Just a few things...

IIn a nutshell:

1. Our case should be filed in Ethiopia this week! So we are about to be just waiting for a call to say that we have a preliminary hearing scheduled and then a COURT DATE for US! 

2. I'm feeling so much more peace about everything lately. Answer to prayers I am certain. 

3. My current kids are hilarious right now. They are talking so much and hearing what is in their little heads is just about the most hilarious thing ever. 

4. The room sharing is kind of making me go a tad nuts. If they aren't up at 6am they are talking and playing until midnight. Sigh. They are so tired. And on that note Nora LOVES it!! I mean, the girl asks all day if she is going to sleep in Zoe's room again. Zoe is the opposite. She keeps asking that Nora sleep in her old bed and drags me in each time night is approaching to show me the spot. Strange however, because Nora seems to be the perfect little roomie. Zoe is the one instigating the playtime and "chatting" in the wee hours. Who knows!? 

5. If the stars align, we will hopefully be in Ethiopia in July or August to meet our daughter and home by the end of summer. Yes, you heard that right!? Woah nelly!! 

6. I am on a painting kick and can't stop turning things into Annie Sloan chalk paint creations. Nesting? Not sure. 

7. Zoe had a banana split in the car today. I try to make sure I'm saying "yes" to fun stuff with them as much as possible. But this was a case of saying "yes" when I should have said "NO!"

8. 103 & 101 fever (I'm guessing the strep from our cousins has found us) and insane thunder & lightening makes for a night of this. I'm so sad they are sick and probably so tired of the thunder. But the snuggles will never get old!! Oh and the "I need mommy" and "one more song please!" I die. My heart is so full. 

And that's about it for this weeks thoughts! 

Stay tuned....

Transitions

I love me a little change in my life. I always have. I actually became quite notorious back in the day for my tendency to change jobs often, change my hair color often and rearrange my house on a whim when I decided it was time. 

So with all the hype and change in the air surrounding our newest addition, I could feel myself getting totally re energized with all this refreshing CHANGE! 

But you know who doesn't thrive on change? Toddlers! And this mama doesn't like having to watch her little babies adjust to big change either (which is a relative term bc the BIG change is yet to come)! 

But right now we are adding cribs and shifting room assignments and making plans for the big change that is a comin! The girls are on night three of room sharing and the exhaustion hit its peak today when Zoe went down for a morning nap at 8:45am and slept through lunch. My kids nap from 2:30-4 so ya know, just a 6 hour early nap! 

But as I look around this house, move cribs, organize toys, pull back out bottles and little clothes (not that little, sister is huge), I have lots of mixed emotions. I feel beyond joyful that we are finally bringing this baby girl home. Just last night I went into her room and opened up her closet and looked at 4 years worth of things we have collected, been given and saved for her. I saw sweet untouched stuffed animals, lovies and books. I saw a new beginning for a little person who deserves a new beginning. A fresh start. A place she will always call home. A forever stability she has always lacked, complete with more toys and pretty things than any kid needs! I smiled as I imagined my little one in that crib and playing on that floor. But at the same time felt a little sad, this has been Nora's room for almost two years. All the memories in there belong to Nora. The two of us have spent looooots of hours rocking in this exact exact spot. This room belongs to the baby that summoned me in to eat until she was 15 months old! Very near the age in fact of her sister we have yet to meet. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm not ready to move on. In the back of my mind I know God is calling us to a new chapter and I am embracing it with an open heart. But for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm resisting the change. The new dynamic. Not because I don't want it, but (I think) because it scares me. 

What will the days look like? Will I be enough to fill everyone's needs? Three toddlers, one who will be grieving, a husband, friends and family? I just have a hard time looking into this giant question mark of a future! 

It's easy to like change you can control. Change that has no risk. No "what ifs". So this change, like so many things in life will certainly open our hearts, minds, and more than likely make us different on the other end. My prayer is that this next chapter makes us change into people who are more like Jesus. I have a feeling I will get pretty up close and personal with Him even more in the coming months. 

