Ladybugs

So yesterday's post centered around Braeden and his newfound handwriting skills.  Today is Jackson's chance in the spotlight.  A few things Jack is not - quiet, subtle, meek.  Quite the opposite in fact - loud, boisterous, a force to be reckoned with.  And we would have it no other way!  Under that dominant exterior is my little gentle giant and today we got a wonderful glimpse into this side of him.  Jack is not a fan of insects, often pointing them out in a frantic manner.  Also, for some reason he insists that every bug he sees is a ladybug - although we have no clue why it is a source of amusement for us.  Coincidentally, we have a very large number of ladybugs in our backyard now since we planted our nectarine tree.  This evening, while I was making pancakes (breakfast for dinner is one of our favorites) Amy went out with the boys in the backyard while they were playing.  She found one of the ladybugs on the nectarine tree and picked it off.  She knows I will not do this - I am not a fan of bugs.  This is possibly where Jack gets the slight panic from.  But I digress again.  Anyway, Amy got a ladybug and gave it to Jack, placing it in the palm of his hand.

Now, this could have gone terribly wrong.  Jack is not known for grace and finesse.  However, it was very much the opposite.  He carefully held the ladybug in his hand and walked around.  It was so sweet to see him so gentle and caring.  He often is this way with Lucy, when he's not trying to ride her, and it is just one of the many facets of Jack that make him our special little guy.  I knew right away that this event was blog-worthy and Amy watched the pancakes while I grabbed my ever-present iPhone and snapped away.  The results are below and capture the true Jack - silly and sweet.  My favorite part is when I asked him to hold his hand still so I could get a good picture of the ladybug in his hand.  He literally held his hand with his other hand.  This can be seen in the picture.  It was great!  Of course, the ladybug flew away eventually and this did not make for a happy Jack!  But with a little consoling and dinner he was fine.  I'm nearly positive that whenever we are in the backyard, Jack will now insist on finding and holding ladybugs!  What a great kid!

All is well, and nature loving, in Drosche Land.

Jack showing off his ladybug

 

The ladybug - notice Jack "holding" his hand still!

The Writing's On The Wall

Well, it seems that many a blog entry will be about our rapidly growing boys.  Just as I finish yesterday's entry about haircuts, hot on its tail is today's entry.  So, last night was Amy's monthly staff meeting with her workers at TLCC.  Usually I just pick up some McDonald's for the boys and take them to my room to eat and play until it is time to get Amy.  However, last night was different because Amy ordered pizza for her staff.  She's so thoughtful that way!  So, I stayed at the Center with the boys, in the front office and we all had pizza for dinner.  I was a little nervous because they tend to get a little, ok a lot, hyper when we stay at the Center.  I really wanted to fight the procrastination monster and get some coursework done.  Luckily there was paper, crayons, and a basketball.  We were set.  I gave the boys some paper and crayons and told them to draw pictures.  They did, for about 10 minutes, then that was done.  Braeden brought me his picture and it was so cute - it was a picture of me!  The typical little drawing of a big circle with two dots (eyes) and 4 lines sticking out (arms & legs).  My heart melted and I told him I would keep it.  The rest of the evening went well as they rolled the basketball to each other and played until it was time to leave.
Fast forward to this morning.  The boys are sitting at the counter eating breakfast as usual while Amy and I packed lunches.  I pull out Braeden's picture to put it in my bag and take to work so I can hang it up.  Lo and behold I totally missed something last night!  He wrote his name!  By himself!  With no help!  Now, he has written before mind you, but never without coaxing from someone and NEVER this neatly.  I have to admit - I was moved and got a little weepy.  It was beautiful.  Suddenly my little baby boy was gone.  Here was a kid - writing and spelling his name to me, beaming as he did so!  I was shocked and I don't think I have ever been as proud of him as I was right then.  Ahhhh, another bittersweet moment in their lives.  Happy/sad, wanting him to grow up/wanting him to stay little.  This time though, I think my pride and happiness edged out the bitter sweet.  He is so wonderful and we cannot believe how big he is getting.  It seems like just yesterday we were changing diapers, then not long ago we were bemoaning the fact that his handwriting looked like it was done by an epileptic foot.  But now he is over that, and how!  Just see below for yourself I type, with a grin ear to ear across my face at my biggest boy!

All is well, and handwritten, in Drosche Land. 

