Some Kellsey Kuteness

These were from yesterday. I have more, but Frank and I are off to soak up the sunshine in the city, while it's here!!! Hope you all are having a great Saturday morning!

My girl is becoming QUITE the camera ham! hahaha

Court Date!!!!

We got our court date today! We will go to court on Tuesday, November 10th at 9:30am! This is when Kellsey will officially forever become a Garcia! YES! This is way, WAY, WAY faster than we expected (which is awesome!) so plans are changing a bit.

First, the 10 day wait will not be waived. No such luck there. No worries though. So originally the plan was for BOTH of us to fly home after court and for Frank to fly back after the 10 day wait to finish up and bring Kellsey home. Because court is happening SO much faster than we originally thought, our plans have been revised.

I will fly home on Wednesday, November 11th, by myself. Frank will stay here. He has enough leave to do this now. This will not only save us the cost of his second plane ticket, but it will allow him to continue to visit Kellsey as much as possible. After the 10 day wait, he will get all the other stuff done required to bring her home. This consists of her medical, passport, birth certificate, visa and a bunch of other stuff. At some point he will be able to get her out of the baby home forever and bring her back to the apartment here. We're not sure yet when that is. If all continues to go smoothly, Frank and Kellsey should fly home together the beginning of December sometime.

We are praising God for how smoothly everything has gone here. As most of you know, our process up until this point has been stressful and frustrating and has had a lot of bumps. We know that a lot of people have been praying us through this, and we are SO thankful for that! We miss our children A LOT and I'm excited and anxious to get back home to them and prepare for Kellsey's arrival! I'm happy that we're not BOTH leaving her here... so she won't forget us! :)

Frank will continue to update the adoption blog which WILL go back public the day after court. I don't foresee any problems, and I've gotten the official OK to do so.

SO that's the latest, I'm excited and nervous and thankful and overwhelmed and REALLY happy. Oh and it's supposed to start getting warmer here for the weekend! We plan to spend our weekend exploring the area and taking lots of pictures! Flat Stanley hasn't been out much (he's not dressed warm enough! haha) and there's SO much we've been told we HAVE to see... so it's now or never! We can go visit Kellsey again on Monday. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLSEY!!!

Dear Kellsey,
Today is your 3rd birthday. We just got back from spending the morning with you. You were full of energy today... lots of smiles and giggles. We are still getting to know each other right now. We are still figuring one another out, but all that will come in time. What I DO know is that I love you SO much already. I love your cute little smile, I love the way you clean everything with baby wipes. I love that you love eskimo kisses and singing songs and clapping your hands. I love that you are so curious about everything around you.

I can't wait to get you home to meet your brothers and sisters. I know they are going to love you so much too. You are the perfect completion to our family and we will thank God every day for bringing you into our lives and for making us whole. You'll be home before you know it, and next year for your birthday we will throw you a party fit for a princess! This year, we were just happy to be able to hold you, to kiss you, and to call you our daughter. Happy birthday beautiful girl!

All our love,
Mommy & Daddy

2nd Visit With Kellsey

Today's visit with Kellsey went really well. We were put into a different room this time... some sort of office. They brought her in, she got upset for one second, I pulled out a gummy bear, and all was right with the world! LOL They left us alone after that and we had 2 hours on our own.

We blew some bubbles, which she thought was pretty fun. After awhile she tried to blow them on her own, it was so funny! We're going to have to work on that, she had the idea down though! We sang the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" complete with hand motions... over and over... and over. LOL She has the hand motions down perfect though! We looked at the photo album with the family pictures again. She wanted to know everyone's names and she studied my lips REALLY closely as I was saying them all. By the end she was saying something that sounds very close to "Keeghan".

We did get lots of smiles today and even some laughs. We figured out she likes to be tickled... I think. We're not sure she's ever BEEN tickled before. At first she wasn't too sure, but then she started laughing and then when Frank stopped tickling her she grabbed his hand and put it back to her neck to do it again. We're finding ways to get past our communication barrier :).

Towards the end, Frank pulled out my iPhone and Kellsey discovered the wonderful world of Spongebob *groan*. LOL It wasn't a movie, just an app, but she had a LOT of fun with it. NO doubt she'll fit in well with our crew! haha We have it on video which I'll get posted soon.

Kellsey seemed to be a little croupy today, so I'm hoping she's not getting sick, especially that she's not getting the flu! She was happy though and seemed very content to be with us. At noon they came to get her for lunch. We gave her a hug goodbye and she happily ran down the hall to eat. We're excited to see her again tomorrow!!!

Here are some pictures from today!

Looking at pictures of her brothers and sisters

Waving at daddy... look at that smile! :)

Kellsey & Daddy... what's she doing here?!

One more with mommy...

Cuddle time with dad...

More FUN pictures tomorrow, promise! I'll get the video uploaded too! :)

Q&A #113

There are more Q&As on our adoption blog...

Love the list! The spaghetti thing is odd. I'm assuming they've checked to make sure her nasal passage closes when she swallows? Does it happen with anything else "spaghetti-like" (if there is such a thing and if she eats it)?
It happens with fettaccini sometimes, but never macaroni. It's very strange. They've checked everything they can think of and can't figure it out... mostly they can't figure out why only the noodles.

I know K is a couple of years older than W but when did she she begin to read words.I really want to get W started on sight words do you think this is a good idea....I would love some insight on a mom who has already gone through this.
She started last Spring. We bought a DVD and flashcard set of Kindergarten sight words. She and Keeghan both picked up on them SO fast! I was amazed!!! If W knows all his letters solidly, I say go for it!

Oh wow, I just about died when I saw how cute your kids were all dressed for Halloween!! Just edibly cute! Any ideas for next year with all five??
We have it all planned out actually! LOL

Does Kennedy know that you're going to be gone for so long? How's she handling that?
Kennedy doesn't fully understand how long we're going to be gone. We talked about going on an airplane and her sleeping at Grandma's house, and us going to see Kellsey and stuff like that, but she really has no concept of time. This could be good or bad... we're going to have to see...

it's probably the H1N1, but the name is lost in translation??
Turns out that's all it is! Thank goodness! I told everyone to stop freaking out! haha

Is there any way that funds could be raised to help keep children like Kellsey with their families?
I'm not sure what you are asking... Kellsey is in a baby home... her biological parents have given up all rights because she has Down syndrome. It's socially unacceptable for parents here to keep kids with Down syndrome, so, sadly most don't. Then they go to baby homes and at age 5 are put into institutions where they die within a year. So, I don't think fundraising is going to help Kellsey stay HERE. Her future here is not a good one... unfortunately.

