Jeff-o-fina

Today we went shopping! We came home with a little play horse. Abby was so excited to bring him home and ride him around our living room.

Since it's also my brother-in-law's birthday we decided to name the horse after him. His name is Jeff. Therefore we now have a horse named Jeff-o-fina. What a delight! We called Jeff to wish him a happy birthday and tell him about the horse. We had to leave a message since he wasn't home, so we're looking forward to hearing his response. :)

Today was also filled with errand running. We went to my nephew's soccer game, got groceries, went to our parent-tot swimming class, got a haircut, wrote a grad paper, did four loads of laundry, etc..... It's a good thing that Saturdays come along.

Telephone fun

Abby loves her princess phone. Tonight she spent almost 15 minutes talking with her princess friends. When you push certain buttons on the phone, there are four different princess' that will talk back with you. Her favorite is Cinderella. She went on to tell Cinderella all about her day. It was cute to watch. I just love coming home and calming down with Abby. When her little arms wrap around me and her voice talks with Cinderella, I realize how blessed I am.

'Pasketti and Bananas

Abby loves to show us her muscles. So today we thought we would take a video of her huge muscles. Maybe if you eat 'pasketti and bananas, you too can have these muscles. Enjoy! :)

Sunday Fun

Today was a marathon morning at church. We went to the early service and Abby started Sunday School today!! She was so excited and did soooo well! I am one proud mama. Our church runs the class during the service so I dropped her off and she ran right in. When I came to pick her up, she was sitting at her little table finishing her craft about baby Moses in a basket. She told me the whole Bible story and talked non-stop about all her fun.
I was scheduled to work in the nursery for second service so Abby went back to Sunday School for that service as well. They run a different program for both services so it wasn't a repeat of the first session. She came out all smiles again. However, we did have a meltdown on the ride home and the attitude has been rocky this afternoon. I think it was just a little too much over stimulation for her. Most mornings she'll only go to one class. She did ask when she can go back again. :)
It was such a nice afternoon that we sat and played outside. Then we ventured out for a walk. We're watching my parents dog this weekend so the walk was eventful. I pushed the burley with Abby in it and attempted to walk two dogs at the same time. Ahh... the joys of motherhood. :) Here's Abby in her Sunday morning finery. The dress is borrowed from my sister. It fits her perfectly. I thought she looked beautiful, and apparently so did others. Today at church we had at least 3 strangers come up and tell Abby how pretty she looked. On our walk this afternoon, with the two dogs, Abby fell asleep in the burley. She loves riding in it and begs to go for walks. It was a beautiful afternoon so away we went.

Another piece to the puzzle

Today in the mail I got my passport!! I had to mail my old one in because it'll expire before I have to travel to Ethiopia. This new one is good until 2018. It was such a quick turn around, it only took a week or two. They didn't send my old passport back. The paperwork included said it should be coming in a separate mailing. I would really like it back. I have so many different country stamps (Guatemala, Ecuador, England, France, Italy, etc) that I would like to keep the old one. My dad, who will be traveling with me, also got his renewed passport this week. We're set to travel! Not much has happened in the adoption world. My dossier has officially landed in Ethiopia so I'm just waiting for a referral. Abby talks daily about her new sister and it's become a nightly ritual to include her in our prayers.

Here are a few pictures of Abby from the last few days. I haven't blogged in awhile, sorry! I'll try to get back on track next week. :) Dressing up has become one of her favorite activities. I found a Barbie cheerleader outfit at a garage sale and she loves to dress up with her jewelry and sunglasses. Watch out Miss American, Abby is hot on your heels! Here's Abby at dinner the other night. She loves to eat yogurt and Dora is the one of choice.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!

Here's the lastest singing from Abby. She learned this song when she was two and she sings it daily with us at dinner. Way to be a Jesus lover! :)

A contest

Tonight I entered a contest! This is not something I do every day, but I'm excited to win this one. I'm hoping to win a gift card to Target or Applebees. It was a monthly contest on my new favorite teacher website. They were asking for new and fun bulletin board ideas. On Friday I took a picture of our Accelerated Reader race track at school and mailed it in.

