The Melting Pot

4th of July and Sarah's Birthday

2011-07-11T08:07:00.007-05:00

We spent the evening of the 4th in the small town of Haskell, OK at my great uncle and aunt's home. Several of my mom's siblings were there, as well as other extended family members. It seems that it is not the more "traditional" holidays that bring us all together. It is the annual 4th of July potluck.

Sarah and Papa conversing.

My wonderful mom.

Some of the more "mature" folks.

Andrew and his new friend watching the fireworks.

Getting a little cozy watching the fireworks.

The next day was Sarah's 6th birthday. Thanks to my husband's wonderful thinking, he came up with a party idea where we could have fun and beat the heat. We let Sarah invite a few friends to take to the movie Cars 2. She invited a church friend, a school friend, a life-long friend, and Andrew to come with her.

Yes, that is a Hello Kitty cake again for the 3rd straight year.

Andrew, her church buddy A, her best school buddy Charlie, and her life-long friend Avi Joy.

Avi Joy spent the whole day and night with Sarah. This sweet friend has been with Sarah every birthday, save the actual day she was born, starting with Sarah's 1st at the orphanage in Vietnam.

Summer Vacation

2011-07-09T20:21:00.013-05:00

Part I

First stop: St. Louis, MO.

This was more of a one night pit-stop. Michael took Andrew to his first major league game.

Second stop: Louisville, KY.

We stayed a few days with my big (and only) brother and his family. I have pitifully few pictures to show from our stay, but we had a great time visiting the water park by the river, the zoo, and hanging out with them at their lovely new home. My kids always love seeing their cousin. And, our boys really bonded with Uncle Brian on this trip. Thanks for having us!

At the zoo with my sister-in-law and niece trying to entice the lorikeets.

One decided the flower in Sarah's hair would be a good landing spot.

Before we left Louisville, we got to see the one and only J & J at the seminary where Josh is studying. More importantly, we got to meet Josh and Jaclyn's brand new baby girl and their foster son. Tulsa is just not the same without you guys!

Sarah waited a whole long year to put her arms around Jaclyn.

Daddy-O Josh still has the touch with our kids.

Andrew could not wait to "pet" the baby and sing her "pretty lullabies."

Third and final stop: A small town north of Indianapolis, IN.

This was a little slice of Heaven, folks. Chilly mornings, warm days, rhubarb, great friends, quiet town, six kids under one roof all getting along..... We miss you all. Sure wish the road was shorter between us!

Lolly pops for breakfast.

Michael and Nathan with the 20 month old Samuels.

My sweet and beautiful friend Katie.

The Samuels

Babies together, middles together, eldest together. This is pretty much how they played the whole time. They were all like peas and carrots. Well, the Samuels might have been more like bumper cars.

Part II

We were home just long enough for me to vacuum up a week's worth of dog hair, spend the 4th with family, and celebrate Sarah's 6th birthday on the 5th. After that, we headed about an hour east of the city to a lake home for a few days, compliments of a really sweet church family. They graciously offered us the use of it.

Michael and the kids did a little fishing.

We did a lot of hammock lounging.

Sarah's friend A came with us the first day.

We did a little boating.

Navigating with Captain Bradley.

Poor baby kept tipping over in his life jacket.

Andrew out with Michael

Sarah out with me.

Then they were brave enough to ride together.

They did a lot of playing.

Rosie did a little swimming.

And, of course, we did a little snoozing.

Sleeping in the awesome sleeping loft.

The ride home.

This Morning

2011-07-04T09:32:00.005-05:00

(Above) Tomato hunting is her morning tradition.

(Below) A few of the things in our yard that are surviving the heat.

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

2011-06-15T08:43:00.014-05:00

Um...... So, hello. Good to be with you all again! I know you all didn't really miss me, but I have a feeling some out-of-town friends and family have missed these 3 beautiful faces.

Before I get to the most important stuff - the pictures - here is a brief update. (I'm sure you don't want the unabbreviated version since it has been 7 months. And, honestly, I don't feel like writing it.)

Samuel: Brutus is 20.5 months old. His stature and capabilities sometimes confuse the general public, but just watch him cry, wail, and rub his eyes and you will be instantly reminded of his true age. Not saying that he does the above much. He is generally happy, but for those who wonder if he is always perfectly happy, no he is not. He's normal. Samuel loves to eat, sing, talk, tell "knock-knock" jokes, snuggle with his "night-night" (blankie), dismantle, destruct, push, pull, climb, and imitate any and all bad habits of his older brother. He grows at warp speed. In a 6 week period his foot went from a 7W to and 8.5 XW. He is moving into some 3T clothes.....that Andrew is moving out of. He is FUNNY. albeit, frustrating at times. Just last night he decided to get in the bath with Sarah wearing his diaper and Crocs. Maneuvers like this, since they happen so fast, mean I have to be ever vigilant with him. He simply thinks to do more at this age than the other two ever did. Sam is a daddy's boy through and through. He now cracks himself up calling me Daddy. Grrr.

Andrew: This Brain turned 4 in April. Still waiting for 4 to kick in. Still acting a little bit 3. Andrew is a very passionate child in his likes AND his dislikes. Andrew plays the role of middle child perfectly, and was playing the role before he was the middle. He is witty, clever, charming, theatrical, ridiculously adorable, and a whole bunch of fun to be around. He also challenges us the most as parents, keeping us on our toes with how best to help him put his energy, creativity, and passion to the best use. I fail a lot. He still idolizes his big sis, but has finally realized that Sam isn't all that bad. Just a few months ago he informed me that he loved his baby brother and told me that Samuel can be in our family. Whew, that was a close one! :) Andrew leads his "little baby brother" around the house and yard to play whatever Andrew wants to play. Baby brother always obliges. Andrew will start Pre-K in the fall.

Sarah: The Princess Athlete is almost 6.....and, don't you forget it either! That's an order! Sarah has two great loves, other than Jesus and me (she's a mama's girl for sure). The first is art. If she isn't working on a sports skill, you can be sure to find her at a desk with paper and markers. Come over to our house to visit, and you will most surely leave with one of her masterpieces. She burns throgh the paper trying to perfect her skills. When she is not at her art desk, she is flipping off the couch, cartwheeling through the kitchen, handling a ball, running like the wind, or riding her scooter with one leg projected in the air. Sarah started wearing glasses around Thanksgiving, but you won't see them in many pictures because she is always sneaking them off of her face when she is home. At the very end of the school year Sarah caught on to reading. Obviously, she is reading very, very basic books, but it was a thrill for her. One thing is certain with Sarah, she never ever gives up. We decided in the spring that Sarah will do Kindergarten again in the fall. Never an easy decision for a parent, but we are certain it is the right choice for her.

Still best buds.

Andrew at his 4th birthday party. The little turkey didn't want a party with his peer group (who is this kid?). He only wanted the university students from our church to be there. And, the real icing on the cake for him was that the party was at our senior pastor's house. Here he is on Dr. Miller's lap about to blow out his candles.

Andrew with his Go Diego Go/Dora and Boots cake. There is a long back-story to this cake.

Sam with one of his awesome babysitters.

Before the haircut, with yet another fantastic babysitter.

After the haircut.

A very, very cold egg hunt the day before Easter.

Below: Easter Sunday

Itchy? Sarah and Samuel had back-to-back hives for unrelated reasons this spring.

Andrew with one of his favorite peeps Casper.

Cat sitting my parent's cat Sissy,who is the cat I rescued when I was at OSU many moons ago.

Our budding gymnast doing a little bar and ring work.

Sarah and her bestie Avi Joy celebrating the completion of their 1st year of gymnastics together.

Now we're ready for summer!

On the Menu

2010-11-24T13:07:00.010-06:00

At our house tomorrow we will be devouring....

Appetizers:
Maggie Shaffer's Eggplant dip with pita chips
Cheese, crackers, and fresh vegetables

Main Course:
Roasted Turkey - Pioneer Woman's brine recipe

Sweet Potato Casserole - recipe from Southern Living cookbook
Creamy mashed potatoes with fresh rosemary
Homemade Gravy
My mom's dressing
Cranberry sauce
Green Bean Casserole - Prepared by Hannah Stout!
Dinner Rolls

Dessert:
My mom's pumpkin and pecan pie
Pioneer Woman's Dreamy Apple Pie with Hard Sauce

In addition to my parents, we will be hosting Casper and Tobin den Harder, and TU student (and Conference USA Volleyall champion), Hannah Stout and her parents Jeff and Betsy from Bloomington, IL.

Everyone, except Sarah, should be happy with the food tomorrow. She is very disappointed with the menu. I guess I should have included rice and seafood for her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Review

2010-11-14T17:00:00.011-06:00

We kicked off the month of October with Samuel's 1st birthday. In our typical fashion, we had a small party with a few friends and family over for cake. It was the usual cake smashing and confiscation of gifts by older siblings. Always a good time.

Sarah started taking gymnastics in October with her bestie Avi Joy. (Sadly, I do not have a picture to share.) She loves it and would prefer to go everyday.

From there, we went into pumpkin patch mode. There was the kindergarten class field trip to Livesay Orchard.

This was followed up by our own trip to Carmichael's over Fall Break with my one of my good friends and her two. On that day, we saw precisely 1/3 of Tulsa and 1/2 of our Bible study group there. Or, it felt that way. It was our only pretty day over break.

Sarah with her friend A.

September, October, and November Saturdays were filled with tailgates - mostly at our adopted campus TU. This is a place where the kids can run free, load up on junk, and have their every whim and desire met by willing university students.

This Halloween was our most fun yet. I dare say the excitement level of the kids rivaled Christmases past. Andrew had me in stitches with his quotes from that night. At each door he said, "Knock, knock. It's us. We're here for the candy!" At a few houses he said, "That's enough candy now." (Who is this kid?) Towards the end, when he decided not to carry his "too heavy" bucket to the doors, he said, "It's okay mom. I'll just tell them to give me one piece for my hand."

