Relief!

We have needed some relief these last few days in so many ways. First, Evan had his ankle incident. He tried to do his on-call work yesterday morning, but they told him to go home. They also asked him to get a doctor’s note. He got one from the urgicare and brought it in today. His work wanted a more detailed note filled out to know exactly what he can and cannot do. Well, the urgicare won’t do that for some reason, so he has to go to our family doctor tomorrow morning. So, he’s home today on a personal day. We’re hoping that his ankle can get well enough that he has few limitations. We really don’t want to eat up all his time off. We’re hoping he can at least do some light duty at the office. So, that’s a prayer request of ours right now.

Also, our air conditioning decided to act up the day before the hottest days of the year. Evan had changed the filter, but it wasn’t outputting enough cold air to cool the house down. Since yesterday was a holiday, we tried to grin and bear it. It was like a sauna. I think it is safe to say that no one got a very good night’s sleep last night. We had fans going, but they don’t help when they’re just pushing around 90 degree heat! Thankfully, we were able to get the repairman in here this afternoon. The coolant was low. While it will take a few hours for it to really cool down the house, we already can tell that it’s working.

Fan Central - We had three fans pointed at us.  The rest of the house was roasting!

I am happy to report that Nicholas’ third post placement report is in the mail on its way to our former adoption agency. This just tells Russia how he is doing and the social worker’s opinion of us as a family. We only have one more to do, but not until next year at this time. Nicholas and I were happy to get out of the house this morning though. Nicholas even asked my dad (who drove us downtown for our apostilles) for an “icy, cold drink” on the way home. It hit the spot!

The rest of our week is pretty busy. We have a playgroup tomorrow. Then, Thursday and Friday we’re helping with the garage sale at my parents’ house. I’m not looking to make any big money there. I think we set a goal of making some gas money.

Finally, tomorrow I’ll announce the winner of the gift card contest. You still have time to donate. Thank you to all that have already sponsored puzzle pieces.

Stay cool because we finally will be!

Partial Weekend Wrap-Up (Evan's Ankle Edition)

Evan and I are competitive people. I don’t mean in a bad way, but we both try to win if we’re playing a game. A couple of months ago we played a mean game of Ants in the Pants. Evan was schooling me and I was doing whatever I could to beat him. I had to pull out Scrabble Slam afterwards just to build up my ego. Word games are my thing. We have fun and there aren’t any hard feelings.


There are other areas in our lives where I like to joke about Evan being jealous and wanting to keep up with me. Ten years ago, I got my first (and only) speeding ticket. It was a doozy too. I was going 46 in a school zone! I totally wasn’t paying attention to the time of day (there were no flashing lights). I even had to go to court because I was so high over. That same day, Evan had to go and speed and get a ticket too (not his first! Ha ha!)! I told him that he doesn’t have to compete with me.

As you’ll remember, I took Nicholas to the doctor a few weeks ago to remove a wheel out of his nose. Then, last week I had to go to the doctor for my own ailment. Here comes Evan ready to top us all. Tonight was his last night of youth group (he is taking the summer off). He was playing basketball with the teens when he rolled his ankle. He came home and we were off to the same urgicare that I had taken Nicholas. Thankfully, it is only a sprain. He’s in an air cast. He should be able to work, but needs to elevate and ice it right now.

I told Evan he doesn’t need to compete for the worst injury/illness. But, there’s that competitive streak again. Really, I am joking and this is all being said in jest. I just am thankful that we’re all healthy for the most part and we have a good emergency fund.

The rest of the weekend has been pretty good though. We went out to lunch yesterday to celebrate Nicholas’ end of preschool. He asked each of us to tell him, “Good job finishing preschool” several times. Then, after some quiet time in his room, we all went outside. I took a picture for my mom that she has been requesting. When Nicholas first came home we took a picture of him “mowing the lawn” with his toy mower. He was wearing 24-month shorts that were so long on his short, pudgy self. Almost two years later, he is in 4T shorts and his legs are getting longer and leaner. Here’s the comparison:

I have no good transition, but onto, our fundraising fun . . . Thank you to those that have supported us through the puzzle fundraiser, Ordinary Hero, and/or Lifesong. The puzzle fundraiser gift card contest ends May 31st. For $10 you can sponsor one puzzle piece and have the chance to win a $25 gift card. We’re up to 135 pieces!

A couple of days ago I found out that Ordinary Hero has a few new items in. They have a new women’s shirt that I really like. Also, they have two super cute shirts for kids – one for girls and one for boys. Here are some pictures:

If you are interested in supporting us through Ordinary Hero, please choose my name in the affiliate drop-down box at checkout. 40% of each sale goes directly to our adoption agency for our adoption fees.

