Zippin' through the jungle

Check one more thing off of my "before I die" list: Zip-lining!! It is something I have always wanted to do! We signed up for an all day tour through this company HERE and it was awesome! Definitely the highlight of our trip. Our guide was wonderful and we had so much fun. We not only zip-lined through the jungle, but also went bike riding through a Mayan farm, tubed in a cenote, snorkeled in another cenote, participated in a Mayan ceremony, had a DELICIOUS homemade traditional Mayan lunch, toured the Mayan Ruins of Tulum, and then swam at the beautiful beach in Tulum. All in one day! Needless to say, we were TIRED! But, it was that deeply satisfying, sense of accopmlishment kind of tired. Here are the zip-lining pics. So fun!

What a stud!


Zip-linin' diva


Flying over a cenote


Flying over a cenote


The "Tower of Death"


It was almost like climbing up a ladder to get to the top!


Yeeeeeehaw!!!!!


Woooooooohooooooo!!

We're baaaaack!!

We had such a GREAT time!! Here is a little sneak peak into some of our adventures!

Leavin' on a jet plane

Jason and I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this year (in September) and, after much encouragement from some good friends, have decided to take a trip...without our little pea. We are heading to Mexico this Saturday for six nights to relax on the beach, snorkel, zip through the jungle, and more! We are very excited! Yet, I am also so nervous about leaving my sweet boy for 6 nights! That is a looooong time. He is staying with my parents, whom he adores! So, I know he will have tons of fun being spoiled by mawmaw and pawpaw.

But...sniff, sniff...I will definitely miss my crazy sweet pea terribly!


Even so, it is going to be great and I will have lots of pics of our adventures to share when we return.

Ridin' in Style

Deal of the week!! Jason found this fabulous bike trailer on craigslist for $15! Isn't that great?!?! Jason was so excited! So, of course, we had to test it out. (I know, I know, we need to get pea a bike helmut. That is next on the list.) Despite the look on his face in this picture, Pea had a great time in his new ride.



It was so fun to ride my bike again! I used to ride my bike all the time. When we lived in Boulder, Colorado, I rode my bike everywhere. There were times I would not drive my car for a couple weeks at a time. It was so great! (Especially compared to now...I spend about 1.5 hours in the car every day commuting to work.Hate it!) Of course, Boulder is such a bike friendly town as there are bike paths throughout the city and designated bike lanes on the roads. I really miss that! We want Pea to have an appreciation of the outdoors and fun activities like biking, walking, hiking, etc. So, that means we need to get back into the habit ourselves. Hopefully, pea will continue to enjoy hangin' out in the bike trailor so we can go for lots of bike rides this summer. As soon as we got home from our first family bike ride, Pea jumped out of the trailor wanting to ride his little bike! So, hopefully, we are off to a good start. Though,this momma jumped off the bike and almost fell over from spaghetti legs!

Taste of Summer

Another thing I LOVE about summer is fresh produce from our garden! Jason is the master gardener at our house, but I am usually in charge of doing something with the bounty! We almost always grow basil or cilantro and what is better than garden fresh, homemade pesto???? YUM! I always make a huge batch and then freeze portions using an ice cube tray. After they are frozen, I transfer the pesto cubes to a freezer bag and vacuum seal the bag. Freezing the pesto in small cubes allows us to pull out a couple cubes at a time, as needed. Our pesto supply typically lasts well into winter. We use it on pasta, mix it with mayo for sandwiches, add it to scrambled eggs, etc. I have a really easy, yummy lasagna recipe that uses pesto mixed in with the cottage cheese. mmmm...I may need to make that soon!

So, I discovered that we have a little bit of last year's pesto left in our freezer so we used it tonight on pasta with mushrooms and red bell peppers. Very simple. Sometimes I will mix in tomatoes, artichoke hearts, chicken, or any other vegetable. So delicious and EASY!!! Who doesn't love easy AND delicious?!?! Pea ate two bowls of this deliciousness. I know, this picture doesn't look that appetizing, but trust me...
We have tried store bought pesto and it just doesn't compare to homemade. It is sooo easy to make. This is the basic recipe I use (keep in mind that I typically don't measure so, these are approximate):

• 1 bunch of basil or cilantro
• 1/3 c. walnuts (You can also use pine nuts, but I always use walnuts because they are cheaper and very, very healthy)
• 2 cloves of garlic (more or less to your taste)
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (sometimes I add cheese, sometimes I don't.)
• salt to taste

Throw it all into a food processor and blend until finely chopped. You can use it right away or freeze to use later. ENJOY!

Happy Father's Day!

Boys at play

I love summer! We spent the evening at my parents house eating pizza, playing in the yard, and just enjoying the beautiful weather (at least before the big storm hits tonight!). Pea had a blast playing with his cousins and I think they had fun, too! My mom and I were the official photographers of the evening. She also recently purchased a new camera so we were having fun snapping pictures left and right. I took a lot of really great shots, but unfortunately I was messing around with my settings and I somehow reduced the exposure too much! So, most of my pictures turned out very dark. I am not sure what to do about that other than maybe play around with them in photoshop. Any ideas for working with WAY underexposed pictures? Clearly, I have much to learn! These are the ones I didn't screw up too much! :)

Pea watching Jason and cousin D run wild around the yard.


Cousin J just being his crazy, silly self!


Pea practicing his fast pitch. Note the look of fear on D's face...you never know where pea will throw the ball!


RUN!!!!



Look at that sweet face!


Another sweet, silly face


A boy and his truck


Life is good!

Pool Time

Yesterday was a great day for a little pool party. Jason set the pool up for pea and they decided to go swimming together after naptime. Pea lasted probably about 10-15 minutes before deciding he was too cold, which is actually pretty surprising. So, it was a lot of work for a very short lived pool party! Well, after dinner we were out playing in the yard when pea decided it was time to get the party started. He started out playing with the hose, then dipped his arms in the water, and before I knew it he was climbing over the edge. No, he didn't have his bathing suit on, but he sure had a great time! I love these spontaneous moments of fun! Who cares about wet clothes and a wet diaper...these are moments of day to day life to treasure.

Here he goes (he even has blue chalk on his butt! hehe!)....


Look at me mommy! He thought he was pretty funny!


Big splash!


An even bigger splash!


1...2...3...(he counts before doing anything big!


JUMP!


He loves dumping water over his head.


Brrrrrr...it's cold! He's teeth were starting to chatter at this point, but he wasn't ready to get out this time.


And, this is what happens to a regular diaperwhen submerged in water...it swells and explodes. It was so funny watching him walk in this swollen diaper! It was more like a waddle.


Believe me, sometimes bath time is not much different!

Does it get any better?

We had a very exciting weekend! Friday night we went downtown for the annual "Boogie on Broadway" to hear some good music and dance on the street! This was our SECOND year attending this event with Pea. I love being able to say that! Pea had loads of fun dancing and running wild. And...Pea and Jason made the newspaper! Well, we are all actually in the picture, but all you can see are my hands clapping and my fuzzy hair. This isn't the first time pea has made the news. While we were waiting for pea to come home, we were interviewed by a TV news station about our adoption process and they showed pictures of pea we took on our first visit trip. So, we have a little celebrity in the making! Unfortunately, our newspaper did not post the picture on their website, so this is the best I could get.
The next day, we got to see our town's NEW ladder fire truck parked right beside our house! Talk about excitement. Hehe. They actually raised the ladder all the way and it was pretty cool! I must admit, I really enjoy living by the fire station!
Then, Jason and pea discovered a nest of baby bunnies in our yard.
Pea checking out the bunnies.
Covering them back up to keep them warm. I didn't realize Jason and pea were having such adventures in the yard until dinner time. Jason asked pea to tell me what they discovered in the yard and he said "baby bunnies!" He was so excited!
And, my little heart breaker.

Savings Roundup

So, I have always thought of myself as a good bargain hunter. I rarely ever pay full price for anything. For several years, I have taken advantage of all the great rebate freebies through Rite Aid and Walgreens. I don't think I have paid for shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, or toothbrushes for probably three years! I get excited when something is on sale AND I have a coupon! Garage sale bargains get me jazzed and I love shopping at thrift stores. But, I have recently discovered that this is all child's play for some. There is a whole world of couponing that I never even knew about. How did this happen? :)

I admit that I have become a bit lazy in my bargain hunting over the last few months and our budget has been hemorrhaging a bit. So, with a tip from my friend Sally, I decided to venture more into this very serious world of couponing to get back on track and to revive my love for finding the best bargains! So, I spent this weekend getting all of my coupons organized because I have learned through my couponing research that you need to acquire a large stash of coupons in order to take advantage of the best deals. I then scoured over all of the ads and came up with my plan of attack. Check it out:

ALL of this together was FREE. In fact, I actually EARNED money. $1.52, to be exact! The toothpaste (both Aquafresh and children's orajel), razor, and contact solution was all free after rebate. I had two $2.00 coupons for each of the contact solutions, which meant I earned $4.00. The deodorant deal was buy 5 and receive a $10.00 from Rite Aid. Each deodorant was regularly priced $3.48. Well, right beside the deodorant were coupons for $1.00. So, I grabbed 5 of those coupons for an additional $5.00 in savings! All of this would have cost me $49.35 if I had paid full price. Woohoo! Everything came from Rite Aid, except for the Razor (CVS).
Here are my best deals in this picture:
Aunt Millie's bread $0.30
4 boxes of cereal at $0.75 each
2 boxes of cereal at $1.45 each
2 salad dressings at $0.50 each
2 boxes of playtex at $2.00 each
5lbs of ground turkey at $0.90/lb
2 bags of organic carrots at $0.90 each
Total for everything pictured: $25.97
CVS had an incredible deal on Pampers. They were on sale for $8.99 with an additional $5.00 in extra care bucks (basically a gift card for CVS). I also had three $1.00 off coupons, which made these $2.99 each. Unbelievable! I also purchased these lithium batteries for $10.00 after extra care bucks. The batteries regularly cost $8.99.
So, how did I do? Granted, I did purchase some other items at the grocery store, but I saved so much money overall! The key, I am learning, is to stock up on on these deals. I also never really paid much attention to the rebate program at CVS, but there is a system! They offer several products every week in which you can earn "extra care bucks." Once you earn a few, then you use those to make the extra care bucks purchases the next week, virtually paying nothing out of pocket. Stack the extra care bucks with coupons and you can find some serious deals!

I would love to hear how you all save money. Any other couponing junkies out there? What else should I know?

Wild Child

Pea has a little wild side and he has been particularly wild as of late. We often get comments like, "wow, he is a very busy boy!" Most days it is cute and endearing...other days, well, not so cute and endearing!

For example, we attended a graduation party the other night and pea just ran wild! He and his older cousin were running around all of the tables, playing in the water fountain, and nearly crashing into the very expensive audio/visual equipment. We thought it would be a good idea to take pea outside to run around and burn off some of his energy. Well, he quickly discovered the little pond. It wasn't long before he ran right into the water almost up to his knees...in tennis shoes and jeans. That was a little cute and endearing.

Fast forward to today. Jason took pea to the library to browse around. According to Jason..Pea. ran. wild. He was pulling things off the wall, taking books and videos off the shelf, and then managed to crawl under the computer table and turned off the power strip. Yep, turned off all of the computers in the area. And, yes, they were being used. Not so cute and endearing.

Jason lured him out of the library with a firetruck DVD. On the way home, pea opened the DVD case, pulled out the DVD, and started chewing on it. Needless to say, they were unable to watch firetrucks. We now own a chew up firetruck DVD that we cannot watch. Really not so cute and endearing!.

It doesn't help that he has some molars coming in right now and he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth!

Just another typical day in the peapod!


Here are some pics from our attempt to let pea burn off some energy at the park last Sunday.

Blogger's Bloc

We're still here! But, I have been in a bit of a blogger rut for awhile and tonight is not any better...just some cutie pics. I recently splurged on a new camera and have been trying to figure it out! I definitely need some more advanced instruction than the 1000 page manual that came with the camera! ;) Any photography book suggestions? Preferably one for "dummies?" Okay, seriously, I need a book that says "if you want to take a picture that looks like this...here is what you do." Nothing too techy at this point. Of course, I have the most adorable subject (though, not always a very willing subject!) on which to practice my up and coming photography skills!

Rock Kisser

Pea LOVES being outside, which is where we spend most of our evenings since the weather has been warming up. He loves pushing his bubble lawn mower around the yard, smelling the flowers, picking up sticks, throwing rocks, digging in dirt, squashing ants, watching for the firetruck, etc, etc. Most of all...pea loves going on walks, which makes me very happy! I love walks, too.

Pea definitely has his favorite spots along the various routes we take and he often takes charge on which way we go. "dis way, dis way"

One of his favorite stops is this big rock along our neighbors yard. For some reason, every time we pass the rock he has to stop and give it a big kiss! I think he is simply our budding environmentalist. Perhaps "rock kisser" should be the new "tree hugger." ;0)

A Taste of Summer

Year in Review

We marked a very important milestone this week. One that is significant for many adoptive families for a variety of reasons. We have been together as a family of three LONGER than pea was with his foster family. Obviously, pea's time with his very loving foster family is an essential part of his story and they will always be considered family. But, that time was only temporary. During that time, they provided so much love and care until he could come home where he belonged where we all belonged, together.

