And Then There Were...

Baby Girl turns 2!!!

2011-11-17T22:21:00.000-06:00

Time sure flies! Our baby girl turned 2! I can't even believe it. She has been home for 6 1/2 months and we have seen so many changes in her. Her language development has grown by leaps and bounds and she is so much more comfortable. She is such a happy little girl and has brought so much joy to our lives. We love her dearly and are so excited to watch her grow up. Here are some pictures from her birthday celebration. In case you didn't know, she is a huge Daddy's girl, which he totally needed after the first two were huge momma's boys. She is also completely stoked about her presents from her uncles, yep cars...she knows what rates around here and she was crazy thrilled!

You Crack me up!

2011-09-09T14:47:00.004-05:00

This is by far the funniest thing Smiley has ever said.

We were driving home from somewhere and he said something hilarious.

Me: You crack me up.
S: What, what you said?
Me: You crack me up.
S: I can't crack you up only eggs can crack up Mom.
Me: What?
S: You are not an egg I can't crack you up.

Eaves Dropping

2011-06-16T22:26:00.001-05:00

Here is a not so short clip of what my hubby heard the boys talking about in their bunks tonight. E: M when we go to high school, we'll be in the same grade, did you know that? So, when you sit in a chair, I will sit right next to you, I promise. M: OK, but don't you push me out of my chair, or I will be mad.
E: Hey, M, you want to jump out of a plane with me? Maybe like on your birthday, like when you turn 6, because I'm going to do it, I am. Uncle Josh is going to jump out of a plane on his birthday, and probably Collin, Miles, all those guys. And dad did it too. I jumped out of a plane a couple times already.
M: No, I will not jump out a plane because we could land in water and then I would be scared.

Our Feathered Friends!!!

2011-05-25T22:34:00.002-05:00

Yes, I gave in and we have chickens! Will so badly wanted chickens and I just can't seem to say no when he wants an animal, although I did say no to a cat. Giggles is in love with the chickens and was practically speechless for an entire day because he couldn't believe we actually had chickens.

We were so lucky to know Gwen, a colleague of Will's, who has chickens and was happy to give us 3. Originally, we were going to get 2 chickens but the one Speedy wanted to give up was, in my opinion, the prettiest and I just couldn't let him give her up. So, now we have 3 chickens. Their names are Freddie, Frank & Princess Consuela (aka Cinderella) and yes I did explain to the boys that they are all girls but these are the names they wanted. I named Princess Consuela because well she seemed like she needed a more dignified name. Although it's only slightly dignified because it is a reference to a name on the old tv show Friends, which is much less dignified. Her are some pictures of our feathered friends and the kids oogling over them. Sunshine and Max are enamored with them and Speedy is taking his chicken responsibilities very seriously. This summer Will is going to make them a bigger run.

Sunshine & Speedy checking them out!

Frank, Princess Consuela & Freddie (from left to right)
Oogling the chickens!

Sunshine made them feel right at home! (Princess Consuela in the corner)

5 Year Famiversary!!!!

2011-05-22T22:25:00.001-05:00

5 years ago today we walked off a plane and headed home with our beautiful baby boy! I can't even believe it has already been 5 years! We love you Speedy and you have brought so much joy to our lives.

One month home today!

2011-05-20T21:27:00.004-05:00

Today is the 1 month anniversary of becoming a family of 5!

Our attempt at a family photo @ Easter (Day #2 home)

The boys played along and this picture will forever be known as Easter Butts!

May 4,(home 1.5 weeks)

The kids with Daddy!

Today! Now she not only wants to sit with them she wants to copy them!

18 months old....let's go fly a kite!

2011-05-17T22:13:00.004-05:00

We may have missed her 1st Birthday but we didn't miss her 18 month! We made brownies and sang Happy Birthday and shared in her big day! Then, we all went to the park to fly kites. We had a lovely day as a family of 5 on her 18 month birthday!!! Oh and the dog turned 4!

Just a few pics from our trip!!!

2011-05-01T22:00:00.005-05:00

Meet Sunshine!

2011-04-18T17:00:00.001-05:00

Here she is Sunshine (contrary to popular belief that is just her blog name and not her given name). She is a beautiful 17 month old girl. She weighs about 25 lbs and measures 30 ish inches long. We received her referral in August when she was *8 months old and so it's been a long, wait. We are so excited to finally be bringing her home. There will likely be a short break from blogging upon return home but I will be back at it again as soon as my feet are under me. Can't wait to be holding her in my arms again!

Referral picture (taken at 6 months old)

December 2010 (12 months old)

My boys!!!

2011-04-11T06:22:00.003-05:00

So, I have been thinking a lot about how our little girl will be changing things around here. It's hard to believe I can make room in my heart for one more little person. We are scared and ready. It's going to be a big transition but one we are ready for. Speedy & Giggles as so darn cute, funny, and perfect each in their own way that we can't wait to get to know and love another little child.

Each of my boys are so very different. Speedy worries about how life will be with Sunshine coming home and Giggles, well he has no idea what is to come. Speedy is rough and tumble, a hunter by nature and Giggles is an animal lover and self-proclaimed vegetarian. Will was grilling some venison the other day and asked Giggles and Speedy if they were going to eat it. Speedy said, "why not," & Giggles said "I not going to eat them." When Will found a little mouse house under the pile of wood from our demolition in the garage my exclamation was,"Oh gross". Giggles on the other hand said "Awwww."

Both of my boys are very much boy boys, they love to wrestle and be rough and tumble and very interested in everything daddy does. Speedy loves to help cook and when given free reign comes up with some tasty desserts (he must know how much I love sweets). Giggles is the sweetest little guy with babies and animals and would spend an entire day watching chickens at a farm. They are so very different that I can't wait to see how a little girl will fit into this family.

Today I spent the day with my boys. I was just trying to enjoy them as they are right now one last time. Life around here is going to change a lot. Ready or not here she comes!!!

Frabjous Day

2011-03-30T21:16:00.001-05:00

We have FINALLY, FINALLY been given a travel date!!! We leave in 14 days. We are so completely excited and stoked. You have no idea how excited....we figured we were in for a long wait. I figured we'd be lucky to bring her home this summer and then we got word that we cleared the Embassy yesterday and received our travel dates today. So much to do and I won't even complain about how little time we have because I would leave tomorrow if I could. We can't wait and will be counting the days.

Hot Smoke for Sunshine!!!

2011-03-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

We passed the Embassy today, which is a huge deal and means that now we just have to wait for an Embassy interview date! YAY!!!! It was a hugely, happy, ecstatic kind of day at our house and deserved a little celebrating. We went out for dinner, a rare treat around here, and then came home to make "the hot smoke for the icky, sticky, gooey" (in Giggles terms). Hot Smoke is a fire that we roasted marshmallows over & made smores (aka icky, sticky, gooey). Here are some pics, enjoy I know we did!

It only took 101 days!

2011-03-16T14:56:00.005-05:00

So, finally on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, (101 days from our court date in Ethiopia) we were submitted to the Embassy. It is the 1st step in the final 3 steps to getting a travel date & bringing Sunshine home!

We are so excited to be submitted but we look at it as yet another black hole in the process. We really have no idea how long it will take the Embassy to review and approve our paperwork and until it is approved we just can't feel comfortable. We know too many things that just don't go according to plan. If all goes well we hope to be home with Sunshine in 6-8 weeks. But who knows....so we are hoping and praying for a simple and smooth approval with NO surprises!

We are excited to have moved to the next step, even if it is just new black hole:)

I leave you with her chubby little hand....hey I have been trying to find cute pics of our Sunshine that I can share...I don't have many pictures to choose from so I am doing the best I can.

Kindergarten Already?

2011-03-07T20:35:00.002-06:00

I can't even believe that Speedy is 5 and will start kindergarten in the fall. It is so completely crazy to me. Yikes.....seriously crazy. We registered him for school today and he has the screener on the 23rd. We tour the school on May 9th and school starts in the fall. Is he really that big?

