Apparently, I am a lot worse at blogging than I thought I would be. I think it will be my New Years Resolution to update the blog once a week. Not much consolation, but it's what I can do now.
November was National Adoption Awareness Month! It was a pretty good month here in the R house. Early in the month, Kevin bought tickets for us to see Dane Cook for my birthday! I was very excited, and wish I hadn't forgotten to take my camera. We've settled into a routine though, a new cleaning routine and one with regards to Monkey and his twice a week/half day school and once a week gymnastics class.
I turned 27 on November 19th. My mom got here to visit for Thanksgiving the day after. And the next day she watched Monkey so Kevin and I could go see Dane! SQUEE! He was funny as I don't know what and it felt good to be out and about without Monkey. It was a bit strange though. While Mom was here, we went to visit a nearby town a couple of times and White Sands National Monument. It's beautiful there. Monkey had tons of fun visiting his Nana.
On Thanksgiving, we had a couple from down the street and their son over. He's a few months younger than Monkey, and they have lots of fun playing. Mom stayed until the next Wednesday.
The next week was not as great - we found out that our beloved Great Dane, Kira, has some back, hip and knee issues. She is now on anti-inflammatory medication and such and seems to be moving around so much better.
Now it is December, which has mostly been un-eventful. Christmas is in just a few days! I am so very excited for Monkey to wake up Christmas morning. It was so magical as a child, and I can't wait to see his face. His big gifts this year are a train table and new bedroom furniture. The furniture is kind of a necessity, seeing as he is very tall like Mr Monkey and the toddler bed just isn't working anymore!
All in all, it has been very good. Next up: Adoption feelings and update.
Lilypie Waiting to Adopt tickers
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
A Post of Pictures
Pumpkins from our Hay Ride out to the Pumpkin Patch
Me & Monkey
Racing the Duckies!
The end of the line for Ducky...
Monday, October 25, 2010
An Adoption Journey Update!
Things are moving, slowly but surely towards our dream coming true and adding another child to our family.
Before the laptop felt the need to stop working, we completed our first draft of the profile that is sent to mothers considering an adoption plan. It was mailed out to our facilitator, and reviewed. They suggested a few changes; all pictures to be changed. Once the computer was back to us, I edited the pages that required it. (Gotta love Photoshop! I digitally scrapbooked our whole profile with it!) Those are now on the way in to the facilitator. I anticipate that they will arrive tomorrow.
On the homestudy front, it's kind of a slow process (for us). Apparently I have the most smudgy fingerprints on the planet! Kevin and I both had them done, and mailed in to the CPS division in our state. Mine came back unreadable, so I had them done again using a product called Ridge Builder at the Sheriff's office. They came back. I went and had them done using alcohol wipes beforehand, but they came out odd as well. With the third set, I had to get two affidavits notarized stating all the names I have used (just my maiden), that I swear I am who I say I am, where and when I was born and our addresses for the last five years.
That finally worked.
Now I am waiting on my arrest records to come back to them, and we will be done with that part of the home study. I think that will be the final part for our social worker to add to our completed study, along with her written report. That will get sent to the facilitator, us and eventually our attorney. (Still looking for an in-state attorney to represent us).
Our website has also gone live on the adoption facilitator website! We are *thisclose* to being to the just WAITING part. This part is the most difficult. Unlike a pregnancy, we don't have a definite end. Kevin and I just have to hope and pray that a mother making an adoption plan chooses us to parent her child.
I think the blog will start venturing onto other day to day topics, with adoption updates as they come from this point on. There just isn't much we can actively "DO" at this point to report back on!
Before the laptop felt the need to stop working, we completed our first draft of the profile that is sent to mothers considering an adoption plan. It was mailed out to our facilitator, and reviewed. They suggested a few changes; all pictures to be changed. Once the computer was back to us, I edited the pages that required it. (Gotta love Photoshop! I digitally scrapbooked our whole profile with it!) Those are now on the way in to the facilitator. I anticipate that they will arrive tomorrow.
