A miracle

I don't know who, and I don't know why, but someone has blessed our Reece's Rainbow account with a huge donation.  I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw our balance today.  With the money I'll be getting from my contract work, it means that we're only $2000 short of being fully funded.  We are so incredibly grateful for this generosity.

Yellowstone Invitational

Last weekend, Maizie and Sofie had their second gymnastics meet of the season, the Yellowstone Invitational.  They did great!  Maizie took 2nd on vault, 1st on floor, and 5th in the all-around.  Here are a couple of highlights.  :)  

Travel approval!

On January 29th, we received our travel approval!  We got our first choice consulate appointment of March 10th, but when we discovered how much cheaper flights would be if we waited a week (we're talking $3000+ less!), we rescheduled for the 17th of March.  We're SO excited that the wait is almost over!  We first learned about her on March 11th of last year, so it will be nearly a year to the day when we get her on March 9th.  We feel so incredibly blessed!

Zinnia, here we come!  

I'm just terrible at blogging...

But I'm pretty darn great at doing bulleted, catch-up posts!  Here's another, for your reading pleasure:

• Christmas was lovely, as always.  Compared to previous years, it felt like the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas lasted approximately 45 seconds.  A lot of our traditions were dropped because there simply wasn't time, but the important things were there - the tree, some gifts, the whole family, goody deliveries, and most of all - our thoughts of the Christ child.  

• On the very last day of the year, we received some long-awaited photos of Zinnia.  We were so saddened (OK, *I* was so saddened) to see that her foster family decided she needed a drastic haircut to "fix" the nightmare she appears to have inflicted on her own bangs.  I'm reminding myself it's just hair, and it will grow back.  And I'm packing hair bows.  

• The first week of the new year, we passed another milestone - sending Joshua off to his junior year of college.  He's decided to enter the communication disorders program (proud parents here!) and will be getting a doctorate in audiology.  We hope that he'll come back and join our practice when he finishes.  How awesome would that be?! 

Aw...  Isn't he cute standing in the snow WITH NO COAT?!

• About this same time, my hair started falling out by the fistful!  I have no idea what was causing it.  We did have a lot going on, but I wasn't feeling particularly stressed and hadn't experienced any of the events that sometimes trigger this type of hair loss (childbirth, anyone?).  I went to the doctor and everything was fine - my thyroid, my hormones, my diet - everything.  I was truly afraid that at the rate it was falling out, I was going to be bald in a couple of months!  I had already lost about 1/3 of my hair, so I decided that cutting about 14" off of it would help it look fuller.  It did, but two weeks later, the hair stopped falling out just as abruptly as it had started.  I'm kicking myself because I liked my long hair, but it grows really fast so it will be OK.  I have new hair growing all over my head that's about an inch long.  Crazy.  

• January 11 was Thalia's 10th birthday.  I cannot even.  10?!  10??!!  She is such a sweetie!  She loved everything she got - especially her new silvery glitter Walmart knock-off Uggs.  

• Zoe finally graduated from cosmetology school, so of course we had to attend her graduation ceremony.  By "graduated" I mean she punched out for the last time.  And by "ceremony" I mean we all stood around laughing while we posed with her dummy head and pretended to have it kiss us.  Like I always say, we're a high-class family.  In all seriousness, though, we're very proud of Zoe.  I'm ashamed to say that I used to have a low opinion of cosmetology school as a post-secondary option, but I promise you this girl has worked her hiney off and knows a heckuva lot more chemistry than I could ever cram into my brain!  She plans to move to Idaho, work for a year to get residency, and then start college at ISU. 

On our way to the big punch-out!

She looks thrilled, doesn't she?  The mannequin, I mean - not Zoe.

Punching out for the last time!  

• Then, oh then, ladies and gentlemen, it was Loundia's SIXTEENTH birthday on January 23rd!  Sixteen, folks!  Like she can go on a date!  Woo hoo!  

  
  
  

  Lily's daydreaming in the background, "I'm going to be 16 next..."

• Then came January 25th.  It was a hard day.  

  

  Miss my sweet mom

• Gratuitous cute dog picture because now I'm sad.

• In other really exciting news, we received our travel approval for Zinnia on January 26th.  You can read more about that and our travel plans here.  :)