Just Stroll-ing Along . . .

FOR RENT

2009-02-04T16:42:00.002-05:00

FOR RENT
East Toledo/Rossford area
3 bedroom, 1 bath home. Fresh paint and hardwood floors throughout - beautiful oak windows and trim. Many updates including newer modern vanity, shelving and flooring in bath. Eat-in kitchen and gas fireplace hook-up. Full unfinished basement with built-in shelving. Hot water heat. 2 car garage and tool shed in back of fenced yard. Renter to provide general maintenance and upkeep, including lawn care and snow removal. $900/month plus utilities, $25 application fee. Up to 2 pets OK with additional deposit. Call 419-410-2512

adoption update.

2008-10-03T10:23:00.003-04:00

for those of you who don't know yet, on tuesday the ohio supreme court upheld the decision of both the juvenile & court of appeals and reaffirmed the permanenty custody of the kids to children's services! in other words, parental rights are still terminated and the kids remain in our home as foster children. we have to bide our time as we wait to see if they will appeal to the u.s. supreme court, but once that deadline has passed, if they have not appealed, we can fasttrack the adoption once again. we are overjoyed by the ruling and are resting easy in the fact that we will all be able to move to texas together near the beginning of march, as a complete family.

more later...

quickie

2008-09-25T10:44:00.003-04:00

my darling hubby left yesterday morning for del rio, tx, where he will be having his orientation until monday. then they will leave for artesia, nm, and he'll be there until graduation on december 18. it's possible he will have to remain there an additional 8 weeks for spanish training, but that's not definite yet. his plane landed in san antonio around 4 pm, then he had to take a 4 hour bus ride from there to del rio.
we're all missing him & loving him & praying for him .... won't you do the same?

house

2008-09-16T14:13:00.002-04:00

check my facebook to see the house we've picked out in uvalde!

Update.

2008-09-10T17:59:00.002-04:00

A lot has happened in the last month for us ----
Kayla started school!
Jovie turned 6 mos old!
And most recently, as in THIS MORNING, Brian was given a firm offer of employment with the U.S. Border Patrol. He is leaving on or near September 25th for the Academy in Artesia, NM. He will (hopefully) graduate from there on December 18th. From there he will be assigned to and start at his post in Uvalde, TX. At this point we have no idea when the kids and I might be able to join him, because of the adoption situation. I spoke with the caseworker this morning, and she said that if Ohio Supreme Court rules in favor of the biological parents, the kids WILL be sent back, and CSB will reopen the case & try to have the children removed for some other reason -- in the meantime, she said they would be checking in on the kids once a week.

So needless to say .... I was horrified. She said if all of this happens (which she is SURE it won't, I say sarcastically), she would think it'd be 2-3 more years of waiting.

If that doesn't happen, and the court finds in favor of CSB, we'll hopefully be able to join Brian in TX as soon as we sign the papers (AGAIN).

It's a lot to take in --- my husband leaving for the next 2 1/2 months, and then to be separated again, for a very uncertain amount of time is heartbreaking. I know I can handle it, at least I hope I can, but I worry that it will be too difficult for the kids to handle. But we shall see. We covet anyone's prayers, and if you want to know more, just give me a call.

xoxo

2008-07-27T19:11:00.002-04:00

brian's interview for the border patrol is tomorrow --- they said to expect it to take 6 hours -- and then they are interviewing his boss & a coworker. this is all happening a lot faster than we thought - - they originially told us it would take 4 -6 months, and maybe it will, but we didn't think he'd be interviewed so quickly.
my grandmother is in the hospital right now with heart complications -- not sure what's going on yet. hopefully will know more tomorrow.
my mother in law's lumpectomy is on wednesday afternoon. at this point they are saying the surgery & 6 weeks of radiation, but they won't really know until after the surgery. she may have to have chemotherapy.
josh has an eeg scheduled for tuesday, and we have to get kayla set up for school -- we are most likely putting her in public school, hopefully in a half day kindergarten program, for this year. we really wanted to keep her in the ohva program, but it's very possible that she will still be in the foster care system next year (during 1st grade) and she would have to go to public school at that point. we really don't want her being overwhelmed with that and it seems like the best thing would be to get her somewhat familiar with the whole school thing this year.
okay, more later.
xoxo.

2008-07-19T19:26:00.003-04:00

so much has happened since my last post -- most importantly, my girl turned 6, and brian and i celebrated our 4th anniversary! also, my mother-in-law found out she has breast cancer and our good neighbors moved. right now my grandmother is in town from florida, and on monday brian is headed up to detroit to take a drug test and a physical agility test for the border patrol. lots of things are going on in our family and with our friends, and time is passing so quickly...
our sweet baby is getting so big -- she has such a wonderful personality and her hair is getting redder & curlier everyday. she is teething & is still sleeping peacefully through the night. i just can't believe how much i love her!

2008-06-24T17:00:00.003-04:00

my littlest baby will be 4 months old on saturday ... can you believe it!! time is flying by, and she is growing so much. my oldest baby will be 6 on the fourth of july ... she is getting so tall, and so smart, and is such a help with josh & jovie.

so...

2008-06-15T16:18:00.003-04:00

brian got a huge packet of forms to fill out from the u.s. border patrol, which he had to have filled out & returned within one week, including three sets of fingerprints, over 150 pages of documentation, and three sets of his college transcripts. so that was all sent out yesterday before he spent the day up at mis with his dad & brother. in the packet he received was a lot more information, including a workout regimen (the physical agility tests they have to take are insane), info on the 5 month training site (in artesia, nm), etc. it's supposed to take between 4-6 months to complete the background investigations and everything before they would decide to hire him. they usually hire 1 out of 30 people who undergo the selection process. then the training is 5 months long and after graduation, they assign you to your post - which can be anywhere along the mexican/u.s. border (and you are usually alone on duty). so we definitely need a lot of prayer. it would be very, very difficult for him to be away from us for so long, and it's a big deal to move so far away, and such a huge career change for him.
it's been a week of sadness, as we are mourning the death of my mother's best friend - a woman i've admired my whole life, and the death of another longtime family friend.
also a week of insanity, as it seems like josh has turned into the spawn of satan. no joke.
on the upside, we bought a 10'x 30" pool the other day and we're looking forward to playing around with the kids in it this summer. we're trying to get them into swimming lessons, but i don't think josh will go for it. kayla & jovie are already water bugs - kayla loves pools & swimming in the lake, and jovie adores taking showers. they are definitely their daddy's little girls!!
more later...

weekend update.

2008-05-31T15:32:00.004-04:00

so i haven't really posted in a while - not because nothing's going on, but because we're blissfully busy.
two weekends ago, kayla & brian ran the 4th annual dart frog dash at the toledo zoo - brian ran the 5k, and kayla ran the 1k (she finished in 6 minutes!), while i held the umbrella over josh & jovie. that same weekend, we had the pleasure of hanging out with my biggest brother, eric, who was in town - and he got in some good bonding time with the kids.
between then and now -- brian's had a tooth pulled; we spent time with my grandparents, uncle rick, cousin brent & his new-ish wife (not so new, but we hadn't met her yet), debbie, and she is sweet & wonderful & just what i thought she'd be (and they are expecting a sweet baby boy at the end of summer!!); did a 10k walk for the foster parent association; celebrated my mar's birthday; spent memorial day with aunt mimmy & uncle doctor b; visited with kd, which included another trip to the zoo; went to a few parks & spent a lot of time working on projects around the house.
today the kids and i are spending time with grammy while brian is with papa, and tomorrow i think we will be belatedly celebrating chris's birthday with him & dad & vicki, which will probably include a fudgy cake with chocolate sprinkles. yum.
we're also anticipating a letter in the mail for brian -- he recently found out that he's been tentatively selected for the position of border patrol agent with homeland security. he received that letter about two weeks ago and had to return some paperwork to them, and now we're just waiting to hear back. he's hoping the position will be in west texas (near el paso), but it could be any number of places -- i'm kind've rooting for san diego so we can be near family (brent & debbie), but really don't know yet what's going to happen. we're excited about the possibility of moving & a new position for brian, but are concerned about him having to leave before the adoption is finalized & me being here with all three of them & having to deal with selling the house, etc, by myself.

