Fall - Day 1 "We Love You All"

Ah, fall, how I love thee! Today started early. Our flight took off at 6:00-ish, so we were up at 4:30, getting some last minute things packed. The flights were uneventful and fairly short. We got into Philly around noon, picked up our car, and headed out to Amish Country. First item of note: our new GPS is indispensable! Seriously, on trips like these, I believe they can save marriages. Second: I can’t believe how excited I was when we saw our first Wawa! I used to walk past one every day on my way to work, sometimes dropping in for a treat when I could afford it. Third: the leaves haven’t turned as much as we expected. Reports suggest that fall is a bit late this year. We drove around farm country for a while, enjoying the sights and the occasional horse-drawn buggy on the road. We stopped for dinner at Stoltzfus Farm Restaurant, which was served “family style”. We didn’t know what that meant at first, but basically there is a set menu for that night and we get it all brought to the table. Started with apple sauce, apple butter, cabbage, chowchow (pickled veggie salad), and fresh baked bread for appetizers. Then ham loaf, fresh sausage (as in, made today at the meat house right next to the restaurant), and chicken, with corn, green beans, sweet potatoes, and mashed potato stuffing . The cook made butter-free versions of stuff so E would have more to eat. For dessert there were at least 7 pies and cakes and ice cream (the shoofly pie was yummy…like pecan pie without the pecans). We then headed to Bird-In-Hand for a buggy ride. By then the sun was getting lower and the farms looked so bright and warm (although we were a little chilly…and loving it). Jacob, our “driver”, told us about his family history and that of the area, while he took us past some of the most scenic views of the area and a private Amish farm. He told us about their traditions, compared them to ours, and kept saying “but you love you all”. I believe he meant it. We finally found our little cottage just as the sun was going down, so we settled in for the night.

I need some candy, STAT!

Halloween was a treat this year! Elijah was practically running down the street from house to house, he was so excited. Unfortunately it started raining, but he brought in quiet a haul before the night was over. We traded him some non-allergy candy for all the chocolate he got, which is a nice deal for me when he gets dark chocolate :-) Early tomorrow morning we leave for Philadelphia. I may not be able to blog until Sunday, since we'll be out in Amish country the first few days, but be on the lookout for new pics soon after that!

O2B Hoedown

E's school had a Hoedown on Friday. There was lots of food and dancing and fun. Elijah danced around with his friends and won at musical chairs. I made Chai Tea cupcakes, which really do taste like the drink. This weekend we went to the mall, where the UF Chemistry department had kid-friendly demonstrations (imploding soda cans, invisible spiders weaving webs, etc.). We also planned and prepared for our trip this week. I'll post our itinerary soon, and hopefully many updates while we're away. And, of course, there is still Halloween on Wednesday to look forward to.

Caroline Kelley Gadaire

Caroline Kelley Gadaire was born on October 11 at 4:10, 7 lbs. 6 oz., 19.5 inches. Congrats to Mike and Dana!!

Spooktacular Saturday

Fun fall festivities in Gainesville, and thankfully it wasn't too hot (not exactly cool either, but I'll take what I can get). First off was Littlewood Elementary's annual carnival (this will be E's school next year). E played lots of games and won many prizes. Next Dr. E got all dressed up in his Halloween costume and we went to O2B Kid's annual spooktacular, where E went through the little kids' trick-or-treat carnival line, got some cotton candy, watched some dancers, and spied many, many cool costumes.

Handsome Young Man

E's classroom took some pictures a few weeks ago. We'll probably order a few, though they are insanely expensive! Now, for those of you not in Gainesville, I know the Florida Gator picture might upset you, and I'm sorry. They are a little obsessive about Gator football around here (admit it, Gators...they even close down the whole school, heck, the town, all day, for homecoming, for Pete's sake!). In any case, he's got the cutest smile in that one!!

10/07 Referral Update - 579 LIDs to go

This month was again a sad 5 day batch; the CCAI matched through November 30, 2005. It took them 6 months to get through November 2005. Ever so slow, they are.

Average rate of LIDs matched per month: 6 (3 month ave) to 5 (6 month ave). Tend in days of LIDs matched: 2, 6, 6, 7, 7, 4, 5. Days in between our LID and the latest matched: 579

Estimated wait time: 8.3 to 9.0 years from now. Estimated referral date: 1/7/2016 to 10/16/2016. I will now add fun trivia about the estimated referral date...this month's tid-bit: Elijah will be 13 years old. A teenager. How scary is that!

Here are this month's cute babies: http://chinaadopttalk.com/2007/10/02/babies-4/