Happy Belated Thanksgiving

I hope that you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. Sorry again for the delay in posting, but honestly, my life has been a whirlwind in the last 4 to 6 weeks. I feel like life is flying by me these days and I'm struggling to keep up. We did get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my sister and her family and boy did we have a lot to be thankful for.

I did finally get a job. I'm working in a totally different industry so it's been quite overwhelming since I started. My days are longer than what I was used to too! I leave the house at 7:15 AM and I don't get home until 5:30 or so. I hate the longer days, but I need a job too. I know we will get into a new routine and things will get easier, but these last few weeks have been very difficult and I'm exhausted! I miss spending time with the kids and I feel so rushed at night when I get home. I pray that God will help me get through it.

We had to say good-bye to Dave's grandfather who passed away last Tuesday. Grandpop would have been 93 years old in February. He has really deteriorated over the last couple of years and was no longer living a quality life. We attended his viewing and funeral service today. My fondest memory of him was his relationship with Jake. Jake really seemed to take to him when he was younger and I can picture Jake sitting on "PopPop Beanies" (Jake couldn't pronounce Cipollini) lap giving him a high five and doing slide which is when you slide your hands across the other persons hand. It was so cute. Grandpop came across as this tough old man but he really had a soft heart. I've seen him cry a few times, especially when giving Grandmom a sentimental gift or something. Grandpop was never the same when Grandmom died unexpectedly 6+ years ago. I'm surprised Grandpop lived 6+ years without her. We all thought he would never survive her death. I pray that PopPop is reunited with his love. We will miss you PopPop Beanie!

Our agency visited our home early November to do our 6 month post placement home study. Hard to believe it's only been 6 months. It feels like we've had Rachel forever! She is doing great and saying more and doing more. She keeps us on our toes for sure! She gets attention no matter where we go. She has this outgoing and adorable personality. You should see her at church. She puts on a show for everyone. We attend the 11:00 AM contemporary service where the music is a little more upbeat and she will dance her heart away. It's so cute to watch and everyone wants to just eat her up! LOL! Don't get me wrong, we do have a spicy girl on our hands! She lets you know when she's not happy or if you are bugging her. Poor Jake, he gets the brunt of it most times. Jake loves her so much, but he gets in her face too much. She let's him know with a swat or a pinch. She's getting a little better with the pinching, although she got me good on my cheek today because I wouldn't put her down. She knows when she's in trouble because I give her an evil look and she will rub my face and say niiii (nice). We've been using the time out method too. Her heart gets broken when we put her in time out. I can't look at her because I can't take the pouty lips and the tears. I am a softy sometimes. She's only 15 months old and she already knows how to work it!

Well, I hope you enjoy some updated photos.