(and we are missing uncle doctor b & aunt mimmy, who are in philly, with the fraziers & the vendsels, and are hopefully having a wonderful time :o)

Cue the music

2008-05-18T20:09:00.004-04:00

In anticipation of the return of my hero in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I give you ....

Indiana Jovie!

2008-05-09T18:45:00.003-04:00

on sunday, my grandmother will celebrate her 80th birthday! happy birthday to the wisest, lovingest & best cookingest grannie in the whole world!!

2008-05-09T18:45:00.001-04:00

happy mother's day to all of the women who inspire me!

a few more...

2008-05-02T19:25:00.003-04:00

family pictures

2008-05-02T19:21:00.004-04:00

a few favorites from our photo session today...

day tripping

2008-04-24T11:03:00.003-04:00

tomorrow we are headed to indianapolis for a quick overnight visit with brian's mom & stepdad. they live in ok, but are in town on business and since they haven't met the little tyke yet, we figured we should hop on over there and let them have some grandparent bonding time. we'll be leaving after josh's afternoon dentist appointment and coming home saturday night, so we have time to prepare for the baptisms on sunday. busy weekend!
we enjoyed a trip from kd yesterday. she SAYS it was to visit all of us, but i know she just wanted to cuddle my sweet jovie :o) we went to dinner and spent some serious cash at gymboree!
more later...

good times.

2008-04-18T11:46:00.003-04:00

just enjoying quality time with the family today -- brian has the next few fridays off, so we're making them family fun days. today we're flying kites and having a picnic. we have been so fortunate to be able to spend so much time together -- i know plenty of families who barely see each other and i'm so glad we make family time a priority ... and that includes extended family.
we are most likely having all three children baptized next week, the 27th, and we are so excited! we wanted to wait until the adoption was finalized, but since we have no idea when that will be, we've decided to go ahead and have kayla & josh baptized at the same time as jovie. i think it will be a very memorable day for our family!

keeping in our prayers:
angie & her undiagnosed pain
elizabeth & her sickness
eric & kim
matt & alice on the birth of their son, cade
mindy & brandon for a fun time in g.r.
my sister in law tammy

teehee

2008-04-09T18:45:00.003-04:00

kids on easter

2008-04-09T18:32:00.002-04:00

jovie bryn -- my little chubbers!

2008-04-03T20:53:00.004-04:00

new baby.

2008-03-29T15:17:00.002-04:00

i forgot to mention our newest niece, niamh (NEEV) connemara, born march 20th to katie and jonathan! that makes baby number six for them!

update.

2008-03-29T12:07:00.003-04:00

just a little update for my few faithful readers...

jovie celebrated her one month birthday yesterday -- already! it's so hard to believe that she is that old already. she is such a sweet and content baby, very laid back -- much like her father! i keep saying she is sooo highly advanced - yesterday she laughed for the first time, and she's been holding her head up since day one. she follows you with her eyes and looks at you when you say her name. God knew i needed a good baby and i was definitely blessed with one. she's sick right now, and is suffering from some type of skin irritation on her face, but she is still so sweet & lovely. brian is so in love with her and i love watching them together. we are just really enjoying our little one.

it's been a bit difficult for the kids -- mainly josh -- to have jovie in the family now. he's been crying a lot more and having difficulty remembering the rules, but we're working through it. i keep praying that brian's patience will rub off on me when it comes to handling josh's outbursts & lack of wanting to potty train. ergh!

anyway, for the most part we are all happy and well! thanks for all of the cards and prayers everyone's been sending our way!

Jovie Bryn Stroll

2008-03-03T14:30:00.003-05:00

born February 28, 2008 @ 9:03 am, after 24 hours of labor, weighing 7 lbs, 4.5 oz and 21 inches long. we're loving her :o)

adoption and baby update

2008-02-26T12:40:00.003-05:00

Sary's big sister here, writing a little note at her request to update you on family news, happy and sad.

First, the sad. A unprecedented glitch in the legal system has resulted in the court vacating their recent adoption order. This means that the kids are now back in the foster system, though for the time being still in Sary's home; we are hopeful that after all the legal wrangling is over (which could be months), they'll be able to adopt them "again." As you can imagine, this is all extremely troubling for everyone, so please keep the whole family in your prayers.

The happy news is that Sary is being induced tomorrow (they're going this route because of concerns about her high BP), so we'll all be meeting Baby Girl very soon! Stay tuned for the exciting announcement, and maybe even a photo!

2008-02-13T19:12:00.003-05:00

The adoption was finalized on Monday! It was a very exciting day, and lots of friends and family were in attendance for our special occasion. Brandon took 337 photos, so maybe you'll see some of those showing up here sometime soon.
I'm 37 weeks and starting to have a lot of prelabor symptoms. I'm getting checked every week now - can't believe how fast time is moving right now. We started painting her room over the weekend (decided to move Josh in with Kayla) and now we have to fill it up with all of her new things.
Our little family is coming together. Crazy!

Hello!

2008-01-24T17:43:00.000-05:00

News:
My sister gave me a lovely baby shower last weekend, full of family (a surprise visit from my dear Grandma from FL) and friends (Rachel & Mike came from Philly!), delicious food, and generous gifts. I had a wonderful time and will hopefully post some pictures of it soon.
We found out today that the adoption finalization will be on February 11, at 2pm! We are so excited and overjoyed and grateful that it is farther away from my due date then we thought it would be. Unfortunately, my parents are flying back from Florida that day, so they won't be able to be there, but anyone who wants to attend the ceremony is more than welcome!!
I had my 34 week check up today and my little girl is very healthy, as am I. I have only gained 11 pounds and my blood pressure remains low, and I've had very little swelling in my legs and hands. My next check up is on Feb 7th, and then after that I start going every week, which is slightly scary and thrilling at the same time! This baby is coming soon and we must finish preparing for her arrival! It's my intention to have a drug-free delivery, but there is a good chance I will be induced, so I will be able to make sure my beloved doctor is there to deliver baby. I'm not opposed to induction medication, but it's my hope I can make it through labor and delivery without any pain medication. If I can't, it's okay, but I am going to try as long as I can to stay medication free.
We are doing our best to ready the house for her arrival --- there are still some things we need to get, like the carseat/stroller, changing table, etc, but I'm trying not to stress about anything! I know we'll get it all done.
More later,
xoxo.

Long time, no blogging

2007-12-29T11:32:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been updating - lots of things going on, but little time for blogging.

First of all, we're signing the adoption agreements for Kayla & Josh on January 2, and then will hopefully finalize in court by the end of January (we're keeping our fingers crossed). It seems like it's been a long time coming - they've been with us for what, 10 months now? Crazy.

Kayla is learning to read and Josh has been in the ER, at an allergy specialist and learning to use the toilet.

I'm at 30 weeks now and I can hardly believe it. I have gained only 9 pounds so far, but my doctor isn't worried -- and if you look at me, you'd think I've gained more! Our baby girl is healthy and growing and we are so excited to meet her. It's hard to believe that I basically only have about 10 weeks to go. This pregnancy has gone by so fast! I have been feeling pretty good; although last week my Braxton-Hicks started and they were coming about 10-12 in an hour ---- not normal! At the urging of my mom and sister, I took it (mostly) easy over the weekend and was fine by Christmas day.

