Annual Fly In

We got to go and visit Jack’s work a few weeks ago for their annual fly in.  Every October they have a “conference” where they invite their customers for lunch and a seminar taught by his boss on do’s and dont’s of having your own airplane.  The kids always think it’s cool to go and see all the airplanes and of course we never turn down free lunch ;)

All ready to go!!!

WOW!  A Family picture!!

 

My babies :)

It was a little windy but fun!

Here is one sort of unrelated but related picture.  Jackson conned one of Jack’s customers who is a farmer to give him a ride in his combine the following weekend when he was working on a field by our house.  SO exciting!

ALSO, Jack FINALLY got his pilot’s license!  He’s only been working on it for fifteen years!!  We’re very proud of him and I’m already trying to decide where to have him fly me to for that ever looming big birthday I have coming up next year.

Picture Post

So I’m completely overwhelmed even thinking about posting about every little thing that has happen since I last wrote on here.  I really think God was protecting us because the computer crashed and was down for almost a month and then we had some inappropriate contact from Laila’s birth parents and so our lawyer advised us not to have a bunch of mass information out there about our adoption until 30 days after it is final.  So, I’ll be giving a little more info on here but now at least I know who you all are and will hunt you down if you are the one passing along info to her birth parents ;)

Emma & Jackson have both started school and are LOVING it.  Last year Jackson cried because he didn’t want to go to school and this year he cries on the days he doesn’t have school because he wants to go!  He’s the one who’s had the most struggle adjusting to having Laila around but I guess it’s to be expected since he is no longer the youngest.  He LOVES her and is so smart when it comes to taking care of her and loves to help so it’s not resentment, I just think he’s a kid that takes awhile to acclimate to change.  He’s very tender hearted and I love that about him :)

We’ve had some adventures with Laila but all the while God’s continuing to teach us how to care for her.  She has a surgery for a kidney stone in August and two trips to Riley (including one three day stay) from sickness this month but she’s a trooper and we have some great friends and family that have helped tons!  Like I said, we’re not gonna give specifics about the dates of the adoption but things are moving right along and our lawyer says it will be final by the end of the year.  I almost cry every time I think about standing in that court room and it finally being real.  I had to go to my first court hearing this morning (just a case review) and I was talking with my case worker about what I feel that I’ll say on the adoption day if the judge asks me “why her?”  The only thing I can come up with is that she’s my daughter.  She was always supposed to be with us.  From the first few hours after we met her Jack and I both knew.  She’s so much more to me than what other people see and without sounding creepy, I can feel into my soul the love I have for her when I hold her. 

Anyway, here’s the fun part :)

My little Angel

Golf cart ride at Papa Roger’s lake

At Papa Roger’s beach

Fun at Aunt Carol’s for the Bierma Family reunion

Laila’s first boat ride

Love that face :)

INDIANA BEACH!!!!!!

Gma & Papa stopped by IB to say hi after fishing

Silly girls

Jackson LOVED the roller coasters this year!

Watch out!!  Crazy driver!!

Papa loves to read to Laila (and all the kids!)

Jackson’s first day of preschool (at DMC)

Laila loves to color during homework time

Boat church at Papa Tom’s lake

Laila’s first Boat ride on Dewart Lake

All those crazy Hamstras :)

Looks like I was worried about her not liking the life jacket for nothing!

On Papa Tom’s boat

The three amigos

I love this picture :)

 

Jackson’s big catch!

Emma got to spend her first few days alone with Papa at the lake this summer.  Fun time fishing :)

Emma & I with our new hairdos

 

Me & my daddy fishing :)

Emma trying on clothes on our date night.  She’s getting so stylish!

The kids checking out the new laptop playing PBS kids.

 

The laptop has really helped to get Laila’s attention to keep her head up in her stander.  She’s watching Curious George.  (ps – her therapist is talking about ordering a gate trainer.  This is the first step to walking.  God is good!!)

My little trooper in the hospital

Jackson had to lay by his sister to make sure she was OK ;)

So there’s the REALLY condensed version of our past few months.  Thanks for being willing the share the journey of our life with us.  We’re blessed to have you in our lives :)

Summer of Fun Update

(I wrote this one right before our computer crashed so here’s this one but I’m working on a big one to sum up the past few months.)

Of course there have continued to be several trips to McDonald’s (including the play place!!), trips for ice cream, and trips for small toys for money earned on the good behavior chart this summer but last Friday was one of the BIG prizes for the summer.  CHUCKY CHEESE!!!  Woohoo!