Our Sunshine!

2011-03-01T14:05:00.002-06:00

We received updates on baby girl today! Yay! At 15 months old she is 29.9 inches long, 23.8 lbs, walking and running all over the place!Yikes....she won't be a baby for long. It's a good thing she loves to cuddle. Miss her so much today. Haven't seen her for 13 weeks!

Speedy's Trauma

2011-02-28T21:08:00.000-06:00

Last week Tuesday we had quite an eventful day. We had a really rough day, after hearing that Sunshine's case had not been submitted to the Embassy, and I was really upset. It was not a pretty day for me but I was getting through, barely. Well, I must say there is nothing that jolts a momma & dad out of their crummy feeling and into excessive caretaker mode like a trip to the emergency room.

Poor Speedy was running around the wall that seperates the kitchen & living room. He was just told to slow down when the dog cut him off & he fell. He landed flat on his face because the dog had been in the way and he couldn't get his arms down. He stood up with blood pouring out of his mouth. Daddy jumped into action and Momma stood in shock. Daddy gave directions and momma grabbed all necessary gear including Giggles and off we went.

I must say Daddy had the hard job, keep Speedy calm enough to get through it. I also did not envy Daddy's role in the ER as he had to help hold still so the Doc, PA & Nurse could give him a mental block and numb him up. There was a lot of screaming and it felt like eons until it was finished. Seriously, I would have lasted 2 minutes and then told them to just put him out, it was pure torture. Speedy was a huge trooper. He did call the nurses and doctors stupid during the mental block but was very polite the rest of the time. Replying to questions with a simple "No, thank you." After our 2+ hours in the ER & with 2 stiches in his bottom lip we headed to the dentist for an after hours visit.

Now, it was my turn. I took him into the dentist where he had x-rays done. We went back into his office and he gave Speedy some nitrous oxide to keep him calm. After a quick exam the dentist told me that Speedy had brooken the tooth at the root (this is very uncommon--usually the teeth just get pushed back) and that he would need to take it out. We could come back in the morning or take care of it then. I opted for then since I knew tomorrow he would really not want to come back. The dentist numbed him up and then pulled the tooth, leaving the root behind. The only bonus I could come up with was that the Tooth Fairy would be coming tonight, which turned out to be the only part of the dentist he seemed to remember. Yay!

Wednesday morning he woke up with $5 under his pillow from the Tooth Fairy, what can I say the Tooth Fairy knew the trauma that came with the lose of that tooth. We all survived and Speedy's lip and teeth (the bottom teeth were just a tiny bit lose) are healing well.

Speedy had his first stitches at the age of 5. Giggles at the age of 2.

12 weeks....

2011-02-22T17:24:00.002-06:00

It'll be 12 weeks to the day tomorrow since we met Sunshine and it seems there is no end in sight. We have yet to be submitted to the Embassy. The staff in Ethiopia are hoping to submit us next week or the following. Then we wait for approval from the Embassy and are given an appointment at the Embassy. Only now the Embassy isn't giving out appointments in a timely manner. It sucks and the way the Embassy is handling it seems to be very backwards. Whatever, hopefully by the end of March we will be travelling. I used to feel hopeful for that and now that even seems completely unlikely. Hoping for no more tears this week...today has been rough. I just want our baby girl home with us and it seems almost never ending. Please send your positive thoughts, prayers and good luck mojo our way...we'll take anything we can get! Just missing our Sunshine something fierce and if you could see her eyes you would know why.

And After!

2011-02-21T22:11:00.003-06:00

The walls are not finished yet but they are down and the area is liveable! Here are some pictures. Next, Will is going to work on the ceiling and then he needs to "finish" the drywall and prettify it. We will paint this summer. It has made such a huge difference in our house! I LOVE IT!

View from the garage entrance THROUGH THE HOUSE
View of the front door from the kitchen sink

View into the dining room from the living room!

View of the stairwell into the basement.

My Little Protesters!!!!

2011-02-17T21:17:00.004-06:00

Just a few snapshots of our little protesters! We are protesting a bill that our beloved Governor Walker has tried to push through, which in essence ends all bargaining power of unions. It would crush our educational system and seriously is only a drop in the bucket compared to how much needs to be cut. Generally, Gov. Walker just wants to get rid of unions! We were down at the capital this evening to show solidarity for our educators and other public employees. ON WISCONSIN!!!

Rally Bus Ride!

A less than enthused Speedy!

Raging Giggles!

Giggles is a proud supporter!

Before!

2011-02-12T19:26:00.003-06:00

Turns out we are crazy! We decided to go ahead and tear down the walls between the living room and kitchen and make them half walls. We are prepared for the crazy ups and downs the project will bring but seriously it is fabulous to be busy with something else. The boys have been troopers and Giggles is seriously curious about all the steps.

As usual we have already hit a bump in the road and let's just say our house seems sort of "customized" as far as all the crazy things the previous owners have done to the house. It's just the odd things we find when we decide to do, what should be an easy project, and instead find large holes in the ceiling hidden by a very large light fixture. It's just that sort of house. Anyhow, here are the before pictures and tune later this month for the after pictures (i hope).

Front door & basement door

Kitchen wall View headed down the stairs (it's a lot of wood)

Living room wall

Kitchen wall & closet

Our Rollercoaster

2011-02-07T20:45:00.003-06:00

Well, all it looks like it is going to be a long wait until we hear anything about our little girl. The US Embassy is carefully scrutinizing every case and so it will most likely be a while, especially since we have not even been submitted to the US Embassy to be scrutinized. I don't expect to hear anything soon and figure that with the new changes we will be lucky to have Sunshine home by Easter. It's going to be a long road and a bumpy one I am sure.

Here is where we are:

Submitted dossier ---check
Fingerprints ---check
Matched with baby girl---check (Aug. 6, 2010)
Court date in Ethiopia---check (Dec. 3, 2010)
Submission to US Embassy---????
Final Travel Clearance---????

End in sight.....none!

Sunshine's Room :)

2011-02-05T21:34:00.003-06:00

It's finished and we are so happy with it. Thanks to Gwen, a colleague of Will's, for taking Will's vision and my theme and making it into exactly what we wanted. It is completely beautiful, if I do say so myself. It says a little girl lives here but does it without screaming "SHE MUST LOVE PINK!!!" There's a picture of her mural and pictures of other decorations in her room. Giggles and Speedy painted the flowers that decorate her coat hook. It's all just so darn cute and waiting for our little girl!

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-02-02T18:53:00.003-06:00

Squirrel imprint (he must have jumped off our roof)

A toast!

2011-01-31T06:41:00.005-06:00

Last night Will and I had a toast, to whatever may or may not come this week. We know that by the end of the week we will know if we are going to Ethiopia to bring our Sunshine home in February. I have resigned myself to the idea that whatever happens it will be one more week closer to travel, even if we don't get a February date.

Then, we looked around, at the pile of laundry, the dirty dishes, the toys on the floor and instead did everything else. Will busied himself with something but I don't remember what. I made hats because poor Sunshine has a fungal infection on her scalp, which should be covered to keep it from spreading. So, here they are the hats I made sunshine out of recycled tshirts. Not bad for an hour and a half of work:) If I can I will get Giggles to model one, they are close in head size and these are way cuter on.

Update on Sunshine came today!

2011-01-27T22:29:00.003-06:00

We got an update on Sunshine this afternoon. Although, the update was done in mid-December, just after we came home, she is still a healthy baby girl. She is 14 months old and will be wearing 18 month clothes. Some of the comments about her personality include; "she doesn't seem to share her playing materials. She seems to like to be held and cuddled. She has a good pattern of sleep." Can't wait to get to know her. She is a beautiful chubby thing with absolutely gorgeous eyes. I wish I could post pics but I can't so I will just leave you with a teaser:)

Check me out!!!

