Outnumbered and Love It

Boo to You...

2011-10-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

A full night with very full buckets. We've hit fall festivals, carved our pumpkin and are loving our fall weather. Madalyn and Mason will race through their candy and Mackenzie will still be enjoying hers well into the new year to which they will say, "it's not fair". Happy Halloween.....

New Year, New School....

2011-08-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

3rd and 1st grade already? There was mostly excitement this morning mixed in with a little nervousness as they got ready and we headed out. Matt and I both took them today and he usually misses out. We transferred them to a new school this year. Their previous school was dropping in performance so we moved them. It was a tough decision but we feel good about it. I was expecting a lot more kick back from Madalyn but she really didn't protest which tells me that she intuitively knows this is a good decision. One of Mackenzie's friends transferred as well and they are even in the same class.

Her shirt says, "Girls can change the world". And she loves her new high tops!

Kenzie cute as ever!

Mama and her girls. Hope your first days are good as well!

Gators....not the team, the chomping kind....

2011-04-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

It was the last day of Spring Break and I wanted to do something fun with the kids. We decided on Gatorland. Somehow we were able spend the whole day there even though its pretty small. We took our time and saw everything. We had a fun day....

This is what they call the Gator Jumparoo. Basically, they string raw chicken over the water to get the gators to "jump" up and catch it.

Waiting for our train ride...

Besides gators, there are a lot of birds, farm animals and lots of reptiles. Look at this baby crane, isn't she a cutie with all her fuzz?

And this would be what they call the "Gator Wrestling Show". No, they don't really get in there and roll around with them but they do a few tricks. Here, the guy is basically holding the head shut and back with just his chin. Crazy, really.

Ok, so I decided to supplement the snacks I brought from home with some gator tail. But I wasn't exactly forthcoming about that and I didn't say anything till we were done. Mackenzie guessed it right away while Madalyn thought it was chicken.

And this was her reaction to the news....grossed out. I have to say I was cracking up.

This white goat was quite aggressive and stole Mason's food all in one bite but the staff gave him another cone full (they put the pellets in ice cream cones which they can eat as well).

Madalyn is much more tentative about feeding such things as this. She is completely disgusted by slobber of any kind so after a couple of turns, she is done and happy to wash her hands and wait for us.

Kenz on the other hand has no fear and enjoys this quite a lot.

I guess because birds are colorful and cute and they don't slobber, the bird feeding worked out well for her. This room is full of birds and can be a bit freaky because they land on you wherever they want to.

Mason got scared as they started landing on his shoulders and that was it for him. So I held the food and he watched.

"Look at this big snake..."

After a full day, we were done and had a good time!!

Darn Skates....

2011-03-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Well we've had our first orthopedic "incident". I took the girls roller skating last night. It was Madalyn's second time but Mackenzie's first. She was all over the place. About an hour into our time, I stepped away to talk with another rmom and she pushed away from the wall and fell backwards. She braced her fall with her wrists. She and I called it a night and headed home. I took her to a pediatric urgent care and they told me she had a fracture in her wrist. So today, we headed to the orthopedic office where she got a cast...

She requested this gorgeous purple color. The color is about the only thing she has found worthy of excitement. She hurts but not too bad, nothing ibuprofen can't take care of. This accessory will be with her for the next three weeks. Oh and Madalyn is jealous and has asked me to buy her a sling.....

Strawberry Pickin'....

2011-03-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

I went to the Strawberry Festival years and years ago but we've never gone as a family. Strawberries are a staple in our house. So we headed down to Plant City for some fair food, rides, and a flat of strawberries!

Each of them could pick 3 rides and the girls ran for the "strawberry tilt a whirl" while Matt and Mason watched a lumberjack show (grunt, grunt).

They also chose to do a fun house that turned out to not be so fun. A room of mirrors and a big slide...lame. What happened to the big rolling tunnel you had to walk through and the moving floor or the shot of air that would come up when you weren't expecting it????

Off to the swings. These make me nervous and I frequently refer to them as death swings but the kiddie version was just fine.

They will tell you by far, this was the best ride!

Of course Mason chose the race cars to ride. Funny that he picked the Bud car since that's what we call him. And no, I don't know who the little blondie is next to him.

Then he picked the "dumbo" ride. When he realized his tickets were all gone, he then got mad because he hadn't chosen to ride the trucks. No more money, no more tickets...hard concept for a little guy! We moved on the strawberry shortcake and all was well again....

We all scarfed it down and I forgot to take the "before" pic.

Oh my....cowgirl has a look! One of the things the kids still love doing is going to all the vendors to get the free stuff. On this day, they got a Bluc Cross Blue Shield backpack bag thingy, a Geico pez dispenser, a car freshener, and these snappy cowboy hats....fun times.....

Christmas 2010...Better late than never I suppose...

2011-01-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. We stayed home this year and it was so nice. I loved being in our home. We typically rotate between my parents house, our house, and my brother and sister n law's house. With 3 kids, it is getting harder and harder to load us all up and we got to go to our home church for Christmas Eve service. Tim and Jen were here till Christmas Eve night so we all exchanged presents with them that night.

Madalyn thrilled with her first pair of "danglely earrings".

So Matt started this tradition with the kids several years ago. He takes them each to the Dollar Store and lets them pick out presents for all of us. He makes a little dad date out of it and they look forward to it every year. These are some pics with Tim and Jen showing their new treasures. You never know who will get what. There's been a rubber gorilla, a huge wood bead necklace, pot scrubbers, ceramic dolls, and santa hats. This year, Mason picked gas pills for Miss Martha, Jen's mom. I am confident she was thrilled.

Each of the kids got pillow pets from my parents

Kenzie asked Santa for a monkey sleeping bag and he obliged....

My sweet girl loves her dollies..

Mackenzie spreading reindeer food on the lawn....

HO HO HO....

All I Want for Christmas....

2010-12-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH, MY TWO FRONT TEETH, MY TWO FRONT TEETH.......

New Earrings Anyone?

2010-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

If you're struggling to find that perfect piece of jewelry to match your newest outfit, try these. These little lizards are cheap and easy to find. You don't have pierced ears? Oh no problem....these are clip ons....

Crazy Girl......

Birthday Girls....

2010-11-22T08:29:00.001-08:00

Time seems to be getting away from me...how can my girlie girls be 6 and 8? We had some fun parties over the last month. Kenzie asked for a monkey party. What? How am I going to do a monkey party? It wasn't as hard as I thought thanks to Oriental Trading. It was a very cute monkey theme and I made monkey cupcakes that she loved. This was the first time she really seemed to enjoy the attention as evidenced in the picture below. On her actual birthday, we let her choose where she wanted to go to dinner. She picked Chuck E. Cheese. We gave in. This was the first time the kids had experienced it. She had a great time. We spent about $50 and she came home with tattoos, a ring and some vampire teeth but her joy made it all worth it!

Enjoying the moment....

She was very specific about wanting a pinata.

Her posse....

Eight feels big to me. I don't know, Madalyn is definitely entering into a whole new developmental stage, just more mature and into different things...jewelry, nail polish, lip gloss. She requested a "Minute to Win it" party. For those not familiar, its a game show hosted by Guy Ferreri. The higher the level completed, the more money you win and you have 60 seconds to complete the task at hand. So Matt did a great job with the games and everyone got to pick out prizes.

Opening new bling....

She and I had gone a little shopping trip the week before to see what she liked and checked sizes and such so she was thrilled to see some of the things she had liked.

A game called Separation Anxiety. You have to separate M&M's, or in our case, gum balls into cups with the corresponding color and you have to go in order.

My Big Girl...

Happy Birthday sweet girls....we love you so much!

Fall Fun with my Boo Crew...

2010-11-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'd have to say that my favorite picture taking of the year is at the pumpkin patch. Not sure why but I just love it. There is a favorite one we visit yearly at a Methodist church down the road. The church is known as the "pumpkin church". The kids love looking at the different types of pumpkins and try to see which ones they can pick up....

Last night we trick or treated with the other kids on our street. My kids don't yet have the desire to go and go till they drop so two loops around the block and they were done! Love that! This year we had.....

One handsome Train Conductor...All Aboard!

Dorothy (with the much coveted red ruby slippers)...

And my sweet Tinkerbell....

At the end of the night...Happy Halloween from my Boo Crew to yours!

Gotcha....

2010-10-27T13:07:00.001-07:00

The time goes by way too quickly. Monday the 25th was 5 years since we were blessed with Mackenzie and today is 7 years that Madalyn made us parents. I look at these pics and see so much change and then none at all. Madalyn was and is our more serious, tenderhearted girl and Kenzie was and is our spunky, loves intensely, "I'm gonna let you know how I feel", girl. They are known affectionately as "the girls". I can look back now and see that both of them were grieving all the change and loss but very differently. Madalyn was just quiet, serious, holding back some as she tried to adjust. Mackenzie on the other hand was loud, mad, sad, and wouldn't let me out of her sight. This is still how it is. I love their uniqueness and what they bring to our family. We love China and can't wait to go back in a couple of years. I can't imagine not being mama to these girls.....

They were and still are yummy.....

Six Years Ago...

2010-10-22T03:54:00.001-07:00

God created a blessing that would soon be ours. Happy Birthday Mackenzie Paige Kang! Our joy girl, always ready with a smile. You are beautiful, funny, smart, and kind. We love you!

More bday celebrations coming up...stay tuned.

Sticky Situation...

2010-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, we spent the day at Bok Tower (more on that later). On the way home, we always stop off at Webb's Goat Milk Candy store and we each pick our guilty pleasure. Mason picked this candy stick. About 10 minutes into it he starting yelling and crying. What in the world? I turned around to see this...........stuck to his hair and forehead.....we couldn't help but crack up.

Our Birthday Boy!

2010-09-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mason who turns 3 today. Over the weekend, we celebrated with friends and family. He goes with the flow, loves playing with his sisters (although that is not always reciprocal), is WAY more talkative than either of the girls, loves to rough house, can keep up with the big kids, and still likes me to sing to him and "nuggle nuggle". He's just so fun for our family!

You may notice the decorations look familiar. That's because we had a Hot Wheel themed party last year and this year was Cars. It really is his obsession so I'm glad I saved all the stuff. We started off with a little pool time, then pizza, cake and presents....

This might be my favorite pic of the day!

Oh, and he's sporting a new haircut!

He found those two new cars sitting on the counter before I put them on the cake and he couldn't get to them fast enough.

Still on there.....

And now they're gone. The second he blew out the candles, they came off!

He loved opening presents. He received the Cars movie, a new sleeping bag, new Cars cars, a Thomas movie, a new fancy Rescue Helicopter, a fire engine Cars thingy, and he has a super hero cape with a big M on it coming in the mail.

There's that fancy helicopter....

The sweetest time for me is after the party when the birthday kid can just play and enjoy all their new things.

Our time with him has gone by really fast. I'm not sure if that's because he was bit older at 16 months when he came home or if its just that I'm getting old-er. In any case, I think of his birthmom today knowing she is thinking of him and wondering about him. I am forever grateful for her selflessness and courage.

We love you Mason! Happy Birthday Buddie!

From Baby to Big Boy all in a Week....

2010-09-04T17:59:00.001-07:00

Mason turns 3 in about a week and this week has been full of change, maybe more than one mama's heart can handle. He started preschool and goes on Tuesday and Thursdays. He has been talking about going to "Chenky's (Kenzie's) school" for about 6 months now. We took the kids to buy new backpacks about two months ago and he could not have been more excited to buy his Thomas "packpack" and fire engine lunch box. He would frequently take them to bed with him. So he was definitely ready for school to begin. Here are a few shots from his first day....

