Fingerprinted again...

So with our USCIS fingerprinting appointment in hand, Jeff and I left our house this morning at 7:15 hoping to get our fingerprints taken.

Our rescheduled appt, after I missed the first appt, is for January 10th, but we were hoping that we could get it done earlier.

Thankfully it was not busy today and we were able to be the first 2 to get our prints taken! Yea!!

Hopefully we get approval before we move because that would be the best case scenario.

Otherwise we may have to get it done again...which would be more time lost and more money..

Our goal is to get our approval and get our dossier submitted to China before we move.

Lofty goal..yes...

Beyond God's capabilities...no...

So if you feel so inclined...please pray for our house to sell and for us to get our USCIS approval and dossier off before the 3rd week of Feb!

On the market

We are now on the market...

Or at least our house is...

The last two weeks have felt like a whirlwind of activity.

We had to have two realtors do a market analysis for us and then decide which one to list with...

Those two market analysis had to be within 10% of each other or we would have to have a 3rd realtor come out and do another one...thankfully they were within the 10%.

We chose a realtor and listed with her yesterday morning.

On Friday we have two appraisers coming out to do appraisals of the house. The relo company will average the two appraisals and this will be out buyout price that P&G will give us if we can't sell the house on our own.

We are hoping and praying we sell it on our own as they also offer a significant incentive to doing this...

So please pray we can sell our house quickly!

Christmas Style

Here is Ainsley sporting some Christmas style...

I am pretty sure it isn't how my mom thought the outfit she got the girls would look...

Since Ainsley never wears anything together that was actually purchased together, I doubt she will ever wear the entire outfit my mom purchased each of the girls together...

Unless I get their pictures taken...

But the girl definitely has a sense of style...

Christmas

We celebrated our annual tradition of going out to eat on Christmas Eve at our favorite Chinese food restaurant.
However, as usual, we forgot to capture it on camera!
We did capture our yearly trip to down town Cincinnati though, which was great fun! Especially as it will probably be our last Christmas in downtown Cincinnati for at least a little while.
We had fun walking around Fountain Square, watching the people skate(which we didn't leave enough time to do), seeing the gingerbread displays, the Duke Energy train display and taking a carriage ride around the city. The girls enjoyed it immensely as did Jeff and I.
Here are a few pics from the day...

Girls in front of the gingerbread display

Duke Energy train display

Mom and Mackenzie-Fountain Square

Carriage ride-I really need a cool new hat...this one just isn't cutting it...

Mack and Ainsley on carriage ride

On Christmas Eve night the girls also have a tradition of opening one present each. It is always Christmas jammies. We then go through our What God Wants for Christmas Nativity Advent Set. It is set up to do either the week before Christmas or to do all in one sitting. We usually do it all in one sitting but we have done it both ways.

We have had lots of fun Christmas memories in our home.

I will be sad to leave this house when the time comes as we have really loved this house.

Glad we have a few more weeks of making memories...

Awaited

Last night we went to see Awaited at Crossroads in Cincinnati. It was amazing! What a great way to usher in the Christmas season, remind us of what Christmas is all about and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Jeff and I loved it. Mackenzie and Ainsley really liked it though they thought it was a little loud...Ellie thought it was too loud :) She covered her hands over her ears for the first part...lol. They asked us not to take pictures or recordings so as not to distract the actors and actresses, but there are a lot of video clips on youtube from past years. I thought I would post one that we loved...

Adopted

I was thinking to myself just yesterday that I just can't imagine life without Ellie. I was thinking about the many funny things that she does and says that just keep us in stitches sometimes. Take Friday afternoon, for instance.

Ellie was sitting behind me in the van as we waited to pick Mackenzie up from school. She had been talking a mile a minute, which has become more the norm and which is getting to the drive me crazy point, when suddenly she says something along these lines...(and mind you I had already been laughing a lot at what she was saying and will have to give some of the back story)

Ellie-"Awww mom, the batteries to my pretend phone are dead!

Mom-"why don't you go to the pretend store and buy a charger for your batteries?"

Ellie-"great idea, mom!"

Yup..that's me...always full of great ideas!

The prior 45 minutes before we pulled into the school had been spent listening to Ellie chat with my friend Sophia and her son Jonah. Ellie LOVES Jonah. I means really loves him. He just turned 4 so he is a younger man an all. Smart thinking Ellie. Catch 'em when their young.

