Warm Hands, Warm Hearts

It is greater to give than to receive and this year we donated to "Christmas in Kyrgyzstan".

Feel free to read about the benefit the LaJoy Family sponsored. We were one of many families that donated to the cause for children in Kyrgyzstan to receive a special meal and get presents from Santa. We feel honored and blessed that we were able to contribute and are thrilled to see the reward - the happy smiling faces. Visit Julie and John Wright's blog for pictures and much more!

Be warm, be safe, and Merry Christmas!!! 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 9:23 AM

Glimmer of Hope

Within this past week, we have received two very promising emails from our agency about the adoption. Though things still seem difficult to understand and the issues won't be completely ironed out until after the holidays (mid-January is mentioned), we are confident that this may be the good news we have been waiting to hear these past couple of months. Authorities are stepping up and starting to delegate who does what, when, and where. We hope with the new structuring of their policies, the adoptions will run more smoothly. Our dossier should be on its way to D.C. if not already there and then off to Kyrgyzstan.

On another note, it's 5 days till' Christmas. With that, there leaves me wrapping frantically. Somehow every year I mention I will get a head start and NOT leave it to the last minute. And every year I always eat those words. From Hayden to cousins to family gifts, I will be swamped and covered in multi-colored wrapping paper and tape. YEAH ME!

We spent last weekend helping Hayden fight off a cold and getting our holiday pictures taken. One gripe. Why is it when you make an appointment - for anywhere - do you still manage to wait? Doctor, hairstylist, portrait studio or restaurant. Least it always happens to me. *Grrrr*

Thursday was Hayden's holiday party at school and mommy volunteered to help. When I arrived, the kids tables were separated into "centers" and each had a different activity. I got lucky and was in charge of cardboard Xmas trees and the children put stickers on them to decorate. Other activities included making a beaded candy cane, holiday foam bookmarks, reindeer food, and the messiest of all, icing "ice-cream cone" Christmas trees. The kids frosted waffles cones with green frosting and decorated them with holiday sprinkles and fruit loops. It was soo cute and such a mess! It was hilarious to see Hayden try to eat his. (He doesn't like to get messy). I wish I would have brought my camera, but picture him leaning forward and just eating it with his mouth. Eventually he gave in (with kids and teachers persuasion) and picked it up. I will be getting icing out of his navy blue pants for days!

That brings me to mention how we spent yesterday. SNOWDAY! Though I am sad Hayden didn't get to sing at his school holiday presentation (and not - because parents weren't invited, RUDE!) it really would have been an easy school day for both Hayden and Michael. However, the roads were horrible and we were stuck in our driveway until at least 10:30am. With at least 8 inches (I am thanking the neighbors for them letting us borrow their snowblower!!!) and more at the curb, we (and I mean Michael LOL) would have been utterly exhausted if we did all the shoveling on our own. Hayden and the neighbor kids played while the men worked and the women chatted. The good old days, only in 14 degree weather. In the evening, we jotted over to the neighbors for chili and board games while the kids occupied themselves. Overall, it was a nice relaxing day and a great stress reliever.

So onto Christmas... we will leave out cookies and carrots and magic reindeer food. May Santa bring everything on yours and our wish list (provided you've been nice, not naughty).
We will continue to have faith and hope - that the news gets better from here on out. ;)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from the V's! 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 10:42 AM

Better Than Twiddling Your Thumbs...

While trying to come up with gift ideas online for teachers, therapists, and bus drivers (surprisingly everyone else is almost done!), I came across a very CUTE page on the Better Home and Garden website. Since "Mom inspection" is always required *hehe*, I checked out two very cool virtual creations they have on their site.

Make your own virtual snowflake, or decorate a gingerbread cookie! The snowflakes had all of us oooowwing and awwwwwing! Once your finished snowflake is done, add a message (if you wish) and then watch it fall from the sky with other snowflakes! Divine and beautiful! And when Hayden tried the gingerbread cookie "decorator" it made me hungry! You can outline it in frosting, or frost the whole thing. Add sprinkles or candy, etc.

Anyway, you get the gist.



