Merry Christmas

Grandma Lenz & 14 Grandkids

Only 1 child is missing....

He's in Ethiopia.

Waiting for us to bring him home.

Next year this picture will be

Grandma Lenz & 15 Grandkids!!

Noah (9), Cassie (14), & Jordan (11)

Yes, I made them get close to show how much they LOVE each other!

Noah's presents: SpyGear ATV, nightvision goggles, Brett Favre Minnesota Vikings Jersey, camera, ice fishing tip-ups, DS games, Wii game, socks, sweatshirts, pajama pants

Jordan's presents: cell phone, furry boots, lots of girly-clothes, earrings, robe, Wii game, Wega softball jacket, llama Webkins, sweatshirts

Cassie's presents: Wega softball jacket, earrings, necklaces, vests, shirts, shorts, gift card, purse, wallet, more clothes, University of Kentucky pajamas, sweatshirts

Brad's presents: wallet, ice fishing tip-ups, Menards gift card, bungees, pajama pants, money

Sue's presents: diamond earrings (WAY TO GO BRAD!), sweaters, earrings, tops, picture frame of Mom & Kris and I, money, star wall decoration, hand towels, snow plowing from neighbor, Learning Shop gift card, camera (St. Nick present), Ipod touch (early gift in November)

Brad & I at Grandma Lenz' home on Christmas Day

Girls in PINK!

I LOVE this camera!

I took this picture from across the room!

SO COOL!!

We had an awesome Christmas with our families. The weather was quite YUCKY! I honestly don't remember another Christmas where we got snow, sleet, and RAIN, RAIN, and more RAIN! The roads were all ice-covered on Christmas Eve, while we drove to Kris and Steve's home. I played on my Ipod touch and tried not to watch Brad drive. Brad was happy, so I wouldn't yell at him every second about slowing down and not passing people. Great Grandma Beck wasn't able to join us on Christmas Eve either, because the roads were terrible! We did call her and sand Jingle Bells though! :)

Everyone was asking us when we're leaving for Ethiopia and I just LOVED telling them ~ January 6th! YEAH! I'm getting so excited. This weekend, we'll put all our new things away and then we'll start packing for Africa. I'm nervous, anxious, excited, and just plain giddy, about meeting our little boy for the first time. It's just so much to think about. I can't wait to meet him and tell him that I LOVE him!!

Merry Christmas to everyone! May God bless you and keep you safe!

We're TRAVELING!!!

We found out on Tuesday (December 15th) that we have an embassy appointment in Ethiopia for January 12th, 2010. YEAHHHH!! That's what we've been waiting for...our time to finally meet our son and bring him home.

Once again, on Monday the 14th, I was getting impatient of not hearing anything, and emailed Holt to see if they have any ideas on embassy dates in 2010. I never received an email back, which was really odd. They always get right back to me, no matter if it's good news or bad news.

I also posted a question on the Holt Yahoo group, wondering if anybody heard about embassy dates. On Monday evening, I found out that somebody did hear about the January 12th embassy date, because they received an email that they were traveling. I was so bummed. I figured we would have received an email too, IF we were going to travel for the January 12th date.

After little sleep on Monday night, I waited until lunch time on Tuesday, and emailed Holt again, just wondering if they know of any embassy dates.  STILL, no email back. I was just baffled. They ALWAYS answer back. So, after a long IEP meeting at school, I called at 4:35pm to Holt in Oregon. It was only 2:35pm there and everybody was in a meeting. UGH! I did leave a message but was kind of bummed out.

So, it was 5:04pm and I was at home. Jen from Holt called to say, "Didn't you receive our email today? You're traveling!" WHAT?!?!? Where is the email? Oh my gosh! We're traveling!! I called all 3 kids together and told them our great news. They were all cheering and excited. I called Brad right away, and then Dorinda and my Mom. This was the BEST news!!

So, I had to let work know my plans on Wednesday and also contacted the travel agency. It's going to be a little bit different than I had envisioned, as far as coming home from Ethiopia, but I guess I can do it. Brad will have to leave Ethiopia on Wednesday, January 13th to go to the ATA show in Ohio. I won't be able to fly home until Friday, January 15th, late at night. UGH! That means I'm in Ethiopia for another 24 hours, without Brad and the rest of the travel group. That makes me nervous, but I'm sure it'll be OK.

So, now my brain is going a million miles in so many directions. I'm thinking about all the things that need to be done at school, Christmas shopping and wrapping, packing, shopping for last minute things, making lists for Dorinda, and making lists for everything that needs to be done before we leave. But, this is all GOOD! I'm so glad we finally have the DATE and know when we'll be going and when we'll meet our son. Such a great feeling!!