Our first year home was amazing, challenging, and, at times, overwhelming in many ways. I certainly still remember the stress and heartache of waiting for pea to come home, but it also feels like he has always been here. And, the memories of waiting definitely make me appreciate the life we have today. Life is good and I am one lucky momma.

Here are some pics from our first year home as a family. It is amazing how much pea has changed!

May 2008 - A couple days after arriving home.
June 2008 - Look at that little chub! He was definitely a "husky" boy when he came home! ;)

July 2008 - This is a terrible picture, but I love it! Pea hangin' off the monkey bars.

August 2008

September 2008

October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009 - Fashion icon...he still LOVES to wear his snowboots.

February 2009 - note the boots, again.

March 2009

April 2009

May 2009 - My handsome boy!

Embassy Day

One year ago on May 9th was our embassy day!! The final step in our adoption process, which turned out to be quite uneventful. My friend Lynn described it as waiting at the driver's license bureau! But, it was great! We were so happy to finally be there!

Here we are at 5:15am just before our ride arrived to take us to Guatemala City. We were clapping in an effort to get pea to look at the camera and smile. As you can see, he wasn't really impressed. Oh well!!
We went back to Antigua after our appointment and ate lunch at the Bagel Barn. After a much needed nap, we headed out to explore Las Capuchinas, an old convent. It is so beautiful and one of my favorite places in Antigua. Perfect for exploring, relaxing, or having a picnic on the lawn area. Oh, it also appeared to be a hot spot for young love. Lots of secret hiding spaces for making out. Though, they weren't so secret because we interrupted one or two couples! hehe




We were pretty hungry after exploring Capuchinas so we tried out a pizza place and it was delicious! But, I cannot remember the name of the restaurant! I do remember it was next to a coffee shop on a street right off of 1st Avenida Norte (I think!). Anyone know where I am talking about?

Pea and daddy after dinner. I am pretty sure we also treated ourselves to ice cream, too! It was such a perfect day.

Conked out after a long day. This used to be the only way we could get pea to sleep! Oh wow. That seems like so long ago! We did many laps around our apartment in Antigua and the little courtyard right outside our door.

Please pay attention to me

Pea and I ran to the store for about 30 minutes and came back to this. There was dog bed stuffing everywhere! Porter has not done anything like this for a LONG time and usually only when he is feeling anxious. Poor dog. I think he has been a little lonely lately. He just doesn't get as much attention anymore. This picture makes me feel really guilty! He looks so sad and OLD! When Pea saw the scene, he said "Porter mess!" He then grabbed a dish towel and tried to "clean up Porter mess." The dog bed cover was in the wash...guess we don't need that anymore!

Lake Atitlan

Not only did we have the opportunity to explore Antigua during our pick-up trip, but also Lake Atitlan. We spent a weekend in Panajachel and took a boat tour of some of the small villages surrounding the lake. This was my second trip to the lake (visited in college) and it was just as beautiful this time and even more special because I was able to share it with my family. The rainy season was just beginning so the lake was very hazy and it was rainy most of the time we were there. Luckily, the rain and haze lifted during our boat tour! We had such a grea time and the staff at our hotel were incredible!! They were so nice and they adored Eli! Not to mention the coffee at the hotel was THE BEST!! Oh, I am definitely ready to go back! Here are a few pics. Again...enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Beauty of Antigua

During our pick-up trip, we stayed in an apartment in Antigua since we had no idea when we would be returning home. So, we had lots of opportunities to explore the beauty of Antigua. It is impossible not to fall instantly in love with this very special place. The sounds, sights, smells, and people are etched in my heart. Here are a few photos from our explorations. These are a mix of photos taken by us, my parents, and Jason's parents. Who's ready to book the next flight out? Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First Family Day!

One year ago, our sweet boy was placed in our arms forever. There really are no adequate words to describe the emotions of that day! Such joy! We were so incredibly happy to finally be together as a family, yet there was also a deep sadness watching Eli's foster family say goodbye knowing Eli was losing everything that was familiar to him and they were losing a son, a brother. At the same time, our hearts were also with Eli's birth mother. The finality of our adoption process was a whirlwind of deep joy and sadness. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement! One year ago marked the beginning of our life as a family of three, but with that beginning also came loss. That is just the reality of adoption and, as adoptive parents, it is so essential that we acknowledge and honor all of its complexities. In that sense, this day for us is not only a huge celebration of our life together as a family, but also an honor to the journey that brought us together, Eli's birth mother, and his foster family.

With that said, we had a lowkey celebration this evening. We spent time playing outside and watched our video from this day last year. Pea was very intrigued by the video and actually sat on my lap watching it for quite awhile. (He rarely sits still for anything!) It's so hard to know if he recognized his foster family, but he certainly was interested! We were so lucky and blessed to share that day with our parents, who joined us for the first week of our trip. They took lots of pictures for us and my dad was the videographer. The pictures and videos are priceless and something our family will treasure always.

We also left for Guatemala not knowing when we would return. We had not received our pink slip, yet, but we just couldn't be away from our pea any longer. We expected to be down there for a month, but it only ended up being 2.5 weeks. We had such a wonderful trip! I am sure this post will be part I over the next few days as I pour over the photos from our trip!

Family Picture April 27, 2008

Family Picture April 27, 2009
My favorite silly fellas!

Daddy attack!!

Me & my pea
My sweet, sweet boy

The Scary Tractor

Pea and I made an unplanned visit to the playground today. We were in the garage deciding which "outside" toy to play with when Jason started the tractor mower. We assumed this would be pretty exciting for the little guy since he loves climbing on the mower and "driving." Well, it didn't go very well! The mower freaked him out a bit and he started crying. So, Pea and I decided to go for a little walk to the playground while Jason mowed the lawn. Pea kept saying, with the most serious look on his face, "scared of tractor." I think he will get over it quickly once daddy takes him for a ride. ;)

On another note, is there some sort of crazy, emotional switch that is activated once our kiddos turn 2??? These days, Pea seems to have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows...and sometimes all at the same time! He has perfected the word "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and has the most pathetic pout, sticking out his lower lip and teeth while huffing and puffing. He has also mastered the art of whining. Oh, I hate whining! And, he only does it at home! WHY?? He is a perfect angel at the babysitter's and at my parent's house, but he saves all of his best tricks for home!

Super Saturday

Today was such a BEAUTIFUL day!! Mid-70's, blue sky, and nothing on the schedule. What a perfect combo. Even so, we were full of energy and managed to pack our day pretty full.

We started off at our local YMCA. They were having an open house which included FIRETRUCKS! You know we had to check that out. (Never mind we see the firetruck everyday beside our house! hehe!) Pea LOVED it. He literally ran circles around the firetruck. It was great.
Riding shotgun in the firetruck.
Next stop...the ambulance. Then we headed indoors for a little 1:1 basketball.
After lunch, pea decided we needed to go visit the neighbor...AKA the firetruck. We typically walk to the station and he has to look in the window to see the firetruck. Today we were invited inside for our own personal tour. Of course, I did not have my camera! But, he was so excited! He got the firetrucks all to himself. He even helped the firefighter clean the fire truck. Too cute. We are now on a first name basis with our neighbor firefighters!

We also decided to clean out the garage this afternoon and pea found my very old bike helmet. He wore the helmet for a couple hours. And, yes, he was wearing the helmet when we visited the fire station!

Time for a juice box break.

"Driving" daddy's tractor.

And...back to "cleaning" the garage. He enjoyed sweeping the dirt back IN the garage.

Look Who's Two!!

Little Pea turned TWO on Saturday and celebrated his first birthday at home! We had such a great day and it was so special to be sharing this day together as a family. We celebrated with a special breakfast, a visit to the park, and then a family party in the evening. I think pea had a lot of fun!

I tried my hand at a 3D firetruck cake. It was really cute until gravity started taking affect! I just didn't set it right, but it lasted just long enough for us to sing "Happy Birthday!" Pea loved it and that's all that matters! He woke up this morning saying "Firetruck cake gone?"

Cake and "cream."
Our little birthday clown!
Piñata time! Have you noticed a theme, yet? Seriously, I never thought I would be one of those moms that did themes, but...well...it just happens! Pea loved the firetruck piñata. Waiting to do some smashin' with his cousins.

Ready to go.
SMASH!! He did such a great job smashing the piñata. Should I be worried? :)
His new "big" firetruck.
Pea and his cousin playing with his new Little People garage.
Finally, his "cachow" face. Pea just recently discovered the movie Cars.
Happy Birthday, baby! We love you so much!!!

The Next MVP

Take a look, baseball fans...the next MVP!

Walkin' to the plate.
The warm-up
Swing!
It's outta here!!!!!!!!7th inning stretch? How about the 7th inning bubble chase.

One Year Ago...

We received that long awaited call that we had finally been released from PGN. A day I will never forget! All day I had the urge to call PGN, but resisted. Finally, at around 2:30, I broke down and called. I couldn't believe my ears when Francesca (I think that was her name) informed me we had been approved and our file was ready. I asked her several times, "Are you sure? Are you sure?" She was sure. Of course, we had been told this before only for it to be another kickout. But, I was amazingly calm. I called our adoption coordinator and she promised to follow-up with our attorney. I did not expect to hear anything for at least a day. Around 3:00pm, our coordinator called me back and said "There is just one more thing...I am looking at your PGN approval right now." Of course, I instantly burst into tears and, again, kept saying "Are you sure???" It was real this time. By the time I hung up the phone, my office was full! It was incredible! Our baby was finally coming home. Here is my post from last year:

http://journeytoeli.blogspot.com/2008/04/do-you-believe-in-miracles.html

What is this thing, mommy?

The mop made a rare appearance today and it didn't take pea long to figure out what to with it. He immediately picked it up, said "clean," and off he went. I think he has heard me complaining about our nasty, ugly kitchen floor and thought cleaning it would be the solution! (at least the really ugly wallpaper is now gone!)

Doesn't everyone wear snowboots to mop?


And, despite our ugly kitchen floor, we have a potential buyer for our house. It's not even on the market, yet! We're just working on an offer. Fingers crossed.

One of those evenings

Tonight was one of those evenings that started off feeling a bit hectic, but ended perfectly! Hubby had some school work to do so pea and I spent the evening hangin' out together without a care in the world. Aren't those the best?

We started off playing outside. I noticed that our first daffodils bloomed! Spring is near! Of course, it's April and snow is in the forecast for Monday. BOOOOO
Trompin' around the yard acting like a goofball.
Back inside to play trains. He is really starting to get the whole train track thing and putting them together.

Next stop, doodling. Look at my little leftie! He even has his hand curled over! Pea now makes doodling requests of mommy (yes, he is starting to call me mommy instead of mama) and daddy. The most popular requests include a fish, house, and bus. Lucky for me, he thinks my doodles are fabulous!
Lastly, a banana snack before bedtime. Yum!
These are the days and they are going way too fast!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

I have so much on my mind right now and so much I could blog about, but all of my focus has been on getting our house ready for the market. We have been painting, organizing, cleaning, and still have much to do! I didn't think we had that much crap until I really started going through everything! It's amazing all of the "stuff" we carry around...bits and pieces of our lives represented by things like a book, a little note, pictures, music, etc. Some of it is easy to get rid of and some of it I will never be able to get rid of. So, I feel like I have been in that place of "taking stock." (Grey's Anatomy reference!) I have also been thinking A LOT about Guatemala lately with Eli's upcoming birthday and our upcoming first family day. So many emotions.

In the midst it all...we have still mananged to appreciate life's everyday adventures!

Eli's FAVORITE place: the fire station right beside our house. He has already been invited to the station by our neighbor fire fighters several times and I think we will all be on a first name basis very soon! I swear we talk about fire trucks all day. One of the first things he does every morning is run to the window to see the fire truck. He loudly announces every morning: "FIRE TRUCK! FIRE TRUCK!" We have 4 fire stations in our town and he knows if we are getting close to one. He has this super fire truck radar! It's very funny!
Enjoy the first soft serve ice cream of the season! We are ready for summer.

Having loads of fun with Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head.

Helping daddy in the kitchen. This is minutes before pea picked up a compact flourescent light bulb and chomped down. Needless to say, it shattered in his mouth. It was a little scary! Luckily, Jason saw him just in time to get all of the pieces out of his mouth. Of course, the other scare with CFL bulbs is mercury so we had to open all the windows and stay out of the kitchen for about 20 minutes. It is amazing how quickly accidents can happen even when we are right there.

My two fave fellas. Aren't I lucky? :)

Lastly, I am still in awe of how fast my little pea is growing. He was so excited about his new table (thanks to craigslist!) and insisted sitting there for dinner. Where is my baby?

Birthday Wishes

Can you believe my baby is going to be TWO in 2 weeks? Wow! I think pea also knows his birthday is fast approaching. We received a Little Tikes catalog in the mail last week and he has been pouring over it ever since! I think he is starting to narrow down his choices...maybe.

Carefully considering the swingset with the "curlie slide."