2011-01-26T21:59:00.003-06:00

I have no energy to blog tonight. I'm waiting, not very patiently, and am tired of trying to find things to keep my busy. Tonight, I steer you toward my sister's photography blog instead, Christy Tyler Photography. She did a post on "waiting" yesterday and well it shows all sorts of fabulous pictures of Sunshine's room. They are fabulous pictures of our current project. Please check it out at www.christytylerphotographyblog.com/2011/01/waiting.html

I have to give props to Will's colleague, Gwen, for the wall design. I could not have done that but she took all of our ideas and made it perfect for our little Sunshine.

Thanks sis. I am crafty but that is where my artistic ability ends:) Love you!

Speedy turns 5!!!!

2011-01-25T15:49:00.007-06:00

Can you believe that my little boy turns 5 today? I can't. Here he is during his first 5 years.

Speedy's referral photo: (2 weeks)

Speedy age 5:

Speedy age 4:

Speedy age 3:

Speedy age 2:

Speedy age 1:

3 years ago today!

2011-01-23T19:32:00.001-06:00

Can you believe 3 years ago today we were matched with Giggles?

Giggles referral photo: (6 weeks old)

Giggles today: (3 years 1 month)

Preschool for Giggles!

2011-01-20T14:26:00.003-06:00

So, with Speedy we waited until he was 4 to send him to preschool. He really didn't need to go but I wanted him to be used to a school environment. Now, with Giggles we are sending him a year early because 4K will be in place and I want him to have a very positive school experience before 4K. I also want Orchard Ridge to be an option for 4K for us because it is play pased education, which I think is so completely important. So, next year Giggles will start preschool and he can't wait. He keeps asking if he goes to school today? He can't wait

Waiting for Fraptious!

2011-01-16T22:36:00.000-06:00

That's what we are doing. Waiting for a day with no date but with a grand celebration. We are waiting to hear when we go to Ethiopia. It's in the future but who knows when. I will wait as patiently as I can for Fraptious!

Speedy's first ever recipe!

2011-01-10T19:05:00.008-06:00

It was of course dessert. We got home from a friend's house and I was cooking dinner when Speedy decided that he wanted to cook and make a cake. Those were his exact words. Will was fabulous just let him go to town and make all the decisions. I offered suggestions, most weren't taken except the melted butter, and well I was trying really hard to let him do his thing, which of course is very hard for me.

Here are the ingredients:
crackers (whole wheat town house)
chocolate chips (2-3 small fistfuls of mini chips)
cheerios (small fistful)
marshmallows (8ish--broken into smaller pieces)
butter (1 1/2 T melted butter)
craisins (2 T)
Cake toppers for decoration (do not bake)

Put all ingredients together and add melted butter. Stir. Bake in a buttered, antique Frend porcelain souffle dish @ 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool in fridge, serve gooey. Decorate with cake toppers and candles.

I was skeptical at the start but as the ingredients started to fall into place I became a believer.

Daddy & boys

The ingredients

Finished "cake"

Speedy & his "cake"

A plated dessert

The Return of Schmelgador!

2011-01-04T22:17:00.003-06:00

Schmelgador? Yep, you read it right. That is the name for Will's character everytime we play dress up. Actually, it's short for Schmelgador the Farting Gypsy, with 2 boys we'll have some of that...well seriously a lot of that. Lately, Schmelgador is a customer at a restaurant where he is charged an obscene amount of money for fried chicken. Schmelgador reacts as any normal human would, he spits out his food, throws it in the air and blows a ferocious raspberry.

Pictures of Schmelgador taken by Giggles!

Wait, wait, wait....& in the meantime

2011-01-04T22:13:00.003-06:00

That's my life these days, waiting, waiting and more waiting. Oh, did I mention the obsessive checking of my email just in case "the email came since I checked it 5 minutes ago." It's crazy, but luckily I have 2 little boys to keep me very busy. So in the meantime we nest and prepare and look at pictures and talk about our little Sunshine. That's what we do in between life going as it always goes, waiting for this huge change to happen.

Christmas:)

2010-12-30T22:51:00.001-06:00

This year Christmas was fabulous! The boys did fairly well, despite Speedy's minor breakdown at Grandma & Grandpa's about presents. Speedy mentioned a lot that he was so happy to have such wonderful Christmas presents and was so greatful for everything he got. It was so lovely to hear and even more wonderful for me to watch. He also understood that he was lucky and that not every child is that lucky. We talked a lot about those less fortunate than us this Christmas and I think Speedy gets it in his own 4 year old way. My favorite part of Christmas was the gift we gave him after we were home from all other celebrations. The boys had both been asking for a Big Buzz Lightyear and initially we weren't going to get them but then we figured it was the only thing they really wanted.

Here is how it went down. We gave them their one last present and we figured the box shape was a dead give away but turns out they didn't even catch it. Speedy was letting Giggles open his first. Giggles was tearing paper and saw the words Buzz Lightyear on the package and proclaimed, "It's a big Buzz Wightyear." Giggles started tearing paper more frantically and Speedy set to tearing open his package as quickly as he could. They were so excited. The present even warranted a huge hug and a very genuine "Thanks mom and dad." from Speedy. They were jazzed.

Here are some pictures of our holiday, including Speedy with Santa (Giggles still wants nothing to do with him.) At least this year there were no tears.

This is what it's about :)

2010-12-20T23:17:00.003-06:00

On Saturday my mom (Nana) came to visit and we planned to make a gingerbread house. This was Speedy's big plan. After Speedy and Nana went to Super Target to get all the necessary candies we started our big endeavor. The kids loved it and Giggles was very dedicated to decorating the gingerbread house. He was even heard telling Speedy, "Those not for eating those for decorating," as Speedy was gobbling up some of the M&M's. The kids had a great time and loved doing this with their Nana. It brought back so many memories of decorating the gingerbread house every year with my Grandpa. It was so nice to see them carrying on the tradition.

Really, it's only been 2 weeks!

2010-12-16T22:57:00.002-06:00

Seriously, has it really only been 2 weeks since we last saw Sunshine. Really? Uugghhh, this is so hard and the time is going so slowly it seems crazy slow. So glad the holidays are upon us and we will be busy with all the holiday cheer because heaven only knows how much my heart aches for her. I miss her so much and know that we have at least another 4-6 weeks of waiting and that is if we are lucky enough to get an embassy appointment on Jan. 25th (Speedy's birthday). Crossing my fingers our court decree comes soon!

A success!

2010-12-09T20:44:00.002-06:00

The trip to Ethiopia was a success, for the boys and us. It was so hard to be away from our boys but so much easier knowing they were in good hands. The boys had a fabulous time with Grandma and Grandpa. They kept the boys so busy with activities and games and all kinds of fun things to do. The boys slept every nap and crashed hard every night. When we got home Giggles was so excited he gave us big hugs. He looked like such a big boy it was hard to believe we were only gone for a week. Speedy on the other hand missed us so much when we got there he just cried for like 20 minutes, just sobbed and was distraught. It took us a long time to calm him but he got through it and a day later it was like we had never left, all was forgotten and forgiven. Now, the next trip let's hope it goes as well since it is about double the time.

What a week!!!

2010-12-06T14:24:00.002-06:00

With all exciting things in life there are always highs and lows. We had plenty of both on our trip to meet our little Sunshine:) We arrived in Ethiopia on the 30th of Nov. and met Sunshine on the 2nd of December. Being rather jet lagged on Wednesday we decided to lay low and explored the city a little more but did not make it to Entoto Mountain, which was a good choice since I was so tired and the elevation is hard enough on me as it is. I felt like I hardly slept on Wednesday night and because of my exhaustion felt rather ill the next day. I also had a hard time emotionally because I was missing my boys so much. Lack of sleep turns me into a complete basket case, I was a wreck and panicked about everything.

On Thursday we had a jam packed day. Starting with an orientation meeting, meeting our child, lunch, a visit to the lepracy hospital and gift shop, legal document review for court the next day, followed by seeing our children again and then meeting with the pediatrician. There was a lot of driving and even more getting lost and confusion as we often ended up with the "other" driver, who was lovingly nicknamed Waldo by a fellow travel mate. It was a fitting nickname since the regular driver probably often wondered about his whereabouts.

