Boy Meets Grill

Today's story is a simple one.  Boy meets grill at Home Depot.  Boy assembles grill at home (with the help of his wife).  Boy cooks delicious beer brats on grill and the family rejoices!

So, we finally bought a gas grill!  We have been wanting one for a long time.  We have a charcoal grill that we love, but wanted a gas grill so we could grill more often and more easily.  Boy does it make a difference.  We love to grill but are so busy that we don't hardly ever have the time to wait for a charcoal grill to heat up and get ready.  We bought a simple grill - no frills.  But that's fine, one day we will buy one of those ginormous grills that can cook like half a cow!  But for now we are pleased with ours.  It was fairly simple to setup and use.  Our inaugural dinner - Johnsonville Beer Brats, they were delicious! 

But the best part is - we paid CASH!  Amy has done so much hard work getting our finances under control and paying down our debt.  This treat was a great reward and totally 100% paid for!  Our debt snowball is rolling and picking up speed!  Before we know it all our debt, except for the house and student loans, will be paid off next summer!  Awesome!


All is well, gas-powered and grilled, in Drosche Land.

Bumpy Ride

Well, to say it was a rough week would be an understatement.  Without getting into too many details, suffice it to say that dealing with people is not always an easy thing to do, especially when some people seem bound and determined to needlessly hurt others.  But, the week has finally come to an end.  Things are now slightly better (hopefully), but we will see what, if any, lasting effects this week's drama have for us.  Tonight we were supposed to go to a party at some friends' house, but that got cancelled due to the weather we were supposed to receive.  It never did rain, but man did it get cold.  As I sit here listening to the deafening sounds of the wind outside, I think that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that the concert was postponed.  Plus it did allow us to come home and begin our weekend with a little bit of vegging at home - probably what we need after this past week.  But enough sad blogging, onto more pleasant topics.

Today was Go Texan Day!  Yee haw!  I'll include some pictures of the boys below because they are extremely cute, and no I don't think I am biased! :)  Braeden was so excited to wear jeans - Amy and I nearly fell over.  This is the same child who, for the past 6-8 months, has refused to wear jeans and has thrown major fits any time wearing them was even mentioned!  I don't know what Mrs. Tori, his Pre-School teacher, taught them about cowboys, but bless her!  He came home saying how cowboys wear jeans and a hat and a belt.  Lo and behold, my mom had just given the boys belts (complete with big belt buckles) and hats for Christmas.  He was over the moon at the idea of wearing his belt to school!  It was so cute this morning getting him dressed.  Although there is a part of me that is worried he will now insist on wearing his belt with any pair of pants - jeans or otherwise!  Ahhhh, the joys of parenthood!

Jack, on the other hand, was very excited about being a cowboy and wearing the belt and hat last night too.  However, this morning he had clearly changed his preferences!  He refused to wear either of them and would not let me take his picture here at the house.  Luckily, by the time we got to school his mood had settled and I was given permission to take his picture - sans hat and belt still of course!  :)  Oh, my special little guy!  How determined and strong-willed he is!  We are repeatedly told that this stubbornness will one day lead him to greatness!  I'm hoping so because the road there sure is filled with bumps and potholes!

So we end this tumultuous week a little bit calmer.  We watched Blades of Glory tonight, that helped bring some laughs in.  OMG I love Will Ferrell!  It was a good exchange from our usual Olympics watching we have been doing lately.  Hopefully the weekend will continue to improve things here with us, I'm hoping and praying so.  Still a lot up in the air, waiting to see how things will fall back down.  Fingers crossed for the best.  But for now Amy, the boys, and Lucy are all sound asleep and the house is calm.

All is well, and slightly better, in Drosche Land.  Yee haw! 

My Cowboys!

 

Braeden rockin' his belt and hat! 

Cowboy Jack - sans belt and hat!

Olympic Body Image Issues?

I love the Olympics!  Both the Summer & Winter games.  I enjoy watching ALL of the Opening Ceremonies, each individual nation marching in is awesome (Amy doesn't always share the enjoyment for this particular part).  I love the music NBC has for the games, just hearing it gives me goosebumps.  I love the commentators and each of the events.  Honestly it is the only sporting event I truly enjoy.  I'm actually sad when they are over, 2 years is a long time to wait for another dose.  I'm sitting here, up too late yet again, watching the Short Track Speed Skating and Women's Bobsled events and a realization hits me.  Man, these athletes must be super comfortable with their bodies.  With the exception of the Skip Jump and Freestyle Ski events, everyone is in super tight/revealing outfits.  But I guess if you are a world-class athlete and you are competing in the Olympics, you probably are not too concerned with how you look in your aerodynamic, body-hugging, Lycra/Spandex outfit.  Or maybe you are, who knows?  All I know is that I'm not sure I could get in front of millions of people world-wide in a brightly colored body suit that leaves little to the imagination with 10 cameras at every angle and still perform my best.  But I guess that is one of the reasons why I am not an Olympian - that and the fact that I have 0% athletic ability, unless you could the Wii, then I may be able to top out at 2.5% or so.

