Next? and Christmas fun

So, as periodically happens, we got an update from our adoption agency giving a few updates on the current status of the program, how many families are where in the process etc.

I read that there were 9 families in our stage, and thought about where we might be in that "line" ... and kept reading. Further in the e-mail our coordinator said "our longest waiting family has been waiting since late May 2011" and I stopped, and read it again. I thought to myself... hrm... isn't that when we started waiting? Then I checked this blog... that top little part that I kept updating back when anything interesting was happening, and confirmed that yes... we started waiting late May 2011. So, while there is a possibility that another family started waiting for the call at the same time as us, there is also a very distinct possibility that our turn for the call could be coming very soon.

I know they aren't common anymore... but you know those take a number things? You don't really have any idea how long the wait will be, but you have a number, and you can see the number on the wall getting closer to your number? The last few updates were my knowing my number was approaching. Now, I feel like we are number 57 and I see them with number 56. Who knows how long person 56 will take with their question or package... but I know that however long it takes... we're next. Of course, I could still have to wait through some more people who are open to older children or more special needs getting children first, but I don't think (as long as it isn't the two families waiting for the same thing situation) I will see anyone accept a referral for our age child until we get a call. Wow. Crazy. On the other hand... I think I rested easier knowing that there were people ahead of us... now it is getting scary close. Now I will be even more conscious of my phone messages than normal.

This wasn't my intended blog topic. I really wanted to talk about Christmas activities, but that was before I got that very interesting update e-mail.

December 3rd I had my good friend Erin and her kids over and we made gingerbread houses from scratch. Well... houses was the plan anyways. :-D Blake and I had made just sheets of gingerbread before they arrived, and my thought was that we would work in teams with the little ones to make different houses and the kids could decorate them. Her husband opted not to come, so Blake worked with Erin's 4 year old girl, and Erin worked with her 2 year old son, and I got to work on my own house.

After Erin heard my (admittedly ambitious) plan, she decided to go with a 2D train for Jeremiah. She really did great, but I didn't remember to take a picture of it, so unless she puts it on facebook at some point, I don't have documentation of the awesome train.

Blake and I were still gung ho for 3D, and Blake received a special challenge from his teammate... she wanted a princess castle. Not one to back down from a challenge, especially in the building area, he successfully created a castle for her, and they decorated it together.

(The red thing from the tower was at one point a bow)

I had a mental image of making a farm, complete with lots of animals, a fence, etc. but after getting the house itself built and the fence built, the kids had already expended their short attention span, and I would have been the only one still working on my masterpiece. Even after they left, I only had the basic house and the fence, but before going to bed for the day I decided that my farm needed at least one animal, and a little aesthetic appeal. That is when I added my pig, and the trees and the food trough for the pig.


All in all, that was a fun day, though I think the gingerbread from scratch building would/will work better with older kids with longer attention spans.

Then, more recently, I had a great weekend up in Big Bear with my in-laws. Lori had a great plan to have us bake a whole bunch of cookies and decorate them, and then package them up as gifts for people. We did attempt some fortune cookies, but something between the altitude and the recipe we were unable to find the right consistency that they were soft enough to mold when they came out of the oven, but hard enough to solidify after the molding together.

Besides the failed fortune cookies, and the sugar cookies we made three other batches of cookies


The sugar cookies were lots of fun, and really unlocked our creative sides. My father and brother in law were the least productive:

Graeme's cookies


Kris' cookies - design inspired by Nightmare before Christmas, and the amazing black color created by Blake and his determination to make a great black from just the primary colors for his dad. Also shown in this picture are the fortune cookies that we made... and obviously not looking like much.


Blake's cookies- Complete with a Mario star, a snowman after a dog passes by, a beautiful angel, and a couple of zombies (commissioned by his dad). Truthfully though, Blake found the most enjoyment out of custom making the colors for use in his designs.


Jami's cookies- I loved her use of pink, and her subtle use of the green highlights on the Christmas tree in the lower center. Also note her Carl's jr. star.


I was the most prolific decorator, having lots of fun doing this even as more and more people finished what they wanted to decorate. I think my two favorites were Roxie in the bottom right, and my boat at the bottom center. My star towards the top with the white frosting on the brown I think looks cool, and I also like my girl in the top left. Honestly though... eventually even I stopped trying and just finished frosting the rest of the cookies simply with my only remaining intent being to have frosting on them for eating purposes.

I had so much fun with the variety of baking different types of cookies, that I decided that I want to spend some of my free time next week while I am off baking some more cookies for other people that didn't get to benefit from our weekend fun.