Top things lately...in no particular order...

**Today is actually Tuesday and we've been in a streak of going to bed late.  It's fine, for me, because my days can be pretty relaxing and I usually have a little boy napping that I can at least rest during.  I really get myself in trouble when mid to late August comes around and I have to wake up and be moving roughly 2 hours earlier...we'll worry about that when it gets here! :) 

**Monday, I was able to participate in an adoptive moms group where we are doing a book study on "Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother".  The book is really good and I am enjoying reading it and gathering others thoughts on the book and how true it is.  I also just started reading a book called "Dear Birthmother".  It brings a lot of comfort and helps me feel closer to Jacob's birth mother as I read this. 

**Since I was gone Monday night, the boys had an outing too...it was Family Safety Night...basically they checked out the ambulance (see picture below) and fire truck and got a free bike helmet (which he received a free one earlier, so we need to find a tots head who needs one to give the extra one to someone else).

 **Tuesday, the sun was a very warm 75 degrees (not quite pool weather) with very little breeze.  It seemed warmer than it actually was, but it was a glorious day.  I thought I would try to sprinkler with Jacob to see how it went...he loved it!  We put his slide in too to add to the mix of fun. 

**We heard today that our home study needed a few revisions, but is already being sent back to the agency with those revisions made.  We were told that once it was received it should be signed and approved!  Which means that we should be approved by the end of the week.  This is super by the way!

**We have chosen to put our information on our agency's website - an online profile.  This took some work prepping, but we have the necessary documents to the person in charge of that in our office.  That was a great thing to check off the list too.

**My strawberries have been ripening in my garden and we made a strawberry pie, it was delicious, but needed to be eaten in one setting, not as good after it sat for a day...too bad we can't eat a whole pie by ourselves.  I have a huge flat of strawberries sitting on my counter to work with - not from my garden, but from Getting's Garden.  Yummy!  Now if only I could get my strawberries to turn out as large and sweet as theirs...

**Wednesday & Thursday & Friday are looking to be great SUMMER days!  I have a couple great plans to do with Jacob.  Part of it depends on the strawberry undertaking.  Enjoy it while we can is my motto!  The pool will certainly be hopping and I'm looking forward to a possibly picnic, maybe a hike, perhaps a dip in a little lake/pond with some sand.  We'll see how the days progress.

**I took Jacob to the library yesterday, we borrowed several books - one of them being "The Lion and the Mouse".  As far as I knew, Jacob was not familiar with this book, but with his love of lions, it was sure to be a hit.  Last night, Nate and Jacob were reading it...did you know that Jacob knew the mouse was going to help the lion!?  It was so cool how he was predicting out loud what he thought was going to happen.  This is a great reading skill by the way.  He pays attention to such detail.  Of course, I think my kid is smart and I'm enjoying fostering his learning and wondering what the years ahead will bring.

**I am going to sleep with the windows open again tonight.  It's been a long time since the A/C was on - very early June.  I'm not thrilled at turning it back on....but when 90's are in the forecast...it's ultimately easier to sleep and be. 

Lincoln gives shout out to Jacob!

Jacob and Lincoln sing "Today is the Day"

Today (Saturday actually) we went to a day of music in Orange City - RiseFest - It was a fabulous day.  Nate won us free tickets and meet & greets through the local Christian radio station to see Lincoln Brewster - who just so happens to be Jacob's #1 artist.  We thought we'd just see if Lincoln would sing with us and he was such a good sport, it was awesome!  During the show Lincoln gave a shout out to his little buddy Jacob and said that "Today is the Day" was for him!  We also decided to take Jacob up in front of the stage for Lincoln's set, it was a little loud, but Jacob got a kick out of singing along with the songs (he knows almost all of them - at least pieces of them). 

I can't wait to talk to Jacob about it more tomorrow!  When we can actually hear him talk to us :).

the ball is moving again

While we were in Sioux Falls we did not have internet access.  This was good for me as I had been a little tied to my email, waiting to hear from our social worker about our fingerprints.  So a couple days away from that access was good and got my mind onto other things.  It was good to get away for a few days, especially when it was quite stormy and rainy and we had access to other fun indoor activities that are not offered where we live. 

