New Additions Update

A sweet reader commented today that she's looking forward to hearing more about the new additions to our family. Because this blog is public, I will not be able to post any sort of photos or personal information about them until after the adoption is finalized, which will happen sometime this winter, likely around Valentine's Day. Even then, I may need to go private with the blog to protect their identity. I don't know...I haven't decided yet how I'll handle that. I'll be getting advice from our adoption attorney, as well as from the girls' case manager.

For now, though, I can give you an update on where we are in the process. For the last month we've been waiting for our paperwork to go through ICPC (Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children). It's an ordeal, and can take as long as six months in the toughest cases. Arkansas ICPC was right on their game, and got their end of the work done in a record three days. Florida has not been so great...until today. The administrator who was handling our case has gone on indefinite medical leave. I feel really bad for him, and understand better now why he never returned our calls. Our case has been transferred to a different administrator, and she is awesome! She called our agency today to get our home study--the only piece that is missing from our file. Once the agency faxes it to her, she'll stamp "approved" on the file, sign it, and return it to Arkansas ICPC. Arkansas ICPC will give it to our case manager in Arkansas, and we'll get approved for our travel.

Right now we have a tentative travel date set for June 27th. This, of course, hinges on the completion of the paperwork. It looks pretty positive right now, though! We'll have our placement staffing and meet our girls the first week of July, if everything goes the way the girls' case team has laid it out for us. We hope to be pulling back into our driveway on July 12th, just in time for Pepper's birthday!

I wish I could post photos. I wish I could tell you about these amazing gifts that God has blessed us with. We've been talking on the phone a few times each week, and they are incredible! Such courage, and such joy! I can hardly wait to get my arms around them.

What Is Summer?

If you are a kid in our family, summer is...

• Sleeping in every morning if you want to
• Having a longer list of chores
• Learning different tasks around the house
• Reading for an hour every day to earn Wii and TV time
• Spending very limited time on the Wii and TV
• Eating popsicles at 9:00 in the morning
• Helping Mommy bake a gluten free chocolate cake at 9:00 at night
• Spending lots of time playing with the cats
• Building blanket forts
• Eating popsicles at lunchtime
• Going to the pool...lots!
• Meeting friends at the park
• Spending hours drawing and writing stories at the little table in the living room
• Morning swim team (Snapper) and afternoon swim lessons (Pepper)
• Eating tomatoes and green beans fresh from the garden in the back yard
• Riding the tire swing while the sprinklers are going
• Riding bikes
• Drawing with chalk in the driveway
• Blowing bubbles
• Writing letters and drawing pictures to mail to cousins in California and Washington
• Writing letters and drawing pictures to mail to new sisters in Arkansas
• Eating popsicles at 3:00 in the afternoon
• Snacking on chilled watermelon all day
• Talking on the phone with the new sisters in the evening
• Doing crafts--friendship bracelets (Snapper) and paper/scissors/glue creations (Pepper)
• Making playdough
• Playing dress-up
• Building with blocks and Legos
• Having adventures with stuffed animals and dolls and plastic soldiers and dinosaurs
• Spending hours reading Childcraft volumes and exploring the atlas
• Eating popsicles. Lots of popsicles.
• Staying up really late some nights, just because we don't have to get up early in the morning
• Eating ice cream for dinner. Yes, we did that on Saturday! Nothing else...just ice cream.
• Enjoying concentrated family time in the peace and quiet of our lovely home.

God is good. This mommy loves summer and having the kiddos home!

About A Boy

See this little boy? He is a month away from turning 6. He has accomplished a lot in the last few months. I've posted a lot about Snapper, but not a whole lot about this little Pepper. He's due a good post! Let me start by saying that he is smart, cute, silly, charming, compassionate, and sweet. 

Did I mention that he is really silly? Pepper loves to make funny faces. He also loves to dance around the house, shaking his butt. He tells goofy, pointless "jokes" that he makes up, and then he roars with laughter. He also says funny stuff that he doesn't intend to be funny. Take yesterday, for example...

Pepper (to our Pastor Dale): Hi Pastor Dale! I want to be hypnotized so I can show the world I'm medicated to Jesus!

Pastor Dale managed to keep a straight face when he figured out that Pepper thought he was saying, Hi Pastor Dale! I want to be baptized so I can show the world I'm dedicated to Jesus. 

I did NOT manage to keep a straight face!!! We're meeting with Pastor Dale next week to have him discuss baptism with Pepper. 

This little boy loves Jesus. Every night, without fail, Pepper wants Daddy to read the Bible to him. Matt invested in a Discover God Bible for Kids. It covers the major stories in the Bible, and has discussion questions for parents and kids that direct the kids back to how God's character is evident in the stories. Pepper absolutely loves it, and I don't think he has missed a night in the past 4 months. During our daily reading time, Pepper loves to take that Bible back out and reread the stories. He retains it, he absorbs it, and he thinks about it. Then, at random times, he will spout off a fountain of Bible knowledge, or make a really deep statement, or ask an extremely perceptive question.

He is smart, smart, smart! He is reading on a second grade reading level, and he devours picture books. He reads several of them a day, and when we have  our focused reading time together, he reads to me out of one of the Magic Treehouse books! 

He is artistic and creative. He loves to make books of his drawings. Each book is about 8 pages long, and is packed full of detailed artwork. When he "reads" the book to me, he has developed a complete story to go along with his illustrations. Though he doesn't like to write words in his books, the stories are complete, full of adventure, and run beautifully with his drawings. He spends hours building masterpieces with his Legos, Duplos, and the wood blocks my Grandpa Cox made for me.

This little boy is full of compassion. He is eagerly counting down the days until his new sisters come to live with us. We get to talk with them on the phone 3 or 4 times each week now, and he loves to talk with them. Every time he chats with one of them, he thinks of reassuring details to tell them.

There are lots of nice girls at our school who will be your friends.

Our mommy is a really great mommy, and she already loves you.

We're a very sweet family, so  you don't have to worry that we're mean.

When you come live with us, I'll share my toys with you.

My favorite color right now is orange, but since {J's} favorite color is orange too, I'll let her use the orange towels and cups.

If you get scared at night when you come live here, it's okay. I'll give you a hug and pray for you and you will feel better.

Here's a photo of Pepper talking on the phone for the first time with {H}, his new 6-year-old sister.

I'm just crazy about this little guy! I am SO THANKFUL that God chose to give him to me. I'm the luckiest woman in the world to get to be his mom.