2 Funny

Ok, I am running out of post titles with numbers in it...so sorry you have to put up with it!

I do have a funny though. I just overheard Olivia, our oldest (5), talking to the three legged ShihTzu, Emmy:

Emmy, now listed good. You have to stay up late the night of Christmas and watch for Santa, I'm not allowed up so later. Here's what you have to do. He has a white beard, it's longer, and red clothes and presents. Make sure you give him a letter saying what toys we want. Just give it to him and see if he needs a cookie or something (at the word cookie, the dog finally looks like she is paying attention) See, Emmy, that won't be hard now, will it good doggie!

I can just see our little dog under the tree at attention with a letter rolled up like a scroll in her little mouth. Too Funny!

Thankfullness Post:
Today I am oh so thankful for the children God has entrusted me with! All FOUR of them. As frustrated as I can get with them at times, Olivia and Grace are my girls and I love them SO much. They say and do the darndest things, it's great watching them grow into little ladies. I am SO anxious to meet my next two girls...funny how you can feel so much like you know someone without having even met them!

Well, you'll get a post from me tomorrow and the following day will be my good-bye USA post. I still shake my head at the calm I feel, it might catch up with me soon, we'll see. I do plan on blogging while gone though I warn you that the babies come first....I can't imagine not posting though as I want family, especially the girls, to be able to see pics and this seems to be one of the easiest ways.

Jenn

3's company

Anyone remember that show, fun theme song! Sorry, really off topic. Well the lists have been conquered with gusto. Today was productive. I have to finish all paperwork tonight or I might bust! Tomorrow night can be reserved for final packing and then from there all we have left to do is go kill some time at a movie theatre and hold hands across the dinner table. The girls leave early afternoon tomorrow so we will have all night tomorrow just us and I know Brian is wanting to go see the latest Bond movie...I would like to see it too. It sure would be nice to get out one last time just us, as I remember how it was with little ones, no movie nights outside of the house!

Thankfullness post for today:
My wonderful husband. Probably have mentioned him before, but honestly, He is the best and deserves more than a mention! He is my soul mate, my best friends, my support when I weak, and the other half of me. He is father to my children, providor of our needs, and a wonderful role model and help mate. How many men do you know of that aren't afraid to do dishes or laundry, enjoy spending time with their children, work a steady job, and still have time for their wife's to do list, etc and so forth and so on. I am forever greatful for our relationship and for how wonderful he has been to me. I probably don't tell him enough, so I hope he reads this. I love him dearly and wish every woman had a man as wonderful as he is.

4 days left

(This is tuesday's post post that I was going to have my back-up ghost blogger good friend post for me, but I haven't heard from her...hoping she is not ill. So, here it is from yesterday a few hours late.)

This evening marks 4 days left in the US. You'd think I would be nervous or something, but I was very lucky to spend a very re-juvenating day with a good friend today. I am hoping she is reading this, though I know she is thinking "re-juvenating...my house?" It was though, I feel refreshed and ready to face the rest of the week. I needed it! PLUS, wait until I post Christmas pictures of the babies in their new little outfits! Red (my favorite color) with Scottie dogs (which I simply adore) and with a cute butt ruffle and bow!!! Perfect for Christmas Day! I can't wait to put some of these clothes of two little wiggly bodies.

thankfulness post:
Today I am thankful for quiet times: a drive in the car, waking before the household, times of prayer, reading a good book, staying up late, anytime that the noise level is down to just my thoughts! I find these times so relaxing and refreshing and I hope that while in Vietnam I am able to find a few quiet moments to keep me going strong. Some of you are laughing as Hanoi is the capital city and is not very quiet from what I hear.

Did I ever tell you all that we will be in Hanoi the entire time? Not sure if I did or not. We would like to take a day trip to Ha Long Bay (I'll try to attach a picture) or maybe to some of the minority villages or even the mountains (this would be an overnight trip). I really want to see my daughters' country, but I also am anxious to come home early. The reality of leaving Olivia and Grace is settling in and it isn't friendly. It will be 3 weeks that I will not see my girls and I am not liking this at all. However it works out I will survive, perhaps a compromise in the middle (a little sight seeing, and traveling home early would be good!)

Jenn who is behind on her lists..the to-do list, the packing list and the "DON'T FORGET THIS" list

5 days

Just 5 short days and we leave, can this be real? I am waiting for the panic to set in, but as of yet we are smooth sailing. Just finalizing things on this end and trying to get ready to go.