A Cut Above The Rest

 So, this blog may be a few days late in coming, but contains good news.  But I will start off by saying that I fully intend to blog more often, my goal is to do so daily like many of the great blogs I read and follow.  However, sometimes when I look at what is going on with me, I reach blog block.  Nothing seems blog-worthy.  I will say though that I originally started this blog with the title of "Blog Block" and how sometimes I find it hard to think of things to write about.  As I was writing that a new topic came to mind, and suddenly I felt much better about my blogging skills.  But I digress, back to the point of this post.

Saturday was a momentous day in Drosche Land.  Braeden got his hair cut for the first time without crying!  True, he whined a bit, but that is far from the knockdown, drag-out fits he used to throw when it came time to cut his hair.  I have to give it to Amy though; she has the patience of a saint.  She cuts the boys' hair and the reason is two-fold.  Initially it was to save some money.  They're still young and there is no reason to spend a fortune on their haircuts when it is so simple.  However, after our initial attempts long ago, the found the second reason to cut their hair at home - the near hysterics each of them reached when the time came to trim.  However, that seems (mostly) behind us now!  I say mostly because Jack's experience on Saturday was not perfect, but still a far cry from what it used to be. 
 
Granted Amy used a scissors rather than the clippers (even though the clippers would have been twice as fast), per the boys' request, but it went quite well.  As happy as we were about it, it was yet another reminder that they are growing up - all too fast!  There are so many times lately when we look at them and are shocked at how old and mature they are.  I guess it is one of those bittersweet parts of parenting.  You want them to grow up and become self-sufficient, yet you want them to stay young and need you.  It's a never-ending struggle.  Personally, the older they get the more I realize I am not done having children.  It just gets me more excited about the adoption and confirms for me that this is what is meant for us.  It also makes it a bit easier to swallow the fact that the boys are growing up, because I know there will be more little Drosches to come.  But until then, we rejoice in the progress and accomplishments the boys make each and every day!

All is well, and neatly trimmed, in Drosche Land.

Braeden and his new haircut

Jack and his new haircut

 

Not Right Now - 2

Well, we had yet another instance of "Not Right Now" yesterday.  With the weather beginning to heat up the van is acting up again with its sluggish response when you press on the gas.  It hasn't done it all winter, but is occasionally doing it now.  We had it looked at several times last summer and no one could ever find out what was wrong.  Well, we thought that maybe we should look into a new car before it gets bad again.  Plus, it wouldn't hurt to downsize a bit either.  So we packed up the boys and headed to CarMax.  We had done some research before so we knew what we could afford and what we were looking for.  We also knew we were upside down in the van, so any loan we took out would have to include the negative equity in it.  Finally, we knew how much we had to spend in order to keep our monthly payments about the same.  At CarMax we checked out the three cars we had in mind - the Toyota Rav4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue.  The CR-V was not quite right, we didn't like the inside or general layout.  We loved the storage space on the Rav4 but when Amy test-drove it she said it was cramped feeling and bouncy.  So, we decided on the Rogue.  It was spacious, comfortable, and had some nice upgrades and amenities.  We decided to take the plunge; keeping in mind we had the walk-away power to leave if it wasn't going to be a fit.  We knew buying a new car wasn't really according to Dave Ramsey's plan, but we needed a reliable car that wouldn't fall apart on us.  So after much waiting we got our results back.  It was a no go.  Not because of our credit or anything, we were just too far upside down in the van.  The banks only will allow you to have negative equity up to a certain percentage of the price of the new car.  We were able to get a good interest rate and a monthly payment similar to our current one; we just didn't have the cash the loans were requiring to offset the negative equity.  So, once again we get our answer of "Not Right Now" from God.

But again, it's ok.  We will survive.  The good news is that we were able to get a good interest rate and monthly payment on 0% down!  If we were less upside down in the van or owned it outright, we would be fine.  That is good news in and of itself.  The only bit of bad news we got was the fact that CarMax will not buy a car with more than 100,000 miles on it, the van is at 90,000.  So, we are stuck with the van.  No worries though, the plan now is to just pay off the van and get a new car later.  More good news is that since we got the good interest rate and 0% down we wanted, we might be able to buy an actual new car when we do decide to get one.  So, once again we are given this answer and we accept it.  It'll give us time to pay off our credit cards and get everything squared away for the adoption and a new car later.  We have grown up quite a bit in the past year or so since we began the Dave Ramsey plan and became involved in 931.  We are more accepting of God's plan for us and more willing to follow along rather than try to lead.  It is comforting to know that all will be ok.  Thus is the inspiration from a verse Amy found - Jeremiah 29:11.  This has become somewhat of our mantra as we enter the adoption process, but really is something we try to keep in mind in all areas of our lives.  It's on the main page of this blog because it has become so important to us.  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Amy is great at finding applicable verses for situations and feelings.  Another one of her many talents.

