Black Friday Passports

I am so excited tonight to announce that our passport applications are FINALLY on their way to be processed! Why is it always the little, "easy" things that sometimes seem to take the longest? When we started this journey back in August, we were given a list of things to get done. I remember looking at the list and mentally checking through going "easy, easy, okay, easy." lol And now those so-called "easy" things have taken the longest! Our passport apps were held up by George's birth certificate, but we received that last week. So today we were able to go over and apply for our passports as a family. We did have to pay ALOT more to rush mine and George's (we need them to finalize our homestudy,) but we should have them in 2 weeks. YAY! While there, we went ahead and sent off my mom's and pumpkin's apps. This way we won't have to worry and stress about getting them later. We had the NICEST guy help us, although we did wait in line for quite awhile. He got the cutest pic of pumpkin for her passport on the first try! Which, if you know Pumpkin, is a feat in and of itself! We can't wait to see her little passport :) But sadly, there are no black friday specials when it comes to the government, so the sticker price for 2 rushed and 2 regular passports came pretty darn close to $500 :(

After "passporting" for most of the afternoon, we went to pick out our Christmas tree!! I love this time of the year, so it was great for me to see little Pumpkin help pick out the tree! She was only 9 months old last Christmas, so it was more for us than her. This year she is just so in to it. She looked adorable "helping" daddy pick out the tree and then "helping" him get it all situated. I'm sure daddy looovvved all that "help!" Tomorrow we pull out the ornaments and DECORATE!!! I can't wait to see her little face when we light up the "big" tree. She already has a little pink tree in her room, which she adores. Her Nana brings a new ornament over every time she comes and she already has three. This is such a fun time of year for us as a family! And I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be next year, when we (God-willing) have the best present of all - all the kiddos HOME! :)