Speaking of Christmas, we had a wonderful time this year, being with the kids and watching them open their gifts. As usual, we were at my grandparent's house on Christmas Eve and ate too much food and opened many generous gifts. Then Christmas morning we woke the kids up and opened gifts with them -- Brian was feeling quite generous and got me everything he knew I'd been wanting -- Nars blush, Smashbox lip gloss, Nigella's new book, new sneakers, Sprinkles cupcake mix, etc, etc. He recieved a new leather jacket, new sneakers (yeah, we got matching ones!), some Hugo Boss fragrance, and new stocking caps (he wears a different one everyday). His dad gave us the very unexpected -- a set of new tires for our Durango. We'd been planning on buying a new set before the new year and they decided to splurge a little and get them for us. We also received enough gift cards that we're searching for a digital camera -- we've got to have one before baby girl comes!

Hope the new year finds everyone happy and healthy!

xoxo.

thanksgiving quickie.

2007-11-22T19:50:00.000-05:00

just to let everyone know ---

we got a call this morning from our caseworker -- she was calling from home to let us know that she found out last night that the court decided to uphold the permanent custody judgement and we can go ahead with tbe adoption! on monday we will be hearing from the adoption assessor to set a date for the presentation; then we only have to negotiate subsidies and get our court date. probate court is usually very busy, but it's possible we can wrap this up by the end of the year!! how great would that be!
anyway, i wanted to let everyone know our wonderful thanksgiving news. hope everyone had a great day celebrating with family and friends!!

xoxo.

2007-11-13T20:01:00.000-05:00

Quick update:
What I thought was going to be Josh's eval last week was actually a consult - they told me on the phone that the evaluation would take 2 hours, and we had a 30 minute consultation with a counselor. The meeting went well, but unfortunately we don't have nearly the information they wanted on the birth parents, so there are a lot of blanks on his profile. He's scheduled to see the doctor for the evaluation on January 28th. I tend to think now, after doing some research on my own and talking to other people, that what I thought was signs of autism in Josh are just symptoms of his brain injury. The counselor agreed that probably is the case, but the doctor he will be seeing not only handles children with autism and Asberger's, but children that have had traumatic brain injuries -- so hopefully he'll be able to give me ideas on how I could be teaching Josh differently.
The caseworkers were over today and unfortunately, we have no news on the adoption finalization. They kept telling us we would be able to finalize by the end of the year, but now it's looking like it probably won't be before the baby is born and in fact it could be up to another full year. Obviously not what we wanted to hear, but apparently some people haven't been filing briefs on time, or showing up to court on time and things are just being pushed back further and further. It's been very difficult waiting & waiting, and we're into our 8th month with the kids. As difficult as it is, tonight I was so full of gratitude for the time we've had with them, and for our new baby, and for everything that God has done for us this year, I broke down and cried. We keep telling Kayla that she is in her forever home and how much we love her and how we will always be her parents, and we just hope that we're telling the truth.
Josh turned 3 on Saturday, and we had a party on Sunday night, with family and pizza and cake and ice cream. He ate so much that he ended up getting sick and ending the party, but I think overall everyone had a good time!
We've been repainting the living room, and next up is the hallway & dining room -- not something we really planned on doing, but I got the urge (part of this whole pregnancy nesting thing, I think) and so Brian started painting. It's looking gorgeous, though, so I'm glad we're doing it!
Can't believe next week is Thanksgiving -- we're looking forward to family time, seeing the Vendsels & our family from VA.

It's a ...

2007-10-30T19:31:00.001-04:00

girl!

always so much...

2007-10-24T15:23:00.001-04:00

so we are leaving next week for a quick trip to oklahoma to see the family before the baby comes. we're leaving the 1st and probably coming home the 5th. a very long drive for a short trip with two kids, but there will be three adults (brian's dad is also coming), so hopefully we'll be able to handle it.
josh's autism eval is scheduled for november 8th, and now he also has to see an allergist on december 4th, because he has been having really bad reactions to (we think) a certain type of dye. poor little guy has been and will be going through a lot, i think. he had a small seizure on saturday morning (urgh).
on a good note, our caseworker told us today that hopefully we will know something by november 9th on whether or not we will be able to finalize by the end of the year. we have been waiting on an appeal filed by the birth parents and hopefully it will all be over soon, so we can relax and enjoy our holidays without having that nagging feeling in the back of our minds.

whoa.

2007-10-21T19:59:00.000-04:00

just had to say how much baby has been moving lately. it's so different from how it used to be -- before, just a flutter here or there, now i can feel kicks and the occasional rolling over. it's like... there's ... something... alive in there :o)

18 weeks.

2007-10-02T20:31:00.001-04:00

Quick update.

2007-10-02T19:59:00.001-04:00

Kayla has started ballet and, so far, is loving every minute of it. While not exactly the most graceful person, she is leggy and energetic and has a wonderful teacher who is very encouraging.
She should have started her school last week, but we're having problems setting up our DSL, so until that happens, her normal school is on hold, but we're still doing the regular work that we did throughout the Summer (math, phonics, etc).
Both of the kids saw their pediatrician yesterday and are growing like crazy -- Kayla is in the 90th percentile for height! I can barely keep in her pants that are long enough. Josh is also doing very well; however, I mentioned some concerns to the Doctor and he wants to have Josh evaluated for autism -- which is something we've suspected for a while. More than likely it is very mild, but no mother wants to hear that her child is autistic. At least we'll know one way or the other.
I had my 18 week appointment today -- things are going very well on the baby front! I gained back the 2 lbs I lost last month (from morning sickness), so even though I'm definitely wearing maternity clothes, I'm still at my pre-pregnancy weight. My next appointment is October 30th -- also my dad's birthday -- and I will finally have my first ultrasound and perhaps we'll have our question answered -- boy or girl? My only hope is that if it's a boy, then my sister will have another girl, because I have tons of girl baby stuff. (Summer clearance - who can resist a $1 babyGap dress?)
Brian's had some back problems lately and is now having spinal decompression three times a week in physical therapy. He was off work for a few days after installing a new porch rail and went downhill from there. Thankfully he still had some vacation time left (no sick time!), so we didn't have to lose any pay. The bad part is that we have to pay $60 a week in copays for physical therapy. Oh well, at least he's feeling much better!
Love to all!

2007-09-08T13:59:00.001-04:00

My appointment went very well on Tuesday -- while at my last visit, it took my doctor a while to find the heartbeat, but this time as soon as she put the Doppler to my belly, we heard it -- woosh, woosh, woosh. I love that sound so much and I wished she would have just held it there for the rest of the visit. Anyways, I'm measuring properly and she said everything seems hunky-dory. Brian seems to think there are two babies -- mostly it is wishful thinking and the fact that multiples run rampant on his side of the family (and I was in twin in the womb for a while). I asked her about multiples & she said that she wouldn't put it past me, given all of our circumstances, but we probably wouldn't know for a while, maybe another month or two (when we have our first ultrasound). My guess is just one little baby, and that's good enough for me!! (Oh, and it turns out that Katie & I are due the same week! Weird, huh!)
Yesterday Grandma, Mar, Mindy and I had tea in the solarium at the Manor House @ Wildwood Park and it was so nice. We had little sandwiches and decadent desserts and listened to the pianist. Unfortunately, this was the last tea until next Spring, but we have something to look forward to for next year.
I have totally blanked out on what else I was going to post, so I'll close for now.
xoxo

14 weeks

2007-09-02T19:34:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, Mindy is going with me to my 14 week appointment. Things have been progressing very well -- I'm no longer experiencing any morning sickness and I've only been uncomfortable in the evenings. I'm surprised at how much I'm showing at this point; I know it's different for everyone, but I'm showing a lot more than I thought I would. After Tuesday, hopefully I'll have more to report on baby.
After a few months of going back & forth, Kayla's been enrolled in an online charter school. Since she's only in kindergarten, most of her work will be completed on paper and then her scores will be entered online. We had to compromise with children's services on this - they wanted her enrolled anywhere; just somewhere. Daycare 1 day a week would have been at least $100/wk and the local kindergarten is a full 5 day a week program --- waaaay too much for her (and me). I think it's a good compromise -- she will still be at home with me, the curriculum is very basic & I can supplement with anything I want, and it will help give me some schooling structure for this first year.
We've been working on a ton of projects at home and still have a list of 30 or so to go before the end of Fall. I want everything done by at least the first of December so I can relax the last few months of my pregnancy.
Anyway, more updates later -- hopefully soon I will get a belly shot up here :o)
Love to all.