Those gates are heavy. I love this shot.

In front of the loft where they can go to look at books and hang out with the Jesus doll (which Mason said looked scary and that he didn't like him).

It took about 30 seconds to find the truck/car area...

Here he is looking at me as I'm leaving...all smiles!

So in other news this week, he is fully potty trained even at night...well at least so far. He's been using the potty casually thru the summer. But in last couple of weeks, in preparation for school, I began being more consistent and he picked out some big boy underwear. It took several days to convince him the cars go on the back. He came out of room time a few times having turned them around to have the cars on front so he could see them! Quite a site....baggy in the front and his butt cheeks hanging out in the back. Sometimes he'll ask me to go into the bathroom so he can see them in the mirror! He's had several accident free days now. He's not great at letting me know when he has to pee but if I set him in there, he'll go every time. He will tell me if he has to poop though. So the other night, I ran out of pull ups and thought, oh well, let's see what happens. He woke up dry and has been for the last 3 nights.

In addition to preschool and underwear, he has also transitioned to a big boy race car bed. He LOVES cars. Originally, I had planned to put him straight into a full bed but decided not to rush it. And we knew he'd love the car bed. I got it off Craigslist. So with a new car bed, comes a new car rug from Target and new car bedding. I also have some Cars wall stickers that will go up around his bed.

He thinks is he quite cool....and he is!

So all in a week's time, I feel like he has grown up on me......SIGH......

Big Day....The Big "K"....

2010-08-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

My baby is off to Kindergarten!! She was very excited and had her clothes laid out and backpack ready to go last night. We dropped off Madalyn first and then I waited with Mackenzie till they kicked out the parents. She did great. She had lots of questions and was a bit concerned she would forget the room number. She came home after "meet the teacher" on Friday and wrote it down on a piece of paper. She carried that piece of paper around all weekend and then tucked into her name tag pouch that hangs around her neck. The only problem she might have is opening her thermos, so we'll see.....

Walking from the lunchroom with her class. She is bolder and more confident than Madalyn in certain things and had no problem lining up with class and going with the flow.

BFFs

Striking a pose...

My sweet Madalyn....still teary on the first days of school. She is in a new building this year and is easily overwhelmed. She is also easily embarrassed so it creates a conflict for her between wanting to cry and not wanting to let people see her cry. But I told her I'd be home later today to hear about her day and she was able to pull it together enough for me to take Mackenzie to her class. I went back and peeked in on her and she was saying the Pledge and doing ok.

Mason joined us and had to carry his Thomas backpack as well. He starts preschool in two weeks and is so excited.....

A Day in the Life...

2010-07-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

A typical summer day for us....pool, popsicles, and play time.

Do you see the shadow of his eyelashes?

Goofball.

Upgraded Birthday....

2010-07-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

The 26th was my birthday, 41. My brother and sister-in-law, Tim and Jen, offered to take the kids for a weekend so off they went to Jax and Matt and I had the weekend to ourselves. Sooo nice. We spent the night at the beach, lots of quiet reading time, meals uninterrupted, and an adult dinner with friends to celebrate. Then on Sunday, we went appliance shopping "just to see what's out there". We've been talking about getting new appliances since we moved into this house. I wanted stainless and Matt really wanted a fridge with the the freezer at the bottom. So we found a great deal and the next day I had new stuff in the kitchen!! I have to say I LOVE them. I feel like quite the big girl in the kitchen now with my new oven with a convection option. Baked a cake for the 4th. The fridge has an alarm on it so if the kids leave it open, it starts to beep. The shelves slide out and we now have this cool LED lighting in the fridge. Our last one didn't have light at all so we were constantly struggling to see things. Anyway, happy happy birthday to me!!

Love my Paula Deen apron!

My Big Girl...

2010-06-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Madalyn's front teeth have been wiggly for months. A week ago we were at the dentist and he said they would be coming out very soon. Two days last Friday, she lost the first one. She worked on it and worked on it till, quite frankly, I was grossed out. Out it came and the tooth fairy showed up as expected.

Then just yesterday, five days later, the second one came out. It was hanging from a thread for two days. We all tried pulling on it. My friend Tara popped over and pulled it with one little yank...whatever. Anyway, my toothless girl is adorable. The dentist warned me she would look so much older.

Well, adorable most days....goofy here.

Flying High....

2010-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

We were looking for something to do on Saturday. We had wanted to go to the beach but the day got away from us and it felt like too much to pack us all up with food and gear. Matt and I remembered how before we had kids, he and I went to the beach to fly kites and had a great time. So we loaded up the kids, stopped at Walmart for the $1 kites and off we went. We ended up with a "Piderman", Ariel, and Barbie. It was a great late afternoon activity. But man, still scorching at the beach at 5pm. So here's us having fun.....

There was no way you were going to fly his kite for him.

I just love love this face...

Getting a little help from Daddy...

Kenzie showing Matt the dead crabs she found...

We said "don't get wet"......yeah, right.

Blueberry Pickin'

2010-05-22T13:50:00.001-07:00

We always miss the fall season of picking your own apples and pumpkins but here in Florida you can pick your own strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. We found a "pick your own" blueberry farm about an hour away called Blue Bayou Farm. So we packed up for a mini road trip and off we went. Madalyn will eat an entire pint of blueberries in one sitting so she LOVES them.

Off with buckets in hand.....

Guilty as sin I think. He didn't get the concept of not eating them before you pay for them. We should have done a weigh in on him before we started and then after to get an accurate account of what he ate!

There he is again.....

We ended the afternoon with a picnic in some park we found along the way. Oh, by the way, we picked almost 6 lbs of blueberries. I'll be freezing some for pancakes, blueberry crisp, and muffins....YUMMY.

Mother's Day

2010-05-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

Matt surprised me with a weekend at the Dolphin Hotel and this was my view from the comfy hammock I settled into. It was the most relaxing weekend I've had in a long time. We played for hours in the pool, enjoyed the sun, but mostly I just enjoyed being with my hubby and my bugs.

This is a huge checkers board. Madalyn is beginning to learn strategy...

My Joy Girl.

My Handsome boy couldn't get enough of the pool.

Sweetness.

And for whatever reason, they're aren't any pics of just Matt but if there were, the caption would be "The Love of my Life". Thanks Honey. I really had a great time.......

Georgia Part 3.....

2010-05-01T02:10:00.000-07:00

Mason is at that age where he is obsessed with trains. The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway would open its season right after we were leaving so we were bummed to have missed it. But we took the kids down by the train to take some pics. Mason was so excited.

Like the rain boots, by the way?

Bigger than life for this little guy.

Loves choo choo tracks.

He got a new train that makes noise in lieu of riding it and was happy with that.

After visiting the train, we headed out to find a suspension bridge we had read about. It was off some little country access road that was described as "a 3 mile bumpy trip". Now remember we are in a rental minivan. We found it and headed on up. It remains the talk between Matt and I. It was a one lane, curvy, muddy, hold your breath kind of trip. But once we began we were sort of commited...lol. We made it to the top and it was worth it.

A long view. It was pretty solid but did move as you walked across it. The views were pretty in either direction.

A sepia shot.....

So, remember I said it was muddy? We were nervous about the trip down and making jokes the whole way. Seriously, if we had ran into someone coming the other way, not sure what we would have done. The snow was melting so some places were muddy, particularly the turns. We were sure we were going to get stuck but in the end, all was well. However, you can see the mud up on the sideview mirror that had been kicked up onto the van. Later when we got out, red streaks of mud were splattered all over the white minivan. We were glad to be in a rental at that point!

We then headed up to Amicalola State Park to see the waterfall. It is also the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. A beautiful state park.

My handsome dude.

A cabin in the mountains is proving to be my favorite kind of vacation......

Kenzie Loses a Tooth!

2010-04-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

She has been working this for a couple of weeks anxiously awaiting for it to fall out. She could not have been more excited. She was diligent in putting in a baggie for the Tooth Fairy so she could more easily find it. The Fairy left $2 and she decided to save it, for what, I don't know. Madalyn couldn't spend her quick enough...lol.

Itty bitty....

So proud!

This is just part of how Mackenzie has matured over the last six months or so. Can't believe she will start Kindergarten this fall. She is still (and will always be) my baby.....

Fashion and Declarations....

2010-04-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

So Mason couldn't find his crocs so he insisted on wearing his next favorite, his rain boots. Then we ventured outside to play and this was his get up including a helmet that is way too small. He didn't care.

The girls had to get in on the photo shoot.

In other random news, Madalyn wrote this a few days on her chore board, "Hello Welcome to the Prostak Family! I wanted to put this sign up because we love God and Jesus". This is hanging on our fridge just as you enter our house from the garage. That's my sweet girl and her heart for Jesus.....

Easter....

2010-04-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

We had a very relaxing Easter day as a family, low key and quiet. Not much to say really. We went to church and had an egg hunt afterwards. The kids came home to see that the Easter bunny had been through to leave them their baskets. The girls loved their zhu zhu pets and Mason got a Hot Wheel door ramp thingy. We colored eggs later that day and finished with a Polish dinner. Matt's entire family is Polish and he loved Easter and all the traditional food. So we had fresh keilbasa and peirogies from this Polish deli, braised red cabbage, and sweet bread. Very tasty! Here are some highlights.....

Hope you all had a sweet time with your families as we remembered and celebrated that Christ is Risen!

Georgia Part 2....

2010-04-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

So I haven't uploaded Easter pics yet so we'll revisit our vacation......

So it was our first morning in the cabin. Still cold with snow on the ground. I was getting my bearings around the kitchen and found a Mickey waffle maker. I think I was more excited than the kids were. So I surprised them each with a slice of home before they headed out to collect "things" in their bags with Matt. What "things" I wasn't sure but they each asked for a bag.

Ready to go exploring. Kenzie insisted on not pulling the hat down over her ears, crazy girl.

Then we decided to do some fishing. When I say our cabin was "right" on the water, I mean we went outside and threw our line over our deck. Matt was very excited to fish although we had no success. We didn't know what we were doing but the guy at the Honda dealership, Ed, gave me a quick tutorial....and I quote..."You go up there to the Super Walmart and get yourself some number 8 hooks and some number 5 split shots. You put those splits about 12 inches up from your hook. Then you git yourself some of the Magic Bait. It comes in all colors but neon yellow is my favorite". Seriously? And this is the guy we trusted with our vehicle?? In any case.....

I just love this pic!

Little Brown Buddy, his occasional nickname, has trouble throwing his line over but he found some buckets and had just as much fun.

She is more like me, likes it for about 5 minutes or less, and moves onto something else. Now Kenzie would be a much better fishing partner.

Later we went hiking.....

A mama bear and her cubs...

The waterfall at Falls Branch Falls....

Courtesy of Mackenzie.

More adventures to come...........

Celebrate....

2010-04-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Georgia on our minds.....part 1

2010-03-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Daddy

So two weeks ago, we packed up and headed to Blue Ridge, GA where we rented this adorable shabby chic cabin. We were very excited about vacation, relaxing, reading, and "hiking" (you know, the kind you do with 3 little kids). We split up the driving since we left on Friday afternoon. We stay in a hotel in Cordele GA for the night. We came back after dinner to find that the room next to ours had been driven through by a car. Yep, window crushed inward, wall smashed, and yellow tape wrapped around the area. Apparently, a woman was standing in front of the window backing in her husband and he hit the gas, drove up over the parking bumper AND curb and pinned her. It was unclear whether this was accidental but this is how our week began. Not a good sign......

Keeping busy during the drive.....The next morning we headed out and figured we'd be in our cabin by noon.

