Thank you

Thanks to everyone that filled out reference
forms for us. Everyone have a great holiday if
I don't get to see you over the break.

Love,
Liz

Yesterday

While I was at the Longcoy Family Movie last night,
Jeremy called. He said that a thick packet from our
agency came. I wanted to cancel everything that night
to come home and get started. The main reason to
come home was surprisingly not to get ahead. Someone
might think that after seeing the fifty pages and the two
books that we have to read. The thing is, I am so
excited to do it. I was telling Alyson and Stephanie
this later that night and we all laughed. It sounds
ridiculous, but I don't want to clean, cook, grade papers,
or anything outside of preparing for our homestudy.
I'm not stressed, just really really excited. Yes, fifty pages
of paperwork can do this because it means a little one is
not so far away.

Stories

I went on adoptionbooks.com to look for books that
I could read to prepare to welcome a little one some day.
Being the elementary teacher that I am, I drifted over to
the children's books section instead. Out of all the stories,
I liked A Mother for Choco the best. The author is Keiko
Kasza. Here is the review.

The talented creator of The Wolf's Chicken Stew (1987 ALA Notable)
provides a warmhearted contemporary surprise ending for the
time-honored formula of a little creature searching the animal
kingdom for its appropriate mother. Choco, a small yellow bird
with a big blue bill, tries a giraffe (she has no wings, she says),
a penguin (no ``big round cheeks''), and a walrus, but no one
seems to look just like him. Comfortable Mrs. Bear is wiser:
``If you had a mommy, what would she do?'' And since she's quite
able to hold him and kiss him, regardless of appearances, he's soon
the new member of her happy family--joining the little pig, hippo, and
alligator already in her affectionate brood. The timely point is hardly
subtle, but it's made with notable good humor, especially in Kasza's
marvelous animal caricatures of comically human states of mind. Just
right for the preschool group or beginning reader.Kirkus Reviews

Now I'm looking for tales about adopted kids and
their grandmas, uncles, and aunts. I'll get
back to the informational book eventually.
Much Love, Liz

Monkeys

It is so much fun to be planning again. Jeremy and I were talking
about the kid's room. We still love the monkey theme. Instead of
Curious George painting a jungle, we were thinking that the room
could be the inside of a jungle hut. The floor is finished wood and
the walls are a dark color. Large bright painted windows with
Curious George and his friends peeking in would be so cute.
Hopefully, we can recruit Marc and John to come over once
everything starts moving. Can't wait.

Liz