She's Got Mail

Checking the mail continues to be an adventure at our house.

A couple of weeks ago, something special for Miss Emerson was waiting on my front porch when I got home from work.

Remember Harper's precious pink sweater, knitted with love (an an abundance of skill) by my Aunt Betsy?

Emerson has her own sweater now, and it could not be more cute:

A few extra goodies came for Miss E, including her very own Mrs. Potato Head and some fun things to (hopefully) keep her occupied on the long plane ride home.

Thanks so much Aunt Betsy!

You've Got Mail

A week or so ago a package came in the mail, addressed to my Aidan. My Aidan doesn't receive much mail, as most of his friends are still learning to write their name.

So imagine his delight to learn that he got a PACKAGE in the mail from his AUNT DEB in KENTUCKY!! Now imagine Aidan screaming that sentence in a tone and a pitch that only Aidan can scream.

Aidan, what was in the package?

It's a golf ball! It's the golf ball that Pappy gave me when we went golfin' in Kentucky!!

I liked going golfin'. When you go golfin' you can get a Sprite or maybe a Gatorade for just a quarter. And a dollar.

Aidan, we'll have to send a thank you note to Aunt Deb for finding the golf ball you left in Kentucky.

I need to send her something too!!

What are you going to send her?

I'm going to send Aunt Deb one of my soccer trophies!!

Ummm, how about a picture of you and Dane on the golf cart instead?

Okay, Mom.

Thanks, Aunt Deb for finding his golf ball! It was the highlight of his week!

Just a Few More Months...

...until Emerson will be wearing this:

There are few things I love more than checking the mail and finding completely unexpected goodies! Well, I love having friends who are creative and talented and thoughtful and know their way around a sewing machine. Thanks so much, Lindsey!

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.

Happy Birthday, Hot Brandon

Our adoption agency celebrated my hubby's birthday today by sending us some new pictures and updated information about Miss Emerson. After much debating and compromising, she has a name. Meet Emerson JingLong:

I cannot wait to kiss those squishy cheeks!

And from what I can see, she has more hair than the other three kids put together.

They also sent us a little bit more information that we had requested, like vaccine records (she's the only one of my children to have been vaccinated for Japanese encephalitis!) and updated development information. And she looks a bit solemn in the picture because the pediatrician had requested a picture of her with her mouth closed.

It's so hard to know that she is far away, and that we won't be able to get her for several more months. Some of you have asked, and the wait time until we travel involves several factors, and right now we are waiting for the first of two approval notices to come from USCIS (Citizenship and Immigration). We are expecting to wait about another month for this first approval, then we will immediately apply for the second approval that we need.

We miss you sweet Emerson, and we can't wait to meet you. Your brothers pray for you, they pray that you are safe and healthy, and that there is someone there who shows you that they love you. We pray that somehow you know that you are loved by your family who lives halfway around the world.

Just a few more months, sweet girl.