This is often the scene during family time at our house. Just some crazy fun! The only difference is that I am not joining in, since someone has to hold the camera.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebw2b7Ylgsk]
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Doin' The HAPPY Dance In Tennessee
I hold in my hand the result of tons of time, work, and prayer. Today we received our home study in the mail! YAHOO!!!! We are soooo excited to finally receive it. It was finalized on December 31st, so 2007 went out with a bang. It feels great just holding it in our hands, knowing that it's DONE! We will be submitting our I600A and home study to the US government within the next day or two. Now we will be checking the mail often for our fingerprinting appointments! LOL! We are one step closer to bringing our precious little one home from Taiwan. We are so thankful to the Lord for His provision every step of the way. We have so much more to tell, and will be posting more very soon. We serve such an awesome God!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Linus In The House
We have our own Linus, only instead of a blankee he chose a towel! I laughed so much when I saw him flying around the house like this!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4FJ0XN4ez8]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr8L1n2ydSw]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4FJ0XN4ez8]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr8L1n2ydSw]
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year Everyone!
We are so excited to see what all the new year will bring. Perhaps a referral of a baby brother! :)
Here is a link to two nice panoramic views of the Taipei 101 during the New Year celebration. These photos are from 2006, but fun to view. Enjoy! Here's to a blessed 2008!
http://www.panoramas.dk/new-year-2006/taipei.html
http://www.panoramas.dk/new-year-2006/taipei-2.html
Here is a link to two nice panoramic views of the Taipei 101 during the New Year celebration. These photos are from 2006, but fun to view. Enjoy! Here's to a blessed 2008!
http://www.panoramas.dk/new-year-2006/taipei.html
http://www.panoramas.dk/new-year-2006/taipei-2.html
Obleck
Have you ever experienced Obleck? It is quite interesting, to say the least. You know how you stir together corn starch and water to thicken food? Well....that's Obleck! Although, I have to admit that I have never placed my hands into the stuff prior to this evening. Squeezing it or applying force to it creates a solid substance, but release the pressure on it and you have a liquid again. Obleck.......a great time to be had by all!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7N11dqVlDU]
Recipe:
1 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 to 7 drops food coloring (optional)
Mix water and food coloring together. Slowly add cornstarch. Do not stir. Let the mixture stand for 1 to 2 minutes. Pick a handful of the oobleck up and squeeze it until it forms a hard ball. Open your hand and the oobleck will turn from a solid back into a liquid. If it gets too dry after awhile, just add a bit more water.
Note: After allowing the mixture to "sit for 1-2 minutes" it was solid. We did need to add small amounts of water at a time and mix with fingers just until it became a liquid. This worked great and was easy to do. Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7N11dqVlDU]
Recipe:
1 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 to 7 drops food coloring (optional)
Mix water and food coloring together. Slowly add cornstarch. Do not stir. Let the mixture stand for 1 to 2 minutes. Pick a handful of the oobleck up and squeeze it until it forms a hard ball. Open your hand and the oobleck will turn from a solid back into a liquid. If it gets too dry after awhile, just add a bit more water.
Note: After allowing the mixture to "sit for 1-2 minutes" it was solid. We did need to add small amounts of water at a time and mix with fingers just until it became a liquid. This worked great and was easy to do. Enjoy!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Activity Time
Today was such a fun time with the children! This morning after breakfast I gave Matthew an assortment of pots, pans, and fitting lids. We had so much fun stacking and banging them together! Matilyn even joined in the fun.
Next we each took two spoons and had a parade, all three of us marching around the house while tapping our spoons together and singing some of our favorite songs.
After the parade, Matthew was interested in spending more time with the pots and pans, so Matilyn and I sat at the table and played a game. We had a big bowl of Goldfish crackers, and each had our own empty bowl. We took turns rolling the die and then counting out that number of Goldfish into our bowl. At the end of the game (when the Goldfish had all been placed into our bowls) we each counted our crackers. She loved this game!
For our next activity we took cheerios and threaded them onto a long piece of dental floss. When we were done we tied floss together and Matilyn had an edible necklace. This was a BIG hit! While eating the Cheerios she looked at me with this HUGE smile on her face and said, "This is GREAT!" Matthew joined in and ate a ton of Cheerios himself. LOL!
For our final morning activity we took big diaper boxes and tied scarves through the side (handle area) and over the top to make a handle of sorts. We called them trains! We made invitations to a party for our stuffed animals, and delivered the invitations to them. Then we loaded the animals into the "trains" and off we went. The children pulled the animals around and around the house. It was so funny! Then we stopped near their play kitchen, where we prepared a feast for the party. We lined up all of the animals along the wall and set their party table. They even sang happy birthday to Matilyn's favorite bear, who was happy to wear his special birthday hat. The children couldn't wait to load up the trains again and pull the animals all around the house. Matilyn even took hers to the playroom, calling it the Children's Museum! Those stuffed animals had a ball! We had a snack and then it was nap time. Whew! Mommy was tired after all of that playing. :)
After nap time daddy was home! I spent some time reading the Bible with Matilyn while daddy played with Matthew in the play room. After reading it was time for some tweezer fun! Yes, you heard correctly. I gaveMatilyn a bowl of dry beans, a bowl of macaroni, a bowl of Cheerios, and an empty bowl. I showed her how to use the tweezers to transport the different items into her bowl. She loved this one and sat for quite a while transferring the various items. I read that this is a good game for improving a child's coordination and small muscles. I'll tell you, it was a big hit!
