Beautiful inside and out

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately. Maybe it's because we're about to have our 3rd and last child. Maybe it's because this will be Meagan's last year at elementary school. Shoot, maybe it's because NiNi got her hair cut. Regardless, I am often struck by what a beautiful young lady Meagan is becoming. The above picture was taken on her first day of kindergarten. I love the "identifying information" that is safety pinned to her shirt (in case she got shuffled onto the wrong bus on into the wrong lunch line). I also very vividly remember her SECOND day of kindergarten. I was working early so Chris got her dressed and onto the bus in the morning. As I watched her walk off the bus later that day, her shirt was on backwards. It was August and hot so she was wearing a shirt that scooped way down in the back....except the back was now the front. And it had been that way for the entire day. She was happy as a lark, her little bare chest glistening in the sun! Now she plans her outfits, and thinks about her hair, and whether her hair, glasses and braces will all "go" together. I am no longer allowed to download music to her MP3 player since the last song I put on there was from a Disney princess movie. I also see her trying to do the right thing and navigate her way in a sometimes very morally dark world. When I am having a bad day, she takes on this nurturing persona as if to say "It'll be ok mom." She has dealt with some rough circumstances at a time when she was very impressionable and God has used it to make her into a very sensible young girl. She is intuitive, compassionate, creative, thoughtful, funny and smart as a whip. And a life-saver at times when it comes to helping out with her sister or around the house. I realized the other day the I have crossed an important milestone in my parenting....Meagan is now actually very helpful and can do a whole host of chores totally independently. I remember the same sort of euphoria when I realized my kids could buckle their own seat belts. When they are little, you let them help "clean" to give them something to do, knowing it will cost you dearly in the end. Now I can say to Meagan, "go empty the dishwasher" and then I go to the dishwasher and it is empty...amazing! But seriously, more than the indentured servitude, I love how our friendship is blossoming. I am super fired up about having a son, but for some reason I've always dreamt of having a daughter. Of having someone who was my daughter and my friend. I'm sure there will be some rocky times ahead, but for now I am relishing the fact that she confides in me. Of course she still teases her sister, forgets her backpack and leaves the milk out EVERY MORNING. But she is growing up. And she is stunningly beautiful...inside and out.

The big reveal!

Ethan's room is done, except for a few finishing touches. Below is the room when it was Alina's nursery.



And here it is all boy-ified




I traced a paper plate to make the waves. Worked on it off and on for about 4 days and, after awhile, began to dream about wave painting. The hardest part was hanging the $9.99 white Target shelf, during which I drilled several large holes into my newly painted wall, and thought I might have a high blood pressure induced stroke from trying to get the darn thing level. Is there such a thing as a professional shelf-hanger? Oh, and don't worry, we are not spelling his name ETHN. The craft store happens to be cleaned out of "A"s.

A new do

NiNi got a new haircut over the weekend. I think it is adorable, but almost cried when they swooshed off the cape, because it makes her look so much older!

Indiana Dunes

We had a short but good vacation at the Dunes with my sister's family. The pool at the hotel was a big hit as was the two room suite (which allowed us to pretend we were on vacation without the kids for brief moments) We took the train into Chicago which was another thrilling experience for our suburbian children.

Here we are on the rides at Navy Pier



Museum of Science and Industry



Waiting for the train


It's hard to see in the picture, but NiNi has her little hands crossed in front of her, and is swimming the way they show them in swim lessons


Spent WAY too much time snapping pictures of ourselves in front of the fun house mirrors. We are easily entertained I guess

Log-in date!!!!

Our dossier was officially logged in at China Center for Adoption Affairs on 7/7/10! Our dossier was sent on 6/25/10 so this is a nice quick log-in date! Although speculation on a travel date is a dangerous thing, it seems like the average lately has been about 4 months from log in to travel. That would put us at Novemeber! Of course there could still be delays, but we're trying to stay positive:)

In other news, NiNi is pretending to read. She slides her little finger along the words and talks slowly like she's sounding out the letters. For example, awhile back she was "reading" the bottle of cranberry juice and said, "Mom, it says IT STAINS". Yesterday she was reading the bag of chips she was eating and reported, "DO NOT EAT IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO CHIPS." (she's very interested in people being allergic to things and will often remind me, "Mom, I am not allergic to peanuts."