Trick or Treat!

Tonight we had a great night out trick or treating with Benjamin! We couldn't have asked for nicer weather. It was a little strange going out while it was still light this year! As you can see Benjamin was a Phillies baseball player. He wore his Ryan Howard shirt. It worked out great for him--there were a couple of different houses that said alright a Phillies player you can have a couple pieces of candy! Afterwards we helped him go through his candy--tough job, but someone has to do it. We're all on sugar highs!

Keeping His Tonsils For Now...

Thanks to all of you out there that were praying for Benjamin this morning! This morning I took Benjamin to an ENT concerning his reoccurring strep throat. The doctor said he was on the fence as far as removing Benjamin's tonsils at this point. He gets to keep them for now (thank you!!!), however Dr. Belser said if Benjamin gets strep throat 2 more times in the next months he recommends that he has his tonsils removed. We were both relieved! We are praying for no more strep! Since Benjamin was missing lunch at school I said we would go out. His request--a happy meal from McDonald's. Happy day!

Pumpkin Fun...

Over the weekend we stopped at the famous (in this area anyway) pumpkin wagon. All of the pumpkins are $1. No matter the size! Big or small--$1. Sounds like the commercials for the Dollar Store. We got a really big one to carve. Tonight while Brent had a meeting Benjamin and I had some fun. He designed his pumpkin face and I carved it out. Check out the pumkin's beard and hair Benjamin added with marker. We even scooped out the seeds and are roasting them as we speak. Yum! We can't wait to have some for a snack tonight! I love fall-- pumpkins, mums, apples, and the beautiful cool crisp weather we've been having!. They are all great!

Strep Throat Season!

Ugh! Yes, poor Benjamin has strep throat again, and I'm not in the running for mom of the year. Yesterday he complained about a sore throat, but I told him it was probably the dry air in our house as my throat was scratchy too (I have a sinus infection). He woke up this morning saying his throat was really sore. I used the whole--" if you don't go to school today you can't play soccer or go to Wed night clubs." A couple of hours later we were at the pediatrician's office begging for 20 minutes to let them do a throat culture. After almost hyperventilating, sweating so much he had sweat stains at his armpits, and talking to his Daddy on the phone, the nurse was finally able to get a culture (and just enough considering he bit down on the stick and took it out of his mouth!). Sure enough he tested positive. Well, I felt like a terrible mom...just a scratchy dry throat. You think I'd know by now. He has now had strep throat 4 times in less then 6 months. We now have an appointment next Wednesday to see an ENT--throat specialist. His tonsils may need to be removed. When hearing that, Benjamin was quite distraught again. Needless to say I'm making up for my bad misjudgement with milkshakes, homemade chicken corn soup, and lots of TLC!

My Baby Is Growing Up...

and clearly no longer a baby! Yesterday, Brent decided it was time for Benjamin to learn how to mow the yard. Benjamin was sooooo excited! Brent started a path so Benjamin would know where to mow. He did an amazing job! He was out there talking and singing to himself. He told us this morning if he saw a skipper he would back up and make sure he got it. Quite the little perfectionist! He has already asked if he can mow the yard the next time! Let's just hope that his enthusiasm keeps up for the years to come! For all those worrisome grandmas out there, he did not mow on any hills, and as soon as he would let go of the handles the mower shuts off. I was reassured that it was a safe mower for him to use! :-)

Another Runner In The Family...

On Sunday Benjamin ran in a 1/2 mile Championship Cross Country Race (this was the official title of the race). How did he get there? A couple of weeks ago he ran in his school district's 1/2 mile Fun Run. He ran against 3rd grade boys from all four elementary schools in our school district. The top 5 in each race were invited to the championship run. He place 5th so he was excited about getting the invite. When we arrived Sunday afternoon he was so excited, because he was given a running number just like his mom. We had a fun time cheering him on along with both sets of grandparents! He placed 6th and was very happy with that. He said "if only I had gotten in the top 5 then my picture would have been in the paper." We were very proud of him. He did a great job! The pics above are of him pre-race and then after the race with his ribbon. The other picture is his racing number. He asked that I take a pic and post it like I did for mine. :-) His other request was to post this--"you know mom you ran a race and I ran a race, now it's Daddy's turn to run a race."

Unofficial October Adoption Update

We haven't received the "official" word from Bethany yet, however the CCAA's website has been updated showing that they matched families with LID's through November 30, 2005. CCAA is China's official website showing the date that they have matched families with referrals and the date they are at as far as reviewing dossiers (official paperwork that was sent to China). As an FYI we have been out of the review room since February 2006. We are waiting to be matched in the matching room. There really isn't much more to say. Our agency update just lets us know what date they got to this month as well as how the wait painfully increases. We already know that! We are however anxious for some friends of ours from church. There LID is December 5, 2005. They should receive their referral next month. It's exciting to us, because it makes it all the more real. We'll keep you posted with another adoption update in November. Like the new adoption ticker? Moving at a snail's pace! Laughter is the best medicine!