We were wrong. Remember what I said about "not a good sign"? Well, we got just outside of Atlanta when the van broke down. Transmission. Cha-Ching!! So here are the kids hanging out behind the guard rail as we wait for our tow truck and for Enterprise to come pick us up. We were quite a site....broken down van, two white parents, two Chinese kids, and a black kid all sitting on the side of the road.

We sat there about 90 minutes before being rescued. The van was towed to the Honda dealer a few exits down and we rode off in a rented Dodge Caravan, for a small fee. News on the van would come a couple days later. We had a bad feeling that our cheap vacation had just turned into a very expensive one. What are you gonna do? The kids were quite enthralled watching the van being loaded up. On the road again......come on....sing along.....

So we get to our very cute cabin and much to our surprise and excitement, find snow on the ground and on the deck. The kids have never seen snow and we all were so excited! We had enough to make snowballs. Mason wasn't sure what to do with it.

Touching snow for the first time!

Gathering for a collective effort snowman.

This was the best we could do with the leftover snow on the deck.

Not sure who was more excited, Matt and I, or the kids!

Snow ball fight......

Here's my sweet girl journaling about her first day of vacation. It had been very eventful so far. She was excited to have her own little girly room.

Mason slept on a futon and did just great, only fell out once.....thud.

And here's Kenz content in her own space with her Leapster.

That's it for now. I took over 500 pics so this is To Be Continued. I'm headed out for a cropping weekend so you'll have to wait till next week..........

Tonight's Dinner...

2010-02-21T15:39:00.001-08:00

Tonight I made a roasted pork tenderloin with root veggies (carrots, potatoes, and parsnips) along with butternut squash drizzled with butter and brown sugar. After I cleaned everything and put it away, Mackenzie comes to me and says, "Mama, your pork rocks! Can I have more?". She cracks me up. Love it when they love what I make for them......

Year of the Tiger

2010-02-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!!

Or Happy New Year in Chinese! We celebrate every year and always look forward to it. On Saturday, we began celebrating at the 1st Oriental Supermarket where they have a lion dance, a martial arts demo, and its finished with some Japanese drumming, our favorite. Then we go into the grocery store and buy a bunch of stuff, some we need, some we don't. We stock up on Asian cooking supplies and always let the kids pick out some candy and look at the live fish waiting to meet their fate.

Kenzie has the best seat!

The lions used to scare the kids. Funny story about lion statues....there is a strip club not far from our house (I know, lovely). Outside it has these two lion-like statues by the doors. The girls just alwasy associate these with all things Chinese. They will frequently ask, "Why can't we go to that Chinese restaurant? We never go there." We just tell them we don't like that one..lol.

Martial Arts Demo

Japanese drumming

Then we met up with our friends, Jeff and Tina and their kids, Eli and Naomi for dinner. Naomi is also from China and they go to our church. The kids had fun and the owner there is always very nice to us and loves the kids.

General Tso's is the kids' favorite, mild of course.

We finished the weekend with some home cooking and a little lantern lighting. The girls enjoyed setting the table with our Chinese decor.

Chow time....peanut chicken, egg rolls, Chinese cabbage, and peanut lo mein.

Madalyn loves egg rolls...

The highlight is using chopsticks. Even Mason got in on it!

So may this year bring you prosperity, good luck, and love but more importantly, God's blessings.....

KitchenAid Lovin'......

2010-02-13T08:17:00.001-08:00

About 10 days ago, Matt came home and surprised me with a red, 5-QT, KitchenAid Stand Mixer!! I about died. I was so excited and he was just as excited to give it to me. He has been chomping at the bit to give me whatever he had hidden in the trunk. I had been forbidden to go into it for a couple of weeks at this point. Oh, and I just LOVE that it is RED! I feel very fancy with my new mixer. So the first thing I made was a homemade bread recipe from the KitchenAid book.....

I made a simple white bread recipe to start off with.

There it is, working hard!

The dough is beginning to come together...

After letting it rise for a hour, punching and separating it into two loaves, and letting it rise another hour, it was ready for the oven...

And there you have it! Two really yummy loaves of good ole fashioned white bread. I didn't have appropriate loaf pans but maybe next time.

Slap a little, or a lot, of butter on it and ENJOY!

Thanks Honey, I love it and I love you!

A Whole Year....

2010-02-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe, but its true. A year ago today, we met Mason in the Holt Care Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A year of waiting, paperwork, anticipation, planning, and family adjustments all culminated in the joy of adding a son to our mix. We were jet lagged after about 20 hours of travel but you wouldn't have known it. We walked in with six other families and couldn't wait to get our hands on him. My favorite moment of the entire trip will always be how they brought him down the stairs and set him down. We caught his eye and he put up his sweet hand and waved to us. It took my breath away. We would spend the next couple of days getting to know him and his routine. I can't say enough about the nannies that cared for him. They loved him as their own and were broken hearted to him go. I tear up thinking about their sadness.

It has been a great year and he has blended in without any concern on our part. We tell all our kids that being adopted means they were picked special by God to be in our family and he is no exception. He just fits.

Here are some highlights from that first day.....

We love you Mason and couldn't picture our lives without you!

My baby gets a haircut!

2010-01-20T06:45:00.000-08:00

So the day has come. Kenzie got a haircut. I know. You're wondering why not before this. Well, we just loved her hair and I never wanted to cut it. So it is, that she had her first haircut at 5. And we loved the golden highlights at the end of her hair. But she began asking to get her hair cut so because of that, I took her a couple of weeks ago. She was very excited.

The before shot......see those pretty highlights?

Could not have been happier...felt like a big girl.

There is the first cut.

I know. You're thinking "that's it? What's the big deal? Her hair is still long." It is. But she just feels older to me somehow. So that's it. It's done. And she loves it.

Melkam Genna!

2010-01-10T17:24:00.001-08:00

Thursday was Christmas or Genna in Ethiopia. We celebrated today with traditional food at the Ethiopian restaurant along with about 40 others from our potluck group. Ethiopian food is served on a large platter to be shared. You do not use utensils but rather pick up the food with injera. Injera is served with every meal and it is thin, and is a bit lemony and sour. It also lines the platter in the above picture. We had a sampling of items including Dora Wat, the bbq looking dish in the middle of the plate, a few other meat dishes, greens, and some other veggies. The Dora Wat is spicy and delicious, my favorite. The girls don't love the food as it tends to be very flavorable and sometimes spicy. Mason liked a few things.....

This is the owner of the Nile, Abby. She is from Ethiopia and is roasting coffee beans to complete our meal with a coffee ceremony.

Goofing around.....

This is the coffee served is these itty bitty cups along with popcorn. The popcorn? I have no idea.

Not much else going on around here. We are settling back into the routine of school mornings and the kids are enjoying their new toys from Christmas. If your not a weather freak like me, you may not know that we have had freezing temps for the last week. It has been a record weeks of temps both during the day and night. On Saturday, many places close to us actually got snow flakes....not kidding. I have loved this weather. The girls....not so much as they don't like wearing pants and fight me every morning. They want to wear skirts when its 29 degrees out...good grief.

So Melkam Genna or Merry Christmas (or something like that translation) again......

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T11:42:00.001-08:00

Well, there has been lots of excitement this year. We are in Jacksonville with my parents and brother and sister in law. Not much to say really, seems a bit self explanatory. I'm a bit under the weather but wanted to show you the highlights.........

Sweet moment on Christmas Eve with Daddy.

Our tradition of reading Twas the Night Before Christmas....

Dying to dig in....

Mason loves his dump truck....

She's been asking for Webkinz for a while now....

And Madalyn asked for a cupcake maker and cake bakery

Aunt Jennifer bought Kenzie an American Girl Bitty Baby and matching jammies.

Mason enjoying his first Christmas!

Every year, Matt takes the girls to the dollar store and they pick out gifts for everyone. Tim got a new hat and shades this year........

Madalyn using the cupcake maker....

A lucky mama...

My handsome little dude.....

So from our family to yours, have a Merry Christmas as we welcome the birth of a Baby that changed it all.............

Ho Ho Ho....

2009-12-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

I like this particular Santa because he is outside and this night was especially cold so it felt Christmasy for sure. We were at a park area where they do a Christmas tree lighting with fireworks and such. I know, fireworks, weird but whatever. We weren't sure how Mason would do as he doesn't yet like the Disney characters. But he walked right up with the girls as if he knew what he was doing. The girls were very excited, especially Madalyn. She is the one who insists on waiting in line. She asked Matt if they could get in line and being the good dad he is, agreed and waited an hour and a half. He was a good Santa and took time with them.

Discussing lists and wishes.........

OMG, love this. He is so stinkin cute!

Till next year's visit.........and to all a good night.......

Making a List.....

2009-12-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

This is Madalyn's Christmas list......anything you can't figure out? Some of her requests cracked us up....uh, no, you're not getting a tv in your room!

Sweet and Seven Part 2....

2009-12-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

So the celebrating continued this past weekend. I'm trying to get away from the big parties every year so I went more simple this year. She decided to go bowling as a family and then we just had a couple of friends over later for cake. The kids had never been bowling before and it had been a few years since Matt and I had gone. We all had a great time.

Madalyn was very excited to be seven and I can really see her beginning to mature in a whole new way. She likes to play jokes on you, play games, do "girl time on mama's bed", draw, write stories, and ride her new bike. She is definitely the most thoughtful and sensitive of my kids. She is tender hearted towards others and is a friend to anyone. I just love her heart. And she loves God with all the simplicity and innocence of a child.
So for the highlights of our day.............

Can't remember what precipitated this but I love catching the moment.

This would be Kenzie trying to "lean" her bowling ball towards the desired direction.

Mason helping Pap pa go for a strike.

Matt doing his thing with the bowling ball as any good Polock would....

Tim has done a bit more bowling than us....

Me and my girl

Gigi and Pap pa bought her new boots which she now wants to wear everywhere!

Love this shot. This is her new bike. She learned to ride about 3 weeks ago. It has been fun to watch her confidence grow. She has been on it daily.

Daddy keeping guard.....

The Birthday Girl! By the way, I tried my hand at making fondant and it turned out pretty well. I went simple with making a wrapped present. I made marshmallow fondant which was easy and tasted good. More on this later...........

Another birthday gone, how can it be? We love her so and are grateful for her in our lives. She is hard to resist. Happy Birthday Big Girl.....we love you!

Seven and Sweet.....

2009-11-29T17:26:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Madalyn turned 7. Seems she has experienced a few milestones in the past few months. She has lost a few teeth and recently learned how to ride her bike. We spent the day at Disney as a family and we will celebrate with friends this coming weekend. Like Mackenzie, she received a Disney gift card and couldn't wait to shop. She had been considering her options for a several weeks now as she anticipated her birthday. Notice the above "before" pic and see the "after" pic below:

My girl is decked out!! She purchased a new Minnie hat, those fancy red hair ties, the multi-colored pin strap, a pin, a pen, two necklaces, and a 3 pack of lollipops to share. She is definitely my fashionista, or at least the one who cares more about it and seems to be more intentional about what she wears. Oh, and that is a Birthday button she is wearing courtesy of the Mouse.

Proud of her selections!

She looks so cute in a hat, I love this pic. She is my sweet, tendered hearted girl. She had a bit of an attitude at some point throughout the day. After some dialogue between her and I, she sat quietly. As we headed out of the park, she handed me a note that she had written on the back on the tag attached to one of her necklaces. It said, "I love mom. I'm sary I have ben rood to you. Do you forgif me?" She makes a mama's heart melt I tell ya.

