Catching Up

Phew! It has been a crazy month! October always seems to be jam-packed with traveling and celebrations and even a short vacation, and this month has followed suit. Here's a quick update on the goings-on in our neck of the woods.

Last weekend we attended our sixth Austin City Limits with good friends. Eric and I have made it an annual trip with Jennifer, one of our closest friends, and this trip proved to be adventurous. We had so much fun and caught some of our favorite bands at the Festival. We'd live in Austin if we could, and maybe one day we will, but right now our roots seem to be growing deeper in Oklahoma. It was lovely to see our best friends Ashley and Ryan Akers and Marcos and Camille Acosta. Had we had a little more time, we would have caught up with the rest of our crew, but we will next weekend when we head to Lubbock for sweet Becca's wedding (more on that later). The weather was good (minus the torrential downpour that struck Saturday afternoon), the food was delicious, and the company was spectacular!

This weekend I'm headed to Fort Worth to celebrate with our good friends Jordon and David. Their wedding is right around the corner, and so the celebrating has begun! Couples' shower this weekend, the bachelor/bachelorette parties are coming up, and then the wedding is in Austin on December 29. It's all so excited, and Eric and I are both thrilled for David and Jordon. Now, if my bridesmaid dress would only get here!

Last but not least, Jennifer and I will trek to Lubbock next weekend to celebrate with Ryan and Becca and the rest of the girls at the Templeton/McPhetridge wedding! I had some fabulous help in finding the perfect dress and gold shoes, and I've seen a sneak peek of Becca in her dress and it's gorgeous. It's going to be a fun weekend, and I'm so glad to have another chance to see all of my best college friends. I think this year might hold the record for the most times we've seen each other since college. I hope this pattern continues!

An update on the adoption front: We are patiently waiting for our approved/signed home study report to come in the mail. Our social worker, Heather Hope, has been so great to work with. With the report ready to go, we have begun compiling the rest of our paperwork. There's so much to do, but it all seems to be coming together. I had a very small pity party recently with how slow the process seems to be but was quickly reminded that someone greater than me is in control, and all things are going just as they should be. Before we know it, we'll be bringing home Baby T!

Home Sweet Home Study, or Babyproofing 101

Photo credit goes to: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=baby+proofing&view=detail&id=A124CF294109AA9BB3402A9DEA7E19F6DD22CD24&first=36

"Ha, babies!" (Tina Fey, "Bossypants")

When it comes to babyproofing the home, there is an endless amount of precaution one can take: socket protectors, cabinet locks, toilet seat locks, doorknob covers, table bumpers, rubber ducky faucet protector, etc., etc., etc. As I worked late into the night, crawling on my hands and knees so that I could, following the advice of the experts (who are the experts anyway?!), view my home from "a child's perspective," I realized we would all be safer bringing children home to padded rooms than the death traps that are our houses. Don't worry; after the brief moment in which I lost complete touch with reality, I called it a night and came back to my senses. As Eric and I have diligently prepared for our home study, I realized that what my mom has always told me is true: With your children, you try your best to protect them; you do what you can, but at the end of the day, it's not in your hands. Honestly, I can't wait for the day that my brilliant son is "taking a bath" in the toilet or attempting to brush our Labradoodle's teeth with his toothbrush, because that will mean he's home with us, safe and sound.

With a TON of help from my mom, Rhenea, we got our house (including the garage, every closet, drawer, cabinet, nook, and cranny) cleaned out, organized, and safe in record time: four days. We worked from sunup to sundown (literally, just ask my mom) and were exhausted but rewarded each day by the prospect of a baby moving in soon. I have been putting off purging closets and drawers for quite some time, and I finally cut ties with many pieces of clothing I have been holding on to for those "what if I'm in this particular situation at this time of year and need to wear a __________," including but not limited to my first "power" suit with shoulder pads Suzanne Sugarbaker would be proud of (If you are unfamiliar with Suzanne Sugarbaker, I suggest you Google "Designing Women" right this instant.); a hot pink broomstick skirt; and the purple dress I wore for my high school graduation...in 2001. After numerous trips to Home Depot/Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Target, and Sonic, we got everything in tip-top shape. There were even a few adventures, including a hornets' nest, a near broken nose, and a mishap with a staple gun, the details of which I will take to my grave.

