USPS- Don't Fail Me Now

Wow. Homestudy paperwork is no joke. We have completed it all, made copies of copies, scanned and emailed copies, and saved copies of all documents in the following formats: Outlook, Microsft Word, and Adobe

I started to sweat a little bit when I got ready to send it, but I just mailed off the most important paperwork OF MY LIFE. I even paid an extra $14.00 USD to make certain it got from Point A to Point B in a timely manner.

USPS Sonny: Is there anything of value in here?

Me:                Monitarily? No. What would you value "sanity" at? Because that's what I'd lose if anything happened to this package.

USPS Sonny: *blink*blank stare*blink

Whew. I feel like I need a cookie.

DONE

In one weeks time we have Completed:

A seventeen! page Home Study application
Financial analysis
2 autobiographies
3 Medical exams & recd results
3 fingerprints & recd results
Gotten a new driver license
Gotten medical clearance on both kids
Taken AND developed pictures of the house and every room in it
Collected certified birth certificates on all 5 people living here
Gotten our certified marriage certificate
Prepared copies of our 2010 tax return
Met with Lisa, our social worker
And scheduled our official in-home visit for 11/5

I have also cleaned our house, revamped our budget, caught up with laundry, survived a potentially devastating small house fire and for giggles?

I lint rolled all of our lamp shades.

Now, If you have never adopted or completed the homestudy process, this may not mean that much to you so just trust me when I tell you THIS IS A BIG DEAL. LIKE, HUGE.

So, "what now", you ask? Well. Now I make copies of it all and send the originals to New Beginnings. Then I breathe a sigh of relief. And gloat a little bit because I am super impressed with my timeline.

We will have provided them with everything we needed to provide them with. We still have to wait on our references to send in their letters just verifying our awesomeness and how they wish they had my great hair or something like that. And we still have to await our clearances from the great states of both MS and AL to verify that we aren't child abusers. But I feel pretty good about those results.

2:30am House fires and Hereos and Such

Let me start with a backstory here: Kaitlyn texted me yesterday and stated she was staying the night with a friend after the fair. I STARTED to send notice to MP and let him know she wouldn’t be home last night, but it was 4:00ish pm and he was busy, playing golf for work. Apparently, it builds TEAMS AND RELATIONSHIPS, Y’ALL. So since I knew I wouldn’t be able to reach him on the phone, I decided to just tell him later.

Well, “later” happened to occur at a time when Swaid hated the world and Brogan cried a lot over a lost Happy Meal toy. I can’t make this up. I finally got her consoled and MP came in at the EXACT minute I began to feel myself losing all patience with Swaid and I just had to walk away. Being the loving father he is, MP put his work down, took Swaid outside, and they jumped on the “trampleeeen”. This gave me just enough time to make chocolate milk, microwave chicken nuggets, and dump some Doritos onto plates. Because sometimes nutrition is over-rated. As Brogan ate, I prepared her bath. But THEN Swaid came in and decided he wanted to take Brogan’s bath and she was cool with that so HE ate dinner and then took her bubble bath. It's just easier for me to bathe them individually. That way, no one can fight over Barbie Mermaids and plastic dump trucks.

By this time, I’d relieved MP so he was back upstairs working. Both kids were happy and fed. Swaid was bathed and tucked in. And then I got Brogan ready for bed. Again, I forgot to tell MP that Kaitlyn was staying the night out and again I started to tell him, BUT I realized I had not eaten and it was like 8:00pm. So I ate Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I don't have to justify this. By THIS time, all was right with the world again, but Swaid had had a late nap and he wasn’t ready for bed, like AT ALL. Instead, he and Brogan wanted me to watch Minnie Mouse's Masquerade Ball on dvd in his room. So I complied and we all piled into his queen sized bed. As soon as the movie ended I remembered again that I needed to tell MP that Kaitlyn was out. But I didn’t because I promptly fell asleep with both kids.

