2 down, 0 to go

I should have seen it coming.

After all, this just happened a few days before.

And really, "a few" is being generous. It actually happened the very next day.

I've just been in denial since then.




Just look at him. He's not even ashamed this time.

Not even pretending to be ashamed.



He thinks I need to get over it and go ahead and give in to his sweet, canine ways.

Sweep up the mess, give him a Pupperoni and call it a day.



Well, this time, he's got it all wrong.



If he thinks I'm going to forgive and forget, he's gonna have to start looking a whole lot more like Brad Pitt.

oh my

With the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival fast approaching, I decided to send a mooncake care package to Miss Vivi and her foster family. I just wanted them to know, somehow, that we are thinking of her. All. the. time. And can not wait to bring her home.

Imagine my surprise when, after emailing Ann at Red Thread Kids to say how much I appreciated her getting our package together and on it's way, she replied with these priceless photos, as well as updated measurements...



She weighs 22 pounds.



She is 29.5" tall.



She has 12 teeth.




And she has got it goin' on.

Oh my, I am totally in love with this little peanut.

he loves me kingsize

He used to bring me flowers.

I complained that they cost too much. And died too soon.

He moved through various and sundry ways of saying, "I love you" but none got quite the reaction he hoped for.

Recently he's hit on something that I just. can't. seem. to. refuse.

Candy.

No, not fancy candy. I'm too much of a cheap date for high-dolla candy. My man brings me candy bars.

And not just the standard, old-school size.

He loves me king-size.

(I would have included all of them in this pictorial representation, but several of them were no longer present)

He doesn't indulge me all the time, less I become spoiled (and chun-kay diabetic). But about once a month, he'll surprise me.

On those nights, he'll come home, QT bag in hand, grin on his face.

He's never looked more handsome.

Ava's story

I love the Bakers. Nicole and I met almost 5 years ago (which equals forever in the real world) when we were waiting in the NSN line for a referral. Nicole and I both had a strong sense that our children were not waiting for us in the NSN, but rather the SN, line. We became sisters bonded through a shared love of and burden for special needs children in China.

Fast forward to 2009, Nicole and her family have grown by 3, and now they are awaiting travel for their precious Ava. If you haven't read Ava's story, you need to. It is so big and so beautiful, only God could author something like this.



Then, after you've read her incredible story, become part of this God-sized journey and help this family bring this precious child home. At last.

make it stop

So, I'm minding my own business, returning a few things from my last shopping spree at Old N@vy, when a clearance sign piqued my interest.

Especially the fact that everything was 50% off clearance price.

In Miss Vivi's adorably adorable size.



Too cute to pass up.



Ooooh, this one is a must-have too.



And for $3? With a matching diaper cover? I just gotta have this one for my sweet Vivi.




Then, again minding my own business, while shopping for snow suits (that's a whole 'nother story) at a consignment shop, I spy this.

Okay, I confess, I was looking in the 2T section.

For girls.



I simply can't stand it. It's so blasted cute.



And the little embroidered bird?

And the faux fur lining?

Do they make these in women's sizes?



On my next 'snow suit' trip (both of which proved to be fruitless) I found this.

My justification? A girl living in New England can never have too many coats.

Especially soft and fuzzy coats.



Then, again minding my business, while browsing in T@rget, Sophie and I foolishly meandered down the baby aisle.

Now, usually I look, it's free to look, but I just could. not. resist these.




Legwarmers?

In pink argyle?

How cute are these going to look on her sweet little legs?!

Thank goodness they do NOT make these in women's sizes.



And, before I could even exit the aisle of temptation, I saw these.

Ugh. I just don't have the willpower to hold out against everything tiny and pink.

Make it stop.

jump on it

If you haven't already seen this, you need to. Right now.

Regardless of your age, you'll definitely appreciate this guy's moves, as well as his choice of music.

And if you're over 20, and ever tried to bust a move yourself, get ready to walk down memory lane.

My boys can't seem to get enough of this... and I find myself watching along.

Again.

And again.

Hope you've got some sweet moves in your weekend plans :)

that face

Good mornin', Sunshine.

This is what I woke up to yesterday morning.




My front porch.

My pots.

Minus one.



More of the carnage.

Not exactly sure what these plants were, but I sure had a lot of respect for them. They made it all the way from our old house to our new house, which included a month of being completely ignored.

They deserved better.



The culprit. Trying to look like he's on the hunt for the real culprit.

His name is Seamus.

And he's one naughty doggie.



Starting to feel the first pangs of guilt. But still maintaining his composure.



And he's outta here.



This is where I found the upturned pot. All the way around the back of the house. In the middle of what used to be a beautiful bed of daisies.