All is well, even with the answer of "Not Right Now", in Drosche Land.

Not Right Now

So we're taught as children that God answers all prayers.  It might now be the answer you want at that very moment, but it's answered.  We're also taught that God answers prayers with 3 answers: "Yes", "No", and "Not Right Now."  Well, we were given a very good "Not Right Now" example just yesterday.  As much as Amy and I plan things out, we often make major life decisions spur of the moment.  2 great examples are our house and the van.  The adoption process however, is not going to be such an event.  Since submitting our application for the Waiting Child Program we have been perusing the shared lists.  This is a list of all children from China in the Waiting Child Program.  Agencies across the nation have access to this list so there are many children on it.  Well, yesterday morning Amy calls me and tells me to come over to the Children's Center.  I assume that one of the boys has been crazy and I am being called over to help out by disciplining him.  It wouldn't be the first time, and I know it certainly won't be the last.  However, when I arrive, I find Amy looking at the shared list on her computer.  There is a picture of an adorable little girl, about Jack's age.  Her special need is listed as clubfoot and DD.  Through much research and discussion Amy and I have completed our list of special needs that we will be able to care for and clubfoot is on that list.  At the moment we were unsure about what DD might be.  So, I tell Amy to call the lady at the agency and inquire about the little girl, it couldn't hurt right?

Well, long story short, Amy gets in touch with the lady at our agency that is in charge of placements and the list.  DD refers to developmental delay although details of what this might be are sketchy and often completely unknown.  We wouldn't know anything for sure until we requested the little girl's file so we could review it.  However, at this point Amy asks if there is any way around the age limit; remember per Chinese law both parents must be at least 30.  The answer is no, no waivers for this requirement.  So, the process is definitely on hold for the next year and a half until we both turn 30.  However, we are not saddened or disappointed.  In fact, we feel quite the opposite.  It is God's answer for us, telling us that it is not in our plans, at least "not right now."  Instead, it seems to support our original plan of paying off all of the credit cards and car before the adoption process officially begins.  A perfect answer for us.  We will have the time to research, pray, and mentally, emotionally, and financially prepare.  That is just fine with us.  We are quite at peace with everything.  Obviously we would have to be either way since there is no way around this requirement, but it does help to be truly alright with the answer we are given.  It WILL happen, we WILL get our daughter.  Just "not right now."

All is well, with answered prayers, in Drosche Land. 

Not So Picky Eaters

Well, this post was originally supposed to happen Monday evening.  However, due to problems with my iPhone app, and then my own stubbornness it is just now getting posted.  So here goes.

It is no secret that our boys are picky eaters.  Well, maybe I mean were picky eaters.  It seems lately they have gained an insatiable appetite.  Amy and I are quite pleased with this honestly, however, we still don't really know what to make of it.  Case in point, this past Sunday.  The boys each ate a granola bar at home before we came to church.  This is typical since there are always such great pastries and breads at 931 and they love to eat there.  However, this past Sunday was a bit different.  We had to be at church a little earlier than normal because there was a special breakfast being hosted by Trinity's Tiger PAC (parent association).  Well, once we arrived there the boys decided to strap on their feedbags!  Braeden ate an entire egg & cheese taco and a couple of handfuls of grapes.  Jack at about 8 strawberries, many many grapes, and a slice of bacon.  They would have eaten more, but we had to get to church!  Upon entering the gym for 931 they were both still starving so they split a huge cinnamon roll and ate the entire thing.  As usual, when we got home it was time for lunch.  Keep in mind this is only about 2 hours from the cinnamon roll.  For lunch each of the boys ate a leftover Whataburger chicken strip (see previous post about breaking Lent), a bag of chips, and they split a small leftover order of french fries.  After a failed nap, they each ate a container of yogurt that barely held them from a further starvation meltdown until dinner.  Oh about dinner!  Amy made enchiladas!  Whoa, boy were they good!  But I digress.  Each boy ate 1 1/2 enchiladas, rice, and corn.  We were astonished that they could even eat any more food at this point.  We were wrong though, because less than an hour later they were snacking on cocoa puffs!
 
