Resurrection of the Blog

I have realized that I do not document the day to day happenings in our family at all. I want to scrapbook, but never seem to have the desire. The other day I was showing this blog to Owen. He thought it was so much fun to read what I wrote about him and see pictures of what he was doing back then. So, in an effort to provide a scrapbook for our children, I am resurrecting our blog. I am thinking of changing the name, though. Throw Refrigerator was the original name. I chose it because Owen was really mad at me one day (I think he was 2 years old) and he told me that he was going to throw the refrigerator. I busted up. It became an inside joke in our house. But, it doesn't make sense, so I will come up with something new.

Our focus lately has been getting our house and hearts ready for a new addition to our family. We have been in process to adopt a 9 year old girl from Ethiopia since last August. The process is finally coming to a close and we will travel to Ethiopia for the first time in June to meet her. We will then travel back to Ethiopia about 8 weeks later to finish the adoption and bring her home with us.

For years we have wanted a tent trailer, and this spring we finally caved and bought one. We already tried it out a couple of weeks ago in Boardman. The kids had a blast playing with their buddies. We had some issues getting the refrigerator started, but with MY engineering brain, the electricity finally started working and we had a working refrigerator.

 

The Royster-Dempsey Clan

Here are some pictures I took of Janell and her family while they were visiting us in the Tri-Cities for the weekend.

Spiders, Mud, Tents and Ladders

Owen is growing like a weed, seriously, I think that pants we had to roll up a couple of inches two months ago are almost too short. He makes each day interesting and an adventure. I don't think we have encountered an insect or bug that he doesn't want to pick up and hang out with. The other day he found a big black beetle. He picked it up and brought it over the the hose water and said "I am going to wash the beetle. There you are beetle, all nice and clean." I bet the beetle was screaming inside "hey kid, easy on the torture techniques."

We just love this kid!


Playing in the mud is tough work, but someone has to do it.


Mommy and me slept in the tent in our backyard one night. It was cool because spiders crawled on the top!


I love spiders and I love to kiss them.



I am super cool because I can climb up the ladder at the park all by myself.

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe that it is already April and I haven't updated our blog since the first day of March. Oops. Time goes too fast. We went to visit Auntie Kim and Uncle Greg last month and had a great time. We went to the Aquarium. I took Owen last year, but he doesn't remember it. So this was like a brand new experience for him. We have been doing some hiking, too. Owen is going to be an entomologist...I can just feel it. He loves to explore nature and find bugs. His favorites right now are rolly-polly bugs and stoneflies. I am going to have to look up the official name of the rolly-polly bug. I can't have a future bugologist walking around calling it a layman name.


Hiking near the Tietan River.


Look, I found a stick...and isn't my mommy hot?


Eating snow in Snoqualmie Pass...don't worry, we found some "unaltered" snow.


I think Auntie and Uncle are getting lots of good pracice.


Posing with the catepillar that was traumatized because it was carried around for 2 hours.

Adoption is going super SLOW. The country is still trying to put together their adoption procedures. We don't have any idea how long that will take them. I am still holding on to the idea of traveling this summer...but won't be surprised if it spills over into Fall. Now we have this empty room with a crib in it.

A morning at the wildlife refuge

I have spring fever. I don't know how I survived for so long with the long winters up in Cheney. The ones in Tri-Cities are a little shorter, but still too long. In order to coax Spring into being, Owen and I ventured to McNary Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. The weather in the morning was clear skies all around, no wind...the appearance of a perfect Spring day. We waited to head out until about 10 a.m...had to let the frost melt away. By the time we got there the clouds had rolled in and the wind had started ruffling the grass. This is Owen, though, and it didn't stop him from exploring. We walked along the trail, seeing lots of ducks and a group of trumpeter swans. Owen picked a feather to carry in his pocket. As he got closer to the water the birds startled and all flew at once. Probably a thousand birds in the air at the same time. The sound was amazing. It got a little cold, so we ate our picnic in the back of the van. Owen protested...wanting to eat on the grass with the birds...but I had to object. As much as I complain about my Town & Country (gosh, that is a terrible name, no wonder they are going under), it was nice to have all the space in the back to lay out the blankets and be protected from the weather. Owen got to walk around while he ate lunch. We had a great time. I can't wait to take him there when we only have to wear t-shirts and shorts.

