A kryptic post

Approximately 5 yrs ago I met a priest who came over here from China to study for his Doctorate in Philosophy of Practical Theology. He is a Catholic priest and as you know being a catholic priest in China isn't something that is accepted. I am not Catholic and do not care organised religion but this man won our hearts the very first time we met him. I am not going to call him by name here  or mention any names at all that can be linked to him directly.

Over the past five years he has spent a lot of time around my girls, they love him dearly and he has spent a lot of time in my home and today we went to St *** University to watch him walk. He wasn't going to do it. He didn't want the attention on him, it isn't like him to be the centre of attention but thankfully someone knocked some sense into him. He is a very humble man. We are going to miss him so very much.

There were many graduates at the university today some with Bachelors, others with Masters but only one received his doctorate and he did so a year early.

the only photo under that heading in the program

we were so close to the stage but it was easier to take photos from the jumbo tron.

Getting ready to walk 

A doctor and a priest.....but still first and foremost a humble and kind man.

Finally, a little pomp and circumstance here in Florida

Congratulations, we are so proud of you and so very happy for you yet we are so so sad to know that you are going to be leaving and going home. We will miss you very very much. Thank you for everything you have shared with the girls.

Becasue of this man I have also had a Chinese Bishop in my house...crazy huh? Yes I know hanging out in my house and wearing shorts! That is nuts.

Yuck Updated

I have been trying to change the appearance of my blog for about 4 hours now and I can honestly say, "Me no likey" and I can't seem to get the old one back. I lost all sorts of knickknackeria in the switheroo and am franticaly looking all over the place for it. Tomorrow I shall have another go at this but tonight my eyes are popping out of their little sockets.
I did have yet another good shopping day though which helps to ease the frustration!

Well I have fiddled and fiddled and I can't get it back so this is it for now. Where has all my crap gone? The bloggy moving company must have lost it!

The Big 14. and Science Stuff

Yepper today we hit the 14 month mark. It means nothing other than another month down. Our agency is still sticking to the 17-24 month time frame so I will too at least for now. It hardly seems worth posting that little blurb all by itself so I will shall add Lily's day to it.

After school the midget had Mandarin class and blew me away. She is retaining it, all of it. Me, not so much. Mind you we have done homework every single night this week because she is learning some songs for a Mothers Day recital. From there we flew home at warped speed, (actually anytime I am behind the wheel it is warped speed but that is another tale) and had dinner and then we had to return to her school for a science night. Now since I was bad mummy of the year in the eyes of the school yesterday there was no way I was going to miss this.
One of the many joys of parenting is that you get to go to school again which means any subject that you sucked at or didn't like you have a second shot through them. Now I detested science, lurved biology but not plain old science so I am bound and determined to enjoy it through Lily's eyes. (I doubt if the same will ever be true for Algebra) It was very simple stuff and it will surprise no one to find out she had a great time, see for yourselves.

Erupting Volcanoes

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Lily and 'S' making something or other

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You really do need a bridge on your nose to wear goggles! Preparing for an experiment

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Attempting To Launch A Bottle Rocket

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Take Your Children To Work Day

Since today was take your 'children to work day', that is exactly what Jacob did. Lily has been to work with me on numerous occasions and as much as she gets the biggest kick out of it, it cannot hold a candle to going to work with Daddy.

American Airlines requires all the children that participate in this event to be at least 5 yrs old but Jacob pleaded his case and got approval to take Lily and then he got all the necessary clearances for her to be at the airport behind the scenes. Since he couldn't possibly take Lily to work with him he scheduled a day off, volunteered as a team leader and went to work in that position instead but Shhhh, don't tell Lily cos she really thought he was working.

I made her a little American Airlines uniform complete with fake ID and we were so excited about it until I casually mentioned to her teacher that she would be absent on this day because she was going to work with her Daddy. The teacher quickly informed me that she was not eligible for that as the only grades that get to participate are 3-5. She went on to say that Lily would have to have an unexcused absence. I nearly fell over, this is a national programme for heavens sake! So I looked at her and said very cheerfully, that's fine we'll take and absence and we did.! (mind you the school called me in person to why she was not there and I explained that I had sent a note, blah blah blah. They were not happy and then this evening the principal called as well. Frankly, I have seen how many kids miss class and I am not at all bothered. Once she hits Kindergarten she will not miss school but this is Pre-K and we pay for her to go to this school.

So without further ado meet the newest American Airline employee


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Driving The Tractor

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Zoinks, Sitting In The Engine

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In The Belly, waiting for bags

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In The Blanket Closet. (I'm sure that's not what it is called but you get the idea)

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Looking Very Small

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Next time you take to the friendly skies you might want to stop and wonder who is flying your plane!

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Flying Jump Seat

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Lunch

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Linda, the CSM with Jacob and Lily

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George Hazy, VP MIA operations with Jacob, Lily and Amanda

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Jacob took close to 100 photos today and these are a few of my favourites. She had a wonderful time and fell asleep in the car from all the hard work. I cannot tell you how much I wanted to go. Not just to see her reaction but to be able to see everything she saw today. The airport has such tight security that she got see the stuff that we don't. Judging by the way the world is going I am not sure if they will continue to allow kids to go there and that is why we were adamant that she not miss this chance.

