"Two Are Better Than One"

Greetings From the Science Center

2012-02-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

Today we spent 4 hours at the science center after Bible study this morning. We found this exhibit we never noticed before tucked in the back of the robot world, where you can have your picture taken by R2D2, and then he emailed it to me! Faith and Jonathan have recently been introduced to Star Wars by Jay, so they were all into this.

I wish I had a camera with me for our impromptu visit, because Faith mastered the rock climbing wall! She has always loved that particular exhibit, but today, with extremely thin crowds, she got to practice at the wall for 30-40 minutes. I think she made it to the very top 3 times, all while wearing rain boots! The top is twenty-four feet off the ground and SHE LOVED IT!

Jonathan's favorite thing to do was play with the giant ice-hockey table. And both kids really enjoyed the planetarium exhibit, as we learned about planets, constellations, the moon, the rotation of different stars, etc. They were really into it, actually. All I kept hearing in my head was my school's planetarium teachers saying "The three stars of Orion's belt..." That is the sum total I can recall from that class. Oh how I hope my kids have a better memory for school than I do/did!

First Kiss

2012-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

Recently, I wrote about Faith's declaration of love. Yesterday, she started working on her homemade valentine's for her classmates. She started by making Riley's card (her best girlfriend) and then went on to create one for Jimmy. She swept into the kitchen while I was loading the dishwasher, and clutching the valentine to her chest, whispered "Oh Jimmy! I will ALWAYS love you!"

She then proceeded to cover the card in equal parts kisses to germs. I just stared at her. She went on to sing some song about her undying love and devotion to one little boy named Jimmy. That was Monday.

Today, Tuesday, we experienced a wonderful burst of spring-like weather which drove us and half of Pittsburgh out of our houses and to the local park. I was standing, watching the kids play when I spied the object of Faith's affection.

"Are you Jimmy?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Faith! Look! It's Jimmy from school!"

Faith squealed "Jimmy!" and launched herself at him and gave the poor, startled 4 year old boy a very strong hug, in which he nearly lost his balance. At first he looked a bit concerned, but then he realized who she was and grinned at her while Faith made introductions: "This is my brother, Jonathan."

Then they were off and playing for a solid 2 hours. I introduced myself to his mother, and she was quite amused to hear how well-liked Jimmy is by the females in his class. Apparently he is quite the ladies man and began chasing little girls around at the age of 3.

I was a bit worried that Jimmy wouldn't want anything to do with Faith, but he was quite solicitous. Over and over she would holler "JJJJIIIIIMMMMMMMMYYYYY!" and he would say "Here I am! What did you need?" He even helped her climb a few areas of the playground equipment that she is quite capable of doing alone, for which Faith rewarded him by giving him a beaming smile. He meekly obeyed several of her commands (you know how Faith can be) and gamely played with Jonathan. He is quite the social butterfly and even helped one lady find her car keys!

His mother asked my for our phone number so we can get the kids together again sometime. As they were leaving, Faith ran over to Jimmy, hugged him and then kissed him! He returned her kiss with one of his own while his mom and I stood there with our mouths gaping. We both laughed, but I made sure to tell my little Juliet that there is to be NO MORE KISSING!

Rainbow

2012-01-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

The kids and I just witnessed the most incredible rainbow I have ever seen. It was a complete arch but I couldn't get any full frame photos of it as I was taking them out of the bathroom window. I did not enhance the colors at all-it was that vibrant!

Doesn't it look like God painted this rainbow right on top of my neighbor's house?!

Breathtaking!

I Want To Marry Jimmy

2012-01-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today's conversation in the van:

Faith: When I grow up I want to marry Jimmy. (A little boy from her class)
Me: Why?
Faith: Because Jimmy is sweet.
Me: What did he do to you that was sweet?
Faith: Well, one time I asked him if he liked a necklace I was wearing and he said yes! And I think that means he thinks everything I am wearing is cute! I think if I fell in the mud or the snow he would still think I am cute!
Me: {dumbfounded silence}
Faith: The only problem is, Riley likes Jimmy too and she said she wants to marry Jimmy...what do we do about that? Can Jimmy have two wives?
Me: Uh, no. That won't work.
Faith: Well, I guess I will just have to marry someone more handsome than Jimmy.
Me: Good idea, Faith.

2011 A Year in Review

2012-01-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

For the past 10 years, I have kept a fairly detailed calendar of my year. Doctor appointments, vacations, date nights with Jay, etc. Every year on January 1st, I add another calendar to the stack. I am very glad I have kept these, as they are almost like a journal of our day to day life.

February 23rd, 2002 is when I met Jay for the first time!

I know a lot of people prefer electronic calendars, but I will stick with my paper ones!

Our 2011 Happenings:

January: Toured several local preschools; hosted a swap night at my house for my girlfriends; took the kids to the Tiny Tots orchestra series at Heinz Hall; took a trip with Jay to Avon, Conn. and Mystic, Conn. while Mimi watched the kids. While on our road trip, Jay and I listened to hours and hours of Dave Ramsey podcasts and made the decision to track our spending, and pay cash for most everything. I took my credit card out of my wallet and have left it out the entire year.

February: Second to last infertility treatment cycle; drug Jay to a Michael O'Brien concert; watched the Steelers in the Super Bowl; Took the kids bowling for the first time; Spoke about purity and modesty to a group of teen moms.

March: Celebrated my 31st birthday; final treatment cycle failed (17 months, 8 months of medication, 6 months of IUI's.); kids started going to a 2hr long preschool at our local high school; traveled to visit family in RI and CONN; Saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

April: Went on a girls-only trip with my friend Megan where I learned that you can be bad at zip lining; the kids went to the circus with my parents while Jay and I visited my friends from college who had triplets; Took the kids on an Easter Egg Hunt; Went to an informational meeting on adoption; April 26th began tracking my food/exercise on myfitnesspal.com; Went to see my sister and help her pick out her wedding dress.

May: Mother's Day; Mimi came for a visit; May11th we met with a different adoption agency and made the decision to proceed with the application process; Physical Therapy for my back; celebrated Faith and Jonathan's 4th birthday with a cowboy/cowgirl extravaganza; Rode my bike for the first time this year (May 28th, 15 miles.) Jonathan had strep and scarlet fever.

June: last day of preschool; lots of biking; last gymnastics class for F and J; Began leading a book study for other mom's based on the book "Sacred Parenting"; Jay sick with bronchitis; by June 13th, I had lost 17 pounds!; Vacation Bible School for F & J (I volunteered 3 of 5 days in First Aid); Took Jay to the ER after he chopped off a portion of his right index finger with his new knife (he was chopping herbs from the herb garden we planted for him for Father's Day);

July: Lots of biking; 10 weeks of using myfitnesspal-down 21 lbs; F and J had their first swim lesson; Annual trip to DelGrosso park; completed home improvement projects in preparation for our home study; Home study completed; took the kids to a spray park; Celebrated my grandfather's 88th birthday; July 31st my grandfather was admitted to the hospital.

August: Lots of trips to the hospital/ER with both grandparents; Hosted a bridal shower for my sister; Finished our profile book; Took the kids to visit Pap at the nursing home, which the kids LOVED; biking, biking, biking; Took a day trip with Jay to the Ohio Pyle area, biked 40 miles along the Castleman River and had dinner at the River's Edge Cafe; August 31st: stopped taking synthroid due to side-effects; Pap released from the nursing home; 100% eligible to adopt.

September: Family trip to Camp; Visited the Kinzua bridge; Jonathan had an explosive nosebleed in the motel; F and J started preschool; Celebrated my Papa's 60th birthday; Took the kids to see Lion King in 3D; Faith started dance class; Went to California for 9 days; Spent the weekend at Santa Barbara with Jay.

October: Went to a night of Women of Faith; Hosted my first photography mini-sessions; Faith was a flower girl at my sister's wedding; Lost a total of 28 lbs; Helped with Jonathan's field trip; Trick-o-treating.

November: Celebrated our 8th Anniversary; Jay turned 37; Jonathan started basketball lessons; Finished up our bike season of 500 miles!; Attended the Orphan Care Expo at our church; Celebrated my grandparent's 60th anniversary; Christmas shopping with my mom; Thanksgiving; got our Christmas tree; Decorated the house and tree.

December: Kids went to Disney on Ice with my parents; Hartwood acres with A. Deb and Nance; family fun day at the Science Center; Mimi in from California for 10 days; Visited the giant gingerbread display in downtown Pittsburgh; Helped with Faith's preschool Christmas party; Made gingerbread houses; Had a great Christmas Eve and Christmas with our family; Faith had strep throat; J, Jay and I sick with bad colds and upset stomachaches; celebrated Christmas again with my brother, sister-in-law and niece at my parents house.

2011 was a year of many highs and lows. Yet we are so grateful for the ability to pull-together as a family and weather life's storms. I am looking forward to 2012!

Christmas Day

2011-12-30T18:59:00.000-08:00

On Christmas morning, the kids got up around 8-8:30. My parents joined us around 9:45 for all the morning festivities, so we had time to shower, get dressed and eat a light breakfast.

My parents live 90 minutes away, but they got up bright and early so they could watch the kids open their gifts from Jay and I and our out of town family. Jay and I got the kids three gifts: camelback water bottles; kid-sized snow shovels and snowshoes.

The kids were so proud of themselves as they got us gifts at their preschool and there were several homemade gifts which we loved! Also, they bought each other their stocking stuffers for the second year in a row, which worked out so well. Definitely a tradition to be continued!

