Ring Bearer Preview

I was able to get Jack into his shirt and vest with a little old-fashioned candy bribing today. Doesn't he look handsome! I guess I'll have to have a full arsenal of candy at the wedding.

Happy Fourth of July!

I meant to post this last night but it was a late one for us.

The weather was pleasant with an overcast sky. It wasn't the typical blazing hot Fourth of July we usually experience, but it's one of the best ones we've celebrated together as a family. First, we made a Flag cake this morning. Jack was my big helper. "I got a yellow moustache momma."

Then we headed to my sister-in-law's parents' house. They live next to a lake that was created in 1971 by a farmer who didn't want the city/state to run a major highway through his land. Instead, he created a huge lake and sold lots. It's a wonderful community. Each year, my SIL's family invites us to join them, a very nice offer.

 We all took turns riding in the neighbor's boat. One of my favorite moments included being serinaded by a young girl playing "The Godfather" theme on her accordian.

Jack even steered the ship on one cruise.

Captain & Tennille. Our nephew Christopher manned the boat during the boat parade.

BGW: Boy Gone Wild. Mike got a little silly during the ride. No beads were thrown.

One of the boats in the parade.

Mike rips out an air guitar classic.

My SIL Mary helps Jack float.

My brother's FIL bought this old motorized horse. Jack loved it!

My brother and dad fishing.

Fireworks!

"We're not worthy of your cool fireworks!"

We hope you all had a happy Fourth of July with your family.

A Marked Woman or Adventures with a Water Gun

"I'm gonna get you momma."

"Come over here momma."

"Gotcha!"

Welcome to My Crib

Welcome to my crib, the hottest spot in the neighborhood.

My pool is so big, I even caught a fish in it, bare hands. "It was this big!"

My club house.

I like hanging out with the cute girls in the neighborhood. Meet the neighbor girl, Sophie.

I had to start my run back-up the hill to show off my great speed.

Some kind of slo-mo sound effect is necessary here because of the hero-under-strenuous-pressure look on my face.

The pararazzi can be a little annoying at times. Can't you see I'm with my girl?

China Update - sort of, not really

Many of you know that we applied to the China non special needs program in Fall 2005. At that time, the wait was less than a year. We were practically encouraged to go this route because we wanted to start a family soon and adoption through a domestic program could take 2 to 3 years. We have not let our paperwork expire because we believe we will someday bring home our daughter, Maggie Rose, from China. However, the wait continues to drag. That is why we have applied to domestic adoption programs. The following is information from a China adoption rumor site that gives more insight into the dismal state of the China adoption program. Comments are from the rumor web site.

The CCAA(authority in China that handles foreign adoptions)  recently sent a delegation out to visit, and the country they visited has shared some of what they learned from the CCAA.


What does this tell us that is important?

» The NSN program is not going to increase in numbers of babies available. The SN program is going to continue to be the main focus of the program.

» They say a minimum waiting period of four years – but that’s where it is now. I guess it’s just confirmation the wait isn’t going to decrease any, but we all pretty much knew that.

» The backlog is reported at being around 20,000. That’s an important number, but we keep hearing different figures from different CCAA people, so I’m not sure how reliable that is. Last year some very high up people at the CCAA were saying it was anywhere from 12,000 to 18,000, depending on who was doing the talking. I think it’s probably down around 15,000 to 18,000 at this point, but I don’t think we have any way of knowing for sure.

» It is troubling to me that they seem to be saying that, while they do intend to continue grandfathering people in under the old rules, they reserve the right to decline a particular family if they choose.

» We’ve heard hints of that last part before – of the CCAA taking on more responsibilities, and that there could be a name change involved.

Small Town America

*The following must be read with the Spongebob narrator voice.

Ah, a quite day in small town America. A Fourth of July parade.

Huge trucks and cool classics.

The only time when it's acceptable to hear a complete stranger ask a child. "Hey, little girl. Would you like some candy?"

Several politicians, candy and a cool gavel pencil.

Stickered up.

A young boy's stash.

Ah, a balloon too.

A perfectly pleasant day in small town America. 10 minutes later and the parade was over. Jack's favorite part? Candy.

The Politics of Gum

Jack examines daddy's eyes.

Jack noticed that I was chewing gum tonight and asked for a piece. I rarely give him gum because he ends up swallowing it. Well, he promised that he would chew, chew, chew and not swallow. I gave him a tiny piece because I knew where it would end up. At one point, I looked in the rearview mirror and noticed that he had stopped chewing. I asked him if he had swallowed it. "No, no swallow it," he replied. "It went down my mouth." He opened his mouth to demonstrate that the gum was indeed gone but insisted that it went down his mouth. Technically the truth, but deflecting the blame on the gum, not himself. Sounds like he's ready for politics.