So, let the change begin. I pray God will take this apprehensive heart of mine and gracefully push me off the ledge into this next phase! 

And maybe a post to come soon on my heart as I watch my child grow up across the ocean and the feeble attempt I am exerting trying to manage this stress. Accepting all prayers! 

Keep checking in for what I hope to be exciting news to come! 

Move over people! Three cribs coming though. Oh, and about 50% reduction in humans sleeping during the night at this point! It will get better....it will get better....it will get better! :) 

The truth

The truth is, this waiting is so hard. I didn't know my heart could hurt so bad. This process of adoption has focused my mind on God and His love in such a new and refreshing, comforting, real way. But it doesn't take away the pain of looking at a little person, your daughter, and not being able to hold her. The pain of someone asking how old she is and realizing, "wait, that's not right! 3 months have come and gone." The pain of knowing this time will never be ours. This is just one, two, three, four, five, six......more months she doesn't have a mommy and daddy of her own. Hasn't she been through enough? The pain of being at the mercy of a legal system. That's what it is. A system where your child is a number. If the number gets drawn in time maybe we can shave a few months off her time as an "orphan", but maybe not. The pain of seasons coming and going, but not like in a pregnancy. This person is here in the flesh, on this earth. The pain of wanting to stand on a mountain and yell and make sure people realize that your little girl is still in an orphanage. She still needs her mommy to rock her and sing songs to her and kiss her perfect perfect little button nose. The pain of how alone it feels to not have many real people in the flesh to talk to about being this kind of mommy. Just wanting to sit in a room full of other moms going through the same thing so we can cry and drink wine and just relate.  The pain of each new and exciting step, but the realization once the high wears off that now we start another 5 month process. The fear of not only missing the first birthday, but what about the second? It's just too much sometimes. 

But fear is not of the Lord. I know this. I have faith. Unwavering faith that God will finish what he began for this little girl. But my human side is sad. So sad. I have a whole in my heart that I've never experienced before. Praying for God to fill this space with his love and praying even harder that my little girl feels nothing but the presence of the Lord in her little heart that wears many more holes than mine. 

Thanks for listening sweet friends! 

Kayla 

PAIR letter

We got what I have come to realize is one of the most coveted adoption papers  in the world of Ethiopian Adoptions. Our PAIR letter. This little letter, which I just learned stands for "Pre adoption immigration review", essentially states that we are done with the investigation portion of things on the U.S. side of the process. Y'all, it's all so convoluted and really just a tad much! Anyway, we got the letter this weekend and sent it off to be authenticated today. Again, "authenticated" I don't even know. But I do know it's time to start LITERALLY flooding the gates of heaven with prayers that the next several steps that need to happen happen fast! We now need this letter to be quickly shifted over to Ethiopia so a preliminary hearing can be scheduled with our birth mom in the Ethiopian court system. Not to be confused with the embassy interview she just went to at the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia. After that we need the department of women's affair (MOWA) to issue a letter on or behalf and then we will get a court date to go to Ethiopia! At this point we will go to Ethiopia and legally take custody of our daughter. We will then return home (you may hear me kicking and screaming all the way back home) for a short time, waiting on all her legal stuff and I will go back to Ethiopia to get her and finally bring her home! 

So here is the big, giant, whopping prayer that I beg of you! 

The courts close in Ethiopia from about August to October for rainy season. If we don't get in before then our case will literally hit a pause button until sometime in October. To say this causes me a bit of angst would be an understatement! So we beg any and all prayer people to pray that we get in before court closures!! 

Thanks for following us on this crazy journey! 

Kayla :)

Just mailed off the letter! I felt like I needed a chaperone double checking everything I put in the package. I was nervous I was gonna mess it up! 

And on the bright side of things, I'm planning to start working on her nursery this weekend. First stop pink walls. Second stop. Clouds!! ⛅️⛅️

Totally different from Z & N's room. And while we are on that subject. Someone please come force me to start the "Zoe and Nora share a room again" transition. I separated them at about 6 months and cringe at the thought of the sleepless nights we may all have in store if I put them back together. 