Jenn

a week of lasts

Well this is my last week as a mother of 2 girls. In one short week that will be doubling. It's amazing how you go through a spell of calm and then the nerves creep up on you. My focus right now is on Olivia and Grace and my house. Trying to balance extra luvin's on them and get the house ready for two more. We have a rather small home, but had to finance the last drop out of it for this adoption, so we will be stuck here awhile. I love our neighborhood and our lot is really deep and in a quiet part of town. I am really hoping to move out into the country when we are able to move, hoping and praying. I have to chuckle as when we bought our house it was only 600 sq.ft., yep, six hundred (I didn't forget a number in there anywhere.) Olivia came very shortly after that and then our bonus-baby, Grace, appeared a year after that. It took about 1 year of 4 people in 600 sq ft to figure we needed to add on. Brian worked at an Engineering firm at the time and his boss along with some wonderful friends from church helped us build on. The only part we hired out was the foundation, the rest was done by us non-professionals. Our house is now a little under 1400 sq ft, not a bad size, but it we will be pushing it to its limits I am afraid. If only I could talk him into removing the wall between the entry and the office, THAT would help, but it is a support wall or something?

Many have asked, and YES, I plan on posting from Vietnam. Why do I think I will, it's going to be my link to my kids in some ways, and I have a room with in-room internet access and a sister who is letting me bring her laptop all the way around the globe. I also have a friend at home ready and willing to help update the blog if for some reason it is blocked or not accessible. I am hoping to also put pictures and video if I can figure it all out. I really want to share what I can with you all.

Thankfullness post for the day:
I am so very thankful for our church. This was my last service for most likely this year, though I am hoping to make it home early and go to the morning service on New Years Eve. It is so nice to have a congregation that you've been a part of for as long as we have. To have friends and family that attend there. To have preachers who aren't afraid the preach the Word of God. To feel like I have a second home with the people we attend with. I really am hoping they all have a wonderful Christmas season.

Jenn who leaves in 6 more days, that's right just 6 more days!

one more week

Today I am thankful for time.

Thankful that I still have seven days left to get ready (as it is going to take a chunk of that) and thankful that there are only 7 days left ( I really am wanting to go and see my babies!)

7 is a nice spot to be in!

Jenn

Day after Thanksgiving

I am chuckling at myself as for lunch today I had a turkey sandwich! I read my last blog and people probably think I am anit-turkey...but really I am not. Just the traditional roasted turkey served for holidays, the rest I tend to like. My sandwich today was on home-made bread and had cranberry relish and cream cheese on it. A very good friend of mine has said on more than one occasion that if you were to cut open a woman you would find that we are half cream cheese. It always cracks me up as what is the best kind of frosting...cream cheese. The best kind of dips have what in them....cream cheese. Best way to fix a bagel...cream cheese. Perfect filling for a baked french toast....cream cheese. I admit I agree. The sandwich was very good by the way.

Olivia is making out her Santa letter right now, I'll have to take a picture and post it. She has never thought to do this before, but now all of a sudden it is imperative to get this done! I have to chuckle as she is including some things for her sister as she can't write yet....wait till you see it :) I just hope we are able to get one of the things on her list...we hadn't planned on it, but might have to as she is only asking for two things, it's hard not to get at least one of those.

My thankfullness post for today:
I am so thankful for music. When I was in highschool I was in band, stage band/jazz, choir, musicals, state bands, etc and LOVED it. TO THIS DAY I still love music. I don't play the trombone anymore, sold it in hard times awhile back, but I love to sing and I have my favorites. There are two popular ones for this day as this is the day we decorate for Christmas. I currently have in Harry Conick Jr.'s Christmas CD which I LOVE and should buy another one of for in the car. We also tend to play A Verry Veggie Christmas quite a bit. The girls love it, especially with Jr. singing "While by my sheep" with the sheep in the background.
Music is so funny how it effects our emotions, can bring back a distant memory or sentiment. I am looking forward to singing lullaby's again!

Jenn

Single Digits!!!!

Wow, we are into single digits, 9 days until our plane leaves, I'm feeling fluttery in my tummy.