This trend continued Monday, the original post date for this entry, when they totally devoured ravioli, bread, and veggies.  The surprise of the night came when Jack discovered his love of lima beans (see pics below)!  He had several of these in addition to the copious amounts of carrots he also ate (by far his favorite veggie).  I say surprise but it wasn't so much of one because Jack is our one who will pretty much try/eat anything!  He's definitely our Mikey to quote Amy ("Give it to Mikey, he'll eat it!")  Braeden wouldn't try the lima beans, no surprise there though.  His surprise moment came when he enthusiastically ate carrots!  Typically even getting him to give them, or any vegetable for that matter, a taste results in much whining, crying, and gagging!  But all of that seems to be, hopefully, behind us?!?!

Who knows how long this new love of food will last?  It doesn't really matter; we are simply loving it as long as it lasts.  Although, as happy as we are about it, there is the nagging fear that we have faced that if this continues they may be eating us out of house and home!  But, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  Until then we just rejoice and eat!

All is well, and well fed, in Drosche Land.

Jack showing off his lima beans!

 

 Yum!

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Well, today marks the end of Spring Break 2010.  Sad, this was a great one.  It began with that wonderful Backyard Campout!  Man, that was a great time!  I added a link to the right column directly from Snapfish because I wasn't sure the link in the post was working and I wanted to share the many great pictures.  Just a quick side note.

The next fun we had was our annual trip to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo!  Woo hoo!  Every year Amy's Uncle John comes down during Spring Break and we ALL go to the carnival and Rodeo.  The kids had a blast at the carnival.  Amy and I took the boys on our usual trip on the ferris wheel.  It was terrifyingly fun!  I don't mind the height as long as I'm looking out, but once I look down things get a bit more tense!  Luckily the boys adore it and we always get a great couple of pictures.  Another thing the boys loved was their visit to the petting zoo!  Jack actually walked, fed, and petted the animals this year.  Jack's favorite part by far though was the chickens!  That boy loves him some chickens, I'm not entirely sure why.  We ended up spending about 20 minutes watching the various types of chickens.  Braeden's favorite part was when he rode the pony all by himself!  We were so proud of him!  I can't believe he is so old!  The concert we went to see this year was Keith Urban and he put on one hell of a show!  It lasted over an hour and he walked around in the stands singing and high-fiving the fans.  It was fun!

The next great thing was my tip to New Orleans!  Some friends from work invited me to go and Amy couldn't.  But my wife is so fantastic that she insisted I go ahead and have fun.  I left at midnight on Tuesday; Amy dropped me off on the way home from the Rodeo.  I had an awesome time!  Man, I have some great friends.  We ate some fantastic food, heard some great music, drank some great drinks, and just had fun.  I did make it back to Pat O'Brien's and we ordered this monster hurricane.  We finished nearly all of it though, whoa!  It was just so much fun and really made me see what great friends my co-workers are!  I was definitely meant to be at Trinity with these fantastic people, working and having fun!  The thing is though; I had to break my Lent give-up items of eating out and sweets though.  But, Amy did as well at home with the boys since she was so busy and on her own.  So, starting tomorrow it is back on, no more eating out or sweets until Easter.  Oh, and yes, the first food I ate while on the trip was Jack Tacos!

As much fun as I had, it was great to come home and see Amy and the boys.  I missed them a lot.  Yesterday we moved Amanda, boy that was rough.  It definitely cemented the fact for Amy and I that we are only hiring movers from here on out!  But other than that we are ending Spring Break quietly and calmly.  As I blog this, the boys are sound asleep and Amy and I are putting off a bit of homework.  Ugh, guess I'd better sign off and get some done for tonight.  But all in all it was a fantastic break.  I have an incredible wife, awesome sons, and wonderful friends!  Great times, great memories, a great Spring Break!
 
All is well, and returning to routine, in Drosche Land. 

Braeden on the ferris wheel

 

 Jack on the ferris wheel

 

 Amy & I on the ferris wheel

 

 The boys at the petting zoo

 

 Jack Tacos on the way to NOLA!

