My Kingdom for a Decent Picture

So one of the things that I still need to accomplish since accepting our referral is putting together a photo album that I will send to B. I ordered a talking photo album, which the kids apparently really like. You record little 10 second messages for each photo. Problem is, I am having trouble coming up with pictures to send.

I have found a few pictures of Cory by himself that are appropriate, but for me it is harder. I actually caved and used a couple of head shots from a photo shoot. I feel like that is kind of weird, like it could be taken as vain, but seriously, I have limited choices.

The problem is that I have so few pictures of Cory and I together. Typically we take pictures on vacation, which means that I am taking photos of him or vice versa. We have quite a few photos from Italy, even a few together, but the issue there is that my hair is VERY blonde. I don't want to confuse him and I doubt that he or the nannies are going to understand the concept of spending 3 hours every 4 weeks to radically change the color of your hair. In fact, I am being good right now and trying to keep my hair pretty much the same color so that the pictures I send look like me when I get there.

So I have 24 picture sleeves to fill and not that many pictures!! And I was told not to send more than one of the pets, because the dogs might scare him since they are not used to having pets like that there. And NO, I am not worried about him eating the dogs or wanting to eat the dogs when he gets here. They don't eat dog there (to the best of my knowledge) so I hope that clears it up for everyone!

At least trying to put together photos gives me something to do while we are waiting. I was telling Jessica today that I'm starting to act the same way I do when we plan a big vacation. I am always really excited when I book everything, a couple of months in advance, then not again until we are going to the airport. I seem to be that way now. Really excited with the referral and now..... ah. I think its my own internal gauge that keeps me from going nuts since I have NO patience.

Oh, we have also decided that we are not going to do the few days in Paris on the way over anymore, and are now just going to spend some extra time in Ethiopia and maybe do a short tour there. Go and see some of the historical sights or go to one of the national parks and check out the baboons. Not sure which yet.

Well, that's about it I think. Passed my Property and Casualty exam yesterday, so that is another good thing!

So Sad....

A Couple of Items

First of all, the referral contest, that only TWO people participated in... Here is my question, since I didn't actually get the "normal" type of referral, where the big surprise, unexpected phone call comes and they tell you who your child is, and we chose on our own, do I honor the contest? I would ask people to vote, but since I couldn't get any of your lazy asses to participate in the original contest, I won't hold my breath.

Wow, and I just had an elderly moment and totally forgot what the second thing was that I was going to mention..... Maybe it will come back to me later tonight and I will come back and add it in.

Not what I was originally thinking of, but.... Since we are no longer getting a baby, or baby range, I won't have any use for crib bedding...



So if anyone is interested.... There is the 4 piece crib set, the bumper, quilt, dust ruffle and fitted sheet, the lamp, and a hamper... I'm still iffy on whether or not I'll keep the hamper, but definitely not the other. So if anyone is interested in these, let me know. Never been opened!!

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NEW BLOG THAT I ADDED

I added a new blog to the right, the Parker's Check out all of the pictures and video from their recent trip.

What Kind of Flower Are You?

Since I don't have much else to talk about......

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

We did get all of our final paperwork sent off to WHFC this week though and now we're just waiting.

Made Some Announcements

So I told my grandpa, grandma and dad today. That was actually fairly painless, so now we just have Cory's family to make the big announcement to. We will be up there next month for his grandma's 80th surprise birthday party so he can knock them all out at once.

So my previous post, about not telling people is null and void.

Okay, I'm tired. It's late and I'm ready for bed. =)

Note To Quiz Below

If you just click on the submit button, it will take you to the Quizilla website, where you need to take the quiz from. Then you should get your results.

Which Dr. Seuss Character Are You?

Quick Note to Matched...

Hey, not that this should come up, but just in case someone in Rock Springs ran across my grandpa or grandma... They still don't know. And I know that Jenny is saying, WHAT??!! And shaking her head saying that I am so weird and its just so bizarre...