I did do a little packing yesterday and have given up on taking two small suitcases. It was completely stressing me out trying to get it all in and I have officially given up. We have two smaller ones that we would take as a carry-on on domestic flights and then slightly larger one. It is my hope that I discover I have too much stuff and am able to send the two smaller ones home with Brian when he returns and keep the larger one for myself and the babies.....not sure on that though. We'll just have to wait and see.

We get to see TONS of family today, including TWO Thanksgiving meals...and I confess, I do not like turkey. I'll eat a turkey sandwich, you know the lunch meat that is soaked in sodium solutions so that it is nice and juicy, but I am the type that eats a steak med-med/rare and the thought of dried up striny turkey is not appealing. I will eat a piece of dark meat for the festivities and then move on to all the GLORIOUSE cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, corn, grean beans, cranberry relish, rolls, pies, salads, did I mention the cranberry relish??? AND at my mom and dad's we always have prime rib, Mmmmmm.... They own a restaurant and for as many years as I can remember one of the local factories hires them to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the ENTIRE plant. We are talking 8 of the biggest birds you can buy. We all pitch in and by the end of the day on tuesday you are so sick of picking turkey and all it's amazing. So she saves a small pan of it and we all oogle over the roast thawing in the cooler. YUM! Anyone else have something besides turkey?

Perhaps the best part of Thanksgiving is the afore mentioned family. Brian's brother and his family will be in town, though the other two won't make it this year. The cousins love getting together to play and it is always nice to catch up on what's going on in everyones lives. At my parent's there will be my sisters, my dad's mom, his two sisters and their families (including little baby cousin who is about the same size as our Chloe and Aubrey) and you never know who might pop in....some of the long-time employees of the restaurant, some of my moms family including her parents, and even sometimes a few loyal customers. We have so much fun. We do our meal at the restaurant where there is a nice BIG kitchen and we decorate for Christmas while we are at it. I will try to remember to take my camera and post some pics. We all work at decorating while mom and my sister cook (I kind of float, I like to do both!) It is an unusual tradition, but it is all ours and we keep coming back every year.

My Thankfulness Post for today:
Today I am thankful for family. There are many types of family starting with my own little unit...husband and four daughters. Simply put they are everything to me and I don't know that words can express any more than that. Then there is the family I will see today, our extended family. There is our church family for which I am thankful and friends. We have so many friends and there are a few that I count just as dear as family to me. There is my on-line family, that is you, the ones who read this and celebrate when I celebrate and encourage when I am down. Though I may never meet many of you, know that I am thankfull for you!
Family is something I can not imagine life without, my life is full of family and I really wish the words were coming better to me, but it is mainly feeling...love, adoration, respect, sentiment, joy, and simple awe.

Jenn, who will not be eating more than one bite of turkey today.

10 days and counting

Looking ahead, how wonderful to start the single digits on Thanksgiving. Made me smile at least.
My mom and I took the kids to a movie last night and finished up a bit of shopping, her not me, that is any shopping I have left I plan on doing in Vietnam. I can't try to do it all here, it simply won't work. It was nice, though the movie was a big disappointment. One of those flicks where the best parts of the movie are shown in the previews...the restof it was a story line that seemed to have a half heart attempt to it with a side of agenda thrown in. Can you tell I was bummed. We did however have a wonderful time together and I ended up getting my mom to eat at one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. Now I am not talking the usual in the mall Japanese food....we are talking authentic menu. More shushi than anything else, with a nice selection of teriakki dishes, udon noodle soups, and tempura. MMmmmmm....it was very good and got me in the mood for more Asian food. I have had tried Vietnamese food once and really liked it, I also know of a couple recommended Japanese Restaurants in Hanoi. Watch me gain weight on this trip.
Thankfullness post for the day:
Today I am thankful for my senses, as in touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell. Think what life would be like without feeling the velvety softness of a rose and then sniffing it's beautiful scent. The snow I talked about the other day and even more exciting your child's first steps. How about the first little laugh you baby giggles, or the sound of "mama" in your ear. The smoothness of good chocolate, and spicyness of pumpkin pie, and the fresh taste of a crisp apple. My favorite though is snuggling a warm soft baby who is breathing softly while dozing off. Watching those little eyelashes drop and smell that sweet little baby smell!!! Does life get any better?

Jenn who will be smelling TWO sweet little babies in a couple more than 10 days!