 

 Waiting for the St. Patrick's Day parade in NOLA

 

 Out & about in NOLA

 

 Our giant hurricane at Pat O'Brien's

Marshmallows Roasting On An Open Campfire

Our backyard campout on Sunday was a huge success!  First of all, I cannot take sole credit for the idea, since it was Amy who thought it up in the first place.  The boys were super excited about every aspect from marshmallows, to playing outside, and of course sleeping in the tent.  I'll be honest, as excited as Amy and I were about the idea; we went into it knowing that at any point it could go south, and fast.  Luckily though, that was not the case.  We began our adventure with setting the tent up.  As Amy and I laid everything out and assembled the tent, the boys stood watching us, totally enthralled.  It was quite warm out Sunday afternoon so once we got it set up we spent some time inside waiting for the temperature to cool off a bit.  During this time we were asked, countless times, if it was time to go to the tent yet.  Once the time came, I had never seen the boys move so quickly to put their socks and shoes on!

To kick off our evening of outdoor fun I inflated the jump-o-lene that my parents had given the boys for Christmas.  They loved this, although I must say they are a pain to deflate and put away.  I think it actually took us twice as long to put it away as it did to set it up!  But regardless, the boys jumped and bounced around as Amy and I put all the blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, and stuffed animals in the tent.

Dinner was the only part of the adventure that, although good, did not live up to our high expectations.  The menu consisted of scorpion tails for appetizers, bison burgers, and grilled plums.  While each of these treats turned out well, and delicious, they just weren't what we expected.  But it did not faze us because we knew the treats that lay ahead - s'mores!  Once dinner was finished I began working on starting a fire in our fire pit.  Luckily there were two logs leftover from sometime long ago, all I had to do was get them going.  Easier said than done!  At best the newspaper I used as kindling served to get the logs to a nice smolder, but never an actual fire.  Once again though, no worries as indirect heat proved just as effective when roasting marshmallows!  The boys loved putting their marshmallows to the logs and watching them turn brown and get gooey!  The best came though when they realized what makes up a s'more!  Who knows how many marshmallows were consumed that night, but we have the pictures to prove that each one was enjoyed!

Finally, they could wait no longer.  Time to get in the tent!  After bathroom trips and changing into jammies we were ready.  Amy again had the wonderful idea to bring an assortment of books into the tent for a story time.  The kids sat, in absolute bliss, and listened to storied by lantern light.  It was awesome!  When it came time to go to sleep there were no complaints.  Both boys have a little monkey lantern of their own that they played with for a while before Amy and I had to implement a lights-out if we wanted to get any sleep!  Once the lanterns were off though, it was a matter of minutes before they were both out cold.  Then Amy and I were able to reflect on a wonderful, fun-filled family day before we too were out cold!
 
Needless to say, it was an amazing day and definitely many memories were made.  The boys' first foray into camping was a success and we are currently thinking about planning our next camping excursion - this time not in the backyard!

All is well, and a little but outdoorsy, in Drosche Land.

Backyard Campout Pictures

A Wheel-y Great Time

Yesterday was Skate Day at Trinity! I love my job! It has been an amazing blessing to my family, my personal career, and my ministry. It is amazing how God leads you to where you should be. I love my job and my Trinity family! But, as usual, I digress. Skate Day is one of Trinity's all-school events. Parents brought their kids to the skating rink and stayed and it was a fantastic community event. I was slightly nervous about skating. I mean it's been a good 15 or so years since I have. Man am I that old to be referring to my life in periods of over a decade? Whoa! But that's a topic for another post (most likely in November). Anyway, I was nervous but knew I would skate. My kids would never have let me sit on the sidelines. Plus I have awesome co-workers (Melanie & Adam) who would never let me miss out. Finally, I'm a fun person, or I like to think so. The only question was: Do I kick it old-school with skates? Or do I go for rollerblades? I grew up with the old kind but had in-line skates when I was older? Hmmmm? Well after helping kids get skates I remembered how heavy those old skates are! Geeze! Plus I remembered, or thought I did, how much easier it is to skate with rollerblades. So I went with those.

Amy had sent me out with one warning - no broken bones! It came along with the threat that if I broke anything it would be paid for out of my NOLA allowance for Spring Break! Ha! I love her! So, with that thought in my mind and some slight trepidation I stepped out onto the rink. Alas, it is true what they say. It's like riding a bike - you never forget! Aside from the fact that I cannot ride a bike (again a topic for another post) it was that easy! It was also a lot more fun than I remembered! In fact, it was a blast!