Hayden's recovering from a cold. When I was growing up, whenever I would catch a cold, a bad cough was soon to follow. I would sound like a horse... unfortunately Hayden has taken to my genes and needed to stay home on Wednesday to rest up. He's sounding and acting better today - thank goodness. It's family picture day tomorrow and I've been putting it off long enough. ;)

Adoption news. I am so fed up, hurt, sad, depressed, confused... that I will just leave you with the fact that we have no good news, obviously. From the update we received today - it looks like we won't be getting any good news for a while - or at least any movement or approval/paper signing until mid-January. *Sigh* My heart goes out to the families who have already met their children and have been waiting longer. I'm sure their heartache is much deeper.

I will try to keep my chin up and have faith.

Now, back to making FAKE snowflakes, all the while hoping the real stuff melts and stays very VERY far away. 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 9:20 PM

I'll Close My Eyes, Let Me Know When It's Over

I know I promised an update last week... I apologize that it came and went. Truth be told, we did receive an update, but honestly... other than being let down again with the same old story of not knowing what really is going on, sometimes I wonder if I should lead everyone on. Should I bother with even mentioning we should be getting an update; get your hopes up that maybe we will have good news or any news at all? Then I think - if I don't... what's the point of all this then? My point is to inform you. I want everyone to be as much involved in the process as we are with our daughter (minus empty pocket books and carpal tunnel). To know where she came from, to know about her when she comes home, and for those who may travel in our footsteps after us. It's a hard path to travel in - but one we would NOT detour from any time soon.

So it's winter. I hate the cold. Show me the snow and I am fine. Bundle me up and take me out in 15 degree weather and find me NOT to be a happy camper. Even Hayden is wishing it was Spring because "it's Mommy's favorite season" he says. Do I have him trained or what? We have played outside a couple times, shoveled the driveway (Santa, I am begging you, please find a way to send my hubby a snow blower!!! LOL) and made perfect snowballs with Hayden's snowball maker. (Really cool toy!) We even played with the neighbors for a few hours until our cheeks and ears were going to fall off.

Meanwhile... we make do inside. Hayden has been driving me batty with all his "WANTS" for Santa. Half the stuff I highly doubt he will ever play with again if they were gifted. But Lego's... Santa please bring more Lego's!!!! STAT!
Aunt Michele's Santa will be handling this task and I am ever so thankful ;) . The other day, while I believe I was writing a blog entry Hayden was sitting in the hallway with his lego's just building away. He called me out and... by golly the whole set was turned into little Star Wars ships. Least that's what he called them. How we go from popsicle sticks to legos. LOL

This weekend we had a small holiday party. Our neighbors and some friends joined us and Hayden was even more tickled pink when the kids arrived. My basement/toyland took a few beatings, but with the help from several adults (thank you!!!) it was surprisingly easy to pick up. Made the OCD anal compulsiveness in me calm down.
I, of course, over budgeted how much food to serve. So we will be eating mini cheesecakes for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Holiday shopping is in full swing! All Hayden's cousins have been finished thanks to internet Santa! Our family has been generous this year to help pitch in for the Nintendo Wii for Hayden. This is a HUGE gift for him and seeing as such Michael and I won't be gifting ourselves this year. :( . Hayden loves the Wii at physical therapy (mainly the Wii Fit and since you can't have one with other...). It has shown such great results we knew this would be a purchase we would be making sooner or later. We couldn't be more thankful for our family's help, nor would we be able to purchase it without them.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!
Nana and G. Aunt Rita had sent Hayden some turkey dollars and he decided to spend it on 4 (Target dollar spot) Charlie Brown coloring books. We have been in love with him since Halloween and can't seem to get enough. So much so that "Santa" sent us an early gift of a soundtrack for the shows. Hayden (and Daddy) love listening to the music. I can't wait till it starts to drive me batty. For those of you who aren't aware - hurry and set your recorders... Charlie Brown is on tonight at 7pm on ABC.

Ok... off to my morning chores. YEAH! 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 8:44 AM

It Pays to Keep Up, or We Pay...

I know it's been ages - I'm not perfect and even slack in some departments. But it's also hard when there's no news to report.

HOWEVER! I've hunted down some. *Hehehe*

Before I start spouting off, I want to say Happy Thanksgiving to all. Michael, Hayden and I definitely enjoyed our time off, spending it with family and decorating (one of several things I do best). Thankfully we were all healthy this holiday. Let's cross our fingers for the next one.