But I do have my reasons. They don't know about this yet, and there will be a lot of explaining involved when I talk to them just because of that. My thoughts are to wait and spring the news when the adoption is actually complete. I can just see me telling them, something going wrong and then having to explain why - over the phone - to multiple people because they are not blog/computer people and that is just not something that I want to deal with.

So, don't ask my grandpa how he feels about being a great grandpa!!! ;) He will look very confused, and then next thing you know people will be talking about how sad it is that he is losing it. You know how RS is.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities


Does anyone even know who most of these people are?????

Matched!!!

As some of you know, last week Cory and I decided to ask for more information on one of the waiting children at Horizon House (the orphanage in Addis run by WHFC).

They sent us his file, the cutest little four year old ever, and we decided that we would change our age request, once again, to an older child. This involves additional paperwork for our agency, including an updated Home Study, Local Resource Provider Worksheet, another form for our social work to sign off on and meeting with a pediatrician to have his file reviewed. Oh, and another on line course for adopting the older child. So my Thursday and Friday last week were spent calling all over the valley, looking for an International Adoption Clinic - only took me about 4 hours to finally find one at the U. Therapists, interpreters, respite care providers, etc..... And why you might be asking was there such a rush to get all of this completed by Monday? Because there were other families who had thrown their hat in the ring for him. Yup, multiple other families.

So when there are multiple families requesting a match with a waiting child, our agency has a match meeting, where they sit down, compare the files and decide who they will assign this child to. There are a lot of different things they look at to make their decision.... So, I kept telling myself that there was a very good chance that we would not be matched with him, and made myself look at some of the other kids, even though he was the cutest with the biggest brown eyes and long eyelashes EVER.

So, I had everything in yesterday, and my social worker said "Um, you're very thorough...." I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or what.. So she tells me the meeting will be this morning (today) and she could be able to call me by this afternoon...

Imagine my surprise when the phone rings at 10 am and the caller id says Massachusetts.... I answer the phone and Nicole says, "Hi Stacy, I have some good news for you and Cory...." Well, I think that you can all figure out what that is..

In 2-4 months we will be going to Ethiopia to get our 4 year old son. That still sounds kind of weird to say and I really don't think that any of it has hit me yet. I was so prepared for them to call me later in the afternoon that I just don't feel like I was ready for it. I was just kind of like "Oh, that's something...wow" Happy but just not the same I guess as if you totally weren't expecting it, like with the referral stories you hear. Cory was kind of the same way. I called him and tried to be all coy about it, dropping hints the size of boulders, like "We'll need the money to pay the agency this week... You know the big balance you have to pay when you are matched with a child......" Nothing, I just got okay. In his defense though I did wake him up and he said the same thing that he just didn't have time to think about it. I talked to him later and it had kicked in and now he's making lists of things that need to be done (so my thing usually) and climbing around on the roof killing wasps.

One other thought, this poor kid is going to come home with us in the winter. Full on winter at our house, complete with 20 foot piles of snow.. Jungle, winter. Fun! Jessica told me there is a Patagonia sale on Labor Day. I am thinking toddler snow suit... Anyone want to come shopping....?? ;)

P.P.S... Because of the Ethiopian laws I cannot post pictures of him on the blog and I am not completely comfortable sending them to everyone either. They can't be posted ANYWHERE!!!! So no pictures until he is officially ours which will be some time after the courts reopen. They reopen in a month or so, and then we have to wait for the adoption to go through the courts. So it will be a while. Sorry!!! I don't even know if I am supposed to put his name on here honestly, so I am airing on the safe side.

So Not an Accurate Quiz

You are most like: You are Yellow
The clouds part and the smell of daffodils and daisies fill the air when you are around. Your sunny disposition cheers most, and makes others (the jealous and bitter ones) wish you'd never gotten out of bed.
Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?
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"Kid Friendly" Explanation

I was already thinking that I would have to explain that comment......