That was before we let our dogs (and kids) loose in this once lovely yard.



Again, even after I had discovered the evidence, he's still trying to maintain his innocence.

Either that, or he's already forgotten what I was yelling about.



Yeah, he's definitely forgotten.

I see this look a lot around my house.



More flowers, more carnage.



This is just what I get for not letting him in when he wanted in.



I give up.

I just can't stay mad at a face like that.

for a rainy day

**Proceed with caution. Clicking on any of the links contained in this post might prove to be exceedingly time consuming. You might want to wait for a rainy day, when you have no particular place to be. If you choose to proceed, be sure your children are duly occupied and you have a large cup of coffee within reach**

Y'all probably remember my trip out to the Pioneer Woman's ranch last March. Where I met and actually hung out with the Pioneer Woman and Bakerella? Well, even if you don't remember like it was yesterday, I do. It's etched in my memory. I will be recounting it in the old folks home as one of my favorite days.

I mean really. Cake pops? Tenderloin? Nikon cameras? Two of the most outrageously talented and creative bloggers on the planet?

It was a recipe made in heaven, I tell ya.

But why am I walking down memory lane today? When Shepherd is sitting next to me asking me for chips? And the dogs are barking outside because they want to be let in?




Because Bakerella wrote to ask if it was okay that she used one of the pictures I took that day for her new bakerella.com site. Yeah, she asked to use one of my pics. All is not right with the universe when something like this happens. I am so not worthy.

But, then again, I am not worthy of a whole lot of things.

I love how God works that way.



If you haven't already, you have to check out her ::newly::overhauled site. She's moved it from blogger to wordpress and it is smoooooth. Filled with recipes and eye candy of the highest order. You can even buy stuff she recommends... right. there.

My name is Stefanie.

I love Bakerella.

And I love the internet.

Another thing y'all have got to check out is the Pioneer Woman's newest creation: Tasty Kitchen.

Be prepared to be greeted by some of the most beautiful food you've ever met... and plan on spending a good part of your day there.

Consider yourself warned.

If you happen to stumble across my profile ("Stefanie") or my lonely 'Salsa, baby!' recipe (good thing PW doesn't discriminate by number of recipes submitted), be sure to say "hi!"... I'd love to be your Tasty Kitchen friend :)

AND, in case you didn't know because I'm sure the entire planet must already know, The Pioneer Woman is *almost* ready to release her long awaited cookbook: The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

On October 27th, all will be right with the world.

me and my girls: a moment

The girls and I were on our way home from Target last night when one of those conversations erupted. You know, one that makes you almost laugh and sort of cry at the same time? One that you don't want to soon forget?

So I'm writing it down, so we can all laugh about it someday.

Someday twenty years from now, or when they realize they don't, at the tender age of 5, actually know all there is to know about the world.

Whichever comes first.



Sophie: "Mom? What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Me: "A mom. What I am now, Sophie... I'm a mom."

Sophie: "Noooo, when you're all grown up."

Me: "Uhhh, I am all grown up, Sophie. I am a mom, I make Christian t-shirts, I help advocate for special needs kids in China and I work with the clubfoot unit at An Orphan's Wish. That's what I do."

*pause*

Sophie: "I wanna be just like you, momma."

Me: "You do?" (insert foolish excitement) "How do you want to be just like me?"

Sophie: ... after further thought, "Welllll, first I wanna be a cheerleader. And a painter."
"Then I want to make t-shirts. Like you!"

Sweet.

Me: noticing Isabelle hasn't entered the conversation... "Isabelle? What about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Isabelle: "Jut bigger, momma. Bigger like you!"

Wild Olive winners!

Wow, that was so fun! What an awesome way to celebrate Wild Olive Tees one year mark :)

Congratulations to Andrea, Terrye and Rebecca for winning a Wild Olive tee! Just email me at stefanie@wildolivetees.com and give me all the details (exact tee you'd like, address, anything else you'd like me to know ;)) and I'll do the rest!

Thanks to everyone for playing along!








P.S. I loved reading every one of the comments, thank you so much for all the good wishes :) It was so interesting to read which tees you guys like!

P.P.S In case you've got a certain tee on your Christmas list (like several people mentioned) that is going to be officially retired soon, check out the Wild Olive blog... you'll find details on what shirts will be gone (forever!) once we sell the remainder of our very limited supply. Might wanna get started on Christmas shopping early ;)

happy birthday to...

September 19, 2008 is a day I will never forget. It was the day that I offhandedly mentioned to my new friend Colleen that I wanted to make Christian t-shirts. For women. But most of all, for Him.

It was the day Wild Olive came to life.