Ok, so her favorite part of the weekend was that I surprised her by taking her to get her ears pierced. Yep, made the leap. She had been asking for several months. At first, I felt like I needed to wait till it was a more important birthday, like 10 or 13. Not sure what I mean by important since all birthdays are special but anyway. I decided it would mean most to her when she was really requesting it so off we went!

The prep.

The after shot, trying to look happy and excited but had just finished crying. I had been preparing for a little while. When I first told her what we were doing, she was excited for about 2 minutes and then burst into tears as she considered the pain. I totally gave her the option to pierce or not to pierce. But after a night's sleep, she woke up around 6:30am asking me if we could leave now to go to the mall. She had made her decision.

And there it is......a sweet pink flower with a diamond-like center. We spent the next couple of hours at the mall and she kept seeing all the grown up earrings and asked me if she could get those. I mean, like, huge, dangley, fancy earrings! Oh boy.....

Stay tuned for more pics and more about why I love her............

Food Friday

2009-11-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

It is supposed to be a beautiful week here weather wise. This is the time of the year we live for here and we will spend a lot of time outside. Should be a good week...and I have a girls weekend coming up next weekend. My friends Becky and Tara and I are heading to St Augustine for a couple of days.

Anyway, here's what I have for this week.....

Friday: quesadillas with a variety of fillings
homemade black bean/corn salsa, guacamole and chips

Saturday: we'll be at Disney with friends from our Ethiopian travel group so we'll eat there

Sunday: we have an Ethiopian potluck so they'll be lots of stuff. I'm taking chili and cornbread

Monday: herbed boneless pork chops
mashed taters
cauliflower

Tuesday: tacos with all the fixin's

Wednesday: spicy orange chicken stir fry with green beans
rice
egg rolls

Thursday: Matt's day, maybe hot dogs and tots?

Now back to enjoying the weather................

Mackenzie's 5th Birthday...

2009-11-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

This month is probably our busyest every year. So much going on and so much to celebrate that I'm just now returning to Kenzie's birthday. It turned into a birthday weekend really which can be the norm around here. So we had a little party on Saturday to have some cake and open presents. We were supposed to go eat dinner with Cinderella but they lost our reservation for that day. Luckily, after an hour on the phone, we were able to reschedule for the next day. So it gave her time to just play with her new things. My family was here and we went out for Chinese food. She had a great time and really seemed to enjoy her birthday this year. She can be shy and very uncomfortable with lots of attention. But this year, she seemed less embarrased and more willing to be in the spotlight. I really can't believe she is five. While we have Mason, she still seems like my baby. She loves this and probably feeds off my vibe but most days I don't mind. I am acutely aware of how darn fast it goes. Just yesterday, we were picking her up in China.....

She kept reminding me not forget the candles...

Our birthday Girl!

She asked for this particular baby and you can see her joy in opening it...

She is definitely my little mama.

Her new baby carriage given by GiGi and Pap pa. She also got baby bunk beds and a nursery center.

This cracks me up. We were waiting outside of the Grand Floridian and getting ready to eat with Cinderella.

The princess herself....and Cinderella too. While she has a Cinderella dress, she insisted on wearing her Minnie dress....might have been those fancy shoes she bought just days earlier!

Drizella, the mean stepsister.

The mean stepmother!

Looking on as they dance a waltz. I love this pic because it just represents every little girls dream of one day dancing with her prince. My prayer for her is for her heart to always stay tender and allow hope to exist.

Ok, this was hysterical. How could I not post this?

Mama's girl.

The kids with my parents....

Happy Birthday big girl! We love you so much!

Boo.....

2009-11-01T06:27:00.001-08:00

So here's my crew. Mason had no problem catching on to how this works. By door 3, he was clearly saying the magic words to prompt the appropriate drop of candy into his bucket. The girls really had fun this year. Matt took them as I am sick with a head cold and they went with our neighbors. Mason's only issue was realizing he couldn't take his "pu-kin" into his crib with him. We settled on sitting it on his dresser so he could see the glow sticks. Now for the dreaded days to follow of trying to limit their candy intake.........

Matt's creation.

My sweet Minnie...

Meow.....

Arrrrgh......

Minnie's loot.....

My black cat satisfied with her stash....

And well, he isn't sure what to think......

Welcome.........

Madalyn Made Me a Mama.....

2009-10-27T18:02:00.001-07:00

Six years ago today. She was placed in our arms at exactly 11 months old. Wow. She is the baby that made me a mama, made us parents for the first time. She was delightful. She was quiet and reserved but didn't grieve in the same way as Kenzie did, less traumatic. We later learned that she had been taken from her foster mama two weeks ahead of us getting her while Mackenzie had been removed just that same morning. She began bonding quickly to us. I had so much fun dressing her and making her cute. She was just this itty bitty thing, only 15 lbs when we brought her home. She had these tiny, petite features and just the sweetest smile with one tooth. Those early days in the hotel in Wuhan were some of the sweetest ever for Matt and I. We were first time parents, excited, nervous. But we knew she was ours, that God had picked her specifically for us. Its funny because the day after you are given your baby, you go back to complete the official paperwork with civil affairs. One of the questions they ask is, "are you sure this is the baby for you?". What?? You couldn't have pried her from our arms with any amount of force. Of course she was ours. We had been in love for months with the idea of her, then her sweet referral picture, and now, the very essence of her......

Our Gotcha Moment. Love how she is checking out Dada.

She was so serious. Proud Dada.

Oh, those fingers.....they were in her mouth from the minute we had her. Her two sweet little fingers. They still find their way into her mouth in the middle of the night.

There she is....the One Tooth Wonder. Do you see it? This was our first breakfast together.

Love this pic....

Matt picked out that little stuffed lamb for her and she still occasionally sleeps with it and understands that Daddy picked it for her.

She had a sweet and warm disposition.

We spent Halloween in China.

One of my favorite pics.

This was a common scene.....as Americans, you draw quite a curious crowd wherever you go.

Madalyn Grace Xiao....how we love you. She is our sweet, tender-hearted, intuitive, thoughtful, creative, bossy, fashion conscience, friend to everyone, girl. My first born, my first dream come true...........

Four Years Ago.....

2009-10-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

It was four years ago today that we held Mackenzie for the first time. We had been in China for a few days previous to help us and Madalyn adjust to the time change. We spent time in Hong Kong before going to Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province where both the girls are from. We had a large travel group but the best part was that we got to travel with another family that we had traveled with the first time to get Madalyn. They live in Colorado and we are very close. Our oldest girls are from the same city and our youngest girls are from the same city and even have the same birthday. It is a true red thread connection.

I can't believe its been 4 years already. I'd do it over and over again. While Mackenzie grieved significantly during those first few days, she was all smiles and bonding well to us as we headed home. That first 24 hours were hard and emotional. She just wailed for the first couple of hours. She refused to eat or take a bottle but this all began to change in the days to come. She began to smile and giggle and was very attached to her white bunny that we now call Tu Tu. This was a stuffed animal we had sent to her in a care package before going to China. It was clear it had been given to her and she loved it. It was of great comfort to her. She was our sweet butterball of a baby and had this spikey little hair do that I just loved. Before leaving China, she was beginning to respond to her new name and had learned the game, "So Big". However, we still call her by her Chinese nickname, Kang Kang, or Kenzie Kang. There is so much I could say about this day and those early weeks but after a weekend of celebrating her 5th birthday, I am pooped. I took time out from birthday posting to remember one of the best days of our lives and wanted to share it all with you. Enjoy some of my favorite moments and pics from those two weeks in China bringing home our free-spirited, joy-filled, spunky, sassy, beautiful Kenzie.......

Our Gotcha moment...... Madalyn was soo sweet with her and quickly gave her a hug.

Tears of joy....our first family photo....Mackenzie is wondering why all the Chinese people are leaving.... I love this pic both for the memorable moment of becoming a family of four as well as for the look of sadness on Kenzie's face. I knew she had been well loved and was grateful.

First smiles after an afternoon of endless tears and grieving. She wasn't too sure of Matt and he had left to go get us some dinner.

Our roly poly girl......

These jammies bring back such sweet memories for me.

We're off to go shopping... but she is already fashionable in her checkered beret....

One of my favorite early pics.....big sister doing little sister's hair.

Some sweetness with Dada.....she is coming around a bit now. Less tears, more smiles.

Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan. She couldn't walk yet but was pretty proud to be standing. Lord, she was just yummy.

How lucky we are....

One day in the park across from our hotel. She loved being outside and hated the hotel room. She would cry every time we entered the room but couldn't be more happy to be outside.

East Lake Park, a Wuhan treasure and maybe our favorite place in Wuhan.

Sweet, sweet Mackenzie Paige Kang.....we love you.

A Girl and her Shoes.....

2009-10-23T03:38:00.000-07:00

Since we have Disney passes and get in free anyway on our birthdays, Disney allows you to get a gift card in the amount of a ticket. So yesterday being Mackenzie's birthday, we went to Magic Kingdom for a little shopping, $68 worth. These beauties were the first things she went for.....bright, shiny, patent vinyl Minnie shoes!! I don't think she could have felt fancier!

Her other purchases included a Minnie Mouse, a pin strap with a new Tinkerbell pin for trading, and a Tinkerbell polly pocket sort of thing.

A Princess for sure............

We love you beautiful girl..........more to come...........

How Is It????

2009-10-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

That my joyous Mackenzie is turning 5 today??? She is still my baby for sure. She would stay my baby for as long as I let her! Four years ago today, we were in China waiting to meet her for the first time. On Sunday we will celebrate her adoption day. It goes by so fast and 5 feels like a big deal. We have a few things planned over the next couple of days but today we started off with breakfast with mommy. When I asked her where she wanted to go, she said, "McDonald's". Really?, I thought. Then she got more specific and said she wanted to go to the McDonald's IN Walmart!! Seriously? So off we went to have pancakes and do some shopping to make her cake. She is so easily pleased and couldn't have been more excited. Stay tuned for lots of fun to come..........

Ten Years.....

2009-10-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

On October 9, Matt and I celebrated 10 years! We had originally talked about going back to San Fran since we honeymooned there but then decided to adopt again and didn't want to leave the kids for that long. We debated for a while on what to do and where to go. We decided on Savannah. We love Savannah. We went there for our 2nd anniversary and had a great time. We've driven through a couple of times to grab lunch. So last weekend, we dropped off the kids at my parents' house and off we went!! There were so many highlights....the quiet should we choose it, uninterrupted meals, not hearing Mama and Dada a gazillion times, awesome food, long walks, and then there were the gifts. We were both very surprised at what we each received. I bought Matt motorcycle riding lessons from Harley and he surprised me with a set of beautiful pearls...REAL ones :o). He's been talking about learning to ride for months and I wasn't real excited to say the least. But I knew he'd love it and be jacked up about it. My pearls are stunning and I feel very pretty in them. Thanks Honey!

Vic's on the River was a place we found on one of our drive thru visits. It's right on the river and they have delicious food. However, the best thing are the Fried Green Tomatoes! Yep, absolutely one of the best things we've ever eaten. My mouth is watering. We ate here both days for lunch and had them on each visit. And we had to get our own since we weren't really willing to share....lol.

This is our Bed and Breakfast, the Dresser Palmer House. It's two blocks from Forsyth Park and just beautiful.

This is our private entrance to our room called "Wisteria". Very romantic and secluded.

Our room. It had exposed brick on both the walls and the floor, really beautiful.

Classic Savannah street, Ivy covered stairs, lots of shade and history.

We went to Elizabeth's on 37th for our anniversary dinner. It comes highly recommended and is in the "1,000 Places to See Before you Die" book. Again, just delicious food, fancy schmancy.

