October Recap/Photo Dump

Okay, better late than never...here is what we were up to in October!

These beautiful friends hosted the CUTEST baby shower for our family! So grateful for them!

We visited the Pumpkin Village at the Arboretum.

This girl...she gives me laugh lines and gray hairs. 

We received our first ever VIDEO of sweet Brooks at his orphanage thanks to a family visiting there that I found through social media. So fun!

This little bike maniac is unstoppable on that thing!

We visited Big Tex at the fair with our sweet niece and Dede.

Kate cheered on her favorite baseball player.

These two ROCKED their picture day in an unintentional patriotic look. ;) 

This girl continued to take FOREVER packing up all the stuff she needs to go ANYWHERE. #littlemama

I got to wear a SCARF...fallelujah! 

Blake and I spoke at a fundraiser for the Gift of Adoption Fund. We are so thankful not only to receive a grant award from them but also to have the opportunity to raise money for MORE Texas families!

We received the "Big Toy Book" in the mail from Toys 'R' Us and started our Christmas lists... 

We got our official Travel Approval notice from China and found a picture of NEWBORN Brooks...ummm, swoon!

We Trunk or Treated with our playgroup...

And visited Pumpkinville in McKinney! The cutest little FREE pumpkin patch!

There was a face (or arm...) painter...

Butterflies and "fire-breathing" dragons...

We brought home two pumpkins from the patch and carved jack-o-lanterns!

TA-DA!

And then we trick-or-treated on actual Halloween with our cousins and sweet friend! Third year in a row for this motley crew...

HULK! ARGH!

My sweet bigs...

And then this week we got to have a Mommy & Me craft morning for Kate...

And then Carter...

And then Thursday night, I went to go meet up with my friends Sara and Loren for dinner, and they surprised me with TONS of work friends and ANOTHER baby shower! Such an amazing blessing these women are to me!

And then yesterday, we got our final pre-travel update of this little guy...this is Brooks with his orphanage "mama." My heart is already breaking for him as he will no doubt heavily grieve the loss of this woman who has loved him as her own. She was also the one holding him for most of the video we received several weeks ago. It's obvious they have a close bond, and I will forever be grateful for the way she cared for him over the last 13 months. I pray that she is the one who brings him to us next week so that we can thank her in person for loving that sweet boy.

Also...check our his little Frankenstein stance!!!! Ahhhh! He STANDS! The update didn't specify whether or not he was walking yet, but it appears as if he is VERY CLOSE if he's not. This is seriously my FAVORITE baby stage...the waddle!!!

(And on a lighter note...if anyone has suggestions on what to do with that crazy mop of his, I'd accept...)

Whew! It's been quite a month! I promise to be more regular with posting in November because WE GO TO CHINA IN SIX DAYS! What in the ACTUAL WORLD, y'all?!! Eeeek! Happy weekend!