Getting ready ~ Wanna help?

**There is a plea for your help toward the bottom, please don't let me down!**

This past week was a roller coaster of emotions. From, "Hey, the car seats don't fit in the Highlander," to all the searching for a quality "pre-owned" (I find it funny that the term "used" isn't current lingo) vehicle to buying it to realizing that others from our agency had been issued their Article 5 but we hadn't to finally getting said Article 5, all the while trying to get back into the normal routine of our lives after Ian had two five day weekends in a row...

And now we've gone over all the little hills on the track. We're headed up the big hill, the one that leads to the major adrenaline rush down. Remember the last time you rode a coaster? When you are in the front car (which we sorta are now as we wait for the very last approval to be able to travel) you can't see how much of the coaster is still coming up the hill. So you sit poised on the edge of the big drop (which I LOVE because I love roller coasters) but you just aren't sure exactly when it is going to happen. All you know is that it is soon.

That's where we are. Our trip is coming soon. We just aren't sure exactly when. Could be as soon as the 27th, could be as late as that time next month. And the knowledge that we may have just a few days between getting our final approval and departure was making me crazy.

So yesterday Ian and I took advantage of our kiddos happily playing with their Play-Doh at the table by making lists of things we knew we'd need and checking them twice to see what we already had on hand. Post nap we headed out and got most of our shopping done. Our "mini-pharmacy" is packed in ziplock bags, the gifts for officials are ready to toss in suitcases, and we even have gifts for our three children to exchange with one another. I still have to find the gift I want for Darcy's foster mother, but I'll tackle that while Ky and Caleb are in preschool this week. I also need to make sure we have plenty to entertain three kids under four years of age for hours on airplanes. (I've been collecting a few things here and there, but did I mention that there will be three kids under four by my side for 12+ hours?)

For the trip itself I'm feeling pretty good. Bring it on! It's just the "Wow, we're home as a party of five" that I'm still a bit nervous about. Why? Cause I go back and read posts that I wrote in November and December of 2008 when we were first back with Caleb and remember that my kids haven't always sat side by side in the back of my mini-van holding hands and singing together (yes, they really have been doing that the past few days) or chosen to sit in the same chair at the table to eat their morning cereal.

This morning's breakfast.

No, there were times when frequent RAVs (random acts of violence if you are new here) were the norm. I was so tired and had no desire to subject myself to trying to get any sort of dinner cooked. I can't even tell you how many times Papa John's came by or we went through a drive-thru. Really. It was a bad time in my kitchen. (Not to mention a BAD time for our budget!)

Enter you, my bloggy friends!

I love to cook, and Kylie loves to help me. She and I make a great kitchen team. What I'd love to do is spend some time cooking with my big girl to fill my freezer up BEFORE WE GO. I have two standbys that I can fix now, freeze, and pop into the oven with no prep time later. Our family loves them both, but I think that if I filled my freezer with just those two that we'd get really tired of them before a month or two (about how long I found it to take me upon both returns from China to get back into full cooking mode) passed. If you have a family "tried and true" recipe that freezes well, would you email it to me (Fireworksandfireflies@gmail.com) or if it is a link to a recipe online you could leave that in a comment. We aren't (well none of us except Caleb ~ and he's learning not to be) picky eaters, and we like a wide variety of stuff. I'd love to get some fresh ideas from your kitchen!

Well, all this effort to get ready ahead of time (short of packing a suitcase), has made me really sleepy. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to join my family ~ provided I can find room...

Yep, still the Christmas bedding. Maybe sometime this week...