She wanted to text him. I explained that she can't text because well...she can't spell. Which would make texting tricky. She then said she could text Miss Sophia on her phone to which I had to explain yet again that she can't spell and that Miss Sophia doesn't have texting on her phone. It's just not going to happen kid. So then she moves on to e-mail. Can she write Jonah an e-mail. Seriously? I suggested why don't you pretend to call Jonah...she wanted my phone...don't think so! And then she comes up with the pretend phone! Yea! I love the pretend phone since it requires absolutely nothing on my part! She proceeds to spend the next however long it was talking on her pretend phone to Jonah and his mom. I wish I had recorded it because it would completely crack Sophia up..alas..

Then yesterday she comes over to Jeff and I at the table. We had just let her put in The Incredibles. She wanted to be a supergirl. But she obviously couldn't be a supergirl. Why? She didn't have a cape! Of course you can't be a supergirl without a cape! But she had the solution...always thinking...just like Curious George...

She pulls out her blanket and wants me to tuck it in the back. So, I do. She flies off. She comes back. And she proceeds to do this...per Jeff's quote...

Ellie, running around with a blanket on her back like a cape yells, "Look, I'm super girl! I can toot!" and then proceeds to stick out her bottom at me.

That's my girl!

So when I overhear people say things like " I don't know if I could ever love an adopted child as much as I love a biological child" all I can think is...you just do..

Through all of our ups and down. Frustrations. Setbacks. Therapies to the 100th power. It has never changed the fact that I love Ellie. 100 % as much as I love Ainsley and Mackenzie. And she has definitely blossomed under all that love she gets from us. From her sisters. From our amazing friends and family.

That's why we are doing it all over again. Because every child deserves it. And I can't make a difference in every child's life. But I can make a difference in just one more.

Moving

What I like about moving:

1. It gives us opportunities to practice not becoming stressed.

2. It enables me to learn how to practice patience with my kids while I am also involved in practicing the opportunity of not being stressed

3. A work in progress...

We are moving to St. Louis for Jeff's new role/promotion.

We are excited and sad all at once.

I am however feeling a little crazy that it happened a few weeks before Christmas, but it's ok because I am practicing #1 and #2...

Family Picture...more to come

Here are pictures from our family photo shoot. Our friend, Jeff Fusaro, took the pictures. If you are ever looking for someone to take pictures, he does a great job.

We had a lot of fun and are pleased by the pictures.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted!

We had a great Thanksgiving with our family this year. My mom flew in and spent two weeks with us and just left this afternoon. We spent the first part of her time in Gatlinburg and South Carolina and the last few days here at home in KY.

We took the girls out of school for Gatlinburg which of course they loved! We had a lot of fun hanging around our cabin and playing in the stream behind it. The weather was actually in the high 60's most of the time we were there and we even got to wear capris and short-sleeved shirts. We spent a few hours driving around Cade's Cove and were able to see deer, wild turkeys and even caught site of a black bear! A day at the aquarium and an evening walking around downtown Gatlinburg. Lots of good family time which was great since Jeff has been traveling a lot.

Then we traveled on to South Caroline to spend Thanksgiving with my brother and his family. Lots of great memories and lots of great food! We love seeing their family and I know the girls would love it if we saw them more often!

We area already in full swing for Christmas. It seems crazy how quickly the calendar fills up in December!!

On the adoption front we received our fingerprinting appt for December 10th. We were going to attempt to get in earlier but honestly with Jeff's travel and our travel we just decided to wait until the 10th and make it easy on ourselves. Hopefully it won't take forever from that point on but I am fully prepared to take until the end of Jan. Hopefully I will be pleasantly suprised and have it move along faster!

Date night with Ellie

We have no pictures and sadly no video but I have to say date night according to Ellie was a huge success!

We have a regular sitter that comes in on Thursday evenings and Sunday evenings to watch our girls for us. She has been babysitting for us for over a year and we all like her a lot.

She's a college student at NKU (Northern Kentucky University) and Ellie really likes her and looks forward to having her come. However, when we took Mackenzie and Ainsley out last week on a date, Ellie really wanted to come.

So we promised her that next week would be her turn.

She has been sooo excited!

When she woke this am, she was all about date night tonight with both mom and dad.

Where do you think she requested to go? Chinese food? Nope. Sit down restaurant? Nope.

She chose Burger King. Why?? We have no idea but are inclined to think it's because there's a play area...

So Burger King is where we went tonight with Ellie for date night. She had a blast!