It is true, I don't like to sit next to children in restaurants. Most restaurants. Why? Because most of the time when people take their children out, especially in our current home state, the parents see it as a chance to try out that, "It takes a village to raise a child" motto. It's suddenly mom and dad's break. I mean seriously, they will let the kids run around the restaurant, turn tables into sties a pig wouldn't frequent, kick the backs of booths, run up to other people's tables... And generally cause every childless couple's reproductive organs to shrivel and disappear.

Before I get the crabby comments, notice that I said most. And let's face it, anyone reading this agrees with me. You're right there with me, asking for a bottle of wine and shot of ANYTHING to drown it out. Now, you go to some places though and you learn to expect a certain amount of child noise, but over the last few years, I've been taking note of the places where people take their kids, but control them for the most part. They make them sit there and act like humans, like the little mini forms of adults... What a novel concept. Some of these would be Citris Grill, The Porcupine, Fratelli's even... All casual environments, good for well behaved children. I still don't think that other restaurants are made for children, but we will see how my opinion changes in the next few months... Although I guarantee you I will not sit somewhere like the Metropolitan as my child screams and throws a hissy fit, ignoring him to the detriment of everyone else who wanted to enjoy an evening out. Junior will be seeing the outside of the building faster than he can say "But I want it". I don't care. That's what take out is for and mommy has plenty of wine at home. You can sit in your room, and I can play pool.

So, in conclusion, yes, I have been taking note of events, restaurants, etc, where a well behaved child would fit in. And the one that we went to last weekend was the best of both worlds. Kids can run around and play on the grass, while mom and dad enjoy a nice sauvignon blanc and a slice of pate with a berry salad.

Happy now Jenny.... You better watch the smart ass cracks, or I will have to take your appointment to Aunt Jenny under review.....

Taste of the Nation

Last Sunday we went up to Solitude to attend the Taste of the Nation. This is an event held in cities across the country to raise money for people here in the states who can barely make ends meet. Basically, in honor of those who cannot afford Spam, the rest of us spend $x to go to an event where 40 or 50 local restaurants come together and create a tasting to represent their establishment. You go from tent to tent, and back as many times as you want, getting helpings of things like steak tartare, paella, corn chowder, mole's, awesome seared tuna, cupcakes, ice cream, etc... As well as all you can drink wine and beer. I know that in some places they have a mixologist.

I highly recommend attending this. The silent auction was pretty cool too. We walked away with a 100 year old bottle of balsamic vinegar and a limited edition Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat cookie jar, a ton of cookies and brownies from Mrs. Fields, a cute little Dr. Seuss lunch box, and pail, which probably end up as a trash can for the upcoming midget.

It was definitely a good time though and kid friendly as well. You're outside the whole time and its just a nice summer afternoon - for a good cause.

Camera Update Part Deux

So, last Friday or Saturday, I can't remember, I got a message at home saying that my camera was being shipped back to me and I could expect it in about 5 days... I wonder if they were actually able to fix the poor thing.

Canine Casino Night

So last Friday my friend Jenny and I each took one of our dogs to No More Homeless Pets Canine Casino night. Its a fundraiser for homeless pets, in case you didn't catch that already.

It was great, dogs everywhere, a lot of them dressed up. Shelby wore a pink dress with a rhinestone skull and cross bone on the back, and Molly, Jenny's Boston Terrier, wore her wife beater with shiny Playboy bunnies all over it. For $35 everyone took their dogs to the Radisson, destroyed a ball room in the only way a room full of usually potty trained dogs who just met each other can, and drank so so drinks and had so so hors d'oeuvres. It really was fun though. We didn't ever get around to playing any of the casino games, but we hit the silent and live auction. I walked away with a gift certificate to Fleming's from the silent auction an Jenny got a day at doggy camp. In the live auction Jenny paddled us into another Fleming's gift certificate and tickets to the Slippery Kittens Burlesque show. If you go to this photo gallery, http://www.reddragonflyphotography.com/Galleries/Gateway.aspx?g=22 you can see all the cute doggies, including Shelby and Molly, and their great costumes. Check out the chihuahua, it was barely 2 pounds.

And everything went to a good cause. So if you ever have the chance to attend one of these, I fully recommend you do so!!!