Happy Halloween!

We had a busy but fun Halloween. We started our day by getting the kids ready for school. They both were able to wear their costumes to school so it was a very busy morning for mom. Kaden was a football player... ya big surprise. It was awesome because I didnt have to buy a thing for his costume!! He is so cute in his gear so I was excited that he choose it. Quite a few of his friends from the team wore their uniforms too so it was really neat!

Maddie was a cheer leader. Also super nice because we had bought her cheer uniform for football but figured hey thats a great Halloween costume and she was excited to wear it! She makes the cutest dang cheerleader ever if I do say so myself! She was super excited to get some makeup on and loves mascara!

Maddies party started at 9:50 so I got there and watched her walk through the school for their parade and then recess and then party time. There were different crafts for them to do and Maddie had a blast! After her class was over we headed home where Malia crashed for her nap. And we cleaned house and played for just a little bit before we headed back over to the school for Kadens fun to start. They had made stories about bananas and decorated them so we got to hear the students read their stories... Kadens was very funny and he did a great job! They had an ice cream party and then the whole school had their parade and we all went home! Maddie kept asking if it was night yet cuz she was eagerly waiting to go trick or treating! So when we finally started getting ready she was pretty dang excited!

We revamped their costumes and then got little miss Malia ready. She was the cutest dang kitty and even let me put on some whiskers and a nose! She LOVED her soft chenille costume and when she was crawling around it was so funny, her tail just wriggled! We then headed over and met up with the Zims and did some trick or treating. The kids were so polite and cute and the babies were so well behaved too. We could not have asked for better weather, it was a perfect night!!! We headed home when the kids bags were getting heavy and they didnt seem to mind that we were stopping. We hung out for a little bit and headed home... Malia was sooo ready for bed so I naked her up and she was out like a light. So we had a blast on the Halloween and I am so glad my Malia was here to celebrate with us for this fun night!

Now that the kids are in bed Rich and I get to go through the kids bags and steal all the kids peanut butter treats! There is a good side to their peanut allergies..... though it only comes once a year! LOL Hope you all had a fab Halloween like we did. OOOO one more thing... whats up with the teenage hoochie mommas trick or treating! Hello your too old and stop dressing so GROSS! You can be modest and still be cute! There was a girl about 15 crying about her blisters because of her stripper shoes and all I could think was..... uuuuh DUH! Sorry Im mean, but when the teenagers are racing to the doors in front of the little kids it gets on my nerves!

Carving Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins on Monday and had a great time! The kids did a great job on their pumpkins! Kadens was so thick and hard to carve out but he did a great job on his skeleton! Maddie had a blast working on her kitty and did great job cleaning out her pumpkin and it turned out way cute! Malia had fun with dad making her M and sneaking pieces of pumpkin in her mouth, she soon was tired and went to bed!

A Witch of a Night

Last night I had my first girls night since Malia has been home. This is the 2nd year in a row that a group of friends have gotten together dressed up in our witches best and went for a night on the town... well to dinner anyways! It was a lot of fun there were 20 of us all together so that made for quite the scene. We had people asking us for pictures and posing with kids and why are you guys doing this and the funnies I thought... How do you all know each other... umm like we were really witches and having a planning meeting?? LOL Anyways it was a blast though I had a hard time night being home with baby girl went to bed. Good times!

My little Walker!!

As you can see my sweet baby girl is a walker... when she wants to be. For the most part she likes to sneakily grab your hands and insists on getting walked around the house. Now I think its fun for a few minutes but the girl never wants to stop lol it cracks me up... she can tell when your done and she puts on the brakes and squeezes your hands and wont let go! The kids also get to walk her around the house lol!
Anyways the last few days she has been getting braver and braver and walking more and more. She still has a hard time just standing up in the middle of the floor but she is getting close, just a little more work on those leg muscles and she'll have it down! Shes just so dang fun! Enjoy the video and pics, which by the way she looks all grown up in geesh she just got here Im NOT ok with her already looking old!

Slide of her party!