Today we celebrate one year since God has started a mighty work with three less than mighty women. Women He brought together to fulfill a purpose: to spread His word.

And it's been quite a journey thus far. He has comforted us when we were anxious, He has equipped us when we were ill-prepared and He has carried us when we were weary. He has opened doors we never dreamed possible. He has revealed Himself in ways we never imagined. This is not a Stefanie story, or even a Wild Olive story.

It is a God story.

And I am exceedingly grateful to be a part of it.




Soooooo, to celebrate this most meaningful day, I'm giving away (what else?) some Wild Olive tees, baby!!

To enter, just leave me a comment and tell me what shirt you'd like to win (design, cut, size) and that's it! You're entered! No linking, no posting, no tweeting required. Just givin' some goodies away to you guys for all the support you've given me over the last few years.

Have I told you lately that I love you?

For every 50 comments left, I'll add another shirt to give away, so everyone gets a fair shot at a free tee. Only entries between 12AM and 12PM CST on the 19th will be entered. And only one entry per person, pretty please.

Sorry, gotta have a few rules around here, peeps.

Let's get this party started!

special needs: mind your business

Ever really don't want to write? But feel like you need to? So it's exhausted, disjointed and painful, and feels like an insanely long dental cleaning? Well, this is one of those times. Don't necessarily want to say what I gotta say, but feel like it needs to be said. And anyone that knows me will tell you, if I think it needs to be said, I'monnasayit.

Awhile back, my post about our sweet Vivi and the HepB translation error* furrowed some brows in the HepB community. There was talk about me and my family. Talk of how "disappointing" I was, as a special needs advocate, for being so closed-minded.

It really really hurt.

For the record, I am not opposed to adopting a child with HepB, it has been one of the needs my husband and I have been open to since we researched it extensively a few years ago. But there are needs we are not open to. Just how it is. And I won't apologize to anyone for it. If you are pursuing a special needs adoption, you should do your research. You should have a clear, well thought out list of needs you are open to, those you would consider, and those you are not comfortable with. And if one of the needs I am open to happens to be a need you are not open to, that's okay. You got your business. And I got my business. If we're both bringing home an orphan with special needs, big or small, it's all good.

We have come to each of our children in a very different way. When we filled out our application for the WC program with our first agency in 2004, our initial checklist was very limited. Looking back, it was clear how frightened we were to be considering a special needs child. But we were honest with our selves and with each other in regards to what we felt we could handle... physically, mentally and emotionally. And instead of being excited for us that we had opened our hearts to a child with special needs, our agency replied with this: "Your checklist is so limited, maybe you should just stay in the NSN program."

I'm not gonna lie, it hurt. Somehow I suddenly felt selfish and self-centered. Like I was "unworthy" of parenting a special needs child. After recovering from the shock, I went to my husband and pleaded with him to either open up the needs we had checked as "yes" or increase the age range we had requested. He refused. And I resigned myself to the reality that maybe we just weren't intended to be special need parents. Maybe that WC coordinator had been right, and my heart had been wrong.

Three months later we got 'the call' for Isabelle, a 7 1/2 month old with a minor heart defect and, well, you know the rest of that story. Point is, we didn't crater to pressure (my self-imposed pressure included) to broaden our limits of what we felt we could handle. And we still found our girl. I was so grateful to my husband for standing firm during that time of uncertainty. It was the right decision for us at the time.

We have since learned so much, about various special needs, and about our own ability to parent through special needs, foreseen and unforeseen. And we have been surprised by how much our hearts have grown, just by witnessing, parenting and loving our 'special needs' kids. But, even now, we do have our own set of limits. And we definitely have special needs that we have decided we are not comfortable with. Needs that are either out of our comfort zone or out of our ability. And I'm okay with that. I think every family should decide for themselves what they feel they can and can't handle, based on gathering all the information they can, contacting or reading stories of families who have parented a particular special need, and talking with their doctors. And then praying about it. A lot.

Other times, we found our child and realized that no matter the need, the child was ours. God had ordained it in our hearts and minds and we, through our faith in Him, knew we would be competent to care for this new child, regardless of our personal opinions (or the opinions of others). Such is the case with our newest daughter. We have plenty of experience with clubfoot, for us it's pretty much a non-issue. Her arm deformity, our current diagnosis is Madelung's Deformity, is something new, but we feel like this is completely manageable as well. Possible surgery down the road if and when she might have pain from the deformity, but really not a big deal.

Additionally, there is a chance our Vivi has a form of dwarfism. There are over 200 types of dwarfism and numerous subtypes... all with a wide array of symptoms. But the bottom line is that we don't know for certain if our girl is affected. And won't until we have some good xrays, which probably won't happen until we have her home. So we'll wait and see, knowing that the only one that needs to know, her Creator, already knows. And that He has and will continue to prepare us for whatever lies ahead.

