Kindergarten Already?

I can't even believe that Speedy is 5 and will start kindergarten in the fall. It is so completely crazy to me. Yikes.....seriously crazy. We registered him for school today and he has the screener on the 23rd. We tour the school on May 9th and school starts in the fall. Is he really that big?

Our Sunshine!

We received updates on baby girl today! Yay! At 15 months old she is 29.9 inches long, 23.8 lbs, walking and running all over the place!Yikes....she won't be a baby for long. It's a good thing she loves to cuddle. Miss her so much today. Haven't seen her for 13 weeks!

Speedy's Trauma

Last week Tuesday we had quite an eventful day. We had a really rough day, after hearing that Sunshine's case had not been submitted to the Embassy, and I was really upset. It was not a pretty day for me but I was getting through, barely. Well, I must say there is nothing that jolts a momma & dad out of their crummy feeling and into excessive caretaker mode like a trip to the emergency room.

Poor Speedy was running around the wall that seperates the kitchen & living room. He was just told to slow down when the dog cut him off & he fell. He landed flat on his face because the dog had been in the way and he couldn't get his arms down. He stood up with blood pouring out of his mouth. Daddy jumped into action and Momma stood in shock. Daddy gave directions and momma grabbed all necessary gear including Giggles and off we went.

I must say Daddy had the hard job, keep Speedy calm enough to get through it. I also did not envy Daddy's role in the ER as he had to help hold still so the Doc, PA & Nurse could give him a mental block and numb him up. There was a lot of screaming and it felt like eons until it was finished. Seriously, I would have lasted 2 minutes and then told them to just put him out, it was pure torture. Speedy was a huge trooper. He did call the nurses and doctors stupid during the mental block but was very polite the rest of the time. Replying to questions with a simple "No, thank you." After our 2+ hours in the ER & with 2 stiches in his bottom lip we headed to the dentist for an after hours visit.

Now, it was my turn. I took him into the dentist where he had x-rays done. We went back into his office and he gave Speedy some nitrous oxide to keep him calm. After a quick exam the dentist told me that Speedy had brooken the tooth at the root (this is very uncommon--usually the teeth just get pushed back) and that he would need to take it out. We could come back in the morning or take care of it then. I opted for then since I knew tomorrow he would really not want to come back. The dentist numbed him up and then pulled the tooth, leaving the root behind. The only bonus I could come up with was that the Tooth Fairy would be coming tonight, which turned out to be the only part of the dentist he seemed to remember. Yay!

Wednesday morning he woke up with $5 under his pillow from the Tooth Fairy, what can I say the Tooth Fairy knew the trauma that came with the lose of that tooth. We all survived and Speedy's lip and teeth (the bottom teeth were just a tiny bit lose) are healing well.

Speedy had his first stitches at the age of 5. Giggles at the age of 2.

12 weeks....

It'll be 12 weeks to the day tomorrow since we met Sunshine and it seems there is no end in sight. We have yet to be submitted to the Embassy. The staff in Ethiopia are hoping to submit us next week or the following. Then we wait for approval from the Embassy and are given an appointment at the Embassy. Only now the Embassy isn't giving out appointments in a timely manner. It sucks and the way the Embassy is handling it seems to be very backwards. Whatever, hopefully by the end of March we will be travelling. I used to feel hopeful for that and now that even seems completely unlikely. Hoping for no more tears this week...today has been rough. I just want our baby girl home with us and it seems almost never ending. Please send your positive thoughts, prayers and good luck mojo our way...we'll take anything we can get! Just missing our Sunshine something fierce and if you could see her eyes you would know why.

And After!

The walls are not finished yet but they are down and the area is liveable! Here are some pictures. Next, Will is going to work on the ceiling and then he needs to "finish" the drywall and prettify it. We will paint this summer. It has made such a huge difference in our house! I LOVE IT!

View from the garage entrance THROUGH THE HOUSE
View of the front door from the kitchen sink

View into the dining room from the living room!

View of the stairwell into the basement.

My Little Protesters!!!!

Just a few snapshots of our little protesters! We are protesting a bill that our beloved Governor Walker has tried to push through, which in essence ends all bargaining power of unions. It would crush our educational system and seriously is only a drop in the bucket compared to how much needs to be cut. Generally, Gov. Walker just wants to get rid of unions! We were down at the capital this evening to show solidarity for our educators and other public employees. ON WISCONSIN!!!

Rally Bus Ride!

A less than enthused Speedy!

Raging Giggles!

Giggles is a proud supporter!

Before!

Turns out we are crazy! We decided to go ahead and tear down the walls between the living room and kitchen and make them half walls. We are prepared for the crazy ups and downs the project will bring but seriously it is fabulous to be busy with something else. The boys have been troopers and Giggles is seriously curious about all the steps.

As usual we have already hit a bump in the road and let's just say our house seems sort of "customized" as far as all the crazy things the previous owners have done to the house. It's just the odd things we find when we decide to do, what should be an easy project, and instead find large holes in the ceiling hidden by a very large light fixture. It's just that sort of house. Anyhow, here are the before pictures and tune later this month for the after pictures (i hope).

Front door & basement door

Kitchen wall View headed down the stairs (it's a lot of wood)

Living room wall

Kitchen wall & closet

Our Rollercoaster

Well, all it looks like it is going to be a long wait until we hear anything about our little girl. The US Embassy is carefully scrutinizing every case and so it will most likely be a while, especially since we have not even been submitted to the US Embassy to be scrutinized. I don't expect to hear anything soon and figure that with the new changes we will be lucky to have Sunshine home by Easter. It's going to be a long road and a bumpy one I am sure.

