July 4th Fun!

Chris had the day off, so we got to spend some time as a family having fun! 

After spending some time with Grandma Lela & Grandpa Dave, we went to Oyster Creek Park in Sugar Land to their Red, White & Blue Fest.  We watched a cowboy do some trick roping, some cultural dancers and ran around in the grass.  Okay, the boys ran around while mom & dad watched.

They had a Foam Fun Area set up for the kiddos to play in and the boys had a hard time waiting their turn!  Once they got to go in, they had a blast!  Since Michael is under 5, Chris had to go in with him (Rachael had the backpack and all the stuff from Chris' pockets that he didn't want to get wet), but he had a good time as well.

After drying off and changing the boys' clothes (we checked the park's website for information and saw that last year they had the Foam Area so we decided to take a change of clothes for the boys in case they had it set up this year), the boys played a couple of the carnival type games that were set up.  They also got tattoos: David got a sprayed on dragon and Michael got a rub-on elephant. 

We left after about 2 hours to go eat dinner at Whataburger down the road and meet up with some friends.  We set up 'camp' in a grassy area near Whataburger to watch the fireworks.  Everyone had a fun time.

It's hard to smile when you have cucumber slices in your mouth!



Having fun while waiting our turn

Having fun while waiting our turn

Even Daddy is having fun, sporting a new skull cap Mama made!

The Foam was bigger than the boys in some places!

We had fun!  Mama says it is time to clean up now....

Meet the newest addition to the family...

Last week we received our Adoption Tax Credit Check from the IRS.  We had already decided to look for a replacement for the 1998 Dodge Caravan when the money came in.  Chris has been looking online for about a month at different cars, vans & SUVs to see what might be available and to give me some options to consider.  It also helped to narrow down where we wanted to actually go and see for ourselves the vehicles we might be interested in.  Last Thursday we went to two dealerships to look at cars.  The second one (Classic Chevrolet in Sugar Land) had a vehicle that Chris found about a month ago and kept going back to when looking online.  We looked at it, looked in it, took it for a test drive around the block, got the Car Fax report on it and told the salesman that we would let him know later if we wanted to look at it again, then went to lunch.  We talked about it over lunch and called the salesman to set up an appointment for Friday morning.  After talking with our mechanic (Robert at Integrity Auto in Richmond), we felt good about the car.  We also printed off the Internet listing to take back with us on Friday. 

Friday morning we met the salesman and told him that we wanted our mechanic to check out the car and with papers in hand, we took the car to get checked out.  They came back with a 'clean bill of health'!  Back at the dealership, we talked numbers and got a really great deal.  We put a down payment on the car Friday and brought it home. 

Today, we paid the balance with a cashier's check and the car is completely ours!  Now all we have to wait for is the license plate, registration papers and title from the state. 

Bella (our new car) is a 2009 Dodge Journey that is pretty fully loaded!  There is a built-in DVD player for the back seat (complete with wireless headsets), a 6-CD changer, USB ports for Ipod or MP3 connections, auto-set for the air/heat, hidden storage under the passenger seat, lots of storage space in the back, a back seat console with cup holders for the boys, electric adjustment for the drivers seat (including raising the seat higher), keyless entry, alarm, remote control start and many more options that we didn't look for or expect!! (We found out about the Remote Control Start yesterday!)

God has really blessed us with Bella!!

Pool Fun

We decided to get a pool for the boys to play in this summer and they really enjoy playing in it! Even Sheba had fun. 

We found out the last time we had the pool full that all 4 of us will fit rather nicely, as long as no one moves around! 

Sorry, but I didn't get any pictures of all of us in the pool.  :(

David's Kindergarten Graduation

Wednesday, May 30, 2012 was the Kindergarten Graduation Ceremonies at Stephen F. Austin Elementary School.

David's class was 2nd in line and he did really well!  We are so proud of him!

Waiting for the kiddos to walk across the stage.

When we got there (30 minutes early), there weren't any seats left,
so Michael entertained himself on the portable basketball goal post.

The Principal of the school speaking at the beginning.

Now that they are all done, they sang to us.

See, I did it!!

David with his teacher, Mrs. Mahar.

Life is absolutely crazy (and not in a good way)....

Things have been crazy in our house for the past few weeks!!

*Our outside AC unit started acting up about 2 weeks ago, and last week it finally died.  As in, Totally Dead!  We have a Home Warranty company that we really like (most of the time!) and so I called them last Monday night and they assigned it to a repair company who came out on Wednesday (23rd).  The motor is shot and the wiring is really bad, so they totally disconnected the unit from the electrical supply to prevent any further problems (fire hazard??).  They then contacted the warranty company to get approval to replace the entire unit, who then said that they wouldn't pay for some things (removal of old unit, removal of old R-22 freon, acid cleaning of copper lines going into the house & placement of a sight glass on the new freon line=$525)  We approved the first 3 things but declined to accept the 'Optional Up-Grade of the Sight Glass ($150).  The AC company then said they wouldn't put the unit in unless we said we would pay for the 'Optional Up-Grade of the Sight Glass'.  Apparently, future reading of the freon won't be accurate if they can't 'see' the level.  I thought the freon was checked via the pressure.  Guess I was wrong!!  Anyway, as of Friday (25th) afternoon, I had contacted the AC repair company: approved the charges of $375, declined the $150 Sight Glass; contacted the home warranty company who then contacted the AC repair company and got 'official approval' to order the new unit.  The home warranty company then pushed the order through and it should be sitting in the 'Orders to be Filled' box at the suppliers when they open for business on Tuesday.  It is really hot in our house and we are praying that the order gets filled on Tuesday, the AC repair company can get it installed on Tuesday (Wednesday at the very latest!) and the house can get back to a normal temperature (most anything below 95 degrees would be great!!)  It would also be nice if we all could get a good nights sleep!!  Although Chris and I have both lost weight........