Finally a Tol celebration!

Today we were finally able to celebrate Malias 1st Birthday! We had so much fun bringing her culture into the party! I did some traditional things on the table for decorations, we had fruit, rice krispies (for rice cakes) a gum drop cone, flowers, presents, and balloons!

I dressed her all up in her Hanbok and Rich walked her around the table then stoped where we had money (for wealth), a star (for stardom) a spatula (for a good cook), a dictionary (for smarts), and a ruler (for being good with her hands.) She choose money first then a spatula, so she will be a wealthy girl who will also know how to cook! PERFECT! She choose money in Korea too so Im thinking that part is a sure thing lol!

We then had a yummy dinner, chicken enchiladas, acini salad, jook (which only Malia tasted I think) chips and guacamole. Malia is a great eater and was loving it all! I love that she will eat just about anything, it sure makes feeding her so easy!

We hung out and she opened a few gifts then had the cake! She wasnt quite sure what to make of the cake but once I started feeding it to her she loved it and the ice cream! We had a fun cake with a Korean flag and an American flag, then it said Happy Tol Malia. I love keeping her culture a part of her life, its great having all these new exciting things become a part of our tradition. Kaden and Maddie really get into it too!! Anyways while she was eating cake she pushed her piece off onto the floor YIKES so after a few more bites off ice cream the party was over and it was off to the shower and then bath. Then it was back to her new fav toy (thanks Zimmers!) And now that shes officially celebrated being 1 she decided to really start walking all over the place tonight.

We did church again today and she did awesome. She didnt fall asleep but she just played in our cornered off area that we made and had a great time! She sure is precious and so cute and so sweet and we are enjoying her so much. We feel blessed and after the kids are all in bed Rich and I almost say every night how amazing it is that she has just fit in the house so quick and good and that it seems like she has been here forever. She is a blessing and such a sweetie and man is she fun!

Pics of the girls!

Ya I know but I couldnt help myself! Arent they darling! The girls were matching on Monday and it was just to cute! Madison always says that her and Malia are twins... ummm no but when I dressed them the same she was so super excited and really believed they were twins... TOO funny!
Anyways things are still going just amazing... though Im super bummed my camera broke so photos might be few and far between. These Monday shots are the last I was able to take and now I havent taken any since and I hadnt not taken a photo of her on a day till now so Im sad! HINT HINT RICH!! Guess I better get it fixed!
The kids are doing amazing and Malia has just really settled into our home like she was always here. She sticks to her schedule which is awesome! Today I went to do some major grocery shopping and Walmart with Tami (my reinforcment just in case!!! THANK YOU) and she did amazing! She loved the cart and never fussed. She just layed back and enjoyed. She fell asleep right before we got home so I layed her down but she just hung out in her crib I think while I put away groceries then I grabbed her so we could pick up Maddie and she was happy until it was time for her 2nd nap and went right to bed! She is such an angel! For real she is soo easy and after well 2 weeks tomorrow I dont feel like Im jinxing myself saying that anymore! She is just heaven!

Tamaras baby is coming home!

I just wanted to give a shout out to my friend Tamara. I have talked about her on here before but here is a recap. Tamara started her journey much like we did going for a different country but plans failed and she found a sweet baby girl on a WC list like we did about the same time we did and has been waiting and waiting as long as we did except when we ended up getting EP she didnt, her papers stopped and progress stopped. So for a few weeks she watched us progress and bring Malia home and she wasnt really getting any news. Well she finally got good news and her little Jia is on her way home today! Its going to be a long night for them because she flies in super late but Im just so happy for them!
Tamara we will be thinking and praying for you!!!
If you want to check out her blog you can go here.... she wont be able to post pics of the baby for awhile because of different agency rules but Im sure she will write all about it!