Here is where we are:

Submitted dossier ---check
Fingerprints ---check
Matched with baby girl---check (Aug. 6, 2010)
Court date in Ethiopia---check (Dec. 3, 2010)
Submission to US Embassy---????
Final Travel Clearance---????

End in sight.....none!

Sunshine's Room :)

It's finished and we are so happy with it. Thanks to Gwen, a colleague of Will's, for taking Will's vision and my theme and making it into exactly what we wanted. It is completely beautiful, if I do say so myself. It says a little girl lives here but does it without screaming "SHE MUST LOVE PINK!!!" There's a picture of her mural and pictures of other decorations in her room. Giggles and Speedy painted the flowers that decorate her coat hook. It's all just so darn cute and waiting for our little girl!

Wordless Wednesday!

Squirrel imprint (he must have jumped off our roof)

A toast!

Last night Will and I had a toast, to whatever may or may not come this week. We know that by the end of the week we will know if we are going to Ethiopia to bring our Sunshine home in February. I have resigned myself to the idea that whatever happens it will be one more week closer to travel, even if we don't get a February date.

Then, we looked around, at the pile of laundry, the dirty dishes, the toys on the floor and instead did everything else. Will busied himself with something but I don't remember what. I made hats because poor Sunshine has a fungal infection on her scalp, which should be covered to keep it from spreading. So, here they are the hats I made sunshine out of recycled tshirts. Not bad for an hour and a half of work:) If I can I will get Giggles to model one, they are close in head size and these are way cuter on.

Update on Sunshine came today!

We got an update on Sunshine this afternoon. Although, the update was done in mid-December, just after we came home, she is still a healthy baby girl. She is 14 months old and will be wearing 18 month clothes. Some of the comments about her personality include; "she doesn't seem to share her playing materials. She seems to like to be held and cuddled. She has a good pattern of sleep." Can't wait to get to know her. She is a beautiful chubby thing with absolutely gorgeous eyes. I wish I could post pics but I can't so I will just leave you with a teaser:)

Check me out!!!

I have no energy to blog tonight. I'm waiting, not very patiently, and am tired of trying to find things to keep my busy. Tonight, I steer you toward my sister's photography blog instead, Christy Tyler Photography. She did a post on "waiting" yesterday and well it shows all sorts of fabulous pictures of Sunshine's room. They are fabulous pictures of our current project. Please check it out at www.christytylerphotographyblog.com/2011/01/waiting.html

I have to give props to Will's colleague, Gwen, for the wall design. I could not have done that but she took all of our ideas and made it perfect for our little Sunshine.

Thanks sis. I am crafty but that is where my artistic ability ends:) Love you!

Speedy turns 5!!!!

Can you believe that my little boy turns 5 today? I can't. Here he is during his first 5 years.

Speedy's referral photo: (2 weeks)

Speedy age 5:

Speedy age 4:


Speedy age 3:


Speedy age 2:


Speedy age 1:

3 years ago today!

Can you believe 3 years ago today we were matched with Giggles?

Giggles referral photo: (6 weeks old)

Giggles today: (3 years 1 month)

Preschool for Giggles!

So, with Speedy we waited until he was 4 to send him to preschool. He really didn't need to go but I wanted him to be used to a school environment. Now, with Giggles we are sending him a year early because 4K will be in place and I want him to have a very positive school experience before 4K. I also want Orchard Ridge to be an option for 4K for us because it is play pased education, which I think is so completely important. So, next year Giggles will start preschool and he can't wait. He keeps asking if he goes to school today? He can't wait

Waiting for Fraptious!

That's what we are doing. Waiting for a day with no date but with a grand celebration. We are waiting to hear when we go to Ethiopia. It's in the future but who knows when. I will wait as patiently as I can for Fraptious!

Speedy's first ever recipe!

It was of course dessert. We got home from a friend's house and I was cooking dinner when Speedy decided that he wanted to cook and make a cake. Those were his exact words. Will was fabulous just let him go to town and make all the decisions. I offered suggestions, most weren't taken except the melted butter, and well I was trying really hard to let him do his thing, which of course is very hard for me.

Here are the ingredients:
crackers (whole wheat town house)
chocolate chips (2-3 small fistfuls of mini chips)
cheerios (small fistful)
marshmallows (8ish--broken into smaller pieces)
butter (1 1/2 T melted butter)
craisins (2 T)
Cake toppers for decoration (do not bake)

Put all ingredients together and add melted butter. Stir. Bake in a buttered, antique Frend porcelain souffle dish @ 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool in fridge, serve gooey. Decorate with cake toppers and candles.

I was skeptical at the start but as the ingredients started to fall into place I became a believer.

Daddy & boys

The ingredients

Finished "cake"

Speedy & his "cake"

A plated dessert

The Return of Schmelgador!

Schmelgador? Yep, you read it right. That is the name for Will's character everytime we play dress up. Actually, it's short for Schmelgador the Farting Gypsy, with 2 boys we'll have some of that...well seriously a lot of that. Lately, Schmelgador is a customer at a restaurant where he is charged an obscene amount of money for fried chicken. Schmelgador reacts as any normal human would, he spits out his food, throws it in the air and blows a ferocious raspberry.

Pictures of Schmelgador taken by Giggles!

Wait, wait, wait....& in the meantime

That's my life these days, waiting, waiting and more waiting. Oh, did I mention the obsessive checking of my email just in case "the email came since I checked it 5 minutes ago." It's crazy, but luckily I have 2 little boys to keep me very busy. So in the meantime we nest and prepare and look at pictures and talk about our little Sunshine. That's what we do in between life going as it always goes, waiting for this huge change to happen.