Jaden's first Pumpkin and another step toward Katie!

We took Jaden to his first Halloween event ever.  He was a little overwhelmed by the whole thing.  He wasn't quite sure why all the kids and grown-ups were dressed up.  Lots of kids running around hyped up on sugar...just a little too much of a good thing.  It probably didn't help that he has a cold.  In fact, he told me both yesterday and today that, "Jaden is very sick.  I need to see a doctor."  Hmm, what is the verse about a prophet getting no respect in his own home?  :)  Kidding aside, he has been pretty puny.  He is fortunately more like his sister and daddy than his mother and brother.  He can give back his dinner and then go back to happily barking a few seconds later.  (We are currently in a puppy phase.  I guess this is a step up ... last week he was a cricket most of the week.) 

We did get him a pumpkin to decorate.  He drew the hair and a giant snake around the top (umm, it looked a lot like a long wiggly line but he SAID it was a snake).  Then he wanted to carve a face on it.  We compromised;  Daddy carved eyes and nose, Mama carved the smile and Jay cheered us on.

Jaden has also been working on joining Sanford Family Medicine.  Dr. Jaden was very busy the other day, tending to all of my sick staff.  He is a natural.  He asked each person what was wrong and was very empathetic.  With comments like, "Oh, no!" or "That must hurt!"  or "You should have listened to your Mama!"  he showed he was really listening.  I found out after the fact that he didn't change tongue depressors between patients and that he tried to use a nail file as a tongue depressor once, but I guess we all have to learn somehow.  He has even picked up on the fact that being a doctor means doing a lot of "work" and works diligently on his paperwork after seeing his patients.

We also recently made it back to the zoo.  At the Tulsa Zoo Run a few weeks ago, we actually ran on the road that is the back entrance to the zoo and saw only the giraffes (and only saw them at a distance because they are tall).  It was raining and we (well, Laura and I) were tired from the run, so we left pretty quickly with a promise to return.  We had a perfect fall day for it last week, though, and we and spent all Sunday afternoon enjoying the animals.

Today, Tim and I had a conference all day and had to leave the house by 6:30 am.  Jay's NaiNai came down and fed him breakfast and took him to school.  When we told him at bedtime last night what the plan was, his emphatic response was, "Nice!"  He loves his NaiNai.

On the "Katie news" front:  While we were driving home from our conference today we got Fed Ex notification that our dossier had been delivered to our agency.  Yeah!  One big hurdle down.  If our China agent (who normally lives in California) didn't happen to be in China right now, we would have been able to have our dossier to China on Friday.  Even though it will delay our travel to China by a week, I won't complain that she happens to be in China and away from work as long as she is able to bring us back an updated picture of Katie.  She told us before she left that she was definitely going to Katie's orphanage on this trip and would try (no promises) to get us pics or a video.  Praying!  It does a Mama's heart good to see her child.

I am amazed daily by the little man that God has blessed us with.  As we come up to Orphan Sunday, I can't help but be humbled by the thought that God chose us to raise this little guy and pray that somehow Katie will know in her little heart that we are coming.