Another Day Done

11 days left and I am cool as a cucumber. I am resting in peace through the process now and taking my time. I have put off packing until next week as everytime I start I end up changing things and have become too stressed over it. Sometimes you just need to set things aside in order to start afresh. Our snow is all melted, but now it is freezing cold! It has me thinking about how the twins will adjust to the weather. Their weather right now is about 65 at night and pushing 80 during the day, though by the end of December the weather will top off at a high of 72ish and lows down in the 50's...what a change for them!!! Right now I would be happy to see a high UP in the 50's. I did by some good bunting that attaches to the car seats to help keep them warm through the winter and to help keep the wind off of them. I bought the lighter weight knowing I can throw a blanket in there under it for ver cold days and then on cooler days they won't over-heat. I look at the car seats sometimes and get a bit sentimental. The one we are borrowing from a good friend, but the other we used for Olivia and Grace. I can still picture in my head the day we brought them home, and other moments. One in particular I remember is being gone all day and coming home to find our first tulip of the year blooming. Olivia was 1 and of course had to inspect. Being as we didn't go inside first, Gracie was still in the car seat and laughing at the big red flower her sister kept waving about. I can't wait for memories like this again!!!! Don't get me wrong, the older girls still provide me weekly with great memories, but memories change with ages and stages.

My thankfulness post for the day:
Today I am thankful for my older two children! Olivia and Grace have taught me so much! They have helped me grow into the roll of a parent, and yet they have helped me to be a kid again! I love them will all of my heart, and then some. I know that they will be wonderful big sisters and it is such a joy to see them growing into that roll already. It also tickles me to watch them as they are now more than just sisters, but they are becoming good friends. They stick up for each other in play-groups and always ask for "one more (sucker at the bank, sticker at the library, etc.) for my sister" when they are not together. They are 2 of God's most precious gifts to me and I am so thankfull and honored to be their mommy!

Jenn who is still feeling the calm effect of the snow that was so pretty, but is already gone.

12 Days and Counting

Ok, it is BARELY Monday, but I am having a miserable case of insomnia so here I am. Tomorrow is looking to be busy so I decided why not post my thankful thought for the day before I even start it. What do I discover while being up and about in the wee little hours of the morning? The first snow to stick for the year!

Today I am thankful for snow that clings to the branches and buildings. I love to see it coming down so peacefully in the night with no cars plowing through it. Our street looks like it is asleep (I suppose everyone is asleep but me) and sparkly! My girls will wake up in the morning so excited asking if it is Christmas! If the insomnia continues I may just decorate the tree we pulled down out of the attic the other day to make room for storing baby clothes in (the attic, not the tree), then they really will think it is Christmas! What is it about a first snow that is so appealing? So clean and white, sparkly and new...it's like a fresh start to a new season or something.

Feel free to join in on my thankfullness bit. It is easy to leave a comment or even better, post it on your own blog. Pass it around as this week is Thanksgiving and then we move full speed into the Christmas season...add on to that a trip to Vietnam to pick up your waiting children and it simply doesn't get better than this. What are you thankfull for?

Jenn (who so enjoys the cleansing, sparkly cover of white that is washing over her little world!)

Countdown

I feel like the countdown is on as we are less than two weeks from leaving! I am so excited!

In 13 days we will be traveling to the airport to board a plane to pick up the other part of our family! How mush mo re exciting does it get? Well, there is Thanksgiving in there and for us that means 3 meals this year, yikes! Then there is the fact that Olivia and Grace will be leaving the day before us, so we will have a mommy and daddy night all to ourselves before we embark on this journey. Before any of you get any ideas, that evening will be spent wrapping gifts for not only Christmas but also for their birthdays as we have two girls that are at the age that birthday parties are the "thing" to look forward to and just so happen to follow one after the other after Christmas. Not to mention last minute cleaning and packing!

Anyhow this is it, my coutndown begins and I hope to post every day with something I am thankful for. 13 is a small number in comparisson with all that I am thankful for, but I hate to just simply have a ticker going, this is so much more monumental to me than that!

So in 13 days we leave to get our girls and today I am thankful for our small town. Though small town can be annoying and frustrating (like when you need passport photos on a Sunday) it is home. Our parents call it home, as well as other family, and our church is here, which includes even more family! I am so thankful for where we are in this great country of ours!

Jenn who will be waiting ever so patiently for only 13 more days!

