NEWS!

My agency director has just told me there is a good possibility I will go with a group of others to Haiti first week of November!!! I may get to meet Avery in a month!! At that time I have to sign a paper and will get to visit Avery at her Creche (orphanage). I should know more in a day or two...I am so excited (and nervous) to visit Haiti, as I have never been anywhere like that before. Anyway, I am researching what shots I need, what to bring, etc. I hope to know more by tomorrow!

You know it's a really rainy day when...

I get talked into finger painting....it's more like body painting, and paint then ends up on EVERYTHING....placemats, shirt, bathroom sink, light switch, kitchen floor...who ever invented finger paint must not have had kids!

Got Gas?

So, we have run out of gas in Charlotte. It has become quite a problem. This photo is the gas shipment we were supposed to get yesterday (but didn't) and now they're saying maybe later today. I have students leaving me voicemails saying they can't get to class, as they can't find gas. My sister waited in line almost an hour yesterday for gas. Police have been directing traffic in and out of gas stations that do have a little gas left. I pass 4 gas stations on my way to work, and 3 had no gas, and one has at least 50 cars in line. I still have half a tank, so I am hoping this problem will clear itself up before I need to spend my day in line as well...although I think we have some gas in the garage for the lawn mower I can use.

Anyway, its crazy around here. I am second guessing my grocery shopping trip to the nice Walmart which is a little farther down the road, as I need to conserve!

Needless to say, its cold, rainy and it's going make for a long day inside.

Last Day of Summer

They don't allow girls in our culd-a-sac, and our neighbor was mighty brave for parking his shiny red SAAB right there in the circle. It was surprising after racing every kind of vehicle they could find at full blast down the driveways (and crashing into each other head on) no one got hurt! Amazing!

GOOD NEWS

We found out this morning that Avery's file has entered IBESR. Basically, her file is now entered a very important step in bringing her home. Most files stay in IBESR for 3-9 months, so of course we are hoping for the shorter end of that range! After this, her file will go through a variety of other steps, but at least we are moving forward!!! YEAH!!!!

To the Moon?

If I were to turn back time, I have always said I would have been an astronaut. But I always thought, how many astronauts does one country really need? Have you ever seen any job postings for entry level astronauts? Me neither. It's not like there are rides to the moon going on everyday or anything ,but much to my surprise, I saw this headline. It got me thinking....maybe it's not to late to arrive to work in a space shuttle as opposed to my mini van!

Caden's 7th Birthday

It's been a quiet week around our house, which is nice. Caden had the best time at his sports-themed birthday party. His friends were so cute and well-behaved, and best of all, there was no clean-up left for me! Just show up, play sports, have cake, open presents and leave! Can't beat that!

The best present for Caden, I believe, is that he discovered he has his first "sort-of maybe" loose tooth! He is the only kid in his 2nd grade class who hasn't lost a tooth, and he is determined to wiggle that tooth out by next week. Unfortunately for him, it is barely loose...I couldn't really tell if it was wiggling or not, but I didn't tell him that.

MIRACLE MONDAY

My friend Beth at A Mom's Life has a dedicated post each Monday morning dedicated to miracles no matter how big or small. Through her blog, I have been following the story of Gracie, and what an unbelievable fighter she is for such a small and sick baby. Her story can be found here and it is very inspriational. Her parents are so strong and take each day they have with Gracie as it comes. They have been on a huge rollercoaster every since her birth and I really feel for what this family is going through.

Really puts everything into perspective for those of us who have our children home and healthy....plus, I usually hate Mondays but I always look forward to reading Beth's new post each week!

Happy First Birthday, Avery!

Today, is Avery's first birthday. It is such an odd feeling knowing that we will go on with our day today as normal and she is in the Orphanage in Haiti, without us. No first birthday piece of cake, no presents, no singing. We hope and pray that next year at this time she'll be home in NC, but there are no guarantees.

Ironically, today is Caden's birthday party and he is having a sports themed party at a local indoor sports club. I wish we could save a piece of cake and send it to Avery...especially now that she has 4 teeth. She is also 16.5 pounds, 26 inches and likes to be held according to the nannies at the Orphanage.

Happy First Birthday, Avery!

Got Milk?

Nothing better than mopping up a gallon of milk on a Friday night.

Thank you, Preston!

UPDATE

We just found out this little baby boy has a family! That is GREAT news! Even though he isn't meant to be in our family, any time a child has a family we are thrilled! He sure is a cutie pie!

Love at First Sight

This photo came into my hands today, and I can't get the image of this little baby boy's face out of my mind. His eyes remind me a lot of Avery's eyes and he is one of the most precious children I have ever seen. We have contemplated adopting two children for a variety of reasons. For one, there are thousands and thousands of orphans in Haiti who need homes. Second, I think it would be so wonderful for Avery to have a sibling from her same heritage, etc. However, we decided to only adopt one child due to one MAJOR obstacle... money. As everyone knows, adopting is very expensive and it is stretching us completely to pay for one adoption, nevermind two. However, as you'll read on my friend Beth's blog, miracles do happen. So, should a miracle happen, we'll adopt this little boy along with Avery if he is meant to be ours. Also, for any one who happens to stumble upon our blog and has any words of wisdom or ideas on how to come up with the rest of the funds, we are open to suggestions!

Hurricane Devastation in Haiti

As we long for our little girl to come home, it is so scary seeing the complete devastation that Haiti has suffered from the numerous storms that have struck the past few weeks.As we sit in the comfort of our home, she is in the middle of a natural emergency and we feel so helpless. To get a glimpse of the flooding and damage, another blogger has posted photos which are just shocking. From what we have heard, her particular orphanage is okay, but in surrounding areas hundreds of lives have been lost and people are going days upon days without food or water.

http://haitibaby.blogspot.com/2008/09/gonaives-haiti.html

Preschool, Pittsburghs, and Heavenly Conversations

Here are a couple recent photos from Preston's first day of preschool, along with a few others we took at the NY state fair. We ended up going to the fair unexpectedly when Poppy got really sick and we took the next flight out to be with him. He is doing a little better now, and he is home from the hospital. When we were in NY, to give the kids a break from all those hospital germs, we took them to the fair. Growing up in Syracuse, Mike and I both LOVED the fair!! So, either we got old (which isn't the case) or we are just no longer "fair" people. We stayed exactly 42 min and I wish Preston would have told us he hated the fair before we spent $10 on renta-stroller. Now, if I had only realized Daughtry was on stage the first day we were there...

Off topic, should I be worried about the following conversations I have had with my 3 1/2 year old? The other day he asked, "Mom, when I die, where will I go?" I said, up to heaven, etc. (really hoping to get off the topic ASAP) Anyway, he says "Should I ask a police officer how to get there?" and "When will I die?" I of course said, not for a VERY long time...but much to my dismay, he was upset with that answer. He says "Darn, I want to die in 2 days so I can jump in the clouds!" It was so cute, but way to erie and dark at the same time...

Last night we were watching the movie Titanic and he asked "When is the ship going to crash into the Pittsburghs and sink?"

By the way, Preston has managed to get teary eyed every day I have dropped him off at preschool. He just can't fight it off as much as he tries. When I leave he'll give me a hug and say "I think I am going to cry " and he does...breaks my heart! Luckily, the tears turn into laughter when he realizes how silly he is for crying at preschool!

Oh yeah, and since he feels so old for attending preschool school he is already planning his birthday (which doesn't arrive until Dec). He would like an insulin pump just like his brother's and a bat man mask.

A Few of my All-Time Favorites