14 Inches, Oh my!

We received at least 14 inches of very heavy, white stuff since yesterday. It has tapered to flurries but the winds are blowing so hard, the wind chills are going to be below zero tonight. Brad is STILL not home yet. After sleeping in Minneapolis last night and hanging out at the airport all day, he has now flown to Chicago. He is planning on flying into Appleton tonight after 9pm, but his flight is delayed as of right now. UGH! Gotta love snow storms!

We also found out today that we will NOT be traveling over Christmas to bring our little boy home from Ethiopia. I was bummed. I really want to bring him home NOW. Waiting is SO hard. I try to keep busy, but when you're snowed in for the entire day, it's kind of hard to stay busy and not think about traveling.

I did get one thing done off of my to-do list. I made a book on Shutterfly today for our son's birthfamily. I used the pictures we have received over the months and then added pictures in of our family, pets, and home. I included summer and winter pictures. That's all I got accomplished today. I had big hopes of finishing a few other projects today, but nothing. No ambition.

Tomorrow we'll all go back to school and Noah has his drama play tomorrow evening at 7pm. It's also supposed to be REALLY cold tomorrow, with the highs around 10 degrees during the day and windchills below zero. Brrrrrr! I really wonder WHY I live in Wisconsin?!?!?!

Blizzard of 2009!

We're under a blizzard warning through tomorrow. We're only supposed to get about a foot of snow. And the winds are only supposed to be around 35mph. Sounds like fun...

Now, the really good part~Brad is stranded in Cincinnati. I think. The last time I heard from him, he was beginning to board a plane there, enroute to Minneapolis. Then onto Appleton. Well, I've been checking websites, and see that all the flights coming into Appleton are cancelled. And, when I check the Minneapolis website, they used to show a flight being delayed coming from Cincinnati, but now it shows it as being cancelled. Too funny, but right now, I actually hear an airplane flying overhead. Maybe it's Brad, flying around in circles! LOL!

So, the other really good part about this blizzard and Brad being stranded, is that Brad never put the snowplow on the front of the 4-wheeler. So, I have no way to plow the driveway tomorrow. Oh well, I guess that's what 4-wheel drive is for! :)

So, after coming down from cloud nine with our great news about passing court yesterday, tonight I hear that families were told they were traveling over Christmas for the next embassy appointment. Kind of a let-down for us. We were really hoping we could travel over the holidays, so I would have a longer time home with our little man. Oh well, I should just be glad that we passed court!

So, HOPEFULLY tomorrow, I will be on a Snow Day from school and get to relax a little bit! And, hopefully Brad will make it home sometime too!

We PASSED!!!

We are officially a family of 6! We found out today at 11:32am, that we passed court last Friday in Ethiopia! We're over the moon with excitement!!

I couldn't stop checking the clock~waiting for it to be 10am~that would be 8am in Oregon! So, once I knew Holt was open for the day, I had Brad stalking our home email account. UGH! He had to leave for the airport right around 11am, so I then had to call Cassie at home (home sick with the flu) to turn on my computer and watch our email. Still nothing. So, I went to lunch and came back to an email (on my school email address) that we passed court! WOOHOO!!!!

Now, we wait for our embassy date that will dictate our travel dates. Can't wait to start making some travel plans to Africa!

We love our new little boy and can't wait to give him a big hug!!

Still Waiting to Hear...

Our court date WAS Friday, December 4, 2009. Today, is Sunday, December 6th and we still do not know if we passed court. UGH!! It has been a VERY LONG weekend just wondering what happened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on December 4th. We're hoping to hear some good news tomorrow, but again, we might not.

All day Friday, I was so excited and scared all rolled into one. I had a smile on my face almost all day until 2:50pm. That's when I received an email from Holt in Oregon stating that they heard nothing about anybody's court appointments. We were really let down, but always knew that that could happen to us. Yes, it's frustrating but it also wasn't bad news saying that our court date was canceled or rescheduled. So, no news is good news so far!

So, tomorrow we start another week, not knowing WHEN our little boy will come home from Ethiopia. We keep saying our prayers and talk about our little boy like he's one of the family. We have a lot of things put aside for him and can't wait to share with him. We're trying to keep busy with Christmas shopping and wrapping, and just doing the usual cleaning and laundry around the home. It's tough though. It's always on our mind~WHEN?!?!

St. Nick did come for a visit last night. Noah received the SantaBuddies movie, Jordan got a Columbia zip-up sweatshirt, and Cassie received some new earrings. Brad got a new pair of Charlie Brown boxers and I got a NEW camera!! Yes, kind of extravagent for a St. Nick gift, but so worth it. Now, we have an awesome camera to take with us to Africa. St. Nick also came to my Mom's home for me! :) I received a new candle and our little boy received a beautiful new blanket that she made for him. It's just perfect!


