Rain and the bus stop

Igor was never afraid of rain until we moved south. Last year we had a terrible drought so it rarely rained. This year we are still in a drought but we've had severe weather. Igor decided he was scared of rain this spring when we were under a tornado watch in March. That day Igor decided that he would not go outside if it was raining. We've spent months explaining that rain cannot hurt you but Igor has refused to go outside if it looks like rain or it is raining.



On Monday, Igor and I were playing outside when it started to sprinkle. I didn't say anything, I continued to play. When Igor noticed it was sprinkling he said, "Mom I'm not afraid of rain anymore!" Yippee!



Yesterday after dinner Igor said he wanted to ride his bike to the school bus stop. Rob and I looked at each other... we were both thinking- you want to ride your bike outside in the rain? Then he said he wanted to ride his bike to the bus stop on Wednesday morning and mommy could push the bike home. No comment from mom on this... So after dinner we put on Igor's raincoat and helmet, he got on his bike and rode to the bus stop. My heart was full, my little boy is growing up right before my eyes.

This morning was Igor's first day riding the school bus. Rain was poring down but Igor was not scared. He marched out of the house with his backpack and lunch. He was ready to ride the bus.


This morning the house is quiet.... I have a long list of things to do while Igor is at school. I have accomplished my first task which is adoption related- write a letter to USCIS requesting a fingerprint appointment! One item down, many to go.

Playing with the format and colors of the blog

I was tired of our blog colors, fonts and format. Please comment if the text is too hard to read.
thanks!

A week in review

Last week, Igor and I did a few special things before school started. We went to the children's museum in town. We had an awesome time. Igor was so excited, we played at every station. I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures.

We went to a local farm and fed the animals on Wednesday.

We took a road trip to the Coens! It was so nice to finally meet Jill. Ladies, Jill makes an awesome coffee cake and Silas is sooooo cute! I had to post a picture of Sophie because she has soo much personality. Thanks for having us over!

Igor and I continue to discover more wildlife in your yard. Igor wanted to "capture" this toad/frog. Luckily I was able to convince Igor that the frog should be free to roam our side yard.

On Sunday I tried to start my car but the battery was dead. The good news - we replaced the battery last year so it was still under warranty! AAA delivered and installed a new battery for free.

Today was Igor's first day of Kindergarten! Well, today and tomorrow are "get to know you days"- the children attend school 2 1/2 hours the first two days. Igor loved his first day of kindergarten. Wednesday, Igor will ride the bus AND all day kindergarten will begin. Igor was so silly this morning... this was the "best" first day of school picture.

Mr. H, the inclusion teacher assigned to Igor's kindergarten class is from Eritrea. His wife is Ethiopian and speaks Amharic! Mr. H. is so supportive of our Ethiopian adoption. We hope to get together with his family soon.

We have two pear trees in the backyard. Last year we didn't have any pears because of a late frost. This year we had pears but the squirrels have feasted on them all summer. They left us ONE pear! After school Igor ran to the backyard and picked our remaining pear. We drove over to the church to share it with dad. Next year we may have to net the trees. I would really like to have more than ONE pear next summer.

On the adoption front- our fingerprints expire in November. There is NO a chance we'll be going to Ethiopia before our fingerprints expire. Requesting a fingerprint appointment is on my short list of things to do. No word on our referral yet....

A time of sadness for an AWAA family

The adoption journey can feel like a roller coaster, highs and lows coming very quickly. This week one family is experiencing a low no family should have to go through... the loss of their little girl.... The Gibsons have this sweet little girl's story on their blog. Please keep this precious family in your prayers.

Call+Response

Have you heard about the new movie Call+Response? If not, check it out.

We continue to wait for our referral

Yesterday was a great day for our agency! Several families were issued referrals for their children! I love when referrals are issued, it means there is movement, it brings me hope.

WARNING- the next paragraph contains self-pity and whining....
While yesterday was a time of joy it also brought sadness. We sent our dossier to AWAA the last week of September 2007. Yesterday was the first day I was sooo tired of the wait. I know in my heart that our referral will come at the perfect time. I know that we are waiting for a reason. However, yesterday I was ready to say I'm done. The words, "Let's stay a 3 person family and move on" flashed through my mind. I thought it for a minute then I came to my senses.


Rob and I are reading Your God Is Too Safe as a devotion. Last night Rob read the following paragraph:

The Psalms are the prayers that God's covenant people have birthed out of their celebration and anguish, their hope and hopelessness, their anger and forgiveness, their captivity and exile and conquest through triumph. They track a path through the vastness of human emotion, its tundras and its jungles, and direct all of it Godward. What do you do with you hatred, bitterness, ecstasy, weariness, heaviness, longings, disappointments, despair, and desires? To whom can you entrust all that? Centuries of wisdom tell us that the Psalms give form to and language for the fullness and undiluted, to God. They are gathering places, repositories, where the mundaneness and tragedy and glory of being human can be sorted out and given back as worship. As prayer.

I really needed to hear those words, it was an "ah ha" moment for me. I was reminded of

Psalm 5: 1-3
O Lord, hear me as I pray;

pay attention to my groaning.

Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,

for I pray to no one but you.

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.

Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.


I prayed this Psalm as we waited for Igor's court date. I will now pray it as we wait for our referral. Today, I feel much better about our adoption and the wait.


Another contributor to yesterday's sadness was an agency update on the referral we lost. Please continue to pray for this little boy.

We are back!

We have returned from our vacation. We had a great time with Rob's parents and my sister. The weather was great. We enjoyed the beach, the pool, jigsaw puzzles, eating out, relaxing and playing Quiddler. We complete two 1,000 piece puzzles. One puzzle was missing one piece!

Here are some pictures of our vacation.

The highlight of Igor's vacation was flying with Papa in a bi-plane! Yep, our little boy LOVED his plane ride.

We are unpacked and ready to start the week. This afternoon I will start planning a few special mommy and Igor days. It is my last week with Igor before he starts school!