A few steps closer...yet so many further away

Wow, can you believe that August 2nd marked one year since we got Kenzie's referral? Part of it seems like just yesterday we were boarding our plane to head off to Beijing and another part of it feels like she's been here forever. It's really amazing when you look back on it all, the past year and everything, and you see all the changes and transitions and how much more she's developed and how different she is. Her personality definitely shines through a lot more, and she's growing up so fast! She's very open now, compared to back then, and she's just recently started playing with other kids more.  (She's going to have to learn to share a little bit more when Karli gets here).  She's talking a lot more, and is saying a bunch of sentences (and stuff we can actually understand); such as "I'm done" or "Where are you going?". She also says Karli's name (pronounced "tar-lee"), and recognizes Karli's picture. She understands a lot and stuff, too. (For example, Kenzie said "rain" [or something that sounded like that] and [we've kinda been in the middle of a tropical storm today] my mom goes "Where's the rain?" and Kenzie goes "outside" [or however she pronounced it; I'm not sure, but she meant outside]). Keaton also got a drum set recently from some friends of ours, and let me tell you, he's not the only one who's showing promise on them. Kenzie enjoys making music on them. (Note that I said "making music" not "banging" on them, because it actually sounds like music, not annoying racket). 

Another day of August (the 4th) marked her turning 20 months...one step closer to the big 2!!!! :-)  She's a big girl now, and it shows!  (Lol.)  She likes to pick out her own outfits, hair-bows, and shoes.  We're close...well, okay not "close-close" but a few steps closer to having her potty-trained.  (She knows what it means, but if only she would do it more...)  I'm also noticing that she has a longer attention span.  Used to, she couldn't really sit still for a movie or TV show (with the exception of Sing Yourself Silly! and Elmo's World/Sesame Street) but now she can sit through things like Seventh Heaven, Hannah Montana, iRobot, and even the news sometimes.  

August 12th is Dad's birthday, and September 16th (coming up in a little over a month) will be the 1 year anniversary of "Gotcha Day!" so we'll probably go out to eat and celebrate.  The 3rd week of August (also coming up) Dad is going to quit his job as a lawyer and go full-time at our church as one of the pastors on staff there (as well as switching to a different law firm as a part-time attorney).  It's something he's been wanting to do for a while, and I haven't seen him as happy in a while...at least as far as work goes.  September 24th, it will be Karli's 3rd birthday.  Unfortunately, unlike mom had hoped, we won't be able to have Karli home or even be in China.  We're thinking that maybe we--by "we" I mean Kylie/Mom--will travel around November or sometime.  We're just crossing our fingers and praying, because it's all in God's timing.  I honestly don't know where we are in the process, I think we're still waiting.  Waiting.  I really am beginning to NOT like that word at all.  Kylie and her dog-sitting business is going extremely well.  We have 2 dogs at our house currently, and once they leave she'll have $1,030.33!  Wow!  I think she'll definitely have enough money to go when it's actually time.  We're all ready for Karli.

p.s. tomorrow on Good Morning America, Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family will be on there.  (If you recall, a few weeks--months--ago, his older son accidentally ran over their daughter with the car.  She was adopted from China, and a lot of other adopting families have given him a lot of support, so I think I'm going to watch it, just out of curiosity of what they'll talk about or say.)

p.p.s. I think my sister (Kylie) is in the other room working on updating her blog (http://www.thensidescoop.blogspot.com/) so go ahead and check it out, too! Bye!