The fountain at Forsyth Park.

Where does ten years go? It's been the best decade of my life. I am one very lucky girl! It was the perfect weekend and we can't wait to do it again. Savannah is romantic, full of history and stories, quaint, and the people are just delightful and pleasant. You must try it if you've never been there. Where we will go in another ten years?? How did you celebrate your 10th??

Boys........

2009-10-03T17:43:00.001-07:00

When we decided we were going to adopt again and request a boy, Matt started collecting Hot Wheels for Mason. He had also saved quite a few from when he was a boy. He would come home from the store with 2 or 3 new ones a couple of times a week. Not to be a party pooper, but one day I said, "honey, what if he isn't into cars?". His answer was short and sweet and spoken with an unwavering confidence, "he will be". I privately hoped so. Well, not to Matt's surprise but certainly to his delight (if that's the right word for a guy), Mason LOVES cars. Its rare he is without one in his hand and he always sleeps with one in his crib. Car and NiNi. More about NiNi later. When he isn't walking around with one, he is lining them up. He will line them up with such precision and if he bumps one putting another one in line, he patiently and gently puts it back in place. He does this pretty regularly but this day cracked me up. He was running his line UNDER the couch! I was amazed at his diligence and determination. He does love his cars..........

You like it?

This is a normal shot of our living room on any given day.....

"Toot"

2009-09-13T08:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Mason!! So when you ask him how old he is, he puts up two fingers and says, "Toot". It cracks us up. This was his first experience with cake and presents and he loved it. His favorite activity right now is playing with hot wheels, thus the theme. He loves to line them up and usually takes one to bed with him. We kept things small with just a few friends and family. We swam, ate pizza, and opened presents. He received all things boy, wood blocks, mega blocks, race track, and a basketball hoop or ba-ket ball as our friend Jake says.

I have enjoyed making the kids' cakes over the most recent birthdays but now I'm wanting to take some lessons on how to frost and such.

It took a few tries but he managed to blow the candles out, complete with a very long string of spit deposited on it for everyone's enjoyment. A collective "eewww" was heard by all.

Evidence he enjoyed every bite.

However, the most fun probably came during the opening of presents. The tissue paper beat out the toys by a landslide, at least initially.

NBA bound?

One well loved, handsome dude with Gigi, Pap-pa, Uncle Tim and Aunt Jennifer.

I can't believe he is two already. My kids' birthdays are always reasons for celebration and they sometimes turn into birthday weekends. But there is always this quiet moment of sadness for me first thing in the morning as I think about their birth moms. How grateful I am to them for their ultimate sacrifice that has brought us such joy and how I grieve for them and their loss. How I know they are missing out and how lucky Matt and I are as a result. If only she could see this and know how happy and loved he is. So, thank you sweet woman for allowing us the privilege of raising Mason Israel. He is well loved indeed.

Happy Birthday Handsome Boy!! We love you.

Israel.....

2009-09-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Three lovebugs all referred within a week (different years of course). A year ago today we were told we would have a son. His name was Israel and he was just 4 days short of his first birthday.
We were a bit sad we would miss this but so excited to see his pictures. The one above is the first one we received. It was the only one initially and it wasn't the best quality. We strained to see the details of his face. I couldn't wait to see his eyes. Ethiopians tend to have these big eyes. He was so handsome with that cocoa skin. The girls thought it was funny that he had on pink pants. He was in Durame, an area about 6 hours from the capital of Addis Ababa. We had no idea just how well he was being cared. But once we got there 5 months later, we knew he had been well loved on. Unlike for the girls, we learned some about his history including information on his birthmom but those details we will keep private. That is his story so we want to give him the choice of sharing or not. Wow, he just got cuter and cuter and I had no idea how much fun he would be. It's funny because we always wonder what our kids will be like and every time, it just seems God picked the perfect one for us and for our family. The pics below are ones we received along the way as we waited to travel.

There's those big beautiful eyes I spoke about.....

I didn't like this one initially. I thought he looked sad. But it grew on me the more I looked at it and it is now one of my favorites. He was a serious baby when we met him. Not the case now, quite the ham........yummy. Mason Israel..........

His birthday is this weekend so stay tuned for birthday fun...........

Lin Xiao

2009-09-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

I tear up every time I see my kids' referral pics but this one.......oh, tears might actually fall. This is Madalyn Grace Xiao and it was 6 years ago today that we first saw her beautiful face. This is our first baby, the baby who made me a mama. We had waited 10 1/2 months for our referral (nothing compared to the wait now in China). In April/May of 03, SARS hit and the adoption process was put on hold in China for 5 weeks. We were devastated. We thought this would extend our wait but it actually sped things up. God works that way ya know. We weren't expecting our referral till January 04 but because they were backed up in China, they worked hard to catch up. I was at work that day and Matt received the call. He called me at met me at work and we opened our "present" privately and in the secrecy of my office. I will be honest and say I fretted about whether she would be cute. I have fretted about all my kids. Not that it would have mattered, you know. But boy, when we opened her pic, we couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She just looked angelic to me. And I LOVED her lips. We also thought it was appropriate that she had a Mickey in her basket. We have always wondered if that was intentional on China's part since they knew she was being referred to a family in Orlando. The other funny thing is that China overdresses their kids. They look all bundled up and when we got our hands on her, she was a peanut. I guess you could say getting your referral is like getting the ultrasound pics, but with a lot more detail...lol. Anyway, it's a sweet, sweet day for us as we remember "The Call" for Lin Xiao,which means smile and small. More to come on our journey to get her in the six weeks that followed this day..............

Mei Fu Kang

2009-09-03T04:59:00.000-07:00

It was 4 years ago today that we got "The Call" for Mackenzie. "The Call", in the world of adoption, is how you learn about your referral or in other words, you find out who your new baby is. Four years ago today, we first saw her sweet baby face. We were actually at a Disney hotel, Pop Century, for Labor Day weekend. My parents along with my brother and sister-n-law were there as well. We were sure to bring a computer with us as we anticipated hearing from our agency, CCAI, or Chinese Children Adoption International. They are fabulous by the way. In any case, we learned who she was, Mei Fu Kang, meaning wealth and fortune, and that she was from the same province as Madalyn, Hubei. We had requested this and were so grateful the Chinese govt chose to honor our request. She is from the city of Huangmei which is about 5 hours away from Madalyn's city. Our hope is that they will go back together someday to learn more about their country and being from the same province will be helpful. We could not have been more in love. Isn't she just beautiful? She looked a bit like a butterball and we couldn't wait to get our hands on her. It would another 6 weeks before we could leave to go get her. More on this next month in celebration of her Gotcha Day. Till then, I know I'm biased but really......can she be any cuter???

By the way, all our kiddos were referred to us in the month of September so stay tuned for more memories................

Snip Snip

2009-08-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

So our chunky monkey got his first haircut. When he first got home 6 months ago, I was a bit intimidated by his hair, what to do with it, how to care for it, etc. I always joked that we couldn't bring home an Ethiopian daughter because this mama wouldn't know how to do her hair! Anyway, I eventually got a care system down. But we just kept letting it grow. It was looking a bit crazy and seemed to fit his personality. But then there were days that well, it didn't look so cute. So while we were at Disney last weekend, we took him to the Barber Shop. He did great and could have cared less that there was a man behind him with scissors. They gave him a bunch of stickers to play with and he also got a hat that says "My First Haircut" on the back.

Here's a before shot taken about 2 weeks earlier.....just after a bath all picked out.....

Getting a bit tall don't ya think?

Checking himself out after Kenzie took his picture with Matt's phone.

My two handsome dudes.......

My Camera

2009-08-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures. Three years ago, we bought a new camera, a Canon Powershot ES. I liked it because it had some weight to it, had a 12x zoom, and could take continuous photos in a sports mode. It had a bunch of other modes on the dial but I didn't know much about those. We had a Canon Powershot before as well but a much simpler model. It had been a great camera. I have always wanted to learn more about my camera but the manual is not user friendly. I've thought about taking a class but have just never got around to it. Lately, the itch is worse. I'm wanting to research buying additional lenses and such. So I started playing around and took another shot at the manual. The more I read, it is beginning to make sense....aperture, shutter speed, iso, all that stuff. And I figured out the macro mode.........love it, and the digital zoom. I like to take close ups. So I had a little fun over the weekend and thought I'd share a few of my favs..........

You can blur the foreground by adjusting the aperture.

Same here but I blurred the background by decreasing the Fstop.

Madalyn's birdhouse

Macro mode

Although there is increased pixelation here, I love this one. This is our very worn antenna topper. I know, Disney....we're so gay.

Artsy

One of a zillion lizards in our yard, this one is peeking over our pool screen.

Using my digital zoom.

I don't know much about this one and haven't been able to do it again. You see that is b/w with only the red accented. Apparently you can accent certain colors but I don't understand this one much.

So now I want to figure out if I can reduce the excess pixelation. I'm wondering if I will need another lens. If you have any thoughts, let me know. I have said for years now that if I wasn't a counselor, I'd be a photographer. No where near that now but having fun.............

We Welcome the Tooth Fairy

2009-08-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Big day yesterday!! Madalyn has wanted to loose her teeth since she was about 4 or 5. She has been so excited and really began working on it about 2 days ago. We kept saying, "any day now". Then she realized the other one was coming in behind it. For about a month now, she has walked up to us daily and asked us to wiggle her tooth for her to see if it was any more loose. It had been bleeding on and off as she played with over the last day or two. We were in the van on the way to Disney and had just left the house. We didn't get far when she began yelling from back, "My tooth is bleeding, my tooth is bleeding. My tooth came out!!". We pulled over to celebrate the moment and take a few pics. Here they are.......

Examing her newly extracted tooth...

Very proud moment...

Always beautiful....

We had asked her a few days ago how much she thought the Tooth Fairy (which Kenzie calls the LOOSE Tooth Fairy) should bring her. She told us $78. Then Kenz informed her the loose tooth fairy couldn't carry that much. Anyway, she received $2 and the Tooth Fairy also left a note. We had a Dollar Store date day later to spend her well earned moolah.............

Chores Galore..........

2009-08-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

I've tried several different chore systems and then my friend in CO, Tiffany, shared this one. It's great and the girls are so excited about doing it so far. So I went to Walmart and bought these magnetic, dry erase boards for $5 and a pack of magnets for $1.50. I printed off some play dollars off the internet and then took pictures of their chores. Tiffany laminated her dollars and pics but I don't have a laminator so I bought a roll of clear laminate instead. Clear contact paper would work too I imagine. Which, by the way, did you know that if you try to scan in real money, it has some sort of security thingy in it that prompts a warning on your printer to refer to the US treasury to review the rules. Had no idea. Anyway, read on to hear how it works......

So, the pictures have magnets on the back (or mine will but I haven't done this part yet). You pick what chores you want them to do and place it on their boards. Once they have completed the chore, they place one of those circle magnets on top to indicate its done. Some of our chores include watering plants, emptying the dishwasher, sweeping the floor after dinner, wiping down the bathroom sink, cleaning the glass on the french doors, cleaning up the pool toys, and feeding the dog. Cleaning their room every day is a given. So, if they complete ALL the chores, they earn a dollar. But its ALL or nothing. The idea is that there wouldn't be any discussion but this first week has been about training and instruction so we'll move in that direction. They can earn up to $7 a week. We may consider having a day off so this might change.

So this is the Treasure Basket, basically a bunch of dollar items from Michaels. I have priced the items higher to avoid them getting 7 items each each week. Otherwise, I'd be refilling it too often. So most things are $3 or $4 with a few $2 items and some as high as $7. They can spend it all or save it. I was very excited about the cute basket I put together. If only I had a basket to pick from when my chores were done..........

