Catching up

Yes, I know it has been a VERY long time since I last updated our blog. Honestly, we have been really busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, and New Years. We have also been busy with school and activites. Things are really good! Emma keeps astonishing us everyday with how fast she is growing up. Our baby is now starting to read and we can't believe it! She has turned into such a sweet, kind, and loving person and we are so thankful for her everyday. There really isn't much to mention on the adoption front. China is now moving slower then they ever have in the past. We had our 2 year log in date anniversary back in September and we are now being told it could be atleast another 2 years. We have gotten to a point where we are really okay if it never happens. We are actually thinking about dropping out of the program but we haven't made any definite decisions yet. Maybe God's plan for us is to only have one child and we are happy with that. Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving trip to Baltimore and our Christmas. Enjoy, and hopefully I will update soon!

Halloween 2008

We had a great time during halloween this year. Emma decided that she wanted to dress up as Giselle from the movie Enchanted. She was beautiful and had so much fun. They had a parade and a party at school and all of her classmates were adorable! The dogs even jumped in and got involved. I bought them some costumes and had a great time dressing them up. Emma loved it! Enjoy the pictures.
Our big girl Belle all dressed up for halloween and not looking too happy about it!
Our baby boy Bruno looking too cute! This picture cracks us up.
The family minus one puppy.
Emma and mommy going trick-or-treating.
What a cute picture of Emma and her daddy!

Sarah Palin rally

I had the awesome experience of seeing Sarah Palin in Jeffersonville, Indiana along with 20,000 other McCain-Palin supporters. It was motivating, inspirational, and the best live event that I have ever been to. Sarah was so humble and greatful that so many of her supporters came out to hear her talk. I got a VIP ticket for making phone calls for the McCain campaign and had front row seats. It was amazing! I also got to meet Sarah and shake her hand! Hank Williams Jr. was there singing his song that he made up for their campaign and I got his autograph. It truly was a wonderful experience and it is one that I will never forget!

Puppy Love

 

Here are some really cute pictures of Emma and Bruno! I was really surprised that he sat long enough for us to take these. I guess we really tired him out! Anyway, this is also my first attempt at making a collage and I think it turned out pretty good. :-)

Dog Days

Brunno is here! He arrived late last night and is already a wonderful addition to our family! He did very well his first night here. He only cried once to go out and slept the rest of the time. He is so cute and has a great personality. He will fit in well. Emma loves him and thinks that he is her baby. She wanted to feed him a bottle! lol! She is a big help and is taking good care of her dogs. Belle wasn't quite sure what to think of him at first. To her, he is just an annoying little puppy who wont leave her alone. She will get past it and I hope they become close friends. By the way, Brunno is the dog from Cinderella. We thought it was cute. I will update soon with some more pictures.

Emma and Belle's little brother

Here is our new bundle of joy! Right now he is about 6 weeks old and so cuddly and cute. In the begining of September he will be able to come home and we are so excited! Emma can't wait! This puppy is from the same parents that our dog Belle came from. We know that he will have a wonderful temperment and will be a great addition to our family. Belle is wonderful with other dogs so we aren't worried about her at all. Now we just have to figure out what we are going to name him. Emma named Belle from the movie, "Beauty and the Beast". When we asked her what she wanted to name her puppy she said, "The Beast". Well, John and I don't exactly like that name so we need some help coming up with another name. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We will post pictures once he gets home. Yes, this dog will be flying on a plane to us just like Belle did. :-)

Nobama 2008

Enough said. Let's not bring this man into office for the next four years. I can't even imagine if that were to happen. Volunteer now and do everything you can to stop him.

My first needlepoint project is finished!

This is how it turned out and I am so happy with it! I have found a new hobby that I love and is so much fun.

My new favorite hobby is...

Needlepoint!!!!!! I LOVE it!!!! It is so relaxing and so much fun. While we were at the beach, my dad bought me a kit. It is a Kleenex box holder. I am over half way done and can't wait to show it off. I have taken some pictures that I will share on my blog. I will also take some pictures once I am finished. I went to a local needlepoint store over in Louisville the other day and they have some beautiful things there. The owner is so nice and friendly and she was very helpful. I also bought my next project while I was there. It is the Star of David. I can't wait to start on it. Anyway, here are some pictures.

My very first needlepoint project ever! I have one more side and the top to complete and then I need to assemble it. Hopefully I will finish it this week.
This is a beautiful Vera Bradley bag that my dad bought for me to keep all of my needlepoint tools and projects together. He also bought me all of the things I would need to start out doing needlepoint. Thanks dad, I love it and I love you!
My next project that I will be starting soon.
The work of art that my dad made for Emma. It is so beautiful that the picture doesn't do it justice. He painted the picture of Ariel and Flounder on the canvas and then did the needlepoint. He is so creative and did such a wonderful job. He even did the outer water in ribbon. I can only hope that I will be that good one day. Thanks so much dad for teaching me how to needlepoint. I love it and it is such a great hobby! As Emma would say, "Your the best pop".

******Ok...what is your favorite hobby? I am curious. Post about it on your blog and leave me a comment so I can go check it out!**************************

Some more cute pictures

Emma and Aunt Dori looking cute as ever when we got home from the beach.

Check out that outfit! What a pose.
The roller coaster that Dori (my sister) guilted me into going on. I have never been so sick in my entire life. We are the second people from the front!
I love this picture of Dori and I from the wedding.
Emma with one of her many flash lights that her pop gave her.

Wedding weekend

Over July 4th weekend, we traveled to Baltimore for my cousin Laura's wedding. It was so much fun and we had such a blast! Laura and Adam are truly perfect for one another and we wish them all of the joy and happiness. It started out with a rehersal dinner on the 4th and a fireworks show which was amazing. We had a traditional Maryland crabfeast which was a lot of fun. The following night was the wedding which was so beautiful. Laura was stunning and everything was perfect from the ceremony to the reception. On Sunday there was a brunch that was also a lot of fun. Emma had a great time and got very little sleep all weekend. I am so proud of her because she was such a little lady. Enjoy the slide show!

I'm back!!

Hi everyone. I know I have been gone for a while since my last post. We have been out of town and got back this weekend. First we went to Baltimore for my cousins wedding. After that we took our annual 2 week trip to Ocean City. We had so much fun. We ended up being gone for a little over 3 weeks. Now that we are unpacked and getting back into our normal routine, I have time to catch up on my blog. Here are some pictures from the beach. Enjoy! :-) Stay tuned for some pictures from the wedding and some more beach pictures.

When Does Life Begin?

I too am curious about Senator Obama's answer to this question. Just look up his voting record on abortion and abortion related issues. It is enough to make me sick. Do you want our next president of the United States to have values like those of Senator Obama's? I certainly don't. To learn more about the presidential nominees and their position on the important issues, go to the FRC Voter Guide.

My New Favorite...

television show is Jon and Kate plus 8! I absolutely love this show. It is about a family, the Gosselin's, that struggled with infertility and sought treatment. The first time, Kate became pregnant with twin girls who are adorable. When the twins were 3, they decided they wanted to try for one more. Instead of one, they got 6! Can you imagine? I'm just tired watching the show. They are a great family and it is a wonderful wholesome show! You can learn more about this inspiring family here.

