Blog Roll

Ok - I already have the Google Reader thingy but today when I was updating my blog I noticed a new feature: "The Blog Roll" - I've been e-mailing people to get permission by the way and now I can see if they've updated from my blog - how neat! Now I get to see their whole blogs with the pretty graphics instead of the generic looking Google Reader :)

Doesn't take much to impress me huh?

If you're wondering where it is, it's on the right hand side half way down the column!

Much Better on the Way Back!

Well we set out for home this morning around 10:30 - we made two stops, which included the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Des Moines IA - Makayla had the greatest find: 9 Nancy Drew books that she hadn't read yet :) She is quite the reader and read the 2 books she took on our way out to Illinois - Carter was content to find a cast iron chicken (he's such a nut for his chickens) and Abbey found a little cast iron fairy - both for about $3.00

You can't believe some of the looks we get from people when we take 4 kidos into an antique place - but just so you know, we've been doing it from day one (Dan's an auctioneer)....Bryce on the other hand, hasn't really been in one since he's become so mobile! He really loved the stuff that was in the tall display cases - then he could look at himself walking and making faces! LOL 

Well Barney is done (yes, it's almost 1am and the child is still up along with his big sister who is reading Nancy Drew of course :) - tried putting him to bed but he decided he was hungry and then started pointing to the t.v. - he FREAKED when that purple guy strutted across the screen - guess he was in "Barney withdrawal" :) 

4th of July

Our family spent the 4th visiting Dan's brother and family in Peoria, Illinois - that means that in Bryce has now celebrated the 4th of July in Nebraska, South Dakota and now Illinois (pretty impressive when this was his 4th Fourth of July:)

Mary even made "Birthday Rolls" complete with candles and Mountain Dew (she really knows me well huh)? 

The kids loved seeing their cousins and especially going swimming with them! Thanks Rod and Mary for a GREAT WEEKEND!!!! We can't wait to see you again!

What am I thinking????

Driving across Iowa tonight with 4 kids that have been in the car way too long ...... They were and still are on each other's nerves and nothing seemed to work except for mom to go sit back in the clear back (totally not comfortable between 2 booster seats).

Dan's smart comment "and you want another one" - instantly made me laugh and say YES :) 

I really need to get my head examined huh?

$3.79

We received our updated state patrol clearances TWO days after I had put on 444 miles to get our dossier notarized (yes, I was kidding in the other post about it being a "little trip") - well after playing "hot potato" with our clearances and the Sec. of State, they are now apositlled and on their way to Eastern Europe. I was expecting about $20 to mail them but after taking them to our local post office, I was surprised it was just $3.79 and will arrive at their destination in a week :) 

For some reason I thought it would have to be sent FedEx or UPS ...... so we'll see if our good ol USPS will come through!

We probably won't need these updated ones since the old ones won't "expire" until the end of July (they "expire" after 6 months) but you never know - better safe than sorry (I don't want our little guy staying in that orphanage any longer than he has too :)

Capitol Kids

Took a little trip to Omaha to pick up our updated home study and then on to Lincoln to the state capitol! Our dossier (a fancy term for all our our "stuff" to adopt - police clearances, petition letters, 171 approval etc....) is now complete!!!!!! This is BIG NEWS!

Makayla, Carter, Abbey and I took a tour of our state capitol while we waited for our dossier documents to be apostilled (this is where they check to certify that the notaries that notarized the various documents and true and legit) - it took only about an hour :)

Somewhere I better NOT find these kids - the Nebraska Supreme Court! LOL 

Here they are - pretty proud to do their part in bringing their little brother home! - Bryce got to spend the day at Grandma Bev's - he would have found halls of the capitol too tempting to shout in - thanks Grandma :)

BTW - they are holding 3 of the documents that have been apostilled

Some GREAT NEWS!

My friend Kelly got the best news ever - she's bringing Viktor home! Kelly, like us, lives in Nebraska and has been trying what seems like forever to bring Viktor, who is 16, home. Well today he was granted his Visa and will be heading home to Nebraska soon!!!

It's crazy at what an incredibly small world it is - I "found" Kelly on Reece's Rainbow after seeing a comment about Creighton University - so I contacted her and found that she runs a small humanitarian aid group for an orphanage in Ukraine - Operation Ukraine. 

I can't say what an honest and awesome person she is! She gives it to you honest and straight forward - the type of person I like :) If you have any questions about adopting from Ukraine and you live in Nebraska, she's the gal you want in your corner! She helped us find an awsome person to do our home study (yea Evell), and really keeps up on what is going on in that country. 

Here's her blog so you can see her beautiful family: www.ourukrainianjourney.blogspot.com