Hubby Post ?3?

I think this is my third post on here, but I could be wrong. I figured I should post on here because it's been a while and because I had the feeling I should. But I'm not quite sure what to say. We'll, I guess I'll just tell where I'm at in the process.

We leave in about 2 weeks. I'm not sure if I'm in denial, shock, guarding my emotions, have tunnel vision, or what, but it really hasn't hit home to me what is about to happen. I think I'm trying to prepare myself, but I doubt I'll really know how prepared I am emotionally and mentally until the day to leave arrives. A pain about being a man, at least for me, is that my emotions have a way of sneaking up on me and betraying me. Examples:

My mother was honored as "Mother of the Year" at our church a few years ago on Mother's Day. To celebrate it, the pastor asked each of us boys (3 out of the 4 were home at the time) to say a few words about our mom during the service. I had, I think, 2 memories I wanted to share. I had no real emotion preparing my remarks. But sure enough, as I started to speak into that microphone, I started to ball. I had no idea where the emotion came from, but it was sudden, heavy, and real.

Same thing when Olivia was born. I handled it all pretty well, level-headed, steady and supportive husband, trying to do the best I can. But when we got home, WHAM! I was an emotional mess for about a week. I'm hoping beyond hope and praying that I'm prepared for this. We'll see :) A NEW NORMAL. We all have to get used to a new normal.

Back to my original point: It feels very surreal. And I'm not really sure what to make of it. As I step back, and review all the events that have happened to bring us to this point, I find myself remarking to...myself, that I never asked for any of this to happen. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not bemoaning or regretting what's happening. I'm excited and can't wait for life to begin anew. But, it wasn't my idea to look into adoption, into expanding our family, into the airlines, the agencies, the hotels, the passport photos, the forms, the loans, paper certifications, passport photos, re-certifying papers, letters of employment, birth certificates, and on and on and ending up with having to get more passport photos. And babies, I didn't ask for babies. I thought we were going to toddlers and had put 1-5 years of age on our homestudy application. But, we get the completed homestudy back and it says 0-5 years old! My wife said I agreed to that. Darn my short-term memory! And 2 girls; I didn't ask for 2 girls. Deep down, I hoped for a boy and a girl. And twin girls to boot! And the agency we have now wasn't even the one we picked and started with. Not to mention how we thought it would be deep into '07 before we even had a referral. Nothing is how I expected it to be. It's just been amazing how things have happened.

But, in the beginning, I realized this was way over my head. And I knew maybe I was being overly cautious about it. So, I gave it all to God. I have a mental picture of me holding the whole adoption process in my hands, and lifting it up and handing it over to Him. I knew my wife wanted to adopt, but I wasn't so sure, so I gave it all over to Him. He knows what's best for my family, way better than I do. And I have trusted in Him this whole process, believing that if adoption was not right for us, it would be stopped somehow. But, if it was part of His will for us, I asked that He would bless the process. I asked that He would guide us to the right children, boys or girls or both. And if adoption was right for us, I prayed and am still praying, for Him to bless the children we would be adopting.

This has been my heart and my prayer for however many months it's been since we started the process. And oh, my goodness, what a ride it's been! Looking back, I have to believe that God has definitely been involved. It's ironic, but I got a new job about 6 months ago. My company pretty much eliminated my position/couldn't afford to keep me. I didn't ask to change jobs, or deal with the stress of finding a new one. But it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I didn't have to move, it's a more secure job, better benefits, better pay, a company vehicle, plenty of room for promotion, and oh, yeah, an adoption benefit. And it only took a month to get it. But, I turned that whole process over to God, too, and told Him I'd go wherever He sent me. And where I'm at is the last place I expected. Go figure. So, if I trusted in God then, how could I do anything but trust in Him now? Especially now with the most important step of the process (going to Vietnam) about to happen. I'm giving it all over to Him and trusting in Him.

Yep, I can take no credit for how amazing our adoption process has been. All credit goes to my wife and my God. My wife has put hours upon hours of research, paperwork, stress, etc., and I know none of this would be happening if it wasn't for her love and determination. I am truly blessed.

Wow!

My girls are sleeping now, the younger two that is....on the other side of the world. They have no idea how much their mommy and daddy are wanting to go to them. They have no idea what will transpire in the next few weeks. They are simply existing in what they have known for much of their lives. Waking, eating, being tended to, sleeping again....does anyone try to get a smile out of them? Will they be used to interacting with those that adore them.

