the air. (3) Changing clothes or a diaper will result in impossibly loud screaming. Within seconds, I look up and Emma Lee is rubbing her eyes and staring not quite sure what that little thing on the changing table is or why it is making so much noise. I said something along the lines of "Hi, sweetie! Look, it's your new little baby sister!" Immediately, Emma Lee decided to join in and began doing a little screaming herself. Andy and I just stood there looking at each other and looking at our two inconsolable little girls, and we just had to laugh (it was either that or join in and start crying too!). 

Over the years, we've had other moments like these, especially when we were commuting 45 min to and from church before we moved to Durham with a baby who didn't like being strapped in a carseat and a toddler who didn't like loud noises. Sometimes, it's almost like a competition  - who can cry the loudest. Fortunately for my sensitive ear drums, these moments have gotten fewer and farther apart, but somedays, out of nowhere, we get this little reminder.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sometimes we gently correct, sometimes we not so gently correct, sometimes we ignore it, sometimes we join in (or at least want to), and sometimes we just have to laugh and grab the video camera.

You'll Do

 

Good thing she has such a great imagination!

Mark Your Calendars! Get Ready to Shop!

Join us (and bring all your friends*) for brunch and shopping!
*Adults only, please!  

On Sat. March 13 from 10:00-1:00 we are having a shopping extravaganza! The following wonderful ladies will be present to help you with all your shopping needs:

Lindsey Bullard with Thirty-One
Shawna Johnson with Mary Kay
Ada Farmer with Tastefully Simple
Rachel Robbins with Pampered Chef

They will each donate a portion of the sales to our adoptions! Come early to hear about the products and have the chance to win some really great prizes! If you can't make it right at 10:00, come when you can and browse the tables and catalogs.

If you do not live around here or can't make it to the party, feel free to check out these ladies' websites and place an order. A portion of your order will also be donated to help the Hambricks and the Johnsons to bring their little ones home.

So, what better excuse do you need? 

The more you buy, the more you give!

Puppy Love

We've had a little furry visitor the last couple of days...unfortunately for the girls (and probably fortunately for little Lola) she's not here to stay.

Lola is my sister's dog and is a serious contender for the favorite cousin spot!

Here's what Emma Lee and Kerri have discovered -

Watching a movie is much more fun when you are cuddled up with a little furry friend.  

 Doggies give great hugs! 

Lola is the perfect size to wear build-a-bear clothes. 

Lola outranks any toy or source of entertainment in our house.

Even potty time is interesting.

It is fun having someone to boss around. 

 We love, love, love cute little dogs! 

I'll give you one guess what the question of the week is going to be for Daddy!

Like Mother, Like Daughter(s)

Most of you who know me know that I love to decorate cakes! I don't know why it is so much fun for me to spend hours making something that will take someone literally seconds to tear into and ruin...but it is! If I had my way, I'd decorate at least a cake a week; however, since I don't want to see what eating all that cake would do to my body, I force myself to wait for special occasions or beg my friends and family to let me make a cake for their special occasions. (If you ever need a cake - just ask!) : ) Anyway, the girls are picking up on my love affair with icing, and I couldn't be happier. I made cupcakes for Emma Lee's preschool party and used the extra batter for mini cupcakes for the girls to decorate for their date night treat on Valentine's Day. They had almost as much fun decorating them as they did eating them!

Expectations Are in the Air

Valentine's Day. Somehow this supposed "most romantic day in the year" has never fully met my expectations. As a kid, Valentine's Day was all about the candy - spending the day eating way too much chocolate was about my only expectation. As I grew older, however, I daydreamed in the way young girls do about a special someone with whom I could spend the day floating on pink fluffy clouds. As I grew a little older, the day came with a sense of dread, and I'll admit on more than one occasion I broke things off with someone merely because Valentine's Day was looming in the future and I didn't want to have to go through such an experience with someone who evidently didn't meet all my expectations. Finally, I found my true love, and I imagine that we had a few traditional Valentine's Day dates although nothing really spectacular stands out. Instead, what I remember is the date that ended in tragedy, well at least for my expectations. We had a free night and a babysitter, which in and of itself is a great thing. I'm pretty sure I spent a large part of the day dwelling on what a perfect night we were going to have and wondering what wonderful plans my creative and loving husband had inevitably come up with. The night started off with dinner, so far so good. After that, I don't remember too many of the details, but we basically ended up aimlessly killing time browsing the aisles of Target. Honestly, any other night that would have been fine. I like any kind of shopping, even if it is Target. I like spending one-on-one time with my husband, and we always have a great time no matter what we are doing. However, it was Valentine's Day - there are expectations to be met here! Let's just say, unfortunately for my oblivious husband,  that I harbored some bitter feelings for quite a while. Eventually, I came to my senses and the following thoughts have altered my Valentine's Day expectations:

1. I love my husband.
2. My husband loves me.
3. Unexpected romantic gestures and dates throughout the year mean so much more than obligated scheduled ones.
4. Romantic things are sometimes a lot more practical than I used to think. Flowers are nice, but having the laundry washed, folded, and put away for me...Wow! 
5. For me, Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to take time to focus on our love together as a family and not just Andy and I as a couple.

So, last year began our new tradition of having family date nights on Valentine's Day and spending time together focusing on the love that we all have for each other. Fortunately for us, now I can say that LOVE Is in the Air at our house on Valentine's Day!

Just Because...

...they're so sweet!

Another Step Closer

We have completed our homestudy! This included a lot of paperwork, 12 completed hours of international adoption education, and four visits (one introductory visit, one where we were interviewed together, one where we were both interviewed individually, and one where she toured our home). Our next step is to complete and submit our dossier. We're definitely getting tired of all the paperwork, but this is our last step before we get our referral! After that it is just travel to meet him, come home and wait some more while the adoption is finalized in the Bulgarian courts, and then go back to bring him home! Thank you all for your prayers and your support! I can't wait to meet our little boy!

Thanks to our little photographer, Emma Lee,

for snapping a picture of us with our social worker.

Good Old-Fashioned Fun

Remember when it wasn't a requirement for each toy to have batteries, recharge, or be plugged in? Remember when it was not necessary for every toy to light up, sing, talk, or involve something with a screen? Gosh, how old-fashioned! How did we ever have any fun or develop into the geniuses we are today? Haha! As much as I love the girls great "modern" toys that they have (I'm pretty sure I have just as much fun with them as they do), at times I find myself wishing that they had some fun, QUIET toys to play with (and wearing headphones doesn't count!) Anyway, back around Christmas, I was remembering how much fun I had with sewing cards as a kid, but I couldn't find them ANYWHERE! My searches online, instead, led me to some sites explaining how easy they are to make (why didn't I think of that in the first place?!) That idea has stayed in the back of my mind, and I finally got around to making them! Here's the finished product:

And look! Happily focused, quiet girls! (I have to admit that this creates daydreams in my head of us all working on sewing projects together...) ; )

Snow Fun: Emma Lee

Snow Fun: Kerri