In addition to the awesomeness that is the Olympics - there's also an app for that!  Yes, yet another app to strengthen the already inseparable bond I have with my iPhone!  This one is pretty awesome too, providing all kinds of info and up-to-the-minute scores, as well as the ability to post to Facebook and Twitter!  It's the little things that bring me joy.  Well, just random thoughts I guess tonight.  I should be heading off to bed soon though, 4:45 is going to come by awfully fast!  

All is well, loose-fitting, comfortable, and non-athletic, in Drosche Land! 

Confirmation

Well, we just finished our Waiting Child webinar.  I was excited about it all day long, it was all I could think about.  Finally we would be actively doing something toward our adoption plan.  Amy and I have done quite a bit of research on our own so there wasn't a lot of terribly new information provided to us, but there was some stuff we had not yet thought about.  Plus we will be receiving a lot of information in the coming days that will correspond to the Waiting Child program.  The best thing to come from it was the definite feeling placed upon both of our hearts that this is indeed what God has planned for us.  When it was over, Amy and I pretty much looked at each other and nodded - yes!

Amy is actually filling out the application online as I write this.  I'm not sure exactly what the next steps to follow will be since neither of us are 30 yet, the age China requires all adoptive parents to be.  But it is for sure the next step for us in pursuing this blessed addition to our family.  The main thing that we will need to do is to decide what special needs we are open to including in our application.  After that???  

Ok, so I paused from writing this to help Amy fill out our application!  It is fully submitted and we should be hearing more in a few days from someone from Great Wall China Adoption, the agency we have chosen to work with.  We will see what then lies ahead once we know more.  We know there is still a long road ahead of us, but it will be easy to travel together now knowing that this is right for us.  

All is well, and confirmed now, here in Drosche Land!

Lenten Withdrawal

Well, it has not even been a week into the Lenten season and man oh man is this hard.  Amy and I gave up eating out and sweets.  That means no eating out, for any reason, at all.  Yikes!  It's actually not too bad though.  At least not for me.  I am lucky enough to have a wife who not only is a wonderful cook, but LOVES to cook for her family.  However, there are times when the day has been rough and long, or we are getting home later than desired.  Typically, our pre-Lenten selves would have given into temptation from one of the many fast food restaurants we pass on the way home.  My favorite is of course: Jack in the Box.  Their tacos are heavenly and I truly believe I would live off of them alone!  But alas, no giving in, at least not for 35 more days.  This is harder for Amy because it means preparing, or coming up with something quick on nights when we would have eaten out of a wrapper.  Giving up eating out of course had multiple benefits.  Hopefully helping to slim our waistlines while fattening our wallets.  So far, so good.

This brings me though to the part I have the most trouble with - the lack of sweets.  I have an almost unquenchable sweet tooth.  Chocolate, cookies, cake, candy, etc.  I usually have at least one sweet thing a day, sometimes small, sometimes not so small.  Not now though.  What makes this harder is the fact that this year Lent came shockingly close to Valentine's Day, really not leaving sufficient time to make a dent in the treats left over from the holiday.  Amy dealt with this by taking nearly all of the sweets, save some for the boys, to school for those not so insane as to give it up for Lent.  I have a small stash at school (that I haven't touched) that is waiting to make it's reappearance on Easter, along with all the Easter treats we will undoubtedly receive.  However, hard as it is, I trudge forward knowing that it is for a good and beneficial reason.

One the positive side though, we have also taken on things.  Personally I am reading the Bible in a year via YouVersion (yes there's an app for that too!).  I am happy to say that not only have I not missed a day, but I am actually enjoying it quite a bit.  I opted for the plan that reads straight through the Bible rather than one that skips around.  I like something a bit consistent and structured.  We have also taken the challenge Trinity has given via the new series Faith Comes By Hearing.  We listen to it on the way to school each morning, and we have now listened to the entire book of Matthew.  Finally, there is a benefit to the outrageous drive times we have!  So, hard as it is, I know we are doing something good this Lenten season.  Hopefully our faith will be strengthened, as will our knowledge of the Bible.  Plus, we have made a commitment to honor the sacrifice Jesus gave for us.

Good as it is though, I am still starving for something sweet, and I think this post just made me hungrier!  Oh well, I have taken to chewing gum at work when I get a craving for something sweet.  I'm on my second pack!  Oh well, just 35 days left, I can do this.  All is well, though not so sweet-tasting, in Drosche Land! 