We're supposed to get some snow this week, which could actually cause some travel problems due to accumulating snow and wind. UGH! Brad is supposed to leave for Cincinnati tomorrow and return late Tuesday night. Then he's off to Illinois on Thursday through the weekend. Hopefully he'll have safe travels!

I got all caught up with my Christmas wrapping tonight, so now I have to start shopping again. I really want to make sure I'm on top of everything, just in case we get that call that we could travel soon to Africa.

Hopefully the next time I post, it will be some REALLY GOOD news to share!

A Rollercoaster of Emotions

One moment, I'm so darn excited, I can hardly contain myself. Within minutes, I feel so sad that I could start crying.

The court date is looming...December 4th. So many things can happen. Court could be postponed. Paperwork could be missing. Family members might not appear. The list goes on.

But, then we might pass court on the first time...that would be wonderful! But, then the worry about when we'll get our travel dates. Will we get the December 29th assemby date? Will we be pushed into January? Will Brad be able to travel to Africa in January around his business travel schedule? Will we be pushed back even further?

Yes, these are the thoughts running through my head. 24-7. I can't stop thinking! I'm trying to stay positive. I'm trying to keep busy. And then the thoughts come back into my head and play like a recording~over and over and over.

I know I need to get my Christmas shopping and decorating done. I know I need to clean Noah's closet and get ready for 2 boys to share the closet. I know I need to start thinking about travel supplies, packing lists, and everything else that would lead to a safe travel experience to Africa.

So, I sit here and type. I didn't get to the closet. I actually didn't do much of anything today. I went to 2 craft shows with my Mom and then headed to Kmart for Cassie's prescriptions. Came home and watched some HGTV with my pups, and then Christmas shopped via online. Again, not much of anything.

So, tomorrow I vow I need to get something done. Maybe even start a list of things I need to take with us to Africa. Maybe, I will begin cleaning out the closet. Maybe, I'll get to Kohl's to spend my free money. Or, maybe I'll just sit and think. And pray! I know God is holding our little boy and giving him comfort while he waits for us to come. God has a travel plan for us. I just need some patience!

Court Date & New Pictures

December 4th! Yes, that is our court date in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We're over the moon with excitement! I can't believe it! There's still so much to do around here to prepare for our little guy to come home. Looks like I'll be cleaning Noah's closet out this weekend, while everybody else is in the woods for deer hunting.

We also received 2 new pictures of our sweet fella. He's just so darn adorable! I'll be going to bed with a big smile on my face tonight. We probably won't find out until December 8th or so, if we even passed court, but at least I have some idea of what we'll be looking at for travel.  YEAH!!!

Still smiling and thanking God for this most awesome day!!

Christmas Shopping

Yes, I went shopping 3 times this past weekend. Not specifically for Christmas gifts, but at least thinking about it. On Saturday morning, I headed to Appleton with Dorinda. We hit the mall, which was already packed at 10am. We ate lunch at 10:45am and had a hard time finding a table to sit down and eat our food. We checked out a few stores, bought a few things at Younkers and Target, but then decided we needed to go to Kohl's where I had a 30% discount. I found rugs, towels, candles, and a few shirts for Muluken. Dorinda found a new Columbia jacket (great deal!). We spent a lot and saved so much!! (At least that's what I tell Brad!) We then headed to Walmart. I needed groceries and we also checked out the clearance rack. We just couldn't go wrong with outfits for $3. Boy, it sure was quite a day!

Brad and I decided to go back to town and look around for a few things for Christmas. We didn't find too much, but it was fun looking around and spending time together.

On Sunday, Cassie really wanted to head back to town and do some shopping. She knew I had the Kohl's discount, so that would be a good place to start. She only found 2 tops at Kohl's, so of course we had to go to the mall. She found a few things that she would really like for Christmas gifts, but I didn't buy anything in front of her. I like the surprise on the kids' faces on Christmas morning. When they open that present and realize that Mom and Dad were REALLY listening all that time!

Here's to finding that perfect gift without breaking the bank this Christmas season! Here's also to making sure my family remembers the true reason for this Christmas season!

We LOVE you Murphy!

Today was a very sad day. I had to take our 11 & 1/2 year old yellow lab to the vet today, to have him put to sleep. It was so heart-breaking. He's been with us for so long and was such a loyal dog. He was our protector~I never had to worry my kids when Murphy was around. He didn't like many people, so I always knew he would let a stranger have it if they came too close to the kids.

Murphy loved to be outside and watch people go by. He would bark at everyone who moved too slow. He would also chase the cars and trucks when they stopped to stare at the deer. Murphy liked to go out in the field and get all muddy. He also enjoyed taking the puppies out there, because then they had to get baths.