And because I can't help it........

Is everything about this picture not the cutest!? The lovie, paci, pig tails, face paint, star on her arm. The dirty car seat however is real bad and I'm just now noticing, ha! But oh how I love this sweet angel! 

This one too, but car sleep isn't her thing! 

Just a few pictures

This week in pictures....

Monday: Drove into town with these two to pick up some testing materials for work. Home health is awesome and has allowed me to stay home with the girls, BUT when I have to evaluate new kids it's a whole day ordeal getting ready! And we ended this outing with McDonald's out of desperation. And since my kids don't eat bread, they munched on nasty floppy bread less hamburger patties in the back seat! It's easier to skin a burger than a chicken nugget so we made due! :/

Tuesday: Nora had to get a booster shot (Long story) and I promised her that we would get ice cream after! However, we had a battle of the shoes issue and so we had to drive through. But we were about 20 minutes from home soooo we ate ice cream in the car. They did surprisingly well! And no, we don't eat fast food everyday. :) 

Wednesday: we had a play date and happily melted out on the back porch for a few hours with friend! Zoe sported her grill paci for much of the morning! 

Thursday: we were introduced to body wash and happily practiced on our sister!

 

Friday: woke up to a flat tire, however we were all dressed and ready with snacks in tow for an activity. So, we decided to head to the zoo after triple AAA left. So much fun! 

Saturday the girls went out with Lance and Cody for the evening. I told lance all I wanted for Mother's Day was to have all my chores and stuff done so I could just chill. So the guys took all the kids out from like 4-7:30. It was amazing. And I had a veeeeeery rare several hours alone in the house to get stuff done without kiddos! And ok, Zoe in that first pic! Hot mess!

And there's a tiny snap shot of our week! Don't worry, we did much more than is pictured, but I like documenting these little things from time to time! 

Happy Mother's Day!! 

My little 2 year olds!

Nora: 

You are so smart, a thinker, aren't quick to give affection to people outside your family, a dancer, a lover of all things fast/loud/high, you are pretty much an adrenaline junkie, you love food, the savory the better, you don't really like sweets, except for ice cream and jelly beans, you have a very short fuse, you have been know to throw some pretty epic fits, however I've never seen more pride in any human as I see in you when you can correct your wrong and apologize, you just can't seem to always manage all the big feeings and ideas you have in your tiny little two year old mind, you love your sister, you love TV, you really love mommy and daddy, especially mommy right now, you love your grandparents and all the attention you get from them and you get so excited when you see any of them, you have a soft spot for Mimi and will soften your sometimes touch exterior for a rock with your Mimi, you have awesome rhythm, can jump off frighteningly high areas and stick the landing like a little seasoned gymnast, you love bubble baths, bubbles, playdough, chalk, chick fil a, any Mexican food, really you haven't met a food you don't like, you can count to 15, say your ABCs, and jabber on about most things going on in your little world,  you hate having a poney tail or pigtails, our record is 10 minutes, but you won't leave the house without a bow, you are a morning person and are rarely affected by lack of sleep, you HATE being put down for naps and scream "I wanna play" for a few minutes before the exhaustion takes over and you crash, you have been known to fall asleep standing up mid protest, you have such a strong little will, you must have chocolate milk morning, noon, and night, you don't seem to care that's it's really just regular milk with a teeny splash of chocolate, you love to rock and would let us rock you for hours, you love taking showers, rocking your babies, and singing old McDonald, you are full of spirit and life, you are so inquisitive and you can see it on your face that you are always planning your next move, you have a very methodical personality much like your daddy and mommy often has to really try hard to understand both of you, you are funny and love to put on a show, you have a good heart and I pray God uses ALL of you to create you to be a little person who loves Him and loves others. 

Nora, we think you are just the best little thing in the world. You fill the days with joy and life!! We love you more and more each day! 