So here they are with there money. They each had $5 to spend since we only did it 5 days this week. They have been ready and willing to check their boards in the morning and get started.

Considering their options.....

Working out the finances.........

Do I want this or that? Notice the lollipop stick hanging out, she cracks me up.

She's made her selection, some play money and a wooden doll to color....all for $4 with $1 to put towards next weeks loot.

Kenzie chose a pony and she has $2 to forward onto next week.

Honestly, I was surprised they saved any at all. They both have their eyes set on a hula skirt complete with a lei and coconut bra but that's more than they could afford this week.

So thanks, Tif for the idea. We love it. It does seem to be the easiest system I've had so far. It doesn't require much work from me after the initial set up. So go get organized Moms, schools starting soon................

My Sweet Petite.....

2009-07-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

So this is my almost seven year old in my almost two year old's pj's. Oh, and did I mention that they are a size "12 months"? Other than being a tad short, they fit just fine...........good grief. :o)

All American Kids....sorta

2009-07-15T15:46:00.001-07:00

We decided to spend July 4th at Disney. We stayed at Pop Century, one of their "value" hotels which is actually quite nice. We've stayed there several times. My parents joined us for one of those nights and we had a great time. We have park passes but they are seasonal passes which include various blackout dates, like July and August, so we just got to enjoy the pool and other things around the property. There was an arcade which is always a big hit. For the actual 4th, we went to the Grand Floridian hotel to watch the fireworks over Magic Kingdom. This was the first time we had been at Disney for the 4th and they were very artistic (this was the same night btw that the monorail driver was killed but we had been on the monorail much earlier in the night so we didn't hear about it until morning).

On Sunday, my parents left and we ate dinner at a restaurant at the Wilderness Lodge. When you are on Disney property, you can visit any of the resorts you'd like. After dinner, we went to the Chip and Dale Campfire Sing Along. There are a lot of horses on property for riding but we just said hi to a few. This was a big weekend so there are lots of pics........

Pop Century is themed from the 50's to the 90's. The main pool is called the Hippy Dippy pool complete with "flower showers" like this one.

We hit the arcade and my mom helped the kids score lots of tickets.

My dad is helping the kids cash in their tickets.

Mason caught on quick and made his "purchases".

The girls with their loot. The back story here is that when Madalyn was 2.5, we stayed here for the first time and played a lot of skee ball. She was so excited about what she picked out. Her stuff was placed in a big similar to these and she called them her "special things". She would not put down her special things for anything. She carried them the rest of that night on to dinner and into bed. She would not let go of her special things which included a goofy keychain, fake stick on earrings, tattoos, and a pencil I think. Here are a couple of pics from that weekend:

Do you see her little red bag of "special things"? BTW, where did my baby go?

You can't tell in the pic but Cinderella's castle is in the background.

My All American Kids (from China and Ethiopia)

Gigi and Pap-pa with my bugs....

Taking a rest at the Grand Floridian before making the trek back to our hotel.

My dad sportin' his new hip Tommy Bahama hat Tim and Jen bought him for Father's Day.

Let me introduce you to Hip and Happening!

Kenzie with mama's hat.

This was at the Wilderness Campground. Mason wanted nothing to do with this hat.

Visiting the ponies after dinner.

Chip coming to say hi. BTW, you know its Chip and not Dale because Chip has a black nose like a chocolate chip.

Mason clearly saying "no thank you". Then as Chip walks away, he's walking after him saying "hi, hi".

The Girls....

A family affair....

2009-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy, adjusting to summer, celebrating my birthday with friends, etc. But most of our time has been spent helping Brad and Becky pack their house and get ready to host their going away party at our house. We had a great time, good friends, and lots of good food. So the weekend before the party Matt and I updated the exterior of the house. When we moved in two years ago, it was "move-in ready". But we hadn't really done anything outside till now. I forgot to take before pictures but it was generally weedy, sandy' since most of our mulch had disappeared, and void of color. A few dozen plants and 42 bags of red mulch later, oh and a ton of sweat, we were done. We made it a family project but they mostly just dug and got dirty.........

Determined....

Mackenzie enjoys the gardening process a bit more than her sister.

Initially, Mason just enjoyed stacking the pots.

Our three goofballs working on something good.

The girls would have never been willing to get this messy. I just love that about Mason....all boy.

A bit hard to tell but the color is nice.

Our house.

Turning 40

2009-06-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

So, two days ago on 6/26 at 7:22 am, I welcomed the big "40". A new decade ahead while I close the chapter of my thirties, which was the best decade so far I might add. I finished my Master's that allows me to do the work I love, married the man God hand picked for me, began working through my "crap", welcomed my three beautiful kids from other parts of the world, loved hard, and played hard. I've had a lot of time to reflect on this milestone. A few months ago, I wasn't sure how I would feel but as it got closer, it just started to feel more right, ok even. My girlfriends and I have been talking about how we would like to enter into and move through this decade graciously. Day 2....so far, so good! It is, however, hard for me to believe that I am 40. I still feel like I'm in my very early 30's. Having young children contributes to this I'm sure. I definitely don't feel "old" by any means. Of course, I am feeling the age of my body like most and my friend Monica and I have noticed how the skin on our hands isn't as elastic and tight as it once was. Eye make-up just doesn't go on quite the same these days and in the last year or so I've bought those fancy reading glasses from the local Walgreens for $14.99. What can you do really? It is what it is.

But life is full. I feel good about where I'm at in regards to most areas. Oh, there's always room for improvement but I'm ok with who I am. I think that women begin to really come into themselves in their late 30's and early 40's. I've done a lot of my own work in counseling over the years and have learned to accept the parts of me that brought me shame in previous phases of my life and have allowed myself to be vulnerable with others in a way that has led me to greater freedom and feeling truly loved. I hope that I am beginning to learn what is really important while being here on this side of heaven. My kids keep me honest by offering reflections of myself, some beautiful, some down right ugly. So you take the ugly parts to the cross and try again tomorrow.

I've learned to not be so hard on myself, to laugh, to be ok when relationships are messy, to be picky with my time, to trust God more and rely on myself less, that marker on your child's "way over-priced but had to have the perfect dresser" is not the end of the world, to embrace my insecurities (we all have them), to work hard at my marriage, and that its ok if people see my incompetence.

So there you have it......reflections of a newly turned 40 year old "girl". Check back in 10 years....

oops

2009-06-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

So I wrote two posts on the same day and saved one to be published today. When I went to post it, it showed up as older than the last one so it was placed below "Gigi and Pap-pa Packages" so scroll down for the latest. Still new to blogger.........

GiGi and Pap-pa Packages

2009-06-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

These are often the long anticipated deliveries, the kind that drive a parent nuts...."when's my package gonna get here"? Anyway, my parents love sending the kids little care packages. Sometimes they're filled with a bit of candy, notepads, pez dispensers, play jewelry, crafty things, etc. Its like the jackpot around here. They couldn't be more excited if it were Christmas morning really. My parents love that my kids expect packages from time to time. Part of being a grandparent :o).

The big box for the girls and the little one just for Mason....his first!

Oh boy

A hippo water squirter... The girls also received puzzles and hair bows!

He's not sure what to expect

"But boy, do I like it". There's a shirt to match but he didn't feel like putting that on.

"And a cell phone!!"

Splish Splash

2009-06-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well summer is here and school is out. We don't have huge plans. In fact, the only thing we have planned is a weekend at Disney over the 4th. I always say near the end of year that I need to be thinking of some things to do with the kids to have a little structure in the week. Still working on that but a couple of days ago, we went to a splash park. It also had two playgrounds that were completely shaded which is very nice. You would think being in Florida that would be more common but its rare to find one that has a lot of shade. And the splash pad was perfect. The kids had fun. Mackenzie was the most fun to photgraph this time around. She just has the best expressions and when she is having fun, she is joy filled and that shows up on her face. Mason is still hard to catch and Madalyn had fun but was a bit laid back today.

Love this one!

On the playground

Love the unintentional wink!

Probably my favorite shot of the day...

Change

2009-06-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and work at Grace Clinic Christian Counseling. Grace was established five years ago by my friends Brad and Becky Young (to be referred to as B and B), and Monica Taffinder. Prior to this, the four of us counseled together at a local church. In total, we have been together for 10 years now. What began as professional relationships has turned into deeply connected, intimate ones rooted in vulnerability, honesty, fun, and laughter.

A couple of years ago, B and B began talking about moving to Portland to launch a Grace Clinic out there. Becky is from there and has a lot of family in Portland. Desires became clearer, plans solidified, business plans were written and now we are less than two weeks away from their departure. This is a huge loss for me and my colleagues professionally but where I will feel the greater impact will be in the day to day absence of their presence in my family's life. They have three kids, like us, and our children are "best friends". Our oldest two, Riley and Madalyn (in that order because Riley likes that she is 9 months older than Madalyn) do battle over who is in charge, argue, and make up in true feminine fashion. Our middle two, Luke and Mackenzie, are easy going and are often lost in their creativity. They don't need to be right but just like sharing what they know, even if they're wrong. The youngest two, Jake and Mason......well they are just trying to figure out how to share. But it's all fun and our families do a lot together....Disney, dinners, pool, etc.

While I have known this is coming, I am beginning to feel it. In staff meeting today, we prayed for them and the tears flowed. The first of a million I'm sure. True girlfriends are hard to come by.

This stinks and I don't like change.

Memorial Day Beach Pics

2009-06-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Not much to say here really. Had a great time in Jax with Uncle Time and Aunt Jennifer. Here are our fun beach pics.

Building sand castles with Daddy

Matt's Sandman

Toes are some of my favorites, even ones with half the nail polish coming off

This totally cracked me up

Tuckered after a day in the sun....

Camp-In

2009-06-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Matt went looking at motorcycles with his friend Dave so I decided to let the kids have a bit of fun. I had just purchased a small tent at Aldi's earlier that day. We love to camp and realize that at some point we are not all going to fit into our current tent and this one was a deal for $25. So Matt put up the tent in our den before he left and kids had a camp-in. They were beyond excited. We pulled out their sleeping bags, camping chairs and the small camping table. We made the night authentic by making smores....in the oven. It's easy. We did this for the first time last June when we were visiting our good friends, the Blasingims, in Colorado. We spent the night in a cabin and cooked smores in the oven. It was great.

A cozy set-up

They'd eat the whole bad of marshmallows if I let them.

Chillin'

So, you just lay the graham crackers out like this. Don't put them together until their warm. Place the marshmallows on top and then the chocolate. It will melt nicely and when done, squish them together. The only thing missing is the toasty-ness of the marshmallows but its just as yummy.

Mason's first marshmallow.

See the stringy mess? I kept asking him if there were good and he just kept shaking his head yes with big eyes and a big smile.

Jon and Kate......Men and Women

2009-05-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I will admit to referring to them as if they were personal friends of mine and will also admit that I have been anticipating the season premiere with mixed feelings. I just got done watching it with my girlfriends. Now most woman I talk to seem to either love Kate or hate her. I really like her because I can relate to her, her sinful desire for control, as well as her independence that may have once been her survival but is now isolating and lonely. I like Jon. I like their marriage, including all the parts that are ugly, because it is so classic of every marriage I encounter in therapy. It is classic of my own marriage....my desire for control especially when feeling insecure, and Matt's tendency towards passivity. This is the core struggle for any marriage....a women's proclivity towards control and a man's towards passivity or taking the road less traveled when feeling inadequate. Most women hate to be told we are controlling and it brings upon us much shame. It is our response to being hurt or feeling afraid. Similarly, when men feel inadequate, they pull back, go within, avoid. It takes tremendous courage for men to step up the plate and follow the call given to them by God to lead even when they don't know how. For women, it feels very risky to get off the field, let him lead, and give up the control that makes us feel so in charge and safe. But the reality is is that it feels good to be lead, to be cared for in this way, to be ushered.....like the way it feels when your husband places his hand on the small of your back and guides you in and out of places, a strong but gentle leading.