Watching the brownies bake.

Halloween treats.

Last Sunday, the 7th, we celebrated the sacrament of baptism. November is National Adoption Month and the 7th was Orphan Sunday. While we didn't intentionally pick Samuel's baptism day to be on Orphan Sunday, it was a beautiful day for our family to celebrate it.

Most recently, Sarah was fitted for glasses. We think she looks pretty adorable.

And, just because....

Andrew and his Bitty Baby.

The Strongest Women I know

2010-09-25T09:20:00.004-05:00

They are my children’s birthmothers.

With the recent celebration of Sarah’s 4^th Forever Family Day and Samuel’s 1^st birthday quickly approaching, I have been reflecting on these three little lives (running around me in circles as I type) and the beautiful women who gave it to them.

This summer we submitted a request to search for Sarah’s birthmother. For so many years we wondered about this name without a face. Who is she? What does she look like? What does she do to make ends meet? What would she think of Sarah? It always seemed like it would be an impossible endeavor to find her, but it turns out that our adoption agency was able to find her quite easily. I wondered how she would feel being found 4 ½ years later. She was proud….proud of beautiful and vibrant Sarah in the pictures. She showed them off to her neighbors. I was proud to share Sarah with her. She graciously shared Sarah’s story……Grandma was present, too. A photo of these two women – their eyes, the lines etched on their faces - told their story beyond the words. They have experienced life in a way I mercifully have not, and probably never will. Through hardship and pain they press on. She put Sarah before herself. An inner strength most will never know.

A family reunion in Minnesota this summer meant Andrew and his birthmother would get to meet again. It had been a while. It is hard to get a 3 year old to be interested in these things. It took two days and a gift from her, a dump truck, to get Andrew interested. Now we have a beloved dump truck and a memory….he knows who gave it to him. At this age, the reunion was more for the adults. During a walk by the lake, I shared with her all the things that make Andrew, well, Andrew. It is not hard for me to brag about my children, especially to the young woman who brought him into this world. She had a hard choice to make over 3 years ago. She knew she wanted this baby to have a dad- something she never had. She knew she needed to get herself well. She made a plan for this little guy. It took guts. I’ve never had to have guts to make a choice like that.

Samuel is turning a year old next week. This has been the fastest year of my life! We see his birthmother a lot. And, his biological brother who is 15 months older. This also happens to be Andrew’s best friend. She will be moving away soon and we will miss her. I have selfishly liked her being close and present. This young woman had inner resolve. She knew the decision she needed to make – one in the best interest of herself, her first born son, and the unborn baby. She made a plan and pressed forward. Hard as it was, she pressed forward. She is tough. I don’t know what it feels like to have to be tough like that.

All I had to do was be on the receiving end of their decisions. Receiving the blessings. Experiencing the joy. Who am I that I should get this privilege? What I have experienced over the past 4 years is humility. A feeling of complete humbleness and gratitude for being chosen to parent these little angels. Okay, two angels and one rascal!

I also know that this is bigger than three women. The Lord’s hand has been all over this. He is always at work redeeming the most broken of situations through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Sure, being a mother is tough work. I am not diminishing that at all. I know that my children’s birthmothers would not, either. But, still, I stand in awe. And I am proud of them. And you know that I like to share what I am proud of!

Who's the real baby?

2010-09-23T13:03:00.006-05:00

Man, this Andrew kid. I don't know what I am going to do with him. I just want his future wife to know that I had nothing to do with this. Nay, I've done everything in my power to avoid raising a young man to be this way. His requests fall of deaf ears. Blame it on his nature, not the rearing please.

Wailing, "Put the baby down and take care of me."

Only this morning, the following, through tears: "Get a washcloth and dry up the bubbles in case I don't slip again, Mommy!"

"Put my jammies in the dryer and warm them up, in case I get cold if you don't."

One morning at breakfast, "Oh no, I made a mess. Don't worry Mommy. You can clean it up."

In regard to his wet undies, "Don't worry. I'll just get a new pair cause you can wash these for me."

Whining, "My hands are too sticky."

Whimpering, "These (baby) wipes are too cold. Warm them up." (And, that was the day we potty trained. I showed him!)

After spraining his knee this summer and taking an entire week off from walking (no kidding), "I guess you'll just have to carry me everywhere."

With a firm voice, "I wanna be the princess!"

I know he is cute, ladies. But, you've been warned.

Steer Roping a Dinosaur

2010-09-12T17:42:00.004-05:00

As I watched Andrew (quietly - let me emphasis quietly) roping and reeling in this dinosaur with a shoelace during the sermon today at church, I couldn't help but think of the Toby Keith song, "I Shoulda Been a Cowboy." This poor little city slicker kid is just one misplaced county boy.

Here is another example of his roping skills.

Based on the first two exhibits, I think we can safely point a finger at Andrew for this unfortunate event. Never fear, Dora, you will continue to be loved and adored in our home. My son would like your portrait on his next birthday cake, adorned with pink candles.

This all surely begs the question - what kind of kid are we raising?

Hair Club for Babies

2010-09-04T20:31:00.006-05:00

Wouldn't you know, this little punk-haired baby (Rod Stewart, Billy Idol?) went and caught himself a fever so that I can spend another week of my life in seclusion from society.

In an unrelated photo, this is Andrew sound asleep Saturday night. Apparently his face was cold.

An Important Lesson

2010-08-31T18:12:00.004-05:00

Let this be a lesson for every kindergartner out there:

You can have a water bottle. And, you can have 5 friends. But, you can't have your 5 friends drink from your water bottle.

True story. Sarah was so proud to tell me late last week that she shared her water bottle with 5 thirsty friends on the playground at school.

Sarah is going on 58 hours of temps running between 101 and 103.5 degrees - except for the random blessed relief of the Motrin/Tylenol combo. (Except it wasn't blessed between the hours of 2am and 4am last night when the relief came and Sarah kept waking me up to help her make paper airplanes. I wish I was kidding. I wish the Motrin hadn't worked between those hours. That sounded mean, didn't it?)

For the most part, this has been the scene at our house:

And, of course, it is Murphy's Law....or something.....that this stuff only happens when Daddy is out of town. Do I see some heads nodding in agreement?

Kindergarten

2010-08-29T10:47:00.007-05:00

On August 23rd Sarah went off to kindergarten. She was quite proud to be a "big" girl, even though she was dwarfed by her Hello Kitty backpack and the 5th graders in the hall. Kindergartners are oblivious to these things. She had a great week, only breaking down one night at bedtime. In a crying, wailing fit she screamed, "I'm never going back to school because I hate art!" That is a lie, because she loves to make art. To diffuse the situation, I said to her, "Then don't do art. Just sit there while all your friends do their art." She gave me a strange look, let out a final scream, then immediately fell asleep. (According to her teacher, she did art the next day.)

I asked the teacher to monitor her speech and see if she thought Sarah needed to be re-checked this year. After a few days Mrs. S said that Sarah would not qualify speech. Mrs. S also went on to say she has to shush Sarah in class because she talks a lot. This was incredible news, because up until her 4th birthday, many people didn't even know Sarah could talk. I do feel bad, though, because I was once a teacher with too many Chatty Cathys in class. Lord help me if all my kids' report cards say, "Talks too much in class." It would be a cruel irony.

With Sarah at school, I am left to spend my days with my house keeper....

And, a hunk of burning love.

It's hard. But, somehow I'll survive.

Just call me Okra

2010-08-29T09:44:00.009-05:00

(Please note that Sarah styled her own hair for this picture.)

This summer some of Sarah's favorite things grew in our garden. Basil for making the pesto she loves; cherry and grape tomatoes for refueling her body while playing in the backyard; okra for mama to fry up or grill for lunch, dinner, or even breakfast (yuck!); and a lone watermelon that grew on an obnoxiously large vine that pretty much took over our whole garden.

For Sarah, the pesto was good - used on grilled mozzarella cheese sandwiches or pasta. The tomatoes where a fun snack that she enjoyed grabbing here and there. But, the okra and the watermelon! Oh my!

The lone watermelon was the recipient of such loving, tender care. Daily, in the "cool" of the morning, Sarah would pull up her child-sized lawn chair to the edge of the garden and sing it songs, coaxing it to grow bigger. She mostly sang Doe, a Deer, a Female Deer. Or, as Sarah sings, Doe, a Deer, My Female Deer. (Anyone reminded of a certain Frog and Toad story?) Knowing Sarah, she quite possibly also shared the love of Jesus with that precious watermelon.

The okra.... the okra was the cause of several tantrums this summer. They would occur when I would dare to prepare some other vegetable for dinner. Or, when Michael and I dared to eat our share of the prepared okra, leaving Sarah with only her portion and the portion Andrew refused to eat. One night at dinner Sarah announced that we should all call her Okra. So, that has been her new name for the past several weeks. Not that I can really remember to call her that. Though you would think I would since she only corrects me a hundred times a day. Just to get her back, I almost put down Okra as the "goes by" name on her kindergarten information sheet.

So, the watermelon came off the vine yesterday. I almost planned a ceremony. Instead, I snapped a few pictures and then we ate it.

Now that the weather is "cooling" down (we are finally out of the 100's during the day and into the 60's at night), the okra is slowing down. It is the only living thing that I know of that actually thrives on excessive heat warning days. I'm glad about this, because I don't think I can eat any more okra.....after I fry up just a little bit more for lunch today.

Refreshing

2010-07-13T21:40:00.008-05:00

We spent the morning with some good friends cooling off at the local splash park on a terribly hot day. This is our favorite summer park. You can see why.

Avi Joy, Andrew, Luke

Our tiny little 9 1/2 month old peanut - lol.

