Crazy Weekend

So, it was the marathon weekend for us! (But it was a lot of fun!) To start the weekend off, Michael's dad, Jim, drove up from Ft. Worth on Friday. It was a short visit (5 hours), but still great to see Papa Jim. Sarah got to show off all her walking skills for him. We ate lunch together and then Michael and his dad went out to look at mini-vans ('cause we're going to need one soon). Instead, they found a Honda motorcycle that Jim wants to buy.

Right after Jim left, Craig, Chuanta, and their two little boys arrived. Their youngest son, Liam, is from the same orphanage as Sarah and they were in our travel group. We met up with the Perryman's for some pizza at Hideaway. Then it was back to our house for the kids to play and adults to catch up. Liam chased Sarah all around trying to give her kisses. It was very cute! All the kids have changed so much and they have all transitioned so beautifully into their families. It was just awesome to be together again. We were missing two other families or it would have been a complete reunion. We traveled with some really awesome people. (Hi Susie, John and Ly!)

Before our house cleared out, Lucy arrived to spend the night. Her parents got to have a big night out on the town and sleep in a little bit on Saturday. After some Veggie Tales and popcorn, we put Miss Lucy to bed.

Saturday Michael was sweet enough to keep Sarah all day while I hit the mall to do some serious clothes shopping. My daughter always looks so cute and decked out....and then there's me... So, it was a welcome treat to get some new stuff. Jean Anne (Lucy's mom) went with me and made me try on things I wouldn't normally pick out. So, I got some fun stuff. We ended Saturday by having dinner with the Hodges and our dear friends, the Macs. The Macs (short for McEntire) stayed the night with us. Sunday was our normal church day. So, Sarah and I were pooped today!! I'm glad that I don't work on Mondays. Sarah actually took two LONG naps today. A miracle!!

For those who are interested in our next adoption... Everything is going really well. The baby is due the last week of April (SOON!!) and we continue to chip away at little things that need to be done before our son arrives. I think we'll put up the crib on Saturday. The decorating of the room will probably come down to the wire, but I think it will look cute. Sarah's room was a little easier to design for me. But, I'm having fun with blues and reds.

Here are some fun pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

I'm nesting again

Didn’t I just clean out all the closets and re-configure everything in my house a few months ago? Apparently the “purging” I did before Sarah came home wasn’t thorough enough, because I am finding tons of stuff to get rid of. A lot of it is making its way directly to the trashcan, but some of it will hopefully turn a small profit in an upcoming garage sale. When Michael and I bought our home 4+ years ago we fell in love with the vintage charm of a 1951 house. We loved the original hardwood floors, the unique tile in the bathroom, and the large oak trees in the front yard. I overlooked the fact that when we started our family I might actually like to have closets, a double garage, and a second bathroom. (Ok, so we have closets – they’re just itty bitty.) Seriously, how did people in the 50’s do it? So….I’m letting go of all non-essentials. Maybe that is the best way to live anyway….

I’m slowly starting to pull together baby boy’s room. I’m trying to keep things simple, easy, and affordable since we just did Sarah’s room. I guess every first time parent has to go crazy with a room before you learn to improvise. I have picked out the colors and some bedding. The walls were already painted a great shade of blue, so that was easy. Michael picked out a red and blue rugby striped rug at PBK’s that we will purchase as the date approaches. I think we have also decided on a name…but, we’ll keep that a secret for a while.

Speaking of redoing things…Sarah’s orphanage in Ninh Thuan is undergoing some major renovation. I’m not sure that you could have found a more bare-bones facility in all of VN. We received an email from our agency this week showing us all the improvements being made, including: new cribs (no more wooden crates – hopefully means the babies will have diapers), windows and doors (hopefully will cut down on the bug infestations), new paint, uniforms for the workers, a landscaped courtyard, and a playground (previously an all-sand yard). It’s wonderful to see where the large international fees are going and to know that the fees are truly blessing lives.