On the homestudy front, it's kind of a slow process (for us). Apparently I have the most smudgy fingerprints on the planet! Kevin and I both had them done, and mailed in to the CPS division in our state. Mine came back unreadable, so I had them done again using a product called Ridge Builder at the Sheriff's office. They came back. I went and had them done using alcohol wipes beforehand, but they came out odd as well. With the third set, I had to get two affidavits notarized stating all the names I have used (just my maiden), that I swear I am who I say I am, where and when I was born and our addresses for the last five years.
That finally worked.
Now I am waiting on my arrest records to come back to them, and we will be done with that part of the home study. I think that will be the final part for our social worker to add to our completed study, along with her written report. That will get sent to the facilitator, us and eventually our attorney. (Still looking for an in-state attorney to represent us).
Our website has also gone live on the adoption facilitator website! We are *thisclose* to being to the just WAITING part. This part is the most difficult. Unlike a pregnancy, we don't have a definite end. Kevin and I just have to hope and pray that a mother making an adoption plan chooses us to parent her child.
I think the blog will start venturing onto other day to day topics, with adoption updates as they come from this point on. There just isn't much we can actively "DO" at this point to report back on!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The "My Laptop Died & Had To Be Sent Out For Repair" Post
So, bloggity bloggers, I am BACK! My laptop committed some type of laptopicide and wouldn't work. Fortunately, when sent back to Gateway, the repair was covered by warranty! WooHoo! Unfortunately,that meant I couldn't blog away.
I am a terrible project finisher. There, I have admitted it. I love my projects! And my crafts! I just do not find the time to finish what I start, or start the others I want to. I am working on this - this week I am GOING to finish that quilt for Monkey. And I plan to start cutting fabric for some gifts for Christmas. These things include - canvas shopping bags, plastic grocery bag holders, laptop covers and a few things that shouldn't - in theory - take too long. Pics to come to mark my progress and prove to you that I CAN do this!
Monkey is still loving school. There are no more tears in the mornings, just a bit of extra reassurance in the car on the way there. He even shoos me out of the room sometimes - and he cried once when he had to leave. That broke my Mommy heart. Monkey has been bringing things home left and right (a painted Moon, a Sun, a life sized tracing of himself, a mailman hat/bag, a rainbow, an umbrella...and on & on). So, I wonder...
What do I do with all of these things?!
I love them all, but surely I can't keep every scrap of paper and project from now until forever! He's TWO! I have at least 16 more years of projects to look forward to! But I feel terrible not keeping something.
I think that I have devised a plan. I am going to get a bin. Everything shall go into it. At the end of the year, I will choose a couple of things to keep and the rest can disappear. That way, he can help choose at the end of the year as he gets older and everything gets pared down regardless.
Moving on!
Our little family has been a bit busy the past weekends. Last weekend, we took Monkey to the Southern New Mexico State Fair. It was fun! He is too small for the rides, so we skipped that part until a later year. But we saw police cars, ambulances - Monkey pretended to drive a fire truck! We watched a horse trainer working with a horse. Monkey went on a pony ride and visited a petting zoo.
There was a camel. In a petting zoo. In NEW MEXICO. It was strange, but kind of cool. I've never seen a camel up close before. They also had a ZONKEY! I forgot my camera (grrrr), so no pictures.
This weekend was also fun. Today we went to a fall festival. We went on hayrides and visited a pumpkin patch! A real one, where you pick pumpkins off of their vines. Not like that place we went to in DC - they lined the pumpkins up on the ground and had them in giant boxes. That place was also expensive. Today we got EIGHT - yes folks, 8 - pumpkins of varying sizes and colors for $13. Thirteen dollars!
This means that I will be attempting to cook these pumpkins into pumpkin puree so that I can make pie. And bread. Muffins. Whatever other pumpkiny - things I can find. Maybe there is a copy cat recipe somewhere online for Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappucino?
We also rode giant slides, watched Monkey run through the kiddie maze and generally had a lot of fun. So much, that we forgot the main reason we went. That had been to go through the maze that was cut into a corn field! Oh well - next year we will tackle this.