I wasn't sure where this was going when I began processing on here but here it is. My favorite kind of therapy to do is marital therapy. It doesn't always have a high success rate but I believe it is the most intimate relationship we have outside of our relationship with God and I love to see couples who are willing to risk their hearts to deepen their intimacy. I always say that a good woman will follow a good man. That's just God's design. May you have the courage to offer your vulnerability in such a way that brings greater intimacy and connection to your relationship.....

Beach Bums.......

2009-05-16T05:50:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we were in Jacksonville visiting my family. My parents, and my brother and sister-in-law live there. We spent the afternoon at Hugenot Memorial Park which sits on the coast. Beach photos are some of my favorites. I spend most of my time with my camera in hand trying to get the good shot. The kids love the beach and this was Mason's first visit. Last year, we treated ourselves to a month at Cocoa Beach in a condo there. We just commuted into work which wasn't too bad. That was quite a treat for us and created memories of a lifetime. Anyway, these are some of my favorites from this day.......

Trying out my black and white feature on my camera

Just the day before, Mackenzie had picked out this bathing suit....one with purple monkeys and a leopard print skirt to match!

One of fun things about Florida....its a treat to find a whole, unbroken sand dollar.

That's my brother, Tim, in the background

Mason got braver and braver in approaching the water

Madalyn searching for tiny little clam like shells

We're heading back there for Memorial Day...stay tuned.

Crafty Kids.......

2009-05-04T05:28:00.000-07:00

Matt was out of town this weekend on his annual "guys only" camping trip. I survived my first weekend alone with all three of my bugs. By Saturday night, I was a little stir crazy so off we went to "Denny's Kids eat free Saturday nights" where you get two kids entrees with each paying adult........who can beat that? We played hookie from church since we aren't yet leaving Mason in children's church and one of us usually sits in the lobby with him. So we did craft time instead. There is a website at www.dltk-kids.com with lots of crafty ideas that I use a lot. The crafts are fairly easy and they range from simple coloring pages to more elaborate things like cross stitch patterns. Well here are the results........

Madalyn slightly irritated I have interrupted...

Mason entertained himself with a crumpled up piece of paper and a blue chip clip....

Proud of their masterpieces.........

Easter Continued.....

2009-04-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

As I was loading these pictures, I realized that our focus that day was church...imagine that....focusing on Christ on Easter! LOL. Anyway, it was a beautiful day and worshipping outside is just the best. Madalyn did great up on stage with the other kids. Matt and I were asked to participate in "cardboard testimonies" where a part of your testimony, including how God has entered that and redeemed it, is written on a board. You'll see what I mean. To see the whole video of this part of our service, go to www.gracefellowship.typepad.com The Easter video will be on the front page. I haven't figured out how to put it directly on my blog so you'll have to use the link.

Later, we had Easter dinner with our good friends, Brad and Becky, and their kids who our kids are best friends with. The kids loved their Easter baskets and Mason loved throwing the grass most of all. The Easter bunny always brings bathing suits, a new pair of goggles, candy, and this year, new sandals. The Easter bunny had a gift card to Target thanks to my Uncle Mike and his girlfriend, Janet so the baskets were a little extra special this year. After dinner, we came back home to spend some time with Matt's cousins in from Ohio.

Before service at Lake Eola in their Ethiopian dresses

I love how "African" he looks in his outfit

The kids lead worship with "Oh Happy Day" complete with hand gestures

Our card says, "Jesus turned our infertility into love from China and Ethiopia" www.gracefellowship.typepad.com

Beautiful....

So photogenic even with a bit of candy tucked in her cheek

Going through their loot

The grass was definitely the highlight for Mason

BFF's.....Jake, Mason, Luke, Madalyn, Riley, and Mackenzie

Hope you had a Happy Easter.......Ours was a really good day, joyful, simple, celebratory... He is Risen........

Easter...

2009-04-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

While it is not yet officially Easter day, I find myself reflect on what it means to me. Our church, Grace Fellowship, is having service outside at Lake Eola. The kid's ministry will be leading off worship and Madalyn wanted to be part of it so she will be on stage tomorrow to sing "Oh Happy Day" with all the other kids. Matt and I are also participating in what is called "cardboard testimonies" (you can see examples on youtube). Our card says, "God turned out infertility into love from China and Ethiopia". All that being said, tonight was rehearsal for both those things. To see Madalyn up on stage singing her little heart out for Jesus was a reminder of God's sweetness. Mackenzie and Mason aren't yet quite able to grasp what Easter means but Madalyn has a true sense of what happened.

Worship is my favorite way to connect with God above reading scripture, bible studies, and even prayer. Music reaches me in ways nothing else can and worship OUTSIDE........well that's just pure heaven. So, I am looking forward to celebrating that not only did Christ take on my sin and set me free, but more importantly that he has risen!

So, tomorrow as we are searching for eggs and eating ham, may you feel the peace that comes with knowing that Christ has painstakingly taken on our ugliness simply to have relationship with us and to ensure we have eternal life with Him. I am loved.

Fountain Fun

2009-04-10T20:04:00.001-07:00

A few nights ago, we grabbed some dinner and decided to take the kids to this park area called Crane's Roost. It's actually an area where you can shop, eat, stroll, listen to music, and watch the fireworks every July 3rd (yep, the day before) and see Santa in December. They have a fountain there and they had a blast playing in it. Once it gets dark, they light the fountain and put it to music. It's quite cool really. I think they were most excited about getting wet.....

And while I love a picture perfect smile, I like candid shots the best. There's a bunch, hang in there......

She's pretty wet by now and found it very fascinating that the wind was blowing up her dress.

Freedom.....

to do somersaults in the park.

cute patoots

Hard to tell if they are pushing or pulling don't you think?

From this, it looks like they pushed but this is just from his perseverance in splashing.

The light show begins....

I love Mason's face here.

Classic Kenzie.......

Hippoty Hop, Easter's on it's way. Stay tuned................

Date Days........

2009-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

The girls have recently been on Spring Break. Because their schools are in two different counties, they were off two different weeks. But it worked out fine. I was able to take them each for a day and do something special, just the two of us. Mackenzie's day was last week and she wanted to go the Animal Kingdom (we have passes). When she was littler and before Mason was here, it would just be her and I on Fridays while Madalyn was in school. Every Thursday night, we'd go over the next day and she would always say, "I hang out wif you mama?" somewhat as both a statement and a question. Anyway, here's our day at Disney.......
Ready to go with autograph book

A true princess

On the Safari ride

In front of the "Tree of Life". This is a Disney made tree with hundreds of animals carved into it. Animal Kingdom's icon.

Crazy girl with her 3-D glasses on for "It's tough to be a bug" movie

One of those crazy huge lollipops I hate to spend money on. But it was date day you know and dates are supposed to be special.........

This week was Madalyn's turn. We had originally planned to go rollerskating. Now, mind you, I've not been on skates (REAL skates, not in-line skates) since I was 14 I think and Madalyn has never been on them. I was both excited and anticipating bruised bottoms. However, when given the choice between this and manicures, my girlie girl, true to form, picked the pampering. She was very excited..........

Ahhhh, now I know what mom's talking about....no kids, silence..........

I gave her some options in color and she picked an iridescent lavender and then the tech painted two little white daises on her thumbs.

I forgot how much I like having my nails polished

So that's date day with my girls. How fun.

Food Friday 4/10

2009-04-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

Friday: Skillet penne with sausage
spinach
watermelon

Saturday: eat out before rehearsal for Easter Sunday

Sunday: Easter dinner
Ham
baked mac n cheese
sweet potatoes
green beans
rolls
raspberry squares

Monday: Spaghetti with marinara
green beans
garlic toast

Tuesday: Chicken patty sandwiches
tater tots
applesauce

Wednesday: Marinated Flank Steak
pierogis
salad

Thursday: Crock pot Italian pork chops
baked potatoes
broccoli

Bon Appetite................

Food Friday....

2009-03-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Friday: Spring Fling at Mackenzie's school followed by a potluck

Saturday: Disney to celebrate Jake's birthday

Sunday: Roasted pork loin with a spicy honey glaze
Pierogies
Cauliflower

Monday: Matt's cooking.......some chicken dish he says

Tuesday: Tacos with all the fixings
corn

Wednesday: Chicken with a mushroom cream sauce
baked potatoes
broccoli

Thursday: Matt's cooking catfish nuggets
fries
sweet and spicy cole slaw

Food Friday

2009-03-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my friend Tiffany has a blog and she does Menu Mondays. I always like seeing what others are making for dinner and get some new ideas. So, I'm going to steal her idea (thanks Tif) but I plan my menu starting on Fridays because that is the day I go to the grocery store. I like to cook and sometimes Matt and I cook together. Sometimes I like what I have planned for the week and then there are weeks that are just so so. I do have a favorite cookbook though. It is the "America's Test Kitchen Cookbook". My friend Tara hooked me onto that and I absolutely love it. It has lots of pictures and lots of little tips. Like did you know you can make buttermilk by adding lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk? Let it sit a bit and it thickens and sours. Anyway, we have some favorite recipes and you'll see those more frequently. What are some of your favorite recipes??? Here's the menu for this week......

Friday: spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, strawberries

Saturday: frozen eggplant parm from Costco (Matt is on his own with the kids while I celebrate a friend's 40th) and maybe he'll put something else with it....up to him

Sunday: hamburgers, tater tots, corn on the cob

Monday: I work, Matt will decide what he wants to cook....probably chicken

Tuesday: Tacos, chips and salsa... I crisp up the corn tortillas...very yummy

Wednesday: Black beans and rice with onions and Kielbasa topped with sour cream and a little hot sauce, broccoli, fruit

Thursday: chicken cutlet sandwiches, 3 bean salad, coleslaw

I work on Monday and Thursday evenings so Matt is usually on his own to make dinner. I will loosely plan something for him but he sometimes wants to do his own thing.

There you have it.......check in next Friday.......

Something to be said for babyproofing....

2009-03-18T09:17:00.001-07:00

Now, I am not a baby proofing parent really. I don't know, I'm sure I baby proofed some when Madalyn arrived and it got progressively less with each kid. So this time around, we put covers in the plugs and latches on the cabinets and called it a day. The latches were a new thing for us. Never needed them for the girls but we figured with a boy, well you know.

All that being said, we've not moved stuff around or put stuff away. We prefer to teach him not to touch things he shouldn't. However, forgot about the paint on the easel that always awaits Kenzie's artistic touch. She loves to paint so we keep the "spill proof" bottles full with no problem......until now. We were just sitting outside and Matt said, "what's he doing, he's awful quiet?" Never a good sign. So this is how we found him........

Huh?

What? You don't like yellow? This reminds me of those beer commercials.......waz up?

Lift Off.......

2009-03-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

So I've lived in Florida for almost 27 years and Sunday was the first time I actually went to the coast to watch the space shuttle Discovery take off. We packed up the kids, blankets, and chairs and headed to Space View Park to watch the action. It was packed. We had planned on pizza from our favorite pizza place, Kelsey's, but settled on Burger King so we didn't lose our spot. At the park, they have installed numerous loud speakers so you can hear everything that is going on in the NASA control room. It really was beautiful.

