Youree Christmas Adventures!

There's just something about Christmas . . . . that's so wonderful, comforting, peaceful, and fun. All those things and more rolled into one day. Sigh . . . .

And the 2010 Youree Christmas spectacular didn't disappoint in those regards. It was wonderful to visit with family in Sherman on Christmas Eve. A big breakfast started the day off right where we munched and gabbed with Papa and Granny Youree, Bryan's parents, Aunt Becky, Aunt Paula, Andrea, Alyssa, Tyler, and too-cute Colton. Later in the day, we were able to spend some much-needed time with the Wilson crew. We were so proud of ourselves, too, that we made to our church's Christmas Eve service, which was so worshipful and great.

Comforting and peaceful hit the scene on Christmas day--we slept in and enjoyed a quiet day. (Given our adoption aspirations, this may be our last Christmas to enjoy such--ha!) Santa was again too kind to us. Bryan fixed a stellar breakfast: English muffins, eggs, and bacon, yuuum.

In the fun category, comes the Narnia movie we watched on Christmas Eve Eve and the other Christmas DVDs we crammed into our weekend. But perhaps, the funniest moments were gazing at the Christmas tree with one strand of lights out, and our Christmas dinner debacle.

So . . . we forgot to buy heavy cream for the fantastic, out-of-this-world chowder Bryan makes. I called every grocer and convenient store nearby. Each was either closed or did not carry heavy cream. Then we tried to call pizza places--nothing. Finally, we found good grub at the Movie Tavern bar, where we landed one pizza and a sandwich to go. THANK GOD for Movie Tavern.

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas too!

Adoption Update: Three Strikes You're Out?

Three seems to be the number of the month. We've been signed up with our adoption agency for three months. And in that short time span, we've had three "almost" matches--two which fell apart early in the matching process and one that was more significant. Actually, we just found out today the third potential birthmother decided to parent. So, it's looking like Baby Youree Watch 2010 will turn into Baby Youree Watch 2011.

Stay tuned . . . we can't wait to share good news when it comes!

Back to Jr. High

I'm reverting back to jr. high with my new bangs and glasses. If you see me wearing jeans with zippers near the ankle or shirts with puffy paint, stage an intervention.

Nursery, Phase 1

What a great treat to read: "You are officially approved to adopt." That's the letter we received this week. Of course, we've been "unofficially" accepted for weeks now. It just takes a bit for the paperwork to make its way through the process.

In the meantime, we've had gender neutral visions of nursery decor dancing through our heads . . . . okay, perhaps, more in my head than Mr. Youree, but WE'VE been excited to work on our baby's room.

First up, was cleaning out the packed room. (Heaven's, how DID we accumulate so much stuff in the closets!) And then, we painted the room a creamy "Sand" by Laura Ashley.

This closet below will be the baby's closet. (You'll notice the car seat/stroller combo and a few clothes already residing there.)

The doorway to the left in the picture below is a door directly to the master bedroom, which will be handy for late night feedings and snuggles. You can see more of the wall color here too. The closed door is the second bedroom closet that we are using for storage. The open door on the right leads to the hallway. The dresser is from Bryan's original bedroom suite when he was a kiddo--that was actually his mother's first cousin's bedroom suite.

We've picked out floor rugs too! This two-tone brown jewel is the perfect fit for our space. It's a Dash & Albert pick from Simple Things--one of my favorite shops in Fort Worth. If you're ever in the market for quality floor rugs, I HIGHLY recommend Dash & Albert. The craftsmanship is super, and the price is reasonable.

Thanksgiving in Review

As my last post informed, this Thanksgiving I tackled the culinary apex of roasting a turkey. It did, thankfully (no pun intended), turn out a-okay! But my roasted fowl paled in comparison to the yummies Ms. Alexis "cooked." What a feast it was! And a bit of explanation about the tea picture. We'd placed it in a snazzy glass container, but then realized that was not wise for travel--too heavy and leaky. So, I came up with a great solution. :-)

The Thanksgiving weekend also brought our first below-freezing temps here in North Texas. I bundled up my garden as best I could, but most of my plants fell victim to the freeze. The next day, I was picking tomatoes and peppers until my hands grew numb. This is my loot:

The Bird Has Landed

My first turkey . . . . I gasped as I pulled out the neck and felt guilty as I placed the onion, apples, and butter in the unnamed cavity. Here's hoping it turns out edible!

Vancouver!

So with all the baby news and such, I forgot to post some pics from our time in Vancouver. Please forgive.

Here we are in front of the fountain at the Vancouver Art Museum.

The museum

Here's the view from our room. So sunny. :-)

Looking out over the bay, and the convention center!

Breaking News: Baby Youree Watch 2010

(drum roll, please)

We have just finished the application process for domestic infant adoption!!!!!!!!!

Just this Monday we wrapped our home study. Now, the good folks at the adoption agency are shifting through our data, bios, and skeletons! We should know really soon if we will be accepted. Once that happens, we will wait to be matched with a birthparent. This could be soon, or it could be a year away.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers! We are only at the beginning and it's already been so emotional, but wonderful too.

Stayed tune for more updates!

The Seaside Drive

On our way back to Vancouver, we drove along the Pacific coast for a few miles. These picture DO NOT capture the beauty of what we saw. The crispness of the air, the vastness of the water, and the elegance of the mountain is lost in our snapshots. Sigh. But hey, we did the best we could! So enjoy our little bit of heaven on earth!

Seattle Pics, Take 3

All right, here's the last installation of Seattle pics. I know it's been riveting for you. (Teehee.)

These are from the Space Needle during the day (duh).

And these are from the Experience Music Project, dedicated to Mr. Hendrix, that guitar-playing fool. The structure was amazing, and the interactive exhibits interesting.

Oh, and the Space Needle at night. Isn't my hubby handsome?

Seattle Pics, Take 2

Here's round two of the Seattle pics. You'll notice the flowers from the Public Market and the famous fish stand. And check out the "first" Starbucks pic. At the bottom are our favorite shots from the aquarium. Enjoy!

Seattle Pics, Take 1

These are from our harbor tour of Seattle and from the Seattle Museum of Art. Like my new Easter dress?

And one of our hotel lobby. I LOVED that hotel.

And pics from our flight into Vancouver and our drive across the border to Seattle . . . .