Luke

Avi Joy

Fountain race.

Sarah is very proud that she finally mastered the monkey bars.

Wearing out.

Thanks Natasha and Jamie for a fun time!

Okra

2010-07-12T13:10:00.003-05:00

Fresh okra from our garden.....

Coated in self-rising cornmeal, fried in olive oil. A southern summer staple.

I think my grandma Essie would be proud.

Golden Birthday

2010-07-12T08:29:00.002-05:00

On July 5th, Sarah celebrated her 5th birthday. As we typically do, we kept the party small and simple. The Perrymans, Hodges, and my parents joined us for dinner and cake. Sarah's special treat was getting to have her first real girlfriend sleepover with Avi Joy. We did our best to keep the brothers out of the mix so that the girls could play dress up, play games, watch a movie, and gab into the wee hours of the night (10:30pm - late for a 4 and 5 yr. old) uninterrupted.

Pickles!

2010-07-02T09:19:00.002-05:00

What do you do when your garden gives you heaps of cucs? Make Bread and Butter Pickles! Yesterday was my first time to make pickles and can. I had to make a trip to the store to buy all the proper canning supplies. Then, I had to read up on all the details to avoid food poisoning. It was time consuming, but it wasn't hard to do. We've already been in the pickles this morning. They are oh so good!

Our 1st Try at Gardening

2010-06-25T11:41:00.003-05:00

A sampling of our "harvest."

While our garden certainly isn't going to solely feed our family, it has been fun to incorporate the daily pickings in our meals. The peas barely made it in the house because they were mostly consumed during the picking process. It seems the cherry tomatoes might suffer the same fate (which is fine). Sarah is loving the opportunity to snack while playing in the yard. I'm loving that it is healthy.

Minnesota and 70 Years of Marriage

2010-06-22T22:13:00.013-05:00

Last week our family made the long trek to Minnesota. We made the drive there in one shot - a 12 hour day in the car. The kids did remarkably well. I swear by leaving bright and early in the morning. I am also more in love with Redbox. Renting movies along the way was a life saver. You can imagine we were all glad to arrive in the Cities, though, and we definitely hit our max for one day. We stayed the first half of the week in Minneapolis. Michael's cousin Amber and her husband Matt graciously invited us to stay at their house - which was much easier than a hotel room. They were awesome with our kids.....even indulging Andrew and Sarah's snacking preferences. (If you read this guys, thanks!) We pretty much over-scheduled our kids during our stay in the Twin Cities, but I think that is what usual happens on family vacations. Right?

Day 1 we hit the Mall of America. We took the kids to see a science show, had lunch, and rode some fun rides at the indoor amusement park. That night we had dinner with friends Andy, Erika, and their daughter Anika at their home.

Day 2 we visited the Minnesota Zoo. On our way to the zoo, we drove through my old neighborhood. When we pulled up to my old house, I went to the door to make sure it was okay to snap a few photos. The current owner was so kind and invited our whole family in to see the place. I wasn't expecting that. She invited me to take the kids upstairs to see my old bedroom. She even fed my kids a snack in my old kitchen.

Day 3 Michael and Sarah went to a Twins game at the new stadium, Target Field, downtown Minneapolis. I took the boys over to St. Paul to the MN Children's Museum. That night we caught up with Michael's high school friend Andrea and her family for dinner at their home. This was the night when MN had 36 tornadoes, but thankfully we were in a small pocket that didn't get any significant weather. Just a nice refreshing cool down......you know, from a really hot 89 degrees - lol. (It is close to 1oo as I write this from Tulsa.)

Day 4 We loaded the car to drive out to the farm in western MN. Along the way we stopped in St. Cloud to see Michael's high school friend Aaron and his family for brunch. We stopped one more time in Wilmar to see his home town and have ice cream with Andy's parents. We arrived in Brown's Valley just in time for a family cook-out by the lake. Michael's aunt and uncle opened their home to our family and his sister DeAnn's family. The kids had a lot of fun being out on the farm.

The next day we celebrated Sally and Sylvester's 70th wedding anniversary. They are Michael's paternal grandparents. Four out of the eight siblings (that is including Michael) were able to travel for the celebration.

After that, we were back on the road. We split the drive home into two days, staying at a hotel in Sioux City, IA so that the kids could swim, relax, and get a good night sleep.

Now we are back home to the brutally hot OK summer weather. The kids are slowly settling back in. Tons of laundry await me. But, I planned for us to have a relatively boring week this week to help get back on track.

Michael took Andrew on the Log Chute. He looked a little shell shocked when he got off the ride. I think Babe the Blue Ox was scarier than the hill.

I took Sarah on Swiper's Sweep, among other things.

Andy, Michael, and some Simon and Garfunkel.

Annika

My home from Kindergarten-first semester of 9th grade. My mom worked closely with the architect to design the house. She added extra features like a secret passage from my closet to my brother's. (Which, my brother hated, BTW.)

New home of the Twins - Target Field.

Aaron and Michael

Andrew, Lydia, and Sarah

Sally and Sylvester - 70 years of wedded bliss. :)

Pat and Jim with half of their children...

...and some of the grand kids.

Sarah with her cousin Mattison.

Vietnam Camp 2010

2010-06-20T22:06:00.007-05:00

Sarah and Thomas

Anna, Sarah, and Ella - All 3 from Ninh Thuan.

Earlier this month our family attended Dillon International's Vietnam Camp/Heritage Weekend. Since Dillon is local, we didn't have to travel. But, we had many families drive or fly in from all over the country. Suzie, a mom we traveled with to adopt Sarah, stayed at our home with her daughters Hannah, Ella, and Hannah's friend Olivia. They are from N. Carolina, so it is a rare treat to see them. We had a lively and full house with three extra girls! Andrew wasn't sure what to do. :)

At camp the kids worked on heritage crafts, learned to make spring rolls, and played with friends while the parents attended workshops and/or caught up with other travel companions and parents. Thomas, Dillon's in-country attorney and adoption facilitator, was flown in for camp. His daughter was also able to join him. Thomas means so much to all the families and we all were so happy to see him again.

On the day camp ended, the Mulliez family stopped by our home to visit and watch a World Cup match before their drive home. Well, the guys watched soccer while Mandy, Suzie and I visited. Shortly after they left, Jynger, Thomas, the Perryman's, and my parents came over for dinner. It was a busy time, followed up by our trip to Minnesota, which I will be blogging about later.

Sarah and Luke!

Luke and his Ninh Thuan girls.

Friends from the orphanage in Ninh Thuan.

Samuel getting a little love from Nancy.

Waiting for Michael to whip up a pancake breakfast.

Suzie, me, and Mandy visiting at our home after camp. We three have daughters from Ninh Thuan Province.

Hannah was so good with baby Samuel.

Hannah with Mandy's Anna.

Mandy's son taking a break from the World Cup and playing soccer with the girls.

The kids doing an after dinner performance of Jesus Loves Me on the "stage" for Thomas. Yes, that is Andrew in a dress.....again.....

Teaching him how to be an Okie.

Hannah, Olivia, and Ella - the sweet girls who stayed with us.

Our Spring

2010-05-25T15:13:00.012-05:00

It's a bit daunting trying to decide where to start on updating the past two months. Not only has it been a busy spring, but life is just a little busier with three wee ones.

As soon as the weather cooperated, we began landscaping the front and back yard. We were able to recycle a few existing plants, but for the most part we started from scratch - even cutting in new beds. We also put in our first vegetable garden. We are getting excited about all the fresh herbs and veggies. Things are really starting to look good around here.

Andrew turned 3 in April. We had a little party for him at the house with some friends and a very important Spiderman cake. I tell you what, marketers are genius. This kid has never seen a Spiderman cartoon, movie, or comic book, yet he is in love with Spiderman. It must be the colors and the graphics. Andrew potty trained a month before his birthday. Andrew is wicked smart, super verbal, creative, imaginative, and a bit naughty. He is high energy and highly curious, so I am usually whipped by the end of the day.

Sarah has one more week of Pre-K left before summer. She is looking forward to sleeping in this summer, but I know she will miss her friends and teachers. She has had a great year at school. We are very proud of her hard work and her good attitude in the classroom. Sometimes all of her cooperation and good attitude get used up at school.... Sarah loves to sing, dance, and perform. She especially loves to sing worship songs and pray. Melt my heart!

Samuel is almost 8 months old. He is just shy of 23lbs and is in the 97th percentile for height and weight. He is wearing some 18 month clothes. At 7 months he learned to hand and knee crawl. As of this week he can pull up. A little too soon, if you ask me! Samuel has two top and two bottom teeth. I've said it before and I'll say it again....he is the BEST baby! Samuel is everything a baby should be. And, thank the Lord for that!

Michael has been slammed at work. Spring, especially May, is always a busy time of year. He just returned last Thursday from a trip to Malawi, Africa. He took a small group of university students over there. The students are going to stay as missionaries for 8 weeks. Michael was only gone for 9 days this time and my niece Katie was able to come up from TX to stay with me as a mother's helper while he was away. Michael has also started his doctoral work - and all the reading and writing that goes along with that.

Me? I'm just busy being a mom. Which means I am very busy!

Gotta join in with sister and friend.

Avi Joy and Sarah

Coloring the eggs.

Egg hunt at Camp Loughridge.

On the hunt for.....

....candy!

Cousin Lauren was here for Easter (and Uncle Brian and Aunt Kathy).

OMG - my kids can not take a decent picture together!

3rd birthday

He seldom falls asleep in his bed. We never know where we are going to find him.

At nearly 5 years old, I took away Sarah's nap. She still sneaks one in, though.

Watching a "movie" about flowers.

Snacking on puffs and cheerios.

"Robots" coming down my hallway.

Building robots with kitchen utensils.