Meanwhile we re-do papers, rush to decorate for Christmas, stuff the freezer full of meals, wrap presents, prepare for the two birthdays following Christmas. It's the general holiday dash of things to do for us, but with the underlying desire to simply transport to the other side of our beautiful Earth. It's surreal at times, emotional at others....so hard to put words to. Our lives are in a different sort of space than those around us, it's odd. Everyday activities are now thought of as "how will this be when we get home" and the annual holiday season has become a think I am thankful for if only to help pass time, let alone the significance of it all.
We are so thankful, and so blessed...Thanksgiving and Christmas this year mean extra to us.

Our babies will be waking for breakfast before long....

Jenn

Preparing to go

Ok, we have our hotel, there are at least 3 other families traveling with us, our tickets are in my carry-on already.

Ahhhh, now to pack. The packing thing is going to be a headache for sure. Am I taking enough, am I taking too much, what am I forgetting, can I buy it over there? I am hoping to get it down to two backpacks, the lap top and 2 smaller suitcases. We'll see, I'm not going to hold my breath. I have forgotten how much STUFF comes with babies, multiply that by two and it gets pretty bad. I really don't want to be carting a ton of stuff back and forth and am not afraid of doing laundry in the sink at the hotel, though I hear you can get a load of wash done over there pretty cheap. I'll do what it takes and I simply need to quit worrying about it!

I have FINALLY figured out where the girls are going to be while I am gone and Brian is at work. Made up the calendar last night and also put on there who was walking the dog which day. We are so very lucky to have family in the same town as us, as well as long-time friends who are willing to help. The wonderful people that are taking care of my pampered pooch while Brian and I both are gone (my maid of honors parents) will also be helping make sure she gets walked while Brian is at work. Our mother's are each taking a couple days and are even taking them overnight on night so that the girls don't have to be carted around so much the next day. They also will be going out of town to spend the night with their cousins for 2 nights!! They are very excited about this, it'll be a first for them. Add too that two fellow homeschooling moms from church are taking a day as well. 2 weeks doesn't seem long, until you try to arrange for care of your children!

I had another friend give me a bunch of baby clothes. I hope she realizes how much it helps us. All in all, we have PLENTY of 3-6, 6-9 clothes, and a decent start on 18mo. For some reason there wasn't much in the 12 mo size, but that is ok, I know what to tell people now when they ask what we need (for some reason most people don't find it exciting to buy diapers and formula? go figure!)

Some have been asking how to pray for us:
That the twins are being well cared for and that their transition to a family will not be too shocking for them
That we have safe travels and are avoid illness while gone.
That we return as planned or earlier, though no later than 11PM the 31st as we HAVE to touch US soil before the new year or one of us will be getting a job to help cover expenses not re-imbursed.
For Olivia and Grace while we are gone that they have safe travels and enjoy the time with their grandparents.
For my husband and the girls that they will be well taken care of while I am gone.
For us to all grow closer to God through this whole experience!

That is all for now, hopefully the next time I post it will be to let you know packing was a sucess and we simply need to count the days. Thanksgiving will help the time pass as we leave a week after that.

Jenn

Reality

Another baby gift, beautiful handmade sweaters by my friend and fellow stamper Sharon, THANK YOU, they are beautiful! So soft and I am sure they will get lots of use.

I got an early Christmas gift today as well. I am extremely pleased my mom thought to give it to us (it is for hubby and I both) early as it is a nice set of luggage. Red, my favorite color, and with wheels that turn around. Think office chairs, you can go wherever you want...any direction. That is what my suitcases do! You can bet I have plans for them. So I had to figure out how to start packing without taking over my already taken over house. One thing about me, I can organize info, get rid of files I don't need, etc. but when it comes to my house I am terrible! I had a friend come over not too far back and help me organize my kitchen cupboards and countertops and I am proud to say that it still looks good and I can find what I need. So, I decided to attack the laundry room today and I won! It isn't done, but there is enough room for the dog crate (needed to move it so I had a spot for the swing) and the countertops are cleared off enough so that I can lay out our three suitcases. Time to start packing...anyone visited Vietnam in December before?