Now onto the questions burning in your mind. Did I fall? Did I break anything? Yes and no. I fell 2 1/2 times. The first time I fell was because I was avoiding a wobbly student, ironically I was the one who fell. The second time was because I was trying to discipline a student of mine who was laying in the middle of the rink on his back rolling around and acting silly. As I stopped to say get up - I went down. So that one was technically not my fault. The 1/2 comes from when I was stopping to talk to a parent and started to go down. But I caught myself on my hands and my butt never hit the ground - hence the 1/2! It was pretty embarrasing since it was in front of parents, but I handled it the way I do, by making a joke and insisting it wasn't an actual fall. They laughed and I felt better!

All in all it was a fantastic day! My skills increased throughout the day and I got fairly good! The only pains I have today are both of my ankles from where the skates pressed against and rubbed them, and my left shoulder is a little sore from the 1/2 fall. But it was a blast - not to mention a great workout! I'm looking forward to next year's! Ahhhhh, I love my job! It's the best!

All is well, and rolling smoothly, in Drosche Land.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fair Castle Dr,Cypress,United States

Who Needs To Eat Out?

Ok, so we gave up eating out and sweets for Lent.  I'll be honest it has not been easy.  Not in the least  There is a Jack in the Box at the corner of our neighborhood and I have tons of leftover Valentine's Day candy staring me down every day!  But last night we won a victory over our cravings!  The gas grill we bought the other week as more than paid for itself, especially after dinner last night.  Thursdays are our early days and on the way home, we stopped at HEB and bought fajita meat for about $9.  After about 25 minutes on the grill we were in heaven!  To be modest it was possibly the best fajitas we have ever had, definitely the best we have ever made ourselves (we still love you La Finca).  I am clearly the Grill Master!  :)  Oh, and we grilled an onion to go with it - bliss!  So, fajita meat, an onion, a tomato, an avocado, tortillas, and some cheese (we had everything already but the meat and avocado), what's that?  Maybe $15.  Aside from being half of what we would pay eating out, we have tons of leftovers to reheat and repurpose.  Ahhhhh, victory never tasted so good - literally.  This experience, plus the money we have saved thus far during Lent, has shown us that we need to dramatically cut the amount of fast food we eat.

Now don't get me wrong.  Jack in the Box and his tacos will always hold a special place in my heart and they will remain a part of our lives.  Just not as much.  Eating out and fast food will be special occasional treats.  Good for our wallets, good for our waistlines.  So, Lent is barely half-over if that, but I think we will make it and come out of it for the better.  That's what Lent is all about right?  Spiritual, mental, emotional growth and strength.  We're on the right track!

All is well, and deliciously home-made, in Drosche Land.

Postponed

Well, the adoption seminar has been postponed again! The reason this time is more humorous than the last one. Apparently, when signing up for the webinar, Amy and I both missed the fact that this webinar was in Spanish! Ha! So we will not be attending the webinar tomorrow as planned. This second postponement is indefinite though since there are currently no others scheduled in the near future. But that's fine, just one of the benefits of beginning this process so early. We have more than enough time to wait for the next one. So, once again we wait!

On a positive note, Jack is finally well. After running a moderate fever all weekend he miraculously woke up Monday without one! This is typical with our boys, as I'm sure it is with most kids. Since Amy had already called in, and according to the rules, we kept him home to rest and fully recover. But at least he's better! Kids! Gotta love them!

All is well, and will be rescheduled, in Drosche Land.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fair Castle Dr,Cypress,United States

The Best Laid Plans

Well, I had hoped to be blogging about our trip to the Adoption seminar we signed up for.  However, as it often seems to do, life got in the way and Jack had other plans.  As previously mentioned he began to run a fever Friday/Saturday night that continued all day Saturday, so we decided to skip the seminar and keep him at home.  But then the fever seemed to be dissipating this morning.  WRONG!  It came back with a vengeance this afternoon to the tune of 101.3.  So it seems we made the right decision to stay home.  Poor little guy.  Amy is going to be staying home with him tomorrow and taking him to the doctor.  We are nearly positive it is a virus, of course, but still 3 days of a fever is a bit much.  I say we, but really Amy is the genius who can correctly diagnose the boys with like 98% accuracy.  I go along with her based upon her stellar track record!  But I digress, back to the post at hand.  We have gone online and rescheduled for an online webinar rather than another seminar.  So, this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. we will get to learn more!  I'm not sure what to expect, I'm guessing it will be lots of information about the adoption process itself as a whole since we already attended the one on The Waiting Child program.  I'm excited, we have so long until we actually begin the paperwork of the process and move forward that every little thing up until then just makes it more real and gives us a taste of what's to come.  So, while I was bummed about missing the seminar today, I am over it now since we don't have to wait long until we get to attend the next one.  Woo hoo!