When we arrived home it was so hard to not sit down and read email right away.  We made a deal to get everything unpacked and then we could.  It was rewarding.  We indeed had messages from our social worker stating that our fingerprints came back clear and that our home study paperwork would get typed and sent to the office.  What happens next?  Someone at the office has to read through it, check for any mistakes or potential red flags...if there is anything that they question or needs changed, that will get adjusted by our social worker/us and then re-sent and evaluated.  If it looks good, then we'll be approved and waiting.  This was good news to us as this means the ball is rolling again.

Another great thing that happened to us on Wednesday when we returned home is that our profile books arrived from the UPS truck shortly after we arrived home!  They turned out nice and have sent them onto the office!  Hooray!  Now to pray they make it there.  We made a copy for us to keep, if you'd like to see it, let us know.  (*A profile book is a book we made about our family.  Expectant mothers/fathers and sometimes their families look through these books and that is how they decide who they want to place their child with.  The agency initially picks several families that meet various criteria - age, gender, race, openness, etc that fit with the expectant family and then the expectant family looks through them to choose.  Hopefully that makes sense.)

What do we do next?  In order to be officially waiting, the paperwork has to get approved, but we also need a few more dollars.  We are so close.  We know the Lord has this all taken care of and it's in his hands.  For instance, Nate's sister Sarah is planning and training to run a marathon this September in Omaha.  She had a desire to do this as a fundraiser for our adoption process.  If you are on Facebook, there is an "event" that she created that is called 26.2 for Baby Breen #2 and that explains what she is doing.  I will also post a separate blog with more information. 

We praise God for the money that has come in already and it's being used towards the final amount of our home study fees.  After we reach that next step, all money will be put towards the final fee that we will have, the "placement fee" which obviously is due at placement.  And when they mean at placement, it's that day.  We know some people have said, "we'll give money when the baby comes or at placement".  We are praying that money comes before placement so we don't have to take a loan.  We have to have a plan in place once we are approved as to how we will pay that placement fee, most likely we will talk to a bank to make sure we would be covered in the event that it happens super fast (like Jacob's adoption where it was the day of placement and a holiday when the bank isn't open.)  This fee is also the largest fee of the whole process and will take time to build up.  As soon as our home study is approved we can start applying for grants - perfect timing with summer - I have some extra time.  In fact, we have already been browsing some and are trying to gather information now for them.  We have a couple grants pinpointed that we are going to apply for, but if you know of any, please let us know!  It's a lot of work filling out and preparing the grant information, but it's worth it to at least try!  If you feel so led by the Lord to give towards bringing a child a home please let us know and we can tell you how best to do that.

It is our hope that we will be waiting by the end of the month and will keep you all posted. 

We rejoice for the prayers that have been answered - the fingerprints, our profile book.  Thank you Lord!

Last night at supper Jacob was saying his prayers and he included all on his own, "and Jesus, when you say it's time for us to have our baby, we'll have our baby.  amen."  He's going to be a great reminder through the waiting process and I'm glad he has the faith of a child.  Help us to be more like him. 

little scientist

 Tuesday morning while Jacob and I were on our own in Sioux Falls we headed to the Science Discovery Center at the Washington Pavilion.  Jacob had a good time checking everything out.  There was a lot to take in and he didn't stay at one task for very long before looking and listening to what other kids were doing around him and wanting to go do what they were doing.  It was fun, until major meltdown in the bathroom after he peed his pants.  Thankfully I had back up clothes.  Where was my back up patience though?  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very trying day all in all.  Here's some of the fun while we had it...

While mom was building a car to race down the ramp Jacob was building piles of tires.

He raced it and won!  Too bad the car broke at the end of the race, poor craftsmanship...I am not a k'nex  kind of builder.

Learning how gears work together

His reaction after he made a basket.

Digging for bones with cool goggles

Maybe next time we go, he'll spend a little more time on tasks and we'll each have an extra dose of patience.  It was a really cool place and he did have a lot of fun trying everything out.  I'm not sure if I could pinpoint his favorite activity, maybe turning dials that adjusted lasers into cool shapes that moved on a big screen, it was like he was making his own laser light show.  He also liked seeing the big T-Rex and jumping on a large piano mat to make music - like from the movie BIG.