We met Sunshine for the first time on Thursday and despite everyone saying we would be meeting them without telling them we are their soon-to-be parents it did not happen this way. I was looking forward to watching Sunshine interact with her age mates and nannies and instead she was thrust into our arms looking concerned and untrusting. I can't say I was unhappy holding my soon-to-be little girl because I wasn't. I was thrilled but I do think her ability to quickly fall asleep was a defense mechanism to cope with the stress of the situation. She seems to use her ability to sleep the same way Giggles does. Can't say I blame her either I would want to sleep through that situation too.

About Sunshine, she is beautiful, with her big deep brown eyes and her round face and boy oh boy is she chubby. She weighs at least 24 lbs, maybe more and is probably about 28inches long. I think her feet are about a size 5 and she is a year old. Her hair was recently cut to treat an antifungal infection on her scalp. We are told she loves to be social and play with other kids. She does not like to be left alone and likes for the nannies to hold her. She also can sit, pull to stand, cruise and stand on her own. None of these skills were witnessed by us as she was either asleep or clinging to me while carefully observing Will. Luckily, Will is used to being rejected and will weather the storm as he did with the boys. He did hold her and kiss and love on her while she was sleeping since she didn't care at that point. She is completely beautiful and I think she will love her big brothers. She was in love with their pictures in her photo book. (Wish I could post a pic but will have to wait until after our court decree arrives).

On Friday we had another busy day. We had court in the morning. We arrived with the 8 other families at 8:30 in the morning and waited with what turned out to be about 25 total families until about 9:30 when the judge finally started the court proceedings. We were in the judges chambers for a total of 63 secs. Yep, that was it the judge asked us 5 questions and we were done. After court we went to change, then to lunch and then to the care center to see our children. Again, despite my asking to just observe Sunshine in her room with her nannies and peers, she was brought down to us. So, we took her and tried to get her to play with some of the other kids that were with the other families. A bottle was delivered and we were told to feed her. She loves her bottle and started squaking at me because I was not fast enough. She drank most of it and promptly fell asleep, yep again. She did wake up for a bit right before we left. We were lucky though she is not sick. 4 of the other 8 children were sick. 2 with upper respiratory infections, 1 with pnemonia and 1 they were trying to narrow down the possibilities (we are all pulling for it to just be a fever). Those little children are in my thoughts and prayers right now. I hope for them and their families they make a speedy and full recovery. After that we said goodbye to our babies and headed out to shop, which most of us didn't feel like doing, and home to eat. We went out to eat with a few of our travel mates that night and had a delicious Italian meal at Avanti very near our guesthouse. It was a nice end to our day.

I am missing our little Sunshine very much right now and finding it very hard to focus. We have a lot of things to do before she comes home but it's hard not to wonder how she is doing and hoping she doesn't also get sick. It was a beautiful and exhausting week. It's good to be home but boy oh boy I hope we get an Embassy appointment soon.

Happy 1st Birthday Sunshine!

2010-11-17T14:21:00.002-06:00

Today is our Sunshine's 1st birthday....yep she is turning one in Ethiopia while we sit here and wait to see her for the first time. There will be a small celebration at our house tonight and today we will all just be missing her. Giggles & Speedy have been talking a lot about their little sister. Speedy told a friend of ours that he wants his little sister home. Giggles just the other day asked when she was coming home. I think this really long wait was good for them, they were able to digest this all and sort of miss her a little too. I think that will help them welcome Sunshine into our family. We miss her. Today is hard for me because it's a big milestone, we are missing so many of those in this first year. There are so many to come but I am filled with sadness to know all the details I won't be able to tell her about.

Sunshine's Birthday:
Cold and rainy in Wisconsin
Sunny & pleasant in Ethiopia

I am certainly glad she saw some sunshine on her 1st birthday!

Unconventional Holidays!

2010-11-12T15:39:00.002-06:00

Turns out our current family take on our celebration of holidays is a bit "unconventional." After a few years of not such fun holidays we decided maybe we should re-think how we do it. We looked at the holidays that usually go well and figured out that they are the holidays without a lot of hype and build up (Thanksgiving and 4th of July). It seems our boys get so hyped up about the holidays that by the end of a long hyped holiday they have peetered out and well are pretty much done. That is no fun for us because the big bang comes at the end and well the boys are just finished by then. This year we shortened up Halloween to a 4 day celebration, granted it was a full 4 days, and the boys LOVED IT! It wasn't a bunch of hype with no bang....it was just all bang for them. After such a fabulous Halloween we decided that Christmas should be similar, so we are having what many consider an unconventional holiday. We aren't getting our tree until the weekend before Christmas and then the week of Christmas we will fill with Christmas preparations. We'll decorate cookies, the house, the tree, adn whatever else we can jam pack into that week. We will pull out the Christmas countdown calender and plan to prepare some Christmas gifts before then but other than that we are keeping it low key until the week of celebration begins. We'll see how our unconventional, short, holiday goes. Stay tuned.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-10T15:57:00.000-06:00

Busy, busy boys!

Counting the days....to E-day!

2010-11-09T14:44:00.002-06:00

Yep, our trip to Ethiopia is so close I can now see it on the monthly calendar. :) Will and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. We have gone from 8 weeks to less than 3 in what seems like a blink of an eye. In 21 days we will be landing in Ethiopia, yep just 21 days. We leave Nov. 29th and arrive the evening of the 30th. We meet our T on the 2nd. I would love to post pics of her but it is forbidden so you all will just have to wait it out with us. Yikes....21 days to ET!

My latest crafting projects!

2010-11-07T14:45:00.003-06:00

I have been doing a lot of sewing. I mean a lot. I have been a busy, busy person. Every spare minute I want to be sewing. Here are some of the projects I have been doing. I have included links to all the tutorials so those of you that want to dabble, can!

Homemade baby legs out of women's knee high socks for our little girl:)
http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2008/10/baby-legs-tutorial-make-your-own-leg.html

I repurposed a few of Will's old tees and made them into pants for our little girl and pj pants for E!

http://handyprojects.blogspot.com/2005/04/how-to-make-easy-kids-pants.html

What's up next? Hmmmm...pants for M and I think a little dress for my niece. I can't wait to try out some more things.

Who knew???

2010-11-02T15:18:00.004-05:00

Who knew this year would be the year for a fantastic Halloween? Usually holidays leave us in a melt and burn at the end of the day but not this holiday. I couldn't believe Halloween could be so much fun with an almost 3 & almost 5 year old. They absolutely loved it. Looking back we are sort of wondering what went right. Hmmmm....we think the biggest factor was not dragging the holiday out. We literally did Halloween in 2 days. We put up some decorations last week to get in the mood but didn't do much else before that. This weekend we sort of laid low. We had already been to 2 parties by the weekend but the kids just sort of seemed oblivious. E did have his school party, which he said was fabulous. Saturday Will and I were busy in the morning. We had a costume party that afternoon at some friends, which the kids always love and usually kicks off our true Halloween celebration. Then we came home to carve pumpkins. We were hesitant at first since the boys were a little on the cranky side but once we started the pumpkins man did they get into it. M worked really hard to scoop the "gunk" out of his pumpkin and E (with a little help from dad) carved his own pumpkin. They were in such a good mood and so hilarious, I don't think Will and I stopped laughing. It was such a good time. I think it also helped that we had no expectation, we weren't trying to get the perfect holiday. Trick or treat the next day was equally fun. The boys wanted us to dress up and so we did. They were so excited they wanted to run the entire time, which was a little difficult since it's dark and you never know what M will do. It was such a fabulous holiday.....if only life were this way more often.

What makes me tick (no not like a time bomb)...

