Fun Weekend

Today I met an interesting woman at church. She came in and sat by me and I talked with her for a while after church. Somehow we starting talking about adoption and she had adopted all 4 of her children (now grown). I found her to be very interesting and she gave me her card to her blog. You've got to check it out - www.suzyshepard.com. This woman has had a lot of adversity in her life. Every day she looks for something good around her and blogs about it. The thoughts and pictures she comes up with are amazing!

On another note, we went to our church's camp out this weekend. We are fortunate to have a Winnebago. We love camping (luxury style). What a great time we had. Christian (age 11) went on his first hike as a Boy Scout and some hike it was. They went 5 miles in a straight line over mountains and cliffs. I was so proud of him. However, it's not to say that we didn't spy on him on our four wheelers. We came across them twice on the trail we went on. The second time we offered water to the party of 7 and they were very happy to have more water. It's exciting to see my boys growing up, but with new adventures come more worries. I was reassured to see one of the boy scout leaders on a ridge watching them with his binoculars to make sure they didn't get too off course, while another leader followed behind them in case of any problems. As I watched this, I thought about how God is also watching all of us and is there if we get off course. He sends different people into our lives along the way to give us wisdom, friendship and comfort when we need it the most. I'm thankful for all of my unlikely friends I have met along the way that have helped me when I have needed them most!

16 Months of Waiting

Today is the 16th month of waiting for our referral. I am really starting to get antsy for any kind of news. I've been checking everyone's Taiwain adoption blogs to see if there has been any referrals. We should be receiving a monthly checkin call any day and I find myself staring at the phone, trying to make it ring. I think I've been pretty patient up until this point. Now, it's really starting to get to me. Perhaps watching the Olympics in China is really making me long for my darling daughter. Hopefully we will hear something soon.

So what have we done to pass the time away? Well, with 4 boys there is never a dull moment. Yesterday we spent the day at the pool and are sporting some nice sunburns. Today we are getting chores done around the house. Gerry and I have a business dinner tonight. For me, I find blogging to be such a distraction from wondering about the adoption. So, I work on my websites and I enjoy them so much that I sometimes have to tear myself away from them.

The kids have really figured out how to wrap grandma and grandpa around there fingers. Living next door has it's advantages. They sneak away to grandma's house once or twice a day for Popsicles. They get their sweet tooth fed and the grandparents get their bonding time.

Taiwan Olympic Flag

I found it interesting during the Olympic opening ceremonies to see that the Taiwan delegation was not allowed to carry their own flag. Instead they were carrying the Olympic flag.
Here is a news article about the Taiwan delegation receiving a warm welcome at the Olympics.

Parker Makes the Move to a Big Boy Bed.

We decided it was time for Parker to move out of his crib. He is 2 1/2 years old now. We wanted him to have some transition time before we get the baby and before he moves into Ian's room. So, we spent Saturday afternoon taking down the crib. We also decided to take down the guest day bed in Parker's room. He is sleeping in the car bed (reluctantly). We tried to make a big deal out him being a big boy now. However, Saturday night when I was putting him to bed he begged for the crib. In the middle of the night he fell onto the floor. Luckily it was only about a 12 inch fall. Last night Gerry found Parker in our bedroom sleeping on the floor. He got up to go to the bathroom and almost stepped on him. Poor Kid! We hope he gets used to it soon! Lots of changes are coming his way. I really want to get him potty trained before we get the baby, but that will have to wait until the kids go back to school.

Shopping at Target & Coupon

I own a couple of websites. One is for tall clothing and one is for Hawaiian furnishings. These are my two favorite hobbies - clothes shopping and turning my home into a tropical haven. I am using these websites to help fund our adoption. I come across some really great coupons and I thought I'd pass this one on to anyone that's interested.
With the price of gas, why not stay home and save money by shopping online? Here is a coupon to help you out. Take $7 Off orders of $70 or more at Target.com - 8/1-8/15 Only by clicking on this link. Discount is automatic when you click on the link. Only good at Target.com and does not apply when checking out throught Amazon.com.

Renewed Finger Prints

Did you know that fingerprints expire? Well, according to the goverment they do. They make you get your fingerprints redone every 15 months. Yesterday we drove to Grand Junction - about a 2 hour drive to get our fingerprints redone. Last time we went it was a disaster. The lady was so crabby. Yesterday when we walked into the office, the same lady remembered us, I was a bit worried as the comment card I had filled out was a little bit harsh. However, this time she was very pleasant and chit chatted with us. Hopefully last time she was just having a bad day.
So now I believe everything is good to go - now if I could just quit staring at the phone. I can't wait to get our referral.