Ok....how did you go about choosing these particular sweeties from the tree to add to your blog? The girl I am in love with is here (she is from the same region as our son) So cool!
Well one of them is MY favorite too!! :) We've been praying for her to find a family forever! The rest of them I just thought were really cute! Of course they're ALLLL cute!

Why can you not drink the water?
It has stuff in it that our bodies are not used to and therefore we will get very sick... So we have to drink and brush our teeth with bottled water.

Did you have to set your clocks back too or do they not do daylight savings time over there?
No daylight savings here... I think that's a U.S. thing!

Also, think about it? you can do laundry while you go pee? haha. interesting to see the apartment!
LOL Well, it actually didn't phase me because our laundry room at home is part bathroom too! haha

Happy Birthday! Did you get an iphone for your birthday?!
Uhhh no! He wishes! That is an iPod Touch, which he was VERY happy about! Now he doesn't have to bug Kassidy for hers! haha

Such a beautiful little girl. I can't even imagine what you are feeling right now. Well, partially since all 6 of my kids are adopted. What's the plan now? Do you get to see her every day? Bring her back to the apt?
Can't bring her back to the apartment yet, since she's not officially ours. I wish!! We can go to the baby home 2-3 times a week for one hour each time. We'll go again on Thursday and then on Friday for her birthday :).

Why are you only allowed to see Kellsey a couple times a week? Most peeps visit TWICE A DAY...is it due to the flu thing? Well, at least you will be with her on her birthday! :) Keep warm!
Yes... technically the baby home is closed to visitors right now. Period. They are making an exception for us, as her parents. We are VERY thankful and will take what we can get! :)

WOW! Exciting that court could be so soon. Why so fast? Would that be due to the health issues? Praying for things to go quickly and smoothly.
I'm not sure why actually! I was a little surprised about that too! Could be though! I was just happy that court wasn't closing down like everything else around here!!! I guess God figured we've had enough red tape already! haha

PS - Meant to ask - did you Kellsey's birthday is Nov 6th? How neat if you'll be able to spend some time with her on her birthday!
Yep! So excited about that!

Not that your busy or anything:) but when you get home or have a second, I would like to know how you got things started with Kellsey. We have been talking about adopting to get our girl, and its getting stronger for me. I just don't know where to even begin the process. Any words of wisdom would help.
I will do a post about this soon! :)

Are you and Frank enjoying some alone time?? Must feel a little weird not to have to tend to the kids huh??
Yes! We are having a lot of fun exploring the city... even if we ARE freezing! LOL

I know that Americans always freak out by the cars parking on the sidewalk, but seriously, that is completely normal part of a big part of Europe. Especially when you consider that most of these European cities were first built way before anyone but the Vikings went to America, when most people walked or used handcarts and even carriages were rare, so the streets are barely wide enough for one way traffic. Due to cars still being much rarer than in the US during the building of the 10+ storey panel neighbourhoods, the streets aren't much wider either.
LOL yes, I haven't decided if the drivers here are horrible, or possibly the best drivers EVER. How they don't cause serious accidents every 5 minutes is beyond me and must take some real talent! :)

Renee, Can I be added to your adoption blog list. I haven't checked it in awhile and didn't realize you had changed it to a private setting. Thanks!
Patty, email me so I have your email address and I will add you! CAmommy2KJ@aol.com

Can you bring back contact info so that local churches can plan mission trips?
I will work on that for you!!!

I also wondered if you'll be bringing her home this trip. AND...what is her middle name?? Obviously it is J_ _ _ :)
Obviously... maybe... ;)

Are you all bringing Kellsey back home w/ you on THIS trip or do you have to go back to get her?
No. After court where they will declare her officially OURS, we will return home (because THAT won't be hard UGH!) for a 10 day "wait". This is when they will process the rest of the paperwork and stuff. SOME regions will waive this wait. This region NEVER has. I wish! Then Frank will return, only one parent has to, and we chose him for many reasons, and he will bring her home. He will be here about 2 weeks. He will have to get a bunch of stuff done like her birth certificate, Visa, passport and a bunch of other legal documents, then Kellsey will have to see a doctor and get her medical clearance. He can finally get her OUT of the baby home and keep her in the apartment with him (YAY!!!) and after about 2 weeks they can fly home together... just time for Christmas. :) Now, that's not to say we're not going to TRY to get them to waive the 10 day wait. I know I said NEVER, but there has to be a first time for everything, right? Why not start with US?! LOL

So, Renee, which is more expensive for you? The birthdays in November or Christmas in December? LOL!!
I think it's going to be a tossup! LOL

Just one question - does anyone speak English over there? :-) Hugs to all three of you!
No, no one at the baby home (that I know of so far) but we have a translator that will either go with us or be just a cell phone call away. :)

PS - she (Kellsey) looks like a good size kiddo! Is she as big as Kennedy?
Yes... she's a little shorter, we think, but heavier, for sure! And thicker. We're guessing she's probably in 3T clothing, same as Kennedy.

Video clips of Kellsey

Hopefully there will be lots more of these to come... especially since she thinks the video camera is the coolest thing EVER! LOL Nadya called us earlier and they said we can stay for TWO hours tomorrow! YAY!!!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

It's a birthday marathon around here!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! Right now you are at the kids school delivering cupcakes and setting up for the kids' parties. And you are probably saying, "Kassidy was born on MY birthday!" :) I hope you know I had it planned that way all along! ;) Thanks for stepping in for me when I couldn't be there. I know you will make it a very special day for both kids! You are the best mom and grandma I could have ever asked for for me & them! Thanks for always going above and beyond to be there for ALL of us in whatever capacity we need. I don't know what we would do without you! :) Kellsey will soon see too what an awesome grandma she has! I know you guys are going to have SO much fun together playing games and singing songs... you're brushing up on your Russian... right?! :)

We all love you SO much and we hope you have a VERY special day!!! We'll talk to you tonight!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!
Love Your daughter & son-in-law :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KASSIDY!!!

My beautiful daughter,
Today you turn 10 years old. I can hardly believe I have been a mother for 10 years! You have taught me so much in the last decade! I know I am supposed to be the one teaching you, and I hope you have picked up a life lesson or two along the way, but I've picked up a few lessons from you too, my daughter. Here are 10 things that I've learned...

