Water, water, everywhere

Last night we had a big thunderstorm. The rain did not last long, but it was one of those downpours you can barely drive through. Our house sits on a steep ledge next to a river. Well, our old foundation could not keep the water out. We have a sump pump on the lower end of the house which usually keeps us dry. This time, the water came in further up. Of course there is a carpet down there, so we have quite a mess. Fortunately we have a wet vac and a product called Abzorbit, which removes an amazing amount of moisture, so we will get the mess dried up. Now we just need to figure out how to better seal off the foundation so it won't happen again. The timing was perfect since I had already decided to take a week off from school to get the house back under control. Dan is going to take some time off work to help with the basement.


Please continue to pray for Garrett!! On Thursday, he spent the day at the Vineyard Christian School. He had a good day, and he liked the school, but he is having a hard time to make a choice. We are meeting with the principal tomorrow. Also, yesterday, was a very bad day for him. He is feeling pretty miserable right now, and he has a very busy week ahead of him. This has been a tough year for him. It is so hard to see our kids hurting!!!

This post is kind of depressing. We actually had alot of fun this weekend! Friday night, our great friends the Marquis drove up from Massachussetts to watch Dan perform in, Drood. They were able to come visit on Saturday morning. We had so much fun!!

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say......

This blog has been very quiet. I have not trusted myself to write anything but complaints and grumbling, and who wants to read that? So, I am going to try to be good.

Dan has been performing in, Drood, and doing amazingly well! He is always good, but he is exceptionally good in this show. The amount of lines he had to learn is staggering! He also has to sing a tongue-twister of a song with an accent. He is so good. I never get tired of watching him perform!!! The really amazing thing is that he hurt his back on Monday, and he has been performing every night in pain.:( He is feeling a bit better, but he is still sore every night and stiff every morning, poor guy.

Garrett and Meredith have been rehearsing for our church's Easter production. Each year the teens get to perform a dance number called Ashton. It is so fun! While Jesus is alone praying, angels appear to protect him. Shortly after the angels arrive, demons slither onto the scene and a battle begins. There are lots of special effects with strobe lights and glow-in-the-dark costumes. It is very intense, and the kids give it their all. In the end, the demons are cast down and the angels minister to Jesus. It is a vey powerful number. Can you guess who plays an angel and who plays a demon?:)

Meredith and Connor are also auditioning right now for the spring play at AMS. They both auditioned well yesterday, so I am hopeful that they will make it into the show. This is Meredith's last chance to perform at the middle school. The spring show is always very emotional, especially for the girls and the parents. Everyone is in tears on the last day. There are not many boy parts in this play, so Connor is more likely to be the disappointed one. He will handle it well, but I sure hope he doesn't have to!

Gavin is soon to be leaving to spend 2 days at his friend Josh's house. My parents are on vacation so I needed to find a babysitter for part of Wedesday and Thursday. My friend, Steph, offered to take him for the two days. He and Josh have been buddies all their lives.:)

I went to the neurologist last week, and did not get good news. He is afraid I may need surgery again.:( I was scheduled to have an MRI on Friday, but I just got a call to go this afternoon at 4:00. So, I am off to get ready.

One complaint- NO NEWS FROM ESTONIA. Bummer!

What Now?

Many people have been asking what our next step will be in the adoption process. Unfortunately, it is WAITING.:( Here is what we have to wait for:
1. Documents from Estonia
When we receive these we can then file our I-800 with USCIS.
2. Approval from USCIS
When we get this form we send it back to Estonia.
3. A court date for the adoption
When we get this, we pack up and go to Estonia for 2-3 weeks. While we are there we will have Andreas with us, but we will still be waiting for his paperwork so that we can legally bring him home.

Please pray for us! This is going to be the hardest part. Now that we have had him with us, it is amazingly hard to be away from him!! I am thankful that we got to spend time at his orphanage. I know he is loved and adored by his caretakers and older brothers. I know he is well fed, that he is clean and dry and warm. He is quite happy and content. So I can't really worry about him.

Please don't think for a minute that he is better off there, though. He had a small taste of having a Daddy and he LOVED it!! He also loved being held and cuddled for as long as he needed/wanted to be. It is hard to know how much he understands, but I am convinced that he knew he couldn't have us and his "home" at the orphanage. As excited as he was to return to his comfort zone, he was still sad to leave us.

To cope with the waiting, I have a list of things to keep me busy. Wanna see it?
1. I am knitting a shawl for the caregiver we spent the most time with. She loves those boys so much!! She deserves something special.
2. I will have to knit pretty scarves/shawls for the other 3 caregivers who most likely love the boys just as much.
3. Re-read Our Own, a great book on older child adoption.
4. Check out and possibly join a yahoo group for parents of Ds kids.
5. Find a few good books about Down syndrome.
6. Check into the school programs that will be available to us once we get Andreas home.

That ought to keep me occupied when I am not homeschooling or transporting kids. Thank the Lord, I have four great kids at home to keep me busy!