Finally, thank you to all that have supported us through a tax-deductible donation through Lifesong. Lifesong allows us to e-mail as often as we want to get a list of donations that they have received for us. I e-mailed on Friday because I want to start getting our thank you notes out. Well, that person is on vacation until Thursday. So, I won’t have a list until that day or later. We are very thankful to those that are helping in this way.

So, that’s what is going on with us. We are going to a cookout tomorrow. I’m not sure if Gimpy (I mean, Evan) will be with us or not. He’s on-call for work. Hopefully, they don’t need him so he can have another day to rest his ankle. We have a fun event coming up next weekend, so we need him to heal quickly!

Happy Memorial Day!

Preschool Graduate

Nicholas finished Preschool this week. All of his workbooks had a certificate at the end of the book, and he loved having me and Evan fill them out. He’s been carrying his workbooks around all week, adding a new one each day. He really has learned a lot this year. We didn’t spend huge amounts of time, but a little each day.


For much of the school year he hated writing letters. Now he wants to write his name everywhere (thankfully, just on paper so far). He also likes to write random letters down and ask me what they spell. He’s begun sounding out words and can read some small sentences. He’s improved on his counting and number recognition skills. We also did some very, very basic addition and subtraction (counting fingers).

While he is done with preschool, we still have summer school. Nicholas likes school and will ask me every day when we can “do school”. I also want to maintain and develop some of his skills. So, starting in June we will have a very brief summer school, lasting 8 weeks. He’s going to work on his number recognition of some bigger numbers. He’s going to continue his practice with scissors. We have a few new sight words to learn as well. Finally, he will be having some computer time again. Then, we will take the entire month of August off before he starts Pre-K after Labor Day.

I had to take a comparison shot of Nicholas on the first day of school and the last. He’s grown a lot in nine months.

Last Day of Preschool

Also, I’m including some of his workbooks that we have used. I want to remind you that not all preschoolers need to use workbooks (or as many as we did). Nicholas loves workbooks, which is why we use them so heavily. Our next child may not. We shall see.








































Nicholas decided to pose for some additional pictures this morning. I’ll close with those.

 

 
 
 

180

Nicholas and I had a really great day yesterday. It was one of those days where there were no issues. Everything had been positive. It was so uplifting and encouraging.

Yesterday morning we had to go to my doctor’s office for an appointment (It was nothing serious). Nicholas quickly found the toys in the waiting room and was soon joined by another little boy. Our doctor’s office had moved to a new office since I had been there and they now had a new computer system. I was updating my records while I heard Nicholas talking to the boy and his mom. Nicholas was telling them his church had the same toy. His next comment made me chuckle – in a good way. He asked them if they wanted to come to our church some time. I love his boldness. I hope he never loses it. The other little boy’s mother did tell me how polite Nicholas was when he was playing with her son. That always warms my heart to hear those things.


When we finally got to the exam room, Nicholas decided that he was going to answer all of the nurse practitioner’s questions for me. I told him that he could answer all the questions when it was his turn at his own doctor’s office. I have my annual physical next month and he is not invited to that appointment.

Nicholas and I had to head to the store after my appointment. He was so helpful putting things in the basket that we needed. He even accepted “no” when I told him that we couldn’t go to the toy department today.

The rest of the day was low-key as well. I was hoping we would continue with that wonderfulness today. However, after Nicholas was up for about an hour, things went south. We had a lesson in handling anger when you don’t like what is asked of you. I was actually proud of myself for making the situation into a teachable moment. Too bad I didn’t learn the lesson for myself later that afternoon. I think Nicholas and I were both ready for a do-over. We both did let the other one know how much we love each other and how sorry we were for our words and actions.

So, today has been a lesson in forgiveness both of us. Thankfully, like God’s mercies are new every morning, we can move past our bad moments, and offer each other grace and a fresh start. I never claimed to be perfect parent. I’m learning from my mistakes. My goal is to train up my children, and that training includes seeing their mother say “I’m sorry” too.

I’m off to spend some time with Nicholas outside before bed time. A little fresh air will do us both a lot of good

Adoption Update

We had the social worker visit for Nicholas’ third post-placement report on Wednesday night. That means we only have one to go (next year at this time)! Our social worker is with our current agency, so Nicholas is familiar with her. He’ll be even more familiar with her once we are placed with a baby because she’ll visit monthly until the baby’s adoption is finalized.

We did talk about our current adoption very briefly with her as well. We’re still getting positive feedback on our profile. Not every birthmother that comes in the agency will choose an adoption plan though. Some are just weighing their options. We felt encouraged after talking to our social worker though. It made us more excited.

