Home

It's good to be home!
This SHOULD be a short post...we'll see how it goes.

If you've read my previous post in it's entirety,
(yes, I know it was LONG!)
you'll see that Tim and I have moved...alot!
As a couple we've lived in 5 different places, in our 5 years of marriage, and I have to say that our "home" was wherever we were.
Yes, yes...it's also "where our heart is"...but mainly just where our stuff is, and where we feel familiar and good.
We've made each apartment and house our home, no matter how long we lived there.
I love to visit family, but I LOVE when I get home...even when the house smells stagnant and the fridge is BARE!
I think it's something about settling back into the routine of things...
I like knowing that I can let my guard down.
Do you ever get this feeling? It's nice.
We are making another big trip, to PA this time, in just a few weeks, so I'll have to give up my "home sweet home" feeling again soon.
But for now, I want to say:
I just love my family and I love to be home.
That's all.

Wow, this WAS short! :) (comparatively, anyway)

"I do!"

5 years ago today Tim and I were in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania...anxiously awaiting the 11am hour when I would walk down the aisle and we would confess our undying love for each other, while committing the rest of our lives to our marriage. It was the best decision of my life and I'll always remember this day.
On November 27, 2004 I married my best friend.
I could go on being mushy-gushy and make a few people feel awkward, but that's not really my style. :)
Instead, I'll recap the past 5 years, for all of you that may not know us that well:

YEAR 1


We lived in Cedarville, Ohio...in the married student housing. We had a dinky little apartment that was very cold, and very tiny! I can remember the pilot lite went out least 3 times and we would sit there freezing for days until a maintenance man could come and fix it. I remember that our bedroom was so small, that we had to shove our bed up against 2 walls, in order to fit our dressers in the room. Craziness.
I was taking Nursing classes in the hopes of doing something my parents approve of. Haha. Okay, I did have some interest in it too. Not 3 months after we got married, I got into a pretty bad car accident and we ended up with a pile of medical bills. I'll never forget that icy day on the road...
Tim was finishing up his Youth Ministries degree at Cedarville University while interning at Far Hills church. I worked at a Nursing Home taking care of the elderly, and Tim moonlighted as a delivery driver at our local pizza place. I'm pretty sure that first year we made a total of $13,000! YIKES! Our first year ended with us candidating at the church we are currently at.

YEAR 2


Year 2 starting with a LOT of packing. Tim officially told Faith Baptist Church "yes" and he became the Associate Pastor of Student Ministries. We moved late December to Wheaton, IL. Our first apartment in Wheaton was GIANT! A wonderful upgrade compared to our 1st place, except the kitchen was also tiny, with ugly cabinets.
Tim and I actually had a dog for 3 days in that apartment. Our first pet, a female beagle named Marley. Adorable! But we were not ready for that kind of commitment. I convinced Tim to return her to her previous owners.
But, not much later that year, we got an orange kitten named Tobey.
He was the most INSANE animal ever! I'm sure he's "on a farm" today. ;)
I started beauty school this year and Tim settled in to his new full time job. Towards the end of Year 2 I found out I was pregnant...and as our lease came to a close, we had to move, again.

YEAR 3


We traded Tobey for Cale. Cale was born just a month after I finished Cosmetology school. We moved into an apartment with 2 bedrooms, but I feel as though it wasn't the best trade off, seeing that for more than 1/2 a year we had obnoxious downstairs neighbors. We eventually got them kicked out - bet'cha didn't think we were capable of anything like that, huh?? :)
Year 3 was a crazy whirlwind of figuring out how to be parents. I was able to stay-at-home with Cale (as I do now) and I just soaked up every minute of being a Mom. Watching your child grow is the best thing in the world. We did alot of traveling that year, and to help us out, Tim purchased a new-to-us minivan which is by far the best vehicle we've owned (and we've been through 5 as a couple!). We took trips to Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania to visit family. The only other thing I can remember from that year is that we were both completely sleep-deprived. Thanks, Cale! :)
At the conclusion of Year 3, we moved again.