*********I am starting a series of posts that start with, "My New Favorite". Every few days I will come up with a new topic. Obviously this weeks topic is My New Favoirte Television Show. Keep checking back to see what my new favorite items are. Also, you can join in the fun if you would like to. Leave a comment for me so I can go check out your blog to see what your favorite things are!***********

If Your Life Was a Movie

This is a lot of fun! Kristi and Pastor Heinz posted this on their blogs and I was tagged. So here is my list of songs.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...
7. Include commentary

Opening Credits: Oseh Shalom By Susan Colin- This was one of my favorites when I was a child that I learned in Hebrew school. I don't remember how old I was when I learned it. Probably Emma's age. I downloaded it so that I could teach it to Emma. Also, we want to sing it for Shabbat on Friday nights which we haven't started yet. Hopefully that will be soon!

Waking Up: Isaiah 53 by Liberated Wailing Wall- I heard this group in concert and they were really good! I don't think that this music is really the get up and go song that you would want to wake up to.

First Day at School: Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo- I just love this song. It is one of my favorites. I heard this version of it on an adoption website when we first started the process to adopt from China. I don't really think of the first day of school when I hear this song.

Falling in Love: It Had Better Be Tonight by Michael Buble- Hmmm... this is funny because when John and I first met, it was love at first sight. So I guess this is relevant. I first heard Michael Buble on Oprah when I was an Oprah fan. He is really good!

Fight Song: I Wanna Talk About Me by Toby Keith- Good ole country song. :-) By the way...I didn't like country music until I moved to Southern Indiana. I don't really think it is a fight song though.

Breaking Up: Lullaby by Dixie Chicks- Another good song that I love. I think of Emma when I hear this song. Not a break up song though.

Prom: The Chanukah Song by Adam Sandler- FUNNY! Some of Adam Sandler's stuff is stupid but it is so funny. I get a kick out of this song. Doesn't really fit the prom theme however.

Life's Ok: Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Harry Connick Jr.- One of my favorite Christmas songs. Especially the way that Harry does it! Sure, life's ok when Santa comes. :-)

Mental Breakdown: O Come All Ye Faithful by Third Day- Another Christmas favorite! I really love this group too. Definitely does not go with the mental breakdown theme.

Driving: Everything You Ever Wanted by Hawk Nelson- I first heard these guys at Winter Jam 2 years ago. They are a good teeny bopper band. Good music to drive to.

Flashback: Alone by Sanctus Real- I also first heard these guys at Winter Jam. They are awesome! Yes, I have flashbacks to times when I was alone.

Getting Back Together: Lady by Lenny Kravitz- I have really liked this song since it first came out (a long time ago). I really like Lenny Kravitz too. I guess it could be a getting back together song but not really.

Wedding: Vacation by The Go-Go's- Who doesn't know and love this song? If you are a true 80's fan than this song is on your itunes library. Some people take vacations after their weddings so I think this song is relevant.

Birth of Child: Big Lovin' Woman by Shemekia Copeland- I heard about her from my dad. She is a Blues singer that has an awesome voice! I guess I was a Big Lovin' Woman when I gave birth to Emma.:-)

Final Battle: Waiting on The World to Change by John Mayer- LOVE this song! It is my favorite that he sings. I like John Mayer and would love to see him in concert. I guess it is a battle waiting on the world to change.

Death Scene: Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson- Ok...I am embarressed to admitt that this song is on my itunes library. I thought it was so funny when I first heard it so I downloaded it. It was the death of my northern yankee life when I started listening to country music. :-)

Funeral Song: Still by Liberated Wailing Wall- Another good song from the group I heard in concert. Don't know that I would want this played at my funeral.

End Credits: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor- What a classic. Yes, I am a Rocky Fan. Who wants to run the stairs in Philly with me? You know you want to when you hear this song!! Perfect ending credit song to my life.

Alright, now it's your turn...I am tagging my sister in law Christy (you can leave your answers in the comments section). I am also tagging Kelly, Lisa, and anyone else who is reading this and wants to participate. If you decide to take part in the fun, leave me a message so I can check out your songs.

Remembering My Grandpa Lou

On Friday June 6th, my grandpa Lou passed away. He was 92 years old and what a wonderful person he was. He always lived life to the fullest and made the most out of each day. He never complained even at the end of his life when it was especially difficult due to Parkinson's disease. I learned alot from my grandpa and will always remember how blessed I was to have such a wonderful grandfather. We love you and will miss you grandpa Lou. To read more about my grandpa's amazing professional life, click here.
I was the first grandchild for my grandparents and they always called me number one.
My grandma Zenie and grandpa Lou at my sister's wedding.
My sister and my grandpa dancing at her wedding.

Delicious Meal

Tonight I decided to try something new for dinner. It turns out that it was a hit! The ingredients were red peppers, portabella mushrooms, zucchini, and asparagus. I brushed all of the vegies lightly with olive oil and then put season salt, garlic powder, and lemon pepper on them. After that I grilled everything. It was delicious and another healthy meal. We added steamed rice to it but for a healthier version you can make some brown rice. Novia likes white rice so while she is here we have switched. The last picture is my wonderful hubby cleaning up my mess! Isn't he great?

Gymnastics Show

Yesterday was Emma's gymnastics show. It was very cute and she had a great time. Each child received a trophy and a T-shirt. We also bought her a new leotard for the show. Emma, we are so proud of you and you did a wonderful job! We love you! I didn't post pictures of her during the show because I am respecting the other children who are in those pictures. I did not receive permission from their parents.

New hair style

Before

After
view from the back
I finally did it...I cut off my pony tail. I had Emily (my stylist) give me a short bob cut that is stacked. I love it! I really needed some kind of a style and I knew that if I kept it long enough for a pony tail, that is how I would do my hair every day. Now I don't have that option. Thanks Emily for making me look cute and for giving me a style!

Mr. Grass Head

Emma had a little project in school. We are calling it Mr. Grass Head. She refers to him as Mr. Grass hopper. Anyway, it is a stocking with some hay (I think) inside of the stocking and grass seed. They also made a cute little face on the outside. We have been watering him and after about 10 days, the grass...I mean hair, started to grow. What I want to know is what happens when he needs a hair cut?! Speaking of hair cuts, I am off to get mine cut. I am thinking about cuttting it off (yes again). I will take some pics when I get back and post them this evening.

The Whirley Pop

Any popcorn lovers out there? I sure am. My friend Kristi and I were talking about how one of our favorite snacks is popcorn. She told me that at home they have something called the Whirley Pop. The best part is, now you can have real popcorn that tastes good and is healthy for you! None of that microwave junk anymore! I have been using just a little bit of olive oil to make it and it is delicious! Let me know if you have a Whirley Pop and if you like it.

