Every day life

Let's see, Matt can put one of his contacts in himself now. If only we could move the other eye to the "good side" long enough to put in the other contact, we'd be good to go. 

Murphy brought in yet another animal/play toy. It was a ground squirrel and he carried it right to his kennel as if he was going to keep it for later. Unlike the bird, this poor creature was no longer alive so I didn't need the distance of a shovel to carry it outside. A dustpan worked just fine, though it's a little more difficult with your eyes closed/averted. 

Nathan likes school. He and Fletcher have become friends and he sometimes calls him Fletch. I don't know why but it makes me smile each time Fletch said this, or did that. 

We see Andy in exactly one week. I can't wait to spend a few days with him. I long for his company, and laughter, and hugs. And his ability to pack school lunches.

Soccer starts next week. Matt is attending the church Youth group on Wednesdays, and our weekly Connect Group starts meeting on Wednesdays again. I look forward to all of it. As much as I enjoy a lazy summer day, the scheduled activities and on-the-go way of life are also appealing. If only none of it required clean clothes, I'd like it a lot more. 

I think of K so many times each day. I am apprehensive about the changes for her, for us. I want her here. I am a little scared unsure about her adjustment..our adjustment. But as usual God's Word is so clear about this and I'm thankful to have read this very verse tonight. 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 
Jeremiah 29:11

It may or may not be easy, but it will be okay. We are part of her future. She is part of ours. What a gift!

TECO update

Finally! Our paperwork is there and they don't have any problems with the documents. There is one last letter for them to approve and then they will send it all back to our agency.

The agency will send it all to the orphanage, and the social worker there will initiate the actual court process. According to our agency, we seem to have a great social worker, one who is pretty good at navigating the courts. YAY!

K's birth family is out of the picture in a variety of ways. She has a sibling that was adopted over a year ago already. She's also been in foster care for a long period of time. Apparently these are all things that can help expedite the process if we happen to get a favorable judge. There is really no reason to delay it and they want her to get to her family as soon as possible. Music to my ears!

Our agency said we could possibly travel as soon as 8 weeks from now...and if it goes slowly, there are hold-ups, etc, it could be up to 6 months before we travel. I'm praying it's sooner rather than later. I know God is in control and the timing will be perfect. But there are no two ways about it, waiting is hard, no matter how you slice it!

A good update though and another step closer!

School Year 2012

Our sweet boys started school today. Nathan reluctantly marched off to 1st grade. He mentioned several times last week that he REALLY loves homeschooling. Subtlety is not his forte. Matthew looked forward to 5th grade just as any normal, red-blooded, American, sleep-in-all-summer boy would. 

Nathan's teacher is exactly what I wanted. Her classroom is organized and bright and focused on reading, reading, and reading. She is organized and bright. It's such a refreshing change from last year. And I controlled myself very well...didn't even come close to hugging her like I wanted to out of pure happiness. When I left him there I was a little sad, but I knew he was in good hands. He had already befriended a boy named Fletcher and I decided I hope they are best buds. What's not to like about a 6 year old with brown hair named Fletcher?

Matthew's two teachers seem great. His homeroom teacher is a man and it's just a totally different feel. I watched him talk to some of the kids and he's just relaxed and funny. He's not the type of teacher that will necessarily hug the kids or comfort them...but he'll nudge them with his elbow, and get them to crack a smile while learning about the cottage industry and the industrial revolution. He also has a bass and two deer hanging on his classroom walls. His cool factor went up exponentially in Matthew's eyes. 

When I grow up I want to be like his other teacher. She is ON it! She teaches all of the language arts and boy will she be asking a lot of them. They learn, write, and perform plays (instead of doing yet another worksheet). She uses novels and activities to teach the simplest of ideas. And they brought back the good ol' fashioned spelling test. Apparently last year this district abandoned the idea of spelling things correctly. It must have gone really well because they've completely reversed their thinking this year. I'm glad to see it. She even grades handwriting. Matt would rather pull his fingernails out than write in cursive...this will be good for him!

No first day of school is complete without the requisite front door pic. 

Matthew informed me there would be NO pictures on school grounds. I teased him that I planned on taking a picture of him sitting at his desk. He couldn't roll his eyes back into his head fast enough. Love him. 

Anyway, here's Nater and his new teacher. So cute!

Let the school year begin!

Allergy shots, contacts, and Oscars

Like any other well-behaved Oklahoma girl, I suffered from horrible allergies. I saw the doctor, went through the torture skin testing, and ended up receiving allergy shots each week. We lived several miles from the doctor's office and so they trained my dad to give me the shots. 

As a kid, it was no big deal. Dad made it seem so easy and I never really thought abut it. Recently, dad admitted that he HATED giving those things to me. Like most parents he did not enjoy the process of jabbing a needle into my arm.

I thought of him this past week...each morning. 

Matthew has begged to wear contacts. At his yearly eye checkup, he finally got his wish. The eye doctor decreed that if he could insert and remove them, Matt was cleared to wear them. 

Knowing that his world would end if he was unable to get contacts, the pressure was on. He practiced, tried, worked hard, stressed, practiced, stressed, and well, you get the idea. 

Try as he might, he couldn't quite get them in yet. Enter, mom. With me prying his upper eyelid up, and him prying his lower eyelid down, I put his contacts in each morning. I cannot explain in words how horrible it is to touch another person's eyeball. Not even cute Matthew's. It's really disturbing to be honest. Bleck.

In addition, I as the mom must not show that it's completely gross. It's totally normal to mess with that jelly-ish globe and touch it. So  yeah, I deserve an Academy Award. 

Each evening, I thank the Lord that he is able to remove them. I'm pretty sure I just couldn't do that part too. 

It is pretty cool to see his face without glasses. He's a pretty cute kid so after I recover each morning, I enjoy the view. And so does he. ;)