Jonathan showing off this ornament he made with Baba and Pappy. I am wearing my blue beaded necklace Faith got for me.

Jay got me a great ball cap I was hoping for!

Showing off their snowshoes-Jonathan was a bit more excited about his than Faith was. We are hoping to take a trip this winter to practice show shoeing, drink gallons of hot cocoa and visit a hot tub!

The kids got these great Melissa and Doug dress-up outfits from Aunt Katie and Uncle Kevin.

Smile Pappy! (Pappy took all of these pictures for me so I could enjoy Christmas morning, and so I could pry toys out of their packaging.)

Jay working on the hams. They were so good!

Jay had to take his mom to the airport at noon, and so the kids, Baba and Pappy and I went to my grandparents house.

Cousin Kaylee as an angel for the Christmas play.

"Joseph," "Mary" and one of Faith's baby dolls as Jesus.

What a great way to get a glimpse of the true meaning of Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-30T18:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a great day for Faith. She was happy, smiley, and thrilled by everything we did. As such, I got some nice pictures of her.

Faith with Mimi.

Mama and Faith at Cafe Kolache. We shared our favorite-ham and Swiss kolache. Yum!

Jonathan and I. He was so full of grouchy faces that I joined right in!

A view of the street in Beaver, PA. Love this town!

Faith cozying up to the giant LEGO man outside of the local toy store.

Love this photo of the two of them dreaming about what might be under the tree!

Our sorry attempt at a family photo. The kids were so uncooperative that Jay and I joined in!

Hey! At least we were happy!!!

Our lunch at our favorite pizza place. Note how Jonathan is covering his eyes with a straw!

Our timing was off and we were early to church, so we let the kids run around in the play area. Here comes Faith!!!

Getting closer!!!

One of my all-time favorites of Faith-this is her true smile.

This photo of Jonathan is a bit grainy, but it was one of the only smiles I saw on him the whole day.

Kinda goofy smiles, but note the sibling similarities!

Posing in front of the giant Christmas tree at church.

Faith decided to act out the scene from the "Sound of Music" where the kids sing "So Long, Farewell."

After the 3:00pm church service, we came home and Mimi and I whipped up the appetizers we were feasting on for dinner.

And then it was time to open our gifts from Mimi. She had to head to the airport at noon on Christmas, so we wanted to give the kids time to open and play with their gifts from her.

Faith opening up her Cinderella baby doll (who has been snuggled in beside her at bedtime ever since!)

Jonathan opening up his awesome hot wheels race track that sticks to a wall.

The kids showing off their new digital cameras!

Jonathan playing with his race track-due to the chair rail on his walls, the only place the track would fit was his closet mirrors-how fun is that?!

What a great day it turned out to be, even for this little kid!

Christmas Decorations and the Annual Decorating of the Sugar Cookies

2011-12-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, after setting up the gifts and stockings, I snapped a few pictures of our house. Our tree was looking quite droopy by this point, and the branches were wimpy so the ornaments kept sliding off and were re-arranged at lease a dozen times! Poor tree was delivered to the garbage men on December 26th. This mama is a little too concerned about fire-safety and that tree was close to kindling! (Note our cat sitting in front of the fireplace.)

I just love our nativity. My sister-in-law, Katie gave the set to us 8 years ago for our wedding gift, and I have been grateful for it every year when I unpack the decorations. Couldn't have picked a better one myself, Kate! Thank you!

The chairs on the wall were a find at a yard sale 5 years ago. They were original to a one-roomed school house.

This little pencil tree was decorated with all of my rustic decorations by Jonathan and Faith. I am thinking about leaving it up so they can decorate it for Valentines Day.

Faith and Jonathan were so proud of themselves when they brought home their nativity sets they made at preschool. What a treasure!

Our tree this year was a shorty, so I propped it up on crates, and then draped it with a tree skirt. Under the tree quickly became the cat's new favorite napping spot.

On the 23rd, we decorated sugar cookies. Well, Jay, Maureen, Faith and Jonathan decorated, and I did the fetching and cleaning-up, mainly after Faith. Seconds after starting, she dropped (and emptied) an entire container of sprinkles. Oh Faith. Disaster seems to follow her everywhere!

What fun memories we were able to make! And I am glad we had such a great Christmas week, because last night Jonathan puked all over his bed and today Faith has a 102* temp! Ho Ho Ho! At least we aren't missing any school this week, and the kids were able to watch their new DVD of Charlotte's Web while they are recuperating!

Making Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a full and busy month leading up to Christmas. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we got our tree and visited my parents (well, we visited Baba, as Pappy was up at Camp Redeye.) We decorated the house and tree the next day. I wish I could say it was an idyllic experience, but it wasn't. We had to buy new lights for the tree before church, and when we got home the kids were so wired and geared up to decorate the tree that they were driving me NUTS! I was winding the lights around the tree, trying to space them evenly with two little kids yipping at my heels: "Mom! Is it time?!" "Mama! Why do you have to do the lights first?" "WHY?!" "Can I just put ONE ornament on? PLEASE????"

I think I ended up snapping at them and just throwing the lights up as quickly as possible! I felt like a major grump and apologized to the kids and made a mental note to next year put the lights on the tree the night before so we can just jump right into decorating. And next year Jay will have to help me control the chaos of two clumsy kids grabbing breakable ornaments!

The week after Thanksgiving, I had four photo sessions, which was fun but also added a lot of pressure to find time to do the editing. Now that F and J don't take naps at all, it is very hard to do any computer work during the day. I usually have to wait until they are in bed, at which point I am fried and often stare blankly at the computer screen, making very little progress. We also had preschool 2 days; spinning class for me 2 times; dance class for Faith; basketball lessons for Jonathan; Jay was in Kentucky for two day; I had an Alzheimer's Advisory Council meeting; women's Bible study and we went to the Science Center with my friend Allison and her two boys, Nathan and Aaron.

On December 3rd, Faith and Jonathan along with cousin Natalie went to see Disney on Ice with Baba and Pappy as an early Christmas gift.

The next week (December 5-11th), we had 3 days of preschool (and I helped at the Christmas store); 2 days of spinning; Faith got measured for her dance recital costume; I had a doctor's appointment; Bible study; a YoungLives fundraiser at California Pizza kitchen (yum!); Christmas concert at church; girls night out with Megan to celebrate her birthday (Cheesecake Factory, browsed Sur La Table and drank coffee at Crazy Mocha); I took Faith shopping with me at a new antique/junk store and she loved it; Science center with Jay and kids; visited Hartwood Acres (with A. Deb & Nance) for the first time and waited in line for 1.5 HOURS! Just to get in to see the lights! We were at such a standstill that I let F and J sit on my lap and take turns driving at 4mph, which they thought was the coolest thing ever!

The next week, December 12th-18th)I had spinning class plus our annual gift exchange. I got all of my photo packages in the mail (whew!).The kids had preschool 3 times and "lunch bunch" once (where they eat a brown-bag lunch with their classmates before school starts.)We had a Christmas party at Bible study; I got to hang out with two of my college friends; had our couple's Bible study at our house and then at midnight Jay picked up his mom from the airport. Maureen, aka Mimi or Meems was here for 10 days and she left for California on Christmas day. On the weekend, went to Market Square (previous post) and Jay and I got to go on a date thanks to an early Christmas gift from Maureen. We went out to eat with our gift card, and saw Sherlock Holmes II. On Sunday, we went to church and then gathered at my grandma's house to eat pizza and visit with our family so Maureen could see everyone.

The week leading up to Christmas (December 19th-25th), Jay and the kids (and now me!) got sick with an upper respiratory virus. That slowed us down some, but not much! 2 more spinning classes for me; both kids had their Christmas party at school, and Mimi and I helped with Faith's. Basically, all I had to do was read a story, provide paper plates, cups, napkins and candles. Other than that, the other mom had it all under control and I just assisted her where needed. I cleaned out and organized our office (it still needs to be re-painted and decorated, but this was a start.) We went back to Wildwood Highlands with our buddy Luke (see previous post); Faith had dance class and I got to have a lot of help with the kids because Mimi was here. And the kids got to have one-on-one time with Mimi as they took turns going on a date to Dunkin' Donuts and then to the dollar store to buy each other's stocking stuffers.

And finally, some pictures!!! My dear friend Megan MADE these gingerbread houses and we got together at our house to decorate them.

Waiting for Toby and Taylor to arrive...we were also making sugar cookies and I asked the kids to hold up the cookie cutters they picked-note how Faith is smiling and Jonathan is...

...very pleased with himself for licking Faith's ear! She was NOT happy with him.

My job was to supply the decorations for the houses. I sorted them in muffin tins to make the process run more smoothly.

Posing with their house (before).

Taylor and Toby with their un-decorated house.

Toby working away!

Taylor really liked decorating, but she liked eating the candy even better.

Megan, Taylor and Toby.

Faith really loved this project, and would have continued placing candy on the house indefinitely if Megan and I hadn't started to clean up!

Working on the chimney. When we saw the gingerbread houses on display at Market Square, Faith noticed a house that had lollipops sticking out of the chimney to look like balloons in the movie "Up." The chimney and balloons were the only part I helped them with. Other than that, my one job was to apply icing where they directed me.

T & T's finished house!

(an aeriel view)

The next batch of photo's are of F & J's finished house.

