Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny…C.S. Lewis

Yesterday was my 45^th birthday and I had an amazing day!  My friends at work decorated my cubicle and showered me with love all day – I am the luckiest girl in the world!  I loved everything, except maybe the awkward 80’s big hair cake, and I won’t soon forget my special day.  Love you guys!

 So, I thought I would check on Mackenzie’s birthday party and pictures and updated information that I ordered through the sweet ladies at Ladybugs ‘N Love.  I received this email in response:

I mailed the care package to the orphanage, but it got lost. I then sent money to the orphanage and asked them to buy a cake and some fruit or candies to have a party. They agreed to send me pictures of the party. Today they told me they would only provide information to agencies, no longer giving us updates. So we will refund your money for the orphanage phone call. I am hoping for the pictures of the party as they didn’t say they will not send pictures of the party. I will keep you updated.

This is NOT what I wished for yesterday!  All I wanted was to get a little information, like how much she weighed and what foods she likes.  Now I’m not even sure we will get a picture.  It seems lately we are hitting one snag after another – thus the choice for the title today.  Hardships.  I try to tell myself that the Lord does not give us more than we can bear…but SERIOUSLY? He must be the King of comedy and be more sarcastic than even me.  In fact, let me be crystal clear here – I’VE HAD ENOUGH.

To try and take my mind off everything I’m taking the kids to see Monsters University at the Galaxy Theatre with the recliner chairs.  Maybe a little popcorn and chocolate covered raisins will help?

Hardships?  What hardships?

Love,

Marlo

I’ve been fingerprinted more than a criminal!

There are a lot of hoops to jump through when you are adopting.  First, you have to fill out more paperwork than buying a house, a car and filing taxes combined.  Then you have to submit to having every aspect of your life critiqued like your finances, your family history, and your medical history, which includes sharing all the gory details of your inability to procreate little humans on your own.  Anther fun piece of the puzzle is being fingerprinted.  Now, my hubby and I are both military veterans and hubby proudly wears a police officer’s badge to work, so we are no strangers to rolling our digits over the pad for identification purposes.  Fact is, we have been fingerprinted more than most of the repeat offenders my hubby has tossed in jail, which makes it ridiculous that I got so excited about getting our appointment to be fingerprinted AGAIN by Homeland Security.  Our appointment is July 3^rd.  We tried going in early, giving them our sad orphan story, looking forlorn, even tossing the “professional courtesy for another officer” crap that hubby sometimes uses. Nothing!  They would not budge.  We were told to come back on July 3^rd and have a nice day.  Bite me Homeland Security!  I could easily find 10 places our fingerprints are on file with the government.  Heck, we both held the highest Top Security clearances in the military.  We aren’t trying to bring drugs in the country – just one small baby.

So anyway, we have our appointment on July 3^rd.

I also received back our paperwork from the Nevada Secretary of State minus one important paper.  It seems I actually sent a form with a notary stamp, but no signature.  Really?  How in heck did I let that slip?  Now I have to re-mail it and wait a few more weeks for that piece.  Murphy and his stupid Law are getting on my every last good nerve.

I haven’t heard anything about pictures from Kenzie’s birthday cake – but I promise to share the second I get them.  I also made contact with another Mom who is on her way to China to pick up her baby who is in the same orphanage as Mackenzie.  With any luck she will be able to see her and get a picture.  I asked her to hold her if she had the chance and let her know that Mommy is coming and we love her so much!

Super exciting news!  Maddie read me a book last night!  8 whole pages!  Don’t laugh, everyone starts out small.  She is crazy smart and so beautiful.  I love coming home after work and hearing “MOMMY!”

Codi is doing great in summer school and is trying his hardest to get an “A” so he doesn’t have to pay me back for the class.  Great incentive!  He also got his top braces off today and should have the bottoms off next month.

Before I close, let me share a wonderful family and their beautiful princess, Teresa, who is fighting to be well.  Here is the link to their blog page:

http://ourplacecalledhome.blogspot.com/

Love,

Marlo

So are the days of our lives...

Although this blog is to primarily document Mackenzie’s adoption, I want to keep everyone up on the rest of the family too.  We all are handling Kenzie’s birthday in different ways.  Mommy has taken to breaking down at work and sobbing.  Maddie asked me if I was getting Kenzie today, which started the sob fest. Daddy has decided to clean the garage in 100+ degree weather.  Sissy posted a sweet note on Facebook and the boys, well, they are boys.  I got to work this morning and my dear friend and co-worker, Kirstie, had left these beautiful flowers and a card on my desk. 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my desk to wish Mackenzie a Happy Birthday and check on me! I have the best job and friends!

Here’s a little run down of how the beginning of our summer has been going: 

Codi is taking English 9 in summer school and his first week has been pretty good.  He likes his teacher, and so do I.  She only gives homework if the kids scribble and rush through, so Codi has been trying really hard to do his best work.  Here is a sidewalk chalk self-portrait he did on the driveway.  Awesome, huh?