All is well, and rescheduled, in Drosche Land.

How Does Our Garden Grow?

Well, the weather yesterday was beautiful!  It was the perfect day to spend outside.  That is just what we did.  Long before a certain groundhog declared more winter, Amy and I bought a rose tree to put in the backyard in our attempt to regain control over the flower bed.  However, the aforementioned groundhog made his prediction and the dormant rose tree sat in our entry for a few weeks waiting to join our landscape.  Yesterday, its dream came true!  We weeded and turned over the flower bed and planted the rose tree in the back.  Then we decided to go get some more rosebushes to fill out the bed.  Amy has a knack with rosebushes so we have decided to stick with them.  Jack had been up most of the night and woke up with a fever but was playing around all day long.  Of course as we arrive at Lowe's he throws up, luckily in the parking lot.  Thus our easy-going shopping trip was forced into frantic pace as Amy raced in with Braeden to get her roses.  I cleaned up Jack and let him zone out in the car while we waited.  Amy quickly returned with her selections and we decided to get a fruit tree!  I have been wanting one so bad since we moved in and my wonderful wife agreed!.  We ended up getting a nectarine tree and a Meyer Lemon tree.  Jack napped and zoned the entire way home and rested with Amy for the majority of the afternoon while I planted the roses and trees.  Luckily he decided to get up and moving when it was time to straighten and clean up so Amy was able to help a lot with that!  He was fine the rest of the night, and as of right now (fingers crossed) has no fever!  Hopefully he is over it all and we won't have to miss any work.  I stayed home from 931 today with him so he could rest.  Amy would've stayed too but had signed up to give blood beforehand so she and Braeden went to church.  So, we once again have a pleasant looking backyard and that sense of peaceful accomplishment.  I can't wait for our trees to begin bearing fruit, although I know that it will most likely not be this year.  Or will it?  There are a lot of small little bead/ball looking things on the lemon tree already!  Time will tell.  Until then they are beautiful and smell wonderful!

All is well, and green-thumbed, in Drosche Land. 

 

Our nectarine tree!

 
 

 Our little lemon tree!

 
 

Amy's favorite rosebush!  The others are planted in the flower bed!

 
 

Can I get a panda with that?

Ha! So a funny story from yesterday that I forgot to mention in the last post. We were pulling up to school and the sun was just beginning to rise. Braeden asked us where the moon was going since the sun was coming. I told him to China so the people there could go to sleep. Not a bad idea huh? An easy way to work in the tilt and rotation of the earth and day/night for my inquisitive little man. He went with it and said ok. Then Amy and I decided to see what he remembered from our previous discussions about the adoption and the DVD we watched. We asked him what would Mommy and Daddy be going to China to get? His response? "A panda!" Ha! Amy and I had to laugh, but of course we said no a baby sister. To which he responded "What about my panda?"! He's nothing if he's not persistent! At least he knows where pandas come from I guess! Amy and I got a kick out of it. Just one of many funny stories we will have over the next year or so as we move forward with the adoption. We don't talk much about it with them since they are both still young and it's so far away. They are still very much in need of immediate action. In fact we are still getting nearly daily questions about when the Easter Bunny is coming since we put the Easter decorations up a few weeks ago! So, about 2 years is definitely too long for them to wait. But we bring it up every now and then. Just to get them used to the idea. They do sound excited whenever we talk about it! That brings joy to our hearts!

All is well, even without pandas, in Drosche Land.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fair Castle Dr,Cypress,United States

30%

That's the amount of coursework I have finished for my M.Ed.!  I just submitted the final assignment for this course.  I only have 7 more courses to go before I'm done!  Yeah, I know, it's not even halfway there, but things are moving along nicely.  I have to stay upbeat about it somehow.  Online courses are not so bad, definitely a better fit for our schedules right now.  I could not even imagine sitting in actual classes for hours on end with everything else we have going on.  Especially since in Masters courses you only meet once or twice a week for several hours!  I respect the people that have the discipline to pursue it that way (Sarah if you're reading this!), it's just not for me.  Oh yeah, and it's totally free thanks to the state funding we are able to get!  That and I don't have to pay for books, thanks Melanie, because my friend and co-worker has already been through this and lets me borrow her books!  So, I guess there is a lot to be positive about concerning the homework.  Plus, I can't get too down on being only 30% finished when Amy is only 25% finished.  Having those 2 extra courses are a bummer!  Just one more reason why Administration is not the route for me.  I'm perfectly happy with my Reading Specialization!