Murphy always slept on the floor along my side of the bed. He would howl at night in his sleep~always waking everybody up except himself. Murphy was our dog! He was one in the family and will be truly missed!

WE LOVE YOU MURPHY!!

Short Sleeves & Sandals

Yes. It is November in Wisconsin. And yes, I wore sandals and short sleeves all weekend and I didn't freeze! It was a warm weekend with sunshine in the sky. We had the windows wide open and I did a lot of cleaning. It was so wonderful to have the fresh air in the house.

Of course, Brad is hunting in Iowa this weekend and this nice, warm weather is not so conducive to bowhunting. He hasn't been seeing much and it doesn't help that I give him a hard time everytime he calls. I'm starting to get ready for hunting season to be done.

We got updates on our little boy in Ethiopia last Thursday and Friday. They keep saying he has such a sweet smile. He seems shy according to the reports, but they say he is very respectful and nice to everyone. It also states that he grew 4 inches and gained about 5 pounds. He's still just a peanut for a 5 year old, but at least he's gaining and is on the growth chart.

Last week I was told my early childhood classroom is going to be moving to the high school. I'm not so sure about all of this, but I guess I need to remember that "change is good". That's what I always tell everyone else, so I better listen to my own mantra! Deep down, I know it will be OK, but for right now, I'm still processing it all in my head.

I'm praying for a court date. I know it will be awhile, but it doesn't hurt to pray for our day in court~sooner than later!

It's going to be a busy week again with no Brad in town to help out. I have something to do every night after work, so that always makes for a long day!

Happy Halloween!

What a day for trick-or-treating! It was cold and windy. Brrrr! Noah and Jordan had sweatpants and sweatshirts on under their costumes. Jordan wore a coat over the costume too and they both had gloves on. I cheated and drove the kids around Fremont. They jumped out of the truck, ran to any homes with lights on, and then ran right back. We all stayed fairly warm and they filled their buckets within an hour. Now they're checking out their loot!

Today, we took it easy. I did laundry and downloaded music from itunes. Brad bought me an Ipod Touch last Saturday and I LOVE it! I've been downloading all kinds of new music. I also put in the weather and time for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I need to add all my contacts with their phones, email addresses, and regular addresses. The girls are liking my new interest in downloading more music, because then I put it on their Ipods too.

This week was kind of a downer. I attended the funeral of one of my early childhood students. I NEVER imagined I would ever have to attend a child's funeral. It was so sad. I was so sad. My heart breaks for the parents of this beautiful child. I'm glad to see such a strong support system for the family and I hope they know how much we're going to miss that sweet angel!

I also heard that the court cases that were supposed to pass court last week, were postponed until the last week in November. BUMMER!! That means that our court date will probably be in December or later then. And that means we probably won't travel until February or March. I've been bumming all week about this. When I emailed Holt to see how many other families were waiting for a court date; they told me there were at least 40 to 50 others waiting with us. UGH! That just seems like too many. I know I should be happy to think of how many children are finding forever families, but I've been dwelling on how long it is going to take to bring home our sweet boy.

On the hunting front: Brad leaves tomorrow for Kansas and then he heads straight to Iowa. He won't be home until late Thursday, November 12th. This is really going to be hard on all of us. I can see some very crabby days ahead!

Exciting News!

I received an email today from Holt in Oregon, and it stated that our dossier has arrived in Ethiopia! YEAH!! That is such exciting news! It took 19 days to get there, but it's finally there. Now, we just wait for a court date! This is SO EXCITING!! I really needed to hear this today.

Jordan isn't feeling well and stayed home from school today. Luckily Grandma Lenz could stay with her so she wasn't alone. Cassie leaves for Indianapolis tomorrow for the National FFA Convention. She even gets to go to a Toby Keith and Taylor Swift concert. I'm so jealous! She's totally excited but I have mixed emotions. I've never let one of my kids go that far away without one of us. Guess I have to let her grow up sometime.

We had a really busy weekend. On Friday night, we headed to the high school football game. Cassie played in the band, Jordan did her cheer routine at halftime, and Noah and Brad were announced for Pee-Wee football players and coaches. It was cold (for me), so we left after halftime.

On Saturday, we headed to Jordan's cheer competition in Westfield. We arrived at 10:45am and needed to sit in the bleachers until 1pm, just so we could have a seat for the actual competition. Jordan's cheer squad got a 1st!  YEAH!! They were awesome and should be proud of themselves.

On Sunday, Brad helped Great Grandma Beck move into an assisted living home in Oshkosh. Noah and Brad loaded his van in Winneconne and then unloaded in Oshkosh. They loaded again in Winneconne and brought lots of things home for us.