Then and Now...and a request

Here is another "this time last year" post! Last year at this time we were celebrating my birthday in Antigua during Semana Santa. It was AMAZING!! It was our 3rd visit trip and we were so incredibly lucky to be spending several days in Antigua during this time. Most hotels in Antigua are booked up to a year in advance for this celebration. Our dear friend, Kimberly, was living in Antigua fostering her son and she so generously offered to let us stay with her. At that time, we had never even met one another other than through blogging. This is, yet another, one of those very special connections we made through our journey. Kimberly was such a wonderful hostess and helped us celebrate my birthday, Eli's 1st birthday (we celebrated a couple weeks early), and gave us the opportunity to experience Semana Santa.

Here we are in Antigua on my birthday last year.



Me and my Pea at home on my birthday this year.

We not only connected with Kimberly that week, but also Brittney, Danny, and Kinsey. At that time, they had only been in PGN for about 3 weeks. Well, it is over ONE YEAR later and they are still waiting for their daughter to come home. They have endured so much and their hearts are very heavy right now. Please take a moment to stop by their blog (click on their names above) with some words of support and encouragement. We all know how much that means.

Dinner with Daniel, Brittney, and Kinsey in March 2008

Spoiled...YUM!!

So, my birthday is coming up and I decided to spoil myself a teeny bit. I stumbled upon this site that makes homemade Guatemalan sweetbreads and delivers them right to your door! Oh, my mouth started watering instantly and I just couldn't resist. Check out the site HERE. I just HAD to order the Champurradas and the Pan Mixto. We were spoiled with Champurradas on our first visit when we took a day trip to Antigua. Our wonderful guide, Alfredo, bought all of us a half dozen or so Champurradas from a local bakery and we thought we had died and gone to heaven! Delicious! We were also spoiled on our pick-up trip because our apartment in Antigua was right across the street from a bakery. We typically treated ourselves to a daily dose of deliciousness! Believe it or not, I didn't even get a picture of the bakery! Shameful. But, here is a picture of our street and the bakery is on the lefthand side.
My order confirmation stated that my goodies will be baked and shipped on the same day. YUM! I can't wait!!

Pea Hugs

Awwwwww...I LOVE my Pea Hugs!!! Pea gives the BEST hugs! He usually gets a running start and then just jumps into my arms squeezing as tight as he can. He has almost knocked me over a couple times! But, I love, love, love it! I can't get enough of my pea hugs!!

Spring Forward

We are ready for SPRING!! This winter has just been ruthless, hasn't it? We have definitely been enjoying our little heat wave over the last couple of days. It has been sooooo great to finally get outside without the fear of frostbite!

Spring is by far my favorite season. I just love that the world seems to come alive again. Spring brings a sense of renewal and new beginnings. This spring is especially special for us as we have much to celebrate! Eli will be celebrating his first birthday at home, we will celebrate our first family day, and we will hit that very important milestone in which the scales will tip between the time he lived in Guatemala and the time he has been home.

And, as I have alluded, there are other changes happening for us as well. We are getting ready to put our house on the market! Now, I know most of you are thinking "big whoop!" Well, the big whoop is we are not exactly sure what will come next, but we are planning on some big changes. It is something we have been thinking about for quite awhile, but the time was never right...until now. We have no idea how everything will unfold so right now we are focused on getting our house sold, especially in such an uncertain housing market. Needless to say, this is a very transitional time for us, which is very exciting and also a little scary! But, we have faith that everything will fall into place, knowing that this is our heart's desire.

With that said, we have been busy with projects around the house to get it ready for the market. We have LOTS to do over the next several weeks and we have quickly learned that nothing happens fast with a very busy toddler around!

Goin' Crazy!!

I wasn't kidding!! Here is my first digital scrapbook page. So fun! I used a tutorial on The Shabby Shoppe, including the free scrapbook kit. If you are interested in giving it a try and you have some version of photoshop, just click on the shappy shoppe link and go to tutorials. You will be addicted!

Technical Difficulties

Soooo, some of my peeps are having some technical difficulties accessing the blog since I went private so I switched back to public for now! In the meantime, check out this other cute photoshop creation that I, again, stole from Pineapple Princess! Isn't this cute?!?! This was FREE. Check out her blog for the link and you can have your very own desktop calendar!

Pea Faces

My blogger pal, Pineapple Princess, inspired me to play around more with Photoshop. I have been trying to figure it out on my own and I just don't have the patience! For one, I am not a techy so it takes me a little longer to figure out "techy" stuff and two, I just hate reading directions! Not a good mix! So, Pineapple Princess posted an excellent tutorial on creating collages. So I decided to give it a try. It was SUPER easy! So, you may be seeing more experiments as I navigate my way through all the bells and whistles of photoshop. Woohoo!

Pinch me

I have been reflecting a lot lately on "this time last year" as we quickly approach some very special anniversary's. This time last year was probably the most stressful month of our entire adoption process. We were stuck in that terrible CNA registration mess and there were a few days in which we weren't sure our attorney was going to get our case registered in time, which would mean the unthinkable. It was simply terrifying and I think I held my breath the entire month. Jason and I clung to each other tightly and tried our best to distract ourselves as much as possible, but it was impossible. I suffered from terrible insomnia during the worst months of our process, but especially last February. I spent many anxious, sleepless nights on the couch knowing I had to stay strong for my sweet son, knowing that I would never give up until he was home...yet feeling like I was falling apart. Those were dark days.

What a difference one year has made. It seems like a world away, yet it also feels like just yesterday. As I watched little pea help us take wallpaper off today, I had one of those "pinch me" moments and that loud voice in my head kept chanting "MY BABY IS HOME." Thank God, my baby is home. To top it all off, Eli said his name for the first time today, "Eyi." So sweet!

And, the best of all....Eli said "uv you" for the first time when Jason put him to bed. My heart just melted.

Such a good helper!
He was also very eager to put the "papeh in the twash" after he peeled if off the wall.

6 month follow-up

Today we drove to Columbus for Eli's 6 month follow-up (it's actually been 8.5 months since his last appointment) at the International Adoption Clinic. He is up to 31lbs (95th percentile) and almost 35 inches tall (75th percentile). He's a big boy for his age! Our appointment lasted about 2 hours and included a physical, a developmental assessment, another TB test, and more bloodwork.

We weren't surprised to learn that Eli has exceeded all of the developmental milestones for his age, especially in speech and language. He is doing great! In fact, the assesor actually asked us how confident we were about his birthdate, suggesting he could be a couple months older. Well, we are 100% confident with his birthdate based on the information we have. And, he now gets very shy and quiet around people he does not know so he did not show off all of his good stuff today!

His shyness and quietness around strangers actually makes me quite happy and relieved right now. When he first came home, we had some incidents of him approaching strangers in public and hugging their legs and/or grabbing their hands. One time, he grabbed a woman's hand at the park and started leading her away from us. When we redirected him away from the woman, he got very upset and wanted nothing to do with us. We were mortified! We definitely believe this was an attachment issue as he was transitioning home. These are the seemingly little things that no one really wants to talk about, but most of us experience them in one way or another when we bring our little ones home. But, it was huge to us and reinforced that we needed to continue practicing attachment parenting. It has certainly paid off because that would never happen now! He definitely knows his mama and daddy.

After the physical and developmental assessment, we were off to the lab for more bloodwork. It was just routine repeat bloodwork from his first visit just to make sure nothing shows up a second time. Unfortunately, little pea had to have both arms pricked. The lab tech started drawing blood and then the vein blew so he had to prick the other arm. Eli was such a trooper. Of course he cried, but he was more upset that he couldn't hold his whale/dolphin book!

After we left the clinic we hit our favorite store, Trader Joe's, to stock up! You gotta love Trader Joe's! Apparently pea does too. He had his own shopping to do. A boy on a mission...
"Ummm, excuse me daddy...where is the peanut butter?"

Hangin' out while we were checkin' out.

Just me and my peeps

Ahhhhhh....;)

I have been thinking of going private for a few months and it finally felt like it was time for a number of reasons. My number one reason is I just feel much more protective of my family and not as comfortable anymore having so much personal stuff available to just anyone. Of course, I am not naive to think going private eliminates that, but it at least gives me the illusion of privacy! On the other hand, as you can see from my last two posts, we have made some wonderful connections through blogging! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the number of connections we would make when I started this blog a year and a half ago. I could just go on and on about how we met this person, which led to this experience, in which we met this other person, who connected us to this resource, etc, etc, etc. Life changing. That is also why it took me so long to make the decision of whether or not to go private. Ultimately, at least for now, it is the right time to draw the shades. I love that so many of you are continuing this journey with us. I feel much more comfortable already! It's all good because I get to stay in touch with all my favorite peeps while keeping all of the creepies out! ;)

And, I have had so much on my mind lately because we are embarking on yet another big life change and now I feel like I can talk about that more. (no, we are not starting another adoption...yet. I know that is what you were all thinkin'!)

In the meantime, I will leave you with some cuteness! Eli has been so stinkin' funny and adorable lately. I think our trip to Maine cured him of the lil' monster phase he was in for a few weeks because he has not had any tantrums, throwing, or hitting since then. It is sooooo wonderful to have our sweet, funny boy back! Lately, he has been starting to repeat almost EVERYTHING we say. Seriously. And, he really pays attention! For those of you who know us very well, this could be a problem! Needless to say, we really have to watch what we say anymore. We even have to spell things out now so that he doesn't get all worked up about something like m-i-l-k, s-n-a-c-k, or his most recent obsession...N-E-M-O.

I am also learning to use this to my advantage. For example, Eli loves to drink water out of a regular cup. I mean, he LOVES it. So, he wanted to drink out of my cup tonight. I told him that he could drink out of my cup as long as he said, "mama rocks. " It worked! It sounded a little like this..."mama wocks. mama wocks. mama wocks." That's my boy!

Here are some more cutie pics from last weekend.

He was so excited when we got off the plane in Columbus that he was literally running around in circles! He also loved looking at all of the "panes, panes, panes." (planes)

More weekend fun

I am still reeling from all of the fun we had this past weekend in Maine. It was so special to finally meet Beth, Bobbi, & Donna and their families. I felt so connected to them even before we met and now even more so! Some may find it very strange that we would hop on a plane to visit and stay with people we have never met in person. Well, I suppose it was a risk! But, we all clicked instantly, just as I knew we would. When I saw Beth waiting for us at the airport, it was like she was an old friend I just hadn't seen in awhile. It felt so normal!

Eli had a great time, too, even though I think he was a little overwhelmed by all of the excitement! He not only met some new friends for the first time, he also had his first sled ride and his first trip to the ocean!

Here is a short video clip of Jason and Eli sledding down Beth's backyard.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And, here are a few pics of his first visit to the ocean. Granted, we were not basking in the sun and digging our toes in the sand, but it was still amazingly beautiful! THANK YOU Beth, Keith, Sam, and Lucy for a wonderful visit!

Sneak Peek...

into our FULL weekend.

It was full of...


blissful chaos...

outdoor adventures...

several attempts at a kiddo group photo...

hugs from new friends...

absolute pure sweetness (this will be on the wedding invite)...

and a rare, uninterrupted adult dinner with friends while the kiddos played in the next room.

We had such a GREAT time!! More photos to come...

Leavin' on a jet plane

I am so excited!!!! We are going to Maine to visit some very special friends this weekend. Friends we met through our adoption journey. Friends who, on many, many, many occasions carried me through while we were waiting for Pea to come home. I first "met" Beth when she was my Secret Blog Pal in the summer of 2007. I met Bobbi through Beth and somehow Donna found us all! I cannot begin to tell you how amazing all three of these women are and how they touched me in so many ways. I am so grateful for their friendship and support and cannot wait to meet them all in person this weekend! We all talked about getting together "one of these days," but it took one e-mail from Donna informing us all that she was going to be in Maine and we all had our plans made within a couple of days. How great is that?!?! So, we are busy getting packed and ready to finally meet in person, what feels like, long time friends. Just wish us luck on the plane...I have a bad feeling we are going to be THAT family that everyone hates. ;0

I plan on going private by the end of next week so if you haven't commented, yet, and still want to continue following little pea's adventures, just leave a comment with your e-mail address. Moderator is still on so it won't be published for all the creepies to see.

Here are some pics of Fireman Pea. He LOVES fire trucks and he LOVES his snow boots. And, he is a little speedster on his car. You should see him take the corners in our house!

New Makeover

My familia was giving us a hard time yesterday because little pea needs a haircut in a big way. I think pea may have been listening and took matters into his own hands.

Long bangs? No problema! Pea found some hairclips. And some barrettes.

Or, how about a headband?

Two is better than one. (I know, the laundry is piling up.)

No makeover is complete without a little blush.

Notice the wall in the background? That is a hint...

DON'T FORGET!!!

Tomorrow is the deadline to purchase a cookbook to support Across All Borders!!! ONLY $15!!! That includes shipping. The cookbook contains about 250 recipes from adoptive families and a special section of Guatemalan recipes. It supports a wonderful cause. Just click on the link to the left to place your order. HURRY!!! Time is running out!!!

And, don't forget to let me know if you want to continue following our blog. Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can send you an invite once I go private. I still have comment moderator on so your e-mail address will not be published.