Cue dream sequence music:

It's somewhere between 2-3am, I am barely awake, but still quite asleep. I hear a loud popping noise that soon sounds like someone dropped a metal spoon in the garbage disposal and turned it on. I hear commotion in the kitchen and hear chairs being shoved across the floor. At first I think it’s just Kaitlyn, but then I remembered she was staying out. THEN I wondered if we were being robbed. I don’t know how long this had been going one before I woke up, but I eventually got up to check it out and found MP putting a fire out in our kitchen. At 2:30am.

It was then that I actually woke up and confirmed that MP had, in fact, just PUT OUT A FIRE IN OUR KITCHEN AT 2:30AM.

The first thing I said to him was, “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that Kaitlyn is spending the night out.” He said, “I have been awake for over an hour WAITING on her.” For a minute, I thought he was mad, but he wasn’t. In fact, I suspect it was at that point he realized that BECAUSE I’d forgotten to tell him about Kaitlyn, he got concerned and got up to make sure she hadn’t texted saying she'd been in a wreck or something. And BECAUSE he got up, he found the fire in our kitchen.

Basically, I’m a HERO.

**I know I'm not the REAL HERO in this story. You guys, I don't forget ANYTHING. It is so unlike me to forget to tell MP that KK wasn't coming home. Like, UNHEARD OF. It is no coincidence I forgot to tell him. It was no coincidence that MP got out of bed to check on her and found a FIRE. It is no coincidence I'd chosen that night to sleep with both my children. I am a very light sleeper, so chances are I would have heard the noise, but I would have panicked and like, thrown WATER on it or something. Seriously. I don't do well under pressure. Praising the Lord for His hand of protection over us all.

You're probably wondering what that is. Well, the wrought iron stand you see holds our 55 gallon fishtank. This is where Goldie, our fancytail, and Jerry, our catfish, live. There are several other fish, but they don't have names. And yes, we have an actual catfish as a pet. And I feed him cat food.


Apparently, the condensation build-up under the tank just happened to make contact with the pump cord. The water ran down the pump cord into the surge protector. And it started a fire with real flames and errythang. Our house was filled with smoke and now it smells like burnt plastic. That baseboard may need to be replaced and the wall will most defintately need to be repainted, but it doesn't appear that there is any actual damage inside the wall. Praise God.


MP was fast thinking enough to open all the windows and doors and fan the smoke away from the smoke detector in the hallway. He didn't want it to wake me and the kids. I love that man.


And I was only 6 minutes late for work this am.

Ugandan Paper Bead Necklaces $15, $3 for shipping

Multi Color Extra Long with RED accent beads (can be double stranded)

Red paper bead necklace (can be worn as a double strand)

Brown paper bead necklace (can be worn as a double strand) - This picture doesn't do it justice!

Multi paper bead necklace (can be worn as a double strand)

Multi Color Extra Long with BLUE accent beads (can be double stranded) My personal favorite.

Natural ivory/bluish color  (can be double stranded) BEAUTIFUL!

My model (after eating Dorito's). I also have smaller necklaces; perfect for little girls. I have purple, lime green and a dark brownish color. They fit adults too though :)

My pictures really stink. The necklaces are gorgeous.

Turquiose (can be double stranded)

We Got to Pray Just to Make it Today

Ah. Wise words by one MC Hammer (of “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” fame). Good times. I laugh when I think about his pants and that typewriter dance. And the fact that I LEARNED IT. OK, you can laugh now, but I look AWESOME on the dance floor. Truth. He may have looked ridiculous, but his words ring true. We do need to pray just to make it today. Or any other day for that matter.


And today I am asking for a very specific prayer request. I have a bloggy friend of a bloggy friend of a bloggy friend of an actual friend that I know in need of prayer. Many of you know her as “The Farmer’s Wife”, I know (of) her as Lara. See- I met “Shelly” of SixtyFeet fame via blogs, through Shelly’s blog I met Colleen and through her blog I met Lara. In the interim I actually MET (and spent the night with and traveled to UGA with) Joy, also of SixtyFeet fame. Joy is actual friends with Shelly who is actual friends with Colleen who is actual friends with Lara. Basically they are the Kevin Bacons of the blog world.