Unexpected.

2007-08-13T17:47:00.001-04:00

We have so much to be thankful for lately --- God's provision, how far Kayla & Josh have come, visits from family, my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary ---- and a baby!
Brian and I found out on July 11th that I am expecting our first biological child. We are overjoyed at this most unexpected gift God has given to us. While we have been praying for a biological child, we decided that Kayla & Josh were enough for our family and were happy with that and had not been continuing any type of fertility treatment, which makes this all the more unexpected. I am 11 weeks along and last week we were able to hear the heartbeat. What an emotional moment!! We are so, so incredibly thrilled and while my morning sickness has been less than pleasant, I really don't mind it so much. Brian has really been taking care of me, the kids and the house while working his full-time & side jobs. Kayla is so excited to be a big sister again and swears the baby is a girl (I think so, too). Mostly I think she just wants a girl to share her room!
Please pray for us as we continue through these next months. My due date is March 6th, and I'm guessing I still have a few weeks to go through this sickness.
Other things to be thankful for --- my sister Katie found out two days after me that she is pregnant also, and we are the very new owners (just today) of a 2002 Dodge Durango R/T and we LOVE it. We got rid of the Camaro!

more updates!!

2007-07-26T17:46:00.001-04:00

sorry this blog has been so boring and quiet as of late. it's so hard for me to take the time to update when i'm at my parents house -- usually i'm hanging out with mindy or trying to wrangle the kids together. anyways, we've had a lot of stuff going on in the last month --- an ex-stepfather of brian's passed away in oklahoma -- this was his stepfather from ages 5-16. brian traveled to missouri to pick up his two sisters and continued on to lawton for the funeral -- it took him about five days and we missed him so much. the next weekend brian took kayla up to michigan for a camping trip with some friends of ours --- i was feeling under the weather, so josh stayed home with me. we've loved having aunt mindy and uncle brandon around this summer -- we've had so much fun with them. mindy and i have been trying to get together at least once a week to go to lunch, while mar graciously watches the kids.
we had a little fiasco on tuesday with my car and ended up having to replace the thermostat, with me missing a dr's appointment. oh well!!!
things are staying busy at home, with trying to teach kayla to read. she is doing very well with her letters, but i think i may have to start sight-reading with her. she is also learning basic math and has really grasped that.
josh is doing SO well in his speech therapy. we are so pleased at his progress. every day he is saying more and more. lately he's into telling the dogs what to do "stop it, zane!" and saying "thank you."
will update more later when i have the time! there are a lot of birthdays this month, and next as well -- and the daugherty kids are coming on monday for 10 days!

hey y'all

2007-07-04T19:04:00.001-04:00

just a very quick update ------ the kids and i are enjoying our time together --- it's really been wonderful. some busy days, some lounging days. today we're celebrating the fourth of july & kayla's birthday with a party at grandma & grandpa stroll's house and dinner with aunt mimmy & doctor uncle brandon. tomorrow aunt mimmy is throwing kayla & her cousins a flower-fairy themed party. uncle bran will be taking photos so i will put some up here when i get the chance.
we're also enjoying a visit from uncle frankie, bayleigh & joey for a few days. it's always so nice to see them. tomorrow they're taking brian to cedar point with them while i help out with the party.
mar is in montana with wendy, so we're missing her (thanks for the birthday voicemail, mar!), but we're keeping things busy with reading and going to the park. some days we just sit outside and eat popsicles all day. grandma betty is coming next week and then soon, all of the daugherty kids will be here for 10 days. the kids will be in heaven!!
josh has had a few mild "near seizures" - 3 in the last two days. it's very worrisome and i was a wreck last night about it. it breaks my heart every time i see him suffer like that.
sorry for the jumbled post --- i am supposed to be helping with supper! will update more later. much love to all!! xoxo

Hello, friendlies!

2007-06-14T13:45:00.000-04:00

Only one more day of work here at the office ---- I have to say that I am really going to miss this place. The people, the work (or sometimes lack thereof). I am very excited to be staying at home with my babies, though. I am trying not to get ahead of myself and planning too many things right away --- we need some home time! We are going to the zoo on Monday, and have the regular weekly appointments (Josh's speech therapy, etc), but other than that, I think we are going to keep things low-key for a while.
Last Saturday my brother and his wife threw a fabulous "Welcome to the family!" party for the kids. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, and, of course, wonderful family. The girls dressed up in princess dresses and twirled around the yard and we ate and opened the very thoughtful gifts people had brought the kids. Brandon took some really great photos that I hope will soon be hanging in our home -- like this one here -- Kayla (holding Blackie the kitten) and her new cousin Elizabeth.
I'll probably be away from this place for a while (unless I'm at my Mar's) while we're in transition mode. I plan on spending a lot of time at the library with the kids, but I don't know how easy it will be for me to use a computer there while I keep an eye on the kids! At any rate, I'll be around here and there and will update when I can!!
xoxoxox, happy Thursday everyone!

2007-06-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

So the big decision that I referred to in my last post is: I've given my boss two weeks notice in order to stay home full-time with the kids. My last day is the 15th!
A very big decision for us, since we have always been a two-income household & still have mounds of debt to pay. But we both believe this is the right thing to do -- for me to be able to be home with our children, especially right now, playing with them & reading with them. We have to scale things way back, and sell a few things (namely Brian's car!!), but we're convinced that God will bless this decision and will continue to provide for us. I am still very interested in working from home, but what I would like to do will take a lot of time/money/effort.
There were a lot of factors in this decision, and I struggled with it for a while, but I'm happy! Scared, but happy.
Requesting prayers for: lots of patience for me & for the kids and financial wisdom.

2007-05-29T16:24:00.001-04:00

We had a very fun, very short trip to Philly & a busy Memorial weekend! Wednesday was spent in the car, the dinner, then crashing at our hotel; Thursday was Brandon's graduation & fabulous party at the Fraziers; Friday was the Philly Zoo & celebrating Mar's birthday (and holding Joshy after another seizure that night); Saturday was spent driving; Sunday was spent at church and having breakfast with Brian's folks & celebrating his brother's birthday that night over dinner; Monday we made a quick trip to Jackson so the kids could meet their Aunt KD & then had their former foster parents over in the evening after supper.
See? Busy!
We're in the process of making some big decisions for our family, so prayer is definitely needed. When I know more, and when decisions have been reached, I'll be posting.
In the meantime, I'm off to pick up the kids to see Wendy before she flies back to MT! Happy Tuesday!

