get ready, get set...WAIT!

We said goodbye to an old friend this week: our dossier.

That little stinker represents a lot of work, frustration, and prayers.
After anxiously awaiting being able to send it off,
I was kind of sad to say good-bye.
That's why I took it back from the Fed Ex lady to take a picture of it.
She gave me the "What are you, a freak??" look that I've
become rather acumstomed to in life.
I'm pretty sure only families that are adopting take photos of paperwork.
I guess spies do it too.
(At least Sydney Bristow did.)
We don't have ultrasound pictures or a baby moving inside of us.
One thing we do have is paperwork.
Blessed paperwork.
This marks the end of the first phase of our adoption.
This marks the end of the time when we can actually be doing
something to bring our baby home.
That's had a comforting sense of purpose.
It also marks the beginning of waiting.
We are officially on the wait list now.
Number 28 on the girl list.
Okay, technically that is also last on the list.
But we are on the list, for which I am thankful.
I want to see the purpose in this time of waiting too.
I know I'll get impatient.
It might feel insufferably long at times.
But I hope I see this as a time of prayer, preparation and sanctification.
God is working out His purpose for our family.

I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
Job 42:2

Queen of (our) hearts

It is widely believed, by those who know her, that my mother is the most adorable person on the planet. This was confirmed in the 1940's when she was a contestant on the radio show "Queen for a day". Think American Idol, back in the day. She charmed the judges with her sparkling personality and radiant smile. And she won. At 80, she is still winning hearts today.

To celebrate her and this great occasion, my sisters and I planned a surprise party. Amazingly enough, we pulled it off. Unfortunately, I'm afraid what this tells us it that her daughters and friends are pretty good liars.

What a joy to have a tangible way to show love to this woman who has personified love for me. She and my father had a beautiful story of faithful love. Like "The Notebook" only it was real, not fiction. She loves her family fiercely. And she pours herself out in love toward everyone she comes in contact with. She is leaving a legacy of love because she loves extravagantly. And when I grow up, I want to be just like her. Besides all that, she's just plain cute.
See for yourself...

Here she is with her birthday buddy. Every year she tells him he was the
best birthday present she has ever gotten. He eats that up!

Below is a picture from her "Queen for a Day" appearance in 1946.
Long live the Queen!

Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
Proverbs 17:6

Who doesn't love a Tater Tot?

11 years ago today I got a new name.

Mom.
Here's the guy who first called me that...

My Tater Tot is 11 today. How can that be? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was in laboring in the hospital for 24 hours only to end up having a c-section? Tate was worth it all. The pain. The sleeplessness. Even the embarrassment of consistently telling people I had a "circumcision" instead of a "c-section". They both begin with "c". Easy mistake, right?

I remember back then how I really wanted to have a boy, but I was concerned about what he would be like from age 8-15. They all seemed so awkward and unfunny and smelly. How wrong I was! I thoroughly enjoy this kid! I love his questions. I appreciate his humor. I am amazed by his creativity. What a joy to know who he is now and watch who he is becoming.

Here he is trying to generate one of his favorite words: profit.

He is my voice of reason. When I was considering buying Em a Jonas Brothers magazine he asked "Do you really want to encourage that?" Good point, pal.

He is my sentimental boy. Do we really need to save the bottle cap (Bud Light, no less) that you found on the beach in San Diego??? Yep.

He is my deliverer of one-liners. Mom: "We're going to have you guys start using your own money to give people presents". Tate: "Uh, don't be expecting very nice presents then, Mom".

He is a delight.
So now I'm a fan of boys age 8-15.
At least this 11 year old one.
Happy birthday, pal. I love you and I like you too!

P.S. Tate loves that he shares his birthday with my beloved Mother. She'll get her own post. You don't have to share birthdays in blog land.

My Favorite

We have another birthday in our house.

It's the guy who says "Easy there, Mrs. Kollar" when
I start to get a little worked up.
(I need his steadiness.)
And the guy whose extensive vocabulary includes words like "pithy",
"sundry", and "conundrum" in every day conversation.
(I like his brains.)
He is also the guy who has had such a close relationship with God
that I've shamefully found myself being a little jealous of it sometimes.
(I love his sweet and sincere devotion to Christ.)
Same guy who is my very own McDreamy,
without all the hair.


I happen to be one of those people who believes

that if God intends for you to marry,
He has one person in mind for you to spend your life with.
I like the one I got.
Happy Birthday, babe.
42 looks good on you.
You're still my favorite!

.

For those of you who have read my blog in the past, I feel the need to catch you up on a few things.