10. You taught me that I can stay up for 24 hours with a sick child and still function. Barely.

9. You taught me how to shop... maybe not so much for me, but at least for cute kids clothes!

8. You taught me how to be a kid again! And you shared all your care bears with me! Thanks! :)

7. You taught me how to work Kennedy's iPod... a miracle all in itself!

6. You taught me patience, a lesson I need to relearn over and over sometimes.

5. You taught me perseverance! You work so hard for things that you really set your mind to, and I'm so proud of you for that!

4. You taught me to have childlike faith. I love to hear you talk about God and I love that you pray when you have a problem. Hold fast to Jesus throughout your life. He'll never steer you wrong.

3. You taught me to hug more, to kiss more, and to say "I love you" more... and I love you SO much for that, always always always!!!

2. You taught me what it's like to be the BEST big sister in the whole world! Kameron, Kennedy, Keeghan (and Kellsey!) are SO blessed to have you for their big sister to guide them through life!

1. Most importantly, you taught me total, selfless, unconditional love. Thank you for being my daughter, for being my firstborn!

Happy 10th Birthday Kassidy!!! We can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings!! We love you SOOO much and we'll see you soon! We hope you're having fun taking pictures with your new camera! We can't wait to see what's on it when we get back! :)
Love, Mom & Dad

PS. Enjoy your cupcakes at school today! We'll call you tonight! :)

The rest of our Tuesday!

OK I wanted to pick up where the last post left off... I hope I'm not boring you all, but it is a good record for me to look back on AND I know Kassidy and Kameron are reading this (hi guys!) so it's helping them to know what we're up to, too! :)

After we left from seeing Kellsey, (which was SO hard, by the way) we had to get her paperwork from the office of the orphanage. One set of paperwork needed copies and another set wasn't ready yet, so after waiting for awhile at the office, we drove around the little town and got some tea (hot tea!) and a candy bar. It was 1:00 by this time and we were starving! Then we drove BACK to the orphanage to see if the papers were ready... after waiting for awhile, they said they weren't. Turns out the director thought we were there for a different little girl, one that my friend is adopting, and had HER paperwork ready! HA! They asked if we were SURE we didn't want this other girl and I said, "No... her mom might be a little mad!" LOL I love that they think the kids are all interchangeable there.

Anyway, we left without that paperwork... it was something to do with her medical forms. We got the rest though. Then we drove back and dropped the social worker off and found a place to make copies and headed back to town to a notary office (and here I thought we were done notarizing things! LOL). We waited there for about an hour while Nadya ran all over the place getting stuff ready, and then we signed on all the lines, officially named Kellsey, applied for her passport (I think... it was something to do with her passport...) and a bunch of other stuff. In the meantime, Oleg ditched us! haha He went off to get something ELSE done for us. He earns his money, let me tell you!

Nadya called a cab for the 3 of us and got us back to our apartment and then she took off. Tomorrow she and Oleg are going back to the orphanage to pick up the paperwork that wasn't ready and get that taken care of. It was a LONG day! We got back here, laid down for a few minutes and then went to dinner with one of the other Reece's Rainbow families here in the city. It was a lot of fun! She has her 2 children with her, so it was fun getting to talk to them and hang out for a bit. They are hitting all kinds of bumps and snags in their adoption process so please be praying for them! I'd link you to their blog, but I don't have permission, so I can't yet, but God knows who they are :).

So what next?! We are allowed to go visit Kellsey 2-3 times a week for 1 hour each visit. We are going back on Thursday and then again on Friday for her birthday :). They said we could bring cookies and juice boxes for her birthday and throw her a little party! I'm SO excited!!! We'll go shopping for that stuff tomorrow. We are also going to try to find her a book or something that lights up and/or makes music. She's definitely into toys that DO things! It won't be anything too big though, because I doubt it will stay with her... but that's ok! Hopefully lots of kids will get use out of whatever we get!

We should also know in the next couple days when court is. Oleg said he thinks it could be as soon as the end of next week! That would be fabulous!!! Please be praying for that! (Have I mentioned it's COLD here?!) :) At some point we need to go to the embassy or the consulate or somewhere and do something... (that was so helpful, wasn't it?! LOL) before we leave. I'm just going to let Nadya and Oleg tell us when to be where and we'll be waiting! LOL

Tomorrow we are laying LOW! I will work on getting the video posted that I have and we're going to go shop a bit for her birthday and just try to stay WARM. Warm is good! Watch for the video tomorrow! :) I am off to bed... it's really late here and Frank is already snoring away next to me. Hope you all are having a good evening! :)

Meeting Kellsey

Today was another whirlwind day!! Oleg, our facilitator, picked us up at 8:00. We went to pick up Nadya (translator) and a social worker and Inspector then headed to Kellsey's baby home. Once we were there we sat around for awhile while they got paperwork ready, and then we went to her home...


This is where Kellsey lives right now. There are about 20 children in her home... about 800 in all the buildings combined.

We went into the office of the doctor. She was a very pleasant woman, and seemed very happy to have us there. She told us a little more about Kellsey... some that we already knew...

Kellsey was born on November 6, 2006 and weighed 5 lbs, 9.5 oz. She was born at 37 weeks gestation. Her mother was 29 years old. Kellsey was actually the 4th pregnancy and the second live birth for her mother. She had 2 miscarriages. I'm not sure if Kellsey has a brother or sister or how old they are. Kellsey's mother was in good health. She gave up all rights to Kellsey at the hospital and left her there when she learned she had Down syndrome. At the age of 1 month Kellsey was moved to the baby home and has been there ever since.

She was born with a 2 holes in her heart, one of which has since closed. The other is a minor murmur which should not require any surgical intervention. Her adenoids are enlarged. She has been sick 3 times in her life with the flu at the ages of 3, 6 and 9 months. She was hospitalized one time for bronchitis. She is otherwise very healthy.

Kellsey is very social and curious. She likes to know what is going on around her at all times. She has a high capability to learn. She follows directions well and speaks a lot. She knows the names of all her caretakers and friends. She LOVES candy and oranges, but the citrus fruit causes a reaction if she eats too much. She is potty trained, brushes her own teeth, plays appropriately with toys, and is very loving.

