LOA

OUR LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE CAME TODAY!!!!!!!  This is what we have been waiting for!!!  That means we have formally been approved by China to adopt Zach and Molly.  Tomorrow we will receive a package from our adoption agency to tell us what comes next.  Apparently there is one more form to file with immigration now that we have our LOA.  It looks like we will be traveling in July.  I'll update ya all when I know more!!!!!  Can I have a  WHOOO HOOO!!!! ?????

Back to Basics

Last week was a busy one for us- on Friday night and all day Saturday we were doing a table at the Maple Syrup Festival.  That meant I had lots of stuff around the house to get done before then.  Tuesday was laundry day.  After I got the kids clothes washed, I was almost out of detergent.  This was Zach's first time helping me make laundry soap.  There's not much to it and it doesn't take very long to make, and it cleans just as well as the soap I buy.  It is a low sudsing (is that a word?) formula so it works in my "he" washer.  Zach thought he was big stuff pouring the soap into the funnel and into the jugs for me and then he carried the warm detergent down to the laundry room for me.  After I make it, it costs me next to nothing to do laundry - 1/3 of a bar of soap, 1/2 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup borax, and water  makes about 2 1/2 gallons of laundry detergent.....it can't get much more simple than that!   I still haven't totally won Mike over on my home made soap yet.  This weekend he brought home detergent from the grocery store- ugggghhh. 

We had a good sale at the festival and sold about 100 bows to go towards our adoption fund and we did a 50/50 Raffle.  We're plugging away at saving, slowly but surly.

Still Waiting

Every now and then I have an unusal dream. I can't really explain how they are different, but after I have them I just know they are. Only twice have I dreamed I had a baby. Not that I was raising a child, but in the hospital giving birth. After I had those dreams, I couldn't help myself and did pregancy tests which announced the arrival of Steven and then Peter. Sunday night I had another of those unusual dreams, not that I gave birth, but that I was in a hotel and Molly was placed in my arms to bring home, Zach was also with me to take care of his paperwork. I was so sure this was another premonition dream and waited all day yesterday for news on the adoption. SIGH..... nothing.

The Kids

So, we ended up having 4 kittens, not 3. Zach named the first one "Alex", then upon clean up we discovered she was a calico and re-named her to Alexis. The next one is gray and white, with a white stripe down the back, so Mike dubbed it Stinky, since the markings looked skunk like to him. When I checked that one, Mike said he couldn't call a girl Stinky, so now she is called Precious. Pete wanted to name number 3, and he's been wanting to name one Oreo forever, so number 3 is Oreo - gray with a white face (I keep changing my mind whethter the last 2 are boys or girls....) and Steve named the last one -dark gray- Sanctos. This morning when I checked on the babies, Alexis and Oreo have opened their eyes. Now they should start gettting much more fun!!! Missy took some Mommy time off this weekend and left her babies in the box and came outside in the sunshine and chased butterflies for a while, then went back to her mommy duties. She's a good mommy for this being her first litter. And a little "Me" time can only make her better - I know from experience!!

Peanutbutter

My husband has always loved peanut butter. Every Mon - Fri, I make him 2 pieces of toast with CREAMY peanut butter for breakfast. Zach loves peanut butter- his breakfast of choice is a CRUNCHY peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich. For the last 6 months or so, the big boys have used peanut butter as a staple to go with every meal, since they never seem full anymore. Pete likes CREAMY, Steve likes CRUNCHY. I buy more and more peanut butter every week. I went from buying small jars for Mike to bigger and bigger jars. The last few jars have been the BIG 40 oz jars. When the last ones only lasted a week and a half, I became one of THEM. I used to make fun of the people who bought the big buckets of peanut butter - after all, don't those families EVER cook? I bought 2 buckets, 1 creamy and 1 crunchy. Maybe those will last us a month.

Plus Three

Today we were working out in the garage, cleaning, painting a wall and getting ready to move shelving. While I was painting, Mike and Pete went upstairs to work in his parents appartment. I went up there to tell Mike I was going inside to get dinner started while the paint dried, and while I was up there, I saw that Missy, our garage cat was up with Mike, and was making herself comfortable in Molly's car seat, which is being temporarily stored in there. Since the car seat cover was freshly washed, I shooed her out of it and shut the door to that room. She promply went to a different room and made herself comfortable on the rolled up carpet pad. Steven came in the house shortly after me and said that Pete wanted him to help look for Missy, because Pete heard her meowing. I told him not to worry about it, it was not like Missy was going to have her kittens right now. Not 10 minutes later, Mike called me to say Missy was having her kittens. Guess I was wrong!! at this point we have 3. I think she's done, but we will continue to watch her to make sure. And the family just keeps on growing...

Naughty Girl

My girl is such a naughty thing. No, not Molly. Sadie. She is now 2 and beginning to calm down, but even calm, a 90 pound St. Newfie is a big girl and when she wants something it is difficult to distract her. She still thinks she is Mike's lap dog. We are trying to break her of this, especially with Molly coming, but she is used to being allowed to climb into Mike's chair and sit with him for a few minutes every night. She loves her daddy. So much so that when he comes home from work he must see her, before he sees me. And Heaven forbid we hug or kiss in front of her, she will squeeze herself in between us and push him back - he's hers and how dare I get some of his attention??? Such a naughty, jealous girl!!