Today was my last day of school. I was jumping around our house this morning before I left. Olivia was looking at me like I was crazy (I can't imagine why..ha!). I was shouting, "Last day of school! Last day of school!" Then I started telling Olivia that we were going to be together all summer. I know she has no idea what it means but she got a huge smile on her face. She knows that we are going to be together and that's all that matters to me! That past few weeks have been stressful for me. I've been getting to work early and working until late at night on school stuff. I'm so glad it's summer! Summer means time to spend with my hubby and Livi. I'm so thankful that I am a teacher and I get the summer off.
Even though I'm happy that it's summer, I'm sad that my students won't be "my students" anymore. I developed strong relationships with this class and I am so sad to promote them to 4th grade. They were an awesome group of kids. Sure, I had some challenging kids, but I loved them. Isn't it funny that the kids who cause us the most stress, energy, and time end up being some of our favorite students? I am really going to miss these kids. I had amazing parent support this year too. Over the past few weeks I've had multiple parents e-mail me or send me cards of encouragement. Today I had a parent crying when she was saying goodbye to me. She was crying because I've had two of her daughters and she appreciated me as a teacher. I don't tell you that to brag, but just to show you how wonderful the parents have been this year. These parents have just reassured me that God wants me to be a teacher. Even though it's hard leaving Olivia, I'm making a difference in the lives of children. What a way to end the year!
*Olivia was the flower girl in my cousin's wedding this weekend. I'll have to post pictures soon. She was hilarious as she RAN down to my dad and then dumped her flower petals out on the floor. Priceless-I love her so much!:)
May 23, 2011
As most of you know, Jeremiah and I are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia. We are absolutely thrilled about this and can’t wait to bring our child home. I thought I would write a quick update about our adoption journey thus far. We’ve just started the process, so I don’t have much to blog about. However, I want to document (for myself) each step in our process.
Jeremiah and I met with our home study caseworker last Monday. We feel like she’s on top of things and will be extremely helpful throughout our adoption journey. She gave us at least 6 folders full of information to fill out. In addition, she gave us a gigantic packet of articles to read. I think we’ll be doing a lot of reading this summer! We spent at least 10 hours individually filling out our marital assessment and autobiographies this past week. We also completed the application for the Babyfold. I’m glad we spent so many hours completing the paperwork last week. We were able to turn in our application and get the process started! Our caseworker said our local home study should take between 2-3 months. After that, our home study is sent to a few different places. This could take another 2-4 months.
Today, Jeremiah and I attended an all day adoption training class. It was insightful and gave us a better understanding of the adoption process. We were given multiple packets about Ethiopia and international adoptions. In addition, our caseworker talked with us about various things including what needs to be done before we go over to Ethiopia (for us and our child), what medical/emotional/social needs our child could face, how to develop proper attachment with our child, and what needs to be done after we come back with our child (birth certificate and finalization of citizenship). We met 4 other couples that are starting the international adoption process. One couple is adopting from Ethiopia. I really enjoyed getting to know them and learning about why they were adopting. I love learning about people and hearing their stories. We left with numerous “homework assignments” and we felt pretty overwhelmed. However, I think every couple felt this way. We are taking a break from the paperwork tonight, but will start filling out our international adoption agency’s application tomorrow. I’m so thankful that school is almost over. I will be able to devote more time to the paperwork and read more of the articles our caseworker gave us. Our next home study visit is on June 6. I believe our caseworker is going to start interviewing each of us separately. I think she will also take a tour of our house to make sure it’s safe for our children.
I’m so excited that we’ve started the paperwork, completed the required training, and already have our 2nd home study date set. It’s a long process, but I know it’ll be worth it. I just can’t wait to get our referral and actually see our child’s sweet little face. Obviously, I can’t wait to hug my child and tell him/her “Mommy loves you!” However, I know it will be awhile before I’ll be able to do that. J I feel so blessed that God has placed adoption on our hearts. Believe me when I say that I know this journey will not go perfectly or smoothly. I know there will be bumps in the road and at times we will become frustrated. In spite of these things, I am just so thankful that God is picking me to be this child’s mommy. I can’t wait to add another little one to our family. J
*While we were sitting in our training today, I was thinking about all the little kids overseas (and in the U.S.) who don’t have a parent to love on them. Many kids only have contact with a caregiver for an hour a day and that is not enough. These poor kids need a mommy and a daddy to love on them. Ugh..it just makes me so sad. When we got home tonight, I snuggled with Olivia on the couch. I put her to bed at her normal time, but I could hear her talking in her crib about 45 minutes later. I sat outside her door smiling at the sound of my little girl talking to herself in her crib. Then, I went into Olivia’s room and picked her up. I hugged her tightly and rocked her while thanking God for my precious little girl. I am so thankful for moments like this when I can love on my girl. I can’t wait to love on my future child and let him know how much I care about him too. I don’t normally go into Olivia’s room after I’ve put her to bed. But..today I just craved spending time with my daughter. I wanted to be close to her and just thank God for what he has given me.