A belly laughing Sunday Update

We are having a blast with Malia. Everyday I feel a little bit more of her come out but for the most part I really feel like we are seeing the real Malia. She is a bundle of fun from Sun-up to Sun-down. She sticks to her schedule which I love. She loves noisy toys so that she can bop and dance to them. She is loving most foods except vegies still... well she likes squash which is a start. She adores Kaden, she just melts around him, and him around her. And Maddie is her playmate for sure, her go to gall for a good time!

Today we attempted church and she did great for the first hour, was ready for her first nap so I took her and fed her and she fell asleep I went to the next class and after 10 minutes when people started walking in she woke up and was CRANKY! So I brought her home and put her to bed. I just dont feel like messing with her schedule or nap time yet so we will learn how to deal and make it work for her. Im hoping next week she will sleep longer so we can stay the whole time.

So the video was to funny. Maddie likes to pull her around on her blankets and Malia LOVES it, but this is her most favorite fuzzy blanket so when Maddie was shaking her blanket she just started busting up, it went on and on and we finally grabbed the camera. She just had us cracking up. We are really enjoying her. She is so loved and I feel like she is showing us that same love back.... she is even starting to give us some kisses (open mouth and sometimes they turn into bites but still! LOL)

My little pumpkins!

Its been a week! I just cant believe it. I cant believe how awesome she is doing! She has slept through the night 3 nights in a row! Im hoping its a trend but Im waiting for another ruff night! Well to celebrate we went to Anderson Farms to pick out pumpkins. Ive been waiting for this for a year! You can look HERE to see our last years trip. I remember getting our family pic taken and feeling like OK next year my baby will be here and really just wanting that experience with her so bad! Well she made it! And she LOVED it!! All the kids loved it in fact. Maddie loves going and Kaden likes to play it cool but he loves it too! When we got there I put Malia in the front facing carrier and she right away started giggling and kicking she was so excited! We fed the little goats and went on a hay ride and the older 2 got their train ride, we picked out pumpkins and ate and tried to get some good photos but by then Malia was done! O'well! Malia loved the animals and kept reaching out for them and you can see in the one photo how dang happy she was! When we got home she was sooo funny and just rolling and giggling and walking. YES walking the girl is walking back and forth to us I know she could just go and go but I think she is still amazed after she has done it! LOL she will look down at her feet and laugh like OMGosh what just happened! She cracks us up!
Anyways I got my family photo on the wagon and thats all I really wanted I was so dang excited to do it with Malia and after a week of having her home it was just so real and so sweet!

Girl loves some fries!

Things are going wonderful still. I cant believe that tomorrow will be a week already though we already cant imagine our house without her! She is just so sweet and fun and I think over the jet lag and just a bundle of fun all day now! She has a very set schedule during the day which is awesome. She wakes up at 7 naps at 10 naps at 3 and goes to bed at 8. She has slept through the night twice now!! Last night she woke up after only 45 minutes though and wasnt to happy, I think it was her teeth bugging her but it sure was sad and not fun! She went to bed at 11:30 and then didnt wake up so that was nice. She seems to be feeling fine today though!
I had promised Maddie some chicken from Good Times so we went there after school and cut up chicken and fries and Malia was LOVIN the fries and chicken... she loves noodles and juice and of course puffs. Not to keen on vegies and some vegies but does love a fresh banana!
We are just still so dang pleased with everything Im feeling like im on cloud 9!

Yes more photos!

The girl comes alive in the afternoon after her nap. I think it must be because in Korea she would be awake rather than trying to sleep like in the morning here. She gets so giddy and giggles so much we just have so much fun with her. The other night she was lovin on daddy while he was lifting her in the air, it was to sweet!

Her day time schedule is actually right on right now with what it was in Korea so the only thing left is a good night sleep without her thinking she needs to play for 3 hours YIKES dont know how many nights of that I can keep doing! Im hoping that everyone is right and that it takes about a week for them to fully get on our time schedule and not on Koreas! Otherwise with eating and bonding things continue to just get better and better. We have taken 5 minute car rides a few days in a row to get her use to the car and today she did awesome not even a whimper! We went to the library and she thought that was pretty fun! Thanks for following along I use this as my journal entry because my memory is gone way to fast!

