One Finished Project

BEFORE...

...and AFTER.

Ironic that I finished the air conditioner box when it reached 100 degrees and we actually needed to use it!

Thanks, Dad, for getting me started and inspired to finish this project that was in my head. Now the air conditioner is hidden in a pretty little box.

Last Thursday on Alberta

We met Elenore and Lucy on Alberta last night for last Thursday. Let me just say that it was true love for Rhett. All he wanted to do was hold Lucy's hand. And he would look at me with the biggest "school boy" grin when she would say "yes" to holding his hand. Our first stop was Thai Noon. We are really hoping that the city will agree to closing off the street for future last Thursdays, because there just wasn't enough room for Rhett and Lucy to push their baby in the pram.

Here is some real puppy love. Notice: Rhett will not let go of Lucy's hand.

We had so much fun watching this band...Chervona. They were the hit on Alberta last night. This video doesn't do them justice.

There were six more referrals yesterday! One of the referrals was only a little over a month off of our dossier in Ethiopia date. Could we really be getting that close? I've been getting butterflies with the thought of it!

Crisis Averted!

Crap! Rhett Had a Great Day Yesterday!

Rhett didn't take a nap yesterday and he was a joy to be around all day. He even had a quiet time in his room long enough for me to watch an episode of Twin Peaks (obsessed) and do some letter cutting. He has NEVER played quietly in his room! He chose a little Wilco to listen to on his CD player, played with his marbles, and read books to his friends (Mickey, Minnie, and Osmond the Owl). Sure, I didn't get enough of my work done, but things are changing, so I'll have to change with it. I have gotten used to my 2-4 hour naps!

Rhett started swim lessons this week. He loves it! He is always the first to volunteer and get his face wet. He loves to practice his holding his breath skills and go under the water. At Kennedy School he tells me, "Mommy let me sink to the bottom, I can swim". So, I figured it was time for lessons. I'm so proud of Rhett. He is always ready to try something new, but he knows his boundaries and limitations. He would never let go of me to sink to the bottom.

Thanks!

Whatever you are doing is working!!!!!!!!!!!! There was another referral today! What a blessing for the family who received today's referral of a sibling group!

Johnson family, I'm so excited that you are starting your adoption journey! Now is the time to start a blog!

Little People

Check out my $1 garage sale find! How lucky am I? I was searching for this for Rhett's birthday, but I wasn't ready to spend $50-60 for it on EBAY. Sure it is a little faded and there are a couple of cracks, but it works! Rhett played with it all weekend. And he kept saying, "Thank you for my surprise" and "I really like my surprise."

Rhett says, "Awww...Billy, you are the best cat ever."

Last time I asked for prayers for referrals there were 6 referrals! So, let's do it again.

For All You Cat Lovers

Please don't judge...

What Do We Do...

...when we have no Rhett and a little time to kill? Take a nap and knit in a park.

Again With The Weekly Weekend Post...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

We had our first visit to Krueger Farm for the berry festival! We had so much fun with our friends, picking berries, eating berries, picnicking, eating berries, and watching some fun music. Rhett was very proud of every red berry he found. Notice the empty pail? Well there are two reasons for that...Rhett eating them faster than he could pick them and there was not an overload of red berries, but a ton of green. Dang global warming!

Farmer Krueger has a reputation with us...and now he has a megaphone!
Here we are on our first hayride of the year.

We love our friend Elliot! Rhett can't keep his paws off the strawberries.

This was the best artichoke ever! It was almost the size of Rhett's head!

By the time the band started Rhett was too tired to dance. It was a great first visit to the farm.

We had a nice Father's Day. A little yard work, barbecue with family, and Rhett's first Slip 'N' Slide experience. He needed a little shove from Daddy.

Please pray for some referrals to start coming in.

60 Years

We celebrated my Grandparents wedding anniversary last weekend. Here is Rhett and Uncle Aris building a marble run.

No, Rhett is not a wine-o. This is just apple cider.

Mimi and Grandad...We have thought of incorporating the name Mimi into our daughters name. Mimi is a common nickname for Ethiopian girls.
So, I just finished watching the seven seasons of Gilmore Girls. It's ok to admit that, right? I must say, there wasn't enough of that really great actor who plays Morey.
Did you know you can watch the two seasons of Twin Peaks on cbs.com? To pass the time while I cut letters and string banners I'm watching a little of the twisted lives of those who live in Twin Peaks. I forgot how good it was. My last Twin Peaks marathon was in college.

Shaving Cream, Flubber, and Goo

Rhett is a very sensory boy. He tells everyone that the preschool he will start in the fall has three "touch tables." He loves flubber! You can tell by the hair that these pictures were not all taken in a day.

Shaving cream...

Goo or Oblic is made with cornstarch and water. Hours of fun...

Believe it or not, but there is very little clean up from this goo. It literally turns into dust when it dries.

Knitting project #2 complete. A Vintage Pixie Cap for "baby sister" or the gift box for a future baby of our friends.

By the way, this was nice.......

How did I get Rhett to eat dinner tonight? I told him to pretend we were eating at Dalo's Kitchen. It worked like a charm. He declared the rice was injera, the chicken was "Ethiopian chicken", the broccoli were spicy lentils, and the snow peas were mild lentils. He is now enjoying a Cutie.

"Baby Sister" Update

Because I can't do a post without a picture...I just framed this old picture of Rhett.

So, I thought it was time for a little update. We are almost to the possible halfway point of the big wait. The average wait with our agency for a baby girl is around four months. I put very strong emphasis on the words "possible" and "average" when it comes to the big wait. We have prepared ourselves for a much longer wait. We are completely at peace with the big wait. And we are currently coming to peace with the court closure. For those of you who may not know, Ethiopian courts close for up to two months every year. Some of the reasons I have heard for the closure are rainy season, time to train new Judges, reorganization....

We will most likely get our referral during this court closure or just before which will delay "baby sister's" homecoming by about three months. The reality is that we may not be able to bring "baby sister" home until December or maybe even next year. It is a very sad realization, but we have had a lot of practice in patience throughout this process. Ask me again how patient I am after we know who are daughter is and we know she is waiting for us in an orphanage. I'm sure this will be the hardest part of the whole process.

As Rhett said to the congregation in church last week, "God, give us peace."