A few people have asked me to post pictures of Olivia's birthday and birthday party. This week is very busy with report cards, conferences, and I'm getting my wisdom teeth out on Friday (yuck). So here are a few pictures to hold you over until I can do a post about her birthday party. It was supposed to be just a family birthday party, but then we decided to invite our Life groups and a few families who had little girls around the same time Olivia was born.
March 29, 2011-
Olivia saw her birthday present and she loved it. She played in the tent the entire day!
April 2, 2011-Olivia's birthday party
She made this precious face when someone new came in the door.
She really wanted cake at this point and did not want her picture taken.:)
I love how Olivia is looking up at Grace. She was thrilled to see Grace at the party.
I don't have time to post any other pictures. Hopefully, I'll post more next week! Enjoy!
March 29, 2011-
Olivia saw her birthday present and she loved it. She played in the tent the entire day!
April 2, 2011-Olivia's birthday party
She made this precious face when someone new came in the door.
She really wanted cake at this point and did not want her picture taken.:)
I love how Olivia is looking up at Grace. She was thrilled to see Grace at the party.
I don't have time to post any other pictures. Hopefully, I'll post more next week! Enjoy!
Olivia loves Elmo. She also loves Elmo's goldfish, Dorothy. When I got home from school today I saw this on the counter...
Jeremiah bought Olivia her very own Dorothy! I thought it was adorable that Jeremiah took Olivia to the pet store and bought her a "Dorothy." He even put the number 2 inside of the bowl because there is always some sort of object in the real Dorothy's bowl. How cute is my husband!?:)
After Olivia showed me "Dorty" she kept saying, "Livi hold you Dorty" over and over again. Before she went to bed tonight she said, "Nigh night Dorty" and blew her multiple kisses.
Since Olivia is turning two tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to kick off her birthday week with painting her toe nails for the first time.
As I painted her toes yesterday she just kept yelling, "Mommy...this toe too!" She was grinning from ear to ear as I painted her toenails. Jeremiah said that today she pointed to her toenails and said, "Daddy..pink toe toes." When I called them this afternoon she tried showing me her pink toenails through the phone. I heard her saying, "Mommy...Livi pink toes toes!" I put her on the counter next to "Dorothy" when we got home from the store tonight. She turned to the fish and said, "Dorty...Livi pink toe toes" and she squealed with delight.
Oh, I love how the simple things make my daughter so happy. How am I lucky enough to be this little girl's mommy!?
Tomorrow my baby will be 2. I took the day off and we are going to celebrate all day long!:)
Jeremiah bought Olivia her very own Dorothy! I thought it was adorable that Jeremiah took Olivia to the pet store and bought her a "Dorothy." He even put the number 2 inside of the bowl because there is always some sort of object in the real Dorothy's bowl. How cute is my husband!?:)
After Olivia showed me "Dorty" she kept saying, "Livi hold you Dorty" over and over again. Before she went to bed tonight she said, "Nigh night Dorty" and blew her multiple kisses.
Since Olivia is turning two tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to kick off her birthday week with painting her toe nails for the first time.
As I painted her toes yesterday she just kept yelling, "Mommy...this toe too!" She was grinning from ear to ear as I painted her toenails. Jeremiah said that today she pointed to her toenails and said, "Daddy..pink toe toes." When I called them this afternoon she tried showing me her pink toenails through the phone. I heard her saying, "Mommy...Livi pink toes toes!" I put her on the counter next to "Dorothy" when we got home from the store tonight. She turned to the fish and said, "Dorty...Livi pink toe toes" and she squealed with delight.
Oh, I love how the simple things make my daughter so happy. How am I lucky enough to be this little girl's mommy!?
Tomorrow my baby will be 2. I took the day off and we are going to celebrate all day long!:)
Olivia is going to be two years old at the end of this month. What a blessing she is to us! At church last week I was talking to a few women who have older kids. We were talking about how much fun two year old kids are and one lady said, "This age is perfect. They can talk with you but they don't give you much attitude." I laughed and said, "I agree. This is such a wonderful age, but I hear the phrase 'No No!' multiple times a day." Then I said, "But..I'm just so grateful to hear those words." We feel so blessed to have our daughter even on the days when she is screaming and throwing a big temper tantrum in public. Before she was born (and for numerous years before we even thought about trying to have a baby) we prayed that God would bless us with a healthy child and he did. Over the past two years, we've had some tough days. I wouldn't trade a single day because Olivia is the perfect child for us. That's why, I try really hard not to complain (sometimes I do..because I just need to vent:)) about Olivia. I know that I am more than blessed to have a healthy child who is testing her limits. You have no idea how many times I stop and thank God every day for this blessing he has given to us. Sometimes in the middle of her crying I stop and just smile. Right then and there I praise my God for giving me this little girl. I am just so thankful that I have a daughter who is healthy, happy, spunky, and full of energy. And...I can't believe that God trusted me enough to be be her mommy. I can't wait to celebrate her and the miracle that God created.