Some iPhone Pictures

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my beloved iPhone! I'll post them here straight from the source rather than email them to myself and post them via the computer to our "Pictures" page. Plus is gives me a reason to blog from my iPhone! Enjoy!




Braeden with his horns




Jack making his horns




My little reindeer boys




Bathtime fun


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fair Castle Dr,Cypress,United States

The Waiting Game

Well, we haven't even officially begun the adoption process and already it is a rollercoaster.  Clearly the term "waiting" will become a frequent part of our vocabulary.  Waiting for us right now has so many differeny meanings.

Waiting 1 - We are waiting until the end of this year/early next year to even apply to adopt since we will not both be 30 until Amy's birthday in August 2011.  Until then we just read, research, and pray about it.  Not much else to do.

Waiting 2 - The latest meaning this word has for us it via The Waiting Child program.  As we read more and more about the adoption process from China, it is clear that the wait is long, very long.  As mentioned before the current wait time is about 40 months.  But that is as of now, not in 18 months when we are able to submit our paperwork.  By then who know?  The Waiting Child program is a slightly different method of adoption.  The children in this program are either (a) older, above 5 or (b) special needs.  The definition of special needs is broad and covers things one could deem as "simple" such as vision problems, to more severe needs.  Amy and I have of course looked into this and prayed and discussed at length.  It is something we are open to.  There are "special needs" we could handle both monetarily and emotionally.  We are currently signed up for a Waiting Child Webinar on Tuesday night that will give us more insight and information into this program.  This will help us to better understand the program and make an informed decision.  We are both very excited about it as it is the first active thing we will get to participate in regarding adoption.  

Waiting 3 - Once we apply we will begin to wait as we assemble our dossier, complete our home study, and of course wait for Amy's 30th birthday.

Waiting 4 - Once we submit all of our paperwork we wait for approval to adopt before we can do anything else.

Waiting 5 - Once we receive approval we will be able to view and select a child (assuming we go with The Waiting Child program, which we are leaning toward due to the shortened "wait time" to adopt).  When we find our child, we wait again to receive approval for the child.

Waiting 6 - Once we receive approval we get to wait for our travel dates to China.

That's a lot of waiting.  I am sure there is a lot more I am leaving out, I am still a novice at the whole concept of China adoption.  I am sure as we get further into the process there will come new definitions for waiting.  Time will tell.

Why, do you ask, am I writing about this?  Good question.  Therapy I guess is one answer, an outlet for the emotions that come with this.  If this is how I am before we have officially begun, can you imagine what I will be like when we are fully into it?  :)  Also, Amy and I have been reading more, as has become the norm once the boys go to bed.  There is a lot of negative news out there about wait times and the China adoption process as a whole.  What if it doesn't happen?  What if China is not the right choice for us?  What if, what if, what if?  The questions and doubts swirled.  I got a little (Amy would say a lot) down on everything, so off to the blog I went.  To whine, vent, ramble, etc.  Regardless, it has actually helped.  Does anyone read this?  Who knows, I installed a counter to find out! :)  But readers or not, I am enjoying this new addiction of blogging.  Keeping family and friends updated about our family and this new adventure we are entering, and just talking; both are very theraputic and fun.

But I digress.  I guess it's time to stop this rambling, at times nonsensical post.  But I end it in a better mood than when I began, even if slightly.  All is well, as we wait, in Drosche Land.       

iPhone-a-holic

I am totally in love with my iPhone! It's no secret, I tell everyone I can about this awesome invention. It has totally changed my life. Amy will probably get a kick out of this entry and laugh at me. But truth be told, she feels the same! It can do anything! Email, Facebook, Twitter, the Internet, and like hundreds of thousands of apps. It's amazing! It's work, play, entertainment, information, and my music all in one amazing package. Now that I have become addicted to blogging, there is, or course, an app for that! So now I can tell of our adventures from anywhere. The Drosches will always be connected! Love it! Life is good in Drosche Land!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fair Castle Dr,Cypress,United States