This was only funny BEFORE I saw the red ink all over his upholstered rocking chair.

The Ordinary, The Milestones, and Family Celebrations

2010-03-18T22:30:00.009-05:00

The Ordinary....

Up.

A flower for Mommy.

Baby in the backpack and a coloring book in the stroller.

The albino Samoan and his girls.

Performing for us "on stage."

I love my sissy.

Milestones....

Samuel: 5 months old, 20 pounds, 12 month clothing, cutting 2 teeth, rolling all over the place, eating lots of baby veggies and fruits, and learning to sit up.

Andrew: making some good progress on the potty training this week.

Celebrations:

Waiting at the courthouse for Samuel's adoption finalization.

Trying to escape the finalization.

Happy that it is final.

An attempt to get a decent picture of the finalization.

Celebrating TET (Lunar New Year, Vietnamese New Year) with some friends at the Vietnamese Baptist Church on Feb. 14th.

New Pictures

2010-02-13T10:17:00.006-06:00

Samuel: 4 months old, 18+ pounds, 26.25 inches long, eating 1st baby foods, officially sleeping 10-12 hours through the night. :-)

New Mexico Part 2

2010-01-22T08:51:00.010-06:00

Michael's parents graciously kept the boys while Michael, Sarah, and I headed to the mountains of New Mexico to ski. A university student from our church offered the use of his family's vacation home for a college retreat. Let's just say that the world was Sarah's oyster for those four days. She had her own Sarah H. fan club of more than 20 college students and no brothers to divert any of that attention.

Sarah went to ski school for three days. Or, as I like to call it, ski school daycare. Best thing ever! Drop off was shortly after the lifts opened and pick-up was shortly before the lifts closed, which left plenty of parent ski and relaxation time. And, she loved every minute of it. No tears, all smiles. She didn't graduate off the bunny slope, but by the last day she was allowed to ride the chair lift by herself.

I had not skiied in three years, so the first day was pretty rough. I didn't warm up or get my legs under me before I headed for the harder stuff. I basically went down half the mountian on my butt and put a big ole rip in my ski pants. At one point I took my skis off and chucked them as far as I could. Let this be a lesson; this is not a good strategy. By day two I was back to my usual ski self and day three was perfect. Michael learned an important lesson, too. Don't check facebook on the chair lift or you might have to ski down a precarious part of the mountain to find the iphone.

Each afternoon, when the lifts closed, the local mule deer would come out to feed on stale bread, chips, pretzels, and other highly nutrious foods.

Here is the lovely house were we stayed. It was an amazing three story home with lots of bedrooms and space to spread out.

It also had an indoor ice rink, so Sarah also got to skate for the first time. Let's just say she was better at skiing.

New Mexico Part 1

2010-01-13T11:42:00.010-06:00

After Christmas we headed west to see Michael's parents, who now live in New Mexico. We had a great time seeing them, their new home, and the unique landscape of the desert. We took a couple of drives with breathtaking views and also caught up with some old friends who used to live nearby before moving to NM.

Playing with Papa Jim.

Nana kisses.

While at our friend's home, Andrew had one of those horrendous diapers that overflowed to his pants. The poor kid had to go out in the winter night with just his diaper, shoes, and coat.

Michael's parents kept the kids so that he and I could spend a day in Santa Fe. On our way to lunch we stopped at a French bakery and bought an apricot crepe for an appetizer and a San Michele to eat later for dessert. We ate lunch at a fabulous hole in the wall Mexican restaurant. My dish came with a pineapple pico de gallo that was crazy good.

Michael visited his older brother John, who now lives in a group home not far from his parents.

Happy Samuel. What a baby!

With Papa Jim.

Christmas '09

2010-01-12T15:25:00.011-06:00

White Christmases are really overrated! At least the kind that cause blizzards. In years past I always felt a little disappointed that the ground wasn't softly blanketed in powdery Christmas snow, like in my Minnesota childhood. I was actually pretty excited that the weatherman was predicting a major snow - a prediction that sounded convincing enough for us to go to Home Depot to buy a snow shovel. The nostalgic feeling that I was having about a white Christmas flew out the window when I pulled out of the drive with my three babies in the car to drive downtown to church so that our family could light the candle on the Advent Wreath. Despite getting the minivan stuck twice on the road that evening, we made it safely. Sadly, we had to cancel our annual Christmas Eve open house because the conditions were just to treacherous. We really missed celebrating that evening with my parents and close friends. But, we still had a full house because Michael's sister DeAnn, her husband, and their four children were up from Texas to spend Christmas with us. The Hodges were also able to slide over since our houses are pretty close. On Christmas Day, my parents were able to dig out of their driveway (it took them several hours) and make the 6 mile drive to our home for Christmas lunch. The snow provided hours of afternoon fun for the big kids after lunch, so there was an upside.

Backtracking a little, the kids had so much fun Christmas morning. With every gift that was opened, Sarah and Andrew demanded that everyone close their eyes, "No peeking!" until the paper was off. Then they would yell, "Ta da!" or "Surprise!" and everyone would have to ooh and aah over the gift. For the second year in a row, Sarah asked Santa for a candy cane. And, seriously, if that had been the only thing he left, she would have been perfectly happy. He left her 4 candy canes, so it was really her lucky day! She liked her other things, but those candy canes were the prized possession. Andrew asked Santa for a banana, but ended up being more interested in his own candy cane. Sarah's other favorite things were the headlamp, butterfly wings, and soccer ball. Andrew was really excited about the train set and the play kitchen.

I bought this gingerbread house kit at Sam's Club a little over a week before Christmas. I told the kids that we couldn't open it until the cousins arrived. As soon as their van pulled into our drive, Sarah and Andrew had the kit in their hands ready to greet them at the door. Thankfully the cousins were really good sports and went to work helping my kids.

Finished product, plus Advent Wreath and frosted windowpanes.

Christmas Eve - crazy Oklahoma weather!

Obligatory Christmas Eve PJ picture.

Michael reading the "big" kids 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Michael reading the "littler" kids 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

What else could be in here?

Samuel taking it all in.

A little unwrapping action.

The new train set.

Totally pooped Christmas night. He was so excited to be sleeping in the sleeping bag.

The snow actually stuck around, so the kids got a lot of time to play in it.

Messiest playdate!

2009-12-22T23:02:00.006-06:00

I will never leave a bag of flour unattended again - lol!

I told Sarah her hair was gray. She said, "Why thank you Mommy."

The yummiest Royal Icing.

Pure satisfaction!

Thanks Avi Joy, Nehemiah, and Natasha for coming over for Christmas baking.

Christmas Letter

2009-12-22T10:01:00.007-06:00

Our Christmas Card photos with excerpts from our Christmas Letter, which finally went out in the mail today. (I am not sure how to correct all of the font variations going on in this post.)

Sarah celebrated her 4^th birthday in July and is our same sweet and sensitive little girl. Sarah is a very balanced little girl - one minute wearing a tutu and the next collecting bugs and worms. In July Sarah took swim lessons which turned out to be one of the highlights for her, as she turned into a little fish. Sarah also attended Vietnam Camp for the third year, where she had tremendous fun doing heritage activities and playing with dear friends. This fall Sarah started half day Pre-Kindergarten at a nearby school. She loves her teachers, friends, and the general routine of going to school. Pre-K has been such a positive experience for Sarah and we are impressed at how much she has learned already. Sarah continues to be Andrew’s best friend and mercifully they entertain each other for hours a day.

Andrew celebrated his 2^nd birthday in April and he is pretty much a textbook two year old boy – a curious child in constant motion. He is into climbing on/jumping off precarious things, trains, trucks, dolls, dress up, and imaginative play. He is my talker and joker and he doesn’t give me many quiet moments in a day. Andrew balances out his tantrums and hard-headed behavior with his charm, affection, humor, and winning smile.

Samuel is 2.5 month old and is a g-r-o-w-i-n-g boy. He currently loves to smile, coo, and show off his dimples. He is blessed with two siblings who could not possibly adore him more, and we are blessed to call him our son.

Michael continues to have broad responsibilities at First Presbyterian Church as the Pastor for Next Generation Ministries. His position encompasses all things birth through college-age students, as well as other pastoral duties (weddings, funerals, visitation, etc). He has a great team of directors and volunteers working with him. Michael plans to begin work on his Doctor of Ministry degree this summer through Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. The degree is designed to be completed within the context of a local parish while traveling 1-2 times per year for intensive coursework, lectures, etc.

I continue to stay home with our children. Most of my days are filled with laundry, dishes, errands, sibling mediation/negotiation, and such. But, I do enjoy balancing that out with play dates with good friends, dates with my husband, and the occasional shopping outing without the kids in tow. In September I began a very part-time job as the nursery/toddler care coordinator at our church. Apart from Sunday morning, most of the work can be done from home. I’ve enjoyed getting to know more of the young families in our congregation. Shortly after the New Year, the committee to plan Vietnam Camp for Dillon International will begin meeting to prepare for June. It is a great group of women and something I really enjoy being a part of.

In 2010 we look forward to taking Sarah skiing for her first time while the boys stay with Michael's parents. We also plan to travel to Minnesota for Michael’s grandparents’ 70^th wedding anniversary, Michael and I look forward to celebrating our 10^th anniversary in July, and we look forward to having a less eventful year….if that is possible with three little ones!

May you sense the Joy and Hope that sits deep within the heart of the good news of our Savior’s birth. As He came so long ago, He promises to come again; ready with a blessing for whoever will welcome Him. Let every heart prepare Him room!

Again this year, the Christmas photo outtakes...

2009-12-13T21:52:00.006-06:00

"What you are about to see isn't pretty."

"Andrew's not kidding. It really isn't."

"Andrew wouldn't stop making silly faces."

"And then he stepped on my hand."