Cowboy Round-up

At the summer meetings they had a family night that had a cowboy theme.  If you know anything about Nate, he doesn't wear jeans, cowboy boots, big ole hats or plaid shirts.  He was a good sport and we had a lot of fun.

The two cowboys

Jacob and Nate trying to rope a calf.

Nate teaching Jacob how to strut.  It was pretty funny!

Going through an inflatable obstacle course...Jacob did not like it at all, but by the end of the night hew as saying he did and he had fun...he must have forgot the trauma he had!

Jacob learning how to whip.

and how to rope again.

Eating cotton candy

Jumping on some bouncy inflatables

Nate getting in on the fun.

He was like a little kid.

It was a good night and good summer meetings.  Nate finished it off by going to a prayer breakfast (I think) this morning, he was up way to early and out of the house by around 4:30 this morning...YIKES!  It's a good thing I didn't hear him at all. 

Afternoon at the zoo

Nate had his annual summer meetings early this week, so that means Jacob and I were on a mini-vacation.  He loved the hotel and before we left was absolutely sure that "Bertie the Bus"  (Thomas & Friends bus) was going to pick us up and take us to the hotel.  You may recall back in February we were in a hotel and buses picked us up from our hotel to take us to the Disney parks.  So, other than the fact that Bertie the Bus did not pick us up and we were not going to see Mickey Mouse all was well.  

The weather for the 3 days was not looking so hot at all.  I had a couple outings planned, but it was all weather dependent.  Monday a.m. when we left Sheldon was wet, but clearing.  I figured we should just go to the indoor science museum and try the zoo on Tuesday.  We were probably 20 minutes from Sioux Falls when I changed my mind.  The weather on the radio sounded like the rain wasn't suppose to come until later Monday night and would be gross all day Tuesday & Wednesday.  So I changed my mind and figured, the sun is partly out and that's the best we'll get, we better go when we know we can!  

Let me tell you, this boy was an incredible car rider.  He never once asked for a different toy or different music (typically he's quite demanding at the music in the car).  He fell asleep - 10 minutes from Sx Falls...sigh.  Lunch plans changed and I went through a drive-thru to keep him sleeping as long as possible, because this meant at least he was getting some sort of rest!  I ate my entire lunch sitting in the car at the zoo parking lot while he continued to snooze.  Eventually he woke up and ate and we headed in!  

Last May we had visited this same zoo and Jacob could recall some of the things & people we were with and did.  Quite amazing.  He liked seeing the animals, but always wanted to go see what was next. 

He liked using his binoculars to check out the animals.

He got to see a real cow up close and even pet it!

He's certainly not afraid of animals.

He's asking a zoo keeper for more food to feed the goats...who can resist that?!

He took a liking towards the snakes...gross! 

So proud that he climbed up "Dumbo" all by himself.

He likes giraffes.

And the carousel.

Then we got to the wolf.  He says, "like, the big, bad wolf?!"


It was a great day at the zoo and it was not busy at all!  We saw a baby reindeer that was about a month or two old, a baby gorilla that was super tiny and could barely walk, and a baby rhino (that did not look like a baby!).  It's a small zoo, but it was a perfect amount for Jacob.  The only downfall is that they don't have any live lions.  They have a whole selection of stuffed animals, which includes a couple lions.  So thankfully Jacob still got to see lions at the zoo.

It also worked out entirely perfect that we went to the zoo on Monday.  If we wouldn't have then we would not have gotten to.  Big storms ripped through the area Monday night which dumped a ton of rain.  It would have been a wet, muggy day at the zoo on Tuesday, and Wednesday was wet and windy and cold. 

More posts to come tomorrow (hopefully) on our mini-vacation and adoption news.

Happy Father's Day, Nate!