YEAR 4



We started off year 4 renting a house in West Chicago. It was NOT a good situation. We did enjoy not sharing walls with other people, but our Landlord made sure we wouldn't enjoy anything else. During the 9 months we lived at that house, we watched Cale grow. He got his first tooth there, he learned to crawl up in his bedroom, and took his first steps in the living room...so for those memories, I thank you Wiant house... :)
In year 4 we experienced our first scare as parents. Cale needed to have surgery and we understood the helplessness that parents COULD feel. The Lord carried us through that difficult time.
We only had a 9 month lease for our rental house, so we moved....again!
This move took us to the house we now live in, and own! It's a wonderful place. We love the location, the neighborhood and the fact that there is a huge park a block away from us. We did more traveling during this year as our families live far away. To end off year 4 we had to endure the sadness of our miscarriage. BUT...we also started researching adoption, and began to narrow down the process.

YEAR 5


Year 5, this past year, has been full of EMOTION! We sent in our application to Adoption Advocates! We plowed through the paperwork and got on the waiting list at the end of February. Then the hard part began. The wait for the referral. The first few months were not that hard (probably because I was anticipating getting a referral in that time), but as time drug on, it got harder and harder.
We had some other memorable experiences in Year 5 - Cale began talking in sentences, he started potty training and got transitioned into his big boy bed...basically experiencing life in a new way. Oh, the joys of toddlerhood!
This past year, some of our immediate family members got married; and some had babies...But the highlight of Year 5 DEFINITELY was Nov 5th. Referral day!! :)
And it was the best way to wrap up our 5th year of marriage.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! :)

TIM AND I THROUGH THE YEARS
2004. Sadly, I have no pictures on my computer of this year.
2005. The only pic that I have on the computer is of my immediate side of the family (before we had kids):

2006:
2007:
2008:
2009:
So that ends my 5 year post. And it took me about a year to write it. I seriously have been working on it all day...but I kept getting interrupted.
That's the way it goes on vacation. :)

Less-Words Wednesday

I have seen people's blog posts entitled "Wordless Wednesdays," and I think it's cute.
They usually have 1 or 2 pics that make me go "Awe."
But, I'm the type of person who loves to read other people's captions of their own photos. See, for whatever reason I feel like the captions add so much...I like to see how people describe themselves, friends, relatives, children, surroundings, etc.
And this is what I think is lacking from 'Wordless Wednesday' posts.

SO...I'm switching it up.
I will still post pictures, but I'm going to use "less words" than I would normally add to my blog posts.

"THE CALL!" Well, it's actually a picture of the call AFTER the call. When I saw who it was the FIRST time, I almost panicked!
My plan was to take a picture of the call as it came in...I even wanted to have the call video-recorded, but none of that came to my mind when I saw who it was.
Anyway, this picture is proof. :) Nov 5, 2009 - 12:34 pm. (central time) ;)

Speaking of my boys, the above pictures embodies some of the things I love about them. Tim and Cale are so adorable when they get on the computer together. 9 times out of 10, they are watching YouTube videos...usually "Charlie bit my finger!" Yep, they watch the normal version, and the techno version.
They both think it's like the greatest video in the world.
And I think it's annoying...I hear it in my sleep! UGH!
But I do love to watch them bond. ;)

I know I've already expressed in detail how annoying it was that my camera broke, so I won't continue. My friend Patty allowed me to borrow her camera for a week so I could take some recent pictures.
The above picture is a rare family photo. Not the best quality, lighting, angle...etc...but it IS a picture of all 3 of us...all smiling nicely. :)
I seriously can't wait to see Megersa in our next family picture! (And it'll probably be until then that we have another family photo.)
Anyway, if everyone seems to like "Less-Words Wednesday" I'll try to keep it up!