Innermost Thoughts.......Not very cheerful

I, by nature, am a worrier. It's my job and I am pleased to say I do it exceptionally well. Up until now I have been fine with this adoption and have taken it all in my stride but this months referrals have done my head in. I have started to worry about whether it will happen. My head is filled with what if's.
What if China closes it's doors to international adoption? What if we have to redo the paperwork again? What if we have to wait another 12 months and what will we do if this process suddenly stops how will we ever deal with that huge loss. On and on my mind races. I dread anyone asking me anything about the process in fear that I freak out on them.
Most of the stuff is totally irrational but I can't help myself. Last night I layed in bed with my mind racing in every direction. I had conversations with myself about how we would tell Lily that her sister was never going to happen and ways to help her deal with it. I have some lovely and fetching black circles under my eyes today as a result of that marathon worry fest.
During our wait for Lily I never felt like this. Mind you I didn't have blogs to keep my occupied or yahoo groups to read and fill my head with gossip. I just sailed along with my head in the sand, knowing that after 12-14 months we would finally have a baby girl and we did. At no point did we ever feel this uncertain even when the SARS outbreak happened and we couldn't travel.
We now have a room that is all ready to go and I leave the door shut as it is a constant reminder of a very real and very sore wound in my heart. Sure, it still needs some work, some personalization, but there it sits ready for a baby who just is not here and won't be here... until. Until when? I just hope with every fibre of my being that the next set of referrals includes a lot more days.
Stay tuned for my regular antics to resume tomorrow but that is what is heavy on my mind at the moment and now that it is on paper it perhaps won't haunt my brain and mind so frequently.

Earth Day

We had big plans for today. The usual crazy Sunday stuff that we like to do as a family but it involved getting up at 5.30am and after the past few weeks let just say that we didn't have the steam. We were supposed to go to a hot air balloon festival and watch the mornings launch of the balloons and then join in the rest of the days festivities.
So once we finally woke up at 7- something we had to go to plan B. We decided that in honour of Earth Day we should do something appropriate so we trekked off to Home Depot and bought the freakish looking energy efficient light bulbs for 85% of the lights inside and outside of our house. I'm sorry, I worry about the planet like the best of them but there is NO way I am having freaky deaky light bulbs in lights where you can see them! When we moved in here we did what we could with all the new appliances and A/C unit that we bought to help conserve energy. Hey, my washing machine weighs the clothes in it and then dispenses the water accordingly. I try to be good but those light bulbs are fugly. Our electric bill is half of what my neighbours is and our house is considerably bigger and it is not cos we don't use electricity it is all our new appliances.

After that mission was accomplished we went in search of a very elusive piece of furniture for the living room. I apparently pushed to hard and to long because at one point this is what I encountered.

Note to self: do not take both Lily and Jacob on a shopping trip when they are getting bored!


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Back In The Bloggy Chair

Clean as a whistle. That would be my house right now. There's not a speck of dust to be seen and everything is back in it's rightful place and I can breathe again. Even Lily asked me the other day if we were going to get rats from all the mess? Yes I know that is pretty sad and I now realise that my clean freakiness is spreading to my child. On an upside I have an eversion to cleaning windows so they are so dirty I can't see out!

Where to begin? I have always loved my hubby but now I have a fresh new appreciation for him. He was so wonderful while everyone was here. They are not his family, although he has known them for as long as we have been together and he would and does do anything for them. I love my life and I love Jacob and Lily with all my heart. My life is great and I love the way it evolves. We have a calmness to us in our day to day meanderings which is so wonderful. Yes, we are all nuts but it is a calm nuts. We have structure and routine and for us that is the key to our happiness. I can now sit back and take a huge sigh knowing that our life is back to normal.

One night I sat down at the computer to make a blog entry and my cousins wife had an issue with it so I explained what I was doing and why and she made some comment and that was the end of my blogging for the duration of their stay. I stole a few minutes when they were out but I didn't need to make any friction for my cousin so I left well alone. Stephen and I are very close. As kids we were inseperable and I love him dearly. His kids are wonderful too and I his wife is OK but I expect people to be do-ers and go getters and she lacks the gumption and I am seeing the results in my cousin and it saddens me. I would do anything for him but right now I am at a loss what to do.

Anyhoo, I am back in Bloggyland and can't wait to get caught up. I read a few last night but didn't comment. I have a couple more crazy days ahead of me and then everything will be sane again for a while. We are trying to get the baby's room finished and then I will post pictures. Nanny Rene has made yet another beautiful blanket for the orphanage and also a lovely pink one for Chopstick.

I nearly forgot, it wasn't only Naples that was a shopping Utopia, Orlando was just a brilliant. Lily and Jacob made out really well in both places too but I struck gold.