2007-05-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

May is always a busy month, but this year it seems like it's busier than usual! ---- Congratulations go to Brandon (our favorite Ph.D!), Bobby (on his M.Div), my cousin Erin & her fiance Mike who are getting married this weekend in Savannah, to Myrna & her fiance who are getting married this weekend in NC, and best wishes to Adam & Angie on their anniversary (today!), to Brian's granny on her birthday (today!), to my Mar on her birthday (Friday) and to Brian's little brother Chris on his birthday (Sunday).
We leave tomorrow morning to celebrate with Brandon in Philly for the weekend! Hooray!

2007-05-16T14:45:00.000-04:00

My first horrifying experience as a mother happened on Monday night, as I watched Joshua turn purple and have a seizure on Kayla's bedroom floor. It lasted maybe 20 seconds, but seemed an eternity. As soon as it stopped and he went limp, I scooped him in my arms and ran for Brian. He took Josh to the ER right away, and as soon as Mar came to stay with Kayla I left to meet him there. We spent 4 hours there with our little boy, who was exhausted and was poked & prodded. After instructions to increase his medication, we arrived home after midnight and I spent yesterday on the phone with his neurologist's office, trying to get him an appointment.
The last seizure he had was either in September or October -- supposedly it happened because they were trying to wean him off his medication. He has been at the same level since then, and my guess is the seizure happened because he is growing and the medication had not been increased. That's my hope, anyway.
He seems to be acting normally, and will see his neurologist on Friday afternoon. I don't know what they will do -- maybe some tests, who knows. All I know is that Monday night was very scary and I hope it doesn't happen again for a very long time.

a late Mother's Day.

2007-05-16T14:23:00.000-04:00

As I celebrated my first Mother's Day this past Sunday, and even now, as I sit at my desk and look at photos of the beautiful children God has entrusted to me, I think of all the women I know who struggle(d) with infertility and decisions to embrace a different life God has planned for them. I pray for these women, for comfort, peace and joy in the life God has given them, and for hope.
Infertility is still very much a part of my daily life, even with Kayla and Josh around. I still long to have a child that is mine; that will grow in my womb, to experience pregnancy, to hear a newborn cry. Everytime I hear of someone I know being pregnant, somehow it always seems I lose a little bit more hope. And so I pray for patience and hope for me, too. And while I may never hold a baby in my arms that will have Rice eyes and the curly Stroll hair, I am so, so grateful for my children, to have become the mother of Kayla Cadence and Joshua Samuel Quinn. We may not share DNA, but I couldn't love them more, even if I had given birth to them.

To My Mom, and to her Mom -- you both are inspiring Mothers & I love you!

Well worth the wait....

2007-05-08T09:53:00.001-04:00

Congratulations, Dr. Withrow!!

boo.

2007-05-04T09:20:00.001-04:00

They're ending it.

2007-04-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

I took the kids to their pediatrician on Monday for their 30 day well child check. He has been their doctor since birth, so it was good to talk with him -- mostly because we barely knew anything about their previous medical history. He gave me the scoop on Josh's shunt -- of course he isn't a neurologist, but he does keep in close contact with the neurologist on Josh's situation -- anyway -- when the shunt was put in (when Josh was 4 months old), they coil up enough tubing that hopefully they'll never have to go back in, and as he gets bigger and taller, it will uncoil itself. And he also said that he's never before had a patient with a shunt that had it taken out. So I feel much better about the whole thing -- I still want to talk to Dr. Nagel, but that will have to wait until July (!).

Tonight we have a class on Seizures and Neurological Disorders from 6-9 and tomorrow Mom & Harold arrive from Lawton, Oklahoma to stay through Monday afternoon. It's all crazy/busy around our house right now.

Favorite time of day:
Cuddling with my little boy before bedtime.

guest menu.

2007-04-20T09:47:00.000-04:00

friday:

jambalaya
grandma's salad
this cake

saturday:

ina's spaghetti & meatballs
either leftover cake or carrot cupcakes

sunday:
apricot pork
smashed potatoes
roasted asparagus

Lemon Fusili with Arugula

2007-04-20T09:41:00.000-04:00

I'll be making this dish over the weekend, or next weekend for our company. Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa!

Lemon Fusili w/ Arugula

1 tb. olive oil
1 tb. minced garlic (approx. 2 cloves)
2 c. heavy cream
3 lemons
salt & pepper
1 lb. fusili
1/2 lb. baby arugula
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint halved cherry tomatoes

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 60 seconds, then add the cream, zest & juice of two lemons, 2 tsp. salt & 1 tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Boil pasta until al dente (approx. 12 minutes). Drain pasta and return to pot. Add cream mixture and cook over med-low heat for 3 minutes, until pasta has absorbed sauce. Pour pasta into serving bowl and add arugula, Parmesan and tomatoes. Slice the last lemon and add to pasta. Toss well, serve hot.

Note: I'm going to serve mine with grilled chicken, seasoned with salt & pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

2007-04-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

there is nothing better than sending something off to a beloved sister in hopes of giving her a brighter day ...

... except for receiving a package in the mail from that same sister!

thanks for the little book, min -- it made my day a little brighter!

2 years and counting...

2007-04-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

My blog recently celebrated it's 2nd birthday. Honestly, it's probably not a big deal to most, but I've rarely stuck with anything for that long, so it is to me!
Apologies for the sporadic posting --- we're still trying to get the lay of the land over at the Stroll home and when I get to work (the only place I post), I just try to get my work done & research that I've been *meaning* to do. The next 6 weeks or so are going to be crazy for us (like for most people finishing out the school year, preparing for Summer, etc) -- we have 24 hrs of training we have just been scheduled for, doctor's appointments, speech therapy appointments, we're hosting B's mom & stepdad for 4 days (next week), and a trip to Philly for Bran's graduation. We're also trying to tie up a few loose ends with some things, and we are in (aren't we always?? yes, but I have to say this might be the worst!) a serious, serious financial crunch.
Mostly I've been reading the Virginia Tech news online, or listening on the radio, trying to make sense of senseless deaths. It's hard to know what to pray for, except comfort for families and peace for victims.

stacks.

2007-04-12T11:46:00.000-04:00

i have stacks all around my house.

a stack of diapers.

a stack of clean laundry, waiting to be put away.

a stack of clean dishes, waiting to be put away.

a stack of dirty dishes, waiting to be washed.

a stack of books i haven't yet read.

a stack of paperwork i haven't the slightest clue how to sort.

stacks of bills i haven't figured out how to pay.

won't the stacking ever end?

Daddy's little girl & Mommy's little boy

2007-04-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

2007-04-05T14:15:00.000-04:00

have a blessed Easter, everyone -- full of family & friends and thinking of God's love & grace.

xoxo

back at work for the day

2007-04-03T10:20:00.000-04:00

hey y'all ....

the kids moved in for good on friday night! what a long weekend it was. some times were easy, some were not. there were a few meltdowns (some from them, some from me), and a new molar for joshy, but we're working through it all. i am only working two days this week (tues & thurs), so the kids and i will have extra time for play and bonding.

yesterday they saw where their new daddy works and then we saw where they will be going to school (wednesdays and thursdays --- grandma will be taking care of them on tuesdays and fridays, and i am going to have mondays off). if anybody in the area needs a learning center for kids, check out the gathering place (in perrysburg). it's amazing. they use scripture based cirriculum, teach spanish and sign language and implement a lot of music into their learning.

lots of work to do, but just wanted to briefly update that we're alive and well!

Josh

2007-03-29T14:14:00.000-04:00

hey y'all.

