Kazakhstan made the paper today!

Imagine my suprise while on my lunch break at Steinmart, munching on my Oatmeal Squares cereal and reading the paper, when low and behold..I see Kazakhstan mentioned-the home of our future family member or members! Mentioned in the same article as the store I'm dying to see, that I've never even seen in real life cuz we don't have one yet! It's so crazy!!

I will retype the article, just for you!

Ikea refining it's Russian accents

Borat Sagdiyev, the fictional Kazakh TV journalist who redefined political incorrectness, must be chuckling. Long -suffering Tampa Bay Ikea groupies will finally get their first Tampa store in 2009. But they should be aware Ikea's fastest-growing market is Russia and it's adjacent breakway republics. In fact, the swedish furniture giant plans to increase its 10 stores there to 25 within five years, reports the Moscow Times. Ikdea will open it's first megatore outpost in Siberia in November and may pour $500 -million into it's first two stores in oil rich Kazahstan!!

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Naurez everyone!

Great shot of Sean captured during the Great Easter Egg hunt with his cousins
Since today is the day we celebrate Easter, but this is also the week we celebrated the first day of spring, and our friends in Kazakhstan were out celebrating Naurez, I thought it only appropriate to salute my blogging community with all three greetings!

Sean woke me up at 6:30 this morning asking if I thought the EB came. I said, yeah, probably, why don't you go look? He ran out, and came back all dejected and said, No, there is nothing. However, the EB is smart because he knows that Miles (the 92 lb labradoodle who loves all things chocolate) would devour the EB'S goodies so he left it on top of the fireplace mantle.




After encouraging Sean to look a lil harder, he was happy when he found his stash. :) I know he no longer believes in the EB but I still love doing it and he still loves getting it.

We made the coolest things today in Sunday school...called "Resurrection rolls". It was a lil messy and crazy with 60 kids making them, but fun nonetheless and teaches the lesson of Easter quite well. Each kiddo gets a marshmellow, and a square of a cresent roll. The marshmellow represents Jesus. You roll Jesus in butter and cinnamon and sugar (the oils and herbs that Jesus rubbed on himself) and then you roll the marshmellow in the crescent roll (the crescent roll represents the linens Jesus' body was wrapped in before he was buried in the tomb). Put the marshmellow wrapped crescent in the "tomb" (aka, the oven). The marshmellow melts, and whoa, you don't see it anymore, because Jesus has risen and you get a tasty snack. :)

The girls were all so cute in there Easter dresses and the boys looked so handsome. I just love my kiddo's in Sunday school. They're so cute and sweet and I really am blessed to know these kids. I love teaching. :) It's so gratifying.

After that, we came home to make our famous "pumpkin cupcakes" for Easter dinner at Joe's cousins. We hid 206 eggs and Sean was one happy boy. We hid a $20 and a $5 in 2 of the eggs-and he found both of the "money" eggs. It was really cute. We were really blessed with a gorgeous day today. It's sunny, no humidity, and not hot in the least. Yesterday, Sean's baseball game was rained out in the 3rd inning. It rained ALL afternoon-but today was gorgeous.









Sean and his "Papa"

I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps next Easter we'll be introducing a Kazakhstani kiddo to the holiday of Easter and Naurez....I sure hope so. I pray a lot about it these days.



Joe holding Brooke, age 5 months
Sean and his Florida cousins

Peace and Yoga

I admit it, I have been a "blog slacker". I have had a heavy heart, and I needed to work on that before I posted an update to this adventure in international adoption. It was a rough week last week, and then again this week, with rumors about Kaz closing adoptions, etc. I honestly had no idea when we started this process that it would be so difficult. Parents who want children, children who need families--why is that so difficult? I think if I did not have my yoga, I would be even more a mess than I already am. It just continues to amaze that me that my yoga journey started as a way to slow down and and help my body prepare for a child, and on my quest for a child, it's what sustains me. I am so lucky to have found a wonderful yoga studio with wonderful people. I really need that hour and a half, just to forget about everything and come to peace with this process. It's not easy, but I'm doing better.

The latest we've heard about our LOI is that we are hoping to receive it in May. That is all I know. Sean is out of school the end of May, so that would be fine timing as far as we're concerned. There are days it doesn't seem real.
We are keeping very busy though. Sean made honor roll again (Go Sean) and we are enjoying baseball season. The weather has been gorgeous so that's nice too. We went to some friends house Saturday night and they have an "almost" 18 month old son. He is adorable, and very "shy" and "all about Mommy" right now. It took Sean about 30 minutes, and they were playing hide and go seek and laughing and playing. It was SO cute. My friend commented that she had NEVER seen her son open up to anyone like that. Sean is going to be a really fun big brother. He truly LOVES playing with little kids. Plus, he's so naturally good with them. He got down on MacCaiden's level and just made him laugh. It melted my heart. :)

I have also been busy decorating the kiddo's room. I am really happy with how it looks.

I got a really cool "Children's map of the world" and got it mounted at Michael's. It looks awesome!!


