Lifebook for Little LeFeber

Another new-to-me idea...

I checked out a book from our local library on creating a "lifebook" for your adopted child, and I'm REALLY excited about starting this project for our littlest one.

A lifebook is sort of a combination between a baby book, a scrapbook, and a story book. It's our child's life story told in a simple way through photos, script, drawings, journal entries; it includes how we decided to pursue adopting this child, any history we know about him/her and his/her birth family at the time of adoption, our thoughts and feelings as we get ready to welcome this new little person into our home and family, our journey to Ethiopia, our arrival home, and our transition into being a family of five. It's a way for our child to know his/her story from the very beginning.

After all of the adoption paperwork is complete (hopefully in a few weeks), I'm thinking I'll have time to get going on this exciting venture!

Still longing for the day when we can bring him/her home...

Our First Day of "Workboxing"

WOW! We had a great first day of "workboxing," let me tell you! After our first box- an A coloring sheet-only took 2 minutes to complete, I thought, "We'll be done in 10 minutes or less at this rate." But, no! Two and half hours later, we had worked our way through all 7 workboxes, and had a lovely time doing it (all 3 of us). :)



Our workbox system in the corner of the dining room.






Sylvia's chart (before they can look in each box, the girls take the corresponding number off of the workbox and put it onto their chart; when all the workboxes are completed, they get to velcro their smiley face up too).




Today's workbox contents: an A is for alligator coloring sheet, ABC puzzle, wooden magnetic dolls, sorting cubes by color, Dr. Seuss's ABCs book on c.d. (read by yours truly), making fingerprint ants on big letter A's, and apple and peanut butter for snack.



The girls hard at work. (Did I mention this occupied 2 and a half hours of time?!? I folded and put away 2 loads of clothes, emptied the dishwasher, did supper prep work, and paid bills in addition to supervising as needed). We'll see how tomorrow goes...

Two New-to-Me Ideas

So, maybe most of you have already heard about these two things (hence, they might not seem all that exciting to you), but for me, a not-on-the-computer often, don't-get-out-much, just-trying-to-take-it-one-day-at-a-time, kind of person, they are SUPER EXCITING!

1. Muffin Tin Mondays

Basically this is serving your kiddos a fun theme-based lunch out of muffin tins on Mondays. And I just happened to be at our local thrift store today and found 6 muffin tins in good condition for $1/each. There you go, I'm set. If you want to learn more, check out http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com

2. Workboxes

The idea here is that you have a series of "boxes" on a shelf for your kiddos, each filled with an activity (learning toys, games, worksheets, crafts, etc) and you number the boxes from 1-whatever. Throughout the day then, your kiddos start at box #1 and work their way through all of the boxes sequentially. I think the idea originated with homeschooling students in mind, but I think preschoolers could definitely benefit from this sort of visual progression through "school" activities too. I'm hoping to get our "system" up and running this next week. We'll see if the girls are still too young to do this independently...I'm just desperate to add a bit more structure to our day, and I'm hoping that this might be the answer. If you want to learn more, check out http://docs.google.com/View?docID=dwstdgn_447mphsmf8&revision=_latest for a bunch of neat blog posts on the subject.

That's it for now. :)

Don't Knock Social Workers

I absolutely love our social worker!

Truth be told, I was nervous about meeting her/having her check out our home/telling her some of our parenting philosophies and methods of correction/etc.

But, she is a sweet, caring, wants-the-best-for-everyone-involved kind of person. And she grew up near my grandparents' seed corn company; even de-tasseled for good old Hoegemeyer Hybrids in her younger years. Talk about a small world!

Best of all, she already told us that she is going to recommend to her co-workers that we are approved for adoptive parenting. Phew.

A lovely gal. A lovely visit. Another step closer...

Progress...

Progress this past week...

Birth certificates all arrived.
Marriage license here.
Employment verification letter written.
Worked through Chapter 7 in adoption education workbook.
Signed up for on-line adoption education courses.
References all secured and all six questionnaires/e-mails sent out.
Doctors appointments set up (August 27).
Fingerprints taken.
Passport photos taken and passports ordered through the county courthouse.


Next up...

Our first homestudy visit with our local social worker tomorrow.
First office visit with our social worker on Saturday morning.
Trip to the State Patrol in Lincoln for FBI check.
Update the dog's vaccinations.
Letters from life insurance, health insurance, and mortgage companies.
Local criminal check.
Financial paperwork.
More education - both workbook and on-line.

We had our weekly phone call on Tuesday night with our case worker from AGCI, and she seemed pleased with our progress. She thought, if we keep moving along at this pace, we might have things ready to submit in a few weeks...

That sounds lovely.

One step closer to holding our newest little love in our arms...

Helping Daddy Wash the Car

A couple of recent photos of our girlies...

That's What Faith Must Be

To hear with my heart
To see with my soul
To be guided by a hand
I cannot hold
To trust in a way
That I cannot see
That's what faith must be.

Some of my favorite song lyrics ever.
Now if I could just remember whose they are...

DAYBOOK #2

Outside my window…
Clouds, rain on the driveway

I am thinking…
About how much I love my life

I am thankful for…
The ability to stay at home with our kiddos

From the learning rooms…
Paddington’s Colors book

From the kitchen…
Peanut butter chicken stir-fry with green beans and yellow sweet peppers from our garden

I am wearing…
My work pants with a comfy blue T-shirt

I am creating…
A master menu planning list and system

I am going…
To wash some baby things today 

I am reading…
My Utmost for His Highest

I am hoping…
That I haven’t forever altered a treasured friendship

I am hearing…
Sounds from Veggie Tales: Queen Esther

Around the house…
3 loads of clean laundry, waiting to be folded and put away

One of my favorite things…
Cuddling my little girls

A few plans for the week…
Get all birth certificates and marriage license ordered, schedule appointments with doctor and police department, prepare for our big Saturday night BBQ with our community band friends, finishing watching Wall-E with my hubby

Dear Friends

Us, and our dear friends, the Grahams,
after 7 wonderful days together. :)

My First Act of Motherhood

So we've received all of our home study and dossier paperwork at this point. A tad bit overwhelming already. But, here's the truth: it is a JOY and an HONOR to work through it - the birth certificates, marriage license, passports, fingerprinting, home study, references, criminal checks, medical checks, employment checks, photographs, state certifications, notarizations...

Just like carrying a baby in the womb and giving birth can be overwhelming and unpredictable, so too seems the journey to our little one across the globe. When I have been pregnant with each of our four biological kiddos, two of whom are in heaven, I have considered pregnancy and childbirth to be my first gift to them, my first act of motherhood. I feel that now for this child. My first gift to him or her, my first act of motherhood, is working diligently - but with a JOYFUL HEART - to bring this little one home. HOME.

There is nothing I would rather spend my time doing.