Anyway- Lara and her husband are in UGA right now awaiting the verbal ruling of their sweet, Baby A. The actual hearing was last week, but they were told to come back this week. Her facebook status today asked that we simply pray. I am going one step further and asking that we pray specifically that:


1. Above all, God’s will be done


2. (Selfishly) I ask that the Judge have compassion and will allow them to be the parents that Baby “A” needs and DESERVES. Every little fellar needs a Mommy, y’all….


3. I pray specifically that he not only give a verbal ruling awarding them legal guardianship, but also gives them a written ruling TODAY. This will allow them to apply for A’s visa STAT and not have to come back to court again


4. I pray that the Visa application is accepted in record time with no problems whatsoever


5. And also? I am praying them ALL home within two weeks. Our God can do that.


You guys. I have had the honor of meeting and loving on this very Baby “A” while in UGA a few weeks ago. He is bright and sweet and VERY outgoing. His energy rivals that of the batteried bunny. He has so much potential and I KNOW in my heart that he needs to be with a Mommy and a Daddy and a Brother and a Sister (ON A FARM) that will love him unconditionally. These orphans in UGA? They aren’t the problem. They are the RESULT of a problem in UGA. HIV/AIDS, war, famine, malaria, etc- THESE are the culprits. The children are only the ones that suffer. I pray that the Judge will see that while adoption (international or otherwise) isn’t the answer to their very real problem, it IS the answer for the welfare of these kids; or more specifically, Baby “A”…..(AND our Baby Puckett)


PLEASE share this post on your blogs. Please facebook this prayer request. Please sent this to your prayer group. Whether you know them or not, whether you have adopted or not, just know that the bible commands us to care for orphans and widows in distress (James 1:27). It is not an option for Christians- it is a very real command. If all you can do at this point is pray, PLEASE, please do so.


Matt 18:20 “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”    Word.

AnotheradoptionupdateOMGandIamalunatic

 

I think adoption has turned me into a crazy person. For one, I left my house wearing house shoes this morning. To work. Fortunately they are the leather slip on “moccasin” kind that could easily pass as real shoes. But I know they are not. Q: Who does that?! A: I DO.

For two, I spent last night reviewing 100’ish pages of paperwork, setting FBI fingerprint appointments, making plans to renew my driver license, and making plans to get our physicals. For this week. AND IT IS ALREADY TUESDAY, Y’ALL. Then I bleached my kitchen. Just for giggles.

For three, I don’t really have a “for three”, but stopping at two just looked naked.

Here’s our Uh-Dop-Shun schedule so far this week:

Tuesday               10/4/11               Christy fingerprint appointment / Complete all paperwork

Wednesday         10/5/11               Marty fingerprint appointment / Christy driver license renewal / Take pictures of house, but first CLEAN the house. I don’t want to come off as a Hoarder.

Thursday              10/6/11               Kaitlyn getting her fingerprints, driver license, & physical (All in one day, I think!) BTW, She’s lived with us since Feb. 2011- Everyone say Hello!  Hi, K! luh ya!

Friday                   10/7/11               Christy & Marty physicals (tentative, IF MP doesn’t have to go out of town tomorrow)

Saturday              10/8/11               Freak out / 1^st Social Worker Meeting / come home and CRASH

In addition to the aforementioned events of last night, I ALSO mailed out FOUR crosses, picked up some medications from the pharmacy, got my oil changed, balanced the checkbook, paid some bills and made a bank run while MP took Brogan to ballet and Swaid to Dick’s Sporting Goods. Now at some point this week, we still have to transport kids to/from school, cook dinner, feed kids, bathe kids, clean house, do laundry, do homework, beg for money, SELL MORE CROSSES, weld more crosses, mail more crosses, attend a Friday night birthday party, visit my brother from Japan, visit our former brother in law from Colorado, grocery shop, and each work a 40hour work week.

