New Pictures!

Lots of pictures to share, as I just
uploaded 120 from our camera onto the computer! Whew!

More potty pictures! He has yet to actually do more
than just sit & read, but we're patient.
The first picture has been edited for our discriminating audience. :)

One of many runners-up in our quest to
find the perfect "Fletcher in the Bluebonnets"
picture. For all you non-Texans, the
Bluebonnet is the Texas State flower.
It is an annual wildflower, and it is illegal to pick or mow them.

Breakfast at Fletcher's table.
Ikea purchase: $20 for the table & 2 chairs.
Took about 20 minutes to assemble.

Putting cars into cups. Photo courtesy of Jamie. :)

Peek-a-boo, Batman!

Fletcher says "It's windy in my hair!"

A couple of weekends ago we took a trip down to Houston (Cypress) to visit some friends. Allison & Michael Hawkins have 3 boys;
Allison was Sara's first "boss"-
hired her at Zanzibar in 1998 (Sara's very first job).
Pictures from our Houston trip:

Fletcher & Baby Eli (13 mos) in the bath together.

(From left) Allison, Baby Eli, Fletcher & Sara.

Griffin (almost 8, on the ground), Jake (almost 5, standing over him),
and Fletcher in the background.
Oops, no pictures of Michael- sorry! :(

Foster Care

Hello, dear family & friends!

Over the last few months, the urge to apply for foster care certification has been weighing on my heart. A little background: Wes & I have always wanted to foster/adopt, even before we had Fletcher. As most of you know, Wes has four adopted siblings. Seeing as how we have witnessed the trials involved first-hand, we feel this is something that we're moderately prepared for.

Of course, it will be a process. In Texas, different foster & adoptive care agencies provide the training, home inspections, and eventually match you with a child or children. It is now up to us to choose an agency, attend 12-35 hours of classes, complete CPR/1st Aid Classes, complete background, safety, health checks, home inspections, etc. We could end up spending about $320 or so before we are even certified. It's at least a 4-month process, and we may decide it's not for us at some point.

We would need to request boys, because children of the opposite sex cannot share a room if they're older than 6. Two brothers would be awesome to have, preferably of school-age. Most kids remain in care for 6-12 months on average, and 18 months is the cut-off. About 18% of children end up being eligible for adoption after 18 months.

Just a little info. So, in the next 6 months or so, we may be changing the name of this blog... :)
If any of you have advice and/or experience please feel free to comment or e-mail us.

In other news, we would love to congratulate:
1st- Adam & Yoko (Wes' brother & wife) on the birth of their little Fisher. Middle name yet? :)
2nd- Bekah & Stephan (high school friend from Moscow) on the birth of their Eisley Rachel.