I think it's time

I have been thinking about going private for a couple months and I think it is time. I have connected with so many wonderful people through blogworld and this blog has also enabled us to keep our friends and family informed of our adoption journey and life at home. I don't want to disrupt any of those connections so please let me know if you would like to continue staying in touch with us. Leave a comment with your e-mail address and I will add you to the "A" list. Don't worry, I turned on comment moderator so your e-mail address will not be published online for the world to see. I will probably go private in the next week or two.

A week in review

Just a few of this week's happenings in the life of little pea.

He is really getting into his megablocks lately. He has a megablocks car and he stacks the blocks on the car as high as he can before they all topple over. Then he throws his hands in the air and says "UH OH!" Repeat.
Porter trying to get some little pea lovin'. He really thinks he is a lapdog.

Silly faces!

He is also really getting into puzzles or "puggles." This particular puzzle has been sitting on the very top of his bookshelf out of sight. He has not seen it since summer. Well, the other day he kept pointing to the top of the bookshelf saying "puggle, puggle." I finally figured out what he wanted, but I couldn't believe he 1) remembered it was up there and 2) even knew what it was. So, I pulled it down and he immediately went to work.

Some big changes are happening around our house so we will be very busy the next couple of months. Stay tuned for details....

If it's too quiet...

trouble is brewing. A couple of nights ago, I started Eli's bath and was picking up toys as the tub filled up. Usually Eli is very eager to help put toys away, but this night he was not helping and it was very quiet. Too quiet. I went into the bathroom and found him leaning over the tub playing in the water. No big deal, right? Well, somehow he had managed to turn on the shower and, of course, the shower head was cocked to the side so that water was spraying all over Eli and the bathroom floor. Eli thought it was the funniest thing!

This morning, once again, the house suddenly got quiet. Too quiet. Eli came out of the bathroom and Jason found him like this. Eli decided to experiment with Mama's mascara. He actually tried putting it on his eye...and nose...and cheek...and his hands.

ACROSS ALL BORDERS

A fellow Guatemama, Terry, has started an amazing organization, Across All Borders (AAB), to help the children of Guatemala. Terry's journey to this point is so beautiful and inspirational. You can read more about her personal story here. And, my dear friend, Bobbi, is serving on the board of directors and taking her family on a mission trip for AAB this summer. How cool is that?!?!

Terry offically launched her organization this week, which includes a great fundraising campaign! Across All Borders is selling cookbooks full of recipes all submitted by fellow adoptive parents, including yours truly! The recipes include family favorites and some traditional Guatemalan dishes. The cookbooks are $15.00 and the proceeds benefit the work of AAB. Please consider helping out by purchasing a cookbook and telling all your friends and family to purchase a cookbook. Buy one for yourself and give a few as gifts!

You can purchase the cookbooks with a credit card or a check. Just click here or the link on the side of my blog to purchase a cookbook using your credit card. If you prefer to pay with a check, just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so we can make arrangements. If you are not interested in a cookbook, please consider giving in other ways. You can read all about AAB and the ways you can help out on their website. Thank you for supporting this wonderful organization and the children of Guatemala.

Another one done, one more to go...

Some of you may recall when I wrote last year that I am the queen of unfinished projects. It's really true. I love starting new projects...the ideas, brainstorming, creativity, etc. But I often get bored when the tediousness sets in and then I am off to something else. Well, one of my unofficial New Year's Resolutions is to finish some of these projects, including this quilt. Now, this one did not sit around as long as Eli's, but it probably has a good 3 year shelf life! No more. It is done. Woohoo! I have one more unfinished quilt in the basement and it is a doozy. It is a queen size bedspread. I'll be honest, that one will take awhile. I may need a few kicks in the tush later on to finish it!

An Historic Day

What an amazing day. I am really having a difficult time wrapping my heart and brain around the HUGE significance of this day. It is much bigger than I think any of us can imagine at this moment. I feel so hopeful and inspired that perhaps, just perhaps change is possible. Just the fact we elected our first African American president is proof that change is possible. As President Obama (doesn't that sound awesome????) has said over and over, change will not happen overnight, but...it will happen. It has already happened...the face of power has changed in this country.


I am not only hopeful and excited about how these changes may affect our nation and our world, but also about the significance of this day for my family and for my son. We do not take the fact lightly that we are a multiracial family. That we have a huge responsibility to deal with racism not just as members of this society, but as parents raising our son in a culture that does not value the color of his skin or his heritage. How do we raise our son to be strong, resilient, proud, and confident in the face of racism? I don't know, yet. But, what I do know is that the arguably most powerful man in the world is paving a path. Paving a path of breaking down power structures, challenging stereotypes, and redefining the opportunities available for people of color, for my son. Obviously, there is a lot of work to be done, but this is a beginning and, for that, I am so hopeful, so grateful, and so proud of our country for taking a stand for change.

And, never before have I been soooooo relieved to say goodbye to someone...GOOD RIDDANCE, George W. Bush. It is a new day.

Interview

My blogging buddy, Aimee, sent me an interview! And, I know you want to join in on the fun. So,
here is how it works:

1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” (And your e-mail address, please or let me know on facebook if that is easier.)
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Okay, here are the questions Aimee asked me:

1.If you could solve any world problem, what would it be?
Yikes! This one is tough because I strongly believe that most, if not all, of our world problems are interconnected so where is the starting point? There is none, I suppose. After deliberating for a little bit, at this moment I would eliminate capitalism as we know it today. Capitalism in it's purest form certainly has the potential to create opportunity and equality, but it has not evolved that way. Unfortunately, capitalism (along with racism, sexism, etc) has created a system of "haves" and "have-nots" and the "haves" stand on the backs of the "have-nots." It is pretty evident in today's economy that the backs of the have-nots have broken down. It's quite shameful, really. On Christmas Eve, we were driving around looking at Christmas lights and drove into a particularly obnoxious wealthy neighborhood and I just couldn't help thinking how different our world would look if even just a fraction of the wealth was skimmed off the top and equally distributed. I just have to believe there is a better way. A better way that would easily eliminate many of the world's problems. As an example: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090118/ap_on_re_us/mlk_economic_equality

2.What keeps you up at night?
What do I choose? Actually, I am by nature a night owl. I LOVE that time of night when the rest of the world is asleep. There is something magical about it. It is the time when I feel the most grounded and the most creative. I would much rather watch the moonrise than the sunrise. Unfortunately, I don't get to enjoy that time too much because of my work schedule, but I sneak it in here and there for my mental health! Even so, I believe the question is intended to mean what "keeps" me awake. Right now, the thing that weighs on me heavily is work. More specifically, I feel like I am coming to a crossroads regarding my work life and trying to figure out which direction to go, if any.

3.Describe your typical day
We're all up by 6am (usually!) and Eli is at the babysitter's by 7:15am. Jason and I both commute about 35-40 minutes. The next 8 hours is work, work, work. I am in the social services field so my day varies. These days, more often than not, I am in front of a computer. But, my day also consists of meetings, home visits, lots of paperwork, and a little crisis intervention thrown in there from time to time. We are all home by 5pm. I try to cook bigger meals on the weekends so we have leftovers during the week. That makes dinner time much quicker! The rest of the evening involves playing, reading books, bath time, and bed by 8pm for pea. I spend the rest of my evening doing about 2 or 3 things at once, like watching TV, being on the computer, working on a project, looking at a magazine, paying bills, etc, etc. Exciting stuff!

4. What is one non-motherhood accomplishment you want to undertake in your life?
Refer to #2. Actually, I would love to visit Machu Picchu someday. This seems a bit boring, I know. There are lots of things I envision seeing myself doing, but it is constantly evolving and changing so I don't cling too tightly to specific goals, unless it is really tugging at my heart. It sounds like a cop out, but it really isn't. The only constant in life is change so it is more important to me to keep my heart open for new possibilities than to cling to something that may not serve me anymore.

5. If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
I had to really think about this one. I decided that I would be a Sea Turtle. For one, I love the water and I especially love that feeling of floating on ocean waves. I love the rhythm of the water and listening to the sounds under the surface. It some ways it is kind of eerie and in other ways it is like being transported to a whole new world. I love it! The other thing about a Sea Turtles is the amazing phenomenon that she is able to travel 1000's of miles back to the beach where she was born in order to lay her own eggs. I love that the Sea Turtle is able to venture far, far away from the place where she was born, but she is always able to find her way home.

Okay, who wants to be interviewed next? Come on! It's fun!! I won't be too hard on you. ;)

Dada's boy

Eli and his "dada" having been spending a lot of 1:1 time together lately. Not only did they get to stay home together for two weeks during the holidays, but they were also home today due to the FREEZING temps and will be home tomorrow. Of course, mama had to drag her tookus out of bed and go to work while these two stayed at home. Sigh...so now, everything is about dada! It's very sweet, especially if Eli cries out at night for dada and Jason feels obligated to be the one to get up. Sucker. Heehee! No really, these are the days we longed for...

Their time hasn't all been about fun and games. Pea helped his dada out with the laundry today.

Let me tell you, we were so happy and relieved to see a smile today. Wow. The last couple of days have been a bit rocky. Eli has hardly been eating and just a tad cranky. We figured he was still getting over the icky sickies. Well, as I put him in the bath last night he just started SCREAMING and refused to sit in the water. No, no...the water wasn't hot. It was so weird because he loves to take a bath! But, he screamed all through his bath refusing to sit down. He finally calmed down and then went to sleep with no problem (phew). Well, this morning he pretty much woke up screaming and crying and we just could not figure out what was wrong. I left for work, feeling like I had the better end of the deal today, as Jason was giving pea some Motrin as a last desparate measure. Jason called about 20 minutes later to report that our sweet boy was back. Just like that. After further investigation, Jason also discovered that those darn 2 year molars are swelling up again. They still have NOT popped through! Man, these molars are rough! So, we are creating a shrine in honor of Children's Motrin. May it always be close. ;)

Busy Weekend

Despite being sick, little pea had a very busy weekend!

The weekend started off with some very important phonecalls on the latest new phone. You know you want one! The conversation goes a little like this: "Hi! jiberjaberjiberjaber...mama and dada...jiberjaber...boo (our dog)...jiberjaber...okay, byebye."

Next, pea ventured outside to see all of the "no." (snow)

Here he is testing the cold factor and depth.

Official taste tester.


Next, he ventured inside for a big 'o temper tantrum. This is after our trip to the store where he launched his sippy cup about 20 feet because I took away the bag of frozen peas so the cashier could ring them up. Bad mama! ;)

On Sunday, little pea needed to do a little more shopping.
And, most importantly, he let us know that Tyrone wanted to "eat."

All this in one weekend! Can you believe it? ;)

Go Steelers!

If I ever wonder how my son became a crazy football fan, just direct me to this video. ;)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Back to the land of the living

Oh, we got hit hard with the stomach virus this week! It started with Eli on Tuesday night. He woke up about 12:30am whining a little. Now, we had several nights of this in a row and decided enough was enough. So, we let him whine. After awhile, Jason ventured into little pea's room to discover he had puked EVERYWHERE. Ohmygosh. It was disgusting. And, the smell...oh my...the smell was atrocious. It hit me like a brick before I even went into his room. There was puke on the wall, the floor, all over the crib, his bedding, and of course, all over Eli. Now, let me tell you, I felt like the WORST mom in the entire world letting him sit in puke when I just thought he was being a whineypants. Sigh...but, as we cleaned everything up, Eli was acting as normal as could be. It was the strangest thing. Jason stayed home with him Wednesday and he was back at the sitter's on Thursday. Does this look like a kid who had been throwing up all day?

I get a call at work on Thursday around 1:30pm from Jason. He's got it and going home. I don't think he left the couch until the next morning.

I woke up Friday around 4:30am. My turn. I did not get out of bed until 4pm and then I laid on the couch the rest of the night. How is it that Eli had the same level of energy through all of this and Jason and I were completely knocked out for 24 hours???

On to Saturday morning, I think we are all finally feeling alive again! Phew!

So, as we prepared for the day, Jason was getting pea dressed and went through 3 pairs of pants and 3 shirts before finding something that fit him. Sheeze! I swear all of these clothes fit him yesterday! So, we decided to go through his dresser as a good lowkey activity for the morning. Here is what we cleaned out.

He is growing way to fast! And, some of these things he only wore a few times. From now on, he is wearing one outfit until he grows out of it (which will be about a week.). ;)

Six years in the making...

and it is finally DONE. Six years ago my mom and I took a quiltmaking class together and I decided to start a baby quilt since Jason and I were at the very beginning of our journey to start a family. My heart was filled with so much hope and anticipation and I knew that this quilt was just the beginning of a huge change in our lives. Of course, little did I know where our journey to family would take us.

I was very close to finishing the quilt when we received the news that building our family was not going to be easy. Needless to say, we were stunned and heartbroken. So, the almost finished quilt got put away. It was just too painful.

