Thursday, December 31, 2009

And, It's A Wrap


Hard to believe today is the last day of the year. A time to reflect. A day to "un-decorate" the house. To pay bills and budget for the New Year. And of course a day to set goals for oneself. I have honestly made dozens of resolutions in past years. All broken in the first months of the new year. Yet I make them. This year I will once again make resolutions but with a renewed confidence that I will accomplish them...this time.

Looking back.....

Adoption waiting, and waiting and waiting....
Mom and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary
Turning 40....ugh
The Empress' dancing debut
10+ pounds...ugh
Camping
Friends at the lake
Oregon vacation...woohoo
Dad's pace maker
T's return to teaching
New Moon
Christmas prime rib dinner with family

Not a big list, but meaningful in my little world. Before ending my last post of 2009, I need to address the adoption subject. Months ago I lamented on our stagnant adoption with Burkina Faso. I stated that in the absence of a referral before Christmas, we would be making a big decision...whether to stay with the program or withdraw. After much discussion we decided to withdraw. Our adoption agency suggested a move into the Ethiopia program....the program we had originally applied for. So, we switched. It was a very difficult decision to make for many reasons. But in the end we are at peace with our decision and excited with our new direction. With any luck we will be bringing home the newest member of our family in 2010.

Happy New Year. May you prosper. May you find peace in your life's direction. Wishing you health and happiness. Happy 2010!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Merry Recap


To break it down. Christmas Eve turned into a nice surprise as my law firm suddenly gave us the day off. So, with lots to do before the arrival of the big man, we scurried about and got all the holiday hoopla taken care of. The Empress and I made cookies a couple days prior in anticipation, but on Christmas Eve we mixed up the magical "Reindeer Food" for Santa's flying minions. We picked up the Jolly Ole Elf's favorite libation....egg nog. And, we opened our one Christmas Eve present, jammies. After a quick bath we sat our weary bums on the couch and read "The Night Before Christmas." The Empress said farewell to her newest bestest friend, Gus, the Elf, and we tucked her sweet self into her snuggly bed.

Flash forward. We are suddenly awakened by a screaming child as she burst into our bedroom at the crack of dawn. "Santa brought me my Princess Musical Vanity!!!!" We all headed to the living room and the bounty of the day. Fun. And, "Mom, Santa brought me a scooter too. How did he know that was my second choice?" After all the merriment, we basically just vegged in our jammies all day.
On the 26th we headed for Dillon. First it was Christmas at BB and Papa J's. It was sooo nice to visit with J, D and the kids. We all received awesome gifts. On the 27th we had Christmas at Nana and Papa S's. More fabulous gifts! Sister and I made our first prime rib which was declared fantastic by our dad, Ebeneezer Scrooge. It was such a nice holiday.
Looking forward to 2010. Wishing everyone a fantastic New Year!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Elf Named Gus


The Empress got the absolute cutest present from my boss and his family. Ever heard of Elf On The Shelf? Who was the genius who invented this amazing marvel of Christmas magic? Seriously, this person should win the Nobel Peace Prize or something equally prestigious.

Here is a brief synopsis. You get a book and a cute little Elf. That little Elf is an agent of the big guy, the man in red, jolly old Saint Nick himself. He has been sent to keep an eye on your child and report back to his boss on a nightly basis as the holidays approach. Each morning on his return from the north pole he sits his little hiney on a new perch in the house. He is magical and your child is told that if they touch the little imp he will lose that magic. On Christmas eve he leaves for the north pole only to return the following Christmas.

It is seriously cute. And, a great tool. It is astounding how good a child can be if they think someone with an in with Santa is watching. The Empress named her elf Gus. Each morning she searches for Gus who is generally sitting high is the room at a vantage point to see all her evil doings. She greets him when she enters the room in which he is sitting. She talks to the little guy periodically through the day. It is seriously cute....oh, I may have said that already.

Anyway, Gus has just two more days with us until he leaves for the north pole until next year. I have to say that I will miss him and the perfect behavior he inspires.

Friday, December 18, 2009

No Room At The Inn


The Empress: A long, long time ago there was a carpenter named Joseph and his wife named Mary and they lived in a small house. And, they lived in the city of Nazareth. And one day an angel appeared and her name was Gabriel. And the angel told her that God has chosed her to be the mother of Jesus. They rode to Bethlehem and it was a very long inventure (hee hee). They went to Bethlehem to pay their taxes.

Me: And what happened in Bethlehem?

The Empress: They got to the inn and they knocked on the door and said, is there any room? And he said, no room. Then they went to the second inn and they knocked on the door and said, is there any room? And he said, no room. And they finally got to the last one and Joseph knocked. Is there any room? No room, but you can sleep in the stable if you want. And Mary said great.

(at this point it appears the holy birth has been completely forgotten....)

The Empress: And then one day some wise men appeared. And the angel said, follow the star and you will see where the baby lay. (long pause...) Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

4 Years Ago Today.....


On December 9, 2005, I received a call from our adoption agency. The gal's name was Carrie, and though I had never spoken to her before, or since, her name is forever engraved in my memory of that day. She said she had just gotten our referral from China and she was looking at the adorable pictures of our new daughter. I was ecstatic. In the time it took her to email the pictures, I had called T and he was hovering over his computer across town. On the count of three we opened the email to reveal the most precious angel on the face of this planet...our daughter. We fell in love with that face four years ago and it is a love affair that will continue for a lifetime....for eternity.

When I told the Empress this morning that today was a very special day she mistakingly thought that December 9 was the day that we would see the precious face of our new child, that perhaps today was the day that all parents everywhere received the referrals of their children. Sadly, I don't think we will be seeing that precious face today. But, I will happily gaze into the Empress' lovely face today and until the end of time.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Feeling Torn


Feeling torn between sticking it out with Burkina Faso or pulling out of the program and pursuing a domestic adoption. Not sure which way to go. Not sure of my own heart in this. Listening closely for the Lord's direction. But not hearing. Please someone, anyone, point me down the correct path to my family's happiness. We have reached a crossroads and the decision is a tough one. Which way do we go?

Our international adoption is mired down. They promised a "fall" referral....which has not materialized. We seriously doubt that one will EVER come. There is a good possibility that the past 17 months wait has been futile. I feel detached from my agency. The only correspondence I receive from them is in response to my own emails and each response reads the same..."Haven't heard anything."

So the question is this.....Do we stick it out? Do we just have faith that this is the correct path to our child. Or, do we withdraw from the program, possibly leaving our hearts' child behind? Torn. So torn.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Mom, Santa is a nice guy!



Turns out the big red guy isn't too bad after all. We just returned from The Empress' first Santa visit. Correction, her first sit-on-his-lap visit. Last year she stood in front of him and told him what she wanted for Christmas, which was sweet. This year she was determined to overcome her fear and climbed right up on his knee. She was enthralled. I think it was the candy cane that finally won her over. Santa has a new "#1 fan!"

Gingerbread Builders


Nana, The Empress and I made a totally cute, exceptionally awesome Gingerbread House over Thanksgiving. I love it. More than that, I love that we built it together. Isn't it adorable?