End of Summer Chaos

Well, summer is almost over. School starts soon. I have to head back this Monday 8/22 for beginning teacher orientation. Although I worked last year, I started in Oct so I missed this and am now required to go. YUCK! 3 days of torture. Thurs and Fri I have teacher professional development and school starts on Mon 8/29. Colby has his pre-school orientation on the first day so I am a little bumbed that i can't go. I have to rely on Mike to go and get all the information. Good thing there's email and I can talk to Colby's teacher that way. Colby starts on the 30th and will be going full-day. The bus will pick him up at Mike's parents' house and then Mike's mom will watch him in the afternoon until I can get home. Thank goodness for grandparents!

Next week is also the tennis tournament in New Haven. I love volunteering there. I usually work nights as an usher and have been volunteering for about 10 years. This year I'll work 4 nights after my PD days at school.

I also am trying to move from my old school to a brand new school. As 1 of 3 in the Reading Dept. we have to organize all the reading materials and set up our office. We've been ready to go for a couple weeks but we are still waiting for our floor to ceiling book shelves to be bolted in the walls. Hopefully soon.

And in the middle of all this, Mike and I are sprucing up the house. I've been trying to organize my teaching materials in the basement and get rid of some extra stuff. Mike painted Colby's bedroom a great shade of blue. We jsut need to put up the photos. And now my kitchen floor is a disaster. New tile to come but until then what a mess!!!

So lots going on. We are living in chaos! But thought you might like some photos of Colby's big boy room and my messy kitchen. Sorry for the messy Colby room. Will post better photos when the walls are decorated. And I promise to post updated photos of the kitchen when we get done.

Children's Place

We love the CHildren's Place. They are having a contest to find their next model. I entered Colby with this great photo from New Hampshire. Please head over to this website and vote for him. HIs ID number is 126480. Thanks.

http://childrensplace.promo.eprize.com/model

Thanks again.

Smurfs

I can't believe all the old shows that are coming back. One of my favorites as a kid was the Smurfs. I had a bunch of the little Smurfs and even a mushroom house. I so wish I knew where they all went, but although many other of my toys were saved those are MIA. Oh well. So now a new movie is out but I don't think I will be bringing Colby to it. It seems a little too grown up for it. However, we do have one DVD of the old cartoons which we have watched a couple times. Anyway, McD's hasSmurfs in their Happy Meals. We don't normally go there with Colby but I do stop in for a quick drink, especially the Fruit Smoothies now. So, Colby now has 4 of them and he and Mike were having a blast playing with them last night. Thought you might like to see both of my boys in action. I just had to capture this laugh on video. Enjoy!

Guess It Can Wait

Ok. I give in. I agree with all the comments I recieved and I appreciate them more than you'll ever know. Everyone had the same line of thought. Let the Lord decide. So I will, or at least I will try.

I am not sure why I am drawn to this particular little girl. What drew me in, I'll probably never know. I will keep track of her and hope and pray that she finds a forever family. I guess that is all I can do. No, I am not giving up on adopting more. Believe me, we will. But with a small house, wanting a girl and definitely more than one more child, and having not enough bedrooms, I guess I will have to wait. Our house is small, it is not the house we want forever. Mike wants a house with more land and room for a workshop for his business. I want at least 3 bedrooms and a spare room for crafting, office, etc. I also want out of the city we live in. It is great for now with city preschool and the PAL program that offers great sport activities for Colby. But in the long run, I would like a better neighborhood. However, with this markey, there is no way we can sell our house and hope to get a mortgage on something new. So, we wait. We wait, and we wait.

It seems that I have always pushed my will on my life, trying to force things to happen. I didn't get my first teaching job right away and then only a part-time job. I didn't find my sweetheart right away, we married when I was 30 (ok, 31 the next month). I didn't have children when everyone else did, then I had to travel around the world to winter in Siberia. Nothing has come easy, although it hasn't been tragic or awful either, just..... hard. Now, I feel like I am pushing again. I don't want to push. I want it to be right for me, and for Mike, and especially for Colby. Now may be the right time for me, but I'm not sure it's right for all of us. So, I will stop and wait. I will leave it to God as so many wonderful people have mentioned and see what happens. Maybe I'll wait just a little while, or maybe another year or so. I just hope it won't be too long. But I give in. I hand over control (something I hate to do) to God, life in general, whoever it may be. We'll see what happens.

Help Please....Any Ideas

Ok. I know I have been gone awhile. We just returned from vacation in New Hampshire on Lake Winnepasaukee. I LOVE it there! We had a great time but it is nice to be hme and sleep in my own bed. And I promise to upload some great pics soon.

I'm not sure who really reads my blog anymore, other than a few devoted friends and family but I do need some help, please!! Our adoption agency has a list of "Horizon Kids" as they call them. Often older children or kids with some medical issues who are waiting for their forever families. I am constantly looking at the kids. Some have been on there since we began our adoption of Colby in late 2008. They break my heart. A few weeks ago, the agency posted a new child, a little girl aged 2 1/2. At the time there was no picture of her, just some information. I am not sure why but this posting struck my heart, even without the photo. I called the agency and they did send me her information and a few photos. She is ADORABLE! And she looks so much like Colby did at that age, it is scary. I just can't get her off of my mind. No, we have not started a new home study but Mike and I certainly ahve discussed it the whole vacation. There was a question of whether we could adopt a little girl because we only have the 2 bedroom so she would have to share a bedroom with Colby. But the agency and the regional representative where the girl is said it shouldn't be a problem. Wow! One hurdle gone. However, the HUGE hurdle still lurks. MONEY! I do know that the agency has a few subsidies for their Horizon Kids but they are not guaranteed.

OK guys. What do I do? Has anyone else taken subsidies, know of places that help finance adoptions, anything? If we begin our home study we aren't guaranteed to get this little girl, another family who is farther along than us can take her first. But, I'd love to try. I'm from a big family and so is Mike. I can't see having an only child. Colby really needs a sibling or two or three. It just feels like now is the time. He's been home almost 2 1/2 years and the ages would work great, just under 2 years apart. HELP!!! The heart says yes but the finances say yikes! Not sure we can finance this one alone.

Colby's First Music Videos

Now that I have a really cool phone, internet ready, I can upload some cute videos. So, here are a few of my little singer. Perhaps another Billy Joel?? What do you think?

Some Summer Fun in Pics and Videos