Photos

Blogger isnt letting me load photos so here are a few from today! You can read below for video!

The BEST Sunday update ever!

Malia is doing awesome! I have nothing but good news to report. I think she is adjusting and bonding so well! I know we have a ways to go but I really feel like she is loving us and trusting us more and more each day! We havent had any melt downs.. except for last night when she wanted to wake up after only being asleep for less than 2 hours and we didnt agree... other than that she only fusses when we wipe her nose and if shes hungry or tired and even then there is never a melt down.. except the wiping she is soo sick of us and her poor nose is finally not running constant!

Kaden and Maddie are doing awesome too! I think the adjustment for Kaden hasnt been hard at all, he loves his sister loves to play with her and feed and even helped bath her! Maddie has been doing great to though we have noticed the need for attention at certain times but really that isnt to much different than what happens regularly. They will fight over who gets to comb her hair or get a diaper, Im trying to enjoy that because I know it wont last to long.

Rich and I just cant believe how well things are going. I think the excellent care she got and love she had has helped but Im still glad (and I know this will sound weird) to see that she is a little guarded other wise I would be worried that she wasnt bonding, the fact that she is getting better each day and giving us more or her each day is a great sign but still good that she didnt just start loving us all at once.... hope that makes sense. Lately I have noticed that she will be playing and all of a sudden look for me in the room and make eye contact then keep playing.. good sign!!

Again we are feeling so blessed and have really appreciated everyones support and understanding!

Trusting

Malia is doing awesome! I am just amazed by how well she is doing. We were so prepared for the worst that having this sweet easy going non-fussy baby home is just wonderful!

I feel like with each hour she is trusting us more and more. Last night she took a nap on me and when she woke up she was a ball of fire and so on and so herself if was the neatest thing watching this sweet girl open her heart and trusting us. She has giggled a few times but not fully until last night and goodness its the sweetest sound. She was tackling Maddie after her afternoon nap really loving just crawling all over her and attacking her face (ignore Maddies embarrassed reaction to some bum touching in the video) then after her late nap was when she was going after Kaden and just cruising all over the house. Standing up by herself and reaching out to walk to all of us. I think the sweetest moment was when she reached out to Rich and snuggled with him. She has let him hold her and smiled with him but that was the first time it was on her terms with her in the lead rather than him really having to try. I think he about cried.

Watching her beginning to trust us already is amazing. I sat watching her sleep in my arms last night and the only word I could think of was miracle. Yes all children are miracles but this sweet baby is such a miracle, a gift from God truly. The way we were able to find her and get her home is a story to be remembered always and if Faith is falling simply think of my sweet Malia.

Right now she is napping after falling asleep while I was feeding her. It was so funny because she fell asleep right away so I had to keep playing with the bottle to get her to finish it just like if she was a newborn. A dream come true really to have that happen, all those little pieces I missed like she is giving me a gift. She even stared into my eyes before she fell asleep and let me hold the bottle for her. On the first day she wouldnt even let me touch it really while she was eating but slowly the last few bottles she has let go and let me do my job! AWESOME!

God is amazing and I thank him continuously for giving us Malia and trusting in us to care for her. She is so funny, and smart and darling. She has fit into our home perfectly, and even though we are still learning her and she us, I feel like we are already working well as a family of 5, we are on her schedule which really isnt one right now but I cant believe how easy it has been so far... knock on wood! We are simply blessed!

Lots of photos!