I also wanted to update you on the progress of our fundraisers. We now have three ways you can help, and one of them is now tax-deductible!


1. The puzzle fundraiser. We have 124 pieces sponsored. Our goal is obviously to have all 500 pieces sponsored, but we would like to try and make it to the 150 pieces mark soon. So, I am adding a little incentive. If you sponsor a puzzle piece between now and May 31st, I will enter your name into a drawing to win a $25 gift card. For each piece you sponsor, you’ll get one entry. The winner of the gift card will be able to choose between: Amazon.com, Panera Bread, Chipotle, or iTunes. Each puzzle piece is $10. We will write your name on the back of the piece to show our child all the people that helped bring him/her home. You can pay me directly or use the Paypal link on the right side of the blog. 

Here's our progress so far.  This is not the actual puzzle that will hang in our child's room.  It's just a visual aide for now.

2. Ordinary Hero. While we did not win any grants, we’ve appreciated your support. They plan on having new items in their shop very soon. There is also an opportunity to donate items to the children of Africa, including sheep. We receive 40% of each purchase (that goes directly to our adoption agency). Just remember to put my name in the affiliate drop-down box at checkout.

Nicholas is wearing a Children's XS.

3. Lifesong for Orphans. Lifesong has opened a tax-deductible account for people to make donations for our adoption. Your checks can be made payable to Lifesong for Orphans and sent to:

Lifesong for Orphans

PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford Street

Gridley, IL 61744

Please put your donation preference in the memo line of the check – Preference: Morgan #2013. This is very important so the money is earmarked for our adoption. Any amount is a great help to us.

You can also make a donation to Lifesong online if that is more convient.  Follow this link:  http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html

* Choose "One Time Gift".  Then, where it says, "Purpose" put Preference:  Morgan #2013. *

We really appreciate everyone’s encouragement and prayers during this adoption. Like I’ve said before, we have no timeframe or visual to show you. We know it is hard for others to get excited about it sometimes. But, the baby is coming. Each day we are one day closer. If you feel led to help us financially, we really appreciate it. If you cannot give, then please continue to pray. Your prayers help make the adoption process so much easier for us.

 
 
Disclosure:  We will be purchasing the gift card ourselves.  The winner will be selected randomly - most likely out of a hat by Nicholas. :)

Unsweetened Tooth

My name is Kristin and I am a sugar addict. A few weeks ago I came to the realization that I was craving sugar all the time. After each meal I wanted a piece of chocolate. If I wanted a snack I always chose something sweet over something healthy. If I went somewhere that had snacks or desserts, I was going to eat them – just because they were there. My body was on a roller coaster of sugar highs and lows. I knew I needed to make a change.

So, on April 25th, I decided that I wasn’t going to have any more desserts and I wasn’t going to snack on sugary snacks for awhile. While I wasn’t going to eliminate every ounce of sugar in my diet, I was going to reduce it drastically. I’ve been known to be pretty self-disciplined when I want to be, but this task seemed even too much for me. But, it has been almost four weeks, and I really don’t crave sweet stuff that much anymore.

I am still working on bringing in healthier alternatives for snacks. I am not a big vegetable fan, so I am a work in progress. One thing that I have been doing consistently for Nicholas and me is hiding spinach in our smoothies. The blender makes it undetectable, so neither of us really can taste that it is there. I also enjoy fruit.

Will I do this forever? I don’t know. But, I do think I have more energy now. I do think there are a lot of health benefits to reducing sugar in one’s diet. Cancer is one illness that feeds off of sugar. And, of course, there is diabetes. I just want to be more careful about what I am putting in my body. I want to teach Nicholas some healthier eating habits. He loves sugar too, so I am trying to reduce it (I don’t think he’s up for the drastic measures that I have taken) in his diet too.

It's okay to eat things in moderation, even sweets.  I just am finding that if I don't eat them at all, then I have little to no cravings.  This won't be easy with our family's birthday season starting next month, which includes my own.  But, I'm up for the challenge.  And, the good thing is that if I am weak one day, it doesn't have to be the end.  I can start fresh the next day. 

Randomness

I haven’t blogged in a week. It seems like I get on a writing streak and then just fizzle out after three posts. I don’t know if it was from lack of anything exciting happening, or what, but I could not think of anything to blog about last week. I still can’t think of anything exciting, so I decided to just do some random thoughts.