Today we had a great day! John's grandparents only live a mile down the road from us. Every spring his grandma and aunt plant a garden with all kinds of vegetables. We went over today to help them out. We planted green beans, squash, radishes,and cucumbers. In another week we will plant corn and tomatos. We had a fun time. Emma and Novia found a worm. Emma was very reluctant to hold it but she touched it and named it Mr. Wormy. I will take some pictures once the plants are growing and then when we pick them. Enjoy the slide show!

Our girly girl

Emma is truly a girly girl! My mom thinks that I made her that way but I am telling you that it is in her genes! She loves to dress up, dance, and sing all of the time. She knows all of the Disney princess songs by heart. Here are some pictures of her dressed up in a leotard. She wanted me to call her a princess ballerina. Thank you God for giving us such a sweet, kind, funny, and lovely daughter! She is our world! Thank you John for all of the hard work that you do so that I can stay home and be with Emma every day! I love you sweetie!

Celebrities having babies

Ok, so what is the deal with all of these celebrities who are having babies without getting married? I just don't understand it! I know some of these women are getting older and want to have children before it is too late and I can understand that. What I don't understand is why they don't marry these men and then get pregnant. You know the saying, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage. Whoever made up that song had a point. There are so many teenagers who are so impressionable and look up to these famous people. I just think it is sending the wrong message to our youth.

On another note, there is a great website called Celebrity Baby Blog that I read often. This website gives updates and photos on celebrity moms and their kids, pregnant celebrities, and great products for babies, kids, and moms. They also talk about all of the latest "gear" for mom and baby (you know, strollers, bottles, carriers, etc...). They have coupons for all of the great online stores where you can shop for your child and get a discount. Another thing that makes the website fun is the contests that they have to win some great things! So all of you moms out there who want to find some cool "kid stuff", go to The Shops at Celebrity Baby Blog and check it out.

The Muppet Personality Test

This is a lot of fun! Pastor Heinz has tagged me. Now it is Lisa, Kelly, Rebecca , and Ruth's turn. Go ahead and post your Muppet personality test on your blog and leave me a comment! Have fun!

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

Dance Baby Dance

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books
This was hilarious. While we were on vacation, we went shopping and Emma found a store where she really liked the music. Here is a video of her letting loose. Check out the change of dance moves when the song changed.

Florida trip 2008

We took a family vacation to Fort Lauderdale Florida and had a blast. It was sunny and beautiful the whole week that we were there. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! While we were there, we went to the beach, did a bunch of shopping, and checked out some local restaurants. It was so much fun and the perfect vacation but it is nice to be back home and in our regular routine. Enjoy the pictures!

Blogover!

That's a funny word isn't it? Anyway, welcome to our new look on our blog. I met a wonderful woman, Rebecca who does blog makeovers and is raising money to bring home their son from China. She also donates a portion of the fee to Love Without Boundaries which is a wonderful organization that helps out orphaned children in China. She did a GREAT job and we love our new look! If anyone wants a "blogover", click Artistree Blog Designs and you can find out some more information. Thanks again Rebecca for doing such a great job! We are praying for your family as you wait to bring home Xu Bing!

On another note, stay tuned for pictures from our trip to Florida! I should have a new post on here by tomorrow.

A very special day!

Today was a very special day for Emma Ruth. Not only was it Easter, it was Emma's Baptism. What a very special day for Emma and our family. We love you Emma, and we are so proud of you sweetie!

Emma's new baby cousin!

This is our new nephew and cousin Jackson! Isn't he cute? I can't agree with his choice of football teams but I love him anyway. We love you Jackson!

Happy anniversary ladybugs

Wow, it has been 18 months since we created our ladybug and red thread believers yahoo group! We originally started it for people adopting from China with LID's from August to October of 2006, who wanted to be able to share their love of God freely. Most of the adoption yahoo groups will not allow those types of discussions. So 18 months ago, we formed our group and it has been going strong ever since! We are women who are from all over the country. We even have a Canadian in our group (Hi Janet T.). Some of us have even met one another. As a matter of fact, I am getting ready to meet 2 more ladybugs (Hi Kelly S. and Lisa G.). We have formed a common bond and that bond is God. Through God, we have found one another and we have helped each other through the good times and bad and the ups and downs of international adoption. These are an awesome bunch of ladies and I love you all! I can't wait for our ladybug reunion one of these days!! Happy anniversary and thanks Kelly W. for realizing it has been 18 wonderful months!

Changing Paths

Yes, you see it clearly. There is a map of Taiwan right above this. Through much discussion, thought, and prayer, John and I have decided to not pursue our Vietnam adoption. We have had a an amazing oppurtunity to adopt a baby from Taiwan. I know most of you are probably very confused right now. We were one step away from being completely done with our paperwork when we had this opportunity drop into our laps. It is something that we feel led to do. I know I had told people that if the Vietnam adoption didn't work out then we would just sit back, relax, and wait. Well, I guess we changed our minds! There are a bunch of things going on in Vietnam right now. A lot of political "junk" that has just come about recently. There is a chance that our Vietnam adoption would not have happened anyway. There also is a chance that it would have happened. We just dont know. We actually made the decision to adopt from Taiwan before we knew exactly what was going on in Vietnam. After that decison is when we heard about the situation in Vietnam right now. John and I both see that as a true sign from God. International adoption is a windy and crazy road to travel down. It definitely is not for the weak! We know that whatever happens in the long run is meant to be and that God will protect us.

We are very excited to start this process! Yes, it means more paperwork but nothing like what we had to go through with China or Vietnam. We are hoping to have our baby home in 10 months (approximately) from now. It also is so exciting because we have learned so much about the country of Taiwan, it's people, and it's culture from our exchange student Novia! Now we will have an excuse to go back and visit Taiwan often!

I wanted to make sure that everyone knows that our decision had nothing to do with our Vietnam agency. They are absolutely wonderful! They helped us through everything and we are just going to continue to pray that they can find as many homes for orphans as possible. We also will continue to pray for the families who are adopting from Vietnam that everything will work out and that all of the orphans will find homes one day.

On a final note, John and I were not going to tell anyone about this until we were closer to a referral. Obviously we changed our minds. The reasoning is because we are very excited about this yet we are still guarding our hearts because as we all know, anything can happen at any time. Please pray with us that our Taiwan adoption WILL happen and that we are being lead in the right direction. I know most of you are asking about what the update is with China. We are still waiting. We will continue to wait as long as we have to. Eva IS in China and we truly feel like we will get to bring her home one of these days. It is taking FOREVER but we still have faith that it will happen.

Love to all and look for an adoption update soon!

It's a twister!

Well, I guess you could say that our dog Belle is a twister! Emma is playing a new game now where she will go underneath the kitchen table and pretend that Belle is the twister from The Wizard of Oz that is coming to get her. Yes, she is still obessed with that movie! Enjoy!

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Playing in the snow!

Emma had a great time playing in the snow with Novia and her cousins. We went over to John's grandma's house where they have a bunch of hills. This was Emma's first time really getting to enjoy the snow. Even mommy and daddy got in on the fun. I haven't been sled riding since I was a kid! It was a blast! Enjoy the pictures!