With that they said they would bring her in... they warned us that she was not familiar with the doctor's office (and it was too cold to go outside) so she might feel uncomfortable at first. She cried for a second when she walked in the door, but I was SO happy to hear her cry. She was scared... it was appropriate for her to cry! I've heard of so many kids who DON'T cry because they think no one will come anyway.

Nadya offered her candy and she stopped crying and came in and sat down. The doctor talked to her a little bit and then we showed her pictures of Kassidy, Kameron, Kennedy and Keeghan. She loved that. She looked at them over and over. My mom, Frank and I were in the pictures too, but she was more drawn to the kids, especially Keeghan. We told her they were her brothers & sisters & grandma and mama and papa.

After she was done with her candy, the doctor gave her a baby wipe to clean her hands. She wiped her hands and face and then cleaned mine and Frank's hands, it was so sweet. It became a little game. We would put our hands down and she'd grab them back up and flip them over so she could clean them more.

We played with some toys with her and the doctor got her to sing a song, it was so cute... no clue what it was! Frank pulled out the video camera and recorded her and then played it back to her... she was in AWE! He then became the coolest guy on the planet! LOL She wanted him to do it over and over so she could see "Vika".

She finally let him pick her up and then not long after I got to hold her. Ahhh it felt SO good to have her in my arms!! I gave her a kiss on her cheek and she said, "thanks" (in her language! LOL). We took some pictures with the regular camera, which she took from me and held up to her ear like, "WHY isn't this thing talking to me?!" She thought it should talk like the video camera did! Smart cookie, I tell ya! :) She liked looking at herself on there too though!

Then it was time for us to say goodbye. She gave me a hug and then Frank picked her up and she gave him a hug and wouldn't let him go. I think she's going to be a daddy's girl already!!! The doctor promised her we would be back, so she finally let go and waved bye and walked out. Man I hated to leave her there!!!

OK this is long enough and I know you all are waiting on pictures so I will get this posted and then tell you about the rest of our day later. LOTS more to tell!!!

The 3 of us...

With "mama"

With "papa".. she was still trying to figure everything out.

Playing with toys...



Our sweet girl!!! I can't wait to get her HOME!!!!

PLEASE don't forget to go down one post and leave a birthday message for Kameron! He'll be reading! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAMERON!!!

Happy Birthday Kameron!!!!

Today you turn 8 years old! I can't believe it! Only 8 more years and you'll be old enough to DRIVE! That really scares me! :) We'll let daddy teach you how to do that, ok?!

Kam, I've been sitting here, thinking about what to write to you... you've changed in so many ways this year... I see you maturing so much! You're changing from a little boy into a more mature BIG boy! Your interests and needs are changing and it's so fun to watch!!

You are such a special kid! I love to watch your mind work. I love to hear what you're thinking about. I never know what you're going to say next, which always keeps me laughing because you usually end up surprising me! :) I hope you never stop telling me what's on your mind. I'm always here to listen to you and give advice when you need it... or just hear one of your stories. Those are my very favorite!

If I could give you one bit of advice for this year Kam, and really for your whole life, it would be "never stop seeking God". I know I say this a lot, but really, hold fast to that, my son. It will get you through anything... even nightmares about spiders.

Keep making the world laugh!
We love you ALWAYS!
Happy birthday!!!!
Love, Mom & Dad

PS. Sorry there's no school today! Enjoy your cupcakes at school tomorrow! We'll talk to you tonight and see you soon!! We miss you SO much!!!

Monday night update

Well, the rest of our day was somewhat uneventful... we went to lunch and got pizza (I'm pretty sure it was Papa John's) that was really good. Frank also got a traditional soup here called Borsch (I'm SURE I botched that spelling!). He really liked it.

This afternoon we went back to the SDA and stood out in the cold for a LONG time waiting for Kellsey's referral. We finally got it, and we got our dossier back... didn't think we'd ever see that again!! This means we can see Kellsey tomorrow!

We came back here and Frank went shopping for a hat and found these burrito type things for dinner. They were... interesting! LOL We watched a movie, and now we're getting ready for bed.

Oleg, our facilitator, will be here at 8am to pick us up. We will first go to see the social worker (aka inspector) to get another clearance to see Kellsey and then we get to go to her baby home! To say we're excited is an understatement!!!

If you can please be praying, they are talking about closing down the orphanage to visitors as well as closing down the grocery stores (not sure if this would include restaurants) due to the H1N1 running rampant here. Of course we want so badly to spend as much time as possible with Kellsey, and we also need access to food and water. Everyone is really freaking out here over the virus, kind of like the U.S. was earlier this year. We'll know more tomorrow about what is being shut down and when.

OK that's all for now... tomorrow... PICTURES!!! :)

Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree

Last year, before we even announced our decision to adopt, I started posting about Reece's Rainbow and the kids there. At this time we were praying over Kellsey. We weren't 100% sure yet that God was calling US to be her parents, we just knew at that time that we were called to be her prayer warriors... and we prayed hard... and we fell in love with the little face on our computer screen. Over time God's will became abundantly clear to us.


I also posted about Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree last year. This is a once a year event where ALL the pictures of all the waiting kids are opened up... in hopes that they find families, and if not families, then in hopes that they find sponsors to help lighten the financial load of their future family.


SO I present to you the 2009 Christmas Angel Tree. There are SO many new angels on here to fall in love with. Could one of them be yours?


Thanksgiving will mark a year since we officially committed to Kellsey. It was so neat to see her box moved to the bottom of the tree to the section that said, "My Forever Family Found Me!" I will anxiously watch this year as we pray for more and more children to be moved down. I, of course, have my favorites ;)... go see who yours are and start praying!


For a $35 donation to any child, you will get a Christmas ornament with that child's picture on it. It's a good reminder to pray, and makes an excellent Christmas gift for friends and family. Don't miss this opportunity to fall in love with these special children... and pay close attention to the names in red, as these are the children who face going to an institution VERY soon. Their fate is unimaginable.


Go check out the tree, pray about donating. Ask God if YOU could be the mommy or daddy of one of these children. We're sitting here in Eastern Europe about to meet our daughter... if we can do it, so can you!! Most of all just be praying for these kids, every day! What a difference a year makes.