2007-03-27T12:21:00.000-04:00

thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes my way --- we had a great weekend!

as soon as i get the camera cord, i'll upload some photos of the kids -- probably tomorrow night.

keep us (specifically me) in your prayers ... i had a meltdown on sunday night and while i'm feeling better, i am still very overwhelmed. there are a lot of things i'm not sure about, mostly what seem to be selfish things. for example, not having the alone time that brian & i are used to, feeling like i should never want to try to have a biological child (which is a big thing for me since i'm currently taking medication to help with that & i don't want to feel that the last few months of medication have been for nothing), not being able to just pick up and go whenever we want (which is rare, anyway), and so many more things. it's a big adjustment, not just for the kids, but for us. a lot of my concerns have been validated by loving, supportive people, but i am still feeling very stressed -- i think especially because they are moving in so soon (friday), and i have not had time to work through all of my issues.

happy 24th birthday to me.

2007-03-23T14:43:00.000-04:00

tomorrow i'll be waking up and having coffee & egg souffles with my sweetie, then spending the rest of the day with our kids, maybe at the zoo, maybe at the park, maybe at home. most definitely eating cupcakes.

(happy 35th anniversary to my darling parents, on sunday!)

yesterday.

2007-03-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

yesterday, my husband and i walked into a strange home to visit our children whom we'd never met before. i was greeted with an exuberant "hi, mommy!" and a bear hug from a tiny child. little hands cupped my face, ran their fingers through my hair and patted my arms, my shoulders, as though she thought i were unreal.
i watched my husband play with his new son who was sick, putting a silly hat on his head, making noises, to get him to laugh. i watched him scoot cars across the floor and play horsey.
these new little people in our lives already make us want to be better people. isn't it funny how people so small bring out the absolute best in us?

yesterday was a good day.

we like to play.

2007-03-19T15:23:00.000-04:00

brian found this at meijer over the weekend for $100 -- it regularly retails for $379.99. look how fun!

family.

2007-03-19T15:16:00.000-04:00

This is my brother in law, Frank, and two of his kids, Bayleigh (who is as sweet as she looks), and Joey, who turned two this past Saturday. I miss these kids so much!! (And Frankie, too!)

eek.

2007-03-16T16:54:00.000-04:00

we are seeing the kids on TUESDAY!

happy friday!

2007-03-16T14:44:00.000-04:00

the b and i are going to spend most of the weekend painting (except for when he's working) -- we have josh's room to paint, and 2 dressers. we're taking this color combo --and tweaking it a bit. the blue for walls & ceiling, the same white for trim & clouds, and substituting the taupe for chocolate brown for the dresser & shelves. the tree will be either the white or chocolate brown. mar & dad got us the bird wall cards (so cute!) from our land of nod registry and we're going to hang those somehow on the wall, or attach them to a cornice for the windows. not sure yet about that. anyway, should be a busy weekend!
have fun!
xoxo

pop ink.

2007-03-13T15:55:00.000-04:00

i love these plates over at pop ink -- i think they'd be perfect for the kids -- durable melamine in an adorable pattern!

2007-03-13T12:22:00.000-04:00

brian and i both have what we think is food poisoning. (i think we are finally done with taco bell) it's horrible. much better than yesterday, but still not great. we're just thankful that it happened after our respite weekend was over.
our time with the kids was nice, but honestly, 3 kids is too much for us right now. it was easier with 2. we had fun, but we were exhausted by the end of sunday!

we've decided to proceed with the adoption of kayla & joshy. it will take some time --- since the biological parents filed an appeal, we have to wait for the court's answer on that. we're 99.9% sure that it will be rejected, because of all the problems the parents had/have. once the appeal is rejected, the biological parents have two choices - file a motion with the supreme court or leave it alone. we were told they would most likely do the latter. in that case, all we have to do is sign adoptive agreement papers and then once the kids have been in our home for 6 mos, we can go to the family court and sign the adoptive papers.

crazy. we're terrified, worried, but so excited and we know God certainly has a plan for us. i spoke with their foster mom yesterday and heard josh in the background and i thought to myself, "that's my future son!!" hopefully we can get things rolling and will be able to start pre-placement visits really soon.

i spoke with my sister in law on saturday night and she helped calm my fears and got me even more excited ... we talked about homeschooling stuff, going to the zoo together with our kids, etc. she's a wonderful, organized mother of 4 and i'm glad she's here to lend support!!

mama said there'd be days like this.

2007-03-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

yesterday, my sweet baby niece went home after a 6 day stay in the hospital after her open heart surgery.
in two days we may be making the decision to become parents.
in three days we will be playing parents to a 4 1/2 yr old, a 3 1/2 yr old and a 2 yr old for 48 hours.
in seventeen days i'll turn 24.
in eighteen days my parents will celebrate 35 years of marriage.

highlight of my week

2007-02-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

hearing my 21-month-old niece say, after much coercion ("soph, say you're a tiny bucket ... soooophieeee... say you're a tiny bucket!!") , in the smallest, sweetest voice ---

"i a tiny buckit."

meeting

2007-02-27T12:53:00.000-05:00

Our presentation meeting was rescheduled for Thursday, March 8th at 1:30pm. If anyone can think of any good questions for us to ask, let me know. I've got a few pages filled, but we're looking for more!

Aoife

2007-02-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

Today was Aoife's open heart surgery! She went in at 6:30 this morning and I've just recently received word that the surgery is over and her doctor is very pleased with the result! I'll update as I know more, but thanks to everyone for their continued prayers.

paint.

2007-02-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

Hopefully I'll be spending the majority of this weekend painting. I am going to attempt something similar to this on the wall in our smallest bedroom. We had wanted to stay with a piratey theme in that room, but nothing was working out very well, plus I hate matchy-matchy stuff, and I was afraid it would end up going in that direction. I'm going for the tree on the wall simply because the room is small, and I want things on the walls, but don't want it to feel crowded. This is my way of filling a wall without the bulk.
Basically the room will have a vintage/mod feel. I am pulling together fabrics for a simple brick pattern quilt and keeping my eyes out for the perfect mix of old and new.

2 things.

2007-02-23T10:29:00.000-05:00

1. Pray for my best friend KD's sister, Bekki. She's having a lot of health problems & the doctors aren't quite sure what's going on yet, but she's scheduled for a PET scan today.
2. We're yet again frustrated with the county -- our presentation meeting for next Thursday was canceled and we haven't been given a new date. Urgh.

weekend

2007-02-21T10:09:00.000-05:00

to sum up, the concert was incredible. you know how some people suck live? yeah, josh groban totally didn't. he was amazing and our seats were amazing. we had a fabulous time, even though, yes, brian is STILL sick and we spent most of our long weekend on the couch or at the doctor's office. (brian's uvula was swollen 4 times its normal size and he couldn't breathe, plus he kept coughing up blood. BLOOD, people!)

2007-02-16T16:06:00.000-05:00

have a wonderful weekend, lovelies! i sure will! i'll be back on tuesday with concert details.

registry.

2007-02-16T09:55:00.000-05:00

brian & i have set up two registries for kid's stuff @ amazon & the land of nod -- mostly books, a few cds and some toys. a few people have asked if we needed some things, so we decided to just set up some links.

full of love.

2007-02-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

spent st. valentine's day more in love with my hubby & our cosy home (in which we were snowbound!). we spent the day in the kitchen -- cupcakes (yellow batter recipe from here -- with almond extract rather than vanilla -- and vanilla buttercream recipe from here) with pale pink froth on top, tenderloin steaks wrapped with bacon, with crispy deep-fried onion straws on top, a double potato mash & sauteed sugar snap peas on the side. we curled up on the couch with our babies & ate in front of american idol (one of two reality shows we can stand - the other is project runway).

bliss.

2007-02-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Our meeting with our new general caseworker last night went really well --- she is very nice, logical, and knowledgeable. She was with us for about 1 1/2 hrs and we went over a lot of things. She recommended some parenting books to us & said she would check in with the adoption assessor for us (our adoption presentation meeting is scheduled for March 1st @ 1 pm) to get us things like photos, more information, etc. We learned a few things, such as if we sign an adoption agreement right away (which is what will happen if the biological family's appeal is overturned), we would be responsible for daycare costs (which is something we aren't 100% about yet) instead of it being covered by Medicaid (which is how it normally works with fostering). All in all, a good meeting, more things to think about, more papers to read.

