tim and i were able to spend a relaxing fun filled memorial weekend at the lake with about 5 other couples and a handful of singles. we made new friends and grew closer to old ones. :) today i'm sort of missing those beautiful views. 

round two.

guess what! tomorrow, Lord willing, tim and i will get our final documents notarized and aside from the home study (which is out of our hands at this point) our dossier will be complete. along with that heaping stack of papers is yet another big payment to the agency. so, its time for round two of the adoption tees. hopefully, by next week i'll have new flowy women's tees, men's heather brown tees, and two colors of children's tees sizes 12-18mo, 2t, and 4t. i went ahead and listed the new shirts in the shop. you can pre-order them and as soon as they arrive i'll ship your order out. 

Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child

I've had a lot of people tell me that adoption is such a beautiful thing. I won't disagree, but I'll add to that becoming a parent is such a beautiful thing. I know our gotcha day is probably a long way away but I already see how this whole process is changing both Tim and myself. For one, I've acquired this insatiable desire to learn and read about all sorts of things. I came across the above title while reading a blog by a friend of mine from college. Haley and I were in the University Scholars program at Baylor and while she stuck with it I dropped out to pursue an art major. That being said, I completely trust her book recommendations. Also, countless reviews on Amazon compared Anthony Esolen to a modern day   G.K. Chesterton...SOLD! 

So I ordered the book and anxiously awaited its arrival. I read it in a couple days and I'm sure my family and friends are sick of hearing me talk about it. While I started out reading the book thinking it would help me foster the imagination of our son, it ended up convicting me of the way I spend my time as well. I think it is one of the best "parenting" books a person could read. My favorite line was this, "a boy will never develop his character if his world is always kept safe for him." So true and so wise. 

We have our last meeting with our social worker this Monday. We will be wrapping up the successful home study and then all that's left to complete our dossier are a few odds and ends. Our goal was to have the dossier complete by June 1st but that's only a week away. :O Some friends of mine have received their court date in Ethiopia and will hopefully be bringing their son home in August. I've followed along through their whole process and its so encouraging to see a family get to that point. It helps remind me that one day we will be there too. 

Dear Little Son,
Since yesterday was Mother's day I wanted to tell you a bit about your lovely grandmothers. Your mamma's mom is Dana. She is so excited for your arrival. Her creativity shines in the kitchen. She will be able to teach you lots about cooking and you can bet every time you are at her house she will feed you something yummy and quite healthy. She also loves to garden and has a very green thumb. I'm sure she will be holding your little hand and walking you through her bountiful garden many times in the future. but please remember...when you are old enough to run and be a wild little boy, don't stomp through her flower beds and trample her vegetables! ;)

your daddy's mom is michelle. she's anxious for you to get here too. nana is a smart cookie and will be able to help you with your homework when your mamma can't. she's a great reader too and i hope she instills her love of reading in you just like she did with your dad.  nana is a great listener and problem solver...so if you have questions you should ask her.

i've also been thinking about your birth mother. i hope she takes care of you the best she can. i hope i can meet her, so i can tell you all about her when you ask. and lastly, i hope one day you will meet her again.

love,
your mamma

i suppose i will be that typical first time mother...

you know, the type that makes all her own baby food and does baby yoga with her infant. 2nd and 3rd (and maybe 4th) baby bobo, i promise i'll try to give you the same obsessive attention. ;)