All about the moment

First of all she is AMAZING! She slept 6 hours then was awake for about 3 then slept another 4!! She is the sweetest girl, so easy so far even though she is cutting molars which I think might be causing her runny nose and slight fever. She adores Maddie and Kaden and just cracks up at them. Rich already has her grinning at him and she finally has started with me! She even is crying if I walk away or try to shower!!!
So yesterday morning felt pretty calm, it was weird that life was going on like normal while Malia was traveling... still felt surreal until it was time to load up and leave then I turned into a bundle of nerves (didnt have the nervous pees like Rich though hehehe) anyways we took off and Rich said a prayer as we were driving and I just started bawling it just felt so real all of a sudden. It finally hit me that this was going to happen. We had seen that her flight was early (both flights were NICE) I just kept getting waves of warmth and realization wash over me and would just have tears roll down my face again. When we could see DIA I was shocked, time had flown by! We went in and was parked right by the doors so it was very nice and we walked in and checked out her flight right away and it was still scheduled to be on time. We then went and the pacing started. As our friends showed up the feelings just got more and more intense and I decided to go check the board again even thought it was 15ish minutes earlier than even the early time said and guess what it said ARRIVED!! I was shocked and ran back and said SHES HERE! We walked over to where she would come off the escalator and I couldnt stop pacing or crying, we watched and watched as people kept arriving in groups but no baby... I think she was waiting for Tirsa and Haley to arrive! When I saw her face I melted I just wanted to run and grab her but I think controlled myself. I dont remember the next few minutes but we had walked over and sat down were Malia continued to charm the pants off all of us, she is so sweet and so funny. She shakes her head back and forth and grins and loves her brother and sister and wanted to get down and just walk around. Holding her was amazing I just wanted to take her in and squeeze and kiss her. I couldnt believe how sweet she was and not fussy, when I first held her she fussed for just a second then was fine! Rich and I took turns holding her as our friends all snapped millions of photos!! THANKS EVERYONE! We stayed for maybe an hour and said goodbye to her very sweet escort who really is a saint and to the greeter who was there to have us sign a paper and to help the escort and us.
We then all said goodbye and headed to the car, I thought she would FREAK in the car seat but she didnt, she was quiet the whole way home and played with toys. When we got home I right away gave her a bath and dressed her in some cozy clothes and a flower which she didnt mind at all!!! She LOVES walking around with the kids, loves shoes, loves toys and loves loves to dance to any noise the toys make! Shes simply the best!
At dinner time Rich and the kids were enjoying Brigits yummy lasagna (thank you) and I carried her over to be with them and she lunged for the food so we put her in her high chair where once again no tears! and gave her cheerios and she at noodles from the lasagna and LOVED it! She is a good eater! she then had a bottle and played for a couple more hours. We were all sitting on the couch watching tv and she was on my lap and she started snuggling so I turned her on me and patted her bum at she was OUT just like that! She slept on me for about 30 minutes and woke up not to happy. I took her upstairs put her in jammies changed her bum and layed her in the crib I rolled her over and patted her bum again and she was OUT again! (I had been told by a lady who had seen her in May that that is what she saw the caretakers do and boy does it work) then she slept from 7-1 was super hungry and ate a bottle and a half then played pooped twice! and played then I gave her her blanket she brought back from Korea that I had made and sent her, she cuddled with it and reached for me and I rocked her to sleep put her in bed.. rolled her over patted her bum and she slept until 7:30 she woke a couple times I think because of her poor little stuffy nose but would fall right back to sleep!
This morning she has ate a banana cheerios a bottle, had a bath played and is now sleeping like an angel! Shes awesome!! We are in heaven!
Thank you everyone who came to support and experience the special moment it really made it awesome and thank you all for the photos and Liz and Haley for taking over our cameras for us! HUGE HELP! Thank you Caleb for coming over to help give her a blessing right away I know that it has helped her!
If you want to see awesome video and photos you can check out:
Tamis blog
Haleys blog
Tirsas blog

Shes home and PERFECT

My first grab!
She loved daddy's fuzz
The whole group.. we were quite a sight!
All fresh and clean and loving and dancing with her toys!
I will write about the whole deal later when I have time to think. Right now she is walking around the house with the kids. She LOVES holding their hands to walk around! They are in heaven and fighting over who gets to walk with her. What a blessing she is to our family. So far she hasnt really cried at all. She let me give her a bath and dress her AND put a flower in her hair!!! We are in love!