So why do I post this reality? I few realities hit today.
#1 I don't have to have a cluttered home. It just takes me getting really determined to get something accomplished. The best part of htis is I am figuring out what makes me really determined.
#2 I am entering what I hope is my last week of working outside of the home. I waitress at my parent's restaurant, and really don't mind it, but find myself needing to be here to do school and de-clutter! With the babies on the way, I had to call it quits. It is hard to quit as I grew up there and it is a part of my life, but I am thinking here in 3 weeks or so it won't be so bad being away for a good while. I know I'll be in and out of there though as there are times when mom needs someone and my husband is brave enough to take care of all of his children...though I bet it doesn't happen often
and perhaps the most profound reality to hit me today:
#3 I am going to be a baby mommy again! It has been working its way to the surface, and today it hit. At church, our pastor called forward two of my friends at church that are expecting and then me. It didn't hit me until about then, I am an expecting mom! I have been assigned the task of two brand new little lives to help shape and guide. Two little hearts that will need cared for and loved. Hair to put bows in, boo-boos to kiss, first steps to witness, and birthday cakes to make. Bedtime prayers and snuggles on cool nights, stray socks found in the oddest places, fevers and snotty noses. First teeth and little kisses, baby soaps and lotions, black patent leather shoes that fit in my palm of my hand and short little tights with lacy rows on the behind. Trips to the doctor and first swimming lessons, kissing their babies and reading favorite stories. All of these things I look forward to, some more and some less, but most of all the love of a child who calls me mommy. That does not even begin to put words to it!!!
Pretty profound in my heart and certainly not the whole of it, though I am sure some of you are thinking it is a good thing I figured it out now.

Signed, organazionally challenged stay at home mother of four princesses

Not much new

I am trying to keep up with posting every couple days. We recieved our airline tickets today and booked a hotel. It looks fairly nice and has a decent location. Oh, I worked on a schedule for who has the older two when while I am gone, that was fun. I am betting it gets re-worked a bit too.

I have been pretty weepy lately, perhaps it is hormones. Little things get me good, things like candid pics of the older two when they were little. I am SO very much looking forward to being a baby-mommy again. Yet, on the other hand, I am nervous too! Where will they be at developmentally? What do we need to do to help them catch up? Will I remember everything I learned with the girls? I wish someone had a 4 month old that I could borrow for a day or two.

I know it's short but it's all I have...more as it happens.

Flying the beautiful skies!

Ok, we finally ironed out the flights. I really wanted to fly a step-down from business class, but it simply was not going to work out. So, plan B.

We leave on Sat. December 2nd and will arrive there on the morning on the 4th (our time would be night-time on the 3rd) It iwll just be Brian and I. As it turns out, our trip coincides perfectly with my parents going to Florida, yes again, but this time with my Aunt and Uncle as well as Grandma. When they offered to take the older two to Disney a day or two, how can you refuse? Especially when airfare prices were rolling in!!! Believe it or not, the girls were a little upset, though they did get over it fairly quickly.

The husband will be with me for one week before heading home. Then the tough part, I'll be on my own for 5 days. It was that or he and/or my dad take time off without pay. I really am thinking I will be fine. I've had babies before, just not twins! So I plan on staying in those days unless I would happen to go somewhere with one of the two other families I will be traveling with. Besides I might need him to take time off more once we are home and have all 4 and juggling dr appointments and all.

Dad and I will be heading home on the 23rd of December and will arrive back in Ohio at 6:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve Day. I also think we are going to purchase an extra seat for the flight home. I know it is a bit of money, quite a bit actually, but I know we are going to need the space. The international part of the flight will have bassinets for the babies, but the LA-Ohio flight won't. I am thinking it would be nice to have a spot to change diapers and let our arms take a rest a few times on that 4-5 hour flight.

What a holiday this will be, Merry Christmas to me and what better gift could I ever ask for than my girls all together for Christmas!!! I'm excited, can you tell? Now I need to focus energy on a hotel and visas.

Details

Here is what I have for now and I promise to update as information provides itself.

Our G&R is scheduled for Dec 5th, this is the ceremony in which the twins are given to us by the Vietnamese government. Very exciting and final in the eyes of the Vietnamese. The rest of the time spent over there will be for processing the adoption and approving it with the US government. That can take anywhere from 2-3 weeks. Flights are pretty booked so we are trying to decide to get an early flight and risk it to be done ( or else perhaps be stuck in Vietnam until wella fter Christmas) OR to book a safer, later flight and arrive back in Ohio EARLY Christmas morning...tough one.