Here's to wishful winning!

Sometimes...

Sometimes you have days when you're already in your pajamas by 5:45 pm.

Sometimes the kiss of your daughter is the sunshine moment of your day.

Sometimes you still need hugs and kisses from your mom and dad, even though you're already old enough to be a mom.

Sometimes only a sister can understand.

Sometimes....tomorrow is a new day.

Just an update

So routine has finally set in. Abby and I are back into our schedule. She loves going to Nana's house in the mornings. School is keeping me busy. This year I'm as busy as ever, I'm the dean of kindergarten through third grade and I'm mentoring two different teachers. My grad class is plugging along. I have another paper due this weekend. It'll probably be Thursday or Friday before I can tackle that project. Needless to say I've also settled into the routine of being constantly tired. Yesterday Abby and I went to the library and then did some laundry. Tonight we stayed home. Jessie and Emily came over to visit for the evening. It's nice to have others sit with you. These two are so close that there's no awkwardness when silence happens.

I don't have an adoption update. I'm still on the waiting list.

Sunday Happenings

My sister and her family were still here today. They headed home late tonight. We headed to church this morning and then out for pizza for lunch. After naps for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, we all headed to the park. What fun! The girls all ran and ran. It was fun to watch them play and giggle. Then it was off to McDonalds for dinner. There's nothing like chicken nuggets, fries and apple dippers for dinner.
Julia and Abby were loving each other this morning before church and asked to have their picture taken. They were thrilled that they were both wearing yellow dresses. God has indeed blessed us with awesome cousins. Thank you Lord for a day of rest filled with naps, parks and family.

Family Fun

Last night I worked hard on my grad paper and corrected my school papers so I could be foot loose and fancy free for the rest of the weekend. My sister and her family came up from Ohio for the weekend. We just love spending time with them. We headed to the Hope College football game this afternoon and then over to my parent's house for dinner. My brother and his family joined us there. There are seven grandchildren all 7 and under. They played and giggled, and dressed up in costumes all night. They played so well together that the adults could actually sit and enjoy some coffee and desert on the patio. There were no tears, but instead just laughs. Abby loves spending time with all her cousins and spent most of the night playing with Sophie, who is only 6 months younger than her. I took several pictures of our day. Enjoy! Here's the whole family. What good looking people! Abby and Sophie were inseparable and played together beautifully. Seth and Julia laughed and laughed all night. The kids had so much fun in the dress up box!

Just One Word: INCREDIBLE

This superstar lights up our life! She is adored by both Abby and me. I've known her since she was born 19 years ago and Abby's known her for her whole life. She is one of those people who come into your life and leave you happier, sillier, and more joyful. She is someone who giggles with me, yells at me, eats my food, and is forever a sister to me. She's back at the best school ever for her sophomore year. HOPE COLLEGE is blessed to have her and we are excited to have her back on this side of the state!!

On other news, I went back to school with kids today. It was nice to return to my love of teaching. It's amazing, but when God blesses you with a talent such as teaching and it just flows through you, there is no greater reward. I am at peace with God's calling and thankful that he has filled me with his love.

There was some frustrating news on the adoption front. I found out today that there were 20 families waiting for an infant girl so it will be a while before I move up and actually receive a referral. I know that God is in control, but sometimes I wish he would just move faster or at least communicate his overall plans. Maybe it's just a lesson in patience and faith.

Labor Day Fun

Here's my tired baby. She went to bed perfectly tonight and hopefully the sleepy fairy will remember to come.

We had a event filled day. We went shopping for a few hours this morning, got Abby's hair cut, played outside with bubbles, and went to a picnic. We had my grandparents, uncle, cousins, parents, friends, and my brother's family all together for dinner. There were 15 of us! It was great. We played corn hole. We lost one and won one. The night ended with both a bloody nose and a bloody toe on Abby. Once we got her calmed down, she fell asleep almost immediately. I'm headed to bed early tonight in order to be ready to tackle school tomorrow.