SDA Appointment

This morning we had our SDA appointment... we went into a room with Nadya, our translator, and another woman who works at the SDA. She first asked us how we heard about Kellsey and we told her that we had friends who were here before us who met her and told us about her. She then explained to us that Kellsey was a "difficult" child (meaning she has Down syndrome) and asked us why we would want to adopt her, specifically. We told her about having Kennedy at home and already knowing about Down syndrome and that we felt we can provide Kellsey with a loving, stable home and a good life. This made her smile at the thought of Kellsey having a big sister "like her". She asked how old Kennedy was and how she was doing.

Then she told us that Kellsey was born in the hospital on November 6, 2006. She had no brothers and sisters and her mother abandoned her there when they told her she had Down syndrome and gave up her rights to Kellsey shortly after. There was no mention of Kellsey's father. We do not know how old Kellsey's mother was or if she is the one who named her. I would guess not, though.

She said that Kellsey was born with a hole in her heart (which we knew) and enlarged adenoids, which is pretty typical. We'll get these things checked out thoroughly when we get home with her. Otherwise, no other health problems were noted.

She showed us the sweetest newborn picture of Kellsey which we can have if we can give them a more recent picture of her to keep on file. We're working on that. Oh she was SO beautiful!!!

We showed the SDA worker a recent picture of Kellsey on my phone and she asked to see a picture of Kennedy and asked us to send her a picture of the 2 girls together after we got home :). We said of course we would!

Later today we are going back to the SDA (I'm pretty sure) to pick up her referral. We can't go to see Kellsey until tomorrow morning. (DARN!) Something to look forward to though!!!

Frank and I are off to find lunch. I can't believe it, but it's even COLDER here today! Snow flurries are falling and everything! BRRR! I'll update again later!

Adoption blog...

has been updated.

First full day...

Today was a nice day... we had to move apartments at noon... I liked our first apartment better. This one has no microwave, which hopefully we can fix tomorrow, and it's much smaller... but we'll survive! It also has no shower, just a bath tub. We asked about a shower and the manager lady was very confused! haha We have a stove, which we need to light with a match. We have a refrigerator and a little bar with stools to eat at... here let me just take some pictures! LOL

Toilet and washing machine... it's VERY small, I can't imagine washing clothes for 6 people in this! LOL
Sink and part of our bath tub...

Kitchen...

Our messy bed... it's actually made. There's no real blanket, but the sheet thing that's on it is thick, and our apartment is warm.

The bar... and Frank on his computer. He's not online though, since I am. We only have one Internet connection in here, so we have to share. This could cause marital problems. LOL Only kidding!

Several people have asked about our water. We can't drink the water here, or brush our teeth with it, due to parasites and other stuff in it. We'd get VERY sick. So we had to wait to get bottled water. When we moved to this new apartment we actually didn't have ANY running water for several hours, but they finally got it fixed.

After an afternoon nap, we went out shopping and went to dinner here:


Flat Stanley went with us too :).


We found an underground mall after dinner and got hopelessly lost when we came back out! LOL We wandered around for about an hour, finally asked for directions, the best we could, and eventually found our way back. We were JUST about to call our translator and ask her to help us, but we figured it out. Actually, FRANK figured it out. I had NO idea where we were! haha We bought Kellsey a teddy bear to take to her tomorrow or Tuesday, whenever we get to see her, and we found her a cute tiger that sings a lullaby in her language. The lady at the store promised us she would know it. We may save that for her for Christmas though.

Some observations from today:

Cars like to park (and drive) on the sidewalk. LOL

Our TV has the Hallmark channel! YAY!

It is REALLY nice to hear someone speak English! :)

People who work in the stores are either going to try REALLY hard to help you and understand you, or they're going to completely ignore you when they figure out you're American.

The exchange rate for money is different everywhere. This boggles my mind!

You can still get sticker shock even when shopping with grivna! There are some expensive stores here! We saw a scarf that cost over $100! (The ones we bought cost $6.25)

EVERYONE here smokes. We're very much in the minority. Frank said we should take up smoking to fit in. NOT!

I guess that's about it for now! SO excited for our SDA appointment tomorrow!!! We're hoping to call the kids on Skype before we go to bed. My mom said they are being GREAT so far! :) OK until later!

Morning!!

It's COLD here. Really cold! Frank and I got up and out early this morning. We were starving! We intended to go out last night and exchange money, go to a store for water, and get dinner, but at 5:00 we laid down to close our eyes for "a minute" and woke up at 10:00! HA!

SO we woke up at different times in the middle of the night and got online for a bit and then went back to sleep, and woke up this morning STARVING and unable to brush our teeth. EWW, I know!

Being Sunday almost everything is closed right now. We did find a place to exchange some money though and found a little cafe type place for breakfast (thanks Lyndi for directions!). I have NO idea what it was that we ate, but it was pretty good. We bought bottles of water and now we are hanging out in our apartment (with clean teeth and fresh breath! haha)

We have to go to a different apartment at noon today. Ours that we had reserved wasn't ready for us yesterday so we are staying in a different building right now. After we move, we will go out and explore a bit, and maybe buy some scarves. REALLY, it's COLD! We walked by a lot of shops with really cute kids clothes in them, so I want to go back there once they're open!

We can't wait for our SDA appointment tomorrow! Hopefully we will find out more about Kellsey, maybe some info about her birth parents and hopefully some medical history. We'll see!

Well, it's 2:00 AM in Tennessee which means you all are asleep... it's 10:00 AM here. I just heard church bells in the background :). We're going to miss going to church today! I hope all you from Grace have a great morning! We miss you guys! We'll catch the sermon online tonight sometime.

I guess I will sign off and try to get some emails answered! I'll blog again tonight...

Adoption Blog...

has been updated.

Happy Halloween!!!

We hope you all have a wonderful day!! The kids will be going trick-or-treating with grandma tonight. I am sure they are spending their day dreaming of all the candy they can dive into tonight! I'm sure grandma is telling them that the tootsie rolls are HERS! :)

Here are some pictures of the kids from a couple weeks ago at their schools' Fall Festival. These are the same costumes they will be wearing tonight... Have fun kids and stay WARM!!! We love you SO much!!!

You've got a friend in me...

Beauty and the Beast...

Welcome to Eastern Europe...

now try not to die! HA! We arrived safely a few hours ago, got through the airport, met Nadya, our translator, and now we are in our apartment right in the middle of the city. Frank is trying to find something he understands on TV. :)

Some first observations:

They have a lot of the same cars we have... BMWs EVERYWHERE... I've seen Toyotas and Nissans and Mazdas and Kias and a bunch of other familiar names... and then of course a few I've never heard of... and people drive CRAZY. I will never complain about Frank's driving again. At least for a little while.

