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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Photo Update




Monday, December 28, 2009

Merry Belated Christmas

Well another Christmas has come and gone. I remember last Christmas we had just started exploring our adoption options. I remember being in VT over New Years and calling a Korean agency. When we started our journey, we really thought our child would join our family from Korea. My ILs knew two families who adopted from Korea, and we really loved the agency that we interviewed. As life would have it, we learned that Korea was attempting to phase out their international adoption programs in order to encourage domestic adoptions within Korea. We were disappointed to say the least! It ended up being a great thing for us because it opened our hearts to domestic adoption. We had heard so many myths and horror stories that we hadn't really given domestic adoption a fair shake. After a TON of research, we realized that domestic adoption was just right for us. One of the reasons that DA appeals to us is that we have a chance to have a somewhat open relationship with our child's birth family. While I am not sure how it will work out, I hope that we are able to have an amicable relationship so that our child will know that he or she has 2 families that love him or her. While so much has changed this year, I am even more excited about the changes that will be coming down the road. I do not want to type that "maybe we will have a child next year at this time" because maybe we will, and maybe we won't. D and I are trying our best to live our lives, and we know that when the time is right, it will happen! Not that I imagine that the waiting will be easy, but it will certainly be worth it!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

One of the busiest weekends in a while is winding down. Yesterday we hosted our annual holiday party! While I LOVE entertaining, I despise all of the cleaning and prep that goes along with it! I woke up around 5 am on Saturday because I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to get everything done. Not only did I have plenty of time, but I nearly collapsed with exhaustion mid-afternoon! The party was great. I love getting together with all of our closest friends during the holidays. This year was quite different than past years because we had 3 children in attendance! I had a great time holding the 2 babies and the pups LOVED playing with the 4 year old. I took a few cute photos this weekend, and I will publish them later on.

Today was a cookie exchange at Aunt Sue's house. This was my second exchange this year, and it definitely overwhelmed me! Since baking is not one of my talents, I struggle with finding a good recipe that is easy and making cookies that taste OK. The cookies were a mess, and they tasted terrible! It was nice to see everyone, but I had a nagging headache so I wasn't able to enjoy myself to the fullest. We also had a wonderful surprise--Erica came home a day early! It is so nice to have her home.

Now I am enjoying my typical Sunday evening, watching football with D and the dogs. Unfortunately, the 49ers are playing terribly again, but I am hopeful! This week is a short one, only 3 days! It is hard to believe that Christmas is this week! I still have some shopping to do, but I am nearly finished. Can I add that to my list of reasons to be thankful? ;-)

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Almost 100 Things To Be Thankful For

I started this list a while ago, and I only have 60 items. My goal is to come up with another 40 by the end of next year. I feel that gratitude is such an under-appreciated virtue, and I want to bring it back!

Here are some things, some great and some small, that I am truly thankful for...
life, health, Dave, family, friends, Mattie, Fen, coffee, ice cream, God, my students, books, writing, fleece blankets, boucle sweaters, pumpkin pie, kissing, slippers, massages, a good brain, sensitivity, lame but funny jokes, good music, eBay, bobby pins, long underwear, our home, sparkly items, a hot shower, apple cider, rummy, Scrabble, friendly people, Denny's, snow days, onion rings with ranch, hope, faith, fur, yummy smells, calculators, freedom, socks, second chances, an open mind, red wine, clocks, lotion, cookies, Punta Cana, laughter, happy moments, love, warm weather, DVR, washer and dryer, hand holding, naps, starlight and children.

What are you thankful for?

Monday, December 14, 2009

Extending the weekend

Here it is, Monday morning. I am sad to report that I am home today because D is sick. He has been feeling dizzy and odd all morning, and we plan to take him to Urgent Care later today.

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity! On Saturday morning, we went to Albany to visit Baby C. She is doing well, and she continues to be very adorable. :-) B and M really seem to be adjusting to being parents, which gives D and I hope for ourselves! We spent the afternoon at home. I needed to get baking finished for the cookie exchange that I went to yesterday. Saturday night we met A and R for dinner at Cantina. Dinner was great, but spicier than the last time we were there! We ended the evening with Starbucks. It was great to catch up and have an evening out.

Sunday morning my mom came up, and we went to visit my cousin and his wife. They had a baby 2 weeks ago, and all are doing well. I had a cookie exchange with the Nesties after that, and I had such a GREAT time! A did a fab job hosting, and it was so nice to spend time with the ladies. I headed to the mall after that to attempt some Christmas shopping. The weather was bad--snow and freezing rain--so I didn't stay out very long. I took care of business at the liquor store, and attempted to find a frame, but to no avail. By the time I got home, I was beat, but I still had to do some cleaning. Our realtor is coming over today at 5 to give us a list price for our house if we decide to sell. Fun, fun!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Pics from this weekend




Week in Review

This week was both long and short. The first week after a vacation is inevitably difficult, and this week was no exception. While this week was tough, there were some definite bright spots.

First and foremost, Charlotte Michelle finally arrived! She was born on 12/2, 8 lbs. and 13 ozs. She and her exhausted parents are doing well. I went to see her on Friday night, and she is just beautiful. She slept almost the whole time I was there, but I did get to see her eyes for a few brief seconds. I am not sure when I will get down to see her again, but I do hope it is soon!

Secondly, I ran the Reindeer Run 5k yesterday, and I finished with my best time yet: 36 minutes! This is especially exciting because I haven't been training and because it means GOT is over until the spring. Unfortunately the fall season was a bust, and only one student ran the race. It is tough to get girls in the fall because our school has 2 fall sports, and most of the girls play one of the two. I feel guilty admitting this, but I actually do not enjoy running. Most people are surprised by this since I have been coaching GOT for the past 3 seasons, but I just don't like it!

We also put our Christmas tree yesterday! I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but then it started to snow and I got caught up in the holiday spirit. The tree looks great! I will post pictures later, but there are some nice shots with the snow.

It has been a really relaxing weekend for us. Aside from the race yesterday and grocery shopping today, we have just been hanging around the house, and it has been great! We only have 2 1/2 weeks until Christmas break!

On the adoption front, we have decided to delay going active until January. We want to get a few more photos taken over Christmas so we have decided to wait. Surprisingly, I am fine with this decision.