****

I was telling Evan this weekend some of the ideas I have for the new school year starting in September. One thing I want to do is teach Nicholas our address. Evan looked at me and said, “He already knows it.” I was shocked. He had shared it with Evan a few hours before. I hadn’t taught it to him though. But, Nicholas came over and let me know our address (minus the zip code). He is so observant and is great with details.

****

I noticed that Nicholas is really looking like a boy lately. I don’t just mean taller and leaner. I mean that he has bruises and scratches and cuts. He’s playing harder and more daring. It definitely shows. I’ve caught him jumping off the stairs, getting a little higher each time. He sword fights with his dad. He’s running all the time. He was so cautious for a long time, so it is nice to see him be more adventurous.

****

Nicholas is already starting to get embarrassed by us. Evan and I were teaching Sunday school this week and Evan was singing one of the songs and doing the hand motions that went along with it. Nicholas said to him in the most annoyed voice, “Dad, don’t do that! Stop!” Apparently, he was worried about what the other kids would think. Also, sometimes I will say something and I get “Mom.” Picture it in the I-can’t-believe-you’re-saying-that-to-me tone. I didn’t know that we would become embarrassing so soon in his life.

****

One day last week, Nicholas was walking around the family room with a scowl on his face. I asked him what was wrong. He answered, “I’m boring, Mom.” I laughed to myself. I think the word is bored because he is anything but boring.

****

 

If I ask him to do something or tell him something that he doesn’t like, he always asks, “Did you say that on purpose?” Yes, Nicholas. There is no accidental parenting happening here.

****

Well, that’s all I can think about off the top of my head. I actually have a lot to do this week. I have something I’m working on that you’ll probably hear about later this week. We have the social worker coming on Wednesday for Nicholas’ third post placement report. I also have a handful of other things I need to get done. I guess this week I won’t be saying that I’m “boring”.

Mother’s Day

I realized the other day that yesterday was my second official Mother’s Day, but my fourth “unofficial” one since Nicholas became a part of our lives. While I am a mother now, the sting of the years of not being one still lingers. My heart truly aches for those that desire to be a mom, but have empty arms. I’m thankful for all the years of heartache because I can go up to a woman on Mother’s Day and say, “I know what you are feeling” and I really do. I realize that some of us handle infertility in different ways. Some of us hide away from the world. Others put on a brave face and you don’t even know they are struggling. This is just a reminder to be sensitive to women that are facing this heartache.

I did have a very good Mother’s Day with my family. I used my son’s awesome memory and observation skills to help Evan and him get the present I wanted. My low maintenance self just wanted a book. I was at the bookstore with Nicholas two days before he and Evan were going when Nicholas saw a book and said, “Mommy, you have that book!” He was right. I had read that particular book a few weeks ago and had already passed it on to my mom. So, I showed him the book that I wanted for Mother’s Day. I gave Evan no book title or author. I just told him that Nicholas would show him. And, it worked! This may come in handy for Evan for our anniversary and my birthday which are coming up.

We were able to spend time with both of our families yesterday, and I didn’t have to make anything. Evan had been on a retreat with the youth group most of the weekend, so he did have to take a cat nap or two yesterday. I was a little jealous as I didn’t sleep well when he was away. He hasn’t been away at night in probably two years. Maybe I’ll get to take a nap on Father’s day.

While I enjoyed my day, I still wonder when #2 will be coming. Hopefully, we’ll hear something soon. But, I am thankful for the son that God gave me already. He keeps my arms plenty full.

No longer empty arms

 

He wanted to hold me too.

Guess Where We Went Today

I was making lunch for Nicholas and me when he walked over and told me something. At first, I thought I heard him wrong, but soon realized I had heard him perfectly clear. “I put a Hot Wheel car wheel up my nose.”

At first I was in denial, but after careful inspection with a flashlight, he was right.  I tried getting him to let me take it out, but craziness soon ensued as Nicholas was crying and being uncooperative. I knew I could get it out with my tweezers if he would just lie still. But, that wasn’t really going to happen.

So, I made a phone call to his doctor's office and was advised to go to Urgicare. So, I took my crying son there and managed to convince him to get under control before we got out of the car. We also talked about being brave – and this message he actually heard.

Once he got there, he was all smiles. He enjoyed looking at the fish tank. Then, he talked to the nurse. When she asked him why he stuck a tire up there, he answered, “I don’t know.” No one has been able to get that answer up there. I’m thinking – little hole, little wheel.  I wonder if it fits.
The doctor came in and Nicholas checked out his “grippers” before lying down on the table. Within 30 seconds, the wheel was out. The doctor asked me if I wanted it, but I declined.