I used to dread trips to Chucky Cheese until I figured out a few secrets.  Weekday mornings right when they open at 10am there’s nobody there!  We will only go at this time and we always have a great time.  We never, ever go on a Saturday.  oooh, I shudder at the thought! ;)

I have also figured out that I can get by on $15 and the kids play for around two hours.  We use the $15 coupon that is buy 60 tokens get 40 free so each kids gets 50 tokens.  I know one day soon they’ll be more interested in getting tickets and go through the tokens a lot faster but for now it’s great!  I usually end up using a few tokens for myself just to get through them faster (and because I secretly love playing the pop the bubbles game!)

Here are a few pictures of the kids favorite games.

Also, I just had to share these pictures of the kids tan lines.  These are actually faded a little but we have spent a lot of time in the pool this summer.  We’re finishing up swim lessons this week and have spent a lot of time in Miss Chanda & Grandma Kathy’s pools.  Lots of fun!

This week we’re spending the day with Aunt Jill tomorrow, finishing up swim lessons and going to a Christmas in August party on Saturday.  Next week……… drum roll please……… INDIANA BEACH!!!  We’re gonna finish out the summer of fun with a bang :)

Privacy

Along with computer issues, we've been having privacy issues with our adoption. In two weeks I will be setting this blog to invitation only/private. If you would like to continue reading please leave your name and email address in the comment box or send me an email stating that you would like to be invited. Sorry for the inconvenience but I'm just not feeling comfortable withthe privacy having the blog be open to all readers.

Thanks for understanding.

Angie

ah computers.......

So I'm still not forgetting just still having computer problems. Using someone else's yet again today. Makes me so mad because people are actually reading now and I have a lot to say and had actually been keeping up. God's working on me through no Internet though so it's all good :)

Our file "accidentally" somehow didn't make it on to the agenda for that committee for August so now it won't be until September 13 before we can actually see if they wave the waiting period so we can file for adoption but oh well, nothing we can do and honestly it's just a technicality at this point. She already living here and art of our family. But as Jackson says, it be nice when we can say her real name to everyone instead of having to use two different names all the time.

Emma has started school and is of course loving it again. She's a little bummed that there more work in second grade and no centers but overall doing good. We got to have beginning of the year chapel with her again which I absolutely LOVE! I love that God has miraculously provided for the kids to be at DMC. It's all Him!! There's just something about listening to the staff all coming together praying for your child at the beginning of the year that gives you goose bumps. It always helps this mommy who has a hard time sending them back feel better :)

Jackson begins preschool this Thursday and seems pretty excited about it. He's ready to be in class with Mrs. Friend. How cool is that for a preschool teacher name ;) All he can talk about is that they get to have a cowboy dinner. Too bad it's at the end of the school year. He's not very happy when I remind him of that but I'm sure when he gets started he'll love every bit of it. I've only heard amazing things about this teacher.

Well, better get going. Thanks to those of you who care enough to keep up with us on here. Hopefully we'll be back up and running soon to have updates with pictures and such. One of my amazing friends decided to pray for a miracle with our computer so I could keep up on my bible reading blog and then a few days later she got a call that someone is donating us a laptop!! I'm still kind of in shock and completely humbled but it will be very useful with Laila. We'll be getting that over Labor Day weekend and then will hopefully be up & running again. How completely amazing is our God?!?!

Quick Post

So I just wanted to put this up really quick since I'm on someone else's computer. My computer got rid of the virus then got hit by lightning!! How crazy is that! I haven't forgot to update just couldn't.

We've been having a great week, even stayed at the lake for several days. The meeting to wave the 6 month waiting period for adoption is actually this Tuesday. The social workers had the date mixed up. Please keep that in your prayers this week.

Emma & Jackson will be starting school soon so please keep them in your prayers and pray we have a great end of summer :)

Hoping to have the computer fixed this week. More to come then.....

August 2

So my computer got a virus and that was not fun at all!

I have some fun things to post but no time right now. Just wanted to give an update that today our file should go before the SNAP committee for approval to waive the six month waiting period to file for adoption. Please pray this goes through and maybe by the end of the week we could be talking with our lawyer!! woohoo!

Also, the birth parents did not show up again last week which was their last chance. Maybe this is the way God planned for it to be, that Laila could just move on and her new life with us just gets to continue. I'm glad to be able to say we tried.