Brian is sick with a really bad cold, so he's home today. He's supposed to work at Meijer all weekend while I do our respite care, but I don't know if he'll be able to work or not. Poor fella.

2007-02-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

We met three wonderful children last weekend that we will be doing respite care for this coming Saturday & Sunday. Very lively, sweet & playful. They've been through a lot in their short lives and are being cared for & loved by a great lady - their "Gamma Jo." We spent about 2 hours with them on Sunday and they latched on to us very quickly -- especially the youngest. Last month their case worker & the county decided to stop the reunification process with their biological mother, as she couldn't follow the case plan, and are filing for permanent custody. Their current foster mother is unable to adopt them & she told us before we parted ways on Sunday that she was hoping we would be able to take them. What a heartbreaking thing for us -- had we not been approved for Kayla & Joshua (we are still waiting to hear word on a possible presentation meeting for them), it would have been very easy to say yes. Anyways, we will be taking care of them this weekend, and in the meantime we are praying that a wonderful family will step up & want these beautiful kids.

Aoife went to the cardiologist on Monday and the doctor is pleased with her weight gain. They still have not scheduled her open heart surgery, but they estimate she will be in the hospital for about two weeks or so.

Check out the March issue of Romantic Homes -- it has a lovely 10-page spread of Alicia Paulson's (of Posie Gets Cozy) gorgeous Portland, OR home.

2007-02-02T15:27:00.000-05:00

This is for Joshua's room. It reminds me of the Lost Boys.

Mar & I were talking this afternoon about sundresses & smocking & pinafores for Kayla.

I am getting excited about the little things -- the fun, added bonuses of bringing these children home -- but I think I will be terrified when the actual day arrives!

I'm a little upset that we have not been contacted yet with a date for our adoption presentation meeting. I'm also a little upset that we have not been contacted by the foster mom about the kids we're supposed to be doing respite care for next weekend. Grr.

We're having 5 people for supper tomorrow -- but I only have to make a salad! Kelly & Craig are bringing steaks & potatoes, and Dawn, Dean & Britty are bringing dessert. Scrumpy!

I heard we are getting a Sephora. O, happy day! I will probably have to get a job there, since I will be there all the time anyway.

Random.

2007-02-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, Thai chicken pizza is awesome. Here's my adapted Rachael Ray recipe:

Preheat oven to 425. Marinate a couple of chicken cutlets in about 1 tb. peanut butter, couple shakes of soy sauce & hot sauce and throw in some grill seasoning. Let sit for 10 minutes. Unroll Pillsbury pizza crust into some type of pan (I used a cookie sheet with sides). Spread crust with duck (or plum) sauce. Sprinkle over shredded provolone or monterey jack cheese. Top with thinly sliced red or yellow peppers & crushed red pepper flakes. Bake for 15 minutes. While pizza is in oven, grill marinated chicken for a couple of minutes on each side. Thinly slice on the diagonal. Take pizza out of oven and top with chicken. Throw on some spring onions, bean sprouts or some type of crunchy green veggie. Scrumptious!
(Sweet & sour sauce would probably be good too -- and really, any veggies work with this!)

Tonight I am making French onion soup.

Brian's truck STILL isn't working and he's been having to drive the Camaro in the slippery snow. Camaro's are NOT good on snow.

I bought a few little girlie shirts the other day. Oh my word. The pink. The ruffles. The embroidery. The butterflies.

Tonight we're going to work in the bedrooms and the basement. We're turning part of the basement into a play area. So we somehow have to get rid of, like, 30 years worth of spider webs.

My city sister is becoming a bird-watcher. I love that.

We rented The Illusionist on Sunday night. Loved it. But who doesn't love Ed Norton.

I have an orange to eat & a bit o' work to do. Thus ends the randomness for now.

Any ideas?

2007-01-31T12:02:00.000-05:00

We're doing a pirate/Peter Pan theme in Joshua's room (seems weird to say that) ---- anyone have any decorating ideas?

Kayla & Joshua

2007-01-30T09:01:00.000-05:00

We don't know too much information --- except that yesterday we were chosen as the "top family" for Kayla (4) and Joshua (3)! Needless to say, we're very excited and we have a call in to the adoption assessor to find out what exactly is the next step for us. We know there will be a big meeting, with everyone involved present, and then we have to take 24 hrs after all the information is given to us to think about it and make our final decision.

So, siblings -- you will have a new niece and nephew to dote upon!

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." Julia Child

2007-01-29T10:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the perfect day to stay in and create. It was snowy, and grey, and I had nowhere to be, so I decided to play in my kitchen.
First, a loaf of beer bread. Delish with Stonewall Kitchen's Strawberry and Brandied Apricot Jam. Then, another batch of Pumpkin-Cranberry Muffins (recipe courtesy of happythings, a new-blog obsession) - these are seriously ToDieFor. After that, I roasted some chicken (a staple in our home) with some olive oil and wonderfully sweet carrots. For supper I made Ina's Spaghetti & Meatballs. Probably the best recipe ever for this beloved dish, and easy. I left out the veal and just used ground sirloin & ground pork, but it was so tasty. The sauce - my word, easy peasy. Diced onions, garlic, red wine (though I used beef stock - no red wine in the house), a can of crushed tomatoes & fresh parsley. The only thing that could have made it better would be crushed red pepper flakes, which I will add next time. I have to say that this is probably one of the most beautiful dishes to make, as well. Twirled pasta, caramelized meatballs and the sauce it all of its rubied glory, with bits of parmesan & parsley scattered all over the top. Gorgeous. It takes a bit of time, what with making the meatballs in batches, but so worth it. We always eat fashionably late anyways; it was 9 before we curled up on the couch to eat last night.
It is beyond me how some people hate to cook - and I truly think that comes just from not knowing what to make. But seriously, cooking is therapy for me and there is nothing I'd rather do than cook a gorgeous meal for us to eat while watching the sparkling snow fall.

Tonight: Thai chicken pizza.

High Flight

2007-01-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted my favorite poem ...

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

A-Roaming We Will Go.

2007-01-26T13:06:00.000-05:00

Last night we:
Bought groceries
Baked chicken and roasted potatoes, onions & carrots
Installed my car stereo
Played 2 games of Trouble
Tonight we are:
Putting four new tires on my car
Visiting Grandparents & Mr. Darcy-Lou-Hoo
Baking Pumpkin-Cranberry and/or Banana Raisin Muffins
Tomorrow we are:
Driving to Grand Rapids to move KD to her new apartment
Eating Pumpking Cranberry and/or Banana Raisin Muffins
Hanging out with KD's cool parents, Mr. & Mrs. M
Sunday we are:
Resting, reading, playing

Dreaming of (a Boden) Spring

2007-01-23T14:54:00.000-05:00

Boden has some wonderfully delicious things out for this season ...
Cotton print dress - fun & fresh.
Hotchpotch dress - at first I thought this was an old-lady dress - but it's not.
Stripey tank - darling with some red kitten heels & a denim flippy skirt.
Platforms - I don't even need to say a word.
Slingbacks - a pair in every color, please!
Swishy skirt - I would love this with a fitted denim jacket & sequined flip-flops.
Cardigan - I love this for the weekend.
Applique - if I ever have a girl, this is the first piece of clothing I'm buying for her!
Hoody - and this for a boy!
Jacket - and maybe a little something for Bri :o)

adoption update.