I do have pictures from today, but I will have to post them at a later date. Next post will be adoption updates! :)
I am a terrible project finisher. There, I have admitted it. I love my projects! And my crafts! I just do not find the time to finish what I start, or start the others I want to. I am working on this - this week I am GOING to finish that quilt for Monkey. And I plan to start cutting fabric for some gifts for Christmas. These things include - canvas shopping bags, plastic grocery bag holders, laptop covers and a few things that shouldn't - in theory - take too long. Pics to come to mark my progress and prove to you that I CAN do this!
Monkey is still loving school. There are no more tears in the mornings, just a bit of extra reassurance in the car on the way there. He even shoos me out of the room sometimes - and he cried once when he had to leave. That broke my Mommy heart. Monkey has been bringing things home left and right (a painted Moon, a Sun, a life sized tracing of himself, a mailman hat/bag, a rainbow, an umbrella...and on & on). So, I wonder...
What do I do with all of these things?!
I love them all, but surely I can't keep every scrap of paper and project from now until forever! He's TWO! I have at least 16 more years of projects to look forward to! But I feel terrible not keeping something.
I think that I have devised a plan. I am going to get a bin. Everything shall go into it. At the end of the year, I will choose a couple of things to keep and the rest can disappear. That way, he can help choose at the end of the year as he gets older and everything gets pared down regardless.
Moving on!
Our little family has been a bit busy the past weekends. Last weekend, we took Monkey to the Southern New Mexico State Fair. It was fun! He is too small for the rides, so we skipped that part until a later year. But we saw police cars, ambulances - Monkey pretended to drive a fire truck! We watched a horse trainer working with a horse. Monkey went on a pony ride and visited a petting zoo.
There was a camel. In a petting zoo. In NEW MEXICO. It was strange, but kind of cool. I've never seen a camel up close before. They also had a ZONKEY! I forgot my camera (grrrr), so no pictures.
This weekend was also fun. Today we went to a fall festival. We went on hayrides and visited a pumpkin patch! A real one, where you pick pumpkins off of their vines. Not like that place we went to in DC - they lined the pumpkins up on the ground and had them in giant boxes. That place was also expensive. Today we got EIGHT - yes folks, 8 - pumpkins of varying sizes and colors for $13. Thirteen dollars!
This means that I will be attempting to cook these pumpkins into pumpkin puree so that I can make pie. And bread. Muffins. Whatever other pumpkiny - things I can find. Maybe there is a copy cat recipe somewhere online for Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappucino?
We also rode giant slides, watched Monkey run through the kiddie maze and generally had a lot of fun. So much, that we forgot the main reason we went. That had been to go through the maze that was cut into a corn field! Oh well - next year we will tackle this.
I do have pictures from today, but I will have to post them at a later date. Next post will be adoption updates! :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Busy Bees!
Things have just been moving right along for us!
Monkey is really enjoying school - drop offs are less tearful now, and when we pick him up, he says "You camed back!" We can see such a change in him socially, and that's what we were going for with this part time school experiment. He plays more cooperatively with kids rather than near them and absolutely loves his teachers, Ms. Angie and Ms. Sara.
Kevin had the opportunity to come with us to TumbleBugs this week. Monkey was quite the show off for his Daddy. The next time Mr Monkey can come, I will make sure he has the camera. Monkey has so much fun - they are learning gymnastics positions (tucks, pikes, straddles, TaDa's - straightening up at the end of a skill, and C-Body's - the rounded bent knee position before the TaDa!). They also do climbing exercises, forward rolls, hold them selves up on the bar, hang from the bar and lots of other things.
Kevin is also doing very well with his training. Air Traffic Control is certainly a lot more than either of us thought, but he is really enjoying it. Minus the flip-flopping schedule every other week.
I am trying to catch up on my sewing and such. I have several projects I want to start for Christmas. I started decorating for Fall as well...I think it might be my favorite season.
Update on the adoption front soon!
Monkey is really enjoying school - drop offs are less tearful now, and when we pick him up, he says "You camed back!" We can see such a change in him socially, and that's what we were going for with this part time school experiment. He plays more cooperatively with kids rather than near them and absolutely loves his teachers, Ms. Angie and Ms. Sara.