For those of you who are anticipating (and probably freaking out about, just as I did) a home study, I have some advice: Breathe. I can't count the times my mom, Eric, and our good friends reminded me of this simple, life-sustaining practice--just breathe. With this, coupled with an unending amount of kindness, love, and gracious understanding from those we love most, we did it!

We were extremely blessed to meet our social worker, Heather. If you're an Oklahoman looking for an AMAZING social worker to conduct your home study, I've got the gal for you. The first time I spoke to Heather on the phone, I felt like I was talking to someone I had known my whole life. She was understanding and more than willing to answer my constant barrage of questions. She talked us through the process and really took the time to get to know us (especially during the 4.5 hours she was in our home on Friday). Some people say their social worker knows them better than anyone else, and I absolutely agree; I can't think of anyone better than Heather to guide us through this exciting process.

St. Francis of Assisi said, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." This Friday, Eric and I are headed to Dimmitt, Texas, my hometown, to participate in 4th and Bedford Church of Christ's Summer Celebration. The theme of the Celebration is "PUSH": Push yourself beyond a life of complacency and answer God's charge. We have an amazing opportunity to share our story and our plans to travel to the DRC to spread God's Word and bring home our baby boy. We are humbled that James has included us in this opportunity and pray that God will be glorified through our testimony. We are so excited to share our journey and hope to educate others about adoption and the opportunities we have as Christians to ease the suffering of the sad and broken, whether in our hometown or on the other side of the world. Hope to see you all there!

On the Fourth of July

Photo by Eric

"And the smell of the smoke and the lay of the land 

And the feeling of finding one's heart in one's hand

And the tiny tin voice of the radio band singing "Love must stand..." 

Love forever and ever must stand

On the Fourth of July." 

-James Taylor, "On the Fourth of July"

Happy Fourth of July! As I write this, I can hear hundreds (maybe thousands...) of fireworks soaring into the night sky. It's lovely to think of our freedom, of those who have and continue to sacrifice so much for us, including very dear friends and family members. A HUGE thank you to all of you! It's because of you that we can look forward to bringing a child home to this amazing country. 

We had an absolutely lovely weekend with two of my favorite people in the world, Ryan and Ashley. They drove in from Austin on Saturday and stayed until Tuesday morning, when the real world demanded we cut our party short. On Saturday night Jennifer joined us before leaving for Tremaine Dance Workshop at the Gaylord Texan, and so we took a short drive to Okarche to eat at Eischen's. We were able to muscle ourselves a table (which is a little stressful for me, I admit) and had fried chicken and okra. If you haven't been, you absolutely should; you won't be hungry for a week...or at least until the next day, like we were. We visited Tucker's Onion Burgers for supper on Sunday and then went to the Myriad Gardens for the Summer Jazz Concert series. Again, if you haven't gone, you should! The weather was awesome, and the band was really good, especially their cover of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Monday we swam and visited the Wedge, which was absolutely delicious; even Ryan said so, and he should know. Overall, it was a fabulous weekend, and I am so glad we were able to spend a few days together, relaxing and reminiscing.

Right now we are preparing for our home study and continuing to compile mounds of paperwork. Our home study is July 27, and even though everyone I've talked to who has gone through it before says, "Hey, don't worry about your home study. Just make sure you (fill in the blank)...," I'm still a little panicked. Okay, A LOT panicked. I've cleaned out almost every drawer, closet, and cabinet, and I'm amazed that a) I've found lots of little things I forgot I was looking for; b) we've collected so much stuff that we might be on the next episode of "Hoarders"; and c) I've managed to "hide" Eric's passport, my birth certificate, and the deed to our home in the most illogically logical place. I'm sure I will find it eventually; I'm sure it's all tucked away safely, right beside my brain.