Carter finished 6^th grade with all A’s and B’s on his report card – yeah Carter!  Most of Carter’s days and nights revolve around playing with his friend Dylan, talking to Dylan, spending the night with Dylan, swimming with Dylan, shopping with Dylan or to switch things up a little, having Dylan spend the night or having Dylan swim with us.  Oh - to be young with absolutely no responsibilities in the world.  Any spare time he has is spent swimming and working on his ridiculously gorgeous tan.

Sam dropped the bomb on us that she is going to join the Navy if all the stars align properly for her plan to work.  Once she applies and is accepted to a Master’s program for Occupational Therapy, she will contact her recruiter to see if they have any spaces available in the Navy’s program to help pay for her college.  If they have a spot, and accept her, she will go into the Navy upon graduation as an officer and serve four years.  We are super proud of her – of course we wish it was the Air Force, but they don’t have this program – and we can’t wait to see her in dress whites.

Maddie is trying to learn to read this summer since she starts Kindergarten in August.  She’s doing great, with a lot of help from Sam, but still guesses a lot.  It goes something like this:

SAM - “Sound out the letters Maddie.”

MADDIE - “F - Ffffff”

MADDIE - “O - ahahahahah”

MADDIE - “X - exxxxxxxxxx”

SAM - “Ok, now put it all together.”

MADDIE - “Fffffffffahahahahahahexxxxxxxx” “Fffffffffahahahahahahexxxxxxxx” “Fffffffffahahahahahahexxxxxxxx”

SAM - “What does it spell?”

MADDIE - “Squirrel!”

What??? UGH!!! 

Due to summer school our vacation plans had to be adjusted, so instead of California, we are heading to Utah for the 4^th of July with Uncle Rich and Miss Amanda.  We are going to the zoo and the Olympic Park and hopefully we will have some cool pictures to share.

And speaking of Uncle Rich…Great News!  John and Rich will continue working together for another year on the same shift.  They just held shift bid, and we were a little worried they might get split up, but everything worked out and we went out celebrated with FLUFF ICE!  They are here for one week and Rich and I couldn’t wait to have some, in fact, Rich woke Amanda up on Monday morning asking when we could go.  Yum-yum!

I think I covered everyone…except maybe the puppies…Shelby and Jazzy are just as sweet as ever…see?

 

Marlo

Happy Birthday 1st Mackenzie Faith

Musings of a mom-to-be on her baby's birthday.

Kenzie my love, this is not how Mommy and Daddy wanted to celebrate your birthday.  If you were here sweet girl, in my arms, where you should be, and will be soon, I would have snuck into your room and gently scooped you up out of your crib and sat in a chair with you.  I would gaze admiringly at your beautiful features like your sweet, chubby cheeks and perfect lips and your gorgeous chocolate brown eyes shaped like little almonds.  I would almost whisper, but sing Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Mackenzie, Happy Birthday to you.

Mommy LOVES birthdays.  I love shopping for the perfect gifts, and wrapping them, and then watching as the person opens it to see if I've really found what they truly wanted.  My birthday is next week - six days after your special day - and the only present that I really want is YOU!  I want to bury my face in your hair, kiss you all over, snuggle you and hold you close.  I honestly know what it feels to literally ACHE to hold someone.

I promise - next year you will have an amazing 2nd birthday party surrounded by family and friends.  We are all so anxious to meet you and hold you and spoil you little girl. I hope you get the cake and letter we sent.  We love you Kenzie girl.  Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mom

A little news is better than no news, right?

I know, I know.  I promised to be better about posting, and obviously, I’m not keeping my word.  L

The good news is - I have news!  Our home study is complete and I sent our documents to the Nevada Secretary of State to be certified and also mailed our I-800a paperwork to the USCIS office in Texas.  I’ve already received an email letting me know the USCIS office has logged us in and we should be receiving our fingerprinting appointment within 7 to 10 days.  Hopefully the papers from the Secretary of State will be here soon too, and then we will be one step closer to sending our dossier to China.

June 20^th is Kenzie’s birthday, so I am working on having a birthday cake sent to her.  With any luck we will also receive pictures!  I’ve been reaching out to lots of families via Facebook and Yahoo Groups.  Many of these folks have already adopted children from China or in the process like we are.  I even found a group who have adopted, or are adopting, children from the same orphanage as Kenzie.  Maybe we can ask another family to check on her while they are picking up their child.

There’s a lot that’s been happening around the house the past few weeks.  Both boys finished school and passed all their classes.  Codi will be a junior in high school and Carter will be a big 7^th grader.  Maddie graduated from Preschool and had a cute ceremony.  It’s crazy to think she will be in Kindergarten this August.

Here are some pictures from Maddie’s ceremony:

Daddy, Maddie and Mommy

Isn't she just beautiful!

Maddie and her friend

Marlo