Winter Wonderland!

It all started on Friday morning. In southern Indiana we don't get much snow. Usually it is only a couple of inches of snow or ice. The last big snow we had was when Emma was 9 months old and we got a foot and a half! On Friday they were calling for anywhere from 6 to 10 inches. It ended up that we got about 10 inches or so. It started Friday morning and didn't end until Saturday mid day. Belle got to enjoy it except for the fact that it was so deep she could barely run in it.

Friday morning around 8AM. Right at the begining

Two hours later around 10AM.
This was around 2PM.
Later that afternoon.
Belle having a good time this morning!

Also part of the birthday weekend!

What a princess! Emma's grandpa helped dress her up in this little outfit at the mall!
Emma admiring herself in the mirror.
One of Emma's birthday presents from mommy and daddy. Aunt Dori and uncle Dan are in the princess canopy reading princess Emma book.
I just had to share this. My dad (Emma's grandpa) made this picture for Emma. It is a needle point that took my dad about 4 months to do. He is so talented and Emma loves it! Thanks dad!

More birthday pictures

The cake was soooooo good! I found a local gal who bakes cakes and she does a wonderful job! It was adorable and tasted delicious. It definitely wasn't on my diet but it was Emma's birthday so I had to indulge myself a little bit!

Happy Birthday Emma Ruth!

Over the weekend, we celebrated Emma's 4th birthday! I can't believe my baby is 4 years old. We had a great time. We had a party for some friends from school at the place where Emma takes gymnastics class. Everyone had so much fun and was so worn out by the time it was over. Emma said that her favorite part was eating her birthday cake which by the way was a Wizard of Oz cake. We are so blessed to have Emma as our daughter. Each morning when I wake up, I thank God that we have her. The moment that I found out I was pregnant with her, I knew I already loved her. She is the light of our lives! She makes me smile every day. I love watching her grow up and mature. It is great seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Emma is so sweet, loving, and kind! Of course she has her moments, what 4 year old doesn't? Emma, we love you so much! Your the best! Stay tuned for more pictures of the party and the cake!

Chapstick Girl!

What happens when you let a 3 almost 4 year old put on their own chapstick? This.........

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Kristi. This is a good one! Here is how it works.

1. Pick the nearest book that has 123 pages.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next 3 sentences.
5. Tag 5 people.

The book that was the closest to me is, "How to raise totally awesome kids" by, Dr. Chuck & Jenni Borsellino. It is a really good book about principle-centered parenting!

Fifth sentence on page 123: Generally by the time you are real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby.

Next three sentences: But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand. Double-talk or not, sign me up. God is looking for us to be "authentic."

Now I am going to tag, Lisa, Taryn, Kelly, Janet T., and Rebecca! Have fun ladies!

Low fat healthy pizza and Jazzercise rocks!

It is 2008 and time to get healthy! Over the past few weeks, I have decided to completely change my lifestyle. I am not calling it a diet, just a lifestyle change. I need to loose some weight and to be more healthy. I want to live a long life for Emma, John, any future children we may have and most of all, me! It's funny, I make Emma eat healthy and get plenty of exercise. Why don't I take care of myself like that? Well it is a new year and time for a change. Along with eating healthy, I am going to Jazzercise which has been a great workout and a lot of fun! I am now looking for new healthy recipes. Today I tried healthy pizza. It was really good. It includes a whole wheat Thomas English muffin, pizza sauce, and low fat mozzerella cheese. I put it together, toasted it and tada...it was great! Emma really liked it too. Put that with some fruit and it is a great lunch!

Look at the beautiful gift I received!

What a sweet and thoughtful gift! My friend Kristi sells beautiful jewelry. One of her new bracelets that she recently started to make is a red thread bracelet. All of my adoption buddies know how special these bracelets are. They are just one more thing to help us with the long wait for our baby girls from China. Anyway, Kristi made one of these bracelets for me and graciously gave it to me today. I was so surprised and excited when she gave it to me! Thank you so much Kristi for the bracelet and especially your friendship. I am truly blessed to have met you and have you and your family in our lives. So ladies, if you would like a bracelet like this or any other kind of jewelry, go visit my friend Kristi's website and order something. She has some beautiful pieces that are very reasonably priced! Here is her website: http://kheinzdesignz.blogspot.com/

I entered a contest!

Today I entered a contest for digital scrapbooking. There are probably thousands of entries but I enjoyed doing it. The winner receives a $300 gift card to the digital scrapbook website and 3 runner ups each win $100 gift cards. Above is the page that I submitted. You can enter as many pages as you would like and it is free to make them. I will probably enter some more. If you would like to enter, go to http://www.celebrity-babies.com/. Good luck and let me know if you enter!

Our day in Cincinnati

We had a great day visiting Cincinnati! First we went to an awesome authentic German restaurant. The food was great and so was the atmosphere. After that, we went to the Newport Aquarium. That aquarium was so nice. They had great activities for kids and Emma had a blast! Last but not least and my favorite part of the trip was going to the Creation museum. It was awesome and everyone should go visit one day in my opinion. There were so many things that we enjoyed seeing but I think my favorite was Noah's Ark. It was amazing! We had a great day today and some good quality family time. Enjoy the pictures!

What do you do on a day when your bored?

First, you pull out every single toy and make a huge mess of your playroom. Then my mommy usually gets grumpy, especially since we have been stuck inside because of the weather! You see, school was closed today and I was bored!

So mommy decided to take me to the mall. She said it was because I needed to run off some steam. There wasn't any steam coming off of me. I did run around like crazy! We have a great mall that is fun for little kids to play at. First we stopped at the Thomas train table.
Next, we made it over to the play ship and I went down the slide about 20 times. I'm starting to get tired now.
Next we went to the Apple store so I could read The Cat in The Hat on the computer. Dr. Seuss is my favorite right now.
Last, we went to Pottery Barn for kids so I could cook some food in the kitchen.

I had a great day today! I guess it is time to go and mommy told me when we get home, I have to clean up my playroom...:-( Let me see if I can talk her into stopping at Starbucks to get a vanilla milk. She will probably let me because she always says that Starbucks is her sanity, whatever that means. All I know is that we go there ALOT!

Valentines Day party was postponed

Emma and I had our first school project to do together. We made a Valentine box to hold all of the Valentines she will be getting at school. We made it out of a shoe box and used glitter, stickers, pom poms, tissue paper, foam hearts, and glue. It was a blast and turned out really cute! Unfortunately, school was cancelled today because of the snow/ice so she didn't get to have her Valentines party. We got about 3-4 inches of snow yesterday with an inch of ice on top. Then it rained most of the afternoon. Last night, everything froze back over and all of the schools are out today. Hopefully they will be able to have their party a few days late and celebrate next week.

Before the chaos starts!
Emma being very precise on where she will put the tissue paper.
Look at me mom!
The final project!

Hence the reason for not having the party. :-( Picture is outside of our front door looking at the street iced over.

Randomness

Here are a few random pictures of the past couple of weeks that I thought everyone would enjoy!

