Halloween

The girls didn't really like dressing up for Halloween, so we didn't go trick or treating. Jenny liked seeing the other kids come to the door. Callie got real upset that I was giving the candy away! She even yelled "no, no" at a few kids. Life has been hectic, but we are glad that our final post-placement visit is this week. Then we can start the work of making Callie ours legally! Attached are a few pictures from Halloween and miscellaneous.

18 months old

Callie is officially 18 months old today. Unfortunately, she has been under the weather and is home with Dad. Callie is amazing! For English not being the language she heard for the first 13 months of her life, she is picking it up quickly. She has a long list of words-momma, dada, more (mooe), eat, jump, I stinky, nana, pop, jenjen, go, night-night. . .the list could keep going! She is learning to jump, dance and go up and down stairs. We love her so much and are lucky to have her in our lives!

GO HOGS

Arkansas plays Alabama this coming Saturday! It is a huge game and my girls are ready to support the Hogs! A friend of ours made these adorable tutus and tops. I wish Jenny would have let me get a better picture, but maybe this Saturday.

Dance Class

Jenny had her first dance class last night. We are so fortunate to live in an area that has an "I Can Dance" program. It is a non-profit organization, Community Connections, that creates dance classes for disabled children. The program is called "I Can Dance." Jenny was the only student there until the last 15 minutes. She adored it. There were six "buddies" there to help, so Jen got all the attention. She actually will get to perform at "A Royal Night Out", the fundraiser for Community Connections. I love to see her happy and this makes her happy!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend was a nice break from the real world. I actually got laundry caught up and the house mostly clean on Saturday before my friend, Jenny, came for a visit. We had a nice time catching up and she kept me company while Trav was at the station. On Sunday, we went to Marshall to visit Travis's family and friends. That night our friends' daughter delivered their first grandson! It is so funny that we are on the front end of kids while they are on the back end! We might actually wind up with a child younger than their grandchildren! That is just crazy. Matthew Austin Glen weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. and is just perfect. We spent a nice day Monday. We took the girls to Toad Suck Park and let them play. It was such nice weather and fun to watch them. Then we visited the new baby. Neither girl was in a very good mood about being at the hospital, so it was a short visit. Later that night, I went to dinner with a friend that also adopted from Korea. It was nice to share stories of the kids without them there! Now we are back in the day to day real world. We look forward to Jenny starting dance class this Wednesday and a welcome home party for Callie on Saturday! I attached a few pics from our weekend.

Visiting Daddy at work

The girls and I loaded up and went to the firehouse last night. We needed a family photo to finish our picture requirements for our post-placement visit from August. The one that was taken wouldn't turn out. The girls love going to see Daddy at work. Jenny begins to kick in her carseat when she sees the station and yell "Daddy!" That is quite a big deal for a child that is mostly non-verbal. Also, Jenny likes to go to sit with "Uncle Fred" (Travis's captain) and watch Sesame Street videos on the computer. This was the first visit for Callie to get to climb on the firetruck. We got lots of great pictures! I've attached a few to share! Life is good.

August Update

Work has been controlling my life so I haven't even thought about the blog lately. Callie turned 16 months old on the 12th and started daycare on the 16th. She is still crying everyday when I leave her, but I have people go check on her throughout the day. They assure me that she is doing great and not crying. Jenny moved into a new daycare class and loves it. Travis started back to class. This is one of the hardest times of the year for me. I miss Travis and hate getting back in the routine of taking care of the girls alone again. Last year I only had Jenny, the addition of little Miss Callie has made it hard. I haven't figured out how to go out in public with two kids alone. Also, it makes for long nights without adult conversation. I will be so glad when he finishes school! Also, I will admit to being highly insecure and knowing that he is surrounded by 20 something females three nights a week doesn't help my mindset!

As soon as the temperature drops, we are going to put the girls new swingset up! I can't wait for them to see it the first time. I also secretly hope that I can get them to play after dinner each night to promote a good night's sleep! I could use one as well!

Attached are pics from August!