First, I lied. It isn't easy being green. Yes I have all sorts of cute bags to keep me from using plastic at the grocery store. But do I EVER remember to take them to the store with me? NO! They sit in my garage, still cute but not serving their intended purpose. I just needed to clear my conscience on that one.

Secondly, you may remember the issue of the spoons. Here's what went down: I marched into the school with my head held high and 21 spoons (and one fork) in my purse. I wasn't even that humiliated as I fessed up to several people there, including the principal. Her comment was, "So that's where they've all been going. We thought kids were throwing them away." But here's the kicker...I miss them. We eat a lot of cereal and yogurt and ice cream around here and those little guys were coming in handy. No one said obeying the law was easy.

I don't really have a thirdly, but I think it seems awkward to only have two things, so I need to make one up real quick. I had an "aha" moment today. It hit me that it really doesn't work to rountinely sleep in until 8am and then help 3 kids get out of the door for school by 8:40am. We've been making it work, but it really isn't the best situation for minimizing chaos. I know I'm a little slow that this is just now hitting me, but you just have to know that I'm not a "jump out of bed" kind of person. That and I've been staying up late blogging. I'm pretty sure if you are reading this, you understand that. So right here and now I am choosing to wake up earlier, for the good of my family...tomorrow I'll start with 7:45am. No need to go to extremes!

I'm not the most politically-minded person you will ever meet.
But as you can read, I voted today.
The place was PACKED OUT and it gave me chills.
As I stood in line with"my fellow Americans",
I realized that I had no idea who anyone was voting for.
Our filled-in ovals didn't define any of us.
No matter how this historic election shakes down,
I got to have my say.
We all get to have our say.
I am grateful to live in a place where I get to wear a little sticker that says
"I voted today".
I know I take this for granted a lot of the time.
At least I won't today.

Halloween 101

Everyone does it differently, but I myself have a few rules concerning this season of the year that seem to order my fall universe, so to speak. They are as follows:

1) It is ideal to take ones children to a charming pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. If this is not feasible, then take them to an affordable one (i.e. FREE) that is not scenic and don't let them buy anything. Instead let them pick out pumpkins from bins in front of Wal-Mart at 2 for $6. Be sure to take their pictures at the pumpkin patch, making it look as scenic as possible, because pictures in the Wal-mart parking lot are never aesthetically pleasing.

2) When passing out Halloween candy it is preferable to have two different bowls of candy, one with "good" candy and one with "bad" candy. The "good" candy is reserved for cute little trick or treaters while the "bad" candy is for anyone who is 15, dressed in normal clothes, and carrying a king sized pillow case. Also for anyone with a costume that bleeds. I define "good" candy as anything involving chocolate and "bad" candy can be something like nasty cheap bubble gum or leftovers from last year.

3) Mommy is a nicer mommy when she has at least one Pumpkin Spice latte or Frap per week. This number would be much higher if paying $4.17 a pop didn't sting so bad. The good news is that they are now making a Pumpkin Spice creamer at the grocery store. That'll work.

4) If you, like me, really love the look of candles illuminating pumpkins and the idea of carving pumpkins as a family, but you are opposed to slimy pumpkin guts and the possibility of one of your children impaling themselves, there are other festive options. I convinced my children that making our own caramel apples (using a "fancy"store bought kit) would be every bit the adventure of pumpkin carving. Nevermind that my oldest doesn't even like caramel and my youngest thought it was some sort of trick that I then told him an apple was his dessert. But popsicles sticks are not sharp, so I felt much better about the whole thing. One of these days I really am going to move past my fears...there is always next year.

5) If you really wanted to dress up for Halloween as Sarah Palin (or at least as Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin), but were too tired, don't worry. Just put on your costume the next day and put a picture up on your blog. It will make you feel better even if you only stayed in costume for 5 minutes and you got mad at your husband because you didn't like the way he was taking the picture. Sorry babe.

6) If your kids came home with heavy bags of loot but there was not ONE Almond Joy in the bunch and you forgot to wake up early the day after to go out and buy multiple bags of Almond Joy's at 50% off, don't despair. They are totally worth paying full price for.

7) Whenever possible spend $4.99 total on your children's costumes. If you can't even sew on a button, try hand-me-downs, marginal creativity, and low expectations...

The Football Player, "T-Diddy", and the Astronaut

The Astronaut made it to 4 houses before he needed a wardrobe change due to an "annoying" space helmet. My sisters explanation that Astronauts need those to stay alive didn't cut it. So after the wardrobe change, Shadow Ranger appeared...

Maybe we should have done a potty break at the same time?