Novia is a cheerleader and Emma was joining in the fun.
Novia and her sister Jeannie wishing us a Happy Chinese New Year.
What a cute dress that they bought for Emma!
Emma being silly!
Being a kid is hard work!

New Blog Look!

I am so excited about my new blog makeover! A wonderful gal named Taryn designed it for me and I would like to pass on her information. I told her I wanted something cute and girly and it definitely is that! If you would like to get a blog makeover by Taryn, you can find her at http://bumble-beedesigns.blogspot.com/. She has some great ideas! Hopefully I will now be motivated to update my blog more often. Stay tuned for Valentines Day pictures!

Where oh where could our paperwork be?

We are so close to having our dossier for Vietnam finished. In the begining, I didn't think it would take this long to complete, but it has. Right now, our dossier is at the Vietnam embassy being authenticated. Once it is authenticated, we are practically done and it can then go to our agency and on to Vietnam. We will be one step closer to getting our referral for our little boy. Hopefully we will get it back sometime this week. Stay tuned for the update!

The Netti Pot

This has to be one of the best inventions ever! For the past 4 years, my allergies have been getting worst and worst. Over the past year, I was getting a sinus infection every other month. You gotta love the Ohio Valley! Anyway, I finally decided to go see an allergy specialist, got tested, and I am now going to start taking allergy drops. Luckily, I can take those instead of the shots and I can do that in the comfort of my own home. While at the specialist, they told me about the Netti Pot and how it works. I decided to go out and buy one. Let me tell you, it is wonderful. Very disgusting, but wonderful! Who else out there uses a Netti Pot?

Mike Huckabee for president

Watch this without crying...I dare you...I double dare you. If you are one of those people who are getting ready to vote for a candidate who is pro-choice, I urge you to reconsider. I think about my future children who we will be adopting and I thank God every night for the fact that their birth mother's will make such an unselfish decision to give them up for adoption and to not have abortions. For those of you who say that a president's faith or morals shouldn't matter when it comes to running our country, you need to do some serious soul searching. It means EVERYTHING! I emailed and called the Huckabee campaign and have given them my information so that I can volunteer in whatever way they need. I will not sit back and let a pro-choice candidate win. IF they do win, atleast I can say that I did everything in my power to try and prevent it. Watch the video below and vote for Mike Huckabee.

Beautiful Jewelry

I just wanted to share a good find! My friend makes jewelry and has started a blog. Her name is Kristi Heinz and below is a slide show of her jewelry that she sells. She has some beautiful things and they are priced VERY well! For all of my adoption mom friends, Kristi is in the process of adding a line of adoption bracelets. You know what I will be asking John for once we receive our Vietnam referral!! Go check it out and leave her a comment! Here is her blog address where you can also access her information.
http://kheinzdesignz.blogspot.com/






My Public Shoebox

University of Kentucky basketball

Yesterday we went to go see the University of Kentucky basketball game. They played a team called Florida International University. The completely blew this team out and it was a non-conference game. We still had a great time! Thanks to John's boss for giving us the most amazing seats ever! You couldn't have gotten any closer then we were. We were front row on the court right next to the Kentucky bench!! We aren't big Kentucky fans but it was still a great time. Now only if I could get tickets like that to go see my Maryland Terps!!

One step closer to Jay

We are officially one step closer to our son Jay! We spoke to our agency last night and were able to finish up our dossier. Today we will be sending it to them for review. Once they review it and send it back, we then take it to get the state seals. We are going to hand deliver our documents and wait while they take care of it. Our Maryland documents will be going through a courier but that wont take too long. Once they have the state seals, we then send it off to the Vietnam embassy. That should take less then 2 weeks. So by the end of January, we should be completely done and we will just be waiting for our referral! Everyone please pray that our dossier will be perfect and that our agency will not find any mistakes! Also, please pray that these last few steps will go quickly. We are so excited that we are only about 3-4 months away from know who our son is! We will keep you posted.

Happy Holidays!

We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Bluetooth Dork

Yes, I admitt that I am a Bluetooth dork! You all can laugh but I know you are jealous. I needed to get a new cell phone and I wanted Bluetooth as a Christmas/Hannukah present. They gave me a really good deal for both products that I couldn't resist. It's funny, the salesman asked me where I work (because Verizon gives discounts to certain companies) I told him that I am a stay at home mom and he gave me a weird look. I know he thinks that a stay at home mom is the last person who would use Bluetooth. Let me tell you that it is so handy! I can now clean, cook, shop, and drive while talking on the phone hands free! This was made for stay at home moms! Anyway, if you are a Bluetooth dork like me, leave a comment. If your not, you know you want to be so join the band wagon!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

We had such a great time yesterday! Extreme Makeover Home Edition on ABC came to Louisville and I was just one of the 5000 volunteers that got a chance to help bring a family a brand new home. What an awesome experience. God was definitely behind the scenes bringing everything together. It was so cool to experience such a wonderful time and to see how everyone can come together to help a family. The show will air in February and watch carefully because you may be able to see a glimpse of me. Thanks again to Mary for thinking of me and asking me if I wanted to be involved!

The most comfortable shoes are...

Merrell's! For the mom's out there who are all about comfort, these are the shoes for you! It feels like I am walking on pillows in these shoes. I need comfort especially because I chase a 3 year old around all day. They are pretty stylish too! Sorry, but I just can't do the heels anymore. I realized that after Dori's wedding. They are kind of pricey but I got a GREAT deal on them over the weekend at Shoe Sensation. Also, these will be my every day shoes so I don't mind spending a little bit more money for a good pair of shoes. Post and let me know if you own these or if you decide to go out and buy a pair. I promise, you wont regret it!

Happy 14

Happy 14 month LID anniversary to us! Only how many more to go? Hmmm....well atleast 22 months but probably more then that. We still think about and pray for Eva every day. I just don't know when we will see a picture of our baby girl. Hopefully the CCAA will speed things up and we will get to meet her sooner. All we can do is pray. We did hear some wonderful news today. The CCAA has officially posted on their website that they will allow concurrent adoptions. This is great news considering that no one knew what their official rule would be. Now we know for sure that even with adopting Jay, we will still be allowed to adopt from China after our Vietnam adoption.

Exciting news!