Adoption news: paperwork is being prepared at the Burkina embassy. Just waiting for that very special phone call.

Finally, an adoption update

We got the long awaited I-800A approval this week. We sent our packet out the last week of October '08 to US immigration. It was quite the wait...seems too long...but I don't remember much of it. Time goes by in a blur. Now we are ready to receive a referral for our baby. Another period of waiting. Not sure how long it will take...a week...a month? My hope is before the end of February. We are the only family ready for a referral, so it shouldn't take too long. Once we receive a referral, more paperwork must be filled out and sent back to immigration. Of course, I will post pictures as soon as I am able.

Do you "Facebook"???

Well...I do now. After several conversations with some friendly Facebookers I finally decided to try it. So far, it is a little addicting...but I have to get my account set up, right?! I have already "talked" with a couple of friends who I haven't seen in years...which is nice. I think I worked my persuasion magic on Janell last night and she will be joining today. Girl...I know you are reading this...so don't let me down.

Owen is sick...really sick. He has had colds before, but this one tops them. He doesn't sleep well at all. Poor kids looks like he hasn't slept in days. We are currently watching the Cars movie for the 3rd day in a row. And, if you know me, I really don't like him to watch tv every day. Just looking at him would make you want to give him anything he wants.

He has been in some good spirits though. Who wouldn't be with their favorite dude in the whole world (aka Dad) swinging them around.


Yes, those are Lightning McQueen slippers. He also bought himself some Lightning McQueen shoes on Friday. They were strategically placed on the bottom shelf in the middle at the shoe store. He saw them the minute we walked up the to the toddler boys section. "Owen want to buy these ones." I couldn't resist. They light up. I remember seeing a little girls shoes that lit up several years ago and thinking to myself 'my kid will never wear shoes like that." Well...those days have come. He is so proud of his choice. The kid definitely knows what he likes.

No new adoption news to report. :(.

Beautiful day in January

The Tri-Cities really is a great place to live. We drove down to the river this morning and took a nice long run on the trail. It was peaceful, perfect temperature for a winter morning run. No wind, no snow, just a crisp cool morning. Owen had a great time watching the geese, ducks, and seagulls. Oh...and the boats. None of them were out on the water, just sitting in the marina, but he still thought they were the best thing of the morning. We then ventured over to the playground and hung out with the sturgeon and salmon statues. What do I always want after a run...food! The best place to go on a Sunday morning is the local bagel shop. We get bagel sandwiches and drinks...yummy. Owen loves it there. They used to have cars from the Cars movie to play with but they went missing one day. He still asks about them though, hoping that one day they will show up.



We cut the hair. It got way too long and fuzzy. We would have to go days without washing it in order for it to look good. The cut was a piece of cake. Stick Owen in front of the Cars movie and he will pretty much let you do anything. This picture shows his new hair cut. And...for those of you who don't see Owen a lot...it also shows the love of his life...Teddy (Ted for short). He holds onto the arm with his hand and sticks it right up to his nose will sucking his thumb. Pretty much the best thing in the world.

Adoption update: I called immigration on Monday. They still haven't assigned our case, but she said that they have 90 days to review it. This would put us at February 14. My goal now is to call on Feb 14 to check the status. I am hoping that we will hear something before that and I won't even have to call.

Another Christmas Down

Another Christmas down...another year coming to an end. Owen has now experienced three Christmas seasons in his lifetime. This one being the only one he will remember...at least for a couple months. He got a pair of car on fire rubber boots from his auntie and uncle...featured in the picture above. Another present of note is a new book called Fast Friends (based on the Cars movie). We have read it 50 times already. "He's sure and steady, Mater thinks he ready to become as fast as a race car." Can't get it out of my head.

We spent 8 days up in Cheney with family, while Matt stayed behind and worked. Somebody has to bring home the bacon. Cheney was filled with snow...3 feet of snow. Maybe more. Owen got to sled once. Grandpa pulled him around in the "Thundercat" (only the best sled from my childhood). However, Owen didn't want to sit in it alone...so Grandpa got to pull around an extra 120 pounds (me) in addition to Owen's 30 pounds. Whip! Whip!

Most of you know that my mom had a couple of tumors found over the past couple of weeks. I am happy to report that everything is going really good and that in a couple weeks she will hopefully never have to worry about them again. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers as she went through doctors appointments.