All righty, on to the good stuff. I emailed our agency earlier this afternoon and received a response by the time Hayden and I came home from our "crazy Tuesday" (as we have so nicknamed it). Hayden hopes off the buss, I drive over to G.L. and he has 2 different sessions of therapy... only to pick up dinner on the way home; usually walking in the door around 6:45ish pm. Long day!
Anyway... on to point. Our dossier papers have all been received (even the revised ones) and will be finished being translated hopefully early next week!!! Once that is done - they are shipped to Washington then to Kyrgyz. With this comes more fees. Luckily this isn't the choking hazard just yet if you catch my drift... but it's a start. We also are waiting anxiously to hear the country update that should be coming later this week. I will be sure to post more when I know more.

Tata for now... 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 12:18 AM

TGIF!

I can't be more happy that it is Friday. It's been an exhausting week for being a mom. No news on the movement in Kyrgyzstan and I have lost every last shred of nerves and patience with our dear son.

I am grateful that Michael's parents are coming to visit Hayden tomorrow. He has been anticipating a visit for ages. We will most likely spend our time "on a date" doing dinner and a movie. These nights are very few and far for us. And after this week - one night away will not be enough.

Hayden is a picky eater. Not the kind that doesn't eat a thing - because he is a VERY healthy boy. However, some days (or weeks) he decides he doesn't like what is placed in front of him to eat. We however have a standing rule in our house. You must try it and eat at least something that has been placed on the table... if not, you might have to eat that meal again later - nor will you move from that spot. All we ask is you try. Now we've moved onto trying it and giving us a sourpussed look. We don't seem to care if we sit for hours, lose all our Star Wars characters, etc. Oye... I'm lost.

On a better note, on our way to therapy this morning Hayden did make light of the day. I love this age. Hayden being 5 years old, he has never been funnier. I was playing a song in the CD player by Newton Faulkner. In one part of the song the singer talks really fast... Hayden being the smarty pants that most kids are tells me that he "didn't use his turtle talk!". LOL Anyone who is familiar with Hayden and his speech may know that he has been receiving speech therapy since he was about 2. Just this summer we started some special treatments for his dysfluency (or stuttering some call it) and when he talks fast we tell him to use his turtle talk.
The little things that get me through the day.

Until next time... 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 3:32 PM

From Popsicle Sticks to Wreaths to Space Ships?

With of all the worrying we have been doing lately and the ache we feel in our chest… life still must go on. Without our son, I honestly wouldn’t know how to cope with the unpredictable-ness that is adoption. Whether a family chooses to adopt domestically or internationally, one must understand there is always a risk, always a chance you won’t go through the process as quickly as you hope. We weighed our options and knew the risks and knew what we would be potentially facing. We wouldn’t change our mind tomorrow knowing what we know today. Every child deserves a home, whether they are from here or there.

I have been teaching Hayden and we’ve been reading (in addition to school) all about being thankful. And we couldn’t be more thankful for our little buddy and all that we have in our lives. Every day that goes by he lights up our lives and keeps us going. He frequently comes up to Michael and me saying that he is thankful for us. THAT is love. Pure unconditional love. So to share our thankfulness with the ones we love, mommy pulled an idea from a magazine. Nana and Papa and Grandma and Boppy (Hayden's nickname for grandpa) and Great Grandma all received special care packages this week.

Hayden worked hard on his leaf wreaths made out of popsicle sticks. But in the end, he much rather would have built space ships on the rug with them. *See photos above* It’s amazing. Give a child a $50 toy (only an example – please, the holidays are around the corner!) and they play with it for 5 minutes. Hand them popsicle sticks and they wind up all over your floor for days!!!
Gosh he's a ham... 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 10:19 PM

Why?

No news is not necessarily good news. While we have been receiving emails from our agency on the delay in Kyrgyz, no one really knows what the heck is going on. For those who would like to be clued in, the Ministry of Education has been delaying adoptions. Some or no cases have made it to court and dossiers aren’t being signed. It is unsure. Some believe changes in their legislation are going on – but no one really knows. No one can even give us a for sure answer that a fix is within sight or adoptions will continue soon…

Opening my mailbox this afternoon, I expected it to be a regular day – junk and bills. In addition I receive a freebie (of which dozens I continuously sign up for) from PUR. On this brochure are faces of children from “developing” countries. *The PUR packet purifies up to 10 liters of dirty water into drinkable water.*
Why do you ask do I mention this? Because since I’ve started thinking about adoption – not since we started the process – these little moments touch me more than I could ever have imagined. Many people ask “Why Kyrgyzstan?”. Michael and I feel very drawn to the children in this country not only for their unique heritage and wonderful Asian beauty, but the heartbreaking tales of how children aren’t able to be cared for and abandoned, and their poverty stricken country. Truth be told, we researched many other countries. Some of which always had a technicality that made it difficult for us to choose. When we learned of Kyrgyzstan, everything clicked – it was a tug on our heartstrings and we knew we had found our daughter's birthplace.