We debated about posting this on our blog but we are very excited and cannot hold back this information any longer. We also want a place where we can share and record our thoughts and feelings. John and I have decided to adopt from Vietnam. I know most of you are asking about Eva. Yes, we still are planning to continue to wait for Eva from China. Because of the lengthening wait times, we could be waiting atleast another 2 years or more for Eva. We want 3 children (who knows, maybe I can talk John into more!) and always thought that we would adopt from another country once we adopted Eva. Now, we are just doing it the other way around. Right now we are in the paperchase phase. My how I love that! Just kidding! Actually it isn't too bad. We just finished our homestudy visit and are waiting for the final draft to be sent to immigration. We are hoping to be DTV (dossier to Vietnam) by Christmas at the latest. It just depends on how quickly immigration approves us. I know there is a lot of controversy about whether China will allow us to pursue two adoptions at once. Our China agency and our home study agency is 100% supportive of our decision and have told us numerous times that this is allowed. In the end, God knows who our children are, and He has it all planned out for us. Most likely we will be getting a baby boy who is 4-6 months old. We are so excited to be adding a boy into this mix! We have decided to name him Jay Lewis. Jay is after me (my middle name is Jaye) and Lewis is after John (that is John's middle name). We also wanted him to have John's same initials, so this works out perfectly! We love names that have a lot of meaning and that are family names. Once our dossier is in Vietnam, our agency is telling us it will be approximately a 0-3 month wait for a referral and then from referral to travel it will be 2-4 months. So if everything works out, by this time next year we will have our baby boy home in our arms! Please pray for us that we have a smoothe process and that we are able to receive a referral quickly. In the mean time, I will keep you all updated on our progress and I will tell you more about the Vietnam adoption process. Keep checking back for updates!

Fun days with Belle

We are so lucky to have gotten such a cool dog! She is great with everyone, especially Emma. She looks like a mean German shepherd but she is anything but mean. I think that shepherds get a bad name because they are used as police dogs. Not all shepherds are mean. Here is the proof! We love you Belle! We will never own anything else but a shepherd.

Halloween 2007

Emma decided to be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz for Halloween this year. We had a lot of fun trick-or-treating. They also had a parade at preschool where all of the children dressed up and showed off their costumes. It was a blast!

What a magical evening

Congratulations to Dori and Dan! What a magical evening it was. Dori and Dan had one of the most beautiful weddings I have been to. What a fun night. Emma had a great time too. We are so happy to have Dan in our family now. Congratulations to the new married couple! We love you guys!

1st day of preschool

Wow! What a happy/sad day today. It was happy because Emma is starting school and starting with a new phase of her life. It is very exciting. It was sad because I feel like I am loosing my baby. I can't believe how big she is. The past 3.5 years have flown by. I don't know where the time went. I do know that I am so proud of Emma. She just has such a good heart and we love her so much. She wont have any problems in school. I however was not the same way. I kept it together until we left the building. As soon as John and I got outside, I lost it. The tears just kept coming and wouldn't stop. When it was time to pick her up, I was so relieved that the first day went well. She had a great time and met some new friends. Here's to a wonderful school year!

The beach 2007

Here are some pictures of our trip to the beach. We had a blast! Thanks mom and dad for the great trip! We love you.
Love,
Jessy, John, Emma, and Novia

12 month LID anniversary

12 months...Whoopidy doo! That is sarcasm for those of you who didn't realize it. Well, we are 12 months down and only another 24 t0 36 or possibly more to go. It has been an emotional 2 weeks for me. Our actual LID is on 9/5 but I don't want to think about it on that day because that is Emma's first day of preschool and I don't want there to be a dark cloud hanging over that special day. This time last year we thought we would only be a few months away from seeing Eva's picture. Now is just seems like it is never going to happen. It is so hard to wrap our fingers around it. I know this post isn't the most positive thing but I have been in a funk lately. This is just so difficult. The best thing in this world is to be a mom. I love it more then anything else. When you go through infertility, you have a whole new perspective on being a mom. Being a mom is so special no matter if it is through birth or adoption. After going through infertility and making the decision to adopt from China, all of those sad feelings disapeared. I felt like we were on the right path and that Emma would be a big sister soon enough. Now all of those feelings come back knowing that we have no idea of the time frame. Yes, I know that once we see Eva's face, it will all disapear and that is what is getting us through this. I know that God has a plan for us and I trust in Him 100%, but that doesn't make it easy. Please remember that when you talk to us. I know that everyone means well but unless you have gone through what we are going through, you have no idea how we feel. Wow, I'm really sorry about this little rant I just went on but I think it is important for people to know how we really feel.

Stay tuned for beach and the first day of preschool pictures! My little baby is growing up!

Jie Jie (big sister) and Mei Mei (little sister)

Yes, I know that Novia will only be with us for 10 months and we are just her host family, but Emma really likes her and it has only been 2 days. We are having a great time and Emma is already calling Novia her big sister! They are getting along great. Novia brought us some wonderful gifts. She brought us a tea set with some green tea. In Taiwan, they drink tea all of the time. This is definitely something we are going to start doing. The tea is delicious! She also brought Emma a traditional toy that is really cute. Tomorrow, Novia will start school. I know that Emma will miss her during the day. This is going to be such a great experience! I can already tell. Stay tune for more pictures.

Novia is here!

Our exchange student Novia is finally here. After 3 long flights, she arrived safe and sound. We are all having a great time! Emma is so excited! Tomorrow we will go and enroll Novia in school and she will get the tour. Our pets also like Novia very much, especially Belle! Time for bed after a long day but we will update our blog soon.

11 months down, how many more to go?

Today is our 11 month LID anniversary. Next month we will be at the one year anniversary. As long and as difficult as this wait is, each day does bring us closer to getting Eva. I just have to keep telling myself that! Well, gotta run. Novia's plane is halfway across the country right now and I need to finish up some things before we leave for the airport. Happy eleven!

New blog name...once again!

I LOVE YOU MOST



I promise, this will be the last time I change the name of our family blog! This new name is very fitting. I love you most is our saying. I would always say I love you to Emma. One day after I said that, she came out with I love you most mommy! Then I said to her, no I love you most! We have been saying it ever since. It is a race to see who can get the last word in!

Referrals

Good news...only two more months until our dossier is in review. Bad news...the CCAA only did a week of referrals this last batch. Congratulations to all of the famlies who just received their referrals! Let's pray that things will speed up!

Mommy, look at my dress!

This was just about one of the funniest things ever. Emma has discovered that standing over the vent will make her dress fly up! She was laughing so hard. It's the small things in life that are the most fun.

Exchange student!

First of all, let me appologize for not blogging sooner. The summer has been very busy and we have been having lots of fun!! I also still don't have a new digital camera yet so that is why there aren't any updated pictures of Emma. We do however have some exciting and very fun news. We have decided to host an exchange student from Taiwan! Her name is Yu-Ning but she goes by Novia. She will be a senior in high school. She will be living with us for the next 10 months. We are so excited about this. We are hoping to learn some Chinese while she is here! We haven't parented a teenager yet so this will be a whole new experience. We are ready for the fun! I have a picture of her but for privacy reasons I am not going to post it until she says it is ok. Stay tuned to see how much fun we are having! Also, if you are interested in hosting an exchange student, here is the link to the company we are going through. Our area coordinator Jill has been so wonderful and very helpful! Thanks Jill, your the best! The name of the company is called CCI and here is the link http://www.cci-exchange.com/

Giving it to God

It has been a rough couple of months for our family. As many of you know, we were in the process of trying to adopt a 6 year old girl from China. I didn't blog about it since we weren't sure if it was going to work out. Some circumstances have come about and now we are not going to be able to adopt this little girl. Her file has not made it to the CCAA yet but we are still praying that it will make it and that she will find a family.