Jordan was under the weather when she woke up on Sunday morning and stayed on the couch or in bed all day long. She had a fever and was pretty lathargic. I just hope she gets over this quickly and it's not H1N1.

Hopefully I can post pictures of the cheer competition soon.

What a great start to a busy week!

Weekends are so FAST!

I LOVE weekends! I love being with my family. I love staying home and wearing comfy clothes. I love cuddling with my pups and being able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I love laying around in my bed or on the lovesac, under a cozy blanket and watching HGTV.

But, then you add in grocery shopping, errands to run, hunting season, yard work, animal clean-up, sports and games for the kids and extended family, church, and catching up with housework and seeing friends and family, there isn't much time left of my weekend.

Overall, another weekend is over and I don't have a lot to show for it. I did get to spend time with Dorinda on Saturday and Noah found his Halloween costume. But, I woke up with a terrible headache on Sunday, so I felt that I was in slow motion all day.

I need to stay busy though. When I have downtime, it seems like I get down on not traveling to Ethiopia. I feel like time is just dragging and I can't get it moving. I just want to bring our little guy home. So when I have time to think about everything I'm missing with him, I get down. I need to look to the positive side and know that we're getting closer to bring him home and I need to find my PATIENCE!! Now that's SO HARD for me, but I can do it. I'm trying to convince myself right now. :)

Here's to another week of work, school, trip to Milwaukee Dept of Homeland Security, football game, cheer competition, and days closer to bringing our little man home from Ethiopia!

Cassie's First Homecoming

Last weekend, Cassie had her first homecoming parade, football game, and dance! We all went to watch her march on the field for the football game, but then I headed home after halftime since it was so cold and damp out. Also, the football team was losing, 45-0 at half too.

On Saturday morning, Grandma Lenz came out to the house to paint her nails and take her to her hair appointment. The rest of us were at Noah's last football game (freezing again). Jordan cheered, Noah and Brad were on the field, and Dorinda and I huddled together under 2 blankets to stay warm.

Dorinda, Jordan, Ally (Cassie's cousin), and I watched Cassie get dressed for the big night. Dinner and dance! We took pictures of my little girl and Jordan also showed her how she was supposed to pose for the camera. Cassie had a great time and danced the night away.

USCIS Appointment - Yeah!!

On Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 10am, Brad and I will be at the USCIS office in Milwaukee. This is for the I600A - Application for Advance Processing or Orphan Petition. YEAHHHHH! We need to have this completed and approved in order to travel to Ethiopia and bring home our little guy! I'm SO EXCITED!!!

More Family Reunion Pics

Cassie & I on the boat trip

Queen Brad & I at the bowling alley

Laughing at the "dancers" on the boat trip:

Me, Jordan, Cassie, Brad, Ally & Lauren

Kris & Mom on the boat

Erin, Cassie, Jordan & Noah taking a break from bowling!

Family Reunion Pictures (from August 2009)

Our bowling team!

Cassie, Erin, me, Noah, Brad, Jordan, & Luke

Cody & Noah just being boys!

Noah, Brad & I

Kris, Mom & I

Tired after bowling:

Cassie, Kris, me, Noah & Brad

Frustration

So, I came home from work on Monday (09/21) and noticed that we received a letter from Wisconsin's Homeland Security office. They logged in our I600-A application, but they didn't have our birth or marriage certificates. UGH!!! I must have missed that part. Will send that out on Tuesday via priority mail.

Then, I check my home email and see an email from Jenn at Holt in Oregon. She received our dossier documents but Brad's employer letter was never NOTARIZED! UGH!!! I was SO frustrated, upset, and almost near tears. Why does everything always have to be so difficult. So, Brad asked human resources to do it again on Tuesday. The lady was TOO busy to get it done. So he asked again on Wednesday and she FINALLY pushed it underneath his door at work after 5pm. WHAT IS THAT?!?!? Does she not know that our little boy is WAITING for us?!?!?! Again, I'm almost to tears and really frustrated.

Brad sent the letter and copy of the letter out on Thursday morning. He sent it priority mail and overnighted it. Over $17.00 later, its' on the way to Oregon. I never heard from Holt on Friday, so I'm just hoping they received it and everything is in order.

I know I need to find my PATIENCE, but it's so hard knowing our little guy is there and we're missing so much with him. By the time Friday evening rolled around, I was just wiped out. TOO much stress thinking about everything. Everything happens for a reason, but I'm thinking somebody is having a good laugh on me!

Saturday was an awesome day! Noah won his football game. AGAIN! The team is 5-0 and we have one more regular season game to find out if they go to Playoffs. YEAH!