24 hours for her and 4 hours for me

Well we are down to 1 day! Can you believe it? I cant!! It is early morning for her, she is probly just waking up and then her care takers will be loving on her and getting her ready for her leave. I know that they will be broken hearted. She has been so loved at the recreation center, you can tell with her health and photos and videos we have seen that she has been so well taken care of! I know that the escort will go to the recreation center a few hours before their flight, they will stand in a circle and pray for a safe trip and then they will leave with tears all around Im sure. That is one part of this journey that I ache about for her, how scary it will be to be taken by someone you dont know taken in a car and on a plane... how weird that will be to her and scary... then after all of that she will again be thrust into someone elses arms that looks so different and again here will come some more confusion and scariness. I pray for her to have comfort.
Im not sure I will be sleeping at all tonight though I think Im gonna have to take some Tylenol PM or something because last night I only got 4 hours... luckily I fell asleep early on the couch but then woke up at 2:30 to the sound of my darling hubby snoring GRRR!!! So then of course I was wide awake thinking about Malia.
The kids are so excited, I know its going to be so hard for them to sit at school all day awaiting their sister, Im know Kaden and Maddie wont want to go but we are trying as hard as possible to not mess with school or their normal activities.
Tonight we will decorate a couple posters to take to the airport.. Maddie is pretty excited about that! I have done all ALL of my cleaning the only thing left is vacuuming and Im saving that for tonight or in the morning, one more thing to distract what will probably be a very long day tomorrow.
So please pray for Malia and her flight tonight, she will be in the US pretty early tomorrow and then has a lengthy layover until her flight into DIA! WOW how amazing I cant wait to have her in my arms!!

Reflecting

My brain is going at top speed pretty much non stop. It horrible. I want to sit and enjoy some good tv or get through a book without have to reread a page 10 times! So that being said I also am enjoying this time of lots of thinking to reflect. Even though its been 18 months of work really, now that we are at the end of the line it seems to have not been that long.
Last night I was writing in my journal and was all of a sudden struck with thoughts of Malias bio-mom. My heart ached for her and the thought of her hurting on the anniversary of her having to give up her baby. What a strong women she is and her family for realizing what was best for sweet San-hui. We know her mothers back story and why she was unable to care for Malia and I believe this knowledge will one day comfort and help Malia greatly. Her family really did make a very tuff decision but a very good one. I hope that her mother is well and healthy and knows how much Malia is being loved. I often wonder if she ever goes by Holt to see if Malia is still there or if she knows that she is about to leave her birth country. I hope she will be or is happy with the path Malia is taking.
Now that we are pretty much 48 hours away.. HOLY CRAP 48 hours!! From getting our sweet baby girl I cant stop picturing what those first few days will be like and all the firsts we will get to experience with her. I cant wait to dress her up, I cant wait for her to fall asleep on me, I cant wait to see her and Maddie holding hands and walking, I cant wait to see Kaden trying to get her to giggle, I cant wait to see Rich get tears in his eyes at the first look of seeing his daughter.
I have been very touched by our friends and family and the excitement they have had for us. I have received the sweetest most thoughtful gifts from close friends to sisters of friends and far away friends. Yesterday we got 2 letters in the mail from my grandma and one was a Birthday card for Malia with $2 that she sends all the grandkids and 1 was for Rich and I with a congrats and a thank you for giving them another great grand child.. and $10 lol that cracked me up! Tamis sis sent the softest crib sheet yesterday also so I washed it and I just know Malia will love snuggling with it.... Heck I want to sleep on it!! Hannah wanna buy me one lol! I have had offers of food and help with Maddie and Kaden to and from school. Its very sweet to have such thoughtful people surrounding us. It makes me so grateful for the church and all that we have because of our faith. I have no doubt that God has played every part in this journey and knew exactly what we needed when we needed it. It has been a humbling and testimony growing trip.
So just 2 days to go and Im still feeling pretty calm, I know that will change probably tomorrow night!! CANT WAIT!!!

Happy Tol Malia!