Faith did this side by herself. She broke up bread sticks and added them to the chimney. She also was very intent on making her side neat and symmetrical.

Faith's front door.

The back side they worked on together.

(aeriel views)

Jonathan's side.

This was such a fun memory to make! Thanks Megan! And for comparison, here is a link to see the gingerbread houses we made 3 years ago.

A Visit Downtown

2011-12-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Jay and I took the kids to Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh. Our city offers a lot of fun things to do as a family, although I usually find out about the programs or events after it has already happened. This year, we made it on the last weekend of all the cool winter events!

First we had lunch at a new restaurant and it was just alright. Not really that great, and pretty pricey, but we do love to try new places and that is the price you pay some times. Then we walked over to see the astonishing display of gingerbread houses at PPG Place. I wondered on our way into the city if this was going to bore the kids...especially when across the way is a really cool ice skating rink that we were not planning on skating at! Fortunately, both kids LOVED studying the houses, and there were trains running around them which made it that much cooler for Jonathan. And when I handed them hot cocoa they were totally thrilled! At one point, Jay said some thing to the effect of "Isn't it nice reaping the rewards of not spoiling your kids?!"

We also watched part of a high school singing/dancing performance. I was not at all impressed by the girls' skimpy attire but my sweet Faith audibly gasped when the young women came on stage and whispered "Aren't they beautiful? I want to sing and dance like that when I am older...but I don't know how to do that song yet."

Jay and I stood there as long as we could bear, which wasn't long, and we had to coax the kids away with the promise of a trolley ride. As an incentive to encourage shopping downtown, the city was providing free horse-drawn carriage rides, as well as rides on the trolley. We opted for the enclosed trolley (it was blisteringly cold and windy, and the lines were shorter, and the horses smelled like they brought the barn with them!) We actually got on to the trolley very quickly, and off we went! A funny part of the ride happened when the local college student who was narrating the tour of the city told all of us that our courthouse was in fact the local jail. Hmm.

We hopped off the trolley to view the nativity/creche set-up in the UPMC/Steel Building lot. It was enormous, and very cool to see. Then we hoofed it back to Market square to watch the ice skaters before heading home to make marshmallow snowmen inspired by one of the gingerbread houses we saw. With a few toothpicks and different sized marshmallows we were able to create some pretty cute characters.

The snowman in the blue coat is the one I made. He is sporting earmuffs, mittens and a coat that Faith made for him. That child constantly amazes me with her creativity. Mr. Snowman also has an extra toothpick in him to help him stay upright until the glue dried...Faith insisted that we use glue and not icing, and it was pretty darn hard to steady the marshmallow men in the graham crackers.
I don't have any pictures of us looking at all the cool things at Market Square. The very wet, blowing snow was not something I wanted to subject my camera to, so unfortunately, I only have the pictures in my mind.

Hanging Out With Our Buddy Luke

2011-12-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

This is Luke, Jonathan and Faith's 20 month old buddy. The three of them ADORE each other. It is so fun to watch them interact.

Today we got to take Luke to a local indoor play place. Here Jonathan is helping Luke up the padded ramp. Luke really didn't need help, but F and J are so eager to help him, that they do whatever they can to help him. When we first got to the play place, I said "Okay, if anyone needs to go to the bathroom, we need to do it now." Jonathan said "Well, we don't have to go, and is Luke wearing a diaper?" So funny.

I was sitting on the second level with the kids, and Luke was SO joy-filled, running around the structure.

Jonathan and Fatih loved jumping into the ball pit.

Faith and Jonathan would race to the top of this slide, scream the whole way down, and Luke would be waiting for them every time. He thought they were hilarious!

We had such a great time with our little buddy. Jonathan and Faith think that everything Luke does is so cute or funny. He got the giggles in the car and they couldn't stop laughing at him. He is a wonderful little fellow to hang out with! Can't wait until we can do it again!

Letter C Pretzels for Preschool

2011-12-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today was Faith's snack day at school, which is a big deal for the under 5 crowd. I had an Auntie Anne's at home baking kit in the cupboard so we made letter C pretzels for Faith's class since they are studying letter C this week. NOTE: making letter C may have tapped out my abilities. I think E would have been very difficult!

They turned out quite well. We made half with salt and half with cinnamon and sugar. I was volunteering at the school today for the Christmas store, so I dropped off the dish of pretzels myself to the class. When I came back to collect my heavy dish that I didn't want Faith to drop on her way to the pick-up line, the teachers sheepishly admitted that they kept the leftovers! Ha!

More Cousin Photos

2011-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to post about at the moment, so I thought I would show my family these pictures of Faith and Jonathan with their cousin Natalie. These three adore each other!

Rock Wall Climbing

2011-11-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken at a church where we were attending a meeting/dinner for the program for teen moms that Jay and I volunteer for. F and J spied this wall and were scampering up immediately.

This picture makes them look like they are REALLY high up!

Okay, this looks a little less dangerous! Here Faith pauses to pose and Jonathan checks below to make sure he doesn't land on any of the little kids.

I think maybe we should add one of these to our basement!

A Cat That Reads and Basketball Lessons

2011-11-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

This is Monty, our 8 year old cat. He likes Faith, because she leaves him alone. One day, Monty was hanging out on Faith's bed during the day, and when I came in her room for something I cracked up when I saw what she had done! Check out the reading material she picked out for Monty so he wouldn't be bored!

And here are the basketball pictures I promised! They are of terrible quality, but they show Jonathan loving his time with "Basketball Matt."

Faith has a bit of a crush on Jonathan's 14 year old coach. She asked me how to spell "Basketball Matt" which she wrote on a card with a heart and her name on it! Ha!

Nursery Pictures and Adoption Update

2011-11-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to post pictures of the nursery that Jay and I have prepared for our new son or daughter. Everything that we used for Faith and Jonathan is still in great shape, and works for both a boy and girl, so we were able to set up the nursery pretty quickly. When we set everything up the kids helped us. We hadn't talked to them yet about the adoption, so we weren't sure how to explain the crib and baby stuff to them...what is funny is, they asked "Is that crib for a baby?" When we said "yes," they said "Oh, okay." And that was that! They never asked WHICH baby it was for! Ha!

I wanted to perk up the walls without painting them, so I found two different sets of wall decals at Target and combined the letters and dots, and they matched perfectly!

Some special items are awaiting this little one! Mimi knit a coming home sweater and cap identical to the ones F and J wore home from the hospital.

In case it's a girl...

In case it's a boy...

A blanket I crocheted...I made a green one (for J) and a yellow one (for F) when I was only a few months pregnant.

This nook in the wall was a great place to stash baby books, teething rings and rattles.

We have not been matched yet, but our home study has been shown to a caseworker regarding an infant girl, and our profile book was shown to a birth family. They ended up choosing another couple based on how the couple reminded them of their aunt and uncle, but it is so great that our agency is trying to match us so quickly!

Jay and I spent the morning at our church attending a wonderful seminar about adoption. We attended a breakout sessions about raising biological and adopted children; post-adoption depression; speaking to your children about adoption and preparing them for a new sibling; and the last session was about ministering to birth moms. All in all a great and worthwhile experience. Plus, we got to go out for our favorite pizza afterwards, and then we went on a bike ride sans kids because they spent the day with A. Debbie and Nance!

Faith at 4 1/2

2011-11-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

At 4 1/2, Faith weighs about 38 lbs and wears 4T clothes but is quickly outgrowing them. Her bangs are finally growing, and are down to her chin. I figure they will catch up to the rest of her hair in about 6-8 months. Growing out bangs is a long process!!!

Her favorite foods are: eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, Nature's Basket Honey Oats cereal, salami, ham, turkey, cheese, yogurt, salad (she likes spinach, cucumbers, roasted red peppers and balsamic vinaigrette.) She likes salmon, shrimp cocktail, chicken, hamburgers, pasta, chicken sausage, mac & cheese, fish sticks, steamed broccoli (she likes to be called the broccoli girl), steak, Mexican food, mushroom soup, mushroom pizza, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, all sweets, all fruits except pomegranates and kiwi. She is an excellent eater, and has been chowing down lately. I think she is going through a growth spurt because her new pants looks too short. Faith loves food. Loves to eat it, prepare it, shop for it and make a HUGE mess with it. Put it this way, the nickname Messy Marie still fits her!

Faith was a flower-girl at my sister's wedding last month. Here she is dancing with her Pappy, whom she adores. On more than one occasion, Faith has requested to be allowed to go live with Baba and Pappy.

Faith is quite the Daddy's girl. Jay is very patient with Faith and seems to weather her emotional storms better than I do.

Faith is spunky, fun, creative, imaginative and passionate. She loves to play with her Tinkerbell dolls, read her books and draw, paint and create. She likes to go bike riding, loves her dance class, and still acts out many scenes from books and movies.

She can be quite bold and brave...and sometimes her stubbornness gets her into quite a bit of trouble. But mostly her strong will serves her very well. She is a leader and has the ability to get groups of kids to follow her where ever she goes. She is kind to younger kids, and is every excited to get a baby sister. We asked her what she would do if God chose a baby brother for our family and she said, "Well, I'd love him, but I'd also probably ignore him!"

We love you so much Faith, and we are so very glad you are our little girl. We can't wait to see what you grow up to do and become. I am so glad I get to be your Mama! You keep me on my toes, and I love that about you. You bring a lot of life and energy to our home and I know we are just scratching the surface of your creativity! I am sure our home will a buzz of activity when you are a bit older and you have all your friends over plotting and planning slumber parties and dances and pretend cooking shows. It is a joy to be your Mama!