I took Cassie shopping and it was ALL ABOUT HER! She needed shoes to go with her homecoming dress and also earrings. Then she needed pajamas for pajama day this week at school. She also needed a pink shirt (I know she had one of these, but she totally disagreed) to play in the band during a volleyball game this week. Everytime I looked at something for me, I put it back. I know we're tight on money for the adoption, so I'm thinking all about the NEED list, rather than the WANT list.

Cassie and I also checked out clothes at Children's Place for our little guy. Just taking a stab at his height and weight now, I'm thinking he'll be in a 4T or so. That just seems SO TINY since Noah is already wearing size 10. I can't wait to get another update on his growth, so we can start thinking about clothes for him. Now that puts a big SMILE on my face!!

Jordan, Noah and I are working on another package to be sent to Muluken this afternoon. The two of them both made cards and I put some stickers in the envelope with another card. Jordan also found some coloring pictures on the internet, so we'll send one or two of those too! I would just love to see his face when he gets the envelope!

Dossier is Sent!

Finally! We received our authentication forms from the State of Wisconsin in Thursday's mail. I made all the copies and sent out our dossier to Holt in Oregon on Friday. YEAH!! It seems like it has taken forever, but we finally did it. Now, we wait. We still have to go for fingerprinting in Milwaukee, once immigration gives us an appointment.

Well, we're done with 3 weeks of school now and we're starting to get into our routine again. Grandma Lenz picks up the kids at school every Monday and Thursday, brings them home, helps Jordan and Noah get into the football and cheerleading practice clothes, and takes them to Weyauwega for practice by 4:30pm. Tuesday is drama practice for Noah and I pick him up at 4:30pm. I've been trying to walk my 3 miles every day when I get home. My two sidekicks, Tia and Tiger LOVE going for these walks and look forward to them as much as I do.

Noah's football team is undefeated right now, 4-0. Brad is one of the head coaches, so I have to sit in the stands by myself and try to figure the game out. I'm getting pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. Cassie had to march in the Horse & Buggy Days parade yesterday, and I missed her by a few minutes because Noah's football game ran late. Bummer. She'll be marching in the homecoming parade but I'll miss that because it's during the day time when I'm at work. She also has to march for the Christmas parade in Appleton, but that makes a Tuesday evening REALLY late. We'll have to watch her on TV that night!

Cassie has a date for homecoming. She's excited but I'm not sure yet. I can't believe she's old enough for a DATE! We have the dress but still need to buy some shoes. That might be harder than it sounds because Cassie has a REALLY hard time walking in even a very little heel.

Today, it's a nice cool 73 degrees and kind of overcast. A perfect fall day to make homemade applesauce. I made this in my classroom this past week and want to try it for my family. I can't wait to smell the applesauce cooking! YUM!

Getting there

The paperwork is almost complete. We finally received the approved and notarized home study report on Friday, September 11th. We went back to our neighbor, "the notary", today and got the last 4 things signed. We have to send out 4 envelopes out tomorrow in the mail~YEAH!! We'll wait to get one of them back from the State that authenticates our notaries' names, and then we send off all the dossier documents to Holt! That's so awesome! I was hoping to have this done sooner, but when you're at the mercy of everyone else, it's pretty hard.

The weather has been awesome around here lately. We've been in the low 80's every day for over a week and the nights get nice and cool to sleep. BUT, today I couldn't handle the heat, so I turned on the central air. I'm such a wimp. It seems so weird to have such nice, warm weather in September because we had such a cool summer.

School is going great for everyone~even me! It's nice to get back into the swing of things again. Now if I only would do my lesson plans for this week, I would be feeling much happier.

The one down side of this whole weekend~The hunting season has begun. Yesterday was the very first day of the bowhunting season on Wisconsin. Brad hasn't gone out by himself yet, but he has taken Cassie out this weekend. This looks to be a very LONG hunting season.

10 Things I am Thankful For

1. Warm days and cool nights.

2. Watching Brad help the kids shoot their bows.

3. Listening to Cassie talk about her first days of high school.

4. Taking my 2 pups, Tia and Tiger, for long walks.

5. Sitting by the Lake at Grandma's home and relaxing, while the kids swim and fish.

6. Having a clean house with freshly shampooed carpets.

7. Watching the birds at the feeders outside my bedroom window.

8. Watching HGTV anytime of the day.

9. Getting ready for another week at work~a job I LOVE!

10. Listening to the crickets and frogs sing at night.


There are so many more things I'm thankful for, but this is what came to my mind tonight, sitting at the kitchen table while the kids are in bed and Brad is watching football on TV.

Ups and Downs

I have good days and some not-so good days. I think too much and I get down. I feel like time is moving SO SLOWWWWWW!