Though it has been a tough last couple of weeks – with no good news to report - we hope and pray the authorities turn things around. It was once a hope when the adoptions were going smooth to bring our daughter home for Christmas. It will be hard to know that’s not possible. Please don’t stop asking and praying. The support of our friends and family couldn’t come at a better time. Thank you! 1 comments

Posted by Mel at 12:37 PM

I Don't Think We're In Illinois Anymore Toto...

What state do we live in again, seriously? It's the only one that I can think of that has horribly cold winters and fiery hot summers. It’s also the only place where your kids can jump into a mumbo jumbo leaf pile and have them wearing short sleeves. Gotta love global warming.

With the holidays creeping upon us fast, news about the adoption process stagnates. With adoption, there is always a risk for a snag, and with international, much more so. But in the end the wait will far out weigh the heartache we are dealing with while we try to be patient. With the hang up of the authorities and the signing of papers in Kyrgyz, it doesn’t look like we (or many other families) are making much progress.

In addition, our dossier papers hit Cali… with a few snags of course. We are in the process of smoothing them out and hoping to not have several forms re-notarized and re-certified… yet another way God teaches us to be patient.

Going off topic, Hayden had a blast last week! Once again, we live in a wacky world – you knock on a stranger’s door and ask them for candy, and continue on your merry way until you reach the next neighbor. I don’t know who came up with the idea, but they weren’t on Weight Watchers. I have enough candy for next Halloween… unfortunately I highly doubt it will last that long. Maybe stocking stuffers? ;)

It’s been tech week at our house. With the average chores a mom does around the house, we need a distraction or a bottle of wine. Hayden loves watching TV like the next kid. But the house gets loud frequently with or without it - for example, “the car is going in a portal” spitting sound effects get too ear-piercing while I’m making phone calls. So, I decided to teach Hayden how to use the TV remote. He already knew how to turn it on and off… and pause the DVR. But not how to find his shows on the DVR, fast forward them, or get from live TV to the DVR and so forth (for some this may confuse you… LOL).

Also, we have been teaching Hayden how to answer the phone, and what to say (soon to come, how to use it in case of an emergency). He was able to put his new skills to work when Daddy called just 20 minutes later and answered more politely than your average customer service agent! My son has skills!

Lastly, I leave you with a slide show (on the right) that proves fall really truly is here. As much of a fan I am of the fall/winter holidays, I loathe the weather. I really am more of a spring gal. 1 comments

Posted by Mel at 11:10 AM

Breakfast or Butterflies?

Friday mornings are usually chaotic, and this Friday has proven to be no different. With a rough night sleep for me, Hayden and I wake to our regular Friday routine… wake, shower, dress, eat (in my case inhale food and put on makeup) and pack up to trek out to Hayden’s occupational therapist. The only difference today is the yuckiness I feel in my stomach…

Once home, I scramble before school to:

1. Assemble the rest of our dossier to be mailed once Hayden steps on the bus
2. Chug Lemon Lime soda (yuck)
3. Prepare for my business meeting tomorrow
4. Make Hayden lunch & school snack
5. Remind Hayden to bring a “Show & Tell” object that isn’t considered a weapon

At this point, my stomach was still feeling pretty sour and Hayden needed an explanation on why Mommy had skipped lunch. It must have been hilarious to be a fly on my wall when I was explaining to Hayden that I was anxious and nervous about mailing baby sister’s papers today. I don’t quite know if he understood, but I did my best.

Now sitting at home, catching up on Grey’s on the DVR, I am relieved that part 2 is now in the mail and should arrive in Cali by Tuesday morning. Even better, part 1 arrived today in Cali as I type – hopefully in one, easy to read piece.

Can’t say my stomach feels any better but our kitchen table is a little lighter.

0 comments

Posted by Mel at 2:41 PM