Many of you are asking what will happen now. Our dossier is still logged in and we will now wait for our referral for Eva. You all are asking me how long we will wait. The honest answer is that we have no idea. We have been logged in for seven months now and it could be another eighteen months or longer. Is it difficult? Yes, very much so. We thought that we would be much closer to getting a referral by now. The reality is that we are far away from meeting Eva. I do however know one thing. God is in control. Maybe the wait is lengthening so that we can learn patience. Believe me, you need patience as a parent. Maybe God has that one special little girl picked out for us and she hasn't been born yet. I don't know why they can't just speed up referrals but I do know that prayer and God's love will get us through this. There will be one special little girl who is born, who is meant to be our daughter, and we just need to try and be patient while we wait to see who she is.

In the mean time, please pray for us and for all of the waiting parents who are out there. Please pray that we can have peace about this while we wait. Also, please pray for this little girl who we were trying to adopt that her file will make it to the CCAA and that she will find a family.

Belle's home!

Belle's home! We made it home at about 11 PM last night and Belle is everything we could possibly ask for. She is such a sweet, kind, and loving puppy. She is going to be a big girl. Her paws are huge!! Emma absolutely loves her. She slept really well in her crate last night. She slept all night and we never heard one cry. The cats on the other hand aren't too sure about her. Bert was unseen last night and Ernie came out but wasn't too sure about her. We heard a few hisses from him. He was trying to show that this was his house first. Only time will tell if the cats will get along with her. We are having a fence put up in our backyard so that Belle can get plenty of exercise. Now we just need the weather to turn nice! Well, I'm off to read The Dog Whisperer. We bought The book "Cesar's Way" by Cesar Millan (thanks Sarah). I'll keep you all updated on how Belle is doing.

Rainbow

After a full day of pretty much rain and nothing else, we saw the most beautiful rainbow outside of our house. Here are some pictures. By the way, we are leaving in about an hour to go get Belle! We are very excited! I will post some pictures either later tonight or tomorrow morning of our first meeting at the airport.

Easter pictures

I know it is a little late but here are some cute pictures of Emma putting stickers on her Easter eggs after we colored them.

Puppy update

We have thought of a name for our puppy. Her name will be Belle (from Beauty and the Beast). Emma had a say in that name. :-) Actually my mother in law first came up with it and once I suggested it to Emma, it was all over! We are so excited! We will be picking her up at 9:45 Wednesday night. Watch for more pictures very soon!

Our New Addition!

Yes...I know that I haven't been good about blogging lately. We have been very busy and I will try to do better. We have some exciting news! We are going to be the proud parents of a 12 week old German Shepherd! She is just about the cutest thing we have ever seen. We are getting her on Wednesday and are so excited. We haven't come up with a name yet so any ideas would be much appreciated. We are leaning twoards a German name since obviously she is German. She comes from an outstanding breeder in Maryland who we know and trust. Here is a picture of her. We will post more once we get her home.

It's March Madness baby!!!!!

Well, it was a sad day in college basketball yesterday. I have removed the little video now. Maryland lost to Butler. It was a close game but the Terps just couldn't pull it off in the end. I am sad that I wont get to see any of those seniors play again. It has been an up and down four years for them. Next year is a new begining. Let's hope that they have a good recruiting class and that they will go far in the tournament next year.

GO TERPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Round one starts on Thursday for my boys. I really hope that they will go far in this tournament. You never know what can happen. It just depends on who brings their "A" game to the arena that day. I love college basketball and I love March Madness so bring it on! Go Terps and go ACC (the best conference in the country by far, and yes I am basing that on the fact that they have the most teams out of any conference in the NCAA tournament!)

Congratulations Dori and Dan!

Congratulations to my sister Dori and her fiance Dan! They are now engaged and we couldn't be more excited for them. Dori is the best sister and friend a girl could ask for and Dan is such a kind and loving person. We love them both so much! The are just about the cutest couple around. We can't wait for the wedding! We love you guys! Big hugs and kisses being sent to you from Indiana!!

Love,

Jessy, John, and Emma

Beauty and the Beast

This past weekend, I took Emma to see the local high schools production of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is one of Emma's favorite Disney stories. She has the movie at home and loves it. We ended up leaving after only being there for 45 minutes. When the Beast came out, Emma was so scared that we had to leave. I felt so bad for her. I tried to explain that it was ok but she didn't want to have anything to do with it. We did go to the "Brunch with Belle" before the play and Emma just loved it even though she isn't smiling in the pictures! She got to meet all of the charecters and had her picture taken with them. I guess it will be a while before we try to go to another live production! Maybe in a few more years.

Happy Valentine's Day to my two sweeties!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I want to wish both of my sweetie pies a very happy Valentine's Day. John and Emma, you both are the loves of my life and I would be lost without you. I am so blessed to have the two of you in my life. John, I know it hasn't always been simple and easy. It has just made us stronger as a couple and as parents. I want you to know that you are my soul mate and I love you with all of my heart, soul, and being. Emma, yes you have gone through your terrible two's but there never was a moment when I didn't love you. You are such a wonderful child and I am so lucky to be your mommy. I love the both of you very much and hope you have a fabulous Valentine's Day. By the way, this picture is John's Valentine's Day present. Emma and I wanted to give John a good picture of the two of us together for his office.

Counting cookies with Emma

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Too much Play-Doh mom, I need a nap!

Hey mom! Check it out, I mixed up all the colors!
Hmmm...let's see, what should I make?
I tired myself out mom, I don't want lunch. I want to take a nap!

More pictures from Winter Jam 2007

For more pictures and to hear about our awesome night, go down to the next post.

Winter Jam 2007!!

What an amazing night I had last night! My friend Kara got two tickets to Winter Jam 2007from work. Her husband was working so she invited me to go. All I have to say is Thank you so much Kara! I had such an awesome time. The Christian artists that played were Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, NewSong, Hawk Nelson, and Sanctus Real. They also had a speaker named Tony Nolan who was amazing and John Morgan who is the George Bush impersonator who was quite funny! The highlight of the night for me was getting to meet Steven Curtis Chapman and having my picture taken with him. I was able to talk to him for just a minute and he is such a nice person! It was truly amazing! I got to tell him how we are adopting from China too. Kara got her picture taken with Jeremy Camp and I know she was excited! The whole night was such a blast and I am so glad I was able to go. Thanks again Kara for such a wonderful treat! By the way, we had front row, center stage seats. It can't get any better then that!

Here I am with Steven Curtis Chapman!

Here is Kara with Jeremy Camp!

Just A Mom?

A friend of mine sent this to me. This is for all of you moms and soon to be moms out there! Enjoy!

JUST A MOM?

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a......?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman.

"I'm a Mom."

"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.

The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, [what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom." Motherhood!

What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door.

Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates"? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts "Associate Research Assistants".

Please send this to another Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, and other friends you know. May your troubles be less, your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door!

The history of my diaper bags

As many of you know, I am a diaper bag nut! I love diaper bags. Some women have nice purses, well I have nice diaper bags. I can't help it, I'm addicted to diaper bags! LOL! Just ask my husband and my mom, they think I am crazy. Anway, a bunch of gals in my ladybug group have gotten some really cute diaper bags and have been posting about them on their blogs. I thought I would post about mine.