Our Christmas...
Our first Christmas celebration started off on Monday, December 20 with a dinner at Olive Garden. We met my Grandpa and my Aunt Robin's family there. It was wonderful to spend time with them because we rarely see them!
We had our little family Christmas on Christmas Eve morning. Olivia received just a few gifts from us but she was extremely excited about her baby stroller and apron. I thought the Elmo slippers would be a huge hit, but she doesn't like to wear them.
After Christmas Eve service in Champaign, we drove to Washington to my parents' house. We didn't get to their house until 10:00p.m. and I felt horrible! I love going to their house for Christmas Eve. We always have little appetizers, watch a Christmas movie, and then my dad reads Twas The Night Before Christmas to us. We thought Olivia would sleep on the way to Washington, but she decided to talk/laugh the entire way up! So, she was exhausted by 10:00 and went right to bed after he read the story.
I was like a little kid on Christmas morning. For some reason I couldn't sleep and I woke up at 5:30a.m. on Christmas morning! I took a shower and got ready before everyone else woke up. After everyone else got up, we ate breakfast and then started opening presents. My favorite gift was a Northface coat that I can wear when I'm on playground duty. Olivia received many great gifts but the shopping cart/food and tea set were her favorite gifts.
My parents and sisters were supposed to come over on December 23 to make Christmas cookies with us. I ended up getting the flu and couldn't make cookies with them. They decided to come and watch Olivia for me that day. I made Jeremiah sanitize everything before he left for work and I stayed away from them. I did not want my family to catch the flu. On Christmas morning, my dad woke up with a horrible stomach ache and felt sick. He started opening gifts with us and then went into his bedroom to sleep the rest of the day. I felt horrible! My dad LOVES Christmas. He starts talking about Christmas right after Thanskgiving and can't wait for the day to come. So, obviously, I felt like I ruined Christmas. It was still fun to hang out with my sisters and mom, but it wasn't the same without my dad. Since we didn't make cookies on the 23, we decided to make them on Christmas. Olivia had a blast rolling the dough and cutting cookies with us. All of us girls (and Jeremiah iced a few too) decorated the cookies while Olivia slept. After she woke up, we headed to Decatur for our next family Christmas.
Jeremiah's entire family was at his parents' house when we got there. It is always crazy because there are so many people, but we enjoy being with everyone! We started opening presents right away and Olivia decided to cuddle up with Uncle John and Aunt Kate. She sat with them the entire (2 hours) that we opened gifts! She loved watching everyone open gifts. Olivia received her Little Mermaid dolls and a cute bear. After opening gifts we played games and ate food the rest of the evening.
The next day we woke up and went to Jeremiah's parents' church. After that we had lunch and then just played all day long. Olivia absolutely adores her cousins and especially Gabe. I love that she is old enough to play with her cousins. It's always fun hanging with Jeremiah's entire family. We don't do it often enough.
I am so thankful that we are able to be with our families around Christmas. They are all such wonderful blessings to us!
Our first Christmas celebration started off on Monday, December 20 with a dinner at Olive Garden. We met my Grandpa and my Aunt Robin's family there. It was wonderful to spend time with them because we rarely see them!
We had our little family Christmas on Christmas Eve morning. Olivia received just a few gifts from us but she was extremely excited about her baby stroller and apron. I thought the Elmo slippers would be a huge hit, but she doesn't like to wear them.
After Christmas Eve service in Champaign, we drove to Washington to my parents' house. We didn't get to their house until 10:00p.m. and I felt horrible! I love going to their house for Christmas Eve. We always have little appetizers, watch a Christmas movie, and then my dad reads Twas The Night Before Christmas to us. We thought Olivia would sleep on the way to Washington, but she decided to talk/laugh the entire way up! So, she was exhausted by 10:00 and went right to bed after he read the story.
I was like a little kid on Christmas morning. For some reason I couldn't sleep and I woke up at 5:30a.m. on Christmas morning! I took a shower and got ready before everyone else woke up. After everyone else got up, we ate breakfast and then started opening presents. My favorite gift was a Northface coat that I can wear when I'm on playground duty. Olivia received many great gifts but the shopping cart/food and tea set were her favorite gifts.