I also found this awesome wooden chest that matches the colors of the room perfectly. The Home Shopping channel makes it home here in St Pete Florida, and I found this in the outlet store for only $35. It holds many books. :)





I got the cutest bookshelf that revolves, but of course it doesn't hold a fraction of the books that we own, but that's ok. It's kid size. It's real cute




And, last, but not least...this is my VERY FAVORITE THING! I had a rug made. We got all our bedrooms redone in hardwood over Thanksgiving. It looks great,but, um, it's not very "soft" to lie around on the floor. So, I had a rug made for Baby Kaz's room. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I found a company in California to do it, and it was very pricey, but we are blessed with wonderfully generous grandparents who give us money for Christmas. This year, that money was used for the rug. I think it looks great, and something she or he would cherish forever. If you like it, let me know and I can email you the lady who did it for me. I was so happy, and it's so soft. I keep the door shut so that my cat won't "urp" on it. He's known for that. :)

Anxiety Dreams, PART DEUX

{Picture was appropriate for my dream, it was a few years ago before my very first triathlon, which I was very prepared for!!)

Well, I am grateful for all the feedback from my fellow adoptive parents, that anxiety dreams are NORMAL, because I had another weird dream last night. The only good thing is that it makes me glad when my alarm goes off at 5 even when I don't really want to get up and run. :)

Ok, before I forget it, here is my dream.

Sandi and Shannon were coming to get me for "swim practice". Sandi was driving a bus. I went out to get in the bus, but I realized I didn't have my swim suit or my goggles. So, I asked them to wait and I went back in my house to find them. Of course, it took me forever to find my swim suit and goggles. Joe was leaving for work and Sean was like, "Mom, where are you going" I said, oh, just to swim practice. You won't be alone long" (I never leave Sean alone, he's not really old enough yet and he's a big chicken anyway). Before long, Sandi and Shannon knock on the door because I am taking so long. They come in, along with a bunch of other people (I guess the people on the bus). They were checking out my house and checking out the baby's room.
I guess we missed swim practice, because we all were just sitting around talking. I think we were getting pedicures. We were talking about how we were running the Chicago marathon the next day. I said, well, I am NOT at all trained for this, I haven't run further than 13 miles, I Hope I get thru it. (It's very unlike me, I ALWAYS prepare for marathons, some people can "wing" it, but I sure can't. If I don't do the miles, I wouldn't do the marathon) Then, I'm leaving for the airport, and I'M LEAVING SEAN HOME BY HIMSELF. I told him, I'll just be in Chicago for the marathon, just call me if you get scared. Then ,I'm at the airport and I'm realizing I forgot my goggles and my swim suit, and wondering how i'm going to have time before the marathon to get these things.
Then my alarm went off! YAY! SAVED BY THE BELL! Except, since when do you run a marathon in goggles and a bathing suit....


This one was a lot easier to analyze. I'm not feeling prepared, and "expect the unexpected", hence the bathing suit for the marathon? Sandi and Shannon have both arrived safely and in Kaz and will be meeting their daughters tomorrow.
They seem relaxed, excited, and happy. However, back home, their friend is a wreck!!
However, I do see a lot of parallel's between training for an event like a triathlon or marathon, and this adoption process. You get your training program, and you follow it for many weeks to get yourself ready for the event. You follow your dossier checklist from you agency in putting all that stuff together. You may have to modify your training program due to injury or illness or just life getting in the way. You made have to unexpectedly update or apostille a new document, or find a new doctor whose license doesn't expire, or even have the region closed you were told you were going to, or your dossier may get stuck at the MFA for 4 months, just like you could be waylaid in training by any number of things. However, when the day comes, you are prepared. You got up so many early mornings and sweated your butt off to prepare yourself for this day. However, many a time, I was at the starting line, and wanted to cry, because I was scared. I didn't think I was ready, what was I thinking. But, low and behold, I was ready, I got thru it, I had fun, and the race was a wonderful event that made me feel empowered and confident.
I still vividly remember when I turned 40, my goal was do an olmypic distance triathlon (.9 mile swim, 24 mile bike, and a 10k (6.2 mile) run. I signed up, but I was scared to death. I got my training program, and started. I was ready, but that morning, lining up at Disney before the .9 mile swim, I was FREAKED OUT. I looked over at Joe and SEan and said "I can't do this!! I want to quit!!!" I seriously wanted to throw up. But, the horn blew and off I went. It was fun-I was fine, and I blew away the goal I had set for myself by 20 minutes. Sigh, now I wish I still had that drive to be in such good shape. :)

With regards to Baby Kaz, I'm still in the scared phase. I've been lined up at that starting line for several months now. I know I don't want to quit, but I'm ready for the empowered and confident stage. I dont think that will happen until I land in the good ole USA with my daughter and walk out with her (not one of my borrowed friends babies, but MY DAUGHTER) in HER Ergo. :)



Oh well, I'm sure I can entertain Baby Kaz with all these stories one day, right?

Analyze THIS!

I have VERY weird dreams, and I sometimes remember them, sometimes not. Sean also has very funky dreams like his mom. Joe says he doesn't dream.
This morning, when my alarm went off at 5 am to run, I was actually GLAD to have woken up. Wait until you hear this dream (and I still remember it, too)....

