Happy Halloween!!

These are from when we were at The Shedd Aquarium this friday. I will post pictures from today later this week.

Bathroom Makeover

Before





After






Well the "kids" bathroom is finally done. Dave had the majority of it done over a month ago. We just waited to have someone help us install the light fixture. Thanks Bob, we really appriciate it! So here is exactly what my husband did.

1. He put in new flooring.
2. He put in new hooks, a towel bar and and new toliet paper holder.
3. He took down the ugly border and then paited the room.

It looks a million times better. I of course, had so much fun adding all the cutesy stuff to the bathroom. We are not quite done with that but it is now so much more than before. The boys love their redecorated bathroom and say Diana will love it too!

Cute outfits for Diana

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Weekend Celebrating

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Well this weekend we did lots of celebrating of our LID. The boys and I went to a craft fair. (They were SOOOOO thrilled NOT.) Then I found the cutest children's consignment store in our town. Ok, ok so I've lived here for 3 years and have yet to wander in there before this weekend. Lookout world I have found a slice of little girl heaven. This store had so many cute little girl clothes that are used (you could barely tell on most things) and reasonably priced. Did I mention they were having a sale this weekend???? I got Diana a few outfits that I just hope will fit her during the right season. If not I will give them away or give them to her orphanage when we go to China.

We also took the boys to pick out their pumpkins and get their Halloween costumes. Bailey will be Superman and Matthew will be the red Power Ranger. They look so cute in them but I did not take pictures yet. Trust me there will be tons next week. We then went out to dinner at Red Robin. It is a chain and if you haven't been yet I urge you to go. This was our first time and I guarantee you it won't be our last. Can you say delicious????? I swear I will get back on my diet tomorrow.....

I still need to do some major LID shopping. Kelly and Jenny this means you....Check your calendars. Beware husbands!!

LID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I got home from work today to see the best email I have gotten in a long time. It was from our agency saying that we now have a LID of 10-17-06!!! That is awesome!! Basically what this means is that our wait truly begins now. Referrals are given out based on your LID. Right now it is taking 14-16 months after LID to get your referral. This can go up or down at any moment. Of course we are praying that it goes down at least a little bit but we realize its all in God's timing and when OUR baby is ready for us we will be there as quickly as we can for her.

Diana....we don't know if you have even been born yet but Mommy, Daddy, Bailey and Matthew love you and can't wait to see you Sweetie. You are in our prayers every day baby girl!!!

If You Give A Mom A Muffin.....

A friend of mine emailed this to me and I was hilarious. I JUST had to share. Enjoy!

If you give a mom a muffin, She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some. Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up. Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks.
She'll
remember she has to do laundry. When she puts the laundry in the
washer,
she'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. Bumping into the
freezer
will remind her she has to plan supper. She will get out a pound of
hamburger. She'll look for her cookbook (101 Things To Make With A
Pound
of Hamburger.) The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail. She
will
see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. She will look for her
checkbook. The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by
her
two-year-old the phone will ring. Her five-year-old will answer and
hang
up. She'll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for
coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She
will pour herself some. And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee,
her
kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

By Kathy Fictorie, based on "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura
Numeroff

Autumn, Scarecrows and Moons

One of the scarecrows...


Never saw a ladybug scarecrow before ;-)



The boys with a scarecrow

This weekend was really busy as are most but this one was definitely the most fun in a while. The weather was beyond perfect. I think it was in the 70's all weekend. Saturday we went to the Scarecrow festival a couple towns over. It is a yearly event where people enter scarecrows in different categories. There is a carnival, craft show and all sorts of family fun activities. We have gone for the past three years and have so much fun each year. This year Dave's brother, sister-in-law and our nephew (Matthew's God-father) joined us as well. I am posting a few pictures from the day.

Sunday was so nice out that the boys and I walked to our local park and the boys played. While they were playing I was able to read a little bit of my book about attaching in adoption. I am two thrids of the way through the book and it has been very informative. I will post more later about that. Anyway the walk to the park was so refreshing and beautiful. This is my favorite time of year to begin with. I love all the colors and the smell of autumn. I have posted a picture of some trees on an island in the middle of the river. It is soooo cool.

Did you take some time to gaze into the moon this weekend? I did and it was beautiful. I just wish I would have had my camera out to capture it. I will give you a brief summary of the history of the Mid Autumn Moon festival in China. This will be another tradition we will celebrate with Diana. Thanks to Tina for posting the info on her blog so I can just paste it here....

Also known as the "Full Moon Festival," the Mid-Autumn festival falls on the fifteen day of the eighth lunar month. At this time, the moon's orbit is at its lowest angle to the horizon, making the moon appear brighter and larger than any other time of the year. In the Western tradition, it is also called the Hunter's Moon or Harvest Moon. According to the lunar calendar, it is also the exact middle of autumn (which begins in the seventh month and ends in the ninth).

To the Chinese, this festival is similar to the American Thanksgiving holiday, celebrating a bountiful harvest. Compared to many Chinese festivals that are inundated with vibrant colors and sounds, the Mid-Autumn festival remains more subdued. Traditionally celebrated outdoors under the moonlight, people eat moon cakes and gaze at the moon. In modern times, barbecues with families and friends are also common.

A Historical Anecdote
The Mongol Hordes of Ghengis Khan subjugated the Chinese, and established the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th Century. However, many Chinese resented the fact that they were ruled by a foreign regime. In the 14th Century, Liu Bouwen helped plot the overthrow of the Yuan Dynasty by organizing resistance. Secret messages were passed along in mooncakes.

I did a lot of thinking of Diana this weekend wondering if she has been born or even conceived yet. I can't wait to get to China to get our newest family member.

Weight loss

Well I thought I would tell you about my weight loss journey. I have struggled with my weight for years now. I joined Weight Watchers when the boys were a little over a year. It took me close to a year but I lost 45 lbs and weighed less than the weight that is on my driver's licenses for the first time since getting my license at 18. I then slowly began to put all the weight and then some back on. I joined WW again but after losing a little I stopped going.

Fast forward to May of this year. I was really disgusted with myself and decided to join WW again but this time I am determined to lose the weight and keep it off. When I joined I was at an all time high for me. Since May I have lost 24.2 lbs. I still have a long way to go but I intend to do this the healthy way and to keep it off this time.

Last month in another effort to become healthier I joined Curves. I have to admit I really like it. I go three times a week and am out of there in less than an hour. When you join they do all sorts of measurements and of course weigh you. They repeat this on a monthly basis to gage your progress. I am happy to say in the course of a month between this and WW I have lost 5 lbs and also lost 6.5 inches. Way to go me!!!! I know this is a lifetime battle but I know I can do it!