Thanksgiving in New Smyrna

This year, we drove to New Smyrna Beach to spend Thanksgiving with Aunt Diane & Uncle Rick (Uncle Shrimp). Madi was so excited for the road trip with Grandpa. When we arrived, they had an assortment of gifts for Madi to help occupy her time. One of which was a very special green M & M watch. The best part for Madi was that Aunt Diane had a matching watch too, since Madi is always making sure that they are "on the same team".

On Thanksgiving Day, we went to the beach to collect sea shells and walk around the town, while Aunt Diane and Uncle Rick prepared a lovely feast for us. We really enjoyed just spending time together and catching up. Madi was also able to take a dip in their pool, since the sun was shining (and the pool was heated:)

Yesterday, we received a phone message from Aunt Diane & Uncle Rick that they miss Madi and the house is way too quiet without her. Let us just say that Madi enjoyed sharing her vivacious personality for a few days! Thank you for having us!

The Royal Treatment at NuTurf

We went to NuTurf last weekend to get some herbs and tomato plants. Uncle Bill treated Madi to a ride on the golf cart, which she loves. She happily drove off with him to get carted around the nursery.

Madi's Singing Debut at School

A few weeks back, Madi and her classmates at First United Methodist Preschool performed at the 11:00 am church service. It was her first singing performance, so needless to say, Kleenex was in hand! The performance was great. Madi led the pack to the altar. She was audible and it was just precious. She smiled and looked like a pro...so cute. Our (and her) favorite was 'Jesus Loves Me'.

Run, Daddy, Run!

Daddy ran his first road race on Saturday! He did great! I went to the race to set up a Juice Plus table at 5:30 am with Sherril and Jules. Daddy and Madi showed up with Matt and Jonathan around 7:00. At the beginning of the race, we watched the crowd run by and looked for Daddy, who was not to be missed in his bright orange 'Powered by Juice Plus' shirt that I bought him at conference.

After about 14 minutes, we walked over to the finish line to see the exciting finish for all the runners. We watched for Jimmy. After a few minutes, Madi asked with concern, "Is Daddy going to be last?" I laughed and reassured her that Daddy would not come in last. At 28 minutes, we watched him turn the corner. It was a very cool moment. I didn't expect to get sentimental! Daddy finished strong, and we were both very proud of him.

I'm Thankful For...

For years, I have looked at the precious writings of my friends and family's children with those fill in the blank questions asked in school, like 'my favorite thing is...' or 'I love Mom because...". You know what I mean--those questions who's answers must be so very adored and cherished by their parents.

Well, yesterday we got our first taste of that experience. Jimmy and I walked into Madi's school to pick her up and noticed a big paper on the wall that read, "What I'm thankful for..." As our eyes scrolled down to Madi's entry, our hearts melted and our eyes teared. It read "Mommy and Daddy".

I always wondered how it felt as a parent to read those sweet answers expressed by your child. I am so glad to know it feels every bit as wonderful as I ever imagined it would:)

Madi's Dream

Madi woke up this morning and told me about her dream last night. She dreamed about our Christmas tree. Santa brought presents for everyone--for her and for Daniel, for Mommy & Daddy, and for our three cats-Cinnamon, Schroeder & Rooty too.

After she told me about her dream, she became very concerned and asked me if I think Santa Claus will remember to bring presents for Daniel too. I assured her that Santa Claus would never forget about her little brother:)

Daniel Update!

For all of you anxiously awaiting news of some sort, we received a nice update from Holt today on Daniel's progress. Here's the latest:

He exhibits well developed eye accommodation. He can walk up and down stairs one at a time with pauses. He can turn door knobs and climb on furniture. He chews more effectively. He walks and runs with a stiff gait and wide stance. He can use a spoon but will spill. He can kick a ball in front of him without support. He has daytime bladder and bowel control, but nighttime control not complete. He doesn't talk too much. He speaks only some simple words such as "Ba Ba" which means Dad and "Ma Ma" which means Mom. He helps to undress and tries to button. He wants to hoard and not share his favorite toys. If others take his favorite toys away, he will try to get it back. His favorite toy is a set of toy kitchen and cookware. He gets along well with other children. But sometimes he will compete toys with others.

We are smiling after reading this update. It sure sounds like he's holding his own!!

Fingerprints - Check

Our fingerprints expired on 10/29 for our adoption. We were sent new appointment notices which I quickly added to our calendar. We were ready to leave for our appointment yesterday when I looked at the paper, and I almost jumped out of my skin. How could that paper have read 'November 2nd' when it was already November 3rd?? Yes, Queen organizer wrote down the wrong day on the calendar! I instantly fell into a panic, especially when I read the disclaimer, 'if you fail to make your appearance, your case will be abandoned'. Oh my Good Lord!! I freaked out! Thank God Jimmy was there to calm me down. Madi started getting upset and saying, "Daddy, I want our baby. I want our baby!" I called our USCIS case worker and he calmly recommended that we show up at the support center and see what happens. So we did. We drove to Royal Palm Beach and much to our Murphy's Law surprise, we were treated like royalty without a single hitch. We were printed and gone in 15 minutes!! No coincidences, I say, no coincidences...

Now we continue to wait for our travel approval. Once we receive it, we are on to the next step: planning travel!!!

Halloween 2009

What a difference in Madi this year! Gone was the fear of costumes. Gone was the fear of trick-or-treating at a strange door. In fact, she raced from door to door, knocking and ringing doorbells without any fear at all. It was so fun to watch her from the street and see her bravery escalate. She loved every part of it.

We were joined again this year by neighbors and friends. Madi trick-or-treated with Heidi and Kaitlyn, the twins down the street and with buddies Ana and MoMo Socha. We are happy to report that there were no incidences of dogs attacking!

After circling our phase of the hood, the girls were satisfied and elected to run and play in the yard. They had a great time together.

On Friday night, we went to a Trunk-or-Treat event at our church. They closed the parking lot and all the kids paraded through the lot together and then collected candy. People went all-out decorating their cars and dressing up. Hannah Schulte came with us and walked with Madi around the lot. They had a great time.