Cory's Second Birthday Party

Everyone's talking about the event of the year: Cory's second birthday party.  Held on the pristine grounds of the Linduff estate, the gathering boasted a delicious spread: a brownie/animal cake (as requested by the guest of honor and garnished with sprinkles and two yellow crayon candles), chex mix, cheeto balls, and popcorn.  A well-rounded guest list included celebrity names such as Grammy and Papa, Aunt Haylee (who indulged the young gentleman Cory in a rousing game of Kapowee!), Nan and Nona, Elmo, and various members of two branches of the Schweizer clan.  Cory played an impeccable host, showing delight and gratitude at each gift received.  If you weren't at this gala event, never fear.  The festivities will be repeated on an annual basis.

(I love how he holds the present with his feet!)

Other FL pictures:

Iain playing Pickle with the cousins.

Cory watching the Pickle game and working on his wink.

Sweet boy!  Not too big for snuggles.

We're DTR!

Our dossier had arrived in Rwanda, been signed for, and been delivered to the Ministry... we're officially DTR as of today!  Our dossier travelled with the dossier of another family, and we're excited and hoping we'll be travelling with them (and hopefully catching up with some dossiers that have been in Rwanda for a while, right Alison?).

DTR means Dossier To Rwanda.  Yes, I know that is not an adverb; one cannot be "dossier to Rwanda."  But you can't really friend anyone either.  So there you go - we're DTR.

What this means: We have a three- to six-month waiting period, and then we'll (hopefully!) receive a letter of approval from the Ministry in Rwanda.  Two months after that, we'll get a referral!  That's when we get a picture of our daughter, along with her medical information, age, weight, etc.  Then we have a court date in Rwanda (we don't attend; we have a power of attorney standing in for us) about two weeks later.  That's when our daughter legally becomes ours.  Then within a few weeks after that, we travel to get her!  So we're looking at bringing her home between July and October of this year.  And while we fully believe that the timing in this belongs to the Lord, we're still praying for July!

In honour of being DTR, I started today on a baby blanket for our little one.  My mom got me this yarn for Christmas, and I've been holding off starting until we got this news.  A way to mark the day, and something to do for her while I wait.  

These aren't the colors our daughter's room is/will be, but I just thought they were so pretty and girlie and fun!  Here's the pattern I'm using (well, basing my blanket off of this pattern).

We're DTR!  Yay!!

Across the Pond

Dossier in Great Britain tonight.  It is officially on the other side of the Atlantic.  Fish and chips, foggy days, Mind the Gap, say hello to William and Henry, look kids: Big Ben, Parliament!

:)

Happy Day!

It's on its way! 

 The dossier, that is.  We just got the email that the dossier has been authenticated by the Rwandan Embassy and is making tracks across the ocean.  I have the tracking number and will be checking like a crazy person until I see that it has touched down.  

And you can be sure I'll let you know when it is on Rwandan soil!

So exciting!!

Look Who's Two!

Happy birthday, Cory!  

January 15, 2008

January 15, 2009  - Cory's first birthday!

January 15, 2010 - Cory's second birthday!

On your second birthday, you:

--have only eight teeth, but I can see more coming through

--still use your pacifier at night and nap, but not during the day

--love "messy cheese" (shredded cheese), ice cream, pizza toast, and oatmeal

--like the color green

--wear cute little converse shoes

--like to play in the dirt

--love to sing and play guitar

--like to jump

--pray with one eye opened and your face scrunched up (like a pirate), "Dear Jesus thank You for de food dear Jesus amen."

--still snuggle with me when you're going down for your nap.  I "rock-a-rock" you in the glider, and you hold onto my hair

--snuggle with Daddy when you go to sleep at night.  He holds you and sings to you and you always ask for a "last song"

--love Iain and copy everything he says

--have a rather quiet, low, gravelly voice that is so cute!

--talk a lot, and in full sentences, pausing between words ever-so-slightly, but speaking clearly and accurately

--are learning to talk to and love Jesus

--bring us all so much joy

Happy birthday, little man.  We love you so!

(for Cory's day of birth post, go here.  For his one year old post, go here.)

School Days!

Last Monday (1/4/10), we started school!  

(First day of school pictures)

Iain is learning to read, using the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons which is pretty intense.  Lots of very specific tasks.  But it takes only 15-20 minutes per day, which is good because by the end of it, Iain definitely gets squirrelly.  So far, he's learned the sounds for m, short a, s, and long e.  A tricky part for him is remembering to say the letter sound, not its name.  But he's doing great, and he especially loves running his finger along the arrow under the letters and yelling them out when he gets to "say it fast."