We noticed that the sun was shining and checked the temp outside. To our delight it was fairly warm. We all bundled up and had some family time outdoors. We chased each other in the yard and ran around with Andi for a while. I brought Matthew in early to allow for some daddy/daughter and mommy/son time. Matthew and I had a great time stacking large block and knocking them down. We also read his favorite book, Baby Boo!
After dinner it was bath time. Daddy had fun bathing Matthew while mommy allowed Matilyn to squirt shaving cream into a large tupperware bowl and mix a drop of food coloring into it. This makes great fingerpaint for the tub! Then it was bath time! The tub was foamy and the entire room smelled like a freshly shaven daddy! LOL! It was a great end to a fun filled day.
Next we each took two spoons and had a parade, all three of us marching around the house while tapping our spoons together and singing some of our favorite songs.
After the parade, Matthew was interested in spending more time with the pots and pans, so Matilyn and I sat at the table and played a game. We had a big bowl of Goldfish crackers, and each had our own empty bowl. We took turns rolling the die and then counting out that number of Goldfish into our bowl. At the end of the game (when the Goldfish had all been placed into our bowls) we each counted our crackers. She loved this game!
For our next activity we took cheerios and threaded them onto a long piece of dental floss. When we were done we tied floss together and Matilyn had an edible necklace. This was a BIG hit! While eating the Cheerios she looked at me with this HUGE smile on her face and said, "This is GREAT!" Matthew joined in and ate a ton of Cheerios himself. LOL!
For our final morning activity we took big diaper boxes and tied scarves through the side (handle area) and over the top to make a handle of sorts. We called them trains! We made invitations to a party for our stuffed animals, and delivered the invitations to them. Then we loaded the animals into the "trains" and off we went. The children pulled the animals around and around the house. It was so funny! Then we stopped near their play kitchen, where we prepared a feast for the party. We lined up all of the animals along the wall and set their party table. They even sang happy birthday to Matilyn's favorite bear, who was happy to wear his special birthday hat. The children couldn't wait to load up the trains again and pull the animals all around the house. Matilyn even took hers to the playroom, calling it the Children's Museum! Those stuffed animals had a ball! We had a snack and then it was nap time. Whew! Mommy was tired after all of that playing. :)
After nap time daddy was home! I spent some time reading the Bible with Matilyn while daddy played with Matthew in the play room. After reading it was time for some tweezer fun! Yes, you heard correctly. I gaveMatilyn a bowl of dry beans, a bowl of macaroni, a bowl of Cheerios, and an empty bowl. I showed her how to use the tweezers to transport the different items into her bowl. She loved this one and sat for quite a while transferring the various items. I read that this is a good game for improving a child's coordination and small muscles. I'll tell you, it was a big hit!
We noticed that the sun was shining and checked the temp outside. To our delight it was fairly warm. We all bundled up and had some family time outdoors. We chased each other in the yard and ran around with Andi for a while. I brought Matthew in early to allow for some daddy/daughter and mommy/son time. Matthew and I had a great time stacking large block and knocking them down. We also read his favorite book, Baby Boo!
After dinner it was bath time. Daddy had fun bathing Matthew while mommy allowed Matilyn to squirt shaving cream into a large tupperware bowl and mix a drop of food coloring into it. This makes great fingerpaint for the tub! Then it was bath time! The tub was foamy and the entire room smelled like a freshly shaven daddy! LOL! It was a great end to a fun filled day.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Wishing You All A Wonderful Christmas!
We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the true reason for the holiday. Matilyn is so excited about having a birthday party for Jesus. We are decorating the house with streamers and balloons. Tomorrow we are also baking and decorating birthday cake. This is our favorite time of the year!
I am sorry that we have not posted in so long. God is doing some great and exciting things regarding our adoption. We have completed our part of the home study. Our social worker is currently completing the final draft. After we receive the home study we will be submitting it to USCIS along with our I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan). We have collected all of our dossier paperwork and will be submitting it to our agency soon. The dossier consists of various papers such as: copies of our marriage certificate, birth certificates, passport copies, criminal clearances from local police departments, employment verifications, medical clearances from our physicians, etc...... We are so happy to be completing this part of our exciting journey. God is sooooo good!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. There is much more to tell regarding the adoption, and we hope to post in full sometime around mid January. Please pray that the Lord will guide us to our child, and that the Lord will keep him safe. We also ask that you pray for a safe and speedy adoption process. After receiving photos/information about our child and accepting the referral, the time until travel to bring him home can be up to 6-8 months. We are praying that God will bring our baby home much more quickly, and we know that He can do it. :)
We truly appreciate all of your support and prayers!
Wishing you all a great Christmas!
Love,
Jarrod and Anita
I am sorry that we have not posted in so long. God is doing some great and exciting things regarding our adoption. We have completed our part of the home study. Our social worker is currently completing the final draft. After we receive the home study we will be submitting it to USCIS along with our I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan). We have collected all of our dossier paperwork and will be submitting it to our agency soon. The dossier consists of various papers such as: copies of our marriage certificate, birth certificates, passport copies, criminal clearances from local police departments, employment verifications, medical clearances from our physicians, etc...... We are so happy to be completing this part of our exciting journey. God is sooooo good!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. There is much more to tell regarding the adoption, and we hope to post in full sometime around mid January. Please pray that the Lord will guide us to our child, and that the Lord will keep him safe. We also ask that you pray for a safe and speedy adoption process. After receiving photos/information about our child and accepting the referral, the time until travel to bring him home can be up to 6-8 months. We are praying that God will bring our baby home much more quickly, and we know that He can do it. :)
We truly appreciate all of your support and prayers!
Wishing you all a great Christmas!
Love,
Jarrod and Anita
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