On the agenda this week:

Here's what's on my agenda for this week:

Monday:
pick up new local and state criminal checks
Visits to schools

Tuesday:
Boys have Therapy 3-5:00
Evening swimming club for Angela

Wednesday:
Finger prints for federal background checks
pick up new medical statements from doctors
Get the last of kids school supplies
Asher gets four teeth pulled.

Thursday:
pick up new letter from employer
drop off paperwork with homestudy agency
Boys have therapy 2:30-4:30

Friday
Get school backpacks stuffed and ready
Get laundry done so kids can start school with clean clothes!

We were talking about going up north for the holiday weekend, but somehow I don't think this is going to happen. So much to get done this week and I already feel pressed for time! I have the feeling some things might get bumped to the following week when the kids are at school and I can get all the running done alone!

But keeping me going throughout my busy week will be the images embedded in my mind from this building:

This is the Zvescanska orphanage in Belgrade, Serbia. This is where Asher spent the first 7 years of  his  life until I met him 9 1/2 months ago. Do you see that 3rd floor balcony? That is where he and his roommates would play. There are so many faces I remember...They keep me going on my quest to get our homestudy completed!

Say WHAT?

Ok...wow...I didn't really expect people to be THAT surprised. LOL So, to answer some questions:

1) We are just starting to update our homestudy.

2) We are only adopting ONE child, and this will be our last adoption.

3) We don't know who we're adopting, and won't know until just before we travel. We're hoping for a girl this time.

4) We have no idea when we're traveling. We have a timeline in mind but it's based purely on speculation at this point.

Vanity Plates

Almost 9 months ago when I brought Asher home, Dean, Angela and Axel met us at the airport. We shared hugs and laughs with some of our extended family then headed to the parking ramp.

As I opened the back door of the car reality hit me. For months we debated about adopting again. We had gone through all the scenarios. What we hadn't considered at all was our transportation needs. In other words, did we have enough room in the car for three kids? Technically we did, since there are three seat belts in the back seat. Yeah, well just because there are seat belts does not mean there is room for everyone, especially with Asher in a full-size carseat.

Back to the airport parking ramp....

I opened the back door and put Asher in the car seat, buckling him in. I went to the other side and Axel got in first, then Angela. Only Angela wasn't able to buckle her belt with Axel sitting on top of it and Axel wasn't able to figure out his either. I had Angela and Axel get out then had Angela get in first. Climbing around the back of the car I was sweating and getting crabby. Ok, it's possible I was tired with ZERO sleep in the previous 30 hours and since I was hungry my blood sugar was dropping. Tired, hungry, sweating while wrestling seat belts is the recipe for a mommy meltdown in the airport parking ramp. I made it clear the very next day we'd be buying a van.

Fast forward 6 months, and I was still doing the same wrestling match every time the whole family wanted to go somewhere. Fortunately we just didn't do a lot of that so Angela could sit in the front seat.

In July the kids and I were taking a road trip to D.C. for the NDSC conference. I was dreading making this trip in the car. And then something happened: Dean's car died on the side of the freeway. That would mean he'd get my car and I'd buy a van. I really tried hard to hide my excitement as he called me from the side of the road. Really, I did.

So now we have this awesome new van. I love it. I'm IN LOVE with my van. One week after the purchase we took our trip, which was phenomenal. We realized just how much space we have now.

And then I decided I wanted to do something totally frivolous and put vanity plates on it. Here is what I decided.

ADOPT3