Cory and Iain both are learning about giraffes, as part of school.  They are very into giraffes these days!  So we watched some youtube videos, colored giraffe pictures, and got some giraffe books from the library.  

My favorite activity (this cracks me up - yes, I'm weird, I know): we learned that giraffes have 18-inch-long black tongues.  So we made 18-inch-long black tongues.  The boys loved it, and I just laughed and laughed.  

How very academic of us, I know.

*********

Cory: Hey Iain?

Iain: Yes?

Cory: Hey Iain?

Iain: Yes?

Cory: Hey Iain?  Hey Iain?  Hey Iain?

Me: Cory, what are you doing?

Cory: Talkin' to Iain?

Me: What are you trying to say?

Cory: I'm sayin' 'Hey Iain?'  (Ask a silly question...)

Snow!

Temperature today: 19 degrees, feels like 6 because of all the wind and damp.  So says the weather site, anyway.  And I believe it.  It's COLD!

Yesterday afternoon, it started to snow!  Now this may not be big news for some of you reading this, but for us former Floridians, it's a big deal.  Actually, to all of Atlanta, it's a big deal.  Snow day, no school, 27-car-pile ups, DOT saying stay off the road.  I bet you folks up north are laughing.  

Iain has been practicing tracing letters that I write for him.  Pretty good, huh?

I took the boys outside this morning (it was so cold my eyes were watering!) to play in the inch or so of snow on the driveway.  Cory loved it.  Iain hated it.  Ah well.

Cory and I tried to slide down the driveway (finally found a use for this, Kelsey!).  I sat down and called him over, and he came running with a big grin on his face.  But we didn't really move much.  I did pull Cory down though, which was fun.

First movie clip: from yesterday when it started to snow.  Second is from this morning.  Note the drastic difference a bad night of sleep makes in our little friend Iain's demeanor.

A Day for Prayer

I have this heavy burden on my heart today to pray for our daughter.  I don't know what's going on in her life right now, or even if she's born yet, but I can't shake this feeling (nor do I want to!) that something is going on in Rwanda today in our baby's world.

Maybe today is the day she's being born.

Or maybe today, her birth mother is making the excruciating decision to take her to HOH Orphanage.

Or maybe she's already there, fighting off an illness.

Or maybe she just needs some extra love today, and God wants to let us be a part in providing it for her, by asking Him to provide it for her.

Will you pray for her today?  And for her birth family?  Thank you so much for lifting her up today with us.

Jeremy sent me these verses this morning in an email (before I told him of my call to prayer).  He said they were on his heart today.

I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'  Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth... (Is 43:6)

See, they will come from afar - some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan. (Is 49:12)

Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. (Is 60:4)

Book Review - The Sweet By and By

The Sweet By and By, by Sara Evans

I must say, although I didn't have high hopes for this book when I started (a novel written by a "Multi-Platinum Recording Artist" says the cover), I was pleasantly surprised.  The Sweet By and By tells the story of a woman approaching her wedding day, but trapped in a painful past.  As she digs up and retells her secrets, she searches for healing, and the Healing One searches for her.  

Often I am disappointed by Christian Fiction.  Sometimes it comes across as poorly-written and sappy, and generally predictable.  The Sweet By and By was, for the most part, predictable, but in a relaxed, comforting way, and there were enough plot twists to hold my interest.  The book flits backward and forward along the story line, and even among some of the characters, but it does so well.  

The characters were developed and realistic, and I found myself thinking about them when I wasn't reading - a good sign for me that they hold my interest!  And the climax, when Jade finally catches a glimpse of the Truth... it was good.  I won't spoil it for you, but it was good.

Although I can't say this book will ever make the canon of literature, I enjoyed my trip through its pages.  For an uplifting, relaxing read, try The Sweet By and By.

Funnies

Iain held up the swiffer and said he had made it into a sign.  The sign was from the President of Rwanda, and it said, You can get a baby sister, and you can ride on a train that moves.

Iain, holding up a piece of onion: I don't like onions.

Me: Just leave it on your plate.

Cory: (reaches over and grabs it off Iain's plate.  Holds it up.)

Iain: Good boy, Cory!

Cory, holding up the onion: I like peppers!

Iain: Actually, it's an onion, though.

Cory: I like onions!

Iain's new song: I've got condensation in my tummy!  I've got condensation in my tummy!

Cory's new response when we ask him to do something: I be d'lighted to.

When Iain was younger, he'd ask questions properly, but with no inflection: a flat, "Can I have a snack."  Cory asks questions with TONS of inflection but the wrong words: a very swinging, "I have a snack???"