2010-10-22T16:30:00.004-05:00

Parenting, crafting and reading....that seems to be my sanity....oh & a little working out to my fave terrible TV shows too. Lately, it's what I do. I raise the kiddos all day and then at night craft or sew or read or both. It's fabulous since the TV is now downstairs because I can do all those things and Will can be in the same room hanging out. Seriously, I love it. Here are some pics of my latest project for our T's room.

Looking back on the summer....

2010-10-22T13:53:00.003-05:00

This was a fabulous summer. Despite my working 60+ hours a week we all survived and Will spent the entire summer with the boys. Here are some pics of

our summer. I hope you enjoy!

We Need Some Pics!!!!

2010-10-11T15:54:00.001-05:00

It's apparent, I look at the blog and think...seriously....no pics. My vow from now on is to add more pics. With our computer out of commission it was hard but now we are up and running again. I promise to add more pics.

A big change!

2010-10-03T22:14:00.002-05:00

We made a big change this weekend....are you ready for this? We moved our TV to the basement/playroom/family room, whatever we are calling it these days. We decided to decentralize the TV from our life. After this summer we cut the viewing time down and the TV has just sort of disappeared from the children's everyday "need". However, I do use a 1/2 hour of their TV time daily to workout. They watch "The Cat and the Hat" and I walk on the treadmill. It has been fabulous. We have reclaimed our living room as a place of family fun.

A bummer :(

2010-09-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

Our International adoption agency emailed today and said the courts had reopened and they had their first court cases through for the new year. That's great news! I finally did ask how far out the courts had scheduled and unfortunately they have scheduled through November. Since, we have not been given a date the earliest we can hope for is December. Here is to hoping we get a date in December. Cross your fingers for us.

Cold Turkey!

2010-09-27T21:34:00.000-05:00

We're giving it a go....yep M is going to try big boy underwear. He has given us many signs that he is ready but I have been very hesitant because he won't be 3 until December. Still, I figure we should give it a try. We ran out of diapers today and we figured rather than run out and buy more we might as well give it a try. We shall see what happens.....here's to hoping M does well in big boy pants.

Court Case submitted....

2010-09-15T14:12:00.002-05:00

So, we just received word that our case has been submitted to the High Courts in Ethiopia. What does that mean? Just that now we can be given a court date. Yikes, it looks like we better check on our travel vaccines and also check on the new travel information with our adoption agency. Yikes, I am freaking out a bit because we have so much to do and wanted to tear down a wall before she comes home. Big sigh....my heart is racing. We didn't expect to hear this until the end of September.

Hardest on M :(

2010-09-03T22:39:00.002-05:00

Turns out that in all our preparation with E about his big start to preschool we didn't really prepare M. No one ever talks about how hard a sibling going to school is on the sibling at home. I never really thought about it until we left E at preschool on Wednesday and M cried all the way home and cried himself to sleep. Poor guy probably figured we were just leaving him somewhere....we didn't tell him what was going to happen or anything. He misses E. It's a good thing he is gone in the afternoon or it would be harder on him I think. His playmate is gone and boy does he miss him. I think I should have prepared him more for this. I think it is actually harder on him. Poor guy. Seriously, why doesn't anyone warn you about this.

It certainly didn't take long ;)

2010-09-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

Today, after school was over E was telling me about his classmate, B, who he calls his silly friend. They are silly friends because they are silly together. Then he proceeded to ask me if I could call B's mom and arrange a playdate. It didn't take long did it? I am not surprised....he is after all E and nothing about that little boy surprises me....except of course that he is so amazing.

I love school, I love school!

2010-09-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

Those are the exact words my E was chanting when I picked him up from school. Yeah, it was a slam dunk. He loved it and had so much to tell us about it. From the bubble gum song to his classmates, whose names he doesn't know yet but will soon enough. Oh and he LOVES his teacher Ms. Pam (what's not to love she is fabulous).

I am SO happy he loves it so much.

It's here....

2010-09-01T13:30:00.000-05:00

...E's first day of preschool. It's exciting and sad all rolled into one. It means my little guy isn't so little anymore and is growing up WAY to fast. He is attending Orchard Ridge and I know it will be great...but a mommy has to worry doesn't she.

Same old, same old...

2010-08-30T22:27:00.001-05:00

Yep, summer is over and it's time for the regular year to start again. By this I mean the time in our life when Will goes back to work (after summer break), our little friend joins us 2 days a week, and life as we know it goes back to normal. It's here and the boys are excited about it. Well, at least some of it. They are not thrilled about daddy going back to work but they are so excited to be seeing their little buddies again for playdates and lunch dates and all the social activities mommy sets up. Turns out they did miss me after all :)

The Call!

2010-08-10T22:47:00.000-05:00

It was the final day of my summer job. Everyone was busy and it was sort of a crazy day. At 12:14 PM my phone rang and it had an odd number with an area code I didn't recognize. It took me a minute to realize that this could be the call. I went outside to answer my phone and missed the call. We played a little phone tag but she finally caught me. It is always surreal to me to get the call. I feel totally numb, like it isn't really happening. It also takes a while for the excitement to set in. I feel bewildered and disbelieving for a while before the reality hits. Of course I was at work all day and had no way to get to my email to check for the referral info and Will was at Devil's Lake with the boys and was completely unreachable. It was a long day and it was good that I had so much to get done. Figures that the call would come on the busiest day the whole summer. I was so excited to hear about our little girl.

E's prediction!

2010-08-09T15:07:00.002-05:00

So, the other day.....E was sitting on my lap and looked at me and said his baby sister's birthday will be in September. We'll see:)

Life with 4!

2010-04-15T14:50:00.002-05:00

Yep, 4....and I don't know how people do it. This is just a one day thing for me and I knew it would be hard but knew I could do it. I am managing okay. We have been having a fine day. Lunchtime was a bit chaotic, that may be an understatement, but everyone was fed and happy at 12:45. Three of the 4 were napping by 1:15 and all 4 by 2:00. The afternoon should be okay. Get up, snack, re-sunscreen and head outside. It is going fine but it has been hard to give each of them the individual attention I usually give. E got to play a game and read books when everyone else was napping. I am hoping that they will each wake up at their own time and can all have some 1:1 time reading books. Even if 2 of the kiddos aren't mine I still think they need that and so I will work hard to do that for them.

Looking for work.

2010-03-12T15:50:00.003-06:00

I know this is the worst time in the history of our economy to be looking for work and yet I am attempting. No, I am not going back to work full-time but with Will on a school year work schedule it allows one of us to work during the summers. Since, I get all year with the boys I volunteered to work. I applied for a job as a summer camp director with a company I worked for in the summer of 1999, yep that long ago. Still no word yet I think the interview went great. I am also open to part-time work at a local retailer, my choice would be JoAnn Fabrics but we'll see what I can find. If worse comes to worse I could always try to find a job waitressing...I did that once a long time ago. I hope I don't have to do that but I do need to find something. The money Will made last summer helped us out immensely and since E starts preschool in the fall I know we will need the money. I know it could be much worse for us and so I am thankful that we are lucky to have what we have.

Spring is arriving....at least I hope

2010-03-10T15:47:00.000-06:00

It has been so nice not to have to bundle up to go outside. Even nicer to just get outside and slosh around.....I love it. I would so prefer sloshing to snow boots and hats. I really hope the warm up continues, even if that means that the backyard gets muddy and every time we go outside we have to towel the dog off on the way in. I just can't wait for spring to arrive.

Too fast!!!

2010-01-27T12:57:00.002-06:00

I wasn't ready for this....not yet! This morning M woke up and attempted to climb out of his crib. Will caught him mid-climb, which was a good thing as his foot was stuck in the bars and had he gotten any farther he would have hurt himself pretty badly. M bounced on his mattress and tossed his leg over the rail and Will saw the whole thing. So, now we have to move him to a big bed. It will be an interesting transition with all that is going on here this weekend. When will we have time to take apart the crib and replace it with a big bed. Not to mention that there are a lot of guests here this weekend, which makes it hard to stick to a schedule anyhow. My baby isn't a baby anymore. Yikes, I was so not ready for this to happen and didn't think he would climb out since he loves his crib. It will be a rough and sleepless weekend and I am not ready for it.