If you're looking for something to do on Friday night, specifically between 7:00 and 9:00, Eric has a photography show at T, An Urban Teahouse, located at 7518 North May Avenue in Oklahoma City. He has taken some really beautiful photos, and he's working hard right now getting boards cut and photos mounted. I even chipped in for a little bit, until I couldn't handle the feeling of sandpaper a second longer. I am really excited about the work he has chosen to share. The folks at T have been gracious enough to allow him to show, and all proceeds from the show will go toward our adoption. With our home study on the horizon and our dossier near completion (okay, okay, "near" is a relative term, right?), we are getting closer and closer to bringing our little guy home. We don't know him yet, and while we do have a name picked out, for the the time being we are calling him "Baby T," which is apropos, don't you think?   

Photo from http://www.urban-teahouse.com/T_Urban_Teahouse/Home.html

Home Sweet Home Study

Hello! We haven't had much to report lately, but I guess it's time to post that we've found our social worker, and our home study is planned for July 27! We have been planning and working frantically to get things in order for this much-awaited day. I have been scouring sites with tips and tricks for preparing for the home study, and we recently raided the Ikea Home Safety section for socket protectors and cabinet/drawer locks. After a fun evening with our Marriage Mentor group from church (five kids under the age of 10 included), I realized that our house is not yet baby proof!

Other than preparing for the home study, we are right in the middle of "the Great Paper Chase." We are working on compiling our dossier and scheduling doctors' appointments, getting fingerprinted, and praying for sanity. There is so much to accomplish, and our summer schedules are just not allowing the time we need to sit down and focus. I am looking forward to a quiet weekend at home while Eric is in Austin at an Art Educators conference, and my good friends Jennifer and Kalyn have graciously offered to come and help me purge closets and drawers and work on paperwork.

My parents, Gary and Rhenea, came down a few weekends ago for cousins James and Sarah's wedding. We had a lovely time with the Baker side of the family, and we were so happy to celebrate with James and Sarah!

I hope you're all having a wonderful summer!

Thunder!

Now that finals are done and the semester is over, I have a short break, so I hope to post more! Some of Eric's friends say that he manages to squeeze twenty-six hours out of every day; I'm still waiting for him to impart that wisdom so that I can have the same luxury!

The Oklahoma City Thunder have made it into the playoffs! This has been an exciting year for OKC's team, and we have had so much fun going to the games. We decided to renew our season tickets for next year, so we have begun collecting Thunder gear for our little guy. The Rumble t-shirt on the left is from a fantastic local boutique in Oklahoma City called Collected Thread, run by friends Adam and Lindsay Zodrow. It's a great place for handmade gifts, and I highly recommend it. (Shameless plug: Check out Lindsey's site at http://www.collectedthread.com/ and go shopping!)

I think what we have been most excited about is the Rumble backpack, center. We have said all season long that we would definitely get one before play ended. At the last game Eric attended, he had all intentions of picking one up on his way out. Lo and behold, Rumble backpacks were sold out! I experienced my first "to what lengths will I go to to find a (insert highly sought-after toy, game, movie, video game, etc., here) for my child?!" moment and remembered my parents' story of forgetting my Care Bear, the only thing on my Christmas list. Upon arriving at my grandparents' house, they made the discovery, and, after much thought, my dad decided to drive the forty-five miles back to our hometown in a white-out blizzard just so I could open the Care Bear on Christmas morning. Although I did not have to put that much effort into finding Rumble, I understand how you felt, Mom and Dad. After two mall stops and some quick thinking, I ordered Rumble from www.nbathundershop.com, and Rumble came a few days later. Phew, crisis averted!

So now, an update on where we are in our process: We just received our login and password information for our online education. We have to complete ten hours, and then we'll be able to set up our home study. We visited Ikea a few weeks ago and now have socket protectors and cabinet and drawer pull contraptions running out our ears. We are working on baby-proofing; if any of you would like to donate your small children for an afternoon to help us find out our weak spots, let us know! I have also begun to find inspiration for the nursery, which we will start on soon. We've got our crib choices narrowed down, and I have the recycled Sari blanket Eric gave me for Christmas as well. We're getting there, slowly but surely! We have two months to compile our first "mailer," which includes our home study approval and dossier. If you don't know what a dossier is, let me tell you: A dossier is basically a paper record of everything that has ever happened to you in your life. Ever. I'm sure there's a line in the fine print that asks us to list what we had for supper on January 17, 1997, and we will go to great lengths to ensure that info is there. I'm quickly learning that adoption is not for the faint of heart, but we have the love and support of some fabulous people!