If only I could have recorded video...

Tiger Award

Mackenzie got mail today from Beechwood. I accidentally opened it without bothering to look at who it was to since they kids don't happen to get a lot of mail.

She has received several notecards in the mail from her teacher about how well she is doing which she thinks is cool. This note is from the head of the Board of Education at Beechwood. She is receiving their Tiger Award. I am really impressed by her new school and how well they do at giving praise/recognition to the students who are doing a good job.

Kudos to Beechwood!

Reading

I just wanted to post a video of Ellie reading one of her very beginner books.

She is starting to get it...

Maybe...

Wish List

When Jeff and I arrived home tonight from our weekly date night, this is what I found pulled up on my computer...

I'm still laughing...

My Wish List

The Son of Neptune

The Kane Chronicles Book 2

Tangled

A sewing machine

A DSI

An iPod touch

A book of jokes

A phone

A new outfit

A notebook

A dog

My OWN computer

A makeup kit

A Selena Gomez c.d.

Candy

Money

Red and white clothes

A spa trip!:)

Costumes or clothes that look like costumes

Scarves

Moccasins

High heels

Sunglasses

Halloween Weekend

I am finally getting around to posting about our halloween weekend.

On Saturday we went out to lunch at the Chinese buffet. It was very good, but I prefer our other favorite Chinese restaurant. Mackenzie, of course, convinced Ellie that the Chinese buffet is better so the buffet is where we went. Mackenzie loves it because it has American food..go figure!

We did random errands and then back home to hang for the rest of the afternoon.

Saturday night was the Jack-o-lantern walk. It was a cool evening but not frigid and therefore the walk was packed. I have never waited in such long lines before. But the girls had a lot of fun anyway.

Sunday we spent the morning at church and then went trick-or-treating in the evening with some of the neighbors. The girls loved getting their costumes on and were all ready well before it was time to go trick or treating!

Here are some pics from the weekend...

kissing pumpkins

Super Mario Pumpkin

Mackenzie and Ellie...not sure what Ellie's odd look is about...

Daddy thinks the flash is too bright...

Mackenzie and dad

All three girls together

Minnie Mouse

army girl

Anne Boleyn

Ellie

I wanted to post a bit more on Ellie in commemoration of her 3rd gotcha day with us.

I can't believe where the time has gone in the last three years. Where we were three years ago and where we are today...it's almost incomprehensible.

I remember seeing Ellie for the first time in China and shutting down myself, completely overwhelmed. Looking back with the advantage of time, I can completely see how I could have handled the first few days with Ellie differently, but in the midst of uncertainty about what could be "wrong" with her, I just shut myself down emotionally. It took a couple of days, the working of the Holy Spirit and lots of tears to get me to the place where I knew Ellie was ours, rain or shine, easy or difficult, and that we would not be turning back. And what a ride it has been!

I can't imagine my life without her in it. She has changed my world, my perception of special needs and my desire to be the difference in the life of one orphan. She is a trouper. She loves people, is outgoing and friendly and continually makes us laugh!

Our life would be incomplete without Ellie in it. I am so thankful God let us into the unknown to adopt Ellie. It is because of Ellie that we have decided to head back to China to adopt another little girl for our family.

Without a family to love her, intervene and advocate for her, I can't imagine where she would be today. Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes and I wish I had the resources and strength to connect all kids with loving families. But all we can do it take the step of faith that God has called us to take and continue on the journey that He set our family on.

I look forward to the day when we can announce our next little bundle of joy!

Gotcha Day 2010

So I will post more on Ellie later, but today is the day we are celebrating Ellie's gotcha day-the day she became part of our family!

Her actual gotcha day is Halloween and we have learned in the past that somehow that day gets very busy since it is often during the week. So we usually celebrate the day before.

She gets to pick out where we go for lunch and it is always a Chinese restaurant.

This year Mackenzie heavily influenced the choice by asking Ellie leading questions that would get her to agree to to where Mackenzie really wanted to go.

Mackenzie then sent me an e-mail that said..."please can we go to the empire buffet?"

This is the picture that she attached to the e-mail....

Fall Festival Parties

I am heading up to the school today for fall festival parties.

Ellie decided to dress as an elf and Ainsley as a rock star diva.

I will get to go to Ellie's party and then do the parade of characters walk.

I won't be able to be at Ainsley's party since I have to pick up Mackenzie from school, but that is ok with her since I will get to walk with her for the parade.