There are other options we haven't looked at as well.....

Very excited, very muddled in my head, hoping to figure it all out in the next 24 hours.

On phone now!

On phone with agency now, we get our girls on December 5th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tickled Pink!

We are so blessed to have people that love us and think of us. I can't even begin to name all of the people that regularly ask about us, are praying for us, and excited for us! I wish I could name them all, but I won't for the fear of forgetting to put someone down. You all know who you are....family, friends, co-workers, church members, and even on-line friends! Thank you for your support and prayers, thank you for thinking of us and for offering your advice and help. I am not sure we can ever repay the favor or even begin to express our gratitude for this the greatest gift of all, your time!

I also want to say a few thank you's to a few people that have sent gifts our way. It is SO fun to open pink packages. IF I FORGET SOMEONE HERE, LET ME KNOW!
First baby gift we recieved was from my Aunt Jody, 2 wonderfully soft fleece blankets that are sewn to form a sort of pocket for baby to go in, wonderful for swadling up in the elements and I am sure a must take for when we go pick out our not so big as last year Christmas tree. One in green and one in lavendar, but with the most adorable funky flower ribbon trim on it!!!
We also have a sweet gal that works at my parent's place that made baby sweaters for us. Dee is in highschool and for some odd reason loves my kids (even in their bad moments) and she made two matching little white sweaters with pearly buttons on them....so cute and cuddly!
My Aunt Linda and familyy, (baby cousin's mom, see pics from last month) gave us a gift card to get car seat covers with as it gets very COLD in Ohio. I already know what kind I want and can't wait to go get them.
The girls' Aunt Jodi (my sister-in-law) sent a box this weekend. Let me tell you this was fun to open. Gracie helped me and we had fun. It was all packaged in pink tissue and held quite a few goodies: baby toys and teethers, cute matching sleepers, Monogramed onsies and matching shorts (similar to what you might find in the Princess Nataley collection!) and really fun onesies for next spring/summer. AND we can't forget stickers, lipgloss and a lollipop for my two older girls....they decided to pack them in their backpack for on the airplane (I'll have to remove the gloss and put into their quart baggy for security check in)

Then I have had so many people offer us to borrow stuff, I've listed some of them before. It is so very nice to not have to go out and buy two of everything! I keep wishing I had kept some of the girls' baby clothes. I had such adorable pieces, but at that point in our life, one of us was pretty set on not growing our family any more than where it was. You do what you do when you can and when storing all those clothes for a year turns into 2 then more you do what you do. Now, I sit back and peek in the suitcase and closet and figure it's a fair trade, some of their clothes are too cute to handle without tears and wishing they were here to fill them.

I really wanted to post how blessed and thankful I am, though I don't think a post to a blog could do that. This is simply all I can do to put it to words.
Looking forward to hearing solid news this week on travel (I hope!) We are all yearning to hold them and love them, though I feel like I have no stance to complain on a wait, others have waited for far too long.

Lots of food

Some parents at our church came up with this great idea called date night. There are a group of about 7 families and we all take turns watching everyone elses kids. So for one night watching 13 children, you get 6 months worth of free babysitting the first friday night of the month. I am not much for a room full of kids that aren't mine, BUT it is SOOOOOooooooo worth it. Usually we go out to dinner or something, but tonight we stayed in. We cooked, and cooked, and cooked some more. Beef Stroganoff, Sausage and Rice, Bacon Corn Chowder, and so on. We have roasts sitting in the freezer with carrots, onions, and broth/seasonings...all we have to do is drop them in the crockpot. We have chicken breast marinating in 3 different marinades, sitting in the freezer, waiting to be baked for supper. We did a cooking marathon and were able to do 18 dishes to put in our freezer, where I have already managed to put back 6 or so. I would like to do another marathon of 15 or so and then I will feel comfortable with what I have left for the family when they return home without me and for when the babies and I arrive home as well.
What a mess, but in the middle of December I am going to be glad!
No news this week on a travel date, weekend will probable be rough except for the fact that my two aunts are coming to visit grandma...that means baby cousin to hold and try out in my slings and her older brother for my girls to play with.
Lots of visiting with a side of cute baby makes for a weekend much tolerable than last!