I've Made a Decision.

This week, I am going on a technology fast. I just have to do something to get myself out of this waiting funk. I want to concentrate on establishing more healthy living habits (waking up on time, quiet times in the AM, exercise, breakfast, etc.) and stop wasting time on this blasted laptop, just staring at it willing the situation with our adoption to change. Obviously, it hasn't worked, so I might as well try another approach. As my mom likes to say, "A watched pot never boils." I have been watching the pot. I have been stalking the pot, in fact. But NO MORE! No more pot for me! Ok, that came out wrong, but you know what I mean. I will take a week-long fast from blogs, facebook, craigslist, message boards, etc. I will use my email in the evenings, supervised by my darling husband (ok Dan?). So please do not worry about me...I am ok, just trying to do something constructive as I pass the time.

This is the Face of Impatience.

Seriously I am over the waiting.

Bumbo

Do any of my mommy friends out there have a Bumbo seat they would lend to us after Esias is here? I am not sure if he will be able to sit up yet or not so I don't want to buy one. But if he isn't sitting, I have heard those are good for strengthening their backs. Preferably not a pink one, but beggers can't be choosers, and I don't think he'd care.

Am I THIIIRRRRRRSTY!

Loving this verse right now:
Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.

Proverbs 25:25 (NIV)

Loving the picture of this verse, too...and it reminds me of my dear husband and I when we lay down at night, except that we don't have separate twin beds :)

Me too!

Today Elly and I were at Target (big shocker there) and I was making prints of Esias' pictures. She looked at the picture and said, "OH! I want to see him IN REAL LIFE!"

Just As I Was Wondering if This Hamster Was a Bad Idea...

...during her prayer time tonight, Eden said, "Dear God, thanks for giving me Pipa. Giving Santa Pipa to give to me. I just know that you gave me that gift so that I could say thanks to you and pray and sing you a song. I just know that you gave me Pipa because you love me. It just makes me feel so good and I hope that glorifies you. And I have been praying in my private time at school and today I even sang you a song in my head at school."

Oh my sweet Eden!

Awesome Nighttime Read:

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago. It's amazing. It is not a verse-by-verse Bible, but instead a continuous story (think chapter book) that weaves Jesus and the storyline of salvation throughout. It is simply beautiful in artwork and content. Our kids are captivated by it and to be honest, so are Dan and I!

To check it out, click here.

My Kind of Marathon.

I just heard Eden say, "That's a pathetic marathon." I have no idea what she meant, but I know exactly what she's talking about :)

Grimes Family Vernacular, Part Three

The Pipacratic Oath- n. the vow one takes when agreeing to care for one's hamster.

Quite Ellyquent, Part 17

"Washing my hands is boring."

"Let's just skip the praying part and go right to eating."

"Let's pretend I wiped."

Dan told Elly to go wash her hands after supper (to which she replied, 'washing my hands is boring' but was sent anyway)...a few minutes later he called to her in the bathroom where we had yet to hear any water noise...

Dan: Elly, how's it going washing your hands?
Elly: Bad...because I am not washing my hands.
[Pause- water noise]
Elly: I am working on washing my hands...it's going well.

When asked what she'd like to do this summer once the weather gets warm, she replied, "I want to swim with sharks!"

Edenisms Part 26

Reading a sign in the Stuff, Etc. bathroom,
"Does that say, 'Shower Your Community'?"


Reciting her memory verse from Unite (Sunday School):
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord not for men. Jonathon 3:23."


Grabbing me and trying to kiss me, "Miss Hannigan, you are my kinda woman!" (from Annie).

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Freaking Out a Little

I am freaking out a little because apparently (though I am not 100% positive) we sent the original INS clearance form (also known as the Holy Grail of the Dossier, or the I-171H) with our paperwork to be notarized and sealed and sent to Ethiopia...now of course, this was 11 months ago. But we are suppose to take the original with us to Ethiopia...a fact I am just now coming to realize. Crud. I am told it is ok by some other unfortunate souls who got excited and sent the original form with their dossier, but at the same time I am freaking out. Do we have to show the original in Ethiopia? Will they say, "Sorry, this is a photocopy. Go home, sucka." AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGG!

Back to the grind tomorrow...Eden starts school again and our routine will be back in full force, as evidenced by my mile-long to-do list on the counter. I am sort of craving the routine though so I am happy about it...(don't ask me tomorrow when the alarm goes off at 6am though).

Tonight I made a pot roast but it was taking forever to cook through and the kids were hungry at 6ish so we gave them salad and sandwiches and sent them to bed. The roast was done around 7pm and Eden popped out of bed, looking very un-sleepy. She happily enjoyed the fact that we allowed her to stay up and take bites of our roast and potatoes and carrots. We had fun just talking with her, sharing our meal, and giving her some much-needed undivided attention. She really relishes that from us. It reminded me of nights when I couldn't sleep and I would appear in the kitchen to find my dad bending over the open oven door, broiling some large aromatic cut of meat. He would cut me bites and feed them to me as I stood next to his chair with my mouth open like a baby bird. We bonded over Monday Night Football and steak. Ah, good times.

Major Sleep

Last night, the girls both fell asleep on me at 5:29pm. We didn't know what to do with them, so we put them in their beds, hoping they would sleep all night! Dan and I enjoyed some very peaceful time from 5:30-10pm, reading books and eating frozen french fries and then went to bed. Eden did have a bad dream and ended up in our bed, and Elly woke up at midnight so I ended up in her bed, but everyone went back to sleep and slept until sunrise this morning. Crazy. They must have needed the 12+ hour sleep! Elly was very hungry this morning though...she had only eaten lunch the day before and had actually fallen asleep from 4pm-5pm before falling asleep again at 5:30pm. And EVERYONE had to go to the bathroom pretty badly! All is well now, though, and they have enjoyed some movie-watching this morning as we get ready to go to the Children's Museum this afternoon!