We were so glad to be able to have lunch with a family friend, Todd McRay, this week. He performed our wedding and has shown us such love, support, and guidance throughout the last few years. I'm headed to Dallas this weekend to an engagement celebration for Sarah, who will marry my cousin James this summer. Photos to come. 

Eric has three more weeks of school left, and then he will slow down...haha, yeah right! He will be teaching art workshops at City Arts for kids, and he'll continue to work at Blue Seven. He's got several projects going and has some photo shoots and art shows in the works as well, so he'll stay pretty busy. I have a three-week break before I start an online class, and I will be doing summer camps with GEAR UP for SUCCESS in the month of June. It's going to be a busy summer, but I will definitely make time for the pool, and we hope to have a couple of weekend trips to visit friends and family.

Hello, April!

Hope this finds all of you well. Kylie and I are doing great--very busy with work and school--but all is well. We are continuing to be patient in our journey to bring our little guy home. We were hugely blessed last weekend at Blue Seven's 9th Birthday Bash. So many people we hold near and dear to our hearts came out to help us fundraise, and we were quickly reminded that we are truly blessed by the good people. We cannot express the gratitude we have for all of you who came out and celebrated with and supported us. Your contributions were more than we could ever hope for, and your continued love and support are awesome.

We are ready for summer vacation! It's hard to believe April is here, and summer months are just around the corner. I am currently in the middle of tennis season, and Kylie is finishing up her semester. She will begin her internship in the fall and her last year of graduate school. All of these things keep our minds busy as we continue to pray and anticipate the arrival of our little guy.

We are headed to Austin this weekend to celebrate the marriage of two of our best friends. We hope to get to Dimmitt this month to visit the Webb and Baker clan. I think we could both benefit from some of Rhenea's home cooking. This weekend also brings my best friend Jonathon home from Kuwait. We have been waiting for this day for quite some time and are so glad it's finally here. We can't wait to celebrate with Emily and Jo.

That's about all that's going on in our neck of the woods. We hope you're all doing well and are looking forward to the (much) warmer weather. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we get closer to our home study and patiently make our way through this amazing journey.

Lots of love,
Eric and Kylie adoption,

Happy 9th Birthday, Blue Seven!

One of our favorite places to shop in Oklahoma City is Blue Seven, a local boutique owned by Caleb and Julie Arter, who are also two of our favorite people. Saturday, March 24, is their annual birthday bash, and they want to celebrate with YOU! They have been so kind to include us in their celebration by donating proceeds from all sales to our adoption funds and hosting a silent auction in our honor, and we will never be able to adequately express our gratitude to them.

The silent auction will take place at the store, and some items will be available through Facebook (search Blue Seven) and Twitter (@blue_7). Be sure to visit Blue Seven tomorrow between 11:00am and 7:00pm for shopping and delicious food. Cupcakes To GoGo will be handing out FREE cupcakes, and the Waffle Champion truck is coming; who doesn't love cupcakes and chicken in waffle cones?!

Here are a just a few of the silent auction items:

The cutest pair of Tiny Toms with hand-sewn Red Thread detailing, size 4 

Hand-sewn Red Thread leather bracelets, by Eric

Hand-mounted photographs of Eric's favorite tree

Not pictured is an awesome gift basket of Sebastien hair products and a free haircut, valued at over $200, donated by Krista Shaver, owner of Salon Evolve in Edmond. I have been getting my hair done by Krista for years, and she is the best! Book an appointment today at Salon Evolve, 1050 East 2nd Street, 405.410.6213.

Come celebrate with us and the awesome folks of Blue Seven! 

Blue Seven is located at 7518 North May Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Welcome, 2012!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord...."

Eric and I are so excited that you are a part of our little blog family. We are extremely joyful and proud to announce that we are adding a little one to our family through adoption. We are in the very early stages of the process, and this blog will be updated as we make our way through this exciting journey. Stay tuned for updates and photos; it's going to be a very exciting 2012!