2007-01-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

last week we said no to four boys, and this week we have more information on the preschool-aged children. we're both on board for kayla, age 4 and joshua, age 2 (both blonde & blue-eyed). their meeting is set for january 29th. obviously we're trying to be optimistic, but we don't want to get our hopes up. keep these little ones in your prayers - they both have a few issues they're going through.

Help Baby Aoife

2007-01-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

Take the time to visit our website for Aoife - www.helpbabyaoife.com
Words cannot describe how grateful we are for the donations that have already been received. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

Aoife

2007-01-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

It's been discovered that Aoife has a hole in her heart. They will need to do open heart surgery, but this will not be for several weeks because right now she is still so sick & does not have the strength. The surgery will have to be somewhere else, such as Charlottesville or a bigger city like that. They also did a blood transfusion yesterday to relieve some of the pressure of too much blood around her lungs.
We have a very sick baby here, and a family of 7 with no health insurance & no money coming in now that Jonathan can't work like he has been. The Rice kids are joining forces to come up with a fundraiser and donation plan. Eric is setting up a website with a donation link - when that is up, I will link it here. www.helpbabyaoife.com (there will be a photo soon)
I know not many people read this blog, and I don't have a tracker, so I don't know the people who do -- but please, whoever you are, pray for this baby and our family and if you only have $1 - please donate.

birthdays

2007-01-15T14:47:00.000-05:00

lots of birthdays this month! my step-father-in-law, harold, had his birthday on friday. today is mindy's birthday! tomorrow my niece amelia will be 4, friday nephew eoin will be 5. then my step-mother-in-law, vicki, has a birthday on sunday.

i think there will be lots of baking this week.

aoife.

2007-01-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

i was given a bit of misinformation on friday - she is still in the icu, i believe, but in a separate room. she contracted rsv, which developed into double pneumonia. she is still on a ventilator, and a feeding tube and the nurses are continuing to suction junk out of her poor little lungs. she is just so young, and so tiny (just under 10 lbs, i believe - at 6 mos old), and also the fact that she has down's syndrome contributes to her being so fragile.
continue praying for the family. all of the kids are sick, and being away from their mommy isn't helping. my parents are there- caring for the kids, the house, the animals. i talked to eilidh on saturday night and she was almost in tears the whole time. sick, exhausted, sad for aoife & missing mommy & daddy. poor little babies.

oo.

2007-01-12T15:53:00.000-05:00

my mind is a jumble, so i am not working, just perusing online. urban outfitters has so so much great stuff this season!
bird hook - i need several of these for my bathroom
tree - what a lovely, fresh design to hold jewelry!
wallpaper shower curtain - um okay, this is the perfect color for my bathroom!
cutout coverlet, peonies!, floral - these are delicious covers!
chandelier - this would be gorgeous hanging above a writing desk
birdie curtains - perfect with pale pink walls for a little girls room!
souper bowls - one in every color!
warhol bag - so cute for cosmetics!

more.

2007-01-12T15:26:00.000-05:00

things are so crazy here now. this morning i not only got a call about my sweet baby niece, but i also received another call from our caseworker. something's happened with one of the adoptive homes they had & they are having to close it up (as in, move the kids & revoke their license). this home had4 brothers - 8, 5 and 3 yr old twins. she laughed when i said, "i beg your pardon ... i thought i heard you say FOUR." she said she wouldn't have called if she didn't think we were up for it, but to take the weekend and she would have more information for us early next week. my initial reaction? four is too many. going from zero to two i think would be hard, but zero to four is ludicris. but i am praying, and brian is praying (although he is already gung-ho). the little bit of me that is practical is thinking - four teenage boys. four college tuitions. a bigger car. outrageous grocery bills. my one brother alone ate a box or more of cereal per day from the time he was 10 until... well, he probably still does. then there are other things like -- can i physically take care of 4 children. can i emotionally take care of 4 children. or rather, can WE.

something we've both learned through this whole adoption experience is what a leap of faith it is. we honestly don't know from one day to the next how many children we might end up having, at least at this point. we're hoping that we know what we can handle, manage, and support, but we probably don't. we're living with blind faith at this point, knowing that God is working wonders in our life that we don't even know about right now. something that is difficult for me to handle right now is how can we possibly say yes to some children and no to others? do i reject four blessings because i'd rather just have two or is that i think i can only handle having two children? these are questions that i'm not sure about. bri is so much stronger than i am. he doesn't hesitate when he hears four. when i said that one thing that concerned is what if we get these boys and i suddenly find myself able to have a baby(which is not likely to happen, but you know, i'm just playing the what-if game i love so much)? he just said, "well then i hope she's a girl." he is, without a doubt, unwavering in what he knows and trusts.

i have to say that when i heard "twins" i'm sure i said yes. multiples is what i dearly want. brian's family is full of multiples, and i myself was a twin in the womb. what i wasn't really expecting were the other two :o)

throughout all of this, i am relying on God and that is a wonderful thing. our families have been so supportive and so many people are praying for us. i say this often, i know, but please continue to do so. there is much we have to learn.

baby.

2007-01-12T14:41:00.000-05:00

please keep my six month old niece, aoife, in your prayers. she was life-flighted to the hospital last night in virginia with double pneumonia. she is currently in the nicu with a ventilator.

updated to add: i've just heard that they've taken her out of the nicu and is at 80% on the ventilator and they are keeping her sedated. please keep the family in your prayers.

oh my.

2007-01-11T16:08:00.000-05:00

the only things i know are:
2 pre-school age children --
caucasian
blonde
boy & girl

update.

2007-01-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

well, last week was a blur. brian's aunt passed away, my hours were reduced at work and we didn't get matched to any of the children.
some nice things: it's good to be surrounded by family, including my father-in-law who i adore, and Everything-Happens-for-a-Reason. i would be more disappointed by our matching meeting outcomes had we met the children. God bless LCCS for doing things in their order & not mine. our caseworker told me she was just informed of 2 young siblings that are "perfect" for us. we're supposed to hear more this week.
i spent friday evening with my parents, making steak fajitas & trying to get my dad away from the tv. saturday we gave blood - well, brian did, my iron was too low & they said no. but they did give me 20 packages of swiss cookies, and we also got free Storm tickets.
i finally got the third book in the maisie dobbs serious by jacqueline winspear, pardonable lies. i love that woman - it's like she writes just for me. hoo-ray.

hello, friends.

2007-01-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

it's been a while, hasn't it? as always, we've been busy. so many gatherings of friends & family, and still so much preparation for adoption.
we had a lovely new years - we spent the afternoon with brian's family and the evening with friends in our home. lots of food & jell-o shots were consumed, many rounds of mad gab played. good times.
beds & crib are set up, with their new covers . it will be very interesting to see what happens; today we are supposed to find out about the 3 siblings ... whether or not we have been "matched". i have both feelings of excitement and fear. mostly i just do not want to get my hopes up.
lots of birthdays this month, and plans. m&b are moving south, i heard tia is coming for a visit. everyone is busy with resolutions and bringing on the new. for me, i am happy where i am.

i'm back.

2006-12-27T15:49:00.000-05:00

we had a lovely christmas with family & friends.

and now we're back to work.

etsy

2006-12-22T09:56:00.000-05:00

i wasn't planning on posting again, but you have to check out millymollymandy @ etsy. the designs are simple & gorgeous. i just had to buy two pieces that are unbelievably adorable. i got a different version of "lola & cat" and "gentleness" in green. too late for christmas, but maybe a little birthday or just-because something for the sweet person in your life! check out the site.

Decking the halls ...

2006-12-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

I'm leaving at 12 today and won't be back until Wednesday.

Wishing everyone love, hope & a blessed Christmas.

xoxoxox