So weird to have a birthday celebration without the person here to celebrate. SO we are acknowledging that its her birthday but we are going to hold off on celebrating until she has been home for a week or so and then we will get our party on! Originally we were going to have cake and party without her but now that she is coming home so soon after her birthday we will wait. Shes one years old and really we only have 3 days to wait until we can spoil her so I can wait that long! In Korea the childs 1st birthday is a very big deal so I thought I would share why. We will be have the traditional Tol birthday party for her after she is home!! I am so excited to embrace her culture and to celebrate in ways she would have.

In the past, due to a lack of medical information, Korea's seasonal temperature differences, and many childhood related diseases, the death rate for children was extremely high. Many children died before their first birthday. After the age of one year, the survival rate steeply increased, making this milestone a very happy one for the child's parents. It has also been a custom to celebrate a child's 100 day birthday (baek-il) , but in most areas this birthday is less important than the Tol and any celebrations are smaller in scale.Tol has two meanings in Korean. The most common meaning is a child's first birthday. It can also be used as a generic description for birthdays: Chut-tol (first birthday), Du-tol (second birthday), Seo-tol (third birthday), etc.
Traditional Tol CelebrationThe traditional celebration had four major components:
1) Praying and giving thanks
2) Making and wearing the birthday clothes
3) Preparing the table and performing the Toljabee
4) Sharing the food with guests and neighbors

So they make these beautiful dresses called Han Boks and we are hoping she comes home with one but if she doesnt we will be buying her one, so she will have that to wear. Then setting the table for Toljabee... there are certain foods that go on the table.. fruit, rice cakes, that kind of stuff THEN you put needle and thread, a book and pencil, rice, ruler and a knife. All of these things have meanings:
needle and thread: the child will live long
book, pencil, or related items: the child will become a successful scholar
rice or rice cake: the child will become rich (some resources say choosing a rice cake means the child is not smart)
ruler, needle, scissors: the child will be talented with his/her hands
knife: the child will be a good cook
What happens is the parents put what they want her to pick at the end of the table then the father takes the baby around and lets her choose things that appeal to her, the first 2 things are the most important, they are what shows what her future holds!
SO FUN!! Then we party likes its 1999!!
We will partake of this good time in a week or so from now as soon as she is feeling comfortable and not stressed. Anyways I just cant wait to get her home. Im up at 5 again just anticipating my baby girl in my arms finally! I hope she is having a wonderful birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALIA!!

**Got the photo today from Yedda!! What a great gift on her special day!

Preparring for her homecoming Sunday update

Surreal is the word I was use right now, also anxious and anxiety, butterflies and excitement. Its been such a rolercoaster of a journey and to realize how close we are now just 4 days is almost unbelievable. Throughout this last 18ish months I have had a hard time sleeping. When things seemed close I couldnt sleep and when things werent looking so great I couldnt sleep. Right now I am getting ok sleep I usually fall asleep around 12-1 and then Ive been waking up at 5 which is actually an improvement!! I just cant wait until I am awake at those hours for good reason. I will be thinking about Malia and all that is about to change and realize I am awake and toss and turn trying to convince myself to sleep but I eventually look at the clock and then its over.
We are enjoying our time together as a family right now. We went out to dinner on Friday and let the kids stay up late last night for the fun of it... then they were able to sleep in until 8!! I have been doing lots of last minute cleaning around the house to prepare for Miss Malia. I have cleaned the fans, had the carpet cleaned, cleaned baseboards and walls, under the couches, cupboards. These next few days I will keep myself busy with the same type of thing. I need to clean the fridge and some closets. Today Ive been cleaning every ones bedding. Im trying to do everything I can now that I know I wont get to for awhile.
Last night we had the Zimmies over and Jude did a good job helping me baby proof the house!! I think we are pretty set! When I really allow my brain to slow down and just think that in a few days I will be able to hold my baby I get butterflies and get very anxious. I think it is in a good way but I also am nervous. Being our first adoption and that she is 1 years old (tomorrow) we have no idea what to expect. We have read and read and took classes and done just about everything I think we could to be prepared but every child is different. So I picture her homecoming 2 different ways. 1-she gets put in my arms looks up smiles and puts her hand on my face.. 2- she SCREAMS and trys to push off of me. Im betting on the later and I am prepared mentally for that. I am praying to be in touch with her emotions and feelings so that I can give her the comfort that she needs. I just want to be able to help her. I want her to feel comfortable with us. I know it will take time yes it could be a long time, but Im hoping with blessings and prayers that she will know our hearts and that we will know hers and this adjustment will go fairly smooth.
We appreciate all the well wishes and congrats that we have been given. Seeing every ones excitement for us and for Malia has been very humbling. I will never be able to say thank you enough. After Thursday Im not sure how often I will be updating but Im hoping to keep up my Sunday updates at least. Who knows maybe she will be one heck of a sleeper and I will be able to share all the time still!!
The kids are super excited and I feel like they are very prepared also. They have handled all of this so well and I am so proud of them. They really love love Malia so much. I cant wait to see them all interact. I think it will be something really special to witness.
Well Im sure I will add some mumblings of excitement during this countdown!