Nicholas got stickers and a lollipop for being so brave, while I wondered if he was going to think that this place was too much fun. He was all smiles and full of goodbyes as we left. He promised the doctor, the nurse, and the lady at the registration desk that he wouldn’t put anything in his nose, ears or teeth (his words) again.

So, I’m hoping this doctor has some sympathy and doesn’t charge us through the roof for this little incident. I think the co-pay was more than enough to cover his services. I can see my tightwad nature shining through.

Anyway, now that it is over, I find this story very humorous. At least, it gave me some blog material. Now, Nicholas is about to go have quiet time in his room alone. I better go inspect all his cars first for any loose wheels!
 

Someone had made a mess in the waiting room, so he started picking up

 
 

Nasal passages are all clear

 

Our brave patient

Courage

There are so many people on the other side of the world right now meeting or bringing home their new children. As I look at their pictures and read their stories, it really makes my eyes well up with tears. It brings back so many good memories. Not all of these families are in Russia either.


It just is so special to watch their stories unfold. These people have all decided that they have enough love in their hearts to bring a child into their family that does not share their DNA. Adoption isn’t easy. These children lose their birth parents, knowing their family history, and most of the time their country, culture, and language. These parents are willing to count the costs to allow these children to move out of the orphanages and into loving families.

I wore my Ordinary Hero shirt to church yesterday. Well, we all did (a little advertising never hurts). Mine says, “I’m Gonna Change The World”. What does that mean to me? It means that I want God to use me. I want to help others become aware about adoption, but also how we need to care for others outside of our four walls. Do I consider myself a hero (even an ordinary one)? Yes and no. I did not “save” my son, but I did give him a family. He owes me nothing. He’s my hero for overcoming all that he has so far in his short life. But, I consider myself a hero in one way – I said “yes” when God asked. Dictionary.com defines "hero" as, “a [wo] man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for [her] brave deeds and noble qualities.

I feel like God gave me the courage to do something incredibly difficult and out of my comfort zone. I’m just an ordinary person who said “yes” to God and allowed Him to work in my life. I did something brave, so I guess that’s why I consider myself a hero. I think God used us to change our son’s life and our own lives.

So, here we are again – saying “yes” to God. We prayed before starting adoption #2. We always have other “options”, but we haven’t felt peace about them – for us. As I watched these other families’ stories unfold, I wonder how many other people are sensing that call to adopt, but are ignoring it? I wonder how many are scared and don’t think they have the courage to go through such unchartered waters? I’m not speaking to all of you. However, I’m sure everyone has an area they should be saying “yes” to but are scared to move forward. But, for those whose heart breaks for children without a family to care for them, or to give a birth mother an option, what’s stopping you? You may feel ordinary. And, you may not feel like a hero. But, you will be a hero to others because you can show them courage in the face of the unknown. You can say “yes”.

Unfortunately, I am going to end this post with a plug for our fundraiser. The contest to win a grant through Ordinary Hero was extended until tonight due to technical difficulties. I was hoping we could have at least 10 people buy something to give us a chance to win. This fundraiser has been discouraging at times, while sometimes uplifting. But, I believe in Ordinary Hero and I thank them for working with adoptive families. Would you consider helping us today? They have some new bracelets and bangles that would make great Mother’s Day gifts. Please remember to put my name in the affiliate drop down box at check out, so we receive credit.

I’m going to close by saying that we are really struggling at times with our domestic adoption. I envy those that are adopting internationally now because there is at least a time frame. Sometimes these time frames get extended, but it still seems to have more structure. We are struggling with waiting and doing nothing. So, please pray that we would continue to be patient and trust God’s timing for our next child. Thank you!

Awesome Day at Church

Well, we just got back from church. We had to teach today and we had a full class. But, it ended up going pretty quickly. We even were adventurous enough to use shaving cream in an activity (it turned out just fine). The highlight of today was not a good class though, but that Evan’s sister Amanda got baptized!


While some churches just do infant baptism, ours chooses to dedicate our children. Then, when you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, you can make a public profession of faith through baptism.

We’re so proud of Amanda for making this important decision. It was great to witness her take that step in her Christian walk.

Here are some pictures of the baptism:

Our pastor sharing a little of Amanda's testimony

Under the water she goes

Amanda and Jason

After each service, we always go to our church’s café for something to drink. The boys were upset that they no longer serve hot chocolate. They’re onto lemonade now. Nicholas and Carter stopped shooting their guns (isn’t that what everyone does at church?) to pose for some pictures. They said they were sleeping. I tried to get a few like that, but they weren’t really in the mood to cooperate. What do you think?

What is Nicholas doing?

Now I’m off to rest! Amanda, Congratulations! We really are proud of you!