Killing time..............

Playing Miss Suzie

They're just yummy.....

And finally, "Lift off of space shuttle Discovery" at 7:43pm

It goes by fast......

Mason at Mickey's House

2009-03-11T09:58:00.001-07:00

Living just outside of Orlando allows us the opportunity to visit Disney. We began buying passes several years ago. I admit that I take the whole Disney for granted given that it is at our fingertips. While the passes are a chunk of money for us each year, they are well worth it and provide our family with some of the best quality time. We've stayed at several of the resorts over the years for weekend get aways and have enjoyed meals with the characters. The girls love going and the magic is still there for them. Kenz has no clue that the characters aren't real and I think Madalyn knows but she doesn't question it. We were excited to take Mason for the first time. He did not like the characters which we expected but loved everything else including the fireworks. Here are some highlights.....

Jack Sparrow's double........

Do you like my new ears???

Mackenzie got an autograph book for her birthday this past year. Daisy was her first one and she was giddy with excitement.

Madalyn is learning to read maps and insisted I take this picture of her as we waited for the parade to begin. She is pointing to the spot where we are sitting.

Disney knows how to do fireworks....a nice way to end the evening.

By the way, Mason never napped.....too stimulated I think. They all passed out on our way out of the park.

"Good"

2009-03-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

This is my standard response when people ask "how's the adjustment going?" It's a pretty boring, non-specific response yet our transition home this third time around really has been quite easy. It has been our easiest yet between the 3 kids. The girls are in a good place to welcome a brother and Mason has just been an easy kid so far. Of course, it's only been 3 weeks but we'll take it!

He is beginning to take steps on his own and looks like Frankenstein. Matt and I have always loved watching those first months of walking with the kids. He's so proud of himself. He loves to give kisses, play peek-a-boo, and pretend to tickle you. He says bye-bye, up, night night and signs for "more", "please", and we're working on "sorry". It is amazing what he has learned in just a few short weeks. He sleeps thru the night usually from about 8pm till 7am or so. He will sometimes wake up around 5:30am and we just bring him into bed with us. He loves his bottles before nap and bedtime. He naps about 2-3 hours. When he is mad, he makes this barking sound at us, like a seal. It's very funny and hard not to laugh.

It's been very fun to watch the dynamics of three. They all play well together. While I thought Mackenzie would be the more nuturing and mothering one with him, it is actually Madalyn who is more protective. She's the first the "cheer him up" if he's crying. She likes redirecting him and protecting him and then telling me what she did to keep him safe. Kenzie is a bit of a nuisance to him, touching him on the head when he doesn't like it, hugging too hard, etc. They both love to greet him in the morning and climb in the crib with him. This has proven to be helpful to me as I make breakfast. Matt and I had fun watching the kids push each other around in a laundry basket the other night. Well, it was mostly Madalyn doing the pushing.

We are heading to Disney this weekend. Stay tuned for more pics.........

My Sweet Girl

2009-03-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

Today was Madalyn's best friend's birthday party. When we woke up this morning, the weather was bad and it was raining. We left to go buy a present and I said to Madalyn, "oh let's hope it doesn't rain for Riley's party today since it's outside". The next thing I hear from the very back of the van is...."God, you are so mighty. Please don't let it rain on Riley's party. You control the weather......I think. Amen". She has a sweet relationship with Jesus and I just love that she will pray anywhere for anything.

Playtime......

2009-02-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

Mason's personality is beginning to really come out. He is such a ham and a bit of a stinker. I'm telling ya, his facial expressions are hysterical. He's very flirty. He can have an atitude as well. He will bat our hands away if we tell him no. He has learned the sign for "more", can blow kisses, say "up" and "night night". He loves the bottle and bathtime. Here are just a few pics from our playtime together as a family. We had a picnic yesterday at the playground. Madalyn was very excited to show us how she can flip over the bar now. She and Kenz had a secret hiding place somewhere within the play area.

The People and the Culture of Ethiopia

2009-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

The thing we enjoyed most about our two trips to China was the people. The same is true for Ethiopia. The people are kind, curious, reserved. There is joy on the kids' faces in spite of their circumstances. The women are cautious, conservative. I think of Daniel across the street from our hotel. He is bright, a survivor, knows how to get stuff for his family. He is mannerly, respectful. Then there is the man without the use of his arms or hands who builds benches with his feet. He is petitioning the government to give him a real workshop rather than the front room of his "house". Most of us have no frame of reference for real hardship and I know I take a lot of things for granted. My life is rich beyond imagination for them. They won't ever know what it means to take things for granted. The culture is rich in tradition and ceremony. The presence of Christ is obvious. We went to a church service while we were there and the message was about bringing our burdens to Christ for His yoke is light. I wondered how do these people do that. But many of them know what it means to be dependent on others and in that way, are far more freer than most of us.

Most people walk to where they need to go

These boys were herding the animals you see in the background

Most babies are carried this way

The traditional coffee ceremony set up

Coffee is always served with popcorn at the end of the meal. Most people put a lot of sugar in their coffee

This is hand washing taking place before eating

This is injera and is served with every meal. It is like a rolled up crepe, a bit tart, room temperature. You tear pieces off and use it to scoop up your food. No utensils.

Food with a lot of flavor, some spicy, very good. Most of it is cooked down, stew like.

Traditional dance

She has finished rosting the coffee beans and then brings them around for everyone to smell

Loved seeing themselves on the camera

We bought one of his benches for 40 birr or $4. Notice the detail on the legs to the left, also done with his feet

His daughter

Life in Ethiopia

2009-02-18T02:50:00.001-08:00

We continue to do well. We are all sleeping through the night so no complaints there. Mason doesn't like to be put down much so he's spoiled already. He is eating just about anything except eggs........like daddy, he doesn't care for them. I was telling Matt yesterday how they say you have to introduce a food 10 times before they can really determine whether they like it or not. Madalyn overheard us talking and she says, "ok, Mason, these are eggs. Eggs, this is Mason" and proceeded to work her way up to 10..........we cracked up! Concrete thinking.........

I promise to post more pics of us but I wanted to share some of the country with you all. These are just some random pics of the several hundred we took. I want to also show you the people but I'll do that in a little bit.

Home and Happy

2009-02-15T03:34:00.000-08:00

After almost 30 hours of travel, we arrived home on the 13th. Felt so good. We are all doing well and slept great the first night home. Mason slept from 8-8. Now, this morning he has been up since 4:30am but no biggie. We were beyond excited to see the girls. Mackenzie was all over Mason mothering him already, wiping slobber of his chin. Madalyn was so happy to see us, she started crying. When I asked her if she was ok, she said, "I'm happy". Sweet thing. The girls did really well with our friends who we will be forever grateful to for caring for them so well. They are very excited to have Mason home. Madalyn keeps saying, "I can't believe I have a brother now".

The plane rides home were uneventful and we all did fairly well. Mason did great in the car seat much to our surprise, no tears. Now maybe that is because he was so exhausted he didn't have the energy to cry so we'll see but it was a pleasant ride home. The only things he has not liked is our Golden Retriever, Jacob and the high chair. He was initially petrified of the dog but is slowly coming around. I think it is the first time he has ever seen a dog. In ET, dogs are solely for guarding and aren't considered pets or treated very well. We'll see what happens with the high chair. He is eating well and drinking a ton. He sees the doctor on Tuesday.

I'll share more details later but here are some random pics of our trip:

Our first introductions.........

Random cute pics:

More to come later as promised..............

One more day....

2009-02-11T10:38:00.001-08:00

It is Wednesday night here. Well, I don't think I can get pics to post here. I'll try to email some of you directly. Don't worry, in about 3 days, there will be more pics than you can stand.

Today was emotional. There was a good-bye ceremony at the care center which was really beautiful. We were all in tears when the nannies said goodbye. It is very hard for them. They care for the babies so well and some of them have been there for a while and they are attached. We know Mason was very much loved. They seem to pour themselves into the kids. They genuinly consider them their own.

We did a lot of shopping today and bought a lot of fun stuff. We've eaten dinner in the hotel every night. I've ordered onion soup several times and it has come out different every time. It's kinda funny. They say that you can order something several times in a row and it will come out different every time. Last night, grilled chicken was boneless skinless. Tonight, it was two chicken thighs. Go with the flow I guess.

Mason continues to do great. He sleeps well. He is working us already.....he cries as soon as we put him down. Of course we pick him right back up. We don't mind :o) His favorite place to be is right on own laps playing with a stacking cup and a spoon. Last night he fell asleep with the spoon in his hand. He cracks us up with his expressions and how he moves those eyes. He is quite the charmer. You'll see. I think he'll do great on the plane. All; the babies have a wet cough and some are having blow outs a few times a day but overall, they're all doing great. He's not exploring too much yet but I'm sure that will change once we are home. We are so lucky. I'm sad his birth mom will miss out on knowing him.

It will be a bit sad to leave tomorrow night but we are anxious to get home. We are craving clean air, a softer bed (I think a firm bed but this is plywood with a sheet on it), salad, and Diet Coke....not necessarily in that order. We are very excited to see the girls.

No Pics....

2009-02-10T08:29:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I hear there were no pics. I'll try again later.

Oh, and did you know that donkeys know their way home?

let's try again!

2009-02-10T06:22:00.001-08:00

Let's try this again.......

PICS

2009-02-10T06:17:00.001-08:00

Ok, this is a test. Can someone email me and let me know if you can see these or open the file. I'm not sure how it will post, if at all. I've been able to check email so feel free.

We went to the Embassy today and everything is done. We're doing great. Mason slept through the night no problems. We're looking forward to being home.........

We have Mason!

2009-02-09T10:28:00.001-08:00

It is Monday night here in ET. They let us take the babies today rather than wait till tomorrow. We still have our embassy appt tomorrow and after that, it's official. We picked him up from the care center around 5pm, fed him, and he is asleep now. He is doing great. He is equally comfortable with both of us which is a nice treat for Matt since the girls preferred me in the beginning. He mimicks us in sound and gesture. He'll blow on us when we blow on him and he just has the cutest smile. He took a bottle just fine much to my excitement and fell asleep before finishing it. He was easy at least for tonight. He is stretched out between us on the bed in his cute little jammies. Tomorrow we go to the embassy and will spend the rest of the day in the hotel.

I keep forgetting to tell you about something he did just before meeting him. As we entered the care center and they brought the babies down, they sat them on a step. We of course,were looking at him and Matt waved to him.....and he waved right back. It took my breath away. It is a moment we won't forget.

Earlier today, we hired a guide to take us to the Merkato. We went with another couple in our group. Our guide, Saywa, is the head of security for the Canadian Embassy here. The Merkato is the largest outdoor market in Africa. Thank goodness we had him with us. It was crazy. We got some good stuff and will do more shopping on Wednesday. I was asking him about the culture and wages and such. When I asked him how much the average Ethiopian makes, he said 10 birr per day which equals about $1 US. If you have a Master's degree, you can make as much as $10 US per day. I don't know how people survive here. I asked him what Ethiopians think of Americans and he said that we are loved here in ET. He also told me that everyone loves Barack Obama (which I already knew from a previous conversation with someone else here). He said, "he is not America's President, he is the world's President". I'm glad we went to the Merkato but what a nuthouse, total chaos, very crowded.

So far, we have seen chickens, oxen, donkeys, and goats. It is very common to see these crossing the road or walking along the road with all the people and the traffic.

Better run. Internet has been easier than I expected but I still don't know about pictures. We'll see.

We are missing our girls terribly and can't wait to be reunited with them..........