"Baby Samuel couldn't stay sitting up to save his life."

"And mommy disregarded the crying Samuel was doing in hopes of a perfect group shot that never happened."

"I mean, just look at this face!"

May your Christmas photo shoot be merrier than ours!

Size Comparison

2009-12-11T13:39:00.002-06:00

Andrew's 1st Christmas, 8 months old.

Wearing "big" brother's hand-me-down for 1st Christmas, 2 months old.

What is this all about?

2009-12-11T13:34:00.002-06:00

The Good Stuff

2009-12-11T13:32:00.002-06:00

A Charlie Brown Christmas

The Boys

2009-12-08T17:37:00.001-06:00

Wow, pictures!

2009-12-02T09:46:00.011-06:00

Can you believe it? Pictures finally! We actually lost our camera on the day that Samuel was born. We had a standard point and shoot camera. We couldn't decide if we should replace it with something similar or really splurge and get something more. So, after deliberating for 7 weeks, we pulled the trigger and got a DSLR. The only setting I know how to use so far is automatic, so I guess I am going to have to get the "For Dummies" book to learn all the great features. Anyway, here are some pictures taken from the day before Thanksgiving through yesterday. I'll have to do some backtracking later and add pictures from the summer through Halloween another time.

Here he is....Mr. Samuel!

He likes to sleep with his hand raised.

And, he's a really big boy. He's already outgrowing some of his 3-6 month clothes at 8 1/2 weeks old. He is just really long.

Watching the Macy's Parade.

First Thanksgiving. He was pretty happy about it.

It's hard to see, but he has dimples!

Michael and I have never had Thanksgiving at our house (or Christmas dinner, as a matter of fact). Neither one of us had ever cooked a Turkey. Our parents have always done that. Well, my parents went out of town to my brother's house and Michael's parents moved from Texas to New Mexico. With Samuel still being so young, we decided to stay home and see if we could make a proper holiday meal. I can't believe I am going to brag, but it was awesome! Michael brined the turkey and it was so delicious. All the sides turned out. And, so did the desserts. We were so tired by the end of Thursday, but it was a great feeling of accomplishment. Samuel's birthmom, her toddler son, and a university student from our church were our willing test subjects. I'm glad we got a trial run before Christmas, because we are hosting Michael's sister DeAnn and her family of six, as well as my parents.

A certain kitty cat also made her apperance at dinner. She is in a phase right now....

The kids helped get our house ready for Christmas on Friday.

Playing doctor. I ran into the playroom to see why Sarah was crying. She informed me that she was just pretending to be at the doctor's office.

Sweet.

Sassy.

A mess!

Advent traditions.

The new house decorated for Christmas (below).

Just in case you were wondering.....

2009-10-09T12:11:00.004-05:00

....what in the world happened to the blog and us, we:

A) Sold our (small) old house
B) Frantically found our new (bigger) one because the above one sold in 4 days
C) Celebrated Sarah's 4th birthday (and later her 3rd Forever Family Day)
D) Started Sarah in Pre-K at a local school
E) Started a small part-time job at the church (me)
F) Moved
G) Frantically unpacked our boxes and did some remodeling so that we could....
H) Bring home our third baby, Samuel James, from the hospital last Saturday. (He is one week old today.)

Whew! A, B, E, F, and G were all in preparation for our 3rd adoption. It has been a packed, stressful, but blessed summer/fall.

Pictures and details of all these events will eventually follow, but for right now it is back to caring for 3 small children. :)

Think they like each other?

2009-06-16T07:42:00.006-05:00

This past weekend was Dillon's 2nd annual Vietnam Heritage Weekend (we've met for 3 years now, but the first year was a one day reunion). The camp committee worked for months to make this happen, and thanks to the wonderful Dillon staff, we pulled it off with just a few minor and typical glitches. It was a weekend for old and new friends to gather, parents to connect, and kids to play with their Vietnamese friends and learn about the Vietnamese culture (thanks Natasha for the great crafts!). There are some families that I have the privilege of seeing frequently because they are local, but there are other families that I really love visiting with that I just see once or twice a year. That is why I really look forward to this weekend.

Sarah's favorite part of the whole weekend was, and I quote, "Luke!" (See above.) We do get to have playdates with him every few months, but I think these two could play together every single day. They spend a good amount of their weekend chasing each other.

Sarah's least favorite part of the weekend was the dragon (dragon dancers). Freaked her out! She told me over and over how much she disliked them. In fact, she continues to tell me how much she didn't like them. She screamed bloody murder when they came into the room, so I pretty muched missed seeing it because we had to leave the room.

Sarah with her other favorite pal, Avi Joy.

Posing!

Andrew really wanted a picture taken with Sarah.... You can see the one hand going up around her waist. He did eventually put the second hand up on her waist and it resembled something of a bad prom picture where the guy is way more into the girl.

Andrew created his own fun at camp.

Umm...I hope she is being nice here....

Since Natasha and I were working, Adam and Michael got to take the girls around to do the craft activities.

I think Sarah had a positive camp experience!

It's Summertime

2009-06-09T16:47:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day

2009-05-29T08:05:00.005-05:00

Yes Wii Did!

2009-05-11T08:03:00.002-05:00

My dear, darling husband (and I don't mean that sarcastically) is a very wise man. He knows that when a woman asks for a Wii for Mother's Day, it is his one opportunity to blow some money on a gaming system. And that, my friends, is what we did this weekend. I am now the proud owner of a Wii/ Wii Fit. (Actually, he is too since it is going to have to count as a Father's Day gift plus our next birthdays.) We spent the afternoon creating our characters, taking our measurements and BMI, and coming up with our goals. Excercising has never looked so appealing! I'm also looking forward to some rousing games of tennis and bowling. I think Sarah is, too.

Best Friends

2009-05-09T07:17:00.003-05:00

Last night was our Date Night Swap with the Perrymans. I dropped Sarah and Andrew off at their house after nap yesterday and enjoyed four hours of hanging with the hubby. Natasha managed to give Sarah a haircut and a matching "spiderweb" while we were out (impressive!). Adorable! Thanks guys!

Catching Up

2009-04-23T10:26:00.003-05:00

Despite the unseasonably cool weather, we had a lovely Easter weekend. Saturday was sunny, but a tad on the chilly side. Still, it didn't stop the kids from having fun at the church egg hunt. Easter Sunday was rainy (all day) and very cold. I felt like a bad mom for making Sarah wear her sandals with her dress, but any other shoe would have looked really silly. So, yes, I let fashion trump warmth. Despite the gross weather, it was an awesome morning worshiping at church. Even though I much prefer contemporary worship, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear when we sang the traditional "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" with the trumpets blaring at the contemporary service.

April 17th was Andrew's 2nd birthday. We met my parents for breakfast and play at McDonald's and we ate out as a family for dinner. On Saturday we had a very low-key gathering at our house to celebrate. On his birthday I wanted to see how cute he would look in his new underwear. I caught him at just the right time and he did a number 2 on the potty. He is showing some good signs that he is getting close to the right time to potty train. I need to let him mature just a little bit more and I need to mentally gear up to take the diapers away.

Road Warriors Part 2

2009-04-16T07:40:00.011-05:00

Day 9:
We spent two nights and one full day with Janet (Michael's sister) and Josh in Wilmington, North Carolina. We had a fun day of seeing the area in spite of the persistent rain. We took a ferry ride over to the aquarium on Cape Fear. After that we drove around downtown Wilmington, which is a quaint and beautiful downtown, and visited the shops at the old Cotton Exchange building. When we returned home, Janet and Josh prepared a gourmet feast for us (she's a professional!).

Days 10-12:
On our drive from Wilmington to Charlotte, NC we met Susie and Ella for lunch (Hannah was in school). Susie was in our travel group to Vietnam and Ella and Sarah were adopted at the same time from Ninh Thuan. After a great two hour lunch visit we were on our way to Chuck (Michael's brother) and Susan's home for the weekend.

We had a wonderful time in Charlotte and it was a great way to wrap up our vacation before making our way home. Their boys are 3 yrs. and almost 1 yr. and our kids loved playing with their cousins. On the drive to Charlotte Sarah kept saying that she wanted baby Carson to laugh at her. He did not disappoint her either. I couldn't believe how happy that made her.

My sis-in-law Susan and I get along so well. The guys were gracious enough to give us two kid-free shopping outings to the local outlet malls and she and I went to work stimulating the local economy. My favorite was the Pottery Barn outlet, where I bought Sarah a quilt and sham for her new bed - I paid just under $50!

Chuck's new hobby is smoking Boston Butt (pork shoulder) and making his own western Carolina BBQ sauce. It was delicious!

As you can see in the pictures below, Sarah and Joshua didn't get along at all! (wink)

Susie and me with our girls.

Sunbathing outside the restaurant.

Ella and Sarah

My two handsome boys.

Sweet baby Carson and Andrew.

Joshua and Sarah

Helping Uncle Chuck make Saturday morning pancakes.

Hiding out in the pantry.

Andrew kept climbing into the swing.

"Can I have another turn?"

Playing "Puppy."

"Woof!"

Joshua's turn.

Day 13:
Sadly, it was time to say goodbye and begin the journey home. From Charlotte we drove to Clemson, South Carolina. There is a student from our church at school there, so we decide to call on her for lunch. It's a beautiful campus and I was excited to see it again. (Long story short, I made a last minute decision to go to OSU instead of Clemson- you know, back in the day.) From there we made our way to Atlanta, where we had dinner with one of Michael's high school friends. We ended our day in Birmingham, AL.

Day 14:
This was, by far, the hardest day in the car. The kids were pretty restless in the morning. But, an extended lunch stop in Little Rock wore them our for their naps and we made it across the Oklahoma border before they woke up.