Nov 24th

Today is November 24! 2 weeks and 5 days since we saw our little guy's face! 3 days until our 5 year anniversay, and I THINK the day that Megersa is eligible for court!
I have some conflicting reports on whether or not Megersa is eligible yet. When I got the referral call, our agency coordinator told me that Megersa came into care Oct 5th, and that he wouldn't be eligible until Dec 5th (with the mandatory 2 month wait). But when I called to accept his referral (only a few days later) I was told by someone else that he would be eligible for court on Nov 24th, because his first intake report was Sept 24th (which it was...I saw that on his file).
But I dont know if the report was taken in the hospital where he spent a few days before coming to AAI, or actually at AAI. Does the mandatory 2 month wait start after his first intake report, or does it start on the first day he arrived at AAI?
AHHHHH!!
I can HONESTLY tell you that this is the first thing I've begun obsessing about since I got his referral. The Lord has helped me to be SO patient...with everything actually (and we currently have alot going on right now!).
This is my first re-lapse.
And I'm not sure why I'm so obsessed. It's just a few days difference, right?
I want to say "hey, it's only 11 days." And to be honest, PART of me is feeling that, but the other part, "Impatient Katie," is thinking: "11 whole days! That's almost 2 weeks difference!"
I'm trying not to give into her, but now I'm starting to feel what others are feeling:
the wait on this side of the referral is harder (though I don't COMPLETELY agree). Maybe it's because I KNOW that we are a family of 4, but visibly we are still only a family of 3...so I need to find out this answer!
I have written to both people I talked to, to see if I could get things straightened out. I will post when/if I find out for sure!

1 year

Check out the adoption ticker on the side. It's been counting the days, weeks, months since we started our process. You will note that it has started over. Why? Because today marks 1 year since we 'officially' started the adoption process. I think adoption has always been on my heart, but exactly 1 year ago, we applied to our home study agency. 2 days later we applied to AAI.
It's been an unbelievable journey...full of emotion!
I've experienced the highest highs to the lowest lows, and truly, God has taught me ALOT!
I'd have to say the biggest lesson I've learned is PATIENCE! I know I'm not a patient person, so it makes sense that God continued to keep me in a situation that forced me to be patient. I'll have to admit, that I did not always perform beautifully, but I DO thank God for the lesson! I will never forget it, and I'm sure it will pop up again in life!
The other GIANT lesson I've learned is trust...and with that, not worrying!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov 3:5-6)
I generally have the hardest time with the 2nd part of that verse. I usually try to figure everything out on my own, only to figure out (way past the time I should have) that what I'm doing is not the deciding factor. God has been/is/always will be in control. I cannot change my situation, but I can respond positively to the trials I face. :)
Getting back to the year marker -
1 year ago, we started this process with one beautiful boy. This year we have 2 beautiful boys, and next year at this time, both boys will be here with us!
I truly can't wait to take that first family picture!! :)
God is good.

Welcome Bag

That's Right! Today I sent out Megersa's welcome bag!
It was really fun to put together, yet so hard to think of just those FEW things that would fit. I chose to give Megersa one of Cale's outfits he barely wore. It was in good shape and it already smells like our family, so I figured, why not! :)
I also found this great toy. Like I said before, these days I feel dense as to what 2-3 month old babies are interested in. Anything that goes in their mouth, right? :) If you look at the pic, you can see the toy. The giraffe's face is smiling at you!
This giraffe is one of those Lamaze toys. Usually between $15-20, but because I found it thrown in a clearance bin with no tag, I got it for $2! It is brightly colored, and has jingly legs. It's got rings to bite and it squeaks! I hope Megersa likes it! :)
I also included a photo album with pictures of Tim, Cale and I.
Getting the photo album together was a process, let me tell you!
See, our camera broke. Yes, another camera. This time last year we had the same problem. Ooh, and this time the year before. Cameras and Katies just dont seem to want to remain together. After only a 5 month relationship, I had to break up with our Kodak Easy Share M683...because it stopped trying.
Anyway...I have pics on my computer, so I decided to order them via York photos (note: I would not recommend this site if you actually want your pictures in the amount of time they promise you.) I ordered them last Monday, and I was told via email (on Wednesday) that they were being shipped out, and should arrive Thursday.
Today is Monday, and still I have no York pictures! This was the last peice of the puzzle for the welcome bag, so...'impatient me' chose to go to Walmart today and order pictures that are most likely 6 months-1 year old. We look basically the same. My hair is shorter and I'm not sporting the blonde highlights anymore...but Tim hasn't really changed.
Cale has, but Megersa won't care, will you buddy?? :)
I just couldn't wait any longer to send his bag! So, I got the pics printed out, then labeled all of them. It was SO fun to write
"Your Mommy"
"Your Daddy"
"Your big brother Cale."
I also included a disposable camera (so that the nannies could take pictures of him) and wrote Megersa a letter (in the hopes that a volunteer or traveling family could read it to him), and that's about all.
Oh wait...the most special part (at least it was for me)!
See, even though I am 26, I have a favorite blanket.
A special blanket.
A blankie. :)
Yep. It's actually is suppose to be a duvet cover, but I use it as a sheet. For whatever reason, the idea came to me that I should cut off a peice and give it to Megersa. This may sound goofy to people, but it's like letting him know he has a peice of Mommy's heart! AWE! :)
He does though. I'd cut out a piece for Cale too if I didn't think he'd just give it right back to me (he's already attached to "purple blanket").
But yeah, it's queen sized, so there's still plenty left for me. If you look at the pics, you'll see a white thing with red scribbles. Well, the 'scribbles' are actually hearts. It looks like a child just scribbled hearts all over the blanket. I love it. Really, I sleep with it every night. I don't like sharing covers, so this way, I don't have to! I know, I know...I'm a child.
So, I cut out a square from my blanket and hand-stitched the ends. It should smell like me because I am the only one who is allowed to use it (sorry Tim), and I sprayed some of my perfume on it (so Megersa can get use to my smell).
Now my blanket has a peice missing, but I like it even more.
I wrapped it all up, and sent it out priority. Hopefully it gets there this week, and then the next traveling staff member or family can bring it to him.
End welcome bag post.