Yes, I'm talking about bringing our son home from Ethiopia. I never was a patient person, but just knowing that summer is now over and fall is on it's way, time is moving but we're still at a stand still on bringing him home due to paperwork. Maybe I would feel better knowing an estimate when we'll go to Africa, but all we have right now, is sometime in the future. We don't even know if it will be this year or next. I would love to pick him up in December before Christmas, but who knows.

I need to remember that God is with him and keeping him safe. I can pray for him and hope that he's healthy and happy, but it is so hard just sitting here thinking of him and not being able to see him, hold him, hug him, and tell him that we love him.

Luckily school is back in full swing again and the kids are in football, cheerleading, and band, so they're keeping us busy all the time too. I'm happy to be back to school and starting a new year too. It means that by next year at this time, we'll be starting back to school with our 4 children. Now that's exciting!

Family Reunion

We just had our first ever, VOSS Family Reunion! (My mom's side of the family) It was awesome, tiring, fun-filled, fun, exciting, and exhausting!

We were able to see some cousins that I haven't seen in many, many years (Gretchen, Rob, Jeff, Craig). We were also able to see cousins I see about once a year (Kim, Kelly, Ryan, Phil) and the cousins that live near us (David, Dan, Mike, Katie). All of the aunts and uncles were here and putting on a great time.We were only missing 2 cousins (Nicky & Brian). Hopefully they can make the next one.

We went tubing down the Wolf River, bowling, fish fry with Vic Ferrari, dinner cruise on the Fin n' Feather showboat, pig roast with singing entertainment, swimming, blow-ups, minnow races (Noah won 1st place), scavenger hunt (Cassie caught a real frog), water skiing (YEAH Jordan!), jet skiing, & just hanging out at the lake.

It was really nice seeing everyone and their families. The cousins' kids went from 17 to 2 years old. We had activities for everyone, so it was pretty fun. I loved seeing the different personalities of the kids and how they all can manipulate their parents (my children included) :)

Yesterday was unbelievably HOT! The heat index was around 100 and the humidity just sucked the life right out of me. My headache was unbearable around 4pm, so Brad took Cassie and Jordan into town to Walmart and Kohl's. Noah and I relaxed until they got home.

I'm getting pretty excited for the new school year. I've been thinking of lesson plans and working on class supply lists. I need to send out my EC handbook this week, so I better get moving.

Another busy week. Only 3 more weeks until school starts. UGH! Where did this summer go?!?!?

Just a few of my favorite pics...

Noah on his favorite mode of transporation

Cassie & Jordan at the Mock Show enjoying breakfast!

Tiger (1 year old)

Tia (12 weeks old)

A Day in my Life

7am Wake up (Noah tells me to get up soon, so we won't be late).

7:40am Leave home to take Noah & Jordan to summer school in Wega.

8:15am Get home & pick up Cassie to go to Winneconne to pick up hay for horse.

9am Load (10) 50lb bags of hay into back of truck.

9:45am Unload (2) bags of hay at horse trainer's barn.

10am Get home & let dogs out. Throw in a wash. Return phone calls. Check emails. Listen to HGTV. Let dogs in.

11:30am Go back to Wega & pick up Jordan & Noah from summer school.

12:15pm Get home & drive over Sammy the St. Bernard with my truck. OMG!!!!! I thought I broke his back leg. Heart beating fast. Started shaking. Wanted to puke. Had to sit down before I passed out. Started crying. Called the vet.

1:15pm Took Sammy to the vet in Wega. Nothing's broke. THANK YOU GOD!!!

1:30pm Take Sammy home. He's much happier to be in the house in the AC!

1:40pm Take Jordan to Wega for her band lesson.

2pm Sit in truck & read my mail. Talk on the phone. Listen to book on tape.

2:30pm Take Jordan home from band lesson.

2:45pm Stop at neighbor's home & meet his new puppy, Ben. Ben is ADORABLE!!!

3:15pm Switch wash. Check emails. Watch HGTV. Let dogs out. Let dogs in. Tell Sammy how sorry I am! Make food for Jordan & Noah (early dinner). Pick up school stuff that's around the house. Need to take to school tomorrow morning.

5pm Drive Noah & Jordan to football/cheer practice in Wega. Signed up to do concession stand on scrimmage day. Say "hi" & "bye" to Brad in the parking lot. (Brad is coaching).

5:30pm Go home with Tiger & Tia.

6pm Put on tennis shoes & go for walk by self with book on tape. It's too hot & humid to take the dogs.

6:40pm Get home. VERY HOT!! Take a shower & eat a Smart One for dinner.

7pm Sit on bed with my laptop & watch HGTV all night. HEAVEN!!

8:30pm Brad, Jordan, & Noah get home. Take showers & tell me how their practices went.

