Adoption Day

August 16 is a pretty special day in our family. (even if I post about it in September)

This happened (back here I told all about that day) twelve years ago.

So we celebrated all day.

Unfortunately Scott had to work that day.  So he went in really late and we took Anna out for breakfast at a really fun restaurant.



And he had a few surprises for her that morning. A book she really wanted.



And a book he really wants her to read. Quiet Power: the secret strengths of introverts. He wrote such a beautiful letter inside I teared up reading it.



And then I let her decide what she wanted to do that day.  (I gave her lots of day trip ideas)  She chose to head to the Book Barn.  It's a series of used bookstores that she loves.  She picked out a bunch of books (I did too!)  and then we went to a seafood restaurant on the beach.

Back at home that evening Abigail was one excited little sister who had picked out, payed for, and wrapped up a special something for Anna.



It had this sweet little french toast charm on top.



So true for Anna. In fact it's exactly what she picked to eat at the restaurant that morning.



That's the happy smile of one excited sister.







A fun game to play together.



There is really no way to explain August 16th to our family. It's unlike how you feel on your child's birthday. I love how that feels, kind of all lit up inside all day, right? This is different. More profound. Deeper. Scott and I feel so happy all day. But also very reflective. It's really the one day of year I let my mind drift to what could have happened. It's a strange feeling to have a child and be a mother to a child that you don't know her "story". That you don't know how/why/when she got to the orphanage. It's strange to have a child that you don't know but fully accept her birth parents decision to give her up. We forget about it most days but think about it on August 16. I think about those 14 months in the orphanage. I think about her birth parents. I think about her grand country. I think about faith. And God. And how He knit this beautiful story together. And blessed. How very blessed that He chose Scott and I to be a part of it. We are grateful for August 16, 2004. So deeply, eternally grateful. One day in Heaven her whole story will be revealed to me. I'll know the truth and what happened. And I'll know that whole part of her story I long to know just one little detail.  But for now I know enough. I know that she's ours.  And that I love her forever and ever.

Our Home ~ Summer

A few things first

(1) I was happily busy with Lion King the Musical this summer and a trip that I might have mentioned on this blog so the photos I took of my house this summer are lacking. Sorry for that.

(2) I think the rainbow Puffin collection of books is in every photo. I love those books. Sorry for that.

(3) I really only walk around and take pictures right before I take it all down so that I can remember what I 'did last year'. Mostly that is so I can look at my blog a year from now and say, "hey! Where is that pineapple garland? I forgot all about it!" So this post is boring for you. Sorry about that.

(4) And because I take photos right before I take it down it's kinda dusty. Not sorry about that.

With those four things said. Here we go. (remember what I said in #1 up there, okay?)

Sometimes I treat myself to a house redo. But not a shopping redo. Just shopping in my house. My friend Billie Jo did a post this summer on a whole new look in her kitchen shopping in her house.

I mostly move little piles of books around.

This summer the mantle looked like this (for Hawaii)



I really love felt garland





And when I needed a pop of color I stole the books from the mantle later in the summer. And then the mantle looked like this.



These my mom bought me. My collection of hardcover Little House has grown since this picture. I'll take a shot of the mantle this fall. Pumpkins go with Little House, right?



and added a little summer banner.



changed around the wreath.



and had a whole new look.









In our family room the mantle held a few favorites.



The Little Grey Rabbit books I found at a yummy used Children's book store. Published in England over 80 years ago.



But my favorite little children's books right now are the Brambly Hedge books by Jill Barklem (my favorites being Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story, and Winter Story). Also published in England, Brambly Hedge

is on the other side of the stream, across the field. If you can find it, and if you look, very hard amoungst the tangled roots and stems, you may even see a wisp of smoke from a small chimney, or through an open door, a steep flight of stairs deep within the trunk of a tree. For this is the home of the mice of Brambly Hedge.

Just look at Summer Story.



It was a very hot summer so they dangled their tails and paws in the cool river. (delightful, right?)

A little fun in the dining room.




Yes, I wish I took other pictures of our house this summer. The front steps were lovely. Really. But all of this and the front steps decorations are down now and apples and back to school are up. Soon (swoon) it'll be leaves and pumpkins, and vines with autumn berries. (with twinkling fairy lights throughout) Oh, I really love playing house.

I could never in a hundred summers get tired of this.

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.  If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."  ~Albert Einstein 

(I hope to post throughout the weekend coming so that I can catch up and finally {someday} get to the goodness called the present here on this blog)

August

Getting all of our Hawaii photos organized and memories up here on this blog took me a while longer than I thought.  The entire month of August is still on camera cards and the memories that are not in my diary are jumbled around in my brain.

The first day of school has already happened but I'm determined to not forget any of the happiness that was August.  So I'm diving in.  A bit at a time of course.

This was the first photo I took after we got home.  Not even in focus but lets just say that the jet lag had us in a fog for almost a week. I was up all hours of the night and so tired during the day.  Funny (and happy) that it didn't happen traveling TO Hawaii.  Just the way home.  

And for all the prettiness (and amazing wow) that Hawaii is... this scene (even blurry) is far more beautiful than any misty mountain, blue green ocean photo I took over there.

And I know how blessed I am that this is my view every single day.  

When we got home cooking was so much fun for us. Sure, the daily (ness) of it wears off a bit but I still like it.



We grilled, backed, sauteed, steamed.



The taste of home



On the agenda first was ordering lunch boxes. And when they came, they loved them.





We finally got a chance to organize the school bins.  We usually do this project right after the last day of school. But this year we waited and we loved looking through 7th and 3rd grade one more time.





We simply just spend some time, look over everything and chat about how much hard work went into one year.









Social Studies maps that I remember taking an entire weekend.



and music, music, music...



all tucked away and saved.





This map of China meant a lot to me.



And I love that she included her place of birth.



Abigail has 2nd and 3rd in one bin. (I'll be starting a 4th grade bin this September)











Her writing binder was her favorite to look through.







We reread suspenseful stories.





and started to look forward to the year ahead.

I sure am enjoying seeing August through my camera.  It's a good thing I take a lot of pictures.

Hope you're all having a wonderful end to summer and fantastic back to school.