budgeting....

So Tim and I started this new "system" to try to curb our spending. Instead of using our debit card for food and household items, I've been given a bi-weekly budget, in cash. When the cash is gone, it's gone until next pay period.
This is the first 2 week period we started it, and we'll make adjustments accordingly...and we'll NEED to. :)
Continue story:
While I started out this adventure thinking that the amount allotted to me would be no problem, I quickly came to the beginning of week 2 with less than $10 in hand.
As this is the night before pay day I can state that we are currently out of:
milk, eggs, bread, juice, crackers, fruit, cereal, meat... and many other "filler items" that we don't REALLY need, like snacks and desserts. :)
Thankfully we're going to the bank tomorrow and DIRECTLY after that, the grocery store to stock up! I love love love having a full fridge and pantry!
As this experiment has been kinda fun (to see how long we could go - and I think it's long enough! :), I was struck with the weight of this whole project. Though we are out of things, and we are waiting to cash Tim's check tomorrow, it's not like we CANNOT go to the store. If we needed to, we could move money around.
I thought about that freedom.
Coincidentally, Tim asked me what I was thinking about, and I told him that I was mentally preparing a grocery list.
No big deal, right?
Well, my thoughts continued to go from there. For dinner tonight Cale had the last of the rice crispies and milk. The fact that the milk was gone, just seemed so final. (We currently only have 3 people in our house and we go through at least a gallon of milk a week, sometimes more!)
I started thinking about Megersa. I don't know his birth mother's reason for giving him up, but I'd like to think it was because she was hoping that she was doing what she thought was best for him. Perhaps she couldn't provide for him. He was estimated to be about 3 weeks old or so in his first report, and I wonder if his birth mom kept him as long as she could provide milk for him.
I mentally put myself in her situation (as best I could)...and the thought of not being able to provide food or milk for my children TORE at me. It broke me, and I crumbled. I started bawling there in the car just as we were pulling in to church. (And if you know me, you know I'm not a crier.) I had to suck it up, and frantically wipe off my face before entering.
But I was having a hard time. See, I cannot even IMAGINE the heart-wrenching ache a mother would feel in the pit of her stomach to watch her baby crying from hunger. Then making the choice to give him. The poverty that would come with such a decision is devastating.
I have to admit that normally I'm the type of person that pretends the world is full of marshmallows and rainbows. I don't really like to watch the news, and I never watch violent movies (even war movies) because I like to think that those kinds of things don't happen. (Stupid yes, I know.)
But, falling in love with Mergersa has forced me to open my eyes up WIDE to situations that I could never imagine myself in. I stare at his little picture ALL day and I love him so much already. I couldn't even fathom having to give him up.

God has truly blessed me. Not just with food and clothing, but with my husband and 2 sons. Lord, with your help, I will NOT take what I have for granted.