My parents and sisters were supposed to come over on December 23 to make Christmas cookies with us. I ended up getting the flu and couldn't make cookies with them. They decided to come and watch Olivia for me that day. I made Jeremiah sanitize everything before he left for work and I stayed away from them. I did not want my family to catch the flu. On Christmas morning, my dad woke up with a horrible stomach ache and felt sick. He started opening gifts with us and then went into his bedroom to sleep the rest of the day. I felt horrible! My dad LOVES Christmas. He starts talking about Christmas right after Thanskgiving and can't wait for the day to come. So, obviously, I felt like I ruined Christmas. It was still fun to hang out with my sisters and mom, but it wasn't the same without my dad. Since we didn't make cookies on the 23, we decided to make them on Christmas. Olivia had a blast rolling the dough and cutting cookies with us. All of us girls (and Jeremiah iced a few too) decorated the cookies while Olivia slept. After she woke up, we headed to Decatur for our next family Christmas.
Jeremiah's entire family was at his parents' house when we got there. It is always crazy because there are so many people, but we enjoy being with everyone! We started opening presents right away and Olivia decided to cuddle up with Uncle John and Aunt Kate. She sat with them the entire (2 hours) that we opened gifts! She loved watching everyone open gifts. Olivia received her Little Mermaid dolls and a cute bear. After opening gifts we played games and ate food the rest of the evening.
The next day we woke up and went to Jeremiah's parents' church. After that we had lunch and then just played all day long. Olivia absolutely adores her cousins and especially Gabe. I love that she is old enough to play with her cousins. It's always fun hanging with Jeremiah's entire family. We don't do it often enough.
I am so thankful that we are able to be with our families around Christmas. They are all such wonderful blessings to us!
I haven't written a post in a LONG time and so many wonderful things/events/holidays have happened since my last post. However, I'm not going to write about any of those right now. The past many 21 months I have just treasured being a mommy to my sweet girl. I am trying to savor the little moments with my family and not let life pass by too quickly. Here is a moment that I don't want to forget.
Jeremiah knows that my favorite Disney movie is The Little Mermaid so he bought it for Olivia for Christmas. We rarely let her watch movies/TV, but the week before Christmas we let her watch part of the movie. The next night we let her watch the other part of the movie and both nights she could not take her eyes off of the TV. Everytime Eric came on the screen Olivia would scream, "Guy!" Jeremiah told her that his name is Eric and she started saying his name. We've talked about this movie and the mermaid quite a few times over the holidays because she received three Little Mermaid dolls for Christmas.
Fast forward to tonight and dinner with our little family at Za's. Our friends Erik and Jamie brought their family and some friends to Za's for dinner. We were already eating when they came into the restaurant. Jeremiah said, "Hi Erik" and they sat down close to us. A few minutes later Olivia started yelling, "Hey Guy! Hey Guy!" Olivia never calls anyone "guy" so I thought this was kind of strange at first. Then we realized that she remembered the guy from the movie and his name was Eric. We told Erik about this and everyone started laughing. Jeremiah asked Olivia to tell them what a mermaid says but she wouldn't do it. A few minutes later she yelled, "Hey Guy. Aah-a-aah(you know the song that Ariel sings)." Olivia thought she was pretty funny and started laughing/dancing in her seat. This was just an adorable moment that I don't want to forget.
I'm so thankful that I get to spend another 4 days with Olivia before I go back to work! :)
Jeremiah knows that my favorite Disney movie is The Little Mermaid so he bought it for Olivia for Christmas. We rarely let her watch movies/TV, but the week before Christmas we let her watch part of the movie. The next night we let her watch the other part of the movie and both nights she could not take her eyes off of the TV. Everytime Eric came on the screen Olivia would scream, "Guy!" Jeremiah told her that his name is Eric and she started saying his name. We've talked about this movie and the mermaid quite a few times over the holidays because she received three Little Mermaid dolls for Christmas.
Fast forward to tonight and dinner with our little family at Za's. Our friends Erik and Jamie brought their family and some friends to Za's for dinner. We were already eating when they came into the restaurant. Jeremiah said, "Hi Erik" and they sat down close to us. A few minutes later Olivia started yelling, "Hey Guy! Hey Guy!" Olivia never calls anyone "guy" so I thought this was kind of strange at first. Then we realized that she remembered the guy from the movie and his name was Eric. We told Erik about this and everyone started laughing. Jeremiah asked Olivia to tell them what a mermaid says but she wouldn't do it. A few minutes later she yelled, "Hey Guy. Aah-a-aah(you know the song that Ariel sings)." Olivia thought she was pretty funny and started laughing/dancing in her seat. This was just an adorable moment that I don't want to forget.
I'm so thankful that I get to spend another 4 days with Olivia before I go back to work! :)
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