What a sweet puppy

Have you ever seen a sweeter face??

It's beginning to look....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our house these days. We spent all day today putting up decorations and cleaning the house, preparing for the season. Now, I normally do not put things up this early, but we've got a busy schedule over the next few weeks. And I must say that Larry has been a great husband the last few days. Sometimes I don't know that I did to deserve him.

We had a great time and I think the house looks great! Here are a few photos from the day. As you can tell, we got a lot of help from our four-legged children.

Zoey is making sure everything is in the right place.

Sleeping underneath mommy's Harry Potter Christmas Tree (Yes, I have an HP tree)

Can you have a tree without a Cosmo ornament or Santa in a grass skirt?

The tree is not finished until Homer Claus makes an appearance.

Things on the adoption front are still slow. But we are taking this time to mull things over and consider our options. That being said, we did put up a stocking for Owen. It's small, but if he/she is here next here, I'm sure the stocking will be upgraded.

Thanksgiving and Loss

What a week we've had...

On Tuesday, Larry's father passed away peacefully. While we were somewhat expecting this, nonetheless it's still difficult. So, we are leaning on one another and trying to smile through this difficult time. He was a wonderful man, full of life and smiles and stories. He was a great father and grandfather. I wish that our child would have had the chance to meet him, but he/she will most definately know all about him.

I wrote last week that I would write what I'm really thankful for, not just the superficial stuff listed last week. It's been said time and again, but I'm most thankful for my family and friends. I've got a great family and terrific friends. My husband rocks...and loves me enough to put up with me and all my baggage. I've got the best dad in the world. And I couldn't ask for better siblings (and their significant others). Without a doubt I have the two greatest neices on the planet and I can't wait until my newest neice arrives in January. There's not enough space to write about just how thankful I am for my family.

And I'm greatful our family is expanding. More love to go around and more memories to make and cherish. Here's hoping that there's an extra plate or two at the table next year.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Psychic Fortune Cookies

Oh how I hope that this fortune cookie knows something I don't. Tonight's fortune read:

"Good news will be brought to you by mail"

We shall see...we shall see.

My superficial Thanksgiving

There is really no news on the adoption front, but it's been a rough week and I wanted to blog about some of the silly things I'm thankful for this year.

1. The return of Project Runway: Oh, how I love Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum. If every reality show was produced by the guys at Bravo, then I would be a happy girl.

2. Mugglenet.com: I'm just a girl who loves Harry Potter. With no more books to look forward to, this gives me a fix when I need it.

3. Bath and Bodyworks Cherry Pie Shampoo: It smells sooooooo good.

4. Rock of Love has been renewed for Season 2: You can't have enough Bret Michaels...unless they replace him.

5. Diet Pepsi Max: A diet soda with an extra kick. Perfect for those nights I'm on call, but terrible when I'm trying to sleep.

So, enough of the silliness. Next week I'll post what I'm truly thankful for.

Happenings

There are a lot of things going on in our lives, creating chaos and heartache. Today I heard the song, "Ordinary Miracle" by Sarah McLachlan and instantly felt calm. I love her voice, but the lyrics resonated with me. So, now it's the new song for this page. Here are the lyrics:

It’s not that unusual when everything is beautiful
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when its time to snow
You don’t need to teach a seed to grow
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn’t it remarkable?
Like every time a raindrop falls
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
And always make it home by spring
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday
Please don’t throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

Its seems so exceptional
Things just work out after all
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Breathe in...Breathe out

There seems to be a lot of chatter in the VN adoption world these days, and for pretty good reason. But in order to prevent another panic attack on my part, I'm going to try to focus on the positive...at least for right now.

Last weekend, we headed west to visit our niece at Emory and Henry College. It was a beautiful day on a beautiful campus and we had a great time. She even bought "Owen" a special shirt and bib. I hope that he or she will be here to attend Family Weekend there next year.

Too Cute!

The obligatory couple shot taken while I was holding the camera at arms length. I think that every picture we have taken is in this format.

Really not much to report on our front. We did send off the necessary changes to USCIS on Monday. I really hope to hear something soon. Until then, I'm focusing on the positive and remembering to breathe.