Shes coming home!!!!!

Can I get a woot woot!!!! I am beyond words right now so this post will probably be a jumbled mess! I got the call right after getting home from dropping the kids and was trying to prepare myself that it wasnt going to be "the call" but I peaked and saw EUGENE and thought HOLY CRAP!! And that phone was almost dead so I had to run to find a new one! When I answered I was thinking ok this isnt happening shes gonna tell me something happened but when she said this is Holt and I said really and she said yes this is your travel call.. I about jumped out of my pants!! She gave me all the details when and where. She was so so sweet and understanding that I was a nervous wreck. So when you ask??? lol well next Thursday she will be flying into DIA. (Im not going to post any more detail than that because I have a blog stalker who I really dont want to show up and ruin our day) So if you would like to come and be a part of our very very exciting day email me or comment on here and I will fill you in. We do hope everyone that comes will still be understanding that it will be mostly a come and watch kind of thing. We will be sticking to our no touch rules with Malia. We want to start the bonding process right away but hugs are welcome!!! Im hoping a couple of you will be willing to use our cameras and film and take photos of the big moment! And if you bring your own too that would be great I would love lots of photos of her coming home!!!!
Miss Malia is coming home is there anything more exciting than that... Nope didnt think so!!!!! So now the carpet needs to be cleaned parent teacher conferences need to be changed and some grocery shopping needs to happen but other than that I really feel very prepared. Im sure when she gets here I will realize I still need a million things but for now Im feeling good about everything! We have a freezer FULL of food so full that I cant fit one more thing so really all I need is my sweet baby girl!!!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!

A little service for A Little Aspyn

I have before talked about my sweet sister and what a wonderful person she is. She posted here a couple days ago and I would encourage everyone to join in and partake in the opportunity to give to others through service to help remember sweet little Aspyn. I think my sis wrote very beautifully so I wont say anything else.

Another one bites the dust!

YAAA Maddie lost her 2nd tooth!! She was soooo scared this time after loosing the first one. It was pretty traumatic for her tonight. It was pretty sad. It was so loose that I was afraid she was gonna end up choking on it in her sleep. So when Rich got home he went right to work on it but she was not having it! She was crying and saying sorry which was really sad. BUT I just didnt dare send her to bed with it dangling in there! She kept letting us touch it but would hurry and tighten her lip so that we couldnt grab it but finally Rich was able to grab it after promising chocolate, candy, lip stick, toys, anything at KS! So after it came out and she finished screaming and crying..... because it was "scary looking" her and Rich headed to KS to grab a candy bar. So that is what is covering her mouth in the photos! She was pretty happy and pleased with that! She was hoping the tooth fairy would let her keep this tooth like last time but I told her probly not and that the tooth fairy really needs it. So its under her pillow in a baggy!! She looks pretty darn cute and for her upcoming dance recital they are dancing to All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!! Fits perfectly!