In this dream, I found out that you can buy this CHINESE Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and get a chinese baby. So, I was so excited, and I bought the box of Mac and Cheese. It looked just like the regular Mac and cheese. But, of course, come to find out, I could not eat the Mac and Cheese. I had to hire someone else to eat the Mac and Cheese to get my chinese baby. Well, the lady I hired decided she didn't want to give up the chinese baby. She was on an airplane (maybe coming back from China, I don't know, but she was OUTSIDE of the plane, riding on the wing, threatening to jump off if I took the baby. HOW BIZARRE IS THAT.
Then, 2 other kids that I know (one little girl I teach in Sunday school) and then John, my friends lil boy that she adopted from Columbia ) were there. I'm not sure why, because then my alarm went off.

HOW WEIRD IS THAT? You think that perhaps I have some anxiety about this process right now? LOL
I think it's that Karen is there now, meeting her son, Catalina and Calin met their son and daughter (SURPISE, THERE'S 2!), Sandi left today, and Shannon leaves tomorrow.
There's so much unknown about it all that sometimes I get freaked out, and scared. I'm scared to go, but yet I'm anxious to go. I want to know when, yet I'm scared to know when. I'm baby INSANE crazy, and I love to see my friends baby's and hug and kiss em.
Today, I was telling one of my friends about my dream. She was so sweet. She said, well if something happens and this Kaz thing doesn't work out, I will be a surrogate for you. BUT, it has to be your and Joe's stuff, then I won't be attached. I want you to get your baby.
:)

That was very sweet of her. I hope it doesn't come to that, as I don't think i could handle that anxiety either!

I'm off to read my latest book..Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. My running buddies and I decided to be our own book club and read a book and then discuss it on our runs. It makes the miles FLY by. This is a book I would have NEVER picked up. It's over 900 pages, and it's set in the middle ages. Rough times, rough times-I would have NOT dug being a chick back then. Ick! It's pretty dark, and at times so violent (which I really abhor violence), but it's a good story. One of my running friends dreamed she was starving, and cold and wet. NOt me, I dream about Magic Chinese Mac and Cheese to get a chinese baby, then the "adoption" falling thru where the lady wants to jump off the wing of a plane in flight.
LOL

What would I do without my blogger friends? I don't know. :) I'm glad I don't have to find out.

Sandi is en route to Paris right now. I think she is just 4 hours away.
So excited for her. :)

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Today is our 11 year wedding anniversary! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEY!!
We had a nice dinner out last night, and today was busy with Sean's annual school picnic, and tonight we have a baseball game. We are home between activities "resting" and doing laundry. We don't have a scanner, so I took a picture of some old wedding photo's. I can't believe it's been 11 years. :) When I met Joe, his son Joey was 15, and his daughter, Jillian, was 12. He was a single dad, "doing it all". I was pretty impressed that this man could cook, do laundry, and even sew Jillian's ballet costumes. Now, after 11 years of wedded bless, Joey is 28, Jillian is 25 (she'll be 26 this summer), Sean is 9 (almost 10), and we hope to travel this summer to meet the newest Serra family member. He is a real trooper, starting all over with more kiddo's when his kids are grown and out of the house. I feel very blessed to have met such a wonderful father and patient man. He is the best!! He is my rock-THANK YOU SWEETIE FOR PICKING ME!!!
Today, at the picnic, I found "my baby", a little boy named Dane who is 13 months old. I always hold him at school, and he knows me pretty well. His parents were excited because then they get a break and they can actually eat, and chase their 5 year old daughter around. I took DAne, and was standing in line for food. Andrea (Dane's mommy) kept asking me, "are you sure, i can take him", and i was like, NOPE, I need the practice. It's a fun challenge to hold a kid, get your own food, try to eat your own food and then feed him his food too. Joe was so cute with him too. Andrea said,"Wow, your husband is really excited about bringing ANOTHER BABY HOME?" I said, well, yeah, of course he is, HE BETTER BE! So, I have watermelon stains all over my white t-shirt, and Dane's diaper leaked and he peed on my shirt (probably cuz I fed him like 10 pieces of watermelon...LOL)

I think all the "S" Florida momma's are traveling very soon. Sandi leaves Thursday, Shannon JUST got her LOI this past Friday and leaves next Friday, and Suzanne and Matt will probably be leaving very soon as well. I was telling Sean about it and he said "Wow, mom, we are totally getting left out!" What is taking so long anyway, BABY KAZ NEEDS US!

Yes, my son, she does, but we have to be patient. If I could just really believe that summer is our time I think I could relax some. I really don't want to go until May, that would be perfect for us. However, we don't know when we'll go, and that is what is so hard. I sometimes think we are NEVER going to get to go, and my heart breaks. Plus, I'm extra hormonal right now (its a monthly thing) so I know that is part of why I got a lil sad this week.

My horoscope today said this today:

Dear Susan,
Here is your horoscope
for Saturday, March 1:

Somehow, life is a little bit harder than it was just yesterday. It's a temporary situation -- but it may not look like it from your perspective! See if you can relax enough to take some time out for yourself.