Kevin had the opportunity to come with us to TumbleBugs this week. Monkey was quite the show off for his Daddy. The next time Mr Monkey can come, I will make sure he has the camera. Monkey has so much fun - they are learning gymnastics positions (tucks, pikes, straddles, TaDa's - straightening up at the end of a skill, and C-Body's - the rounded bent knee position before the TaDa!). They also do climbing exercises, forward rolls, hold them selves up on the bar, hang from the bar and lots of other things.
Kevin is also doing very well with his training. Air Traffic Control is certainly a lot more than either of us thought, but he is really enjoying it. Minus the flip-flopping schedule every other week.
I am trying to catch up on my sewing and such. I have several projects I want to start for Christmas. I started decorating for Fall as well...I think it might be my favorite season.
Update on the adoption front soon!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Lots of Pics
Things have been a bit busy around here, but lots of fun. We are continuing with Monkey's twice a week preschool and TumbleBugs on Thursdays. It's definitely making the week more busy. I also get more things done in town during the week though, so the weekends aren't as much running around.
Last week was the second interview to our home study. It went really well- our social worker is super nice. She's really helps to put us at ease and answer questions. This interview was done seperately, and still took about two hours. Now all we are doing is waiting for our background checks to come back from the FBI and she will send our home study report - approved - to the Facilitator and us.
Right now, we are working on building our profiles to present to birth mothers. I am learning to digitally scrapbook with PhotoShop, and it seems to be going well!
Kevin and I decided it was time that we go visit the White Sands National Monument and check out the white sand. It really is neat stuff! I've been playing with my camera, so I took lots of pictures.
Sunset was really beautiful as well.
Monkey and I have also been going to watch Kevin play football for PT (physical training for all you non-military people out there). I've gotten a few shots out there as well - our profiles are supposed to have action shots of the things we like to do, so that potential birth families can have a better idea of who we are.
I believe that the other controller in this picture with Kevin accused him of having a a "bear claw that came out and attacked him."
Well now that this post is of epic proportions, I shall hop back into real life. We're off to get two more dining room chairs (and a rug that I haven't convinced Kevin that we need).
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Getting Done
Cabinet locks installed - CHECK!
Fire Extinguisher hung on the kitchen wall - CHECK!
First Aid Kit in the bathroom - CHECK!
We've now done all that we can do to prepare for our last home study interview. It's next Tuesday, and after that we just wait for the background checks to come back to be done with it.
The facilitator we are using for our adoption is processing our payment as of Monday. I plan to call later today and get an update there.
I downloaded my camera to the computer with recent pictures - mostly they are of Monkey. We need to work on getting pictures of all of us, not just the kid! :)
I looked through my older photos on FaceBook and MySpace. I copied some pre-Monkey pics to my computer. I can't locate my thumb drive of all my other pictures to save my life, and I am SO bummed.
Fortunately, when I back up my pictures to a thumb drive, I also send my memory card of the originals to my mother's house. This way we do not lose our pictures in case of a disaster (fire, flood, whatever). She is sending the card back to me this week, and then I can work on going through those.
I am trying to get pictures together to work on our profiles, because the quicker they get in, the better!
Here are some of the pictures we are considering for your viewing pleasure! This is by no means anywhere near all of them, but rather some I located last night.
Fire Extinguisher hung on the kitchen wall - CHECK!
First Aid Kit in the bathroom - CHECK!
We've now done all that we can do to prepare for our last home study interview. It's next Tuesday, and after that we just wait for the background checks to come back to be done with it.
The facilitator we are using for our adoption is processing our payment as of Monday. I plan to call later today and get an update there.
I downloaded my camera to the computer with recent pictures - mostly they are of Monkey. We need to work on getting pictures of all of us, not just the kid! :)
I looked through my older photos on FaceBook and MySpace. I copied some pre-Monkey pics to my computer. I can't locate my thumb drive of all my other pictures to save my life, and I am SO bummed.
Fortunately, when I back up my pictures to a thumb drive, I also send my memory card of the originals to my mother's house. This way we do not lose our pictures in case of a disaster (fire, flood, whatever). She is sending the card back to me this week, and then I can work on going through those.
I am trying to get pictures together to work on our profiles, because the quicker they get in, the better!
Here are some of the pictures we are considering for your viewing pleasure! This is by no means anywhere near all of them, but rather some I located last night.
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