Now, don't get me wrong. Being prepared doesn't mean being 100% comfortable. Some days I have no fears, only surety in all the red threads that God has wrapped around our girl. Other days I am scared. Not terrified, but painfully aware of the significance of the 'unknowns'. Of how our lives might change once Vivi comes home. But over that changing forecast of cloudy or blue skies, is the sun, magnificently shining on us since we decided to step out in faith for our Vivienne. And it is on that that I rest.

Did I check "dwarfism" off on our checklist for WACAP? No.

Am I awfully glad we requested to get her file anyway? Yes.


**I wrote this post months ago, shortly after we shared about Vivienne joining our family. I didn't post it at the time, it was too emotional. But after re-reading it 6 months later, I thought it was time :)

picture day

Today is picture day at school.

Typically, I face this day with the tiniest hint of dread...

who is going to fall and have a busted lip?

who is going to insist on wearing an, ahem, unflattering top?

who is going to...

to...

forget it's picture day?



Thankfully, after a few mishaps in previous years, today I can stand up and proudly say, "not me!"

Not only did I not forget, but I have back up this year.



I took my own pictures.



Since my girls usually come home from school looking like they've just come off the Tilt-A-Whirl at Six Fl@gs, I figured why not take a picture when they're looking their best?

And brightest?



And most adorable?



So, here they are: the official pictures from "picture day 2009"

Held unceremoniously on the red bench in my back yard.



These I'm keeping.

for fun

I am stuck in a car with four small children. The older children are big (and smart) enough to abandon ship. Just the littles are left hanging with mama.

We are at Asher's football practice which, ridiculously enough, takes two hours a night, four days a week. Have I mentioned that I strongly dislike football? You might even be able to insert a stronger word here if you didn't have two sons (and a husband) that positively adore the sport. So I'll stick with 'strongly dislike'. But you know what I mean.

Anyway, we are here, but it's too cold for them to play outside like they usually do. Not that it's terribly cold, more that we're terribly under-dressed for this slight dip in temperatures. As in short sleeves, no shoes. Redneck-esque you might say.

So, for fun, since I'm stuck here and all, I thought I'd try to post from my iPhone. I've been wanting to try it, but honestly haven't had the time. Now I do, I just have four kids jumping on my seat and the Backyardigans themesong playing in my ear. So forgive me for the quality, or lack thereof, of my thoughts this afternoon. Not much going on between the ol' ears, if you know what I mean.

Just for even more fun, I've thrown in a picture of us here. Stuck on the car. Can you feel it? The fun that is?

i heart faces: contemplative pets

or is it contemplating pets?

Actually it's both... contemplative and pets.

(click to see full size)

Here's my 'contemplative' entry. We were caonoeing this summer in the mountains and as we came out of this tunnel, I snapped this of Asher as he was soaking in all the beauty around him. I love this picture, but it's probably just cuz I love this kid so stinkin' much.








Here's my girl: Velvet. Clearly a misnomer, she's anything but velvety. When we got her as (the most adorable) 6 week old puppy, we thought she was a smooth coat Jack Russel. But as she grew, so did all that hair. But we adore her any way, even on her worst hair day.

She's getting up in years, she just turned 12, so I was glad to get this shot of her looking so perky. She even threw in a tiny head cock to up the cuteness factor. Or is that the cheese factor?

Shepherd

Our little guy.

Our littl-est guy by a long shot: 24.5 pounds soaking wet. And he's probably going be smaller than Miss Vivi by the time she gets home.

But we're okay with little.



The problem is, he's not getting bigger. Even my small standards, he's little. And no matter what we do, he just doesn't seem to be catching up.

Today we went for the second round of blood draws to see what might be going on with Shepherd. We'll be referred out soon to an endocrinologist who, hopefully, will find an answer for our little guy.

Thing is, Shepherd can eat. Okay, not a ton, but definitely more than Jude. And, unlike Jude, he loves fattening things: butter, cheese, sour cream, mashed potatoes, ramen, ice cream... all his favorites. At Taco Bell he eats the cheese sauce out of the little plastic cup with his fingers when he's done with the chips.

Oh no, wait. That's me.

I'll let you know what we find out... keep the little dude in your prayers, if you think of it :)

one BIG step closer to Vivi!

It's here!!

to the

to the

baby!!!

I got "the call" yesterday, when I was shopping for none other than Miss Vivi!!
Lots of paperwork to do this weekend, but believe it or not, I can't wait... anything to bring Vivi home :)



P.S. Thanks to Amy Zaleski's groovy letters for helping me celebrate the day :)