All is well, though not quite halfway finished, in Drosche Land. 

Coverage!

Victory!  Woo hoo!  No more worries (for a while at least)!  Amy called our insurance this morning regarding the worries I wrote about last night (see Insurance Worries).  Good news!  There is no such thing as "pre-existing conditions" when it comes to adoption, this includes international adoption!  As long as we file the paperwork to add our child to our insurance within 30 days of finalizing the adoption we are good and the child is covered!  Ahhhh, I can breath a sigh of relief and sleep well tonight thanks to the efforts of my wonderful wife!  So, one less worry to have to face as we proceed with the adoption process.  It is good to know that no matter what special need our child will have, they will be covered and we will be able to provide proper medical care no matter what is needed.  Definitely a prayer answered here!  I love good news!
 
Overall a good day too, outside of the good news just mentioned.  One cute story came about.  Students from the UT Dental School came and visited classrooms to talk about brushing and good dental hygiene.  Braeden was very excited about it.  Brushing used to be a huge drama for us but has gotten better.  Truth be told though, even though I feel like a horrible parent for it, I totally forgot to have the boys brush tonight.  It was  a late night and we rushed into bed.  However, about 45 minutes later I hear Braeden calling over the monitor.  I go in to check on him and he says, "I forgot to brush my teeth Daddy.  The dentist said you have to brush your teeth before you go to bed."  HA!  I cracked up!  So, I let them get out of bed to brush their teeth, using their new brushes and toothpaste they received at school.  It was so cute, but at least he was obviously listening.  Next step is to take them to the dentist!  Ugh!  I know they should probably have already gone and I feel horrible for not having taken them yet, but it is just major drama we have not had the courage to face.  I foresee much weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Not to mention the fact that Braeden has a super sensitive gag reflex so who knows the problems that will bring about!  We have a great dentist (plug for Dr. Daniel Bellinger!) but have just not taken the plunge yet.  This summer might be a good time for that, we will see.  I can't even begin to think of that just yet!  Well, time to sign off, another good day!
 
All is well, and covered, in Drosche Land.

More iPhone Pictures

As you know I love my iPhone! I am never without it. That would explain the numerous pictures I have on it. I love it, I don't have to worry about carrying a camera everywhere or missing spur of the moment things! Here are some more treasures of my boys!





They loved the flamingoes when we got flocked!





They both LOVE Spider-Man! This was after one of Braeden's friend's birthday at school.

All is well, and picture-perfect, in Drosche Land.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fair Castle Dr,Cypress,United States

Insurance Worries

So, now that Amy and I have decided that adoption through the China Waiting Child Program is right for us, we are presented with a new set of questions/worries.  Insurance.  Will insurance cover any medical needs our child has?  Will they deem any special needs as "pre-existing"?  What insurance hurdles, if any, do we face as we proceed?  Amy tried to call this evening but was given the answer of calling our insurance company directly.  Well, of course Murphy's Law would have it that we found this out after the close of the business day.  So we must wait until tomorrow.  That is, if we can even be given a direct answer tomorrow when Amy calls.  Of course I am a bundle of worries!  If insurance does not cover costs of future medical needs, that throws a serious wrench into our plans as obviously we would not be able to financially support many things.  So, I worry.  Amy says not to, it's senseless to worry about something we know nothing about.  But, I worry.  What if?  What if?  What if?  Will this become my new mantra throughout this adoption process?  I fear the answer is a resounding yes!  But I take a deep breath and proceed with prayer as Amy calls insurance again tomorrow!  I hope she receives a positive answer right away without further drama.  We shall see though.  Did I mention that until then I worry?  I worry. I'm generally a positive, rosy-colored glasses, glass half-full person.  But this process brings out the anxious worrier in me.  I want it so badly, the possibility that something could impede it scares me.  So, I worry.  Useless I know, but I do.  Hopefully tomorrow will bring a post alleviating all of the fears and worries expressed in this one.  

Other than that though, today was quite a good day!  It seems as though last week, and the drama it brought, are slowly slipping behind us!  It was a late night for us, but the day is drawing to a quiet and peaceful ending.  So, I end this post as I began: worrying.  Happy, but worrying.  Off to bed to think and pray more about the phone call Amy will make tomorrow.  

All is well, though worried, in Drosche Land.