The Golden Arches of McDonald's need no translation.

It's fun to try to figure out what the billboards are saying, and make up silly things you THINK they could be selling instead. :)

The apartment buildings here are HUGE, and they are everywhere! I can't imagine how many thousands of people live in this city.

OK more observations later...


When Nadya picked us up from the airport she informed us that there is a really serious epidemic going on here right now... some type of pneumonia type virus is spreading and has killed almost 200 people in the last 2 days. Schools and businesses are closing down and people everywhere are wearing flu masks... and there are no more flu masks to buy anywhere! Please be praying that we stay WELL. We are going to be very smart. We have lots of sanitizing wipes with us. Also, please pray that Kellsey is ok!! Nadya didn't know if this has affected Kellsey's baby home or not... or if it will shut down to visitors because of it. She said that we should still be able to get IN but she doesn't know how often we'll get to go. They need to protect the kids there.

So, what's next? It is just after 4:00 PM here right now. We are going to try to stay awake until tonight. Exchange some money, grab some dinner, and crash early. Tomorrow we are on our own to lay low, rest up, and explore the city (but not let anyone breathe on us! haha). Monday morning at 11:00 is our SDA appointment where they will give us Kellsey's referral. We will confirm she is the one we want and then we need to wait for a paper saying we can go visit her. Hopefully we can get this by Monday afternoon, otherwise we'll have to wait until Tuesday morning to see her. I feel like we're in the Army right now: Hurry up and wait! :)

I talked to my mom and the kids are all doing well. HI GUYS!!!! WE MISS YOU!!!! They have an exciting week coming up so I know that time is going to fly for them, too! :)

Frank looks somewhat amused by what he found on TV... I don't think it's English though... hmmmm... LOL. More babble from me later!

In Holland! :o)

We are in Holland waiting for our flight out... we should be boarding soon... have to make this quick as I only purchased 90 minutes of internet time... I was going through major withdrawals! LOL

The flight from Detroit to Holland was LOOOOOONNNNGGG! WOW! But it was good... we watched a movie (I watched one, Frank watched three! LOL) I slept some, and I made friends with the lady next to me and a couple flight attendants who got to hear all about Kellsey and our adoption story and all the kids with Down syndrome waiting for forever families all over the world. :)

When we arrived here in Holland (which REALLY is the Amsterdam airport), the pilot announced over the loud speaker "Welcome to Holland to Frank and Renee and congratulations on getting your baby! Best wishes to your family!" And everyone cheered. It was so neat! SO on the way OFF the plane we got to share Kellsey's story with MORE people!

Fortunately we had a LONG layover here and got to buy lots of souvenirs that say HOLLAND on them! SO excited about that!!!!

Anyway, this next flight is about 3 1/2 hours I think, and then we need to meet our facilitator, get to our apartment and SLEEP!!!! Our SDA appointment is on Monday. Not sure what time yet. Hopefully afterwards we will get to go meet Kellsey! We have to get clearance to do so... if we don't get it Monday, then we'll get to go Tuesday for sure. Be praying for Monday! :)

OK I'm going to sign off before it boots me off! More later!

We're on a plane...

Right now we're flying over the Atlantic Ocean... I think... right? I'm pretty sure... Geography was never my strong point... neither was geometry... or geology. In fact, I never took geology AT ALL! Hmm. Who cares about rocks anyway?! Not me.

ANYWAY, we're flying over some ocean SOMEWHERE on the way to Holland. Hopefully I am sleeping. Or reading. But I need to be sleeping, because I'm TIRED! My mind has been going a million miles a minute for the last several weeks. I'm pretty sure I've stressed out everyone around me! Sorry everyone!!! :) You still love me, right? (For those of you who have known me a LONG time, remember how bad I was before my wedding?! This was NOTHING compared to that! For the rest of you, be thankful you didn't know me then... be very, very thankful! HA!)

So, I wanted to list a few things here that you can be praying for, specifically. I like to pray specifically... not because God doesn't know what we need, I know that He knows WAY better than we do (thankfully), but it just helps me keep my priorities straight in my own head.

First, please pray for our pilot... pray that HE is good at geography and is flying over the RIGHT ocean and will NOT have to know about geology and crash into the rocks... or oceanography, as the case may be... LOL. Seriously, I'm usually not a nervous passenger, but this is a REALLY long flight! :)

Second, be praying for Kellsey's caretakers and the judge in court... that they are receptive to us being there, as her parents. That they are as excited as WE are that she is going to have a mama and a papa to call her own. That they can see that we already love her and want the VERY best for her, always.

Third, be praying for Kellsey!! She is probably going to be VERY confused! I have heard that she is VERY social and loves people, but her world is about to be turned upside down (for the BETTER, but still!). Be praying that the transition goes smoothly for her and for us as we try to figure out her needs to make that possible.

Fourth, be praying for my mom here as she takes on day to day life with the 4 kids. They are great kids with a VERY busy schedule!!! I know they are in great hands, but my mom is going to be exhausted at the end of the day! haha Pray for her as she takes on not only the day to day stuff but also the added missing mom and dad stuff. I know the kids are in the BEST possible hands while we're gone!! The kids are so excited to be with Grandma!! Thank you mom for everything you do!!!

Fifth, be praying for the kids teachers. I'm not too sure how this is all going to come out at school. Kassidy is a talker. She wears her heart on her sleeve and I'm pretty sure EVERYONE will know exactly how she's feeling at all times. (NO clue where she gets THAT from! LOL) Kameron tends to act out in other ways... and I don't even think HE realizes what he's doing. He seems to stress. (Not sure where he gets THAT from either! haha) I'm mostly worried about Kennedy here because she doesn't fully understand that we're going to be gone SO long. So, extra prayers for Mrs. Reece would be nice! ;)

Sixth, be praying for my friend Karla as she watches Keeghan during the day while my mom works. He's two. Enough said. LOL

Seventh, be praying for Frank and me... that we stay safe of course, and that we enjoy this time together! We're going to have a LOT of down time to spend together as husband and wife instead of mom and dad. We really haven't had time like this in our marriage since we were newlyweds! We are looking forward to enjoying each other and just reconnecting. We are excited to use this time as a chance to strengthen our marriage and grow closer to God.