Jonathan at 41/2

2011-11-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and Faith are only 10 days away from their half-birthday, and I thought now was as good time to do a 4.5 year update.

This picture shows Jonathan scampering up a rock-climbing wall at a playground. He started off trying, but got nervous and started yelling for me to help him. Quick as a flash, Faith clambered up the hand-holds and over the top! Well! Jonathan looked at her, looked at the wall, and with renewed determination climbed right up! Sometimes having a twin sister is very motivating!

Okay, this really amused me...at the park, a family of boys tumbled out of a minivan, and started playing soccer. Jonathan immediately ditched me and Faith and jumped right in to their game! The funny part is, he has NO idea how to play soccer. He kept trying to pick the ball up and Faith and I were on the bleachers screaming "Kick the ball!!!"

This picture makes him look like he knows what he is doing, but since we have never played soccer with him, he is clueless but was having a great time with all of the bigger boys.

I don't have any pictures of this yet, but Jonathan had his first basketball lesson this week! Since Faith started dance class I have been investigating programs for Jonathan. I didn't find anything that didn't require Saturday games/meets. So, we hired the neighbor boy, whom F and J have called "Basketball Matt" for the past 2 years to give Jonathan a private lesson at a local gym facility. Their first lesson went very well! Jonathan was hot, red, sweaty and drinking water like crazy! Exactly what I was hoping for! They practiced chest passes, overhead passes, dribbling with both hands and some other things I didn't understand because I know nothing about basketball (or soccer!)

Here Jonathan is showing off one of his coloring pages. This kid LOVES to color. He colors all the time, and he is very proud of himself for staying in the lines. I have to say, I think he is doing an exceptional job!

I have my parent-teacher conference this coming week and I am excited to hear how Jonathan is doing in school. I know he loves going, and he has the sweetest attitude about anything his teacher tells him to do. He usually has his homework completed within 15 minutes of arriving home, because his teacher told him to do it! She offered him a slice of fresh red pepper one day and he has been picking them out of the salad bowl since then chowing down! Oh, the influence of a teacher!

At 4.5, Jonathan weighs 40 lbs and wears 4T clothes. His favorite foods are: oatmeal, any kind of cold cereal, pancakes, waffles, eggs and toast, peanut butter, yogurt, cheese, all fruit except kiwi, red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, salad, croutons, grilled cheese, salami, cheese quesadillas, pepperoni and mushroom pizza, mac & cheese, hot dogs, turkey kielbasi, chicken sausage, turkey sausage, pasta without sauce, shrimp cocktail, fish sticks, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, apple sauce, all other baked goods and sweets. He is especially fond of anything with nuts, and has taken a liking to baklava which is one of my favorite desserts. He likes pecans, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts and raw almonds. It is a good thing he likes nuts, because he boycotts most meat. He won't eat ground meat (meatballs, tacos, hamburgers), steak, chicken, ham or turkey. This tends to drive Jay a bit crazy, as protein is his favorite food group! But as long as he tries a bite of everything on his plate, we don't make a fuss about it.

Jonathan is very confident in groups of kids. He makes friends very easily, although he doesn't always understand when a group of older kids are trying to shake him. He is kind to smaller children, and talks to adults everywhere we go.

He is starting to pull away from me, and is becoming more independent. He is responsible for loading his dishes into the dishwasher; bringing the recycling bins and garbage cans in from the sidewalk; stripping his dirty sheets; putting his own clothes away into his dresser; putting away his toys, shoes and hanging up his coat. He gets himself dressed (but prefers for me to pick out his clothes because he isn't very good at matching); brushes his own teeth; puts on his own shoes; straps himself into his car seat and unstraps himself and Faith (her thumbs aren't strong enough.)

He loves our cat, but can't seem to leave the poor thing alone. He is too rough with Monty, and doesn't understand why he sometimes gets scratched after putting the cat in a headlock. He likes to be outside, but has been stung by bees 4 times since summer. Every time he sees a bee it sends him into a tailspin of fear. We hung up a bee catcher in the backyard and that has made our yard safe enough for him...our teenage babysitter told him his blood tastes like honey and he totally believes her.

Since our trip to California, he has been obsessed with planes and helicopters. He asks more questions than I can answer, and is very thirsty for knowledge. We watched a really lame documentary on planes and he was glued to the tv. He wants to go back to California as soon as possible, and if I had the money for tickets I would take him in a heartbeat! He has proven to be a very sturdy traveler.

Jonathan needs to practice self-control with his sister, and he needs to tone down the sassy attitude toward me. He has begun telling me he isn't going to go to this place, or leave that place and in the car today he told me he didn't love me anymore because I made him leave the playground and may or may not have given him the wrong cup of juice. He is a ball of emotions sometimes, and I never know from hour to hour how he is going to react to something Faith or I say/do.

He is a lot of fun to be around when he is in a good mood. He has started making jokes, and is an excellent conversationalist. He still holds my hand a lot, but less and less in public. He still likes to sit on my lap, but at 40 pounds and more than half my height it isn't always comfortable. He continues to be very, very loud when he gets hurt, which is often, but he is recovering quicker than he used to.

He is a wonderful son, and I am so thankful God choose to place him in our home. I love being his mama, and mourn the passing of time. And yet, I love watching him morph into a boy, not just a toddler. I love seeing what he can do, what he can learn, and how he is changing. I can hardly fathom that it has been 4.5 years since my 7.12lb baby boy entered our lives. Love you buddy!

First Snow

2011-11-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 29th, we woke up to our first snow. Jonathan and Faith were so excited! Faith's love to snow seems to have temporarily rubbed off on Jonathan.

Is it wishful thinking that we don't see any more of this white stuff until December?!

Halloween...My How They Have Grown

2011-10-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I never dressed up as a kid, so I guess the whole trick or treating thing is very foreign to me. But after 5 years of Halloween-ing with Faith and Jonathan, I am starting to get the hang of it.

A Steelers Football Cheerleader and Tigger-Age 5 1/2 months. We went to a nursing home to visit with the residents.

A Bumble Bee and a Strawberry at 17 1/2 months old. I remember that it was very warm that year, and that the kids were hot in their costumes Mimi picked out for them. It was also the year we started our pizza rolls for Halloween dinner tradition. I wheeled their highchairs out onto the porch so they could eat and watch the big kids.

The Matching Year: Nemo at 2 1/2. I loved telling them to shake their tails for people!

I don't actually have any photos from 3 1/2...not sure why. I remember that Faith was Annie, and that Jonathan didn't want to dress up. Jay finally convinced him to shove a cowboy hat on his head before trick-or-treating. This was the year we handed out candy in the city with our church the day before...or should I say, Jonathan handed out the candy! He LOVED his job, and was much more interested in handing out candy on Halloween than going door to door to collect any! It was cold, very cold and yet we had trouble convincing him to come inside. He stood on our porch yelling "HEY! DOES ANYONE OUT THERE NEED CANDY?!" Super adorable.

And now, at nearly 4 1/2, Faith dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She had to wear tights, leggings, a long-sleeve t-shirt, sweater and gloves because it was very cold. Not surprising since we had our first snow 2 days ago! She borrowed this lovely dress from her friend Taylor. She wanted her hair to be curled, so we worked on that for an hour after school today.

And Jonathan wanted to be a train conductor. "Great," I thought. "That is easy and we already have the hat and overalls!"

THEN he mentioned that he wanted to be IN a train. So Jay and I put this train together the night before with a box, yards of packing tape, 2 old belts and aluminum foil. I think it turned out pretty well! We attached a working head lamp to the front for the headlight, and we put a bag under the smoke stack to catch his candy. He got lots and lots of compliments and had a great time collecting his treats.

I was very proud of the kids. It was raining but they powered on, visiting the neighbors that we know and being very kind to the other kids. It was funny, before we were done, they both agreed that it was time to head home to hand out the candy (we had left a bowl on the porch). When we got home, they wanted to start hand delivering it to our neighbors! What generous little kiddos! I showed them how to dump their candy out on the ground and sort it. Their favorite treat was a HUG drink and their own mini bag of microwave popcorn. A pretty nice night for this non-Halloween-loving mama!

Faith's First Dance "Show"

2011-10-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Faith had her Halloween dance class in which they were encouraged to dress up. She is wearing a long dress this year for Halloween which would make dancing difficult, so we opted for last year's Annie costume.

From L to R: The Mad Hatter, Annie, Cinderella, a Spider, Jessie from Toy Story and Tinkerbell

They lined up at the end for the parents to take pictures-I didn't notice at the time, but Faith is holding "Cinderella's" hand.

And lastly, some video's for the grandparents! Extra thanks for our friends Megan, Toby, Taylor and Allison who came to see Faith's 4 minutes of dancing! Jay left work early to come see her in her first "show," and I think she was feeling quite special! Take note of how stiff she is when she bends-I think she was afraid her wig would fall off!!!

My Sister, the BRIDE!

2011-10-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

My one and only sister got married this weekend. Wow! I guess we really are growing up!

Congratulations Beth and Chris! Beth, you were a very, very beautiful bride, and you both did a great job planning your big day! Faith loved being a flower girl, and we all had a nice time. May your marriage be richly blessed during all the ups and downs of life! Love you!

