by | April 27, 2011

Beans and Rice… and more

Second post of the day… keep reading below for the other one. I don’t feel like combining them. 🙂

Beans and rice month – April. I spent about $85 on our beans and rice food. That means I have $115 to donate to the boys’ orphanage. Theoretically. See, I shop when things are on sale. And several things went on sale. And I also bought for Anna’s birthday party. All in all, I spent $180 on groceries… but I will be eating out of the pantry primarily this next month so that i really DO have the $115 to donate. Live and learn!

I haven’t taken pictures of our bean dishes. They have been good! As Brian says, we haven’t exactly been eagerly anticipating meals, but we haven’t been dreading them like we’re eating something we dislike. So Brian will be very happy when May starts off with a steak dinner. I plan on incorporating beans and rice into our regular meal lineup… because it’s cheap, because it’s healthy, and because I still have a counter full of it. We didn’t even get to the lentil dishes!

Simple red beans with Turmeric rice. Attractive. Simple. Mild flavor… add salsa if you need zang:

Something strange has been happening with Maggie since Tuesday morning. She is getting these strange hives when she scratches herself or rubs her skin or for no known reason. Often, her skin is completely clear. She gets them right when she gets in the bath and again when we dry her off. If she bumps her forehead, she gets a raised welt for a few minutes. I hope it’s just the virus from Saturday going through her system. I took a couple pictures, because they come and go so fast and I wanted these for record at her regular well visit next Tuesday.

Tulips are in FULL BLOOM and they are just gorgeous! I wish I had taken a whole bunch of the girls laying in the front lawn in front of them on Saturday when it was sunny. But Maggie was sick and Anna had to go! I tried getting some of Anna before the battery died while she was waiting for Grammy… Maybe the sun will come out before the tulips are done and I can get a few with both girls???

Think I’ll need to get new shoes in this size before Maggie needs them?

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by | April 27, 2011

Easter!

He is risen!!!

We enjoyed the holiday weekend. Things weren’t exactly as we had planned, since Maggie woke up sick Saturday morning (throwing up… lucky me, poor Brian). After a sick morning, she slept most of the day, napping and napping and then napping again. She slept all night too and has only just got back to regular naptimes today (Wednesday). Anna and I went to garage sales in the morning and to two easter egg hunts! Then she was picked up by Grammy for an afternoon eating out and going to the zoo. She went home with Grammy and Jennifer and stayed overnight. So special! I can recite every detail of the trip, because Anna is a very organized thinker and likes to recount things in order.

Easter Sunday, we stayed home because Maggie was so recently sick and needed more naps. Brian and I got some work done in the yard on Saturday and I don’t remeber what we did Sunday morning. But we went to the Davis Sr. house that afternoon for a sweet Easter dinner and family time. I came home with loads of yarn! Yay! I am learning to crochet. Now I am really excited to use it! There is a good pile of yarn leftovers that I can make into a bunch of individual squares. Loving it.

Here are some pictures:

From the phone:
Maggie and Papa:

Holding hands:

Super underwear girl! Maggie is into putting on Anna’s undies (with help). Here she has a bib on backwards for a cape too…..

Garage sale find… a sweet children’s accordian!

A beautiful sunny Easter Saturday!!!

We weren’t fast enough to fill the bag, but we got a lot anyway!

Too funny not to share: Grammy told Anna she could have something from the zoo store. Anna picked out a stuffed, cute giraffe… backpack sort of thing. It’s a leash. My daughter really wanted the giraffe child leash! She doesn’t know what it is and just loves to wear it around the house!

More pictures to come when I find the camera.

Video of Maggie at the Hoyt Aboretum a few weeks ago:

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by | April 22, 2011

Dossier Update Shipped!

A very important set of three documents is on its way overseas! Yippee! Please pray that it would be translated super fast and be submitted to the MOJ asap! We are praying that our facilitator will agree to get the translations done from the scanned versions and be ready to submit to the MOJ (Ministry of Justice) as soon as it arrives. We are coming, boys!

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by | April 20, 2011

Four Year Old Birthday and Adoption Update

My biggest girl turned four years old last weekend! My, how the time has FLOWN by. It is still so easy to remember being pregnant for the first time, giving birth for the first time, and being responsible for a new baby for the first time. What a life changing experience it has all been! Anna, you made my life better the moment I knew of you. I love you so much and admire your courage and honesty and love for life. I am so happy I get to be with you as you grow up!!!

Birthday dress was on by 7am. Posing with a balloon:

I think Brian blew up the entire package of balloons from the dollar tree. In Anna’s words, “Wow, Papa! You have enough air for ALL of them!??!”

Master balloonist and assistant:

Then it was time for people to come! Grammy brought the exact cake Anna wanted… the princess cake!

That’s a real Barbie in there. Anna is still sleeping with the doll.

Didn’t quite get this picture to work, but they were cute!

What’s in there, Anna?

Great Grandpa and Gran were able to come to! What a treat!

Opening a gift all the way from Arizona!

Reading the birthday card:

What she did when she saw many of her gifts… ESPECIALLY the pink nightgown!

Even Maggie loved how the nightgown feels:

Anna has a big girl bike now! Need to get it new tires, but oh well!

Lovely Anna

Adoption Update:
Our paperwork (updating to approval for two children) at USCIS (immigration) was finally received! And yesterday it was approved!!!! She says it will go out with today’s mail! Yahoo! I hope it is here in time to get it apostilled and shipped on Friday!

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by | April 10, 2011

Adoption Update and pictures of the girls

Our paperwork that requests immigration (USCIS) to approve us for two children was sent in last Saturday. We got the receipt in the mail and our check is cashed. Now it goes through whatever process it goes through to be mailed to our officer in MO. Once she gets it, it is only a day or two until we get approval. I think. 🙂

When we get that approval in the mail, we will rush to notarize it, apostille it and ship it overseas! Then the clock will start ticking again. We will travel hopefully in June for our first trip. Pray for miraculous speed and getting our boys home! Really, God has comforted our hearts so much as we wait to take care of them. We know that God has not forsaken them.

Thank you all for caring and loving our family!

Playing make believe! We have a pool and a fort in our living room. Just look hard!

The sun came out Friday! Yay! We had a fun Friday outside. Here we are at the park:

Then we packed up and drove to Hoyt Aboretum for a little walk and some sunshine.

Thanks, Brian for carrying Maggie! Maggie was funny, sticking her legs straight out!

Happy to be released to stomp on a mole hill:

Looking at a bird or something:

Sweet posed girl:

SQUIRMY!

Exploring:

Spring feels good!!!!

Headed back to the car. Latest parenting trick (that we haven’t learned yet): how to get Maggie to walk when she’s happy to be dragged by one arm.

The chicken tractor is finished! It rolls good! Need some manpower to lift it into the backyard, though. The chicks will be old enough to move into it in a week or two! They did play in it while we cleaned their cage, though.

Putting in the last wire “panel.” Here’s the ladder up to where the nests and roost are. Hope they use it.

It will be sad to put stinky, dirty chickens in the pretty coop.

Chicks checking out their future digs:

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