Finally some nice weather

It's finally beautiful out this week!  We've been busy playing, swinging, making sidewalk paint, doing projects, and baking!  I can't express with words how thankful I am to have my summers to be a mom full time.  I pray that someday we can afford for me to stay home full time...there's just nothing like it!  I can only imagine how much fun and how crazy it will be to have two little girls running around next  year!

Praying for news this week!

We still haven't heard from the Department of Homeland Security.  As of last week (I broke down and e-mailed them), we still hadn't been assigned a caseworker.  We've been waiting about 2 1/2 months for our approval, the turn around is supposed to be no more than 90 days.  We're praying that we find out that we were approved sometime early this week.
For those of you who have been following the news, with the looming possible state shut-down our process could be slowed down.  Once we receive our approval, we have to get our dossier and post referral dossier documents notarized and than apostilled at the Secretary of States office prior to sending it to India.  However, this is one of the offices that will be closed if the state shut-down happens.  One alternative is to have the documents completed in a different state, but they then have to be notarized in that state as well.  Not an impossible task, but one that might take more time than if we were able to complete it all here in Minnesota.
If you are a prayerful person and you have an extra minute, we'd love it if you could say a prayer for not only us but for all the families who would be negatively affected by the shut-down.
We're still holding out hope that our approval might come this week...we'll keep you posted!

Newest DIY project...

We replaced the very dated light fixture that was hanging in our dining area when we moved in, however I wouldn't let Cory throw it away because I thought I might be able to use it somewhere.  Last week, I decided to see what I could do with it and in the end I only spent about $3 on a can of spray paint!

I don't actually have a true before picture, but  I do have a picture of the smaller version of the same light fixture to give you an idea of what it looked like before (just 5 lights on it instead of 3).

And here's the new light that we put in C's room.  If you've been following our blog for a long time, you'll know that before Allie our first adoption didn't go through for a little boy.  We purchased the bedding before the adoption fell through and we didn't have the heart to return it.  It's a little boyish, but I knew that I could find a way to dress it up and make it a girly room.  I'm so excited for how it turned out and it's 10 times cuter in person!!!

Now I need to find a way to fix up the smaller version of this light.  Any ideas???

Ipads!

I just found out that next year we will be starting a k-2 technology push next year at my school!  What does this mean to me and my classroom?  I will have at least 10 Ipads in my classroom alone!  That means that I should have a 2:1 student to Ipad ratio!  I'm so excited and can't wait to find tons of resources.  If any teachers read my blog and have any resources that they would like to pass on to me...I'd be so thankful!

I'm off to do mommy things and can you guess what I'll be doing at nap time?!?  Probably searching for Ipad ideas!!!  : )

Picture book suggestions

I sent off our I-800 and I-864 this morning...one step closer to our little "C"!  We are now working (what seems to be night and day) on our dossier and our post referral dossier.  We have to wait until we get our I-800A approval before we can sign, date, notarize, and have them apostilled.

In the mean time, I've started working on a book to send to "C".  We are encouraged to send a book of pictures to "C" so that the nannies can begin to talk to her about her new home.  In the book we are supposed to have pictures of us as a family, every room of our house including the front and backyard, and of her bedroom.  A website was recommended by our agency that makes custom board books, but when we went to the site it says that they are temporarily closed.

I know about Snapfish and those websites, but does anyone have any good ideas of where I could make a sturdy board book that might work well?  Any ideas would be much appreciated!!