My Sister

2011-10-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

My sister is getting married this weekend. This reminded me that I never posted pictures from her wedding shower that I hosted!

The First Glimmer of Hope

2011-10-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

We completed all of our adoption related paperwork (application, clearances, fingerprinting, references and home study and profile book) in August. On August 31st, we received a copy of our home study which was signed by our social worker and agency president. This meant we were now eligible to adopt.

I know that hasn't been very long ago, but it has been tough not to call and ask what (if any) progress has been made. Today I received an email from the matching specialist at our adoption agency with an update. I did not know we would receive updates, but she said that she sent our home study out on September 26th regarding an infant girl but has not yet heard back from the caseworker.

It would be highly improbably for the first attempt at a match to work, BUT, this totally affirms our decision to use this agency. Many of the agencies we interviewed use a waiting list. Once you are at the top of the list, they try to match you. Our agency attempts to match the right family with the right child regardless of the time you have been "in the system."

It appears we will be getting monthly updates to help ease our wait time.

If anyone who reads this ever encounters someone who they think could be a possible match for us, please let us know. We are eligible to adopt in many states.

If anyone has any suggestions about how to "advertise" our family, please let me know. Thanks so much!
~krissy and jay

Family Photos: Country Style

2011-10-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

The last time we had a family photo done was when my son and daughter were 2...nearly 2.5 years ago. We had our pictures taken at a local inexpensive assembly-line studio, before I began my foray into photography. The pictures were fine, but needed to be updated. I set aside a Sunday in October to drive the 60 or so miles home to my parent's house, and we were very fortunate to have wonderful, blue skies and golden sunshine! My step-dad took all of the family photos. He is the one who got me interested in photography, and he had my camera and his around his neck and was snapping away! Didn't he do a great job? This location was 3 miles down the road near a covered bridge and a horse farm. I can't even tell you how much I wish we lived closer to such gorgeous scenery!

Cousins in Black & White

2011-10-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last night we returned from our trip to Orange County, California to visit with Jay's family. Our kids were such amazing travelers. It could not have been any more opposite than our first trip to CA with the kids when they were 9 months old...that trip left us terrified to attempt cross-country travel again. This trip made us feel confident that we could pull it off again, maybe even solo!

Jonathan

Steven

Faith

Megan

Claire

Cousins

2011-09-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

Peek-A-Boo Faith!

2011-09-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes getting an honest smile out of Faith is hard. Today I tricked her into a real smile by asking her to demonstrate for me how peek-a-boo works. Love the genuine smiles Faithy Lou!

Daddy's Brave Little Girl

2011-09-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Just in case you can't tell, she LOVES this!

Silly Boy

2011-09-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has met Jonathan quickly comes to realize that one of his defining personality traits is exhuberance. He can make his eyes open enormously wide and he cracks me up all the time with his funny expressions. He noticed me taking his photo with my zoom lens while he was playing at a playground and this is how he reacted!

This photo is one of my current favorites, and I am going to have it enlarged to hang in our family room. As much as I love smiling photos, I really, really like this one!

Ballerina Girl

2011-09-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today was Faith's first ballet class. We had a busy start to our day which included taking Jonathan to the doctor's where he was diagnosed with strep; stopping at Kohl's and then Target for J's medicine; and eating a quick subway lunch in the car before dropping Faith off by herself at preschool. I wasn't sure how Faith would feel after our whirlwind morning, but she was ecstatic about it finally being "the day."

Faith practically ran into class. The other little girl in back (on the left) is in Jonathan's preschool class, but otherwise she didn't know anyone.

They started off doing tap, and Faith very quickly learned the little song they were singing "This is my right foot, ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha; this is my left foot and that is why I'm laughing!" Or something like that. Near the end of the tap portion they asked us to come in and watch (and help switch them into the other shoes!)

She was SO into this. And she loved the singing parts.

At the end of class, she BURST into tears, sobbing "But why did the class have to be SO SHORT?!"

I think it is safe to say we have found something Faith really, really, really is happy to do! Definitely an easier start than this infamous gymnastics post!

1 Day Down, 13 to 20 Years to Go!

2011-09-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

Last year the kids participated in a 9 week "preschool" at our local high school. They were instructed by juniors and seniors and it was very inexpensive program that helped get us through the crummy end of winter weather. Today, Jonathan and Faith began their 3-day-a-week, 4 year-old school year at their real preschool.

They were so excited to go that they had their back packs on before breakfast. Unfortunately for them, classes don't begin until 12:30pm!

This morning we went to a picnic for the young-onset Alzheimer's support group I have been assisting with for the last two or so years. This was my last visit with them, as I can't get home in time to take the kids to school so I can't help out anymore. Anyway, it was a great day but the ground was very muddy and both kids got quite dirty. Faith splatted to the ground, picked herself up and fell right back down. I tried cleaning them up with wet paper towels, but their socks were hopeless and their shoes were pretty messy. When I was packing them back up into the van, Faith looked at me and said "Mom, this was a bad idea. We got too messy!"

So we made a detour on the way home and I got them fresh socks at home and warm wash clothes to clean them (and their shoes) off.

(They are showing off their backpacks)

Drop off went extremely well! We were in line about 10 minutes early, and were near the other families we knew so we rolled down the windows and were waving. Faith and Jonathan were thrilled to climb out of the van and never looked back! Today was Jonathan's snack day, so he trotted off knowing he was going to be the line leader. The little boy who announced he didn't need any other friends than his sister was quite confident going in to his new class alone.

Faith was so full of joy when I picked them up. She told me what book they read in her class, and it was one that we have at home. She was giggly and funny and happy to see Jonathan. They chatted away about what they did in their respective classes. It was so cute to listen to.

Tonight we went out to dinner to celebrate. They picked Aladdin's and ordered their cheese quesadilla, fresh fruit and fruit smoothies. A happy day indeed. Jay remarked as we were leaving that 13 more years of schooling will get them through high school and 20 or so would get them through med school!

A Time Line Recap

2011-08-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

Two years ago on November 1st, 2009, Jay and I celebrated our sixth anniversary. We spent the day window shopping on Walnut street, then drove to Beaver to walk in the town we hope to live in one day. We took pictures with my brand new camera, and went out for lunch and dinner. We talked about all of the difficulty and sadness that October had brought to our family when Jay's dad died unexpectedly from a heart issue. We talked about the kids, who at the time were 2 1/2 years old, and about my desire to add a third child to the mix. This wasn't the first time we had talked about it, but it was the defining moment when we decided together that we would like to be a family of five.

Jay and I on our Anniversary date.

Jonathan and Faith at 2 1/2 (Also, the first photos I took with my new camera!)

Gosh this was a long time ago!

In the time since November 2009, we have pursed becoming parents of three. Our doctors were kind, but told us that with our combined infertility issues and our desire to not do IVF, that we needed to clearly know when to stop our pregnancy attempts via ovulation induction and intrauterine insemination. We turned the question back on our doctor and asked her what she recommended, and she said that if pregnancy was going to be obtained that it would happen within six medicated cycles. (Note: once I finally responded to the ovulation medication I was taking in 2006, I became pregnant with Faith and Jonathan on our first IUI attempt.)

And so we began our frequent, early morning trips to the doctors. We have many mornings where I had to take the kids with me while I had my blood drawn (which they found fascinating), and many scheduling issues and babysitting needs!

The first medicated cycle failed...and the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth. By this point I was distraught, and ready to quit. Jay asked me to do one more cycle, just so we wouldn't have to ever wonder...and so we did. The sixth cycle took place over February/March 2011. We had spent approximately $5,000 on infertility treatments, and we were physically, emotionally and financially spent. On the day after my 31st birthday, we conceded defeat, and came to the heartbreaking conclusion that for all intents and purposes it appeared that I would never be pregnant again.

March to April we went through and intense grieving period. I was studying "Breaking Free," by Beth Moore with my Tuesday morning women's Bible study group, and it was so, so helpful. We were so sad, but we recognized that we have an incredibly blessed life with Jonathan and Faith and that really helped lessen the sting of infertility. We didn't have to wonder if we would ever get to be parents, because we already were.

On April 26th we attended an informational adoption meeting for Bethany Christian Adoption. It was very clear to us that we would not be working with Bethany, as they were not a good fit for us. We also interviewed Gladney, Catholic Charities, ABC Adoption and Adoptions From the Heart. On May 11th, we met with the Adoption Connection, PA director and were amazingly at peace with their program. Jay and I went to dinner afterwards and I asked him to please take the lead on this one, because I knew I would jump both feet in but I wanted to be guided by his more thoughtful/less impulsive ways. He looked at me and said "We are doing this. Let's get to work on the application."

On May 17th we turned in our completed application.

Within the following two months we obtained all necessary background information including references, physical examination forms, personal health history forms, financial statements, employment verifications, marriage certificate, birth certificates, parent questionnaires, home safety questionnaire and Child Abuse, Criminal History Clearances and FBI Fingerprint Clearances.

Our meetings with the social worker performing our home study and home inspection took place on July 19th and July 26th. On August 16th, our social worker turned in her completed report. We made the necessary edits, and as of today, August 31st, the director of our agency has signed our home study and we are 100% eligible to adopt.

We have flown through all the work required to become eligible to adopt. In 3 1/2 months we have completed the entire process, which is amazing. We had a very easy time getting our references in (thanks friends and family!), our clearances came in quickly, our physicals were easily scheduled and went off without a hitch and our social worker scheduled our home study in a very timely manner.

