Expiration of adoption paperwork

We've been officially logged in for our next adoption for 10 months now. For me today, there really seems to be no end in sight. Most days I realize and understand it will happen when it's supposed to happen. No one really knows what the wait will be but currently people are waiting around 17 to 18 months but it looks to me like it's going to get longer than that.

All of that to say, our paperwork has started expiring. The first thing to expire is our homestudy. Kentucky law/regulations require us to update that at the 12 month mark so our social worker was out Saturday to do the update. The next thing to expire are our fingerprints, they expire on 7/11. You have to wonder, what exactly is it that makes your "fingerprints" expire? HMMM ... Maybe I'm a little touchy on that one since it takes forever to find a technician that can actually read mine. Then our immigration (visa) approval expires in November and you have to recopy a lot of paperwork and repay the USCIS fee. But I know that God's timing is perfect timing and after all we went through w/ lost paperwork and fingerprint snafu's when we were adopting Emma, I realize that all those things worked together for us to receive the perfect child for our family.

In regards to when we travel next time ... fellow flyer's beware as Emma says she is going to fly the plane to get her sister!

Back to this past Saturday, while we were meeting w/ our social worker - Emma and Ryan were "busy" playing outside. Again, she thinks that whatever brother does she can do just as well. Not so sure I like her riding the little scooter but she thinks she can.

Visions of Texas dancing in my head

When we lived in Texas, BlueBell icecream was by far our favorite brand. Since I had never lived anywhere besides Oklahoma & Texas, I was a little surprised when we moved here and we couldn't find BlueBell. Well, recently a wonderful thing happened ... BlueBell is now distributed in Kentucky. WOOOHOOOO!

Since I always want vanilla ... and Brian always wants chocolate, what's a wife to do but buy a combination :-)

Children's Center at YUM's Derby Parade

Here in Kentucky it's DERBY time! All kinds of festivities have been going on around here for the past two weeks. The children's center has an annual parade (here at work) for their own version of a Derby parade. Some parents go all out and make these cute little floats. Some decorate their strollers or their wagons. I think the cutest one I saw today was a child with basically a small box around her and then strings going up to a balloon overhead (to look like one of big balloons that float around carrying people).

There were also quite a few Derby Princesses, but since Emma isn't exactly the "princess" type, we opted for a pretty white dress and her brand new birthday unicorn. Of couse I thought she was the prettiest one there. Thank you Scott & Kristie for the stick horse/unicorn!!! It's adorable and Emma loves it!

More birthday celebrations

Emma had two more birthday celebrations on Monday of this week. She's been one busy/celebrating baby girl! The first one entailed Mary & Kristi going out to lunch with us. This tradition started two years ago when we had received our referral, Emma turned one but we had not yet traveled. A year ago we returned to the same restaurant with Emma in tow and celebrated her 2nd birthday so of course we had to return again this year to celebrate 3. She was so tickled to be with the "big girls" and she behaved so well.

That afternoon I had a big cookie taken in for her to share with her little daycare buddies.

3 years old, 30lbs & 35 inches tall!

Little Miss M had her 3 year checkup on Monday. Dr. Daly says she is doing "wonderful"! Of course I have to agree.

She now weigs 30lbs & is 35" tall. On the American growth charts she is at the 10 %ile for height and 50 %ile for weight. It's a little different on the Chinese growth chart. I think I plotted it at the 25 %ile for height but 70 something for weight. She's such a cute like chunk-e-chicken.

Lost River Cave

While my mom and David were here this past weekend, we drove down into southern Kentucky for a little outing. We ended up going to Lost River Cave that you toured on a small boat. We also checked out Mammoth Cave National Park while we were in the area.

The highlight of the day ended up being at a little family fun park in Cave City but for some reason I did not get any pictures from that outing! Ryan & I rode up a ski lift to the top of the hill and then rode a bobsled kind of thing part way down. It was a lot of fun! I had assumed Emma would be afraid of the ski lift but mom ended up taking her up too because Emma kept insisting she wanted to ride too. It's a long story, but they stopped half way up the mountain because Ryan & I had just finished our ride down. Somehow in the mixup, Emma ended up on a ski lift chair by herself and mom got knocked over from the moving chair. I wasn't sure who to check on first! All I could see was my baby girl going up that high mountain, in a chair all by herself and not belted in. Panic isn't a good enough word to describe that feeling. The worker was able to run up and get her while I helped mom up. I think we scared the bejabbers out of that poor kid. Mom, Brian & Ryan rode the bumper cars too and Emma fussed because she wanted to ride too. No amount of telling her that she wasn't big enough would convince her. She told me in no uncertain terms "I 3. I big enough". She's only 35" tall though and the sign said you had to be 52" ... sorry Emma.

Anyway, it was a nice weekend and we really enjoyed Mom & David coming out. There are times that it hits me how far away she really lives.

brother & sis

My two babies ... well, Ryan would probably take issue with the term baby but as I tell him, he will always be my baby. The two of them are quite a pair. They can be the best of friends at times and the most mortal of enemies at others. I suppose that is typical for a sibling relationship. It's amazing to watch Ryan with her, he really and truly is a wonderful big brother. Emma can be a loving, sweet little sister up until she thinks he is "bossing" her around and then the "not so sweet" pops out a little. She thinks she is every bit as big as Ryan and that if he can do, by all means she can too!