We had a great worship service recognizing father's and recognizing the love that Jesus has for us.  Living so close to our church, it's so pleasant to walk to and from church.  It gives Jacob a chance to burn some energy on our way so he can sit through church, then the way home gives him another opportunity to expend that energy.  When we got home, we took a few snapshots.  Those are two cute boys!

We decided to grill some steak for dinner, which was marinating while we were gone this morning.  We also enjoyed some garlic mashed potatoes, corn, rolls and for dessert we had some strawberries, freshly picked from our garden!  The boys also decided that they wanted ice cream with their berries, then while eating Jacob decided, hey, I want some cream!  Then daddy got a little silly! 

We enjoyed the nice afternoon playing some ladder golf, so far Jacob likes it.  We look forward to enjoying the game in the backyard, hopefully even more tonight!

And what could be better on Father's Day afternoon than a nap, with remote in hand and the U.S. Open (golf tournament) on tv.  Both boys got good naps in this afternoon while I got the joy of balancing the checkbook and budgeting :). 




To our dad's out there, thank you for all the love, care, prayers and impact that you have made on our lives.  We thank God for the men you are and the role models you have been to us.

This week we look forward to participating in the summer meetings for Nate's company and we are excited to go to Rise Fest - a Christian music festival in Orange City on Saturday!  Jacob has particular interest in Lincoln Brewster!  We are also hoping that this week brings the news that our fingerprints are back and good (the opposite of that is that the fingerprints were not readable, thus having to be re-done...we really pray that is not the case).  We also should have our profile books this week.

Have a great week in all that you do!

Middle of June

 Hi again!  This month is flying by so fast!  It was one month ago that I graduated my students, I am about 1/3 of the way finished with my summer break, that seems unreal!  We have been very busy and after this week we'll be a little less busy with no overnight trips officially planned (there is one we're considering however).  Finding our new summer routine has been more difficult than anticipated, especially with a possible 2 year old deciding nap time might become "rest time".  But, as I write this, both of my boys are asleep, so I get the pleasure of blogging.  On Friday during the normal "nap" time, I am also resting in my bed and Jacob yells to me, "but mommy, I don't want to go to sleep!"  That was after already being in there for awhile.  Needless to say, there was no "sleeping" on Friday, so I insisted he have quiet time in his room until the "beeper" (timer) goes off.  I can't say that I'm too pumped to give up this time, but bedtime has been progressively getting later as well, so somethings gotta give...

One of Jacob's favorite stories to read is "Caps for Sale".  He basically reads us the story.  The other night dad and Jacob decided to change up the story to...

 "Cups for Sale!"

He was the peddler selling the cups and carrying them on his head.

 Since my last post, I did take a picture of Nate and Jacob mowing together.  Jacob is so proud to be helping his daddy.

 Over last weekend, our anniversary weekend, we headed to Rapid City, SD with some friends.  The guys planned a golf weekend.  It was a great weekend away with no children.  This was taken at a restaurant called Sanford's Grub and Pub.  It was super tasty, we had great service and we all had a good time.

 One of the things the girls did while the guys golfed was go to this crazy place called "Cosmos".  It was a place in the 'hills' that is hard to explain, but you have to lean to be balanced.  Here is what their website says:  Our tour consists of a myriad of demonstrations designed to boggle the mind and show the awesome power of the Cosmos "force". From people changing heights on level platforms to water flowing uphill, to sitting on the wall.  The Cosmos is sure to amaze and astonish the mind!

It was fun, crazy, and weird.

This is Crazy Horse Monument...we just drove by on the highway...we got what we needed to see.

 This was my first visit to Mt. Rushmore, it was pretty cool.  When Jacob gets bigger he says that he is going to go see the faces with us.

Happy 7th Anniversary!

 Nate enjoyed golfing, believe it or not, after 45 holes in 2 days, he was a little sick of golf.  But he still had to golf league this week and I talked him into going out and playing Thursday night after supper because I had not played a single hole of golf yet this year!  It showed.

 Jacob had a blast, it's a lot of work trying to teach the little guy all the rules, little by little he'll learn, we will just have to keep taking him.

form does not matter at 2, right?!

Who says you can't tee off with a putter?!

 

We had fun and look forward to going again.

He's such a cheese!