And now our waiting begins.

I can't even explain how not fun it is to have no way to push our adoption forward. When I was trying to get pregnant I could chart days, schedule doctor appointments, take pills and travel to the specialty pharmacy for my injections. And for the adoption I could research, write, deliver paperwork, send emails, make copies and complete home improvement projects to prepare for the inspection. But now??? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. There is nothing left to do but pray, wait and hope.

So for now we are focusing on our fall schedule. The kids will start three-day-a-week preschool. We will be taking a trip to California. I am continuing to expand my photography business. We aren't changing anything about the way we are living, but we are aware of the fact that our lives could change over night!

We decided to tell the kids about the adoption and they have been so sweet about it. They are excited about getting a new brother or sister. Of course Jonathan would like a baby brother and Faith would like a baby sister! They pray every night for God to please send their baby brother or baby sister home soon.

So, that is it! A very long update, and a very long time line that is only going to get longer. But we are hopeful that we can keep trusting that God holds all the hours, days, weeks, months and years in His hands.

Inches Lost

2011-08-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Faith's before and after pictures of her haircut.

My two little weirdo's asked me to take this picture of them. Strange kids!

Playing Catch-Up

2011-08-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

This has probably been my longest blogging hiatus since I began writing here in March of 2007. I have a lot of reason's for not writing, but first, let's start by looking at these pictures of my cute kids!

These two photos should share the title, "You never know what you are going to get when you open their doors."

Jonathan sacked out on the floor at naptime.

The kids are doing really, really well with their swim lessons. I ended up hiring two 17/18 year old girls in my neighborhood to teach the kids, for $5 and hour per kid. This has been a wonderful arrangement for our family, and they have gotten so much time in the water that they are doing great!

Rachel teaching Jonathan how to dog-paddle.

Lauren helping Faith practice kicking.

And now for the reason I haven't been posting very much: my grandfather, Pap-Pap.

Pap in front of his birthday cake. We celebrated his 88th birthday on July 23rd.

Jonathan and Faith adore their great-grandfather, and they also greatly enjoy CAKE! They are always very helpful when it comes to blowing out candles and anything else cake related.

My grandfather is 1/2 German and 1/2 Croatian. His most notable characteristic is his stubborness. And that has never been more apparent than over the past three weeks when he absolutely, completely, refused to die! One week after these pictures were taken, Pap collapsed after vomiting copious amounts of blood and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Suddenly, all the cell phones in our family were chirping out text messages and in a matter of hours we were all gathered at the hospital. Pap presented with a very large stomach ulcer, but not the kind that you treat with pepto bismol. This ulcer was caused by a life time of smoking (he started when he was 7 or 8) and was being fed by two arteries. I can't even remember all the ups and downs over the past three weeks, but I do know that Pap had 10 units of blood transfussed, three embolizations, 4-5 scopes, two central-lines, a picc line, an NG tube to pump the blood out of his stomach, 24/7 oxygen, a catheter and multiple iv's. He was in the ICU for about 10 days before they moved him to a regular room. He was there less than 24 hours when he started losing blood so fast that they put the central lines in and fast-tracked two units of blood in three minutes.

We gathered in the ICU waiting room while they took him in for the third and final embolization while we waited and prayed. Miraculously, the embolization seems to have worked, and inspite of three weeks of ups and downs, Pap has now been moved to a skilled nursing facility to receive physical therapy so that he can regain his stregnth and head home.

Through all of this, my family has been amazing. Our family is small (but growing) and we are very, very close. I think I received something like 350 texts as we all tried to keep each other informed. Each family member played an important role...My mom spent several long, long nights in the ICU just being there for Pap to help him in any way he needed, as well as caring for my grandma and chauffering her to and from the hospital; my brother, who is an ICU nurse in Harrisburgh came in for several days and oversaw Pap's care. And when he wasn't here, he was in constant communication with Pap's doctors. Aunt Lori (#2 of the 3 daughters) was at Pap's side constantly. She also was a huge help to my grandma who herself was rushed to the ER with a blood infection. Aunt Debbie (#3 of 3) is a physical therapist and very knowledgeable about all things medicine, and she helped make all the important decisions that needed to be made, as well as shaving Pap, helping him do exercises and breaking down all of the medical jargon for the rest of us. My cousin Jessica drove through the night from NC with her 8 month old and 2 year old sons. She visited with Pap many, many hours, as did her sister, Lori. Lori works as a CNA in an assisted living facility and she managed to juggle all of her duties at home (to daughters age 7 and 10) with work and with living an hour away from the hospital. Can I just say it again? My family is AMAZING.

I took Faith and Jonathan to visit Pap at the nursing facility on Friday around lunch-time, and I was so, so proud of my kids. When we first got to his room, pap was finishing up a respritory treatment and the full face mask was a bit intimidating to them. Once I took the mask off of him, they climbed up in bed with him and gave him hugs. We talked him into going for a walk in his wheelchair (he had already done a lot of PT that morning and was tired) to sit outside in the sunshine, and both kids helped push his wheel chair, and they shared their snack with him. When he tired out, we brought him back inside and got him situated in his bed. Before leaving, the kids talked with an other older lady in the facility and were very kind to the other residents. When we got back into the car (after a 1.5 hr visit), Jonathan announced, "Wasn't that a great visit with Pap? Why did we have to leave so soon?"

Our two little rays of sunshine...I was checking out a photo location and Faith asked me to take their pictures. She is such a mini-me, she ordered Jonathan "Hold my hand! Put your arm up there! Take one step over! Now SMILE!"

I am so glad we are smiling right now!

A Message for Mimi

2011-07-29T19:11:00.001-07:00

A Post By Faith

2011-07-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

This evening it was Faith's turn with the camera.

The bush on the left is her roses bush which Mimi bought her for her birthday.

And finally, our water meter!

A Post By Jonathan

2011-07-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

To beat the oppressive heat we have been experiencing this week, I took the kids to a spray park. I handed Jonathan our waterproof camera and told him to go take some pictures. Here is what he came up with!

No, we do not know this lady. But he obviously told her to say cheese!

I believe this is the pocket on a pair of jean shorts!

The "Home Inspection"

2011-07-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight our social worker met with us for part 1 of our home study. Our meeting involved us answering questions about the race/age/background/medical & mental health parameters, as well as issues of open, semi-open or closed adoptions. We also walked around our house, showing her each room, fire extinguisher, smoke detector, our fenced in yard, etc. We were told this would be our "home inspection," so we worked like crazy to get our home in tip-top shape. We weren't worried about anything in our home not passing "inspection," but anytime you are told a stranger will be walking through your house evaluating it, it provides the motivation to tackle some of the dreaded to-do list items!

Working on our house sent me down the home improvement memory lane!

Jay moved into our home as a bachelor with two roommates. The three guys didn't really put a lot of effort in to home improvements, but Jay did finish the attic with drywall and carpet which is now our bedroom. When we got married, I wasted NO time making the house into a home. In fact, Jay would often come home from work, walk into the front door and exclaim "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HOUSE?!?"

The first project we did together was build a desk for the office. In our 7 1/2 years of marriage, we have made these changes to our home:

replaced the roofs on our two porches
repaired the main roof
carpeted the front porch
screened in the back deck
replaced the cracked front steps and concrete side walk with pavers
rebuilt our retaining wall
added gravel to our driveway
built a fence around our yard (and stained it twice)
graded and re-sodded portions of the back yard
removed one tree, had the other professionally pruned
replaced all the windows in the entire home
replaced our boiler (radiator heating)
replaced our hot water tank
bought a new washer and dryer
bought a new dishwasher (twice)
bought a new fridge
bought a new-to-us stove
painted the kitchen cabinets
completely remodeled our bathroom
painted every room in the house
refinished the basement
added chair rail to Jonathan's bedroom (formerly the nursery)
installed carpet squares in Jonathan and Faith's bedrooms (really wish they hadn't noticed they can pick up their carpet)
added baseboard heating to our attic bedroom
reconfigured our air conditioning system
added a pantry to our basement
replaced most of the lighting fixtures
edited to add:
replaced the kitchen floor
sanded and stained the hardwood stairs
When I actually list it, I can now understand why people buy new homes! In the next 3 years, if we are still living in the house, we will need to replace the air conditioner, re-shingle the roof and remodel the kitchen. I don't know how long we will live in this house, but our dream is to live on the North Shore for a year to get a taste of city living while building our dream house in the country!

Our final meeting with our social worker will be next week. She said it normally takes her 2 weeks to complete the home study, but she has up to 60 days to do it. We will review the report, and then we will be ready to welcome a son or daughter into our home! Prayers are appreciated!

Nuts and Bolts, and Everything In-Between

2011-07-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

(Jonathan trying to help Faith up this rock wall)
Way too often it seems like I only have the mental energy to post pictures, but seeing how this is our main memory keeper, I wanted to update the old blog.

Adoption Update:
On Friday, we drove to our agency and dropped off the last of our paperwork and the first of three big fat checks. We are now waiting to be assigned a social worker who will conduct our home study. It was a relief to finally turn it all in.

I am still in a state of disbelief that this could actually work...that we might have a new baby in our home. Infertility can leave you feeling very skeptical and a bit desensitized. Right now I am going through the motions to get our home ready, but I can't muster up much emotion about it all. I am happy, so much more so now that we are off the infertility roller coaster, but I do feel like the rug is going to get jerked out from under our feet.