Well We're Movin' On Up

   No, not to the East Side, or to any side for that matter, not yet.  I'm talking about clothes - for the boys.  As Amy was resting and nursing a headache brought on by a head-butt to the nose, courtesy of Jack; I decided to clean up the boys' closets.  Well, at least just the clothes portion, I have no energy or want to work on toys.  As I was sorting clothes that had been piled in the closet I realized that it might be time to move the boys into the next size up.  For Jack this means from 24 months/2T to a 3T and Braeden from a 3T to a 4T.  I love this process because I love clothes.  The boys get "new" clothes and therefore new outfits and combinations.  Just as I was getting everything sorted, Amy joined me and I talked her into the idea.  This is not one of Amy's favorite things to do.  Aside from sitting and going through the clothes, she does not enjoy the visual aide that reminds us that the boys are growing up faster than we realize.  However, she also brought up something I had not thought about that kind of made me a little sad as well.  See, in the past as we have sorted through the clothes we have decided what we will sell at a garage sale and what we will keep for future children if we have any more boys.  However, that is no longer the case.  As we move forward with the China adoption process, the likelihood of us ever having another boy is very slim.  This is not a problem for us, but changes how we go through the boys' clothes and how we look at the things we have saved thus far.  We have gone through clothes so much now, the items that we have kept that are sized Newborn - 18 months have been whittled down to special clothes with special memories attached.  So, now we have come face to face with the fact that we will never need these saved clothes.  What do we do with them?  Keep for nostalgic reasons?  Donate it all?  Re-sort and look for gender-neutral clothing?  Being ourselves, and good Lutherans, we have decided to not confront this now and worry about it later.  Just one of the many things that comes with our decision to adopt that we have not thought of.  I'm sure there will be many more similar experiences.  Not that it changes our minds or affects our decision - not in the slightest.  So, for now the boys will look good in their "new" clothes and 6 tubs of boys clothing remain in their closet.  All is well in Drosche Land!      

They Cry if You Punch Them

Well, Saturday night Amy and I sat in bed watching TV and it suddenly occured to me that we had not checked the mail that day.  So, I got my jacket on and walked to the mailbox.  The garage is directly below the boys' room so taking the car wasn't an option.  Lo and behold, there in the mailbox was our informational packet from Great Wall China Adoption, the agency that Amy and I have decided to work with!  We looked through the paperwork and got excited!  We have been doing so much research that we knew much of the information included, but we poured over it anyway.  We didn't get around to watching the DVD until today when we all woke up from our massive nap.  We made the choice to watch it downstairs with the kids in the living room.  We have already decided that we are going to have the boys informed and included in the process from the beginning so we thought that this may be an easy way to broach the topic.  The end result is still a long way away, but better sooner than later to begin talking to them about it.  Braeden was quite intrigued by the video.  Jack, as usual, was difficult to read as he is always doing/thinking/talking about anywhere from 5-10 different topics at once.  About half-way through Amy and I asked Braeden if he would like a little sister from China.  His response is one we will always remember - "Yes, and my baby sister would cry if I punched her."  Needless to say we laughed quite a bit.  Not to alarm anyone, or to insinuate an undercurrent of violence in our house - we have just been working on not hitting our friends at school.  But it makes for a memorable first story.  Once the DVD was over, Braeden kept asking where the little babies were that God was watching over.  We are not sure exactly what me meant, but it was touching thought that encouraged Amy and I to realize that our boys will be as open and loving to this new adventure as we are. 

To Add, and HOW To Add. That WAS the Question.

   Well, as many of you may know, Amy and I have struggled through the pregnancies of the boys, and have suffered 3 losses along the way.  However, since we both feel that our family is not complete, we have decided that the best way to add to our family is through adoption.  After much prayer, discussion, and research we have chosen to pursue an international adoption fron China.  It will be a long journey, but one we are very excited about.  
   We have an informational packet arriving in the mail within a few days that will provide us with more details about the process.  The process will not officially begin until next August, after Amy's 30th birthday, because Chinese law states that both parents be at least 30 years old before any paperwork is submitted.  Around December of this year, though, we will start with the application and further assembly of our dossier, the paperwork and information that will be submitted to China.
   Once the paperwork is all finished and submitted we begin the waiting game.  Currently the official wait time is 40 months.  This means that from now, we are looking at a 5-6 year wait until our big day.  This will most likely be the hardest part, obviously.  But we are ready. 
   Honestly the part I am most excited about is the fact that we will be getting our girl finally!  I love my boys more than anything, but it is no secret that I have also always wanted a daughter.  
   So, talk about an adventure huh?  But we are ready and very excited about it all.  This blog will not only serve as a fun way to update everyone about our family, but also a way to update everyone about the adoption process and share the journey!  Well, that's enough big news for now.  Time to get the boys ready for bed and watch last night's Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics on TiVo!  Talk to you later!  Bye.
       

Ok so I think I just set up mobile blogging! Now I can update from anywhere! That's awesome! I love my iPhone!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning, a Very Good Place to Start

Greetings!
   Well, I have been writing a blog for my classroom and really enjoy it.  So, I have decided to write one for our family as well!  Just as a way for family and friends to stay in touch and to keep up with what's going on in our lives.  We are pretty busy, so this seems like a great way to update everyone as often as possible!  Amy thought of the name for our blog and I love it.  Our life is kind of like an amusement park: great food, fun times, and full of it's share of ups and downs!  So, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!