OK I guess that's it!!! I'll let you get back to your day now! I will try to update from Holland via blog or twitter or facebook or something. I make no promises though. My first priority is to SHOP! :) I WILL update when we reach our destination, right afte the jet lag wears off!!!

Thank you all for traveling this journey with us!!!

Adoption Blog...

has been updated...

Adoption Blog...

has been updated!

Nice start to the morning...

Nothing like starting the day off with a bang! Frank and I went to bed about 1:00. I went right to sleep and he was wired. I dozed off to him playing games on his phone... around 4:00 I heard someone walk into my room and assumed it was Kameron since he wakes up with bad dreams a few times a week. Much to my surprise, it was Kennedy! She said there were ladybugs in her room (bad dream, I'm guessing) and asked to get in my bed. So I gladly pulled her into bed with me for some cuddle time. I tried to go back to sleep while she tossed and turned and kicked and then she said, "OW my stomach!" Which made me sit up QUICK! I thought, "OK, she's going to puke!"

I woke Frank up and sent him flying downstairs for a bowl... he handed me a trashcan in the meantime, and then Kennedy went completely limp in my arms. That really freaked me out!! I couldn't see because the room was so dark, couldn't reach a light, couldn't tell if her eyes were open or not, and she wasn't answering. UGH! Finally after a few seconds she started responding to me, Frank came back in the room and turned on the light, and Kennedy was white as a sheet! I checked her blood sugar which was completely normal and she went back to sleep like nothing ever happened!

SO I laid there for another 20 minutes just making sure she was breathing ok, and she seems FINE! No fever, nothing! SO weird!!! Not really sure what that was all about, but it got my heart racing and I'm wide awake! She's in bed with daddy and I guess I'll go shower... NEVER a dull moment! Sheesh.

Anyway! We are all packed, have everything done, I'm pretty sure! We're going to take the kids to school today and then my mom is going to take us to the airport later this morning. Our flight leaves around noon! I can't believe this day is finally HERE!!!!

OK...

Everyone who has emailed me for access, I have replied to... if you haven't heard from me, check your spam box. I'm not ignoring you, promise! If you didn't get the email, it probably bounced back to me. Email me and let me know! CAmommy2KJ@aol.com . I'm trying!! :)

Carolyn, can you please email me? I can't find your email address! Thanks!!!

Adoption blog...

has been updated. I've had several requests to let you know on THIS blog when THAT blog has been updated so you'll know to check, SO here's your announcement! haha

Today's to-do list!

1. Blog (check!) LOL :)

2. Clean out my van so my mom doesn't go crazy! haha

3. Lunch with a friend

4. Target run for everything I couldn't find last night at Wal-Mart

5. One last load of laundry

6. Get living room and dining room and kitchen CLEAN so I don't come home to a mess and MAYBE coax the kids into cleaning their rooms after school

7. Take Kennedy to ballet

8. Dinner/homework/baths/bed

9. FINISH PACKING (really, it's just little stuff now)

10. PHOTO ALBUM!!!! UGHHHHHHH

11. NOT sleep because we're LEAVING tomorrow!!!!

(Hey Hevel, if you're reading this, I think I have your email address wrong, so if you haven't gotten an invite to the adoption blog yet, that's why... email me. Same goes for anyone else that STILL hasn't figured it out, please email me!)

Adoption Blog

OK everyone,

The adoption blog has gone private, as most of you have probably figured out by now (or maybe you haven't!). I sent out emails today containing a user name and password... if you haven't gotten it, check your spam box. If you just sent me an email tonight asking for access, I just haven't gotten to you yet, give me a bit. I did have a few emails bounce back to me, I'm going to try to resend those in awhile too.

For those of you who emailed me and said it's not working for you, make sure you are logged out of you previous gmail accounts before you try to log into the blog. Let me know if you STILL have problems after that.

I got ALMOST all of the stuff on my list accomplished today... at least the important parts... doctor, bank, dinner with my family and trunk or treat! :) I am working on more tonight and the rest will be a race to finish tomorrow! :) Hang in there with my craziness!!!

Two Days!!!

Until we leave!!! I finally started packing last night... but I still have a long way to go. I obviously work better under pressure! LOL On my to-do list today?

1. Take the kids to school.
2. Take Kennedy to the doctor, I think she may have a UTI, then hopefully take HER to school too!
3. Take the kids clothes and stuff over to my mom's and go over their schedule.
4. Go to the bank.
5. Go to Wal-Mart... or maybe Target... to get the rest of the stuff I just realized I might need over there, thanks to all my facebook friends! LOL
6. Finish packing my clothes, and maybe get Frank to pack his!
7. Run dishwasher.
8. Pick kids up from school.
9. Last dinner out before we leave, then Trunk-Or-Treat with friends! YAY!
10. Home... homework... bed... (for the kids, not me! haha)
11. Print pictures for our album for court.
12. Figure out how I'm going to cram everything in one suitcase.

Anything else? Like I NEED anything else? How many hours are in one day?! LOL

Too Cool For Drugs!

This week is red ribbon week at the kids school. Yesterday they were supposed to wear a team shirt for a sports team, which was actually really hard because, well, they didn't have anything! haha Kennedy wore a shirt for their school mascot, Kameron wore a generic football themed shirt and Kassidy wore a generic shirt with a big number on it... mom kind of failed there! Next year we'll have to get them some 49ers stuff! ;)

Today's theme was "Too Cool for Drugs!" and they were allowed to wear sunglasses... too bad it was cloudy and raining! LOL They still looked cute cool though! :)


And for the record, Keeghan's too cool for drugs too... :)

Down syndrome awareness - You asked!

Here are a few questions that have come in on my blog and facebook about Down syndrome (and Kennedy) over the last couple weeks. If you have more, feel free to ask!! Like I tell my kids, there are no dumb questions! These 3 questions also tie in so closely together that I'll probably be repeating myself a lot, so bear with me! :) This post could alternately be titled: A Lesson in Genetics... any geneticists out there, feel free to correct me!