M peed in the potty!

2010-01-21T13:19:00.002-06:00

I can't even believe it! For the past couple of days M has wanted to use the potty. Every once in a while (about 3 times a day), he will say "potty, potty." So, I encourage it by taking him right to the potty and letting him sit. Well, today right before nap when I told him we were going to change his diaper he said, "potty, potty." and off we went to the potty. Then he did it, he peed. Big brother E was so supportive and proud of him saying, "What a big guy you are now M. You need some big guy underpants now." Then he went on a search for some big guy underwear for M. We found some of E's that were too small in the basement and E gave them to M. I put them on right over his diaper but he was so happy. We'll see what happens but it's an exciting day at our house.

Lovely weekend...but

2009-12-13T13:47:00.004-06:00

I am having a lovely mom's weekend off but, I miss my boys. I volunteered earlier today to gift wrap for Mocha Moms, one of 2 moms groups I am a part of. When, I got home after a quick stop at the grocery store and local chinese place for some lunch I found a message on the answering machine. "Hi mom, this is E. We miss you. Check your email." Isn't that sweet and in my inbox I found these pictures of my boys looking happy as can be at Grandma & Grandpa's. I just had to share because just look at these beautiful faces.

Bedtime music

2009-12-13T00:16:00.002-06:00

It occurred to me the other night that my boys have always loved music. They listen to it every night before bed and it has always been that way. I also have noticed how their favorites change over time. For E, the only song that would calm him down for a long time was "The itsy bitsy spider", for M it is "Somewhere over the rainbow." E used to listen to an African lullaby cd, then Norah Jones, and then his "My little bird" cd. That is until he didn't want his cd player in his room anymore because he thought it was scary. When we brought M home I started to sing to him at night because that was the only thing that would calm him down. I always sang to the boys but M really prefers for me to sing. For a while Will couldn't even put him to bed because he didn't sing "Somewhere over the rainbow" (aka: somewhere over the ye ye). Now, his choices have grown to include "Favorite things" (aka: raindrops), "Doe a deer" (doe a dee), "Tomorrow", "Goodnight Sweetheart" (aka: Do, dee, do, do), and that lullaby from "Mr. Holland's Opus". Now, they even let me make up songs and M is very particular about which song he wants and will make requests. My boys crack me up and bedtime is far and away my favorite part of the day. I do think I need to add some new songs to the repertoire as a little variety never hurt anyone.

Snow Day

2009-12-13T00:11:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have that most perfect day? When it's all over you look back and realize how perfect it was? Well, we did on Wednesday, Dec. 9th. Will had a snow day and so with no expectations we had teh absolute best day. It was such a fun day full of snow play, with 2 little boys that are old enough now to actually play in the snow. M proclaimed that he did not want to come back in. E actually lasted more than 10 minutes outside. We had a delightful lunch with 2 really hungry & quiet boys and then M went to nap. E and I put together the gifts for our friends while daddy spent 3 hours outside shoveling. It was the most amazing and lovely day and all because there were no expectations. Just a day filled with nothing that turned out to be completely magical. Oh how I love my boys. I will post pics from the snow day soon.

Seriously, is he old enough!

2009-12-03T21:04:00.002-06:00

Will and I were touring preschools today and we just kept saying....we can't be old enough for this right. We can't have a child who will be 4....nope we can and well we do and it is completely crazy. It just seems like yesterday he was just a peanut! Where does the time go? We have one more preschool to see next Wednesday but right now we have our top 2 and would be happy at either of them. Now, how to pay for it?

Crafting....

2009-11-22T15:05:00.002-06:00

The crafter in me comes out when my to-do crafting list gets smaller, although it is not completely empty. I still have 2 big & simple projects to do before Christmas if possible. When I am done I may move onto some of the crafts I found on blogs today. I don't spend much time on the computer playing around, since there isn't much time, but I was at my parents today and so I got a little free time and found some awesome and fun sewing/crafting blogs. I can't wait to check out some more! I will have to add them to my blog lists.

M is almost 2!

2009-11-22T15:01:00.002-06:00

Yikes! I can't even believe it M is almost 2. It seems like just yesterday he was my little baby and now....almost 2. He is a little boy now and growing up too fast. I yearn for his baby days sometimes and other times am so happy we're all mobile, even if that means me trying to go in 2 different directions.

Now, to figure out how to make his 2nd birthday cake. We started by making E some pretty spectacular cakes and now well we will need to do that for M too. I was thinking a dinosaur out of cupcakes or creating a train cake. I think I will head over to Ubake sometime this week and get some chocolate filling for in between the layers if I do the train cake. Any ideas? Feel free to toss them my way.

Figures!

2009-11-10T07:54:00.002-06:00

Yep, yesterday we took the boys all the way to Dodgeville for an H1n1 vaccination clinic. I was tired of waiting for Dane County and our health care provider to get theirs. So, I decided to find somewhere else to do it. Of course, this morning our health care provider is accepting appointments for the H1n1 vaccination. Ah well, I will hope to get the second dose at M's 2 year appointment.

Right on the money!

2009-11-08T12:14:00.002-06:00

Yep, we (Will and I) were right on the money in picking M's birthday gift for this year. We decided to get him a ride on car toy. In an effort to save some money we also decided to find it on craigslist. I searched every week for a couple of weeks and finally found one that wasn't too far away and worth the money they were asking. Will picked it up on his way home from a convention and we hid it in the garage under a big blanket. E never even asked about the appearance of the big blanket. Well, today Will had the boys and they were driving through a Madison neighborhood when he spied the same car we purchased out on the curb. Neither of us are too proud to make someone's trash our treasure so he pulled over and put it in the car. E noticed and was super excited and as Will was asking him to keep it a secret E says to M "M, look we have a new car, turn around M it's back here." M, of course, turns around and he beams. He is so excited about it. So, after all our hard work we were foiled by a free ride on car on the side of the road. M is just so happy to have his own car. I had actually been wondering if we could just give it to him early since the weather was so nice. Looks like I got my answer...it's all in the signs...sometimes you just have to let the world decide for you.

M's language & other stuff

2009-11-07T21:43:00.004-06:00

M's language has exploded. On Halloween his first 4-word sentence ever. "mommy daddy help me". He can say so many things and puts 2 word phrases together all the time now. We are practicing the colors but everything right now is "geen". I was so proud the other day because I asked him what color his cup was and he said "geen". He was right. Then I asked him what color E's cup was and he said "geen". That's when I realized everything is "geen". He was a "saurus" for halloween and he would roar. He knows some animals and their sounds but sometimes everything just quacks. He really likes ducks. He can jump on 2 feet and actually leave the ground. He has no fear and jumps off of stuff.

He loves to say "ow, bodie yickin" followed by "no, no bodie yickin". He is overly dramatic and everything hurts and causes a lot of crying and then comfort from only mommy, daddy will not do. He is a rough and tumble kid that loves to wrestle and climb. He is getting so big...so much like a boy and no longer a baby. He will be 2 in less than a month. Yikes! He is growing up so fast.

Pumpkin Patches and fun with friends and family!

2009-11-07T21:00:00.007-06:00

The Little Farmer with our friends the C's

Green Thumb with cousin MM

The funny things kids say!

2009-11-07T20:42:00.003-06:00

Well, I have some stories, comments, conversations with my oldest that are bound to make you laugh.

We have a new name for the taint here at our house, well technically it could only be used for the male taint. E has named it the penis chin. Wait, he has good reason for this name. He has butt cheeks and he calls his butt hole his "butt mouth", so of course he is missing a chin. He decided his taint is the "penis chin". Just in case you wanted a new name for your taint, now you have it.

Oh, and he also asked his daddy. "How come I don't have any fur?" Yep, daddy is furry.

Halloween!

2009-10-29T22:54:00.006-05:00

E & M so excited about their rockin' costumes!

Now I remember why....