I never forgot about the quilt. There were many times in which I considered finishing it and giving it as a baby gift, thinking someone should get some good use out of it. But, I. just. couldn't. do. it. I knew that quilt was meant for my baby and giving it away just felt wrong. It some ways, seeing that almost finished quilt on the shelf also gave me hope. I knew I would finish it some day. I knew that I would tuck my baby to sleep under that quilt some day. But, until that day arrived, that quilt had to sit unfinished, patiently waiting on the shelf in the basement.

Finally, that some day arrived and it was time. Time to finish the quilt. The quilt that was so long in the making, so full of hope, love, and dreams...that are now wrapped around my son as I write. So, that is actually how I welcomed in the New Year. Finishing that quilt for my son.

Happy New Year!

We had a very uneventful New Year's. In fact, for the first time EVER, we didn't even make it to midnight. And...I didn't care! Last year, we rang in the New Year in the parking lot of the Detroit Airport after flying in from Guatemala. It was snowing like crazy and our car wouldn't start! After about 30 minutes, it finally started and we made our way home in a terrible snowstorm. What a way to start the new year! This year came in much quieter.

In honor of the New Year, it's always great to reflect a little so I snagged this off of Aimee's blog.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Where do I start?! 2008 was an incredible year marked by significant transition. I started the most important job of my life…becoming a mom. It’s still a work in progress! ;)
2. Did you keep your New Years’ Resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I have no idea! I don’t think I made any last year other than to find a way to get through each day as we waited.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? We had three dear friends give birth and have many friends who expanded their families through adoption.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, my grandmother.
5. What countries did you visit? Guatemala
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? More balance. I know, that is vague, but I am working on defining what that means.
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? There are many!
3/19-3/25: Our 3rd visit trip during Semana Santa. We spent the week in Antigua and it was AMAZING!!
4/8/08: The day we finally heard the news that we were out of PGN after 7 months.
4/27/08: The day Eli was placed in our arms forever.
5/14/08: The day we arrived home as a family.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? The relationship I have developed with my sweet son.
9. What was your biggest failure? I really hate that word as I believe that “mistakes” offer us the opportunity to grow. I was certainly challenged in many ways this year. I struggled with finding balance, but I also see this is a natural part of going through huge life transitions. So, definitely not a “failure” but also definitely something I am aiming to find in 2009.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Yes – I got sick in Guatemala and a few times after coming home.
11. What was the best thing you bought? A one way lap ticket from Guatemala to the US.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Definitely Eli. He makes us laugh and smile everyday and gives us so much joy. He is a very resilient little boy already. He reminds us every day of what is precious in life.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? Hmmm…unfortunately, terrible things happen everyday. All you need to do is turn on the news.
14. Where did most of your money go? No doubt about that! Eli.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Getting that call we were out of PGN. It still brings tears to my eyes. I will never forget that moment.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Hmmm…there are many! “The Wood Song” by the Indigo Girls will always remind of me of the last couple of years.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder? happier
b. thinner or fatter? the same with fluctuations along the way
c. richer or poorer? Poorer financial, but richer in every other way
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Reading and writing and sleeping.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Hmmm…worrying.
20. How did you spend Christmas? At home, with family.
21. What on-line users did you meet? Oh my gosh!! I met so many people online. It is amazing the friendships, support, and opportunities that came to us simply through starting a blog.
22. Did you fall in love in 2008? I fell deeper in love with my son.
23. How many one-night stands? Stupid. Stupid question.
24. What was your favourite TV program? Hmmmm…I certainly don’t watch as much TV and when I do, I am usually doing something else at the same time. But, I love LOST and can’t wait for the season premiere. I also love to watch baseball. That’s about all we watch during the season. I hope to be watching it through October this year!
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No. (another stupid question)
26. What was the best book you read this year? Book? See #18. Actually, I read a couple of sleep books that really helped when Eli first came home.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I can’t think of any one artist, but I have really been diggin’ The Coffee House on XM/Sirius radio.
28. What did you want and get?My family at home together.
29. What did you want and not get? A winning lottery ticket. But, I also didn’t play the lottery, so…
30. What was your favourite film of this year? Well, I haven’t watched many movies this year. I recently saw Mystic River for the first time, which was excellent and I was very moved by Martian Child, which we watched on one of our plane trips to Guatemala.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I spent my birthday in Antigua during Semana Santa with my family and friends. It was great! I turned 34.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Less stress and worry.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? I don’t even know what this means!
34. What kept you sane? I am indebted to so many! Jason, my family, friends, and the online adoption community.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Barack Obama
36. What political issue stirred you the most? The Presidential Election
37. Who did you miss? I missed seeing all of our Westsylvania friends! It’s been too long.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Even though we “met” Eli in 2007, 2008 was definitely the year we bonded together as a family at home. Eli is definitely the light of our lives and inspires us everyday!
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Oh boy…so many! This year has definitely been incredibly transformational in so many ways and has given me the opportunity to reflect and revaluate many things in my life. So, to pick just one valuable life lesson is tough! At the same time, life lessons are ever evolving so I am still figuring out what it all means. With that said, one lesson that stands out above the others at this moment is the importance of giving. We were simply astounded at the generosity of our family, friends, and complete strangers when we were in process. And, I don’t just mean financial generosity, but also generosity of the heart. This generosity affected me deeply and has truly changed the fabric of who I am.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Indigo Girls “The Wood Song”

"No way construction of this tricky plan
Was built by other than a greater hand
With a love that passes all our understanding
Watching closely over the journey, Yeah
But what it takes to cross the great divide
Seems more than all the courage I can muster up inside
Although we get to have some answers when we reach the other side
The prize is always worth the rocky ride

Sometimes I ask to sneak a closer look
Skip to the final chapter of the book
And then maybe steer us clear from some of the pain it took
To get us where we are this far, yeah
But the question drowns in it's futility
And even I have got to laugh at me
No one gets to miss the storm of what will be
Just hold on for the ride"

Christmas from PA

Eli received a special delivery from his aunt, uncles, and cousins in Pennsylvania. He was definitely into opening his presents and even resorted to using his teeth at times to rip the paper. He is a determined little pea!

He loves listening to the alphabet song and we see lots of crazy dancing in front of the fridge now!

Opening his gift from Uncle Kirk and Uncle Noah.

Ooooooh...TRUCKS! This boy LOVES trucks. He gets so excited and says "trucks" in this really hilarious growling voice. If he wasn't so stinkin' sweet, the voice would be a bit creepy!

A new Steelers jersey! What more could a boy want...trucks and football. Or, as Eli says, "buttball."

The trucks from his uncles were a huge hit. He would not put them down tonight so I could get him dressed for bed. He kept running away from me laughing and growling "trucks!" In fact, he even sat on the potty and pooped while holding onto his trucks! We had to do truck hi-5's for pooping on the potty!

Seriously, what is it with boys and trucks? It is just fascinating to me! We don't feel like we have pushed trucks and cars and he has been exposed to a wide variety of toys. But, he loves, loves, loves his trucks.

I am also constantly amazed at how much he understands and remembers! The other day he was being Mr. Crankypants and I asked him if he wanted to go to timeout. Now, we were doing timeout for a very short period of time a few months ago when he went through a hitting phase, but he has not been in timeout for a least a couple of months. After I asked him, he nodded his head yes, ran to the timeout chair, climbed in, and then started crying. It was actually quite funny! After he put himself in timeout, he was in a great mood for the rest of the evening. He continues to talk more and more and is starting to put simple sentences together. It is so fun to watch him learning new things, but I don't want him to grow up! It seemed like time stood still while we were waiting for him to come home, but now I wish it would slow down just a little! It's hard to believe sometimes that he has been home for 8 months, yet it also feels like he has always been here. Amazing!

Christmas at Home

We had a wonderful Christmas Day! It was so much fun to wake up at home with little pea, watch him discover all of the gifts around the tree, and to realize they were for him. My parents came over to enjoy the morning and have Christmas breakfast with us. It took Eli about 3 hours to open all of his gifts. He would open one or two, play for awhile, open a couple more, play for awhile, and so on. Santa was very good to Eli this year! What a joy.

The tree after Santa left our house. The ride on toy on the left was a gift from Jason's parents, oma and pop pop, that arrived just in time for Christmas Day.

His stocking with Tyrone peeking out.

Reading one of his new books. Eli got LOTS of new books!

He discovered Tyrone!!
Eli's new baby! Santa found this on a really great site: Dolls Like Me. This baby is so cute and cuddly! He has on little pajamas and carries a bear with matching PJ's. I think this is Eli's new snugglebunny. Playing with his Little People bus. He loves buses and was very excited about this gift!

We went to my parents' house in the afternoon to celebrate with my family. My mom always makes Christmas very special with every little detail. We stuffed ourselves, we laughed, talked, and made a huge mess of my parents' house! It wouldn't be Christmas any other way! ;) I even made Guatemalan Christmas Punch (Poche). Delicious!

Eli's cousins gave him the Little People fire truck and this was a HUGE hit!Mamaw and papaw gave Eli this Backyardigan's guitar.

Christmas family pic at the end of the day. Eli was wired by this point! It was a very busy and exciting day and I think he was asleep the minute his head hit the mattress.

One Year Ago...

We were busy packing our bags to spend Christmas in Guatemala while also reeling from the news of our 2nd kickout from PGN. As hard as that was right before the holidays, we were so excited to be seeing our little pea again and to spend his 1st Christmas together as a family. We had such an amazing trip. We had the opportunity to see more of Guatemala, visit the clinic where Eli was born, and to see Eli crawl for the first time! You can see the video here: CRAWLING.
As I am finishing up some last minute baking, wrapping, and eagerly waiting to see what Santa brings;)...I can't help but reflect on last Christmas while taking a long, deep breath knowing how incredibly blessed and lucky we are to be celebrating Christmas as a family at home this year. For the past few weeks, Jason and I have been really struggling with gift ideas for each other. "Stuff" just doesn't seem that important. We decided it seems really silly to buy each other stuff we don't need just for the sake of buying something. That is not what Christmas is about. We were discussing last night how our adoption process taught us many, many things (and continues to do so)...but, most importantly, that we already have everything we need and want. Of course, Santa will still be stopping at our house, but the greatest gift is being together as a family. That is something we will never take for granted.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Holidays!

Yeehaw!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

FINALLY!!

The tree is lit and decorated!!! Our tree decorating was delayed by about a week due to all of our sickies, well...mostly my sickies! :( I think we are finally getting healthy after waging war on the germs. We have officially become germophobes armed with lysol, hand sanitizer, and lots of hand soap. Now we are just hoping that Eli's 2 year molars cut through SOON. He has two coming in right now and nights have been a little rough.

But, the tree is decorated, our Christmas spirit has been revived, and I love it! I am slightly ashamed to admit that this is the first Christmas tree we have had in a couple of years. Really, we are not scrooges! But, honestly, we struggled with finding our Christmas spirit last year. And, most importantly, we spent Christmas in Guatemala and didn't want to leave a live tree in our house for a week without care. So, last year, we decided to stick with our little 2 foot table tree as our token of Christmas cheer. This year is a whole other story! It is so wonderful to have a nice, big tree in the house again and even more wonderful to be spending our 2nd Christmas with Eli, this time at HOME. Happy. Happy. Happy.

Of course, I had to get in a little photo shoot to celebrate! Here is my serious boy.Silly boy.
And melt-your-heart sweet boy. This smile can get him about anything. ;)

Getting into the Spirit

Let the season begin! Our weekend started with a visit to santa on Friday evening at the downtown winter wonderland. Eli was very intrigued by all the decorations and the people. And, he had no problems with Santa! Sat right on his lap without hesitation. Granted, he wouldn't look at Santa, but he certainly wasn't afraid. This kid is seriously so laid back and such a social butterfly.

Here is little pea with his cousin, D. They have such a sweet connection. The first time Eli met D, his whole face just lit up! And, D is equally enamored with Eli and so super sweet with him. I just love watching the two of them together.

Sitting on Santa's lap!


On Saturday, we ventured out to get our Christmas tree. It was bitter cold and snowing, but what perfect conditions for Christmas tree hunting! Eli LOVED the snow! He was not phased at all by the cold and had so much fun stomping around in his snow boots. He also quickly discovered that snow is edible.

Getting ready to go! Boy, going out into the cold, snowy weather is quite a production these days!

Daddy and pea looking for the perfect tree.

Ooooooooh

We found it!

Checking out the donkey.
Santa's reindeer.

Sunday was supposed to be our tree decorating party, but we have once again been plagued by the sickies. We just can't seem to get rid of it. Ever since I went back to work and Eli started at the babysitters, we have all been sick with one thing or another. In the last 2 weeks, we have had 3 doctor's visits, one urgent care visit, and loads of antibiotics/steriods. Eli is MUCH better than last week, but this week I got pink eye in both eyes and, to add insult to injury, the flu. Sigh...seriously, this is getting really old. Where can we get some lysol bombs???

Passing on traditions

As some of you may remember from a post last year, I am CRAZY about Chex Mix! I have been since I was a kid. Growing up, we made Chex Mix every year around Christmas time and it is just one of those crazy, seemingly meaningless traditions that is so important to me! It is really less about the actual food, than it is the memories and feelings it evokes. Every year, we would dedicate an entire day to making Christmas goodies. My mom, sister, and I (sometimes my brother, too) would spend the entire day cooking, baking, and decorating cookies. The kitchen would be a disaster with flour, frosting, wax paper, and tiny cookie decorations everywhere! We had so much fun and those times together helped define the meaning of the holidays for our family. And, let me tell ya, my sister decorates a mean cookie!