Adoption update: I plan to call immigration on January 5 to find out the status of our paperwork. I am trying not to call more than once a month. Last time I called was December 3. I think I am being pretty patient...really proud of myself :). My hope is that we will have a referral before the end of January...might be too optimistic but you never know.

Have a safe and happy new years!

It is SOOOO cold!

This week has been freezing. I think back to the time when Matt and I were thinking about moving up to Alaska to teach in remote villages...and even planning to have kids and raise them up there for a couple of years. What was I thinking??? Cold weather bites. At least we have some light during the day.

And, snow in the Tri-Cities. Not uncommon, but not that common. Mainly because it has actually stayed for more than 5 hours. Owen experienced the first snow he can remember this week. We put him in his snow pants for the first time. And...put him in some shoes. Ooops. No snowboots. Grandma bought him some snowboots a couple weeks ago, but they are two hours away. He didn't seem to mind at all. And, since the snow is so dry, his feet didn't get wet.



Matt is sitting in the room next to me playing star wars on the Wii. We love our Wii. Just got it last week. I picked up Wii Fit last Friday. Lucky! They sell out everywhere 15 minutes after a store opens the doors. It was just sitting on a counter at a game store. We both have been doing yoga, aerobics, strength training, and balance exercises. It really is a good workout. Maybe not a complete aerobic workout, but definitely a good strength and core workout.

Owen and I will be heading up to Spokane once the snow lets up. The airport is closed and they are getting dumped on right now.

Hiking Badger Mtn.

Owen and I took a great hike last Saturday. We hiked up the local "mountain." A hike we have done before. This one was special because we couldn't have asked for better weather for a December hike. We went with some folks from my work. Tim carried Owen up the mountain and I carried him back down. What a great day.



We are getting excited for Christmas to come. We will be heading up to Cheney for a couple days while Matt stays home and works.

Adoption update: absolutely nothing! Still waiting on paperwork.

Thanksgiving Festivities

Thanksgiving was lots of fun this year. I enjoy the holidays much more now that we have Owen. It is exciting to see him excited about celebrations. Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Kim, and Uncle Greg came down for 3 days. Owen was in seventh heaven. Attention all around! Auntie Janell spent Thanksgiving with a friend of hers, but we get to see her on Christmas.



We ate the usual. Turkey, Kim's homemade stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, orange-cottage cheese dessert, Kim's homemade applecrisp, roles...I think I am on my third meal of left overs. We finally finished off the stuffing today at lunch.

Like last year we did the Turkey Trot. A Thanksgiving morning run along the Columbia River benefiting the Red Cross. The weather was cold, but tolerable. I just remembered that I have everyone's t-shirt in the back of the van. Kim came in first...that is what she tells us anyways.

I got a new camera for Christmas. It was delivered today. So an early present. And, I love it. It is a digital SLR. It makes the best sound when it takes a picture. I could click it all day long. The pictures it takes are amazing. I was messing around with it while Owen was taking a bath tonight.



We bought and put up our tree today. Only the lights made it on. The ornaments will have to come tomorrow.



Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great.

The Hair

I took a poll last month: Grow Owen's hair out or cut it.

Grow it out won...by a landslide. His hair is curly when it is long...so his uncle wanted to relive his glory days through Owen's long hair. It is getting really long and fluffy! Not sure when we will cut it. I guess when people start asking how old our little girl is.

Adoption update: I talked to our adoption counselor today. She is sending our dossier to the US Embassy - Burkina Faso on Monday. I didn't know this, but they can process our dossier and send it to country for processing...and even possibly identify a baby for us. They just can't officially refer a baby to us until our paperwork has passed through immigration. And that takes forever.

The Zoo

The much awaited Zoo pictures have arrived. What great friends when they are behind a 2-inch thick piece of glass. At a visit to the local pet store this week Owen's favorite animal was the snake. "These are the store's snakes, sweetie. They are just for looking."

Pumpkin patch adventures

True to tradition, we went to a pumpkin patch to pick out our halloween pumpkins. We picked one closer to home this year...should have stayed with the tried and true. Their tractor was broken and they kept saying they were fixing it...and only 10 more minutes. Finally after an hour we left with some quickly chosen pumpkins laying on the ground by the checkout stand. Owen, however, got to play in a wheat sand box and see kittens. I definitely see a kitty in his future.