Wrap up:
Whew, it was quite a trip! It definitely had its highs and lows. As many of you know, traveling with small children is not an easy task. The actual car travel was a breeze, surprisingly. It was nearly impossible to maintain their exact sleep/nap/meal schedule on this kind of a trip. There were days when we were able to plan things around their normal schedule, but there were many more days when we could not. Sarah has a hard time adapting to new sleeping arrangements, so that also created a challenge. As a result of all the above, we had to deal with more whining and tantrums. We kept having to remind ourselves that we were asking a lot of two small children. It was definitely a good tag team effort between the two of us and it was a wonderful opportunity for our little family to spend so much uninterrupted time together. It was also a good opportunity for our kids to get to be around their relatives. I can't believe how many people we managed to see along the way! (Lunch with Susie and dinner with Michael's high school friend, Erin, happened because of Michael's Facebook status updates.) Now I think Michael and I need a getaway to catch up on our sleep. I think Charleston will do! :)

Road Warriors Part 1

2009-04-15T08:09:00.014-05:00

Fourteen days and 2900 miles later, we are home and nearly settled back into a normal routine after our "Southern Tour." (We actually returned last week.) We decided to make a scheduled 6 day family vacation to Hilton Head, South Carolina into an extended two week driving trip, seeing friends and family along the way. I have to confess that I am slightly obsessed with the south. Even though I am technically a Yankee, raised in Minnesota and Massachusetts, I have always wanted to be a southerner. Michael can vouch for me that I even got giggly at the first sighting of a Piggly Wiggly. :)

Day 1:
Leaving in the wee hours of the morning proved to be our best move in making the long (12 hour) drive to Birmingham, AL. While the kids didn't really fall back asleep, we were to Little Rock before the shock of being snatched from their beds so early wore off. After a 25 minute break, we were on the road to Memphis. Books and car games occupied them until it was time to stop for lunch in Mississippi, just outside of Memphis. An hour long stop at a Chic-fil-a (God bless the indoor playground) wore them out for their afternoon naps. We took a final stretch break about 1.5 hours outside of Birmingham and then busted out a Nick Jr. DVD to sail us the rest of the way in without one tantrum in the car. (Andrew did lose it at Chili's during dinner... Who can blame him?)

Day 2:
From Birmingham we had a short jaunt to Macon, GA (south of Atlanta) to see our friends Jason and Jill and their two adorable boys Ethan and Wyatt. Michael and Jason went to college together and they were both dorm directors during grad school. It was great to see them again and to see their children in person.

As you can see, Ethan and Sarah got along just fine.

Michael, Sarah, Ethan, and Jason

Jill and me with Andrew and Wyatt.

Day 3:
From Macon, we made our way to Hilton Head. It was another relatively short day in the car. We arrived at the resort and met up with my parents. They have timeshare through Marriott, so we had a beautiful 3 bedroom condo to call home for the week.

Days 4-7:
My brother Brian and his family arrived the day after us. We spent the next few days enjoying walks on the beach, swimming in the indoor pool, touring the surrounding area, eating, and visiting.

Andrew was so pleased with the seagulls.

All through the south the azaleas were magnificent.

Papa Roy with the grand kids.

We were surrounded by beautiful salt marshes.

We spent a day in beautiful Savannah, GA. This is the church used in Forrest Gump.

Spanish moss hanging from the old oak trees.

My parents with the kids at Forsyth Park in Savannah.

Taking a stroll through a salt marsh preserve. We didn't see any alligators, but we should could hear the males.

My parents planned some fun little activities for the kids - like this egg hunt for Sarah, Andrew, and Lauren.

Checking out his shell collection.

Day 8:
Brian, Kathy, and Lauren headed to the airport to return to Louisville, and we headed north with my parents for a day in Charleston. From a very tender age I have longed to see Charleston. I used to beg my parents to take me. The few hours of our day trip there was simply not long enough and I didn't even get to tour one home!!! Tragic! Anyway, Michael and I are already talking about going back someday without the kids. After a too-short walking tour of the city, we said our goodbyes to my parents and made our way north to Wilmington, NC.

Michael and me in front of the pineapple fountain in Charleston.

Everyone should have house guests like these!

2009-03-21T22:00:00.011-05:00

Happy Spring (and Spring Break)! After georgous weather, followed by snow, we are back to mild weather..... and back to enjoying being outside as much as possible. We've been taking evening family walks trying to shed the winter flub and it feels great.

Last Sunday Michael's sister called to see if she and her kids could come up from Ft. Worth for a Spring Break visit. Sarah was instantly excited about having four of her cousins come to play. We got the house all ready and they arrived Monday at lunch. DeAnn is not your typical house guest. She came bearing a homemade lasagna for dinner, plus breakfast food, lunch food, and snacks for her very hungry teenagers. It didn't stop there, either. She put the kids to work in our yard and they all mowed, raked, and cleared out my flower beds. We had so many lawn bags that we had to divide it up between two trash days. Oh, and they cleaned out our shed and swept the garage! Oh, and did I mention that I didn't change one diaper or give one bath while they were here? Crazy! Anyway, I'm humbled and it was a good reminder to me to make sure that I am a good guest when I am visiting others. (DeAnn, I don't mind if you put your feet up the next time you come, though!) We had a great visit and stayed up way to late watching The O'Reily Factor and talking politics, parenting, and family.

I did a horrible job of taking pictures while they were visiting, but here are a few that I managed to snap.

They played many rounds of kick ball in the back yard.

Sarah wandered around the yard (oblivious to the game) eating the rice from her stir-fry.

Swinging with Katie at the park earlier in the day.

Andrew is less than a month away from his 2nd birthday. He will also celebrate his 1 year anniversary of his Forever Family Day on March 28th (we had a waiting period after he was born before we could go to court and legally adopt him). Andrew is a rough and tumble little guy, yet he can be quite sensitive when his feelings get hurt - particularly by Sarah. He worships the ground she walks on. I think she knows it and sometimes uses it to her advantage. He is equally interested in dump trucks and baby dolls, is shoe obsessed, and loves Dora. But, he is all boy when it comes to climbing, jumping on and off things, electrical cords, and other hazardous activities. Andrew is a regular chatter box. He has a solid vocabulary and the verbal skills to pair some words together and say simple phrases.

I'm not sure why, but my kids beg to brush their teeth! It should be the opposite, right?

Speaking of chatter boxes..... I never thought we would get to the day when we would be asking Sarah to please be quiet for two seconds. We have an amazing speech pathologist, Miss Sandy, that works with Sarah out of her home. The switch has finally been flipped in Sarah's brain and we've really turned a corner.

Sarah is a puzzle freak! They are perfect for her because she loves to disassemble things and figure out how to put them together again.

Tomorrow is Michael's 34th birthday. Sarah made Daddy a cake (with a lot of adult supervision).

Just when I thought she was getting it.....

2009-03-13T16:12:00.004-05:00

For about a year now we have been telling Sarah her special Vietnam story at bedtime. It is a really big deal to her to hear her "Nam Story" every night, so if we have a babysitter we have to prep Sarah that the sitter doesn't know that story and won't be sharing it with her that night ('cause we learned the hard way on that!).

The story goes from her birth in VN, to her arrival at the orphanage where the nannies took very good care of her, to our trip on a plane to adopt her and make her our daughter, to our return trip home on a plane and where she lives now. As her verbal skills have improved she has been able to repeat portions of the story. Throughout a typical day she will frequently see (in the sky, on TV, in a book) an airplane and then proceed to say,"One day mommy daddy plane adopt you me...." As time has gone on, she's started adding things after the word "me" -like "door on airplane" and "key door airplane". Then she went even further and started tacking on the end, "choo-choo train, boat, and bus" if we were out and she saw one of those. I always thought that was ironic since we actually took all of those things with her in VN. So I have been confirming for her that yes, indeed, that it true.

Recently we were out and drove past the local water amusement park. She looked up at the huge slides and proceeded to say, "One day mommy daddy plane adopt you me....big slide, wee, splash." Yeah, that is not part of her adoption story.....

Just a few pictures....

2009-02-17T22:46:00.008-06:00

It's been a pretty quiet and uneventful winter for our family (which isn't a bad thing) and it seems the old blog has come close to slipping into hibernation. But, alas, I've returned with a few new pictures to share to keep this thing going....

Two weeks ago Sarah got to meet up with Avi Joy and Luke at Ollie's Station for lunch.

The "draw" for the restaurant is the large collection of model trains running throughout the dinning room.

Last Friday night Michael and I had "Babysitting Night" at our house and watched Avi Joy and Nehemiah so that Adam and Natasha could go out on a hot date.

The kids were soooo good for us. The girls played and played and Andrew spent a lot of time on the floor chatting it up with Nehemiah.

Andrew was too busy to be in the pictures....

Sarah

2009-02-07T08:26:00.003-06:00

3, 2, 1......

2009-01-17T09:11:00.007-06:00

Technically, the title should be 3 1/2 , 2 3/4, and 1 3/4...the ages represented under our roof Monday night. While Avi Joy's parents were in Vietnam adopting baby Nehemiah, we got to have Avi Joy come for a sleepover. It was kind of crazy, kind of wild......and very, very comical! We had fun!

Anyone who knows Avi Joy or has read her parent's blog knows about her crazy verbal skills and the very creative and funny things she says and sings. Let me just say, she did not disappoint!

Working together on a Pistol Pete puzzle. Sarah is really into puzzles right now. She has great visual memory and concentration.

Two giggly girls in a bedroom. You know they didn't go to bed easily!

Waiting for Nehemiah at the airport.

Nehemiah with his grandpa at the airport. I wish I had a picture of Natasha. Perfect hair, perfect makeup, wearing an Ao Dai. The only person in the world I know of that comes off an airplane looking beautiful. :)

Just a cute PJ picture.

Don't they look grown up eating at the counter?