Here is the first diaper bag that I had. I registered for this one before Emma was born. It was very functional but not very cute. I only had it a few months before I moved on. John carries this one around if he takes Emma out by himself. He wont carry around my girly bags.
This was my second diaper bag. I absolutly love it! It is very functional and cute. It even has straps on the back so you can carry it like a back pack. This came with a built in changing pad too.
This was my third diaper bag. It is also very cute and functional. My mom got this for me for one of my birthdays. This also came with a changing pad and a wipe case.
This is my current diaper bag. I love this diaper bag! Now that Emma is getting older, I wanted something that looked more like a purse then a diaper bag. This is like a big purse but it comes with a changing pad and has pockets like a diaper bag. I can even use it as a purse once I don't need a diaper bag any more.
I also had another diaper bag before this one. It is in another post. I ended up returning it because the material was fraying. Instead of that bag, I got this one instead.

Our Christmas

We had a very nice Christmas! Emma had such a good time seeing what Santa brought her. This picture is right after she woke up and saw all of her presents under the tree!
I must have been a really good girl this year! Santa a.k.a. John brought me a lap top! I couldn't believe it. I was totally shocked. He knew that I wanted one for when we go to China but I didn't expect that I would get it for Christmas. He did a good job surprising me. What a wonderful hubby I have!
Here is the aftermath! We had so much trash to take out after Christmas! I couldn't believe it. This is only half of it! We had such a great time this year but it is nice for things to get back to normal now. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season as well!

Our new blog title

Hi everyone. As you can see, we have changed our blog address and the title of our blog. We have some reasons for changing it and are hoping to be able to share some good news with everyone within the next few months. John and I were talking and trying to decide what to change our blog title to. I am always walking around the house wearing the "Life is Good" t-shirts. I have about 6 of them. I love the shirts. Besides being soooooooo comfortable, I love the saying on them. We are so blessed and appreciate everyone that we have in our lives. That is the reason for the name change. Life definitely is Good! If you want to check out the t-shirts, then click Life is good.

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah!

In our family, we celebrate both Christmas and Chanukah. Both holiday's have special meaning and traditions to us. Tonight is the 4th night of Chanukah and below is a picture of our menorah. Emma is so excited to be learning about both holiday's. Once Christmas arrives, I will post some pictures of our Christmas traditions.


Here is the prayer that is said when lighting the menorah:
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-tav Ve-tzi-va-nu Le-had-lik Ner Cha-nu-kah.

Thanks Secret Santa!

In my ladybug group, we decided to do secret santa gifts. I have the best secret santa! My secret santa sent me some really cute candy cane socks, an Asian key chain, a candle that is Asian poppy scented, a book mark that says love and also has the chinese character for it, and a gift card to Borders! Thanks so much to my secret santa!

Did you know...

Yes, I have been tagged again. Sorry it took me so long to put it on my blog. I've been tagged by my good friend Kelly. Here it goes...

Did you know...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Stay at home mom! (the best one)
2. Auto body shop manager
3. Auto body shop estimator
4. I worked at a cafe for a summer

Four Movies I have watched over and over:
1. Grease
2. The Wizard of Oz
3. Goonies
4. Steel magnolias

Four places I have lived:
1. Indiana
2. Baltimore, MD
3. North Carolina (for a year)
4. No where else

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Extreme home makeover
3. Big brother (during the summer)
4. College basketball (especially Maryland!)

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Ocean City Maryland
2. Several places in Mexico
3. The carribean
4. Turks and Caicos Islands

Favorite foods:
1. Mexican
2. Chinese
3. Crabs (It's a Maryland thing)
4. Italian

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. China!
2. Home from China with our daughter!
3. Can't really think of any other. I like where I live. Although, I would like to live closer to the
city.

Four peopole who will respond:
1. Leslie
2. Rebecca
3. Donna
4. Any of my ladybug gals please join in!

Now, here's what you're supposed to do... And please do not spoil the fun. Copy and paste this to an e-mail or your blog. Delete my answers and type in your answers. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know INCLUDING the person who sent it to you or post it to your blog.The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Let me know if you do it and where to look for your answers.

I've been tagged...

...by my good friend Leslie.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No
5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually after thanksgiving but it was early this year
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Mashed potatos
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: I am new at celebrating Christmas but look forward to creating many favorite holiday memories with my husband and my children.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The truth, what's the truth? LOL!
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? White lights and all kinds of ornaments
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? If I have to drive in it then I dread it. If I don't have to be anywhere then I love it!
12. Can you ice skate? Yes!! One of my favorite activities as a kid and teenager!
13. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being together with family
14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Christmas cookies
15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Not sure. I can't wait for Emma to wake up on Christmas morning to see all of her presents!
16. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving!!
17. What's your favorite Christmas Song? Hmmm, that's a hard one. This year I really like "Merry Christmas" by Third Day. All of my adoption buddies no why!
18. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum

This card says it all!

We received this thank you card from some friends of ours the other day. John helped them with the notarization process for all of their dossier documents. It made me smile as soon as I saw it. The saying on it was perfect and it made my day! I know that we will get our daughter, we just need to wait until it is our time. God has our daughter picked out and we just need to wait and see what his plans are. Anyway, thanks to Kara and Rob for sending this lovely card that brightened my day! We are praying for a speedy DTC and LID for you guys!

Holiday pictures!

Emma did such a good job today when we took her to get her pictures done. Of course I had to bribe her with a sucker and tell her she could sit on Santa's lap again. We haven't been able to get professional pictures done in over a year because Emma never did well and the flash would scare her. Enjoy because these may be the last ones atleast for a little while!

How about those Terps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's go Maryland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As most of you know, I am a huge college basketball fan. I am an even bigger University of Maryland basketball fan. Well, my boys did it tonight. Maryland beat Illinois in the ACC/Big ten challenge. The score was 72-66. The are a major force in college basketball. They have made a come back! The ACC is the top confrence in the country (yes, that is my opinion and since this is my blog, I am right. LOL!) Right now, the Terps are undefeated and will hopefully stay that way. Yes, I know it is early in the season but a girl can dream, can't she? You all know I will keep you posted on how my boys are doing. Stay tuned to hear all about the Maryland Terps. If you would like to keep up with them on your own, click here.

Santa picture!

Last year we couldn't get a picture of Emma with Santa because she was scared to death. This year she understands and she was all for it! Of course I had to bribe her with a sucker (lollipop) before she would sit on his lap. She had a great time and told Santa what presents she wanted.

Happy birthday mom!

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Today is my mom's birthday. Happy birthday mom! We love you so much! We can't wait to come home next week. John can't wait for your thanksgiving dinner. Emma misses her bubbe (for those who don't know, bubbe is yidish for grandma) terribly. Here is a song from Emma:

Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday dear bubbe,
happy birthday to you!

We love you!

Love,
Jessy, John, and Emma