Love Mommy & Daddy 

Zoe:

You are so sweet. I think that word personifies you more than any other, you are smart, chatty, funny, such a lover, a huge fan of cookies and cake and pizza, you inherited the sweet tooth, you love your little friends and feel like such a big girl when you step out and play with other kids, you are an includer and are already showing signs of empathy above and beyond your age, you have mastered whining I must say, and I've yet to meet another human who is less of a morning person than you, it's scary, you are passive at times, and a peacemaker, you can count to 15 say your ABCs, quote most simple books we read often and know the lyrics to several songs, you are a sponge, you love TV, your family, you cousins, and mommy and daddy, you love bananas and apple juice and ice water, yes ice water is like the ultimate treat for you, you love your sister and are always looking out for her, you share well and without even being asked most times, you love to rock and sing and would let us hold you all night, you have an amazing vocabulary and can practically carry on a conversation with us, you love "talking" to your sister and putting on little shows to make her laugh, watching the two of you tumble through the house, laughing hysterically is just about the best thing ever, you are often a little timid with some things and can be fearful, except for ducks, you would jump in the pond with them if we would let you, you love rocking your babies, pretending to be a baby and you are obsessed with play dough, you tolerate playing blocks with sissy but really are happy to just be as girly as possible and make tea and pancakes for us all in your little kitchen, you are such a peaceful child, and it's clear that God has given you a soft, sweet, heart, you love to take bubble baths and showers, you love to have your hair done and get lotioned up, you hate getting your diaper changed and when I ask if you need a new diaper you typically respond with "no, I'm fine", which I find so cute, you love the park and the swings, you love slides and spinning toys, you are truly just such a pleasant little lover of a person. Zoe, we pray that you continue to have a heart that flows out with love for others. We pray that you grow to be a person who loves God and is a light in this world. 

Zoe, you have changed our family for the better. Your soft, adorable, sweet spirit makes us smile every day. We love you so much!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy 

"Sunny days keepin the clouds away".....but not quite.

This weekend was the girls second birthday! It was great. However, it did not go as planned. The forecast was back and forth all week, changing every few hours as Houston weather loves to do! But after some debate we just decided to keep our Sesame Street party at the PARK a go! Then Saturday morning at about 7:30am I laid in bed and listened to the thunder and then a gigantic burst of thunder struck and the monsoon began. I mean really, it was almost funny how.hard.it.was.raining!! So I called my sister who lives around the block and begged her to let us use her sunroom. She ever so kindly said yes, even though I know getting a call that 30 people would be arriving unexpected in 2 hours wasn't her exact plan for her Saturday morning. But she's nice like that! So the whole family shot into high gear to pretty much plan a birthday party that would now be inside!! But it was great. It was a taaad steamy having so many people in one sun room, some kids may have been freaking out about the Thunder and most of us were drenched. But, now I'll never forget my precious little angels turning two. And they had a blast! They got to have all their favorite foods (veggies, fruit, cupcakes and popcorn), play with their cute little friends and have grandparents obsessing over them. Pretty good day for them, even if we were wet! 

I will write a post soon about what these two are up to now that they are big two year olds. But that is for another day when I have LOTS of time! 

We love you girls a crazy amount! I don't know what we would do without you filling our lives with more joy and love and laugher than you will ever know!! 

Sesame Street central compete with an insane amount of fruits and veggies to create Oscar, Elmo, big bird (his banana nose was missing), and Cookie Monster. 

Family photo time 

High point of the party! Whipped cream mouthfuls! 

Yummy! 

This is the look of two munchkins having fun!! 

Cute little last minute cupcakes. Thanks you funfetti for just coming out with a delish gluten free box cake option! 

Gigantic big bird"ie" soaring above the party!!

Joined by his gigantic friend Elmo! He room SO much abuse by the little boys! But he is still lurking around the house! 

Yummy!! She came straight in an begged for a cupcake. She was covered in icing before the party even began! 

At home in their new clothes, princess crowns and  magna doodles! 

Running wild way past bedtime with giant 5 foot balloons crashing through the house! 😄😄