Where has the time gone?

It's been awhile since I've updated once again. We took Maegan to the park to feed the ducks, again. Not too much for kids to here, but she really loves going to feed them.

She was racing Wayland to the swings. She was running so fast she was losing her pants!

Daddy swinging Maegan. She sings non-stop. The other night she sang for 30 straight minutes until she put herself to sleep. Her sitter says she does that everyday at naptime.

Daddy's Princess

Playing dress up in a Cinderella dress

Her favorite food is pizza with Ranch dressing. She can put the pizza away.

We went to a birthday party and there was a clown there doing facepaintings for the kids. She kept saying that the clown was scary. She wanted her face painted though, so she made Daddy go with her. She picked the butterfly.

Maegan's Halloween costume in it's beginning stages. Nanny made her a Dorothy dress. It is so cute on her. I can't wait to post pics of the Guatemalan Dorothy. (or Dortie as she says) We have to watch the Wizard of Oz every single night.

Maegan & Baby Kaeden taking a bath in the sink. She loves helping with him. She has pretty much gotten over the jealousy of us holding him. She was brushing his hair last night so gently. She sings to him & he just watches and listens with the biggest smile. She is going to make a great big sister. We're still working on the be easy part.

August 18th was the 2yr anniversary of Maegan getting out of PGN!! Her 2yr anniversary of being home is right around the corner! Kaeden is the same age Maegan was when she came home. I can hardly remember her that small! (actually she was a wee bit smaller! he's a healthy boy!)

The 3 Musketeers!!!

Grant, Maegan & Ian!! They had a blast playing together again.

Daddy helping Maegan onto the slide. She is such a Daddy's girl. I love to watch them together. He is so gentle with her and jumps up everytime she falls like she is a fragile doll.

She was confused. She thought it was a baseball & bat.

Daddy to the rescue! He showed her the "proper" way to hold a club. He is preparing for the upcoming golf tournment for Triumph for Trevor!

Hugs! These 3 couldn't get enough of eachother.

I have no idea what Grant is telling Maegan, but he isn't joking!!

Maegan watching the Jr. UFC fight. Don't let Grant's little fisique fool ya!

Break time.

Grant showing his Power Ranger kick.

OOPPSS! Cracked the egg!

Frustrations of this Adoptive Mama!!

Let me break it down for you what us Adoptive Parents have to do to be "ready" for a baby or child.

1) Questionnaires out the wazoo, consisting of everything you have been doing for up to the last 10 yrs, criminal history, employment,where you've lived,where your parents live,hobbies,lifestyle,hair,eyes & skin color,where & when were you married, if you are not married why, financial status broken down to monthly expenses of rent/mortgage,food,clothing,medical dental,transportation,recreation,child care expenses,utilities,car payments,car insurance payments,credit cards and loans,monthly income,assests,life insurance,medical history,psychological testing,counseling,martial history.

You still with me?

2)copy of marriage licenses and birth certificates, 3 letters of references from family or friends(but not all 3 can be from family members, so you have to go find at least 1 friend)

3)Statewide criminal history check on each adult in the home. Yeah, they don't go on your word. You have to be fingerprinted and have the fingerprints sent to the State in which you reside.

4)Statewide child abuse and neglect check on each adult in the home.

5)Verification of income. (recent pay check stubs and/or most recent 1040 tax returns)

Still not takin your word!

6)Verification of medical insurance.(Statement of summary of benefits)

7)Proof of life insurance

8)Statement for health on all members of the household. This one is so fun to do! You get to go to your doctor and have him sign the letter you've so graciously typed for him and make sure he signs his name pretty and you can interpret every single letter.

If anyone reading this knows who my doctor is, you are laughing as you imagine me explaining the rules to him on the correct way to signing his name and can actually hear him cussing a blue streak!! Gotta love him though!

9)Safety/fire/health inspection of your home.(to be completed by Social Worker)

10)RECENT PET VACCINATIONS!!!!

11)copy of both of your driver's licenses

12)over 100 pictures of you and your spouse, and 6-7 with your child. Yes, there are rules on the pics too!

p.s. there is a time limit in which all of this has to be completed.

And can you believe people actually make the comment,"you took the easy way out by adopting"

Really? Are you kidding me? Mamas who are adopting DO GET HORMONAL PEOPLE!

When your heart aches for a child, all of this is a breeze to complete! I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, because I am not one bit. This is how we brought our beautiful princess home. If we had the financial means we would keep adopting! That is our dream!

My argument is what do parents do to become "ready" for a child? There is no age limit.(as there now is in China) No background check on child abuse or neglect,proof of finiancial stability or mental stability, home studies to make sure your home meets the standards of brining a child into your home. Yes, America is the land of the free and home of the brave, but IN MY OPINION, if there were some regulations implemented horror stories such as: children being left at home alone for days without food, babies left in the car outside of nightclubs while parents are partying it up, or the most recent bizarre, mind boggling story of Caylee Anthony would decrease. I would no longer have to take skeletal survey x-rays of children that are suspected of abuse. In a perfect world....

Sunday Sun

The picture on the box was really cool. Actually, this pool was a pain. The water didn't sprinkle down, instead it collapsedthe top of the palm tree onto us. So we disconnected the water, then the wind kept blowing the top and side "trees" into the pool. So we ditched the top of the palm tree.

Maegan is really into playing pretend. She is under the BarBQ pit asking all of us what flavor we want. I think we were getting ice cream?

Sun bathing.

She said she was taking a nap.

Maegan found a new game. Mom fills the bucket with the plastic balls and she throws them at us as hard as possible. Toddler dodgeball? She had a blast in the pool. She is back at Rhonda's house and boy can you tell a difference. She is so excited to go and cries in the afternoon when we come to pick her up. No more accidents or moodiness. (well the moodiness has gotten better)Just all around a happier girl.