9pm Brad comes to bed & I give him the remote & go to bed. I'm exhausted!!



I truly wonder how many miles I put on my truck in one day. I feel that I'm just a taxi driver this summer~But at least I drive a cool looking truck!

Paperwork, paperwork, & MORE paperwork

It seems like that is all I work on lately. We have paperwork for Holt International and for LSS. We have paperwork for back to school registration and lesson plans. There is so much paperwork and so little time!

The kids have kept me so busy this past week and it's only going to get worse. Jordan and Noah are going to summer school from 8am - noon. Then Jordan has band lessons at 2:30pm and then they both have football/cheer practice from 5:30 - 7:45pm. Brad's also coaching the football team, so I won't see him too much either this week. Cassie also wants to ride her horse, so I need to make time to get over to the trainer's house too. We did finish up Little League last week, so that's one thing off of our to-do list. But, we still have dog project on Tuesday evening.

We are also having a Voss family reunion (my mom's side of the family). Many of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousins' kids will all be converging on Lake Poygan from Wednesday through Sunday. They have a ton of things planned for everyone, but we'll see how much we'll get to be there with our schedule. Hopefully I can spend some time with everyone and catch up. I can't wait!

And now a family of 6!

At 5:35pm central time yesterday, we received the phone call we've been waiting for.....We have been approved to become parents of the most beautiful five-year old little boy from Ethiopia! We're over the moon with excitement! Brad said he knew it was going to happen, but I didn't want to believe it until it was official.

Now, we have to get going on the rest of the paperwork for our dossier, but at least we have this little man's picture in our hearts, so hopefully it will make everything go a little easier. I wish we could share his picture with everyone, but for now we can only talk about him. We need to wait to pass court in order to post his beautiful face.

We thank God for all of his blessings he has given us!

Happy Birthday Jordan

Today is your 11th birthday~WOW, how time flies. We celebrated your special day on Sunday with the family and a party with lots of presents. Today, you rode your horse, went out to lunch at Channel Cats, ate ice cream cake, and picked up your cheerleading uniform. It was a pretty good day overall, except for your pouting at horse lessons. Oh well, a mere perfect day for the princess!

Where the Story Begins....

I'm no computer genius and I never will be. I've tried creating this blog for a few months now and I'm FINALLY making my first post. Hopefully, it won't take me so long from now on.

I wanted to start this blog to keep a journal of our day-to-day life in our Rucks' family happenings. I also wanted to keep this blog about our journey to international adoption and bringing home our son from Ethiopia. We've been on a rollercoaster ride since our Christmas vacation in 2008. We started out looking at adopting and then turned things over to foster care. We were licensed for foster care on March 9, 2009. After some heartache of getting ready QUICK for 3-year old twin boys and not getting them, I turned my efforts over to adopting from another country. It took a LOT of talking and researching, and talking some more, that Brad and I decided to adopt from Ethiopia. We decided on CHSFS out of Minnesota for our international agency. After going through TONS of paperwork and being only 2 appointments away from our home study being completed, we decided to jump ship and sign on with Holt International out of Oregon. This means we had to change our home study agency too. UGH! LOTS more paperwork.

On Wedneday, 07/08/09, I had a webinar with CHSFS and found out the wait for a 3 to 6 year old boy from Ethiopia would be 12 to 18 months. I had been told before that it wouldn't be so long, so I was totally disappointed. So, like I do so well, I started doing more research on the internet. I checked out Holt's website and their waiting children's listing, and found some boys in that age range and couldn't believe it. So within an hour after my webinar with CHSFS, I was calling Holt to inquire about their Ethiopia program and their waiting child program.

This was a huge turning point for us. By Friday, we inquired about 3 boys and fell in love with one little guy. He's absolutely adorable!! We told Holt on Monday, 07/13/09, that we were very interested in this little boy. We completed 4 more worksheets of information for them and waited. On Wednesday, 07/15/09, we found out that we were the only family going to committee for this little guy and we were elated. We met with our new home study agency on Friday, 07/17/09, and also had a conference call with Holt that evening. We will find out on Thursday, 07/23/09, if we are chosen for this adorable little boy. We're so excited!!

In the meantime, we're working on more paperwork for the home study and waiting for a phone call. Of course, we also have horse lessons, dog project, little league, 4-H projects, back-to-school shopping, cleaning, and tons of laundry. Time is moving so fast this summer. It hasn't really felt like summer because the weather has been so cool. Not too much swimming at the lake this summer, so far. Bummer!

This is our last week to sleep in too. Jordan and Noah will be going to summer school starting next Monday. I'm hoping to head onto my classroom and start setting everything up. I have so much to do during the month of August that it would be nice to get started.

Well, here's the first post complete and hopefully many more to come in the future!