Ok a question for your questions post.. I have always wondered but never asked.
1. Why is it that some children have more facial features of DS than others?
It's really just kind of hit and miss... there are certain physical characteristics that go along with Down syndrome. Many of them involve facial features. However, not all people with Ds are going to get ALL the characteristics. Just like you get some characteristics from your dad and some from your mom, it's hard to know until you're born what characteristics you'll get from which parent. While we're on this topic, let's talk about what those characteristics are! The ones in bold are the ones that Kennedy has!

flattened nose/no bridge
flat facial profile
upward slanting, almond shaped eyes
excess skin on the back of the neck
shortened, curved pinky finger
singular crease across palms of hand
Small head
Brushfield spots on the iris of the eye
Skin folds of upper eyelid covering inner corner of the eye / epicanthal folds
Wide gap between 1st & 2nd toes / sandal gap
Short stature
Fusion / syndactyly of 2nd and 3rd toes
Small, low-set ears
Small mouth (which is commonly confused for having a large tongue)
Low muscle tone (hypontia)
Increased Flexibility

Put Kennedy next to another kid with Down syndrome and you'll find that they'll have some of the same features, yes, but they likely won't all be the same. I REALLY, REALLY wish Kennedy had the Brushfield spots! HA!

2. Also this may seem silly, I have always wanted to say, Kennedy looks just like all of you.. You can tell shes a Garcia.. However, I never wanted to say anything I guess because it would sounds funny, because of the DS features. Do parents take offense to that, or do they want to hear it like a parents with a child who doesnt have DS hears it..?
We LOVE to hear that!!! Not long after Kennedy was born, we went to a genetics counseling appointment. The point of this appointment, I guess, was to ease our minds that if we were to get pregnant again the chances of us having another child with Down syndrome was slim to none. (This makes me laugh now.) The one thing that really stuck out for me though was that they told me that while Kennedy would have characteristics of a person with Down syndrome, she would also have characteristics of Frank and me and she would look like Kassidy and Kameron, after all, she's from the same mold! I REALLY needed to hear that at that time! I was still grieving over her diagnosis and ALL I saw was "Down syndrome". Over time though as Kennedy grew into her own little person, she definitely became a Garcia and we definitely see Kassidy, Kameron and Keeghan in her (or we see Kennedy in Keeghan I guess! haha) but I love to hear that others see it too!

3. Ok Renee, I hope I'm not sounding too ignorant but if I don't ask a friend, I'll never learn. Why do people with Downs Syndrome look so similar.
Well, this really all goes back to the characteristics I listed above... people with Down syndrome share a set of very specific characteristics. As I said before, not everyone has ALL the characteristics, and there's no way to know who will get which ones, it's kind of hit or miss, but this is what makes people with Ds look similar.

Several years ago on one of my Down syndrome forums, there was someone selling t-shirts (not me, I swear) geared towards people with Ds that said, "They say everyone has a look alike out there, I have thousands!" or something like that... this ticked a lot of parents off because they said that you don't want your child defined by Down syndrome OR its characteristics, and like I said above, people with Ds also look like their families.

However, when we're walking through the mall and we see someone else with Down syndrome, we automatically stop and talk like we've known them forever even though we've never seen them before in our lives... it's like we are part of this little club... and of course the only way we can pick one another out IS because of physical characteristics. (I've used that word A LOT in this post! haha)

For me, I think it's the eyes that draw me in coupled with with the flattened bridge of the nose... that's usually how I pick out someone who has Ds, probably because that's Kennedy's most prominent feature, and I'm just generally drawn to eyes anyway. And these days, some of my favorites come in the almond shaped variety! :)

21 Things About Kennedy

Every October I do a post with 21 facts about Kennedy... I do it in October because it's Down Syndrome Awareness Month and I do 21 things because Down syndrome is Trisomy 21. I'm going to list the 21 facts and then I'll look up the lists from the last 2 years and link you to those too so you can read them. I don't want to read them first so they don't influence this list, it will be a good way for you and for me to see how much she's changed - and stayed the same - in the last couple years. Most of all, I hope it helps you see that above all else, Kennedy is a little girl, first a foremost, over her diagnosis. She is NOT Down syndrome.

SO in no particular order...

21 Things about Kennedy

1. Kennedy loves to play dress up. If we're home for any length of time, you'll usually find her in a princess costume.

2. Kennedy's favorite food is macaroni and cheese. I'm pretty sure she'd eat it EVERY day if I let her.

3. Kennedy loves ballet and tap class. She follows directions better there than anywhere else.

4. Someone once asked Kennedy what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, "Hannah Montana!" *sigh*

5. Kennedy knows all of her letters, colors and basic shapes and is working on mastering her numbers. (Though sometimes she'll still mix up a lower case b and d.)

6. Kennedy can read about 30 sight words.

7. Kennedy learns and responds better with little to no distractions.

8. Kennedy can be very stubborn when she doesn't want to do something.

9. Kennedy sometimes talks so fast NO ONE knows what in the world she's saying... except her of course! We call this "Kennedese".

10. Kennedy has a keen ability to know when someone is having a bad day. She will put her little hand on your shoulder and say, "What's wrong?" and usually follows up with a hug.

11. Kennedy is very social and well loved around school... even beyond Kindergarten. We were amazed how many kids yelled out "KENNEDY!" the night of the school's Fall Festival.

12. Kennedy hates black olives and pickles.

13. Kennedy doesn't bat an eye or shed a tear when we have to check her blood sugar, it just doesn't phase her in the least.

14. Kennedy loves daddy's bedtime stories, mostly because he makes them up off the top of his head and they're usually really silly!

15. When Kennedy eats spaghetti, she sneezes out the noodles for a couple days afterwards... several doctors have looked into this and no one can figure out how or why this happens.

16. Kennedy's favorite toys are STILL Groovy Girls, but Hello Kitty comes in close second.

17. Kennedy loves to play with Keeghan. And she loves to fight with Keeghan. :)

18. Kennedy adores Kassidy and Kameron and looks up to them for everything.

19. When my hair is up in a pony tail, Kennedy likes her hair in a pony tail too, so it's "like mommy's".

20. Kennedy is very interested in makeup and is always asking me what each thing is... eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, lipstick. I have a feeling it won't be long before she's asking to wear it too.

21. Kennedy is smart and capable. The sky is the limit if people will believe in her. She is the light of our lives and we are SO glad that God chose us to be her family!


OK here is the list from 2008... there are a few similar things on here! And here is the list from 2007 which is also still pretty accurate! What does this tell you? That who you are is who you are... and if you like mac and cheese, it's probably always going to be your favorite... and your parents are probably ALWAYS going to love you ;).

I think, therefore I do laundry...