2008 In Review

2009-01-01T08:40:00.003-06:00

This is our first year to (regretfully) not write a Christmas letter to go with our family picture card. So, while this won't be a "letter," it will highlight the bigger things from this past year.

January:

I had jury duty for the first time and was within an hour of being seated on a pretty ugly and guesome case- whew!
Sarah transitioned from her crib to a big girl bed.

February:

Michael's mother Doris passed away in Fargo, ND and Michael officiated her service.
Michael's family had a reunion at his parent's house (dad and stepmom) in Ft. Worth. Seven out of the eight siblings and 10 out of the 13 grand kids were able to be there.

March:

Sarah potty trained!!
Andrew's adoption was legally finalized and Sarah's was re-finalized.
Michael celebrated his 33rd birthday on Easter weekend.

April:

We enjoyed a short family getaway with my parents to Branson.
Andrew celebrated his 1st birthday and took his first steps.

May:

Michael led a team of college students on a 17 day mission trip to Malawi, Africa.

June:

I served on a committee for Dillon International that hosted the 1st annual Vietnam Heritage Weekend. We had a great time connecting with old friends and travel mates and making new acquaintances.

July:

Sarah celebrated her 3rd birthday.
We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.
I "retired" from my job to become a stay-at-home mom.

August:

I celebrated my 32nd birthday.
Michael's pastoral responsiblities expanded at church to include oversight of Children and Family Ministry in addition to Youth Min. and College Min.

September:

Sarah celebrated her 2nd Forever Family Day.

October:

Sarah and Andrew enjoyed a fall of football and tailgating.
Michael served as a foreman of a jury.

November:

Michael and I had our 1st getaway without the kids.
We celebrated Thanksgiving in Texas with Michael's family. It was the last Thanksgiving at Papa and Nana's home in Ft. Worth since they moved to Albuquerque the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

December:

Andrew's birth mother came to Oklahoma to see our family. We had a very nice visit.
We celebrated Christmas here with my side of the family.

We wish you a healthy and blessed 2009. Happy New Year!

Christmastide Greetings!

2008-12-30T10:48:00.010-06:00

On the 6th day of Christmas I'm finally finding a little time to share with you our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations. For your added reading pleasure, I think I'll let Andrew narrate.

On Christmas Eve morning Sarah was still at Nana and Papa's house where she spent the night, so I got to have my parent's attention all to myself. I also got to have Sarah's room all to myself. Secretly, I did miss her and I gave her at least 20 hugs when she got home. Since Daddy is a preacher it was a work day for him. It was okay, though, because Mommy had lots of preparations to make for dinner.

After nap I got to go to church for Christmas Eve worship and see my Dad. I had a hard time sitting still during the service, even if it was geared for little people. I'm just not as well trained to sit during worship as my sister. I'll have to practice more this year since I'm getting to be such a big boy. My cousin Lauren and her parents, plus my Nana and Papa were at church, too.

After church my parents hosted their annual Christmas Eve gathering of family and friends at the house.

After everyone left we put on our pajamas so that Santa could visit. Sarah delayed his visit until the wee hours of the night because she wouldn't go to bed. I'm sure that Santa was very tired the next day on account of that.

Luckily he didn't hold that against us and still brought us some good gifts. All Sarah asked for was candy, but she was pleasantly surprised to find out that the old man also leaves toys. Mom and Dad also give some pretty good toys, too.

(One of her favorite gifts....from Michael's parents.)

Santa really hit the jackpot with the surprise he left us on the back porch!

Before I could even play with my new toys we were off to Nana and Papa's house (Mommy's parents) to open more gifts and spend the day with my family.

I'm pretty sure I heard two loud sighs coming from the family room after sister and I were tucked all snug in our beds.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11) And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

A little Christmas baking.....

2008-12-18T09:08:00.003-06:00

Christmas Picture Outtakes

2008-12-18T08:44:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately, if you are someone who is waiting for the real picture in your mailbox, you may be waiting a while longer. I'm really behind the eight ball this year. Oh, and the letter....... I have writers block!

Is it too late for a Thanksgiving recap?

2008-12-10T08:51:00.012-06:00

Sans Kids: We left for Ft. Worth after church the Sunday before Thanksgiving to see Michael's family. Since it is really hard to get away from the church at Christmas, this has become our annual tradition to go to his parent's house for Thanksgiving. (Sadly, this was our last Thanksgiving there since his parents are already well on their way to completing their move to New Mexico.) Michael's sister DeAnn and her family (4 kids + hubby) were gracious enough to watch the kids for 2 1/2 days while we drove over to the Dallas side of the Metroplex to stay in a hotel. This was our first time to be away from the kids for more than just an evening. The extra sleep was wonderful (the first morning we slept in until 11am!). And, the extra time alone together was even more wonderful. We especially enjoyed drinking wine in bed to candle light while watching The Hills on the laptop because we missed it on TV. (It's okay if you think that is lame!) The days were not completely relaxing because we were on a furniture shopping mission. Our couch is begging to be replaced, so our plan was to replace the couch first, and then later, the chair and ottoman. We decided to search the Dallas market because we had, well, the time to do it. It is a frustrating process to find new furniture, friends! I am not one to love the process, just the end result. It could possibly be that fact that we have a budget to stick to, I'm incredibly picky, and I'm very OCD/indecisive. At any rate, we did not come home with a sofa. But, we also did not come home empty handed. We found a beautiful leather chair and ottoman at a Norwalk store that was a floor sample clearance and we were able to negotiate a deal. Michael also bought my Christmas gift - a long and skinny table to use as a buffet in our kitchen. The best feature is that the leaves to the table fold over the top, so it can expand into a large table to seat additional guests. So, the couch is still begging to be replaced, but it may have to endure just a little longer.

Food: Okay, we were just complete and total gluttons. I was craving Chicago style pizza so badly that I made Michael find a restaurant that served it. Using the trusty iPhone, he found a place called Lil' Joe's - a hole in the wall restaurant owned by a Chicago transplant. The restaurant was a little schizophrenic because one side was pizza and the other Mexican food. Since the pizza was going to take close to an hour to bake, we each ordered an appetizer. After said appetizers were consumed it dawned on our waitress to offer us fresh chips and salsa. A few minutes later she brings us freshly made tamales - on the house. Then we pretty much devoured our pizza. It was so good we took the whole family back there at the end of the week.

The Kids: The kids did great for DeAnn. She said they were so well behaved and didn't cry. Sarah did give me the cold shoulder for a good length of time when we came back to get her. She also was pretty uncooperative and moody for a day or so. Despite the attitude afterward, it is nice to know that both the kids can comfortably handle being left in someone else's care for a couple of days. We missed them, but we also savored the short break that every parent needs.

Return Home: We headed back home on Saturday. Sarah was pretty excited to turn on the outside Christmas lights - as promised before we left for Texas. And, as promised, we decorated the house Sunday night. We made a big batch of chili, baked some cookies, turned on the Christmas music, put Andrew to bed, and then got after it. Sarah was beside herself with joy. Andrew was in complete shock and awe and delight over the tree the next morning. He was the proverbial moth to a flame. It took about three days of constantly staying on him to keep him out of the tree. If left to his own devices, Andrew is his own one man wrecking crew. He still wanders over to the tree and pokes at the ornaments, but otherwise is leaving it alone. I'm not planning on putting the presents under the tree until Christmas Eve.

Cheese ball!

Enjoying a little pre-Thanksgiving Pop Tart with cousin Mattison.....

.....and cousin Dalton.

Michael's eldest brother, John, has Down Syndrome. Sarah loves him. She is so kind and gentle and lovey with him. John turned 40 on Thanksgiving!

A little post-feasting movie watching.

We got to meet up at Braum's with our dear friends before they headed back to Indiana.

I would love to post the naked tree decorating pictures, but I don't want to over-expose our daughter. We made her put something on so that we could get some less revealing pics.

First day of the best season of all....Advent.

Serenity....even Rosie agrees.

Shopping Cart Races and A Cold Dinosaur

2008-12-10T08:34:00.005-06:00

Sarah went to the market and found herself a Butterball Turkey.

I think this sport should probably require helmets.

With Sarah around, this dinosaur needn't fear extinction.

How many?

2008-12-06T10:50:00.004-06:00

How many pacis does one baby need?

Eat rice Josh!

2008-12-06T08:30:00.006-06:00

It all started Sarah's first winter home when she was a mere 17 months old. We took her with us on the annual youth ski trip to Colorado. On the long (14 hour) bus ride she made eyes with Josh Miles, the high school youth director. Ever since then she has had a thing for him, wanting to cozy up next to him whenever he is around. Even before she had many words in her vocabulary, she could say, "Josh." In September Josh's wife Jaclyn took Sarah home with her to have dinner. Apparently they ate rice because ever since that evening we hear, "Eat rice Josh!" come out of her mouth a minimum of 5-10 times a day. (And, no kidding, she just said it to Michael as I type.) Sometimes she whispers it and sometimes she shouts it. Sometimes she tells it to her baby doll and sometimes she tells it to her peers. Sometimes she tell it to us, sometimes she just shouts it out to no one in particular. It is always completely random. And it is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!

Sarah as a flower girl at Josh's wedding, Nov. 2007.

This Thanksgiving......

2008-11-26T22:21:00.004-06:00

.....we're thankful for these little turkeys that enrich and bless our lives. (I've got a lot of blogging to catch up on, but it will have to wait until after we've finished visiting with family and eating entirely too much holiday fare.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

History

2008-11-04T22:55:00.004-06:00

It is finished..... The concession speech has been made. McCain was my personal choice, the party of my personal political beliefs. I can not deny that I feel sadness in this loss. I was so proud of and moved by the speech McCain gave and I believe it was from his heart. I completely share the sentiments that McCain expressed regarding the historic nature of this election of our next leader and how important that it is that we have moved beyond the prejudice of our past. Again, I'm sad about the political loss, but I feel hope that we are truly moving or have moved into a post-racial time in our country....which is great good news for my Vietnamese-American daughter and all Americans. I'll pray for President-Elect Obama (I can't imagine the enormity of the job), I'll pray for the healing and unity of our country, and I hope you will join me.