Love,
Eric & Kylie

2011 in Review

This past year has been a very busy one. Here are just a few highlights to catch you up:

I was accepted into the Community Counseling master's program at the University of Oklahoma. I officially began classes in June and completed summer and fall semesters. I began the Spring 2012 semester on January 17, and life has gotten a little more hectic. I will continue to see clients in OU's clinic, and with fifteen hours, I will be hitting the books pretty hard. It's a good thing Eric knows his way around the kitchen! I am continuing to work at the K20 Center as a Phase IV Student Specialist on the GEAR UP for SUCCESS grant, one of the many operating under the K20 Center. My role is student outreach, educating a cohort of sophomore students about college awareness and readiness. We travel to the many different college campuses around the state. I am really learning Oklahoma's geography well...for the most part. I love my coworkers. We work hard, but we always have time for fun.

Eric is back in full swing, teaching art classes at Putnam City West High School. He will begin coaching his second tennis season this semester. Last semester, his cross country team did very well; he took two runners to the State meet, a first for PC West. Eric will travel to New York in February, as he is President-Elect for the Oklahoma Art Educators Association (OAEA). While in New York, he'll learn the ins and outs of the association and understand better what is expected of him as president; his term will begin in 2013. This is the second out-of-state trip he will have taken for OAEA; last year he drove to Seattle for a convention. Eric has become an avid photographer in the past two years, and he was able to take gorgeous photographs of his trip and had a wonderful time while he was there. He documented his trip, and you can check out his photos on his Facebook profile and on Instagram by searching for @i_like_boring_things.

In September, we celebrated Eric's thirtieth birthday party with some of our best friends. I threw a carnival-themed party in the backyard, where we enjoyed hamburgers and cotton candy, as well as an outdoor movie. Most of all, we enjoyed celebrating with our closest Oklahoma friends. Here are just a few photos, taken by our good friend Chris Fuertes:

Cotton Candy!

Good food and great friends!

Happy 30th, Eric!

We enjoyed the holidays and the time out of classes and school. We spent Christmas with the Webbs in Dimmitt, Texas. Mom cooked a lot, while Dad and Kurt entertained us. It was wonderful to get to spend time with Pop and Nana, and we had an exciting Christmas Eve get-together with Granddaddy and G-Dorothy, as well as the whole Nutt clan. We rounded out the holiday by spending a day in Pauls Valley with Greg and Dorothy. We visited with Derrick, played with our niece Cassidy, and had supper at Tio's. We spent New Year's Day with Linda and Anna and the Christensons. The girls are getting so big! We were happy to see Shawn for a few minutes but missed the rest of the Laws family. Here are a few shots from the holidays:

Gary and his first OU t-shirt 

Webbs and Lyons, Christmas 2012 (and Izzy in the corner)

Eric, Kylie, Amy, Shawn, Linda, & Anna, New Year's Day 2012

We just returned from a long weekend celebrating our sixth anniversary in Beaver's Bend. The old adage is true: "Time flies when you're having fun." It is hard to believe that we've been married this long, and we look forward to many more years together. Here are a couple of shots from our weekend:

We have now been in our home for five and a half years this month, and this past year we began redecorating: painting, putting in wood flooring, changing decor, et cetera. We have both found a passion for antique shopping and adding different pieces to our rooms that add a little character. There is still much to be accomplished before we are finished, and it's highly likely that, once everything is just the way we want it, we'll start all over again!

The room we are focusing on now is Eric's art room, stocked with his supplies, an antique drafting table, camera equipment, and music posters on the walls. This year, this room will undergo an extreme transformation, from art room to nursery! Through much prayer and consideration, Eric and I have decided to add a little one to our family by way of adoption from the Democratic Republic of Congo, located in the heart of Africa. This is a very exciting time in our life, and we are so happy to share it with you. We are very early in the process, and there is much to look forward to and accomplish, but we know that we will be unable to undergo this process without love, support, and prayers from all of you. We will update this blog regularly, from what is going on in our day-to-day lives to where we are in the adoption process.

We hope your 2012 is off to a great start! Check back regularly for updates.

Lots of love,
Eric and Kylie