We have been busy, busy, busy readying our home for our home study. I know we could easily pass the environment portion, as our home is in good repair, but it is the push that we needed to tackle the not-so-fun chores such as cleaning the garage; changing the front porch lights that broke in a storm; organizing our storage rooms; sorting 4 years worth of boy and girl clothes; etc. It helps to know that some stranger will be walking around our home evaluating it-talk about motivating!

(When his arm didn't work, he offered her his foot.)

Family Time:

We have been enjoying our family bike rides this summer. We have been out once or twice a weekend since Memorial day, biking between 15-18 with the kids, but I did 33 the day they were at my parent's. It takes about 1 hour to bike 12-15 miles, so the kids don't want to sit for 33 miles, and I don't blame them! I think we are up to 158 miles.

The weekend they went to my parent's house, they went canoe-ing and fishing. Jonathan caught his first fish-a big old catfish! Pappy had to reel it in on his kid-sized pole, and he thought for sure it would break, but it didn't!

(seeing double)

Growing Up:

Our summer has been flying by. We had a week of Kidz Gig (vacation Bible school); a trip to the pool with Aunt Debbie; hours of jumping on a trampoline; bike rides; picnics; visits to family and all the regular stuff that makes up family life! Both kids love to help with the laundry and are responsible for putting away their own clothes after they have been washed, dried and folded. On trash day, the kids put away the garbage cans and recycling bins. They can set the table, and put their dishes in the dishwasher. Jonathan is excellent at dusting and using the shop vac, and Faith is excellent at providing opportunities to clean up after her! Just today she spilled milk three times and fell into a container of wet sand!

Today Jonathan wanted to help me clean the bathroom, so I handed him the magic eraser and turned on the cold water and told him to scrub the tub while I ran downstairs to get a roll of paper towels. When I came back, he was IN the tub, scrubbing away! Then, while I was making dinner, Jonathan swiffered the bathroom floor and Faith washed the hardwood steps.

(Waving to the little girl in the water.)

4th of July Weekend:

After turning in our paperwork on Friday, we went to a park, to dinner and then grocery shopping. Saturday morning, Faith and I trekked to Trader Joe's while Jay and Jonathan installed a few dimmer switches. After the groceries were put away, we went for a 17.5 mile ride with Aunt Debbie and Nance. Afterwards, we hung out at their house and had a most delicious dinner-pork chops and veggies on the grill, ramen salad and corn on the cob!

On Sunday we had to work in the nursery at church, and when we came home I started making roasted veggie and orzo salad for our picnic with friends later that day. It is a bit labor intensive, so it took a while to make. Then I just relaxed before heading out for the evening. We had a great time hanging out with some of my college friends, and Faith and Jonathan had the time of their lives jumping on the big trampoline, running through the sprinkler, eating 2 kinds of dessert PLUS Popsicles and then catching lightning bugs. Finally, we saw a few scattered fireworks and our friend's lit firecrackers and sparklers.

On Monday we went on a new, very rough, very uphill trail. We saw two snakes, one that Faith nearly stepped on, but it was so small at first I thought it was a big earth worm! The second one we buzzed by on our bikes, and it was a 3 foot or longer black snake. After our ride, we went to lunch. Jay ordered crab-stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer. Faith scarfed up the mushrooms, and Jonathan ate crab. Jonathan finished Jay's cup of french onion soup, ate my piece of bread, his entire HUGE grilled cheese sandwich, croutons, applesauce AND a piece of Faith's garlic bread! It was the most I have ever seen him eat at one time. I guess riding on the back of our bikes works up an appetite!

When we got home, the kids went down for naps, and they actually slept! I showered and went shopping. I have been using a free online program called myfitnesspal to track my exercise and calories consumed. I am so thankful to report I have lost 21 pounds, and I am feeling really healthy. My clothes are getting too big so I went scouting-only bought one exercise t-shirt, but I know what is out there, I just am going to wait a bit before buying.

After a yummy dinner of turkey burgers, roasted baby potatoes and salad, we decided to nix driving into town to see the big fireworks. The kids had had a lot of late nights this week, plus they lied to Jay about cleaning their rooms, plus it was raining like crazy. Instead we gave them baths, vacuumed and organized their rooms. Most of Faith's room has been in the hall closet for the past 5 weeks. She didn't want to clean her room, and it was a constant source of strife, so she packed up her room into the closet rather than deal with the cleaning. Last night we gave her back two categories: dress-up and her books. She did an excellent job today of keeping her room neat. I hope she can keep it up-I would like to have my closet back at some point!

The last thing I will add before I end this very long update is that today the kids started swim lessons! I hired our babysitter and her friend to give them lessons as our local high school cancelled their lessons. Rachel said they did very well, and both swam (ducking under water first) with out any floaties to the ladder, and she said Faith was extremely determined to do something when she was promised M & M's! Both kids came home raving about their swim lessons, and we made plans for them to have another one tomorrow.

Sometimes They Act Like They Really Like Each Other

2011-07-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

Isn't it odd how similiar their profiles are?

Freckles and Funny Faces

2011-06-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

Messy Marie Strikes Again!

2011-06-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of VBS (vacation Bible school), and the kids had a great time. After "naps" also know as "wreck-our-rooms time," we went outside and I set up a container of sand for the kids, and gave them a few buckets of water. I was inside unloading the dishwasher, making dinner and packing lunches. Jonathan called me outside to hose him off, but Faith was not even close to being done with her mess making. About 30 minutes later I came outside to see Faith covered head to toe in sand. Boy does she love a good mess!

Family Date Night

2011-06-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went on a Friday family date night. We went up to Mount Washington, rode the incline down to Station Square, ate at Joe's Crab Shack (and got Faithy her beloved hush puppies, which was one of my very favorite foods as a child), and then let the kids get as messy and wet as they wanted playing in the Bessemer Court Fountains. The fountains are programed to a series of upbeat and fun songs, which both kids loved dancing to.

Check out our date when the kids were 23 months!

And this one from when they were 14 months old!

Addition Photos Can Be Found Here.

Moving Toward the Homestudy

2011-06-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today our last clearance form came in the mail. We had just returned from the gym, so I quickly cut the grass, took a shower and then we hopped in the car to take $100's worth of state and federal clearance papers to our agency. The kids were very well behaved on the drive. It was so hot that it looked foggy outside. I think we all enjoyed the air conditioned van and our lemonade! At the agency, we turned in our papers and received our home study contract, a few more forms and a check list of items. Most of the check list will be easy to complete. I have been working ahead and already have copies of our birth certificates, marriage license, immunization records for the kids, etc.

Once we turn in our checklist and packet of forms, we will be assigned a social worker. Then the social worker will contact us to set up two interviews at our home. He/She will then have 60 days to complete their report, but we were told they usually don't use all that time, and then! The big wait begins.

We have our nursery all set up to show our social worker, and to take photos of for our profile book. I also have a folder with pictures waiting to be printed when it is time to start our family profile book. Jay and I are both really hoping that we don't have to go through the process of being "picked" by a birth mom...we are praying that our adoption is facilitated in a more word-of-mouth way, so we are telling everyone that we are hoping to adopt, and prayerfully waiting to see what happens.

The very kind woman at the agency remarked that we are moving along very quickly through the process, and I told her that it is so nice to be able to DO SOMETHING that will hopefully result in another family member. Infertility treatments tend to leave you feeling very passive and not proactive.

Cute story: After the paperwork exchange, I took the kids out to lunch. Walking down main street, the big town clock began to chime...and then is started to play music! Faith stopped dead in her tracks and said "Mommy, I have to dance!" And she began twisting around, arms outstretched, swooping and twirling and being totally adorable.

Okay, one more cute story: On three separate occasions today, Jonathan had conversations with middle-aged women, who he smiled at and was very charming. When walking away from the ladies, he looked at each one and said "Mommy, I like that lady and I want to see her again." He made three ladies very happy today, and he made his mama very proud of him.

* Note: We have not yet discussed what adoption means and the kids haven't asked. Because we don't know the length of our journey, we have opted not to discuss it with them yet. They asked questions when we were setting up the crib, including "is that for a baby to sleep in?" When we said "yes," they were satisfied and never followed up with asking which baby was going to sleep in it!

Last Day of Gymnastics

2011-06-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

This past week we finished up a lot of spring time activities. My Beth Moore study wrapped up, as did the kids preschool and gymnastics. I am not sure if we will sign them up for gymnastics again in the fall or not...right now I am just really looking forward to everything that summer has to offer, especially a slower pace! My mom took the day off of work to join us for the final class. We got to go into the gym with them and follow them around while they showed off their skills.

A Playroom, Strep and Scarlet Fever

2011-05-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Our holiday weekend started off with Faith and Daddy going on a date Friday night to the car cruise at our church, and then on to getting frozen yogurt. Jonathan and I stayed home and watched "My Dog Skip," while cuddling on the couch, because he had a fever which started on Thursday afternoon. I could only get his fever to go down if I alternated Tylenol and ibuprofen. He was coughing a bit, and I kept him out of preschool, but all in all he didn't seem that bad.

(I am including pictures of our new and improved playroom, as I took zero photos this weekend!)

On Saturday, I packed the kids and our bikes and we headed 60 miles to my parents house. We arrived just after 10am, and when Aunt Deb and Nance arrived (a few minutes later) we all left to go biking on a wonderful, tree-lined, shady and people-free trail. We rode half-way, stopped to let the kids stretch their legs and we fed them a snack. Faith really had to go to the bathroom, and she could not be convinced to go in the woods, so mom scouted out a gas station up a hill by a ball field. I think Faith though we were nuts as we tried to explain how she could just squat and go!