2009-10-22T21:52:00.002-05:00

Today, E was slightly under the weather. We decided to stay home and see if he got a fever or other symptoms, which he didn't and by the end of the day we were all stir crazy. I was calm as I didn't have to get anyone going or anywhere on time but by the end of the day E was a mess. He was crying and crabby. It was not a pretty evening here. I can't wait until tomorrow, when we get out of the house.

Too smart!

2009-10-15T08:29:00.002-05:00

Uugghh....so my 3 y.o. has already figured out one of my tricks. Yes, I employ tricks to get him to do things but it seems he is smarter than I thought and figured this one out pretty quickly. When he hasn't drunk enough milk I require that he drink while I count to 10. Well we all know how to make it look and sound like we are drinking a lot and really aren't, so does he. I think he figured it out a couple of months ago but wasn't sure until just a few minutes ago. Looks like I will need to employ drink races, like I did with my cousin Jon Paul, to get him to drink his mealtime beverage. I will also need some more tricks as that one will get old soon too.

St. Patrick's Day is when?

2009-10-12T07:34:00.002-05:00

Coming from an Irish family the date of St. Patrick's Day is etched into my memory, my husband on the other hand is a different story. He decided to lighten my load and take M to the grocery store and do the weekly grocery shopping. I don't relinquish this often because it means having to be really specific on the grocery list and I know we don't save as much money either. Anyhow, he took M and on the list it said corned beef, I had mentioned we were having rueben sandwiches and apparently he didn't hear that, he looked all over the meat department and there was one brisket left (this should have been his first clue). (Clue #2) He was thinking that it was kind of expensive and he knows I usually buy it when it's on special. (Clue #3) Sauerkraut, rye bread and swiss cheese were also on the list.

After a trip to another grocery store to get the deli corned beef he mentioned that when he was looking for the brisket he said to M, "why does she want this? Is it St. Patrick's Day soon?" A woman gave a little chuckle, at the time he thought it was because M is so cute but upon retelling the story he realized she was laughing at his stupidity.

Maybe now he will remember that St. Patrick's Day is in March.

The first of many...

2009-10-08T22:40:00.002-05:00

Yesterday when I sent E into a timeout he exclaimed the three dreaded words of a mom, "I hate you!" My my sweet little 3 year old proclaimed his hatred for me over a timeout for who knows what, I can't even remember anymore. I just ignored the comment & went on with life like he didn't say anything. I hope that little ploy extinguishes itself for now but I know they will resurface at some point in his life. I know then those 3 little words will pack a much harder punch and be much harder to ignore. For now he is just testing us.

Is feeling badly about letting the blog fall by the wayside...

2009-10-08T14:44:00.002-05:00

Yep, I feel badly. Not only because I know there are people that were reading it but because family members relied on it to keep up-to-date with the boys. My family that don't live nearby used it as a looking glass to see what was going on. It is now my goal to update it at least twice a week. If nothing else it was a way for me to keep track of the boys milestones and funny comments. Oh how I miss that! So, here it goes....time to get back to blogging.

Too long and so much has changed...

2009-08-09T23:07:00.002-05:00

Wow, so it has definately been too long, in fact an entire summer since I last wrote. Since my last post my little sister got hitched, M has started talking up a storm, and E is completely diaperless.

So let's look back at the past 2 1/2 months. My sister's wedding was gorgeous. A little rainy but completely beautiful. My mom altered my dress well enough so that I no longer looked pregnant, which I am not, and my boys were the absoulute cutest children at the wedding (okay so I am a little biased) baby J was pretty darn cute as well. My husband also looked fantastic...we were quite a handsome family if I do say so myself. E performed his job as ring bearer. There was a little concern as he fell asleep literally minutes before pictures as I was getting him into his tux, but he woke up just 10 minutes before he had to walk down the aisle and was all business and ready to go from then on. It was hilarious....oh and he did not walk down the aisle but sprinted instead.

M is now talking like crazy....let's see what can he say. Here is the list for (my future reference):
Mommy, Daddy, Eyi, Bo-ie, come, dit (sit), pease, dank you, Nana, Pa-pa, Weeya (Will), Dosh (Josh), No, Yes, nuk, moak (milk), duice (juice), rain rain go way, car, car deat, food, and I am sure there are many more.

E is diaperless 24/7, which is completely awesome. He had been diaperless all the time except at night. He was still wetting a diaper on most occasions. Then one night as we were getting him ready for bed he declared he didn't want to wear a diaper. Well, we have a waterproof sheet on his bed so we figured why not. Turns out that kid knows his body well. We have been diaperless for well over 4 weeks and he has only had 3 accidents. Hip hip hooray!

Other than that not much to tell here. We are enjoying the summer with Will off and are really excited about our venture to eat more local food. We are also attempting to preserve more local food for the winter.

Wow, time flies!

2009-05-19T15:12:00.003-05:00

This weekend my little sister gets married and while I have a ton to do I thought I would get a little nostalgic. Maybe it will help me in writing my toast! Oops, I'd better add that to the to do list. It seems like just yesterday that we shared our teeny tiny room until I was a junior in high school. Then, we finally moved into a room that gave us a little space. None the less, since I was 6 we shared a room. My sister is nutty....I remember taping "radio programs" with Kate and Christy. We found them years later and just cracked up. We did all sourts of nutty things. There were nights we talked for hours, even during the years when we despised each other during the day. We'd listen to music and obsess about boys. Ah, the memories. Now, she is getting married and although she now has a steady and amazing man in her life. I know that we have a bond of sisterhood no one can break. Our conversations have moved on to more adult topics and we've matured a bit in our obsession with boys but we are and always will be the only sisters we will ever have! She is the best and I am so excited to share in her day!

Here are some vacation pics....I will post more later

2009-04-14T19:41:00.002-05:00

As you can see from the pictures the weather was all over the map.

Looking forward to vacation!

2009-03-25T21:45:00.002-05:00

Oh how I am so waiting for our vacation. It is our first vacation as a family and I can't wait. It will be so nice to get away and be at the beach. I am hoping for some great weather. Who am I kidding? I really just want to see the sun. In looking forward to the vacation I realized just how big my boys are getting.

Let's see...M...well he's been walking now for 7 months and I just realized that it wasn't until 15 months that E even started to walk. M is an opinionated kid with wants and needs and man does he throw a fit when he doesn't get his way. E never really tantrummed and M boy oh boy does he ever. M is also a complete ham, he just cracks me up. He has a completely different build than E, with his short stockiness. E is thin and wiry. M loves to kick a ball and he is good at it. He can dribble a soccer ball as well as his brother. He LOVES animals and will just lay on his doggie as long as he will let him. I know he will want a million pets. Loves his nuks and those will be a challenge to give up. M can charm the pants off anyone just like his brother could at this age. He is laid back, except for the demands and just goes with the flow. He idolizes his big brother and learns everything and I mean everything from him. He has figured out how to make a quacking noise and when he hears the theme song to Word World, a PBS show, he dances and shouts "wor wor". His language is coming along. Now we have Momma, da, Bo, Iye (brother's name), NO, da (that)....hmmm, I know there are more. He loves to dance and climb...he is my climber. I will take bets soon on when he will be out of his crib.

E....boy oh boy that language is never ending. He has become a bit sassy and his behaviors can be a challenge but he is a great and very sweet kid. He is easily riled up so we'll see how school goes. He loves words and rhyming. He loves to dance and run. He loves all kinds of music. One of his current favorites is "Flogging Molly". He loves the Irish rhythms. He loves to read books and race his cars. He is releasing some of his love of "Cars" the movie but it is still by far his favorite. He has a sharp memory and remembers all kinds of things. He recited the first 3 pages from one of his new favorite library books "Zen Ties". He is crazy smart and boy oh boy school will be fun! He loves to learn.

Ah, my boys....I can't wait to take all of my boys to the beach...only we aren't telling E until the morning we leave. He is far to excited and won't sleep if he knows anything new is happening.

Loving it...