At some point over the years, I became the official Chex Mix chef and thus began a lifelong, glutinous love affair that only comes around once a year! It is pretty much the staple of my diet from Thanksgiving through New Years. No joke! In fact, I am eating it right now. ;) I especially love it for breakfast! Now, I am talking about the homemade stuff, not that bagged crap that claims to be the original Chex Mix. And, I am a hardcore ORIGINAL Chex Mix recipe follower. None of this bagel chip, mixed nuts, and garlic & onion powder nonsense. I suppose you could call me a Chex Mix puritan or, well, maybe a Chex Mix snob. Call me what you will, butI stand strong and proud by the Original recipe. ;)

What is the original recipe you ask? Well, let me indulge you. Okay, I admit, the recipe may not be exactly like the original, but it is pretty darn close. And, I always double the recipe.

6 cups Rice Chex Mix
6 cups Corn Chex Mix
6 cups Wheat Chex Mix (NOT the multigrain. I made this mistake ONCE!)
1 or 2 cups pretzels
1/2 to 1 cup peanuts (I like dry roasted)
5 tbsp butter (the REAL stuff)
4 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire (the best brand)
3 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt (best brand)

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Melt butter and combine with worcestershire and seasoned salt. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to coat evenly. You can bake it in the oven or the microwave. I use the microwave because that is what I have always done. :) Cook for 6 minutes in the microwave, stopping to stir mixture every 2 minutes. Lay out on paper towels to dry and then ENJOY!!!

So, since it is my turn to be mom at Christmas time this year, I have the huge responsibility of passing on this sacred tradition to my family! And, well, I am so proud to say little pea may be just as crazy about Chex Mix as his mama. Sigh...so, so proud. ;)

Helping mama pour the cereal.

Dumping it in the bowl.

Already can't get enough. He would dump in a cup of cereal and say/sign "more, more, more." Stir it up!

First Thanksgiving

We had a great first Thanksgiving with our little pea. We spent the first part of the day at home watching the Macy's parade, cooking, and just relaxing. We then went to my parents house for the big turkey dinner. Eli thoroughly enjoyed his first Thanksgiving feast eating all of his turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry dressing, corn, etc. I can't help reflecting on this time last year... I have had many of those "pinch me" moments lately thinking of one year ago, resulting in spontaneous tears in the most unlikely places, like the checkout line! We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, and always.

And, as is tradition in our little family, someone ended up sick before the weekend was over. For the past several years, Jason and I have alternated getting the yucks on Thanksgiving weekend. This year, it was Eli's turn to join in on the "fun." He is now on some antibiotics so hopefully he will be back to himself in a few days.

Here are some pics of our Thanksgiving Day fun.

Beep, beep. Comin' through.

Attack of the boys! Poor Jason...;)

Tryptophan setting in.

Family shot by the fireplace.

Don't try this at home

Litte Pea is crazy about The Backyardigans. The first thing he does when we get home at the end of the day is point to the TV and say "dung, dung, dung." Yep, that's what it sounds like! His foster family told us back in May that this was on of his favorite shows and, well, they were right! Now, I do not recommend you try some of these moves at home, especially going in circles!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

BUSTED!!! Little Pea was actually CAUGHT sitting still! It was just for a brief moment, but it does happen from time to time. In fact, our babysitter told another parent that, in her 30 years of watching children, she has never had a child as active as Little Pea (hmmm...). So, now you can really appreciate the rarity of this photo. ;)

FFF - For Crying Out Loud

This week's theme is crying (see http://www.kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/) ! We have seen some tantrums from Eli, but they are usually over within minutes (so far!). He likes to throw himself on the floor or throw other things on the floor when he is mad. Ignoring his little tantrums generally works very well! For the most part, however, he is a very laid back boy.

Not happy at dinner for some reason, but....
here he is a minute later! He can turn it on and off like a switch!

Catch-up

Life has felt a little crazy the last few weeks! I have good intentions to post more often, but...Throughout the day I have these brief moments of inspiration for post ideas, but by the time I get home...POOF, it's gone!

I went back to work about 3 weeks ago and the transition has actually gone much smoother than I anticipated. I believe that having 6 months home with Little Pea made a world of difference. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been if I had returned to work after the typical 12 weeks! So, with that in mind, I feel very lucky!

Dropoffs at the babysitter's were pretty rough for about the first two weeks. She literally had to peel Eli off of me as he screamed and wailed holding his arms out to me. UGH. That was awful!When I would pick him up after work, he would run to me crying and just lay his head on my shoulder while I received the daily update. But, alas, for the past week, Eli is running to the toy room before I'm even out the door. Sigh...I suppose that is a good thing! But, I LOVE seeing him run to mama at the end of the day with a huge smile and open arms! He seems to really love being with the other kids, especially one older boy. Eli just adores him. He also seems to have a little arch rival. His first week, he scratched this little girl on the face with a toy and the next week she sought revenge. He looked like he had been attacked by a cat. Terrible scratches ALL over his face. It was quite shocking. Thank goodness it has healed quickly, though Eli has kept his distance from this little girl! Smart boy.

Overall, we're still settling in to our new routine. It makes our evenings and weekends feel even that much more precious. Eli is talking more and more. The other day he surprised us by saying "penguin" when looking at his animal book and today at the grocery store he asked for a "cracker." He also loves to introduce his "da" and "mama" to other people. It's very cute! In addition, he has figured out that his highchair can also be used as a ladder to access higher places. Yea, he pushed his ladder over to the counter, turned on the toaster oven and then opened it. This boy has no fear. Here are a few pics from the last week.

Eli decided one apple was not enough so he also took mine!


Enjoying one of our last nice days! We had our first snow on Saturday. YUCK! Not ready for cold!

In Memory

We said goodbye to my grandmother this weekend. After several years struggling with Alzheimer's Disease, her suffering finally came to an end. As the minister at her funeral said, this time came with a conflict of emotion. I certainly felt a sense of relief knowing that my grandmother is no longer suffering, but the loss that comes with the finality of death is always difficult and she will be missed dearly.

My grandmother lived a very long and full life; her struggle with Alzheimer's was just a tiny blip in her lifespan and it is not how she will be remembered by all of us who loved her. She was born in 1919 and it is incredible to think that women did not even have the right to vote when she was born! She lived through the Great Depression, World War I & II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, etc, etc. It is amazing to reflect on how much our world has evolved and changed just in my grandmother's lifetime. She is survived by my grandfather, who is 92 years old. My grandparents would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary on 12/31. Isn't that absolutely incredible? What an inspiration.

My grandmother was an amazing, unforgettable, and feisty woman. She lived her life passionately and that passion spread to those around her. She worked very hard and she also played very hard! One of her many passions was playing games. She had a closet full of boardgames suitable for all ages. She especially loved to play cards and she was ruthless! She played to win and, well, I think she did always win! This was also a lesson she taught us in life: give it everything you've got and never, ever give up. Oh, and, make sure you are having fun along the way!

Another lesson my grandmother taught me through the way she lived her life was to never apologize for who I am and never compromise what is important to me. My grandmother had very strong convictions that guided her life and she stood strong by those convictions. She never wavered on what was important to her: her faith and her family. My grandmother was especially uncompromising when it came to family traditions, like Christmas Eve. Every year, we gathered at my grandparents house (along with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins) on Christmas Eve and we always had a family service before ANY gifts were opened. This involved gathering together to read the Christmas story, sing hymnals, and focus on the true meaning of the holiday. Of course, as kids we would grumble, but we all loved it and it brought us all closer together as a family, even if for just one night out of the year. These memories are so special to me and such an ingrained part of who I am.

My grandmother and I did not always see eye to eye on various things, but that was okay because through that she challenged me to be a stronger person, to think more critically about my values and beliefs, and to not apologize for them, even if they were not the same as hers. Unfortunately, it took me awhile to figure some of these things out and I did not get the opportunity to thank her for teaching me to push the boundaries of my own convictions. That, I suppose, is the struggle for those left behind after a death. But, my grandmother wouldn't care about that. My guess is she would not want any of us to dwell on regrets because that would just be a waste of time and energy! Get up and do something, she would say!

Thank you, grandma. I love you and will miss you dearly.

A New Beginning

While we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.
-Barack Obama
President-Elect of the United States of America

Visit to the studio

We took Eli to get 18 month photos done. I am not a huge fan of portrait photos, but I think these turned out pretty good! I went into this with the intention of only buying 3 poses. Well, they took 46 shots and how do you choose? We managed to narrow it down to 6. Thankfully, they gave us a disk with all 46 photos so here are a few!

Trick-or-treat!

First time trick-or-treating! Of course, I was waaaay more excited about it than little pea! Actually, he did great and was oh so cute in his chicken costume! He loved running up to the front door and actually tried to sneak inside a couple of houses! He also enjoyed chewing on the candy, wrapper and all. We went with my sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews. We really tried to get some good pics, but it is nearly impossible with this boy. He just will not stand still for a second!

Little chicken! We were thinking of sending pic to Pollo Campero for a possible logo shot?!?! What d'ya think?

In the wagon with cousin J. I am not sure what pea is doing. Probably just moving around, but it looks like he is in agony, doesn't it?
First house! He ran right up to the house.

Walking with daddy to another house. More candy!!
It has been a crazy, busy week and we are still adjusting to our new schedule since I am back to work. But, overall, we are doing great. I will post a better update later!

Wordless Wednesday

What does it take...

to revive the economy? Apparently only 6 women, two days, and The Children's Place (and a few other token stores). This past weekend I went on a 2 day shopping trip with some friends. This is an annual tradition started by my friends, Becky and Vicki. They started this tradition at least 10 years ago. Though, I think it has been longer because every year they tell me they have been doing this for 10 years. This is my second year in on the trip and it is so much fun! Though, there are a couple non-negotiable rules.

Rule #1: At least one Christmas gift must be purchased.
Rule #2: Show and tell. At the end of the first day, we all empty our bags and share our purchases for the day. Part of show and tell also includes bragging. That is, bragging about the great bargains we found and how much we saved through clearance racks, coupons, etc, etc. For example, on one of several visits to The Children's Place, I bought Eli 2 polo shirts and a pair of shorts for $2.68. They were all on the $0.99 clearance rack and I had a 15% off coupon. That deserves some serious bargain hunter bragging rights! If you haven't been to The Children's Place lately, get out there. They are having some great sales right now!

Here's a pic of all our bargains for the day. This is a bad pic because I took it with my phone so you really can't fully appreciate the mountain of stuff! Consumerism at its best.

All in all, we had so much FUN and found some amazing bargains along the way! And, yes, Eli spent his first full day with the sitter so I could go shopping! Ha! But, he did great. The dropoff was pretty rough because he screamed when I left, but he had a really great day. He ate really well, took a very long nap, and made everyone laugh. So, that makes me feel a teeny tiny bit better!

Jason and Pea also spent some quality "guy" time together on their own little shopping trip! They went shopping for a new toilet seat to replace the one little pea broke. He likes to "help out" by putting the toilet seat down...more like, slamming the toilet seat down. Somethin' just had to give with that brute toddler force. Let me tell you, it is no fun sitting on a cracked toilet seat! ;) We made need one of those toilet seat locks!

They also had some fun playing in the leaves.

Happy Birthday, Jason!!

36 years old!! How did this happen? Wasn't it just yesterday that we were hanging out in the dorm lounge "studying?" My how time flies! Happy Birthday!!

We had a b-day party on Sunday with the fam to celebrate Jason's and our nephew's birthdays. Jason has had a rough week with his students so tonight we had a relaxing lowkey evening, which was probably his best gift! Of course, spending his first birthday with his son trumps everything.

Little Pea update...he had his 18 month check-up yesterday. I wasn't kidding when I said this boy is growing like a weed! He has grown another 2" and is up to 34" tall. This places him in the 90th percentile for height and he is in the 75th percentile for weight at 28lbs. He's a big boy for 18 months! And, remember my post near the end of August regarding how fast his feet are growing? Well, he has now outgrown size 6. Yep, it only took about 7 weeks.

We also started Pea's transition to the sitter yesterday. We are starting with a couple hours and then he will be there the whole day on Friday. He did great yesterday, but the sitter said he really missed his mama today. The minute I walked in the door to pick him up, he started crying, ran to me, and sqeezed me tight. Oh man. This is rough!

Weekend Adventures

We had quite a busy, funfilled weekend! Our first stop was the fire station for their open house held every October (fire safety month). Eli loved the fire truck and he was not very happy when it came to time to go home! It actually was pretty neat to get inside the fire truck! And, we got a couple new smoke detectors free! Woohoo! (Becky, you can inform Steven that we pass the safety test!)

Eli running towards the fire truck!

Cool lights!
Ready to roll. If only I could reach the pedals...is that the siren button???
Looking out our window at the fire truck beside our house. He does this multiple times a day!