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

2008-11-04T09:16:00.004-06:00

I'm not going to stump for a candidate here, but I urge you to let your voice, your opinion, your values, and your ideologies be heard today by casting your vote. It is truly one of the great freedoms of our nation. A freedom that is denied to so many globally. Every vote counts, so please don't count your vote as too insignificant to matter.

Halloween Recap by Sarah

2008-11-01T09:14:00.016-05:00

Last Sunday we had a Fall Festival at our Church. Here is Mommy with Andrew on a hayride.

My friend Avi Joy came! She was an artist.

We went "Trunk-or-Treating."

My friend Sarah was there, too.

And her little brother who made Mommy really laugh because he looked like a 70's dragon.

Yesterday I got to go to the pumpkin patch with my best guy pal Luke.

I climbed the pumpkins....

.....and then my brother copied me.

I was very popular with the goats.

Then last night I got to dress up as a cat again.

And we went Trick-or-Treating with Nana and Mommy.

We did the "Technicolor Yawn"

2008-10-28T21:00:00.004-05:00

Andrew and I managed to reverse the law of gravity this weekend - what went down..... Well, it just didn't stay down. I, for sure, had the 24 hour bug. Andrew joined the party the next day (which was a problem since he is not old enough to know how to drive the porcelain bus), Sarah remained an outside observer, and Michael (lucky guy that he is) missed it all together by being out of town. Seriously, this is the 4th time in the last 16-17 months that I have been visited by Ralf. Just when I thought we were out of the woods, Andrew became sick all over again and we took him in to the doctor this morning. It turns out that over the weekend he probably had the flu, but round two can be blamed on an ear infection. It is not a common symptom of an ear infection, but it does happen. I'm glad that I took Andrew to the doctor today to find that out since I would have never guessed that it was from an ear infection. They gave him a booster shot of antibiotic, so hopefully we will see major improvement in the morning and I can catch a break.

So Orange

2008-10-18T17:28:00.011-05:00

On the road to Stillwater for Homecoming.

Can't wait for football!

The tailgate set-up.

Chowin' down!

What's more fun than playing with a chain?

"Go Pokes!" or "Oh Pokes" as Sarah liked to say. With Mr. Matt, the owner/ master/ coordinator extraordinaire of the tailgate.

Sitting next to mommy's brick (to the left of Sarah's knee).

On the stairs of the Student Union.

Done! Hot, tired, and pretty mad with the camera.

18 Months

2008-10-17T16:55:00.006-05:00

My Hiatus is Over

2008-10-11T22:34:00.016-05:00

Well, my blogging seems to be going as well as my weight loss. So, if I have to spell it out, that means it's not happening. It could possibly be from heavenly delicacies such as
Nutella, which I only just discovered. I could also blame it on the stash of Whoopers and Swedish Fish that I keep around for the high school girls' Bible study that I lead at my house once a week. In reality, I'm getting a lot more exercise than I was just a few months ago and my eating habits aren't really as bad as I just made them seem -really. I just think that I now have the metabolism of a 32 yr. old woman. Bummer! Michael, on the other hand, is making great strides in his weight loss endeavor. The church staff is doing the Biggest Loser competition and he is an extremely competitive person. I'm, of course, pulling for him to win, but I feel torn since one of his competitors is my walking buddy.

Andrew will be 18 months old tomorrow, as in a whole year and a half! As in half way to two!! Andrew runs, climbs, dances, can say a simple sentence (he loves to say, "I did it!), has the same nap schedule as Sarah, and basically thinks he is just as capable as his 3 year old sister. He has been a real sweetheart of a little boy lately, which is good because I need one of my kids to be sweet and cooperative. I know I better enjoy it before we hit the twos. My biggest frustration with him right now is not knowing what to prepare for him to eat. He is so incredibly selective with what he will put in his mouth that a lot of nights he just doesn't eat dinner. And I refuse to be a short-order cook. I figure that one of these days he'll get hungry or curious enough..... Andrew does love fruit, yogurt, peanut butter, crackers, and milk. Oh, and goldfish, candy, and cookies! He refuses cheese, which is the strangest thing to me. I've never heard of a child not liking cheese. Poor little guy is currently is running a temp of 102 and it is his first real fever (other than low grade from teething) ever. I think that is pretty amazing for a kid.

Sarah is in a challenging season right now. I think it could possibly be the fact that she is in the, "NO, I DO IT MOMMY!!!" phase. I know that she has to learn to do things for herself, but it is the tone and the fact that often she really does need my assistance- at least a little. (Sigh!) Her verbal skills are coming along so well. I really thought that this would cut down on her frustrations, but instead it just gives her more vocabulary to voice them - lol! A dear church friend who is a retired speech therapist is giving Sarah private speech therapy once a week out of the goodness of her heart. Isn't that awesome?

I've done a terrible job of picture taking in the last month, but here are the few that I have.

Michael has taken Sarah to a couple of TU football games this fall. She absolutely loves the daddy time and seems to actually love watching football. I think she also loves all the snacks involved and getting to use binoculars with her friend Simona.

Don't go to work Daddy!

(above) Avi Joy and Sarah
(below) Natasha, me and the girls at Natasha's baby shower. We're all anxiously waiting for baby Nehemiah to come home from Can Tho.

He finds so much joy on the scale! He visits it every single morning. :)

We made our annual visit to the State Fair. We didn't get any cute pics of the kids, but we did photograph this sweet mullet. Priorities people!

Secret Garden

2008-09-23T21:47:00.015-05:00

The kids and I spent a beautiful morning at Woodward Park today. There are several beautiful areas of the park, but I only recently discovered the Linnaeus Teaching Garden. So, so pretty and serene. We got to touch, feel, and even taste different plants. Oh, and there was the adorable garden kitty which pleased them both.

A little sibling affection.

See the kitty?

Little kids have amazing posture.

Dios Mio! Peanut butter in the hair....

Airplane

Two

2008-09-11T08:54:00.013-05:00

Sunday, September 7th we celebrated Sarah's 2nd Forever Family Day. That hot, muggy, wonderful day in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam seems like forever ago....and like it was yesterday. Because Sundays are so crazy for our family, we had a low key celebration. I did make a special dinner - Thai "Panang" coconut curry chicken. Not exactly Vietnamese food, but I have to say I ate a lot of Thai in Vietnam. The recipe is easy and delicious - especially served over Jasmine rice. I promise to share it with you in another post. Sarah is really into her baby doll (the Calin Yang by Corolle), so we got her another doll made by the same company that is a little bigger and looks more like a little girl. Now she talks about "both babies" all day long.

The Lord gave me a precious gift on the 7th. Sarah was taking a pretty long nap, so I went in to get her up. She often gets a little sweaty around the hairline when she sleeps. When she rolled over in her bed to look at me - stretching, pouting her lips, sweaty hair framing her face - I had an instant flashback to my first memories of her waking up in our hotel bed in Ninh Thuan. It was the same facial expression and she looked just like I remember our baby girl looking.

Sept. 7, 2006 Ninh Thuan, Vietnam

Sept. 7, 2007

Sept. 7, 2008

Hiding Places

2008-09-11T08:49:00.004-05:00

Boo Boo, B-Day, and JBF

2008-08-26T20:40:00.006-05:00

Does the boo boo look better? At least the swelling is almost completely gone. Poor baby is pretty self-conscious about it, so I've had to head people off when I see that they are about to react. I've been pretty impressed that she hasn't messed with her eye or seemed too bothered with pain. Just bashful about people staring at her.

Today was my 32nd birthday - erg! (I promise I'm not soliciting b-day wishes!) Michael asked me what I wanted and I replied that I wanted better skin care products-lol. Actually I really do. So.... if you have cleansers, eye creams, or other cosmetics that you really love, I'm in the market. My friend Jean Anne was sweet enough to give me a pedicure today, even though I was a total schmuck and forgot her b-day last week. Why am I so bad at remembering these important dates?? Natasha was also sweet to bring me breakfast when she dropped off Avi Joy for the morning. And my darling hubby took me to what I think will become a new favorite, Thai-Siam, for dinner tonight. Sarah worked really hard today to learn to sing happy birthday and by bedtime she was doing a pretty good job. (A thing I should have remembered to video.) A pretty good day, I'd say.

This weekend was the start of the fall/winter Just Between Friends sale. It is a huge children's consignment sale that happens twice a year. I volunteer to work a shift at each sale, so I get to shop at the pre-sale and always come home with really great finds. Everything is gently used and they are really strict about what can be consigned. I came home with shoes and clothes made by Stride Rite, Jumping Jacks, Gap, Gymboree, Old Navy, Oshkosh and more for a fraction of the price. I also find great deals on toys and other baby gear. My most exciting (to me) purchase was a newer model of Sit-N-Stand stroller that is in mint condition. I was also able to sell one of my double strollers at the sale, which was awesome. I know that JBF is a franchise, so if you have one in your area I highly, highly recommend shopping JBF for deals.

That's gonna leave a mark!

2008-08-23T16:01:00.005-05:00

(Above) Minutes after climbing the back of the bar stool and pulling it over onto herself..... (Yes, I tell her not to climb the backs of chairs all the time!)

(Below) Four hours later....after lots of ice and a dose of ibuprofen. Anybody know how long it will take the swelling to go down? It looks even worse in person and the skin looks like it is stretched so tight.

At least will still have a smile. Could it be all the extra attention and pampering she is getting?