Check, check, check...this and that

Okay, just one check, really. Today I accomplished purchasing a purse/tote for Ukraine. I wanted something inexensive and functional, as I am sure it will take a beating on our trip. I found a great bag at Target (sorry, coudn't find a picture online). It INCLUDES a small address book/notepad and a small umbrella, has lots of pockets, and zippers to keep everything safe! I also got (though not officially on the list) some great leather gloves on sale, and a cute bedside table at Marshall's for little sister's room. I told you I would be checking off the "to purchase" list first... :)

We are having some friends over for dinner tomorrow night that have spent lots of time in Ukraine doing mission work. We are so excited to learn all we can from them! Go visit their blog...

I went to the smocking store today to get some fabric and a new smocking plate for my sweeet friend Stacie's baby girl. Any baby girl coming into the world as kid #4 deserves her own smocked dress, don't you think? :) Can't wait to get started on it!

The shop owner said she would order a smocking plate with Russian nesting dolls for me! How cute will that be

Little Sister's Room

Many have asked to see pictures of the little girl's room. So here you go! The bed is a daybed, enclosed on 3 sides, so if we come home with a little one, we can add a bedrail. If we come home with a bigger girl, we are all set! We are praying for a girl 5 or under. :)
(scroll down - I was on a roll today! 3 posts!)

Ukraine 201 - Christmas

Today is Ukrainian Christmas! Merry Christmas to our little one. May your day be filled with hope and peace - it's going to be a great year! :)
I thought you'd like to read about Ukrainian Christmas customs...(this is just a brief summary, I know!)
They use the Julian calendar, in which Christmas is celebrated on January 6th/7th. On Christmas Eve (6th), they have a big family dinner that is rich in tradition and symbolism. 12 meatless dishes are served, representing the 12 apostles of Jesus. The table is set with an embroidered table cloth, with clumps of hay stuffed underneath. This makes the table lumpy, and is a reminder of the manger where Christ was born. Special bread that has been blessed by a priest is served, along with Borscht, fish dishes, and many other uniquely Ukrainian dishes. That night, Father Frost, accompanied by an angel girl, comes with his sled and 3 reindeer to leave sweet treats in the children's shoes. Christmas is a time to focus on the birth of Christ and being with family. It is very different from the commercial holiday we are bombarded with here!

The LIST is here!

Da da da daaaaaaaa. OK - here it goes. I'm super organized in my head and on paper, but making it a reality is another story. I am hoping you Ukraine veterans out there can help fill in what is missing! :)

Purchases to make:- brown boots, comfy, yet can be a little dressy
- figure out SDA/court outfit! :)
- treats for the orphanage (Oriental Trading?)
- gift for facilitator, orphanage workers, etc. (suggestions?)
- travel toys for our little one
- small purse with lots of pockets (not taking my Coach!)
- other various small items - baggies, travel Tide, Purel, etc.
- money belts (we have one, but we'd like to get 3 more)
- borrow/gather books, DVDs, iTunes TV series, etc.
- adaptor (if needed)
- spring clothes for the boys - it will turn spring while we're
gone!
To do:
- get Skype set up on computers
- let credit card company know of our travel
- make bank appt. to get crisp new bills(that's all they accept)
- check with health insurance about coverage in Ukraine, also
about adding our new little one to coverage asap
- airline travel - Scott will get that set up through AA.
Flights are wide open to London, so we'll fly there, then
purchase, or use a sister airline, to get to Kiev
- find out how to get our little one registered to be on our
family list to fly AA home
- check with facilitator about documents to update and bring
- arrange boys' babysitting schedules (we have a rough draft)
- arrange carpool schedules
- create a family photo book to show our little one
- go ahead and schedule a pediatrician appointment for early May
- clean out/organize - I've divided the house into 8 sections
to work on (closets included!), one section per week
- stock pantry and freezer (aka - big Costco trip)
- schedule housekeeper to clean before our homecoming
- schedule a prayer send-off before our departure
- find or make a stool for the vanity in her room - other than
that, our little girls room is done!

Whew! Are you overwhelmed yet? I am!

Just for Fun

I saw this in my friend April's blog, and I couldn't resist!

Clark Gable and James Bond - can't beat that! :)

Not really seeing the Faith Hill thing...would be nice, though! I'm on to their scheme, though. If they didn't say you looked like beautiful people, no one would go to their website, right? :) Fun, though - go check it out. The picture is the link.
By the way, I tried the boys' pictures on this site, too. I will not be posting thier results to save my oldest son from the embarrassment of looking most like Shirley Temple!!!

The LIST

The Christmas break is officially over. DH is back to work, and school starts back tomorrow. This means, for me, that it's time to get started on the LIST (if I knew how to insert a musical da da da daaaaa everytime you see the word LIST, I would - just play it in your head). The LIST will consist of all the things that need to be purchased, packed, cleaned, scheduled, updated or completed before we leave for Ukraine. We will most likely leave around the 8th of March, so that leaves me about 65 days. In true Julie fashion, the items on the list I am excited about doing will get done immediately (ie - purchasing). The remainder of the list will get procrastinated until about 2 weeks prior to leaving. Those 2 weeks will be spent running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I will be stressed and sleep-deprived, but I will love every minute of it. It's how I operate. I say this now while I still have time to blog, so when there is a large gap between posts come early March, you will know why! :)
I will be working on the LIST this week and I'll post it for all you adoption bloggers. I'd love feedback on all the things I'm forgetting!

Garrett's Tooth

Garrett, our five-year-old, is already preparing for his future role as a middle child. He has been practicing finding creative ways to get our attention, and is pretty good at it. But most of the time, he enjoys life slightly below the radar. He's low-key (until he gets mad - look out!) and doesn't really care for the spotlight (which is a good thing for Grant, who lives for it). This brings me to the reason for this post... Garrett lost his first tooth! With Grant, it was an event celebrated with much fanfare (and, I admit, even some mommy tears). We announced it to anyone that would listen, and he was just so proud! Here's how it went with Garrett...
This morning he says something about how he has a grown-up tooth. We look in his little mouth, and sure enough, not only has he lost a bottom baby tooth, but there is a grown-up tooth already in its place. We ask him when he lost his tooth, and he says, "I don't know. Maybe at Tyler's house yesterday. That's when I saw it was gone" (his cousin's house). WHAT??!! How does a child loose his first tooth, and (A)not really know when and (B)not tell anyone?!? Being more like Grant in nature, this is beyond my realm of comprehension.
So, we will be leaving a note for the tooth fairy, since we have no tooth. For all we know this happened sometime last week. It could be anywhere! So if you happen to see a little baby tooth on the ground at Target, it's probably Garrett's.
I'd take his picture and post it, but since his grown-up tooth is already in, he looks exactly the same! :)