Our next stop was the pumpkin patch! We arrived just in time for a hayride, which Eli was not so sure about. After our hayride, we grabbed a wagon and headed out to pick our own pumpkins.

I want this one, daddy!
The perfect size.

Headin' back with our pumpkins!

Circle the Wagons

Our friends, Brittney and Daniel and Pam and Mark, are still waiting for their precious daughters to come home. Both families are stuck in a terrible mess since their birth mother interview was unable to be completed by the deadline. I can only imagine the stress, anxiety, and heartbreak they are experiencing right now as they wait for answers. You can click on their names to read more about their personal stories. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Growing Up

To my sweet son,

Today you are 18 months old! Wow! Why does this day feel signficant? I don't know, but it does. It is just amazing how much you have grown and changed since we have been together forever as a family (almost 6 months already!!). You fill our hearts with so much joy and make us laugh everyday. We love you so much!

Here you are on the day you were placed in our arms forever: April 27, 2008

Here you are now! Look how much you have changed already!

Here is what you have been up to at 18 months:

1. You LOVE firetrucks!! We live right beside the fire station, so you love to look out the window to see the firetruck. In fact, you do this ALL day! One of the fire fighters even walked over one day and invited you to the station to look at the fire truck!

2. You LOVE to dance! You will dance to almost anything, but your favorite song is "Te Quiero."

3. One of your favorite things to do outside (after looking for the fire truck!) is to go to the garden and pick vegetables. Mommy & daddy taught you how to pick the tomatoes and peppers.

4. You are quite a talker! You know well over 30 words and several signs. Dinner time is your favorite time to talk and you always have wonderful and amazing stories to tell.

5. You and Porter are great buddies. You love to give him hugs and kisses and play fetch with him. You can't say "Porter", yet, so you call him "boo."

6. You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE books! One of your favorite books is "Wheels on the Bus." We often sing this song over and over again!

7. You love trucks and school buses and point them out whenever we see them.

8. You can point out a bear, snake, duck, frog, turtle, dog, cat, horse, zebra, tiger, lion, penguin, sheep, bee, bird, monkey, cow, pig, fish, and more. You love looking at animals.

9. For some reason, whenever you pick up a washcloth, dish towel, or a wet wipe you put it up to your mouth and cough.

10. You love buttons, zippers, switches, and clasps and you know how to work them all!

11. You can identify almost all of your body parts.

12. You are so affectionate and love to give lots of hugs and kisses. You give the best hugs and kisses!

13. You are definitely not a picky eater! You will eat almost anything, including lemon and lime slices!

14. You like to scream! You scream when you are happy and excited and when you are mad and frustrated.

15. Big Bear and Little Bear (thanks Beth!!) are your favorite stuffed animals right now. They sleep with you every night and you love to give your bears hugs and kisses.

16. You love shoes, but you don't really like to wear them. You always end up kicking off your shoes in the car or in the store. It's amazing we haven't lost one, yet! Though, you love wearing mommy and daddy's shoes around the house.

17. You are so smart! We usually only have to show you something once and you remember.

18. Daddy can always make you laugh! And, that laugh...oh, that laugh just melts my heart every time!

Into the Woods

On Sunday, we were busy doing some projects and chores around the house when we decided it was just too beautiful to be stuck inside. We dropped everything and headed to the nature preserve near our house for a little hike in the woods. It was gorgeous! I love these fall days. Eli had a blast walking in the woods and picking up every single stick, nut, and rock. In case you've never noticed, there are a lot of sticks, nuts, and rocks in the woods. Needless to say, we could have been there for HOURS! He especially enjoyed picking up large sticks and hitting himself in the head. He thought that was pretty funny. Don't worry, he didn't poke his eye out. Not yet.


Sticks, sticks, and MORE sticks!! OH BOY, OH BOY! Where do I start?

Hangin' out inside the tree with daddy.

Me and my pea. Nuts, nuts, and MORE nuts!!! Hmmm...is that a stick over there? Time to go home on the daddy express.

Final Countdown

Only a couple more weeks left before I head back to the grind of work and a new transition begins. Sigh...it's inevitable, but I don't have to like it, right?!?! I always thought I could never be a stay-at-home mom, but I could definitely get used to this! Eli will be spending his days with a private sitter and a couple other children close to his age. I know he is going to LOVE being around the other kiddos and I know he will adjust to our new schedule just fine, but...I still don't like it!

In the meantime, I have been very busy trying to get some projects done and organizing some things around the house before I go back to work. That means I have piles of "stuff" everywhere and it feels more chaotic than before I started! And, Eli and I have been soaking in this precious time together. I still have those heart stopping moments everyday when I look at my sweet son and am overwhelmed with gratitude and a love like no other, and I feel so incredibly lucky to be his mama.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Eli LOVES this dumptruck and he "rides" it around the house. It's not really meant to be a riding toy, but it works for him!

Trying on daddy's shoes. With the rate he is growing, these shoes will probably fit next week!

The perfect reading spot!

Practicing his somersault!

One of those days...

Yesterday was just one of those days. Ya know, one of those days that felt completely off kilter and it seemed like everything was going wrong. It started out okay, but slowly got worse and worse. Eli had an appointment at Children's hospital almost 2 hours away. I timed the trip perfectly so that he slept most of the way there. No problem.

Things started to unravel in the parking garage when I made a wrong turn. After talking to the parking security officer, I had to somehow turn around in the PACKED parking garage, in our new car that feels ginormous. It's a miracle I didn't take off someone's mirror! Then we get to the doctor's office and waited 45 minutes. You know how that goes...not fun with a toddler who has been confined in the car for 2 hours! Finally, we get back to the doctor's office and, of course, wait probably another 20 minutes. By this time, I am getting cranky and impatient. The nurse practitioner comes in and asks all of those typical questions and takes a look at Eli. Total time: 5 minutes. Then we wait another 15 minutes for the doctor to come in and the first thing he says, "There really is no need for him to have this procedure now. You can wait another year. But, if you want to have it now, just schedule with the front desk." Then he leaves. Total time: 2 minutes. He didn't even look at Eli, didn't examine him, NOTHING! You've got to be freaking kidding me. I drove FOUR hours round trip for NOTHING?!?!?!? More evolved when I spoke with the scheduling person, but I won't go into that.

By this time, I am REALLY annoyed. We make our way back to the car, me grumbling the whole way. I get Eli settled with his drink and snack and an arsenol of toys to hopefully keep him entertained for the next 2 hours. I slowly approach the parking gararge exit and realize that the doctor's office never gave me a parking token. And, I have NO cash (no surprise to all who know me!). So, I have to explain this to the same security officer and he was not happy. He was so "generous" to let me out this time, but "not next time." Good grief.

So, as I am now creeping along in rush hour traffic, Jason calls to inform me that we changed our car insurance coverage 2 days too soon. WHAT?!?!?! Yep, he rear ended someone TWO DAYS after we removed comp & collision off of our older car. You have got to be kidding me. It was also about this time that Eli started screaming because he had managed to throw all of his toys out of reach. Sigh...it was a looooong ride home.

But, we made it and what a relief it was for both of us. Eli was so happy to be out of that car and so happy to see his daddy. He was in such a great mood the rest of the evening, which is what we all needed! A perfect ending to a not-so-perfect day!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mr. Chatterbox

This boy can talk! Of course, we don't understand much of what he says, but he makes a grand effort! He just talks and talks and talks and it often involves lots of interesting and hilarious hand motions. I just know that one of these days he is going to start talking in full sentences and won't stop! At this point, Eli is saying well over 25-30 words and knows about 5 or 6 signs that he uses regularly. The other day I was trying to write down all of the words he says when I heard him come into the room saying "B, B, B, B." My first thought was "Awwww, he can say the letter 'B.'" Well, Eli walked up to where I was sitting and placed a dead bee on the end table! I couldn't believe it! We had only looked at bees in a book at that point. He was very proud of himself! So, "bee" was the next word I added to the list.

Here is a little video of our "B" experience. Unfortunately, I discovered after filming that the videotape was bad so the sound is messy. But, you get the point!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Independence Day

Monday was Independence Day in Guatemala and many other Central American countries. Guatemala obtained indepedence from Spain in 1821. We celebrated Sunday night with a small Guatemalan feast of Chapin style chicken and rice and Guatemala corn cake. Yummy!

While we were celebrating inside, the winds were wreaking havoc outside. We had wind gusts of 60mph. Unfortunately, one of our trees just could not withstand the winds. This is right behind our house. This tree branch fell right on top of our fence in, what I call, the "poop pit." This is Porter's designated, fenced-in area and no one goes in there except Porter and Jason. :) Even though we will have to replace part of our fence, I am so relieved the tree did not fall the other way onto our deck, garage, and house.

View from our deck.

Side view from the yard.
Of course, I have to include a Little Pea shot. He is ready for the cold weather!

Lots of energy

Have I mentioned that Eli is a very busy little guy?!?! He literally does not stop moving all day (except naptime, of course). He certainly keeps us on our toes and provides lots of entertainment! One of his latest tricks is he decided it is much more fun to go down the slide on his belly, head first. Though, I don't think some of the other parents at the park appreciated the new tricks Eli was teaching their children! I think he may be a bit on the wild side! ;) I love it! Here is a little clip of him dancing to his favorite tune. His foster family made us a copy of this music because he loved it so much. What you aren't seeing are the clips of him climbing on the table to dance. Yikes!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Are you ready for some football?

It's that time of year...the air is crisp, it's getting dark earlier, the leaves are starting to change, and the level of testosterone at our house is increasing. Yep, it's time for football. It's a strange phenomenon in our house. On Sundays, my quiet, introspective, sweet husband transforms into this crazy person who yells, jumps up and down, and even grunts from time to time. I generally try to plan other activities during this transformation because, heck, even the poor dog gets scared! What is it about football? I have always hated football. HATED it. But, I have slowly developed a tolerance for it over the past couple of years and have started to develop a slight interest. And, as you can see from the pics, I think I will be in the minority at my house. So, I might as well join em, eh?

My boys watching the game!
Already cheering?
Eli has quite a throwing arm, though he usually throws with his left.
Yep, Ben Roethlisberger is from our town. Though, Jason is very quick to remind people that he was raised in Pennsylvania and has ALWAYS been a Steelers fan. ;)
Football may have started, but it's still baseball season!

New Friends

So, here are some pics from our visit last weekend with our blogger friends Nicole & Dominic and Tracy, Jens, Alex, & Anika. It was so much fun to finally meet them all in person after sharing our adoption journeys over the past year and a half. Even though it was the first time we met in person, we all felt like we have been friends for a long time! I suppose sharing such an incredible and unique experience bonds us all in a special way. So, we spent the afternoon and evening hanging out and playing with the kids. It was a great day and we look forward to many more visits! Hopefully, some of our other blogger friends can join us next time! We were all pretty exhausted by the end of the day, but Eli seemed to think the party was an all nighter! He decided he was having too much fun to sleep and kept us up for about 3 hours in the middle of the night at Nicole's house. This is sooo unusual for him! At least he slept the entire car ride home the next day.

The 3 Guattots playing with all of Dominic's awesome outdoor toys!
All four kiddos in the pool. I think Alex taught ELi some new swimming skills. By the end of the day, Eli was swimming around the pool on his belly like Alex.
Eli LOVED Dominic's tractor!
Eli and Anika ready for a ride! Actually, they were more interested in opening and closing the door.
Dominic and Anika. Anika had lots of hugs for the boys!

End of the day crash! Or, in Eli's case, just the beginning of a long night! ;)

I think Eli pulled off every single book on Dominic's shelf. There was quite a mountain of books on the floor.

The gang minus Jason and Jens. They were in charge of picture taking!

Together Again

This past weekend we went to visit Eli's foster sister, baby F! They are 11 days apart and shared a crib for 8 months. We met Baby F's parents and her 2 big brothers through our agency and we spent our first visit trip together in August 2007. Baby F's family was with us when we met Our Little Pea for the first time, we all ate dinner together with our foster mom and her family, and we spent several afternoons loving on our babies by the pool. Pure joy! They are a beautiful family and it has been a blessing getting to know them. It was sooo fun and exciting to see them again and see how much our two kiddos have grown over the past year. We are so lucky that we live within driving distance from one another and we can't wait to get these two together again very soon!


Baby F & Little Pea around 3 or 4 months old

Here they are today! Aren't they adorable?!?!

We also spent the weekend hanging out with a couple of our blogger friends, Nicole and Tracy! Are you jealous?!?! Heehee! I will post those pics later this week.

The End of Utopia

Sigh...the summer is over and school has started so that means Jason is back to work. Our utopian summer of all being home together has come to an end. It was so wonderful and such a blessing for us both to be home with Eli during out first 3.5 months bonding together as a family. I still have 2 more months until I must face the inevitable return to work. I am so lucky to be able to take this much off, but I can't believe how fast the time has gone! It seems like we spent the first 3 months just trying to find our family rhythm! The last 3 or 4 weeks, however, have just been amazing! It seems like we have hit a whole new level of comfort, security, attachment, etc. It is so fun to see Eli's face when Jason comes home from work. He gets so excited and one day danced himself in circles when he saw Jason coming up the frontwalk! Yesterday morning I listened to him on the baby monitor for about 30 minutes as he woke up in his crib talking and making himself laugh with funny noises (I just couldn't help myself!). It just melts my heart! He knows he is home.