And did I mention we also volunteer with the Center for Violence Prevention and are gearing up for the 1^st Annual Masquerade Ball to be held 10/29/11? I didn’t? Well, we do. Oh and also? I’m co-room mom for Bebe’s kindergarten class. I am SO thankful for Tara, the other room mom. Because of her plans are underway for their “Halloween/Harvest party”. I am SPENT. So Thanks, TARA!!!

And it’s hunting season.

 

*blink*

*blink.blink*

*blink*

Adoption Update: 1

Today we scheduled our first visit with our social worker, Lisa. Under normal circumstances it'd be a little weird telling folks you are "meeting with a social worker", but nothing about adoption is normal. Plus, we are way past the point of caring what anyone thinks. So, next Saturday we will meet her at a local restaurant for our initial consult. AND THEN our actual in-home interview is set for Saturday, November 5. That's like the "Make it Or Break It" of all the interviews. And it's in our home. And it's 6 hours long. I just pray my kids don't lose their minds during those 6 hours. Also? I'm still putting my Christmas tree up in October. I just hope she doesn't think I'm a lunatic.

You guys, it's about to get real all up in here.

~cp

Ps: thank you all for joining us on this journey. Whether you donate, pray for us, or just enjoy reading about it, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Our child is out there right now, waiting for mommy and daddy. I pray God is preparing his/her little heart/mind/body/spirit for us as He prepares ours for them. Srsly. It's about to get real up in here.

Sticks. And Fairs. And Free Biscuits.

 Anybody else dread the State Fair? The crowds, the overpriced parking fees, the heat, the germs, etc? MP once dubbed it (correctly) “The Armpit of Mississippi” and that pretty much sums it up. HOWEVER, you cannot hate the fair IF your children have been before and look forward to it every year. (Thanks, Phil, for taking Bebe last year. I love how she asks about goin’ to the “Fater” EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.)

Actually, you CAN still hate it, but you cannot avoid it. I think that’s where I am. I don’t look forward to the crowds of people, but I’ll do just about anything to see my kids happy. Oh, and for free biscuits. True, I AM a little excited about the food. CP loves to eat. Simple as that. And errybody knows that the best foods in the world all come from the fair and are served on sticks.

Think about it, corndogs, chicken, popsicles, beef kabobs, candy apples, etc. I even had a fried Twinkie one year ON A STICK. Ok, admittedly it was pretty disgusting, but I had a theme going. Oh, wait- how do you eat sushi WITH A STICK. And how do you toast marshmallows? IMPALED ON A STICK. Game. Set. Match.
 

 Now I feel like camping. Because I sort of inadvertently implied s’mores. Also? Maybe I should have eaten breakfast.

"Paper Pregnancy" Craving

Every part of me wants Taco Bell right now.

I blame it on being "paper pregnant".

That's all.

(and no, I'm not PREGNANT pregnant, but yes. We are expecting a third child. Thru uh-dop-shun)

Random: Part Deuce

“It takes a lot of effort to appear this effortless” – Me (on being the domestic goddess that I am)

“Awe, EXIT!” – Bebe (on dropping her toy out of reach on the floorboard)

“Daggum it, Mama. I luf you.” – Swaid (he steals hearts)

Whatever happened to Bel Biv Devoe?

I really want to own some “crime scene” tape. Really.

Why don’t I get candy when I pee in the potty?

If I put my Christmas tree up before the social worker comes, will she think I’m crazy? Or will she appreciate it as much as I do?

I wonder if my internet friends stalk me as much as I stalk them?

Leaving Jerry’s Catfish one night I noticed a young couple standing in front of my van. On impulse I pulled out my key, set the alarm off, and laughed til I almost cried when they jumped. MP was proud.

If I were Ms Universe, my platform would be “Adopt All”. First, every child would be adopted and THEN every adopted child would be given an adopted puppy/kitten/etc; thereby, ridding the world of all adoption needs. BAM. I just created World Peace.

My hair really is fantastic.