*We got 'The Letter' from the IRS on Thursday (24th).  Was so hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with this.  Basically, 'The Letter' is a form letter stating that the IRS is going to 'Examine' your tax file to see if you really qualify for the exemptions that you claim, regarding adoption expenses in our case.  Since we only make about $75,000 a year (between the 2 of us) and are expecting to get around $30,000 back (most of it is a one time thing since you can only claim international adoption expenses one time after the adoption is finalized), I am not entirely surprised that we were 'Red Flagged'.  I spent 20 minutes on hold then 30 minutes talking with a really nice lady at the Philadelphia office of the IRS Examination Office.  I put it rather bluntly to her: What (exactly) do we need to do to get this processed correctly and completely the first time?  What exactly do we need to send in?  What exactly do you (IRS) want to see?  What do I have to do to the individual papers (put Chris' name & social at the top of each and every one)?  After she got done laughing (apparently most people don't ask those questions), she told me exactly what papers/documents/receipts to send, what to put on each page, how to send it in (certified, return receipt requested and we sent it in a flat-rate Priority Mail envelope) and the basic time line to expect (30-45 days to 'review', if all is okay and file is closed then we would get a check in 2-6 weeks).  Not really happy about having to wait any longer!!  We really need that refund right now, but we know that there is a reason it has been delayed and that God will provide for us through this time!!  Anyway, made the phone call Thursday night, got the papers organized Thursday night, put name & social on papers Friday and made copies Saturday morning then dropped it off at the Sugar Land Post Office around 11:00 Saturday morning, sent in a flat-rate Priority Mail Envelope, certified mail and return receipt requested.  According to the USPS website, it is on its way and is scheduled for delivery in Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 29.

*The last week of school is upon us (both David & Rachael) and I hope things go well (and that we don't sweat to death before the AC gets fixed!!)  David's Kindergarten Graduation is Wednesday May 30 and we are really excited!!  They have decided to promote him to 1st Grade next year, with ESL support.  We (us and the school) decided to keep him in the ESL program which will give him the extra support and time needed for reading.  He is doing great (mastering) everything else.  This summer I will work with him specifically on reading to help make sure he is ready for 1st Grade in August.  We are all so ready for Summer Break!!!!

My new classroom & computer lab...

Wednesday afternoon, Chris, the boys and I visited my new campus and saw my classroom and computer lab.  The building is still under construction, so we weren't in there for long (less than 10 minutes total) because the boys were making a construction supervisor nervous!  It looks AWESOME!!!   I can't wait to see the room with all the stuff that is missing: computers, wall-mounted Smart Board, tables, washer/dryer, supplies, etc.  Here are some pictures that I was able to take before we left.

Looking down the room; notice the TILE FLOORING!!
(against the wall where the Smart Board will go; to my right is the main classroom door going to a main hallway)

One of FIVE kitchens that I will have

Some built in storage in the corner; not sure what is in the cabinets: tote trays/ shelves??

Looking down the room at the end where the first picture was taken
(standing in front of the 'back door' that leads to the side hallway)

Standing in the next to last kitchen, looking towards the windows that look into the computer lab

The computer lab.  The dividers can split the room in half, so that the Tech Ed teacher can use one part and I can use the other.  He has already told me that he is not really interested in using the computers often (if at all!).

Standing in the doorway from my room to the computer lab, looking into the computer lab.  Love all the windows!!

Shelving in my very large pantry/laundry room.  Huge room!!

Standing in the doorway to the pantry/laundry room.  Shelving is behind door, as well as on the wall to the left
(seen in picture above this one).

Long Overdue Posting...

Time has gotten away from me again! 

**March 24, 2012 was our One Year Gotcha Day!  We officially became a Family on March 10, 2011 and the boys joined us on March 24, 2011 in Arkhangelsk, Russia.  That is our Official Gotcha Day!!  We didn't do much in regards to celebrating, but we did have a cake to commemorate the event.  Chris looked at pictures on the computer with the boys and talked about it all.  David seemed to remember some of the events, but Michael didn't really seem too interested.  He just liked the pictures!

**Easter this year was pretty quiet.  Our neighbors (Joann and Benny) brought over Easter Baskets for the boys the night before so that they were surprised when they got up.  Mama was mean and wouldn't let them get into anything until after we got home from church and lunch.  Unfortunately we don't have any pictures.  We keep forgetting to take them!

**Davis is doing really well in Kindergarten and we are looking forward to 1st grade next year!  We already have the supply list and have started planning on buying everything early (we decided not to go with the pre-packaged supplies this year).  We are also looking into a 2 or 3 day a week preschool program for Michael at a couple of local churches.

**Rachael will be the Home Economics teacher at Seven Lakes Junior High next year!  It is the newest junior high (will open this summer) in the district and she is excited about the opportunity to open a new building and program.  There is nothing quite like trying to spend a large amount of bond money to buy supplies for a department when you have only seen the rooms once and can only use a limited number of places to order from!  The challenges of a teacher.....

**Chris is still working hard as a CSM at Wal-Mart.  Some days are better than others (especially when working with the public), but he still enjoys the challenge (most days, that is).

**We are all looking forward to summer vacation and being able to spend time together as a family and have fun with day trips: Houston Zoo, Children's Museum, Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, etc.

**The boys enjoy playing in the backyard when the weather is good.  The only thing that would make it better is if they had a play structure or swing set of some sort (maybe this summer after we get our tax refund back??).

Playing with a Rolly Polly

See my 'house'?

Mama said to smile pretty....