2009-03-02T15:13:00.002-06:00

I know E can be rowdy but man you just gotta love that kid. Despite is complete rowdiness and aptitude for pushing all my buttons I just can't help but love him all the time. He is a beautifully sweet boy. Today, I asked nicely if he would please pay quietly while I was trying to get Max to sleep. At first, it was a no go but then after pulling out some puzzles he sat quietly at the table. At one point, he waved to me and quietly said, "Hi momma." He was such a sweetheart. Oh how I love that boy.

His new nap schedule allows us to have a little alone time before he takes his nap. He and I get to play a game or two and then we sit and read as he dozes off to sleep. I love that time. Oh how I love my boy....both of them but I think it's time to gush over E!

My boy!

2009-02-26T23:33:00.002-06:00

So, I am learning all sorts of things about E. Turns out if he sits in the front at storytime he focuses and pays attention much better than sitting further back. He really does the best right up front with the kids that sit right in front of the librarian. I also learned that he can be a little s*** and knows how to push buttons. I guess I already knew this but figured he only pushed my buttons. Here is how I learned of E's aptitude for pushing other people's buttons:

Library time a week ago:

Okay so we got there late and all the kids and parents were already sitting and so E did not climb past all the adults to sit up front with the kids. Instead we sat with some friends. E was pretty excited to be sitting with his friend and wanted to entertain. He also was sitting further back than usual and not as engrossed in the stories as he usually is. Anyhow, we were also sitting next to a 5ish year old boy who would shhhhush E & his friend any time they would talk, no matter how brief. E started to notice when the little boy would shhhush them and then would talk and then watch out of the corner of his eye when the boy shushed him. He did it over and over again. Finally, the dad of the shushing boy figured out what was going on and got his son to stop and then so did E. I tried to stop E previously but he doesn't like to be told what to do, especially over and over again. That's my boy....look out kindergarten! (Thank goodness I have a little time before then.)

Too long, too long...

2009-02-26T23:30:00.002-06:00

Wow, has it really been over 2 weeks since I've blogged. Well, with E not napping blogging falls very low on the priority list. Anyhow, it seems our little cranky pants, as I call him on days he doesn't nap because he really needs one, just needs to nap a little later than usual. If I can get him to sit on my lap around 2 instead of 1 then I can usually get him to crash. He is so tired if he doesn't nap and is in bed by 7:15 in the evening, which rocks for us but I do miss my afternoons. If he doesn't nap he also acts out a lot between about 3:30 and 5:30 obviously because his body is so tired he just can't keep his shit together.

figures!

2009-02-11T14:18:00.002-06:00

It figures that we would decide to take a vacation, book it and pay for it all and then appliances start to die. Our dehumidifier died last week and now our chest freezer is dying. I would give up the freezer except this summer we are planting a huge garden in hopes of canning and freezing a bunch of fresh produce. It looks like I should get our taxes done very soon so I know how much money is coming back to us. I know life could be a lot worse, I am certainly not going to get to riled up about this.

Change is coming

2009-02-09T22:51:00.002-06:00

No, I am not talking about the economy! My little sister is getting married and it is starting to freak me out. It is less than 4 months away. This year we celebrated our 4 year anniversary and now my sister is going to be all grown up and get married. It hit me when I was trying on the BM dress and realized that my sis was going to be the one standing in front of everyone professing her love to James. Yikes....I just can't believe it. For so long I have been the only one in my family with any sort of significant other and now I won't be alone anymore. Will will be so happy to not be the only "outsider" at the family functions. I can't wait but man I need to be in better shape as my youngest demands to be held whenever anyone is dancing.

Waiting for spring....

2009-02-09T22:48:00.002-06:00

With a slight warm up on the way I am so waiting for spring. I was so excited the other day when I heard the temperature outside and just wanted to get the boys out. Then I remembered that there is still snow everywhere and I would still have to put their snowpants on so they wouldn't get too cold if we were playing in the snow. I just really want this snow to go away....I am so done with it. There is another warm up tomorrow and I can't wait to get out their spring coats and go out without hats and mittens.....hooray for less clothing. Our vaca in Florida will feel amazingly warm and sunny. I can't wait for April!

A real babysitter.

2009-01-17T22:49:00.002-06:00

Yep, we are finally going to use a real sitter. We hope it goes well, for our sitter that is but we have no doubt she will do a great job. It's always been hard to rely on family and friends and it would be nice for us to have more than one option. Now, I just have to figure out how much to pay a babysitter. Hmmm....time to ask my mom friends for help.

"That's freaking me out like a raccoon in a batman costume."

2009-01-17T22:42:00.002-06:00

Yep, that phrase was coined by E! He has a little fear of stuffed animals dressed up in clothes. He was at the West Town mall play place and there was a little boy that had a stuffed raccoon in a batman costume. Upon seeing the raccoon E pedaled backward so fast he tripped and fell down, only to get up and beeline to the opposite side of the play area.

That's my boy!

Christmas pics!

2008-12-29T22:35:00.005-06:00

Again, these pics are compliments of my sister. Just a few of Christmas with my side of the fam...Will's side will come soon.

Birthday Prince!

2008-12-29T22:34:00.001-06:00

I couldn't resist this one all on it's own!

Pictures courtesy of my ever talented sister!!! & Yes she is for hire!

2008-12-29T21:44:00.007-06:00

Here are pics of our crazy trip to OH and pics of M's 1st birthday...only my faves are here. If you are on fb & my friend you can check out the rest!

M'S B-DAY

The boys and cake!

M Dancing!

Cousins!

E & the ladies!

M & his pal Z!

The Beautiful Birthday Boy!

E & Uncle Noel playing with his favorite gadget---the iPhone!

All partied out!

OHIO trip for Josh's grad school graduation!

Sibs & nephews....exactly 9 years after my graduation from college!
Could I be any shorter?

E @ hotel!

Uncle Josh, the graduate, & E!

Big boy shoes!

2008-12-28T19:18:00.002-06:00

Yep, my 3 year old no longer wears diapers and my 1 y.o. is now in regular tennis shoes. No more baby shoes for him. Boy my boys are getting big. I am so sad about M growing up so fast, I think that's why I put off the shoe buying as long as I did. :(

Cold Turkey

2008-12-28T19:13:00.003-06:00

I've finally done it! No more diapers for E! Yep, Dec. 26th we took the diapers away. I knew the only way to do it was to go cold turkey and so he now wears underpants with a diaper cover over it so as not to soak everything if/when he has an accident. He will wear diapers at night and nap time but that is it. So far, we have had a couple of accidents. We've gotten some resistance, especially when it comes to pooping, but I am hoping today is the pooping breakthrough. He realized, M who is a baby, poops in a diaper and he poops in a potty. I hope that thought sticks. I will keep the web world updated of our progress.

Is it Christmas now?

2008-12-27T14:18:00.002-06:00

It's been a long wait for E. He has been ready for Christmas for a while the week prior to Christmas he was so hyper. I thought we weren't going to make it to Christmas with all of our hair. He gets so amped up that you can't even calm him. It's been a rough couple weeks. Christmas eve came and you could see him mellow. Christmas day came and he relaxed even more. Then, the 26th came (we celebrated this day as our little family unit and Santa came late to our house on Christmas night) and E said to daddy seeing all the presents under the tree, "Is it Christmas now daddy?" Will laughed and said, "yes." E has been himself ever since.

Finally Will has his wish....

2008-12-27T14:16:00.002-06:00

Yep, he finally has a daddy's boy. M runs to daddy instead of mommy on all occassions. Will is so pleased he has wanted that since bringing E home and E was such a momma's boy. It is nice to see M so close to his daddy but now I know why he was so jealous.

My fear....update

2008-12-27T14:11:00.001-06:00

Nap time has been reinstated. We are back to rocking to sleep but I will take that any day over him coming out of his room and claiming, "quiet time is over." Yep, I will give up 15 minutes to get a couple hours of peace. Besides he still badly needs quiet time.