Even so, that anxiety of going back to work is already starting to creep in a little bit. Just a little. I am quickly realizing that this time I have left is so precious and I just hate the idea of only having a few short hours with our sweet pea in the evenings once I return to work. I know all of you working moms battle with this as well. But, at this point, it is what I have to do so we will just make the best of it when that time comes. In the meantime, I don't want to spoil the rest of my time off with worry and anxiety so that's enough of that!

Here are some pics of this past weekend. My mom's credit union celebrated their 70th anniversary this year so they had a big party to celebrate. Eli got to try out some of the race cars!

Girl's Night Out

My older sister turned 40 this month so we decided to have a girl's night out to celebrate this monumental event. ;) We spent the afternoon shopping 'till we dropped and then had a great dinner in which none of us had to feed anyone and our meals were hot! We had a fantastic time and...why don't we do this more often???

The NEW 40!! Isn't she fabulous?!?!

How did this happen????

What is happening to my baby??? Eli is on his 3rd shoe size since coming home. He has grown about 3 inches and, luckily, has only gained about 2lbs. Sigh...he was supposed to stay small for at least a little while. He had just started walking when he was placed in our arms forever. Now he is running everywhere, climbing everything, doing somersaults, almost jumping, has a serious throwing arm (a lefty so far!), and is saying new words almost everyday. But, have I mentioned how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE hearing the very fast pitter-patter of his feet and his silly squeals of delight as he runs around the house?

Eli came home comfortably wearing these shoes! A size 4, which he quickly outgrew within about 3 weeks. I bet he could curl his toes around the edge now!
He moved onto size 5, which lasted about 7 weeks or so as his toes slowly started to creep over the edge and we were on the last 1/4 inch of velcro.
He is now in a size 6, but probably not for long...
Oh, and can someone tell me why children's shoes are so freakin' expensive??? Good grief!! Thank goodness I found the clearance rack today and bought the next size up, which he will probably wear for a month!

Zootime fun

We ventured to the zoo a couple weeks ago with my parents, brother, brother-in-law, 2 nephews, and niece. It was a GORGEOUS day! Perfect for strolling around the zoo.

Eli and J looking at the goats.
I think this was Eli's favorite part...chasing the goats!! He loved it!
Deep sea diver
Bottoms up!! This picture cracks me up! I think they were looking at a turtle.
My brother-in-law and nephew. The measure of an ape...um, I mean...a man. Heehee!! (Sorry Chris! I couldn't resist!!)

Trying to climb out of his stroller.

I think we are looking at a bird. Eli LOVES birds right now and points them out whenever he sees one flying by.Getting a close look at the butterfly!
Eli just loved looking at all of the animals and nothing seemed to scare him except...the hippo. This hippo was sitting very still and peaceful in the water with her eyes closed for quite a long time. Nothing frightful or scary about that, right?!?! Well, we were sitting right at the glass watching when she slowly came to life and opened her eyes and mouth. Eli started screaming!!! I suppose a "rock" suddenly coming to life would be pretty scary!
Watching the fish. I think we all could have just sat and watched the aquariums all day.
Tuckered out after a long day!

One year ago today...

we held our sweet little pea for the first time. I can't believe it has already been one year since I first kissed those cheeks! I can still remember all of our excitement, nervousness, and anticipation of meeting our son for the first time!!! Oh, wow!!! What an awesome, unforgettable moment. Holding Eli for the first time was probably one of the most incredible moments of our lives. It was absolutely perfect. Pure love and joy. Eli was only 4 months old and an itty bitty 10lbs!!

Little did we know at that time that we would be making 3 more trips to Guatemala over the next several months! Through a garage sale, other fundraising parties, generous donations from friends/family/complete strangers, selling stuff on ebay, 2 minor car accidents (insurance $$!!), a second job, the IRS, and lots of scrimping and saving, we were able to make these trips possible. Though, these trips were absolutely priceless in so many, many ways. The other day, Jason was showing Eli some pictures from one of our visit trips and telling Eli the story behind each picture. At that moment, I was reminded of how much we experienced over the past year waiting for Eli, of all the incredible memories and stories we have to share with him, and how much we really were a part of his first year of life. It is all part of our story of becoming a family and it is pretty awesome! Our journey to becoming a family is just as important as life together as a family.

This slide show is LONG, but how do you narrow down hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pictures?!?!?! So, grab your coffee, settle into that comfy chair, and enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Reaching Great Heights

Okay, I can do this....

Hold on tight and PULL...(panting and grunting)

Almost there...steady...steady...don't fall now
YES!!! WOOHOO!!!! Wow! There is a whole other world up here. What's all this stuff on the table? There's no stopping me now...

I am a winner! ;)

Thanks, Jennifer, for giving me this award! Though, I feel like I have not been a very good blogger this summer! There is definitely A LOT that has been left "unblogged." Still figuring out that whole new time management thing! ;) Not to mention everytime I open the laptop, little fingers get in the way!

Okay, with accepting such an honorable award (heehee), comes great responsibility. So I have to answer a little questionnaire, which is all about me and then I have to choose 7 bloggers who I feel are BRILLIANT and I give them the award. They will post their own answers to the questionnaire on their own blog and they will choose 7 more recipients. And so on!

A. Attached or single?
Attached

B. Best friend? Jason, of course!

C. Cake or pie?
CAKE, hands down. I can't bake cake very often because I have no self restraint. I also have the problem of taking bites out of the pan with a fork. Well, the fork never leaves a straight line, right? Consequently, I have to keep eating until the line is straight. Weird, I know.

D. Day of choice? Right now, anyday! But, when I go back to work (blech...sigh), I suppose it will be Saturday.

E. Essential item? Chapstick. It's an addiction.

F. Favorite color? Green

G. Gummy bears or worms? YUCK! ICK! GROSS! Neither!

H. Hometown? NW Ohio

I. Indulgence? A good book, a hot cup of tea, a salty snack, and no interruptions.

J. January or July? July

K. Kids?
One sweet, adorable, high energy little boy who makes me laugh everyday and just melts my heart.

L. Life isn’t complete without? Family and friends

M. Marriage date?
9/25/99

N. Number of brothers & sisters? One older sis and one older bro

O. Oranges or apples? Oranges, but only if they are perfectly sweet and juicy. I will not eat a dry, pithy orange.

P. Phobias? I don't really have any phobias.

Q. Quotes? I love quotes so how can I choose just one! I subscribe to Inspiration Peak so I receive a quote everyweek in my inbox. I received this one about a week after we received PGN approval:

There are no accidents... there is only some purpose that we haven't yet understood. -Deepak Chopra

R. Reasons to smile? So many! Yesterday we went to the zoo with my nephews and niece and my youngest nephew said he wanted to see the "Rabbittory" (conservatory) and the "Grapes" (Great Apes). It was so darn cute and funny!

S. Season of choice?
Spring! I LOVE the fresh energy of Spring after the long, cold winter. I always feel so revitalized.

T. Tag seven peeps! (see below)

U. Unknown fact about me? I dream of going to Machu Picchu someday and I LOVE the challenge of finding the best bargain!

V. Vegetable? Hmmmm...I like all vegetables! I especially love mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and broccoli.

W. Worst habits? I tend to get defensive easily. When I am really stressed, I pick at hangnails until they bleed. Gross, eh? I can also be a tad controlling.

X. X-ray or ultrasound? This one is just weird! Neither!

Y. Your favorite food? My favorite type of food is Mexican/Southwestern

Z. Zodiac sign? Pisces, though I am right on the cusp with Aries.


Now, the I pass the award onto:

Donna
Bobbi
Beth
Heidi
Kelly
Susie
Courtney

All in a day's work

Yesterday was such a great day! We didn't do anything exciting. We had big plans of going on a road trip adventure to the lake or the butterfly house, but decided it was just too darn hot! So, we stayed inside and enjoyed our day of "nothingness." It is these small, seemingly meaningless, everyday moments with my two favorite people that just take my breath away and make me so grateful for my family.

Yogurt explosion!! YUM!

Helping mommy bake cookies...nothing better than licking the beaters...
and the spatula!
Enjoying the final product! Eli loved watching the cookies bake in the oven. He kept running up to the stove and pointing at the cookies with great wonderment in his eyes.
Cookie=blast of energy. Yep, he managed to get this one open.
Superman on his dumptruck workin' a puzzle. It doesn't get any better than this, does it?!?!

Time to jump on daddy. Porter had to get in on the action, too.

Some much needed cleaning. Notice the out of place chairs in the background? Eli also likes to rearrange the furniture.

Laundry time!

Climbin' and pickin'

We have a little climber in the house! Little pea has been attemping to climb for awhile, but just recently started having some success so now it is all he wants to do! With this new skill also comes new bumps and bruises and scrapes. He got his first black eye last week after falling off the front steps! And, no, I didn't get a pic of the black eye. I am sure there will be more opportunities for that!

Helping to unload the dishwasher! Little pea has also really started imitating us and wanting to help out. He loves to push the vacuum, he tries to wipe off the table, he likes to use a wipe to clean his hands, and Jason even found him standing in front of the toilet like he was peeing. Ha!


Pickin' our first pepper harvest! He finally started wearing a hat again. Isn't he cute?!?!


Eli has also discovered that playing in his crib delays naptime! He just started taking longer naps again, but the trade off is lots of fun and games in the crib. Instead of laying right down to go to sleep (as he usually does!), he likes to jump on the bed, blow kisses, wave, sing, do somersaults, and whatever else he can think of to stay awake. It's hard to be mad or frustrated about it because he is so darn cute! We just have to ignore him and try very hard to keep a straight face! At least he is not screaming and crying!!

Little Bookworm

Eli LOVES books. In fact, we could venture to say it is a bit of an obsession for him. His second word (after mama!) was book and he just can't get enough books. We could pull down every book on his bookshelf and he still would not be satisfied! We went to the library the other day so Jason could pick something up and I thought Eli was going to just explode with excitement! He immediately found the plastic bin of board books, grabbed three, and then proceeded to run up and down the book aisles saying "book, book, book, book, book, book." It was very funny and cute, but we had to find some major distraction to put the books back in order to prevent a meltdown. Good thing daddy's wallet has fun velcro! His other favorite things? Throwing himself on Porter's dog bed and pushing his lawnmower around the house.

This is how Jason found Eli when the house got quiet. Yep, it is never good when it gets quiet at our house! Eli parked himself on Porter's bed with his lawnmower and starting pulling books off the shelf! He was very proud of himself!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...life is GOOD!! Hmmm...I just noticed he only has one shoe on! Ha!!

Making Connections

This weekend we ventured to Indianapolis to attend our adoption agency's annual picnic/reunion. It was so great to finally meet in person so many of the families and staff that journeyed with us through our process and provided so much incredible support. Eli seemed to enjoy seeing the other kids and running around the park. We also got to meet several of our blogger pals and their adorable kiddos. Even though we were there for several hours, it still was not enough time to catch up and chat with fellow families!

Here we are with our adoption coordinator, Kathy. She shared many sad and many happy tears with us over the months! It was wonderful to finally meet her in person.


We were so happy to see some our friends we met on our first visit trip! We all received our referrals within days of each other and then spent a day in Antigua together in August 2007. At that time, all of our little ones were itty bitty. It was so fun to see how much they have grown! The only one missing is Amy and her daughter, Gianna. We expect to see her next year! Pictured below with us are Jenney, Jim, and baby Leo and Patty, Mike, and baby Emmakate.

Eli and Leo posing for the paparazzi.

Little boy hugs.

"Come on, Eli. Trouble is this way."

Emmakate and Eli's turn to pose together. Aren't they adorable?!?!

Finally meeting Sandy and baby Izzy! We also got to see a glimpse of Sandy's other adorable kiddos while they were running around with their new flutes!

Let's add Gretchen and Gillian to the mix!
Gretchen and Jayden.

On Sunday, we went to the zoo with Karen and her daughter. We met them both on our visit trip in December. It was so much fun taking Eli to the zoo. He is still too little to fully appreciate everything, but he was certainly intrigued by all of the animals. I think he liked the aquarium the most. There is a shark petting area and Eli wanted to jump right in! He loves animals!

Feeding the giraffe.

Karen and Sara.
Eli and Sara trying to cool off in the shade. Actually, Eli was greeting everyone who was walking out of the restroom with a huge smile and big wave. Too funny!

Baby Shower and Welcome Home Party!

On June 14th, we had our baby shower and welcome home party!! My sister was the hostess with the mostess and the party was just perfect!! She waited a long time to throw this party for us! It was everything I could have asked for and more. We were surrounded by so much love and support throughout our journey to Eli so it was such a joy to finally be able to introduce little pea to many of his aunts, cousins, and friends. Eli clung to his momma for about the first 10 minutes of the party and then he was ready to introduce himself to everyone! I think he thoroughly enjoyed playing with all of the kids and getting many long awaited hugs and kisses.

Thank you, Shelly and mom, for such an amazing day!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com