Erik has been working on this for a while but yesterday he mastered it on his own:
What a difference a day makes:
The teacher
Our door decorations:
I decided to get some feelers out just to see where we (and by ‘we’ I mean Harvey) were at, so as we were driving to get our fingerprints done for Erik’s adoption, you know, right at the beginning of the process, I told Harvey about an article I had read in which the author had said that once you adopt it’s awfully hard not to do it again… With my usual wit and clarity I explained, ”It’s like eating a Dorito, you know, you can’t stop at just one!” When he didn’t slam on the brakes, literally or figuratively, I knew I could leave it alone…until the first adoption was done that is. I forced myself to wait a whole month after Erik came home before I called the agency to see when we could start the process again. So, the morning after Erik’s adoption was final we mailed in our application. Apparently that is the soonest they allow. Although we probably could have mailed it on our way home from the courthouse! The delays and frustrations started immediately. I was actually taken aback by how frustrating it was so early on, thinking I was prepared for it this time. Each journey is its own. We waited 16 days for Erik’s referral…those days are way over. We have been told it could be 6 months or more for a referral and a longer wait once we have been matched. Good thing I’m not getting any older! Who doesn’t want to be changing diapers in their 40’s! Underneath the layer of pessimism, I am a true optimist! It could be sooner and I may well enjoy my late 40’s diaper free. Meanwhile…I kinda feel like some Doritos!
Okay, so when do you actually get a chance to see newborn crayfish? Here’s your chance:
I’m beginning to question her mothering skills. Harvey found her on the living room floor this morning! Abandoned the babies without a second thought it seems. She still has eggs on her and has had many more babies today. Apparently the moms often eat the babies and siblings eat each other too. It’s a crayfish eat crayfish world!
The excitement never ends around here!! We have babies and lots of them! They’re only the size of ants, but they have their mother’s good looks (and naughtiness). We think Miss Rocky had a couple dozen. We have already watched a few sneak over to the fish side of the tank. I watched one jump out of a fish’s path just in time. Ryan was so excited. His first words were, “Can we keep them until they are big…and then eat them?” Yes, we are raising a true animal lover. So…have you wondered if a crayfish was the right fit for your family? We have just the one (or six) just for you. Okay, I’m back. (I know, you didn’t know I left, but we had dinner and played Skipbo) Harv noticed that two of the fish had rather large tummies!? So you better decide soon if you want a crayfish!
On the sidebar I put a new button “Amazima”. I started reading this gal’s blog a while ago. She reminds me of a young Amy Carmichael. If you haven’t read her autobiography(Amy’s, not Katie’s)…you should! The quick background is that she (Katie, not Amy) went to Uganda on a short term missions trip and ended up going back to teach kindergarten. She is in her early twenties and now almost four years since she first went she has adopted 14 girls and has started a school program that sponsors about 400 girls to go to school and to get a good meal each day. It is exciting to see what God is doing there!
Operation Christmas Child!
Time for shoeboxes! After last week’s game Ryan and I headed over to Gay and Tessie’s to pack boxes. They always put together about 80 boxes and we get to help. Ryan did the boxes all by himself and did great. Afterwards we watched several videos showing children receiving shoeboxes and the impact they had on their lives. It was very moving and I could see that it really impacted Ryan. We talked about it all the way home. See it here:
Ryan loves to read his little books to Erik. They have been having so much fun together. Erik is really starting to play with Ryan rather than just being in the room with him doing his own thing.
Our monthly quilt is going to be a seasonal quilt since it took all the energy I had to get this one done and up. The squirrel turned out so cute. It is covered in coffee grounds, so it smells good too! I found the idea on a cute site called Kidsoup when Ryan was in preschool. There are still a few K things for him. My fav is the Giants hat.
