Tick, tick, tick, tick

I know that I shouldn't be antsy about the wait yet.  It has only been just under 3 weeks that we have been waiting for the coveted next step, THE Letter of Seeking Confirmation.  I know I need to let the timing rest in His hands.  I know it.

But it is hard.

So hard knowing that my daughter wakes each morning without a hug.  Knowing that she goes to sleep each night without a kiss from me and a blessing on her forehead (she does get plenty of prayers from across the sea, though!).

Their proud creation - an ice cream ladybug!

I couldn't resist taking this photo - the girly girl with farm boots!

Yup - the first tooth loss!

I have made myself play the patient prayer warrior game.  Every time my mind wanders into whining at her not being here, I turn it around and say a prayer for her protection, a prayer for a family's heart to be opened to adoption, and a prayer for all the world's orphans.

Chicka wanted to wear her Korean dress the other day.  She then proceeded to pick up her guitar and start singing and playing.  I think we really need to get her a lefty guitar! 

No, the children don't have any toys.  They have to go to the chicken pen and find an old corn cob to use.

Our newest addition - a blue maran.  She will lay dark "chocolate" colored eggs - I can't wait!

Peeps 'n Fears

We just hatched out 3 wee chicks.  I know that 2 of them are cochins, but I can't figure out what this little one is!  Any suggestions?

I bought 4 new layers, 1 cochin and 3 were supposed to be wyandottes that layed blue eggs.  Well, I didn't know, because I have never had wyandottes before.  Guess what - they are supposed to lay off-white eggs.  As are the cochins.

Hmm - I have blue/green eggs (like Americaunas) (which these hens look like :-) and tan eggs.  Now here is the confusing part.  1 cochin and 3 unknowns (guessing Americuanas) and I usually get 2 brownish-tan-off white eggs and 1 blue/green egg.  One chicken laying 2 eggs a day and 3 chickens laying 1 egg a day?  Something seems odd.

Oh, yes.  Throw in one maran rooster here taking his manly liberties with my girls (imagine that!)("mama - that rooster is fighting the hens!" "uh, yup, you rotten guy - be nice!").  I think the chicks that just hatched were fertilized from where I purchased them.  I think.  But - from what breed of rooster?  Ha!  The mystery chicks of the month!

 I figured the girls needed a zip-line.  I tried to come up with one for them out of rope, a caribiner and some PVC pipe.  Uh - failure.

 While I was trying to figure out a better zip-line, the girls entertained themselves with some scrap plywood and a skateboard.  Yee-haw!

 I remembered that IBoy had an old zip-line in the north forty that he said that he didn't use anymore and I was welcome to relocate it.  What he didn't mention to me that it was affixed to a tree.  WAY UP in a tree.

 Have I ever told you that my knight in shining armor had to rescue me from putting up Christmas lights on our one story garage gutter one year?  I climbed the ladder and got one leg hoisted up to the roof, thinking I would just edge myself along the edge of the not very steeply slanted roof to install the lights.  Ahem.  I was SO afraid that I couldn't move!

Do you know what the meaning of acrophobia is?  Uh huh.  Grand Canyon.  Sure, kiddos - let's hike a ways down the canyon!  Uh - about 20 feet into the hike, they couldn't pry me off of the wall.  I just KNEW I was going to fall!

So.  I am determined to relocate this durn zip-line for my girlies.  In reality, it wasn't THAT far up the ladder, but this is what it looked like to me as I began my ascent.  "Just DO IT, ya dummy!"  And guess what?  I DID it!  My knees were a'wobblin' when I got down, but I DID it!

I even got it up, but I wasn't able to get it quite tight enough, so I guess I'll need a little muscle help with that when my knight in shining armor comes home!

Just Like Us, Mama?

Last night after bedtime stories, songs and prayers - just as I was leaving the bedroom, Chicka says to me ....

"Mama?"

"Yes, lovie?"

"When you go to Ch*na to bwing Ji-Ji home?"

"As soon as Ch*na says I can go."

"Oh.  Just like us, Mama?"

"Uh - a little girl like you, sweetie?  When Ch*na told me I could come get you?

"No, Mama - a ofin gull (orphan girl), mama, wif no Mom or Dad."

I got choked up so fast that I couldn't answer for a bit.  Our children put ideas together so fast - sometimes correctly, sometimes not so.

Yes, we have talked using the word orphan, but never directly saying that they were orphans.  Yes, they know that they have a Mom and a Dad in Ch*na who couldn't take care of them, that is why God chose us to be a family together.

Somehow though, coming from MY daughter's mouth, it hurt my mama's heart so much that MY sweetie knows that she was once an orphan.

Thankfully, an orphan no longer.

elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist

We had our lil-teeny-tiny town parade last night.  The girls rode/walk on our church's float inviting children to participate in our VBS "Panda-Mania" next week.  I took the easy assignment this year and volunteered to do game time.

Zabi and Chicka really enjoyed pitching the candy into their pockets to the crowd!

Yes, welcome to our weather.  Mid July and we didn't even reach 70 yesterday - we even had a few sprinkles, thus the long paints, sweatshirt and Panda raincoat requirement!

We also found out that we are now LID, which means that Ch*na has our file logged into their system!  Now we wait for our LSC (Letter of Seeking Confirmation) from them, which has been taking a current average of about 6 weeks.

Random Summer Fun & Exciting News

What dahhling fingernails you have, grandmama!

A Christmas ornament, taken apart and beautifully applied to the fingertips.

 

Our first roast in the deck BBQ pit.

 

And the news, you say??????

We are DTC today!!!!  That means the countdown has really begun!  Grandpa - you better get your passport in order, we are goin' to China!