Now that Christmas is over...

I thought I'd have time to update this thing... yeah right!  Seeing that this will probably be my last entry for 2009 ~ I better try!

So, this year has been a little more hectic than most {I can't imagine why!  We only added another kid ~ sheesh!}.  :0)  It took us longer to get all of our Christmas decorations up.  Well, small correction.  I put up all our inside stuff November 3rd, while Clint was in Texas.  For all you humbugs out there, let me say I'm not ashamed that I decorated so early, I SO needed a pick-me-up and it did the trick!  As for the rest of it... yeeeeeeah.  It was a slow process {we have been SO BUSY!!!}.  BUT 2 weeks before the big day we finally got our lights up and tree bought.  Madi was really excited all that day and then KONK!  Fell asleep on the way to the tree store.  We tried to wake her up...

Nothing doing. 

It took me a week before I had the time to decorate it with Madi, and then I had to {ok, ok, ok, DECIDED to} make a new tree skirt {and matching stockings}, but it finally got finished and was beautiful.  Madi tried to be such a big helper with wrapping presents but mostly used up an entire roll of tape making bandaids {for anything that would sit still!  I still need to clean up Keahi's high chair!!}.

We got spoiled again this year, my dad got all of his kids 72-hour kits for their families and my brother gave us 12 #10 cans of Mountain House freeze dried meals.  Either they know something we don't or we just got hooked up for food storage!!  :0)  We also got a shredder, a camp table and a Camp Chef Stove.  Kiki's family gave us a beautiful frame and gave Madi a cool keyboard/book.  I got Clint new razor blades, clippers, a mag-light {our old one bounced off into the dessert on a 4-wheeling expedition} and some XBOX 360 games.  He got me 4 Cricut Cartridges and other Cricut accessories {WOOHOO!!!}.  Santa brought Madi the Littlest Petshop Adoption Care Center and Jonnet added a pack of 20 Littlest Petshop animals to fill it {and drive Daddy crazy with all the little pieces!!!}.  She also got a tea set from Clint's grandma, pots and pans for her kitchen set, Princess hair doing toys, UP, earrings... oh, I could go on and on!  Keahi got a pop-up toy, a shape sorter ball, clothes, earrings, a crinkly book that you put pictures in, diapers, a savings account... sheesh!  PLUS both girls got a $20 gift card to Wally-World from my dad!  I'm telling you, we got SPOILED!!

Since this is our last hoorah for 2009, I put in a LOT of pictures.  Some are from before Christmas

some are from our visit with Kiki before Christmas and on Christmas Day,

some are from Christmas with my family

and some are from our Christmas with Clint's fam.  The white knit beanie I made for my niece and wanted to show it off :0). 

So, that's it.  Our Christmas in a nutshell, a very BIG nutshell!  :0)  Merry Christmas to everyone!  Happy New Year!  Signing off 2009 ~ bring on 2010!!!!

Things I've learned this Holiday Season...

It's SO worth it to take a little extra time to make a memory for my kids {for the pancake recipe, click here}.

6 cookie cutters are better {faster} than 2.

Cookie cutters stack very nicely in the dishwasher.

It doesn't matter HOW old your kids are, your Christmas tree is going to be played with, under, around, on...

Child #1 is a heck of a lot easier to feed than child #2!  {ONLY because child #1 likes to pretend she's a kitty and her home is under the highchair, and that's MUCH more interesting than sweet peas!}

Sugar cookies are a HUGE mess!  FUN, but messy!

Crunchy sugar cookies make GREAT teething biscuits {again with the messy!}

When it's cold outside and your husband feels bad for the dog, an old T-Shirt will find new uses...

Some things I've remembered this Holiday Season...

Eggnog goes with ANYTHING!  Even homemade Sweet-n-Sour Chicken and Edeme {Clint learned, sadly, that Mt. Dew does NOT!  And yes, the recipe will soon be on the Tried and True Recipe Swap blog!}

Foam stickers will keep my child entertained for hours.  {and I'm sure will light up Uncle Riley's day when he get's his Christmas card from us!}

I don't like to be cold!  Sorry, no pic for that just use your imagination to see me with a blue nose and chattering teeth!

Babies look SO different when you cut 2+ inches of hair off the top!

"Christmas lights on your house make you happy.  And they let Santa know where your house is!" - Madison

May we all learn something happy everyday this year!

Moving Along...FINALLY!!!

Last Wednesday we had our 3rd in~home visit with our adoption caseworker.  It went really well, he has decided to renew our certification for another year {woohoo!}, and told us that he has all our paperwork submitted to the court.  The same day I received a call from the County Attorney's office scheduling an appointment for me to come in and verify some information.  Today Clint and I went in and signed our official petition to adopt which was then filed with the court!  Now we're just waiting to hear when our hearing will be.  The lady we spoke with said she's hopeful we'll be able to have it before Christmas!  We are in absolute shock and disbelief that it's finally happening.  After 2 1/2 years of paperwork, waiting, more paperwork, classes, trainings, more paperwork and finally a placement, we will finally get to finalize our first adoption!  We are so excited!  At that hearing, they will complete the adoption, change her name, send off for an amended birth certificate {with her new name and Clint and I as her parents}, and give us a Certificate of Adoption, which we can then take to the Temple as proof that the adoption is final and have her sealed to our family!  If only our Temple were finished!  We are planning a trip down NEXT weekend, how great would that be if we could be sealed then?!  SO won't happen because that's not our luck, but it would be pretty cool!  I know you are probably wondering what we're changing her name to... Ready?  Maelee Namakaokeahi.  We'll still call her Keahi, but at least teachers and doctors {and everyone else for that matter!} won't be quite so tongue~tangled when they try to read her name. 
We'll keep you posted when we have a court date, Temple date, and Blessing date!
Bah-dah-bah-bah-baaaaah!  I'm lovin' it!