Unexpected Goodies

Is there anything better than checking the mail and finding a completely unexpected package for you with something pretty in it?

This actually happened to me more than once last week.

This girl scored some cutie outfits from her Aunt Deb:

Thanks Deb! Harper's favorite is this little number with the strawberry on the heinie.

Dane and Aidan will get to see their Aunt Deb, along with many more of my Kentucky people for a reunion in just a few weeks. They are going with my parents to help my great aunt celebrate her 90th birthday. Unfortunately, this mommy has to stay home that weekend and work in the ER. At this point in our adoption I can't afford to miss 30+ hours of work. Boo for me, but I'm also grateful that God is providing for our adoption by giving me the opportunity to work hard. It's something I do not take for granted.

And I got a treat in the mail just for me! Our friends Matt and Carma (and now Harper's new boyfriend Easton) have lived in Germany for several years now. Every now and then, when I've come back from hauling the kids around Wal-Mart and the most exciting part of my day was finding an old half-empty sippy cup under Harper's crib, I'll flip through their blog to read about their last-minute weekend ski trip in Switzerland. Or her impromptu shopping trip with the girlfriends to Poland.

Where she purchased this pretty piece of pottery and sent it to her friend Mandy. A beautiful dish that I will never, ever find under a piece of furniture, caked with week-old curdled milk. Thanks for sending me a little piece of Poland, Carma!

If the mail-goodies weren't enough, we saw Grammy and GranDoug this past weekend and were gifted unexpectedly yet again with goodies from their trip to Ireland. The boys got Ireland soccer gear:

And Harper got a couple of dresses, including this handmade beauty crafted from the fabrics used in her room:

True to form, I was scraping stuck-on Cheetos from this pretty dress by the end of the day. It's a glamourous life I do lead.

The only downside to this past weekend? Realizing that the days of "good pictures" of all five of us are over.