Sunday Snapshot - A Baby in the House Again

I thought I was waaaay ahead of the game when I made this shopping trip only 2 weeks ago!

A trip for the kind of stuff ya can't (or shouldn't) get at a yardsale or second hand shop.

But then we got the surprise travel call, the call we didn't think we were getting for another few weeks or so.

Then I had to get busy.

I needed help.

So I brought in my personal shopper. Someone with exquisite taste and the stamina.

She was a picky shopper and decided little sister needed some brand new things. (see mamma likes to bargain shop at boutiques in people's front yards or garages)

Hey I snagged that dress she's wearin' for 75 cents, didn't I?

Not sure what was up with the socks, but they did make it into the cart.

We made it to the checkout and then realized we forgot a little something.

Diapers!

So we headed back and grabbed a case.

We should be ready now, with only 3 days till departure:)

She Did It!

Sorry about the angle ,unfortunately mom recorded it sideways so there's no fixin' it!

Just turn your head sideways, it'll probably feel good :)

Wednesday July 28th 10:52 AM

It Came!

Leaving for Seoul next week and bringin' back a really awesome "souvenir"!

God is Good:)

Love Food?

Come on over to The Toothpick!

Our boy is ready to launch his foodie blog

Sign up to be a follower:)

{it'll make his day}

Sunday Snapshot~ Baseball

End of the season

And I swear these boys grew another couple of inches.

Maybe this one too.

She sure likes to make her self at home on the field.

We were really good at keeping ourselves calm and collected,
most of the time.

Because whenever these guys come off the field from makin' a play, you'd have thought they were Justin Bieber

It sure was another great season, can't wait till the next one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

About 3 hours ago (as I post this) our little girl turned a year old in Korea.

Tomorrow will be her birthday here in the U.S.

Even though we wish she could be here now to celebrate, we got the two next best things.

One, we know she got our care package.

Remember this?

We weren't expecting to get another update, but last Saturday we got one stating that she received our care package. It was such a surprise that the mail sat on the island for a few hours before I decided to take a look at it. Boy was that a shock to see that envelope from our agency! Included were nine pictures. They were taken July 6 so she is just over 11 months old in these - a whole month older than the last pictures I posted of her. My has she grown!

{Can ya believe she's wearin' the dress???}

Checkin' out her forever family for the first time

And the second best thing came today from the mailman (I'm lovin' that guy I tell ya).

Our I600 Approval

Gee I wish I'd caught that on video, the kids running around the house screaming- She's coming home! She's coming home!

It won't be long now little sister!

Secret to 48 Years

{Be sure to pause the music to the left!}

Sunday Snapshot~ His Typical Summer Day

Don't forget to get on over to Ni Hao Y'all for some really good readin'!

Weekday morning workbook time.

Gotta keep the mind sharp during the summer, ya know.

He hates this, but I tell him he will thank me on the first day of sixth grade.

Yeah, whatever mom.

{I've always loved that he's a lefty}

Takin' the time to help his little sister.

What?

Anyhow, let's move on.

Checkin' the email.

{somebody please send him something!}

Watch a little "Nick"

Play the Wii

Not pictured- devour three string cheeses in a row

Four hour lounge at the pool

Not pictured- complains of headache and red eyes from using goggles to look at bikinis underwater

Bike ride

Scooter Ride

Shoot some hoops

Challenge mom to our first game ever (for both of us!) of Scrabble.

Tries to invent new words in the English language including "wanq" which he insists is a Star Wars character.

This kid still amazes us every day. He can pick up something new in a heartbeat which accounts for the many instruments he can play. He makes his bed every morning (note- we've never once asked him to) and he can still to this day (he's done so since he was a wee babe) function on very little sleep. On the nights he's allowed to stay up as late as he wants he usually does so until about 2am and then he's up and rarin' to go by 6am.

This will come in handy in Korea if I get jet lag,he says.

We love you bud, and we can't believe how much you've grown.

Must be the cheese.

Waiting.....

...for that piece of paper to arrive in the mail. It's the paper that completes the U.S. side of our adoption paperwork and then the rest is up to Korea. Once we get our I600 it's usually only about two weeks after that we'll get our travel call.

Sometimes less.

So yesterday I called the "National Benefits Center" in Missouri where our I600 is waiting to be processed to get our case status. We didn't get the news we wanted to hear. Our file arrived, but has not yet been assigned to an officer. So here I've been stalking the mailman everyday thinking "today is the day!" and it hasn't even been processed yet.

God's timing.

He knows when she is coming home and we will wait.

So at this point, we know that she will not be home for her first birthday, but we will be celebrating nonetheless. Next Wednesday will be her birthday in Korea, Thursday here in the U.S.. We're big on birthdays around here so we're already planning. We want her to know when she's older, that even though she wasn't with us, we were celebrating her.

The twelve month birthday is an important one in Korea. Click HERE to read about the Toljabee. We will celebrate her birthday Korean style when she comes home. For now, break out the balloons, cake and everything else because we're havin' ourselves a party!

Sunday Snapshot ~Extreme Bowling

Man, since when did bowling become so expensive?

The shoes, the snacks.... and even having to pay by 15 minute increments??

It also brought out the crazies in my three. I could barely keep'em in our lane under control

I barely made it out with my dignity alive......and without having to pay for damages.

I think I'll wait a while before going back. Mama needs to recuperate.