A Little Hush Hush

Okay so I'm going to tell you a little secret...

Something about s'mores...

Okay you know how most people use graham crackers? We don't.  For the last 5 or 6 years we have used Ritz crackers because it gives you the combo of salty sweet AND the ritz crackers are already round like the marshmallows.  

They are so addictive that Mr. Reuben snagged part of this one while I was setting my roasting stick down. Don't worry, I didn't eat it nor did I let him finish eating it. Chocolate and dogs are not a good combo.

Hope you all had a great weekend! We started and ended with the fire pit:)

Weekend Kick Off

We spent Friday evening out by the fire pit:) How do you all like to start your weekends off? 

We Hold Our Breath...

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry I've been lacking in the blog world lately.   Here is a  little tid bit of info about me.  When I'm stressed I get quiet.  It's been a very panic filled week, not only for our family but for many others as well.   The country we are adopting from, according the the U.S. has "temporarily suspended all adoptions from being processed."  The funny thing is though, they haven't, courts are still be held, we were a few weeks away from our court date when the alert was posted on Monday.  Many other families are in the same boat.  Where the questions lie is with the U.S. Embassy, will they allow immigration for our children?  Our kids are recognized as ours both in the U.S. and in their country, but adoption and immigration are two different matters. 

The adoption community for this country waits, and we hold our breath hoping that we will be able to bring our kids home.  Some are deciding whether they should even schedule a court date but for us, we are pushing through.  That is our girl over there and we are going to fight for her.  We knew when we signed up for this process that there would be challenges and set backs but we chose this path regardless. 

We are gearing up for the fight, we are exhausting all our options and we are pressing forward.  She is so worth it. 

My sweet Zoyi,

I hope and pray that one day you will be able to read this letter.  It will mean you are with us, that we were successful in bringing you home.

I will never forget the first time I saw you hobble through the orphanage gate.  You had such a wary expression on your face.  You came around and someone told you in Fante that we were your "Mama and Papa." They placed you on my lap and you sat rigid for a while.  I don't blame you, if someone placed me on a strangers lap I think I would have done worse.  After a while you found my iPhone and you were so fast at figuring out that piece of technology.  You never really spoke until you saw a picture of Maddox at the beach.   

After a while, you about had me in tears because you relaxed and leaned back into me with your little head on my shoulder...like you belonged there.  You fit perfectly and it was in that moment I noticed how extremely tiny you were.  I was used to having Maddox on my lap, my football loving, solid as a rock little boy.  I was resistant to wrap you up in a bear hug and shower you with kisses.  But oh my how I wanted to...

We pulled out clothing and toys and you loved the bubbles.  We followed you around, I'm sure you must have found that annoying, two white people following you all around your home.  Papa picked you up when you were crying because someone took your jump rope.  You both figured out how to get it back and you placed it in his pocket for safe keeping.  We brought it home for you.  

While Papa held you, you looked at him and said "You bring me shoes."  He said "Yes I did, I'm afraid they are too big."  That didn't matter to you though, you said you liked them.  We had to leave shortly after that, and while we came back a couple days later you were not having the best day due to a boil.  I remember sitting with you while you cried, do you remember that?  I was holding your hand, and I let go to get something out of my bag and you grabbed it back and placed it against your little head.  I melted when you looked at me with your beautiful big brown eyes.   We counted smarties, and played with flashlights.  And all too soon we had to leave.  

Zoyi, at that point,  leaving you there was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do.   It was excruciating.  Not knowing when I would next see you or how long the process of getting back to you would take, it was almost more than I could bear.  

Now I sit during a panic filled time and write.  I want you to know that we will fight for you.   We will do everything possible to get you home where you belong.   

Love, 
Mom

  

Blooms Day Weekend

Hi everyone!

This weekend was so much fun! Rusty, Breckon and I ran in the Spokane annual Blooms Day race:) It was Breckon's first big race..7 1/2 miles. She did so great, Rusty and I couldn't be more proud with how hard she worked and how extremely tough she is.

The weather is not what we have been used to the past couple of years. We were running in 70's heat when we are used to a very comfortable 50's. I was a little scared she was getting dehydrated but she kept pushing till she crossed the finish line:)

This week we are enjoying highs around 81 and 82:)) All the flowering trees are in full bloom and the tulips and hyacinths are gorgeous. I Love spring/summer weather. Here are the photo highlights of Blooms Day. There were about 50,000 participants and as finishers we got really sweet t-shirts made by a local company:)

How was your weekend? And how did you spend your Cinco de Mayo?

Life Lately According To My iPhone

Oh it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We have had track meets, soccer games, school activities, oh and Reuben clubbed a baby porcupine this weekend and figured out that was kind of bad idea :) Poor guy, I think we pulled 16 baby porcupine quills from his paw and one from his nose.

Here is a tip for you dog owners if your pooch runs into a porcupine... If you take scissors and clip the tops off of the quills they slide out much easier and less painful. The quills are hollow so they become like suction cups when not clipped. Then take an anti biotic spray and spray the paw or affected are until it's healed. Reuben is doing much better now:) Here are some pictures highlighting our weekend here in North Idaho.

Some Humor For Your Day

Okay, so let me explain this....

Rusty flew to Regina, Canada. Stupid auto correct. And yes, I'm a dork and use terms like "word"and "the bomb.com" I've been told by my middle schooler that I'm not allowed to say them in public...while he or his friends are around;)

Our trip...

Hi Everyone!

Our trip was so much fun! Lots of funny stories and things happened, too much for one post ;)

We met Zoyi, she's beautiful inside and out. We found out she actually speaks English better than expected:) She figured out how to work my iPhone in two seconds flat. She saw a picture of Maddox on the shore in Juneau and she yelled "*gasp* It's a beach!" I looked at her and said " You're right, do you like beaches?" She said she did and then I asked her if she has ever been to a beach and if so what does she do at the beach?

She said she had been to a beach and as for what they did there she got a big smile and said " I take a bath!" She is such a precious soul. She is surrounded by hardships that most American kids can't even fathom yet she still has a smile on her face. I can't wait to show you pictures of her:)

Things we saw and experienced there in her orphanage were really hard to emotionally compute. So many beautiful little faces need homes. Zoyi has a best friend named Mia that I would bring home in heart beat if I could. I've asked the orphanage to let me know if she becomes available or if she gets adopted because it breaks my heart to think that my sweet girl may never see her little friend again.

We are hoping we will get a court date within a month or so. At that point, once the judge signs off, Zoyi will legally be ours in her country. So if anything medically goes wrong (and it could because her health is not good) I could fly over and take her to the capital for help and to live until the USCIS paper chase is complete.

I'm going through my dslr pictures and optimizing them so here are some from my iPhone from our trip to the coast and to Kakum National Park. I had a death grip on the rope bridge...seriously I couldn't look down it was that high up and that wobbly. Also some pictures of pigs on a beach and some local cuisine that is still causing some minor stomach problems