After we finished up our 15 mile ride, we loaded up the cars and went out to eat. Jonathan's fever had returned, and I gave him his scheduled dose of medicine. He was pretty whiny and didn't eat much of anything at the restaurant.

When we got back to my parents, the kids went "swimming" in their blow-up pool. It is a very nice size, and I would have liked to have climbed right in with them! Jonathan continued to be "off," and was pretty high-maintenance. At one point during the day, both kids accidentally touched a cactus plant and were screaming their heads off. I had to wrap my legs around Faith and pin her down while Mom held down her arms and Aunt Debbie pulled out the nearly invisible prickly things out of her hand. So, needless to say there was a bit of drama.

Mom and John offered to keep the kids overnight, but I wanted them home because of Jonathan's illness. As we were sitting around the fire roasting turkey kielbasi and marshmallows, Jonathan started getting frantic about an itchy back. If you know Jonathan, you know that he is a very dramatic kid, and sometimes (most of the time) it is hard to take him seriously. But something definitely didn't seem right. After his bath, I noticed he had a very faint, barely discernible rash on his back and belly. Mom put hydrocortozone cream on it, and I headed home. Thankfully, both kids slept the whole way home.

Sunday morning he still had a fever, and I called our pediatrician's office to get the hours of the Children's hospital satellite office's walk-in-clinic. After talking to the on-call nurse, I was assured that taking him to the dr's was the right thing to do. They opened at noon, we got there at 12:12. Big mistake. We should have been there when they opened, as the waiting room was packed and it took almost 2 hours for us to see the doctor. Jonathan was diagnosed with strep and scarlet fever. Apparently strep can cause toxins to build up under the skin which causes a small % of the population to develop scarlet fever. That was what the rash was (scarletina). According to the info I have read online, his skin will likely peel off like a sunburn in 10 days.Read more about strep and scarlet fever here.

We had Faith tested also, as she had a high temp Sunday morning also, but her strep test was negative and honestly she doesn't seem sick yet. Jonathan fell asleep on the way home. We stopped at McDonalds for milkshakes, but his pretty much melted as he was asleep. Jay stayed in the car with the kids while I went in to Target to get J's antibiotic, yogurt and popsicles.

The rest of the day was pretty much a wash. We got a few things done around the house but we were all tired, cranky and just not 100%. Today was so, so much better. Other than not having much of a voice, Jonathan was in a great mood all day. He was incredibly helpful with all the work we did today, and he never got a fever! After the kids had rest time, I let them splash around in their pool. It was very, very hot and humid today, and our AC was struggling to keep up. They spent most of the time outside making "compost" like Curious George, which was on a recent episode. I hosed them down and baled out the rest of the water to give to my flowers. We had yummy grilled chicken bar-b-que whole wheat pizza for dinner. Jay gave the kids their bath, we tucked them in to bed, and now we are reveling in all the work we got done today!

It was a memorable weekend for sure!

Progress

2011-05-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

15 days ago, Jay and I sat down for dinner together, eating amazing wood-fired pizza, and talking about the adoption seminar we had just attended. This was the 4th or 5th agency we had talked to, and I was so exited about this one. But, as I am apt to jump the gun, I told Jay that I wanted him to make the final decision...were we adopting or not? And if yes, would it be with this agency? Immediately, he said "Yes!" It was a very fun night of talking, planning and excitement that our adoption agency was located in a town with such great pizza!

In 15 days we have made some progress. We completed our application, ordered 6 money orders, sent away for criminal background checks and clearances. We have also been FBI fingerprinted. We have 5 of our 6 references back and the 6th should be in the mail today. We have forms to take to our doctors for physicals. And an absolutely enormous and extensive questionnaire to fill out about our entire lives and family background.

I have begun compiling documents: F and J's birth certificates, my birth certificate (we have to send away for Jay's); our marriage license; F and J's immunization records and a letter from the pediatrician. Also, a folder on my computer with my favorite photos of our family for our profile book.

We rearranged our bedroom furniture, and are planning on setting up the nursery in the second room of our bedroom for photos for our profile book and to show the homestudy social worker. We have everything we could possibly need for a boy or girl in our storage room right now, but I feel compelled to do this, even if it is incredibly early to do so. If nothing else, it will give us a very visible reminder to pray!

I have started researching inducing lactation, which is tricky because there is absolutely no way to know when an adoption could take place...4 months or 4 years from now? But I pumped/nursed F and J for a year, so I would certainly like to try again.

All in all, considering our work loads the last few weeks, we have gotten a lot accomplished in 15 days. There is much, much more work to be done, but we are eager to complete the tasks as we want to be ready to move when God says "Now."

60-60-60-60

2011-05-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today I took the kids to see their beloved Dr. B. If you can believe it, we haven't been to the doctors since their 3 year old well child check-up! They passed their hearing and vision screening with flying colors. Their heart, lungs, and all other vital organs checked out great. They each received two immunizations, and while it was very traumatic, they recovered like champs.

Faith weighs 36lbs, up from 33 at age 3. Jonathan weighs 37lbs, up from 36 at age 3. Faith also grew 3 inches, and Jonathan grew 2 3/4. But here is the cool thing: Faith is in the 60th% for height, 60th% for weight. Jonathan is in the 60th% for height, 60th% for weight! And they are exactly the same amount apart as they were at birth (1 lb and 1/2 an inch!)

News and Updates

2011-05-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today, Jonathan, Faith and I hand delivered our adoption application to the agency that Jay and I chose last week. We have begun the process of getting our clearances and FBI fingerprinting done. Then we will move on to doing our home study, advertising that we are hoping to adopt, and creating a book about our family life for potential birth moms. I think this is what they call hurry-up-and-wait!

It was so sweet walking into the agency with the kids, in the town where we dream to live in one day. We then went to a local coffee shop for a treat, where I immediately spied an advertisement for our agency. Lovely feeling of peace and contentment.

We got back in the van...20 minutes from home, Jonathan puked all over himself and his car seat. We pulled over, I cleaned him up with a spare t-shirt and a bottle of water. I had no wipes or napkins...I put him back in his car seat in a t-shirt, his Thomas the train under ware, and cowboy boots.

We made it home without further incident. I took both kids inside, and went back out to unhook the car seat. Bringing it into the house, a very unpleasant smell hit me. Faith was sick in the bathroom. Cleaned her up, gave her a bath, conned the kids into watching "Quints by Surprise" with me. Fed them oatmeal for dinner, and put them to bed an hour early. I immediately went into the bath to de-germ myself.

Jay came home sick, also. We sent my mother-in-law home to California today. To our California family, I sincerely apologize if we sent this plague 3,000 miles to you!

More Birthday Photos

2011-05-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Jay and I have been friends with Megan and Bob for a long, long time. It is so fun to watch our kids grow up together. Toby and Taylor looked awesome in their cowboy/cowgirl gear.

Faith's cake is he one with the red bandanna and Jonathan's is the blue. Yum!

Jonathan showing up to his party...Both kids were so very pleased with their big day. They didn't want their party to end.

Pappy and his cowgirl.

Jonathan, Faith and cousin Kaylee.

Our friends Jen, little Benjamin and Devin. Jonathan has been buddies with Devin for two years. He really adores him.

Cowboy hat and boot sugar cookies that Megan and I made.

Little washtubs filled with bandanna wrapped mints.

Look at the awesome napkins I found. The cake plates matched, and I loved the gender-neutral colors.

The cowboys on the playground.

The End.

Happy 4th Birthday Jonathan and Faith!

2011-05-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Faith and Jonathan's birthday, cowboy and cowgirl style!
Many of our guests joined us in dressing up for the hoe-down.

Pretty cousins: Natalie and Faith

Our amazing cakes, made by friend Lauren. They were stunningly decorated, and delicious!

Cowboy Jonathan blowing out FOUR candles!

It took Cowgirl Faith many puffs to blow out her FOUR candles.

Cousin Natalie enjoyed her chocolate cake (Faith's choose a chocolate cake, Jonathan choose a white cake.)

Jonathan opening up his scooter from Baba and Pappy.

Faith was thrilled with her sleeping bag from Aunt Tonya, Uncle Brian and Natalie. She hugged it over and over.

Another fun gift!

Jonathan's favorite present was his double-holster with two pistols. He has been begging for a gun, and squealed when he saw what was in his package from Baba and Pappy.

Faith loved her pink-handled gun.

Faith received a wonderful dress-up outfit, complete with a dark brown wig.

Quick as she could, with cousin Kaylee's help, she put her dress-up clothes on over her cowgirl outfit, and refused to take them off.

She was getting irked at Jonathan for "shooting" her so many times, so I told her to block him with her wand. That worked for a little while. Then she remembered her pink pistol and held her own on the playground!

The set-up for our party. We rented a small pavilion in the same park where Jay and I had our wedding reception. However, the forecast for the day was rain, rain, rain! I had invited 30 people (12 of which were cousins, neighbors and friends age 9 and under!) and there was no way we would fit in our house. Thanks to the kindness of a friend, we borrowed that awesome 10x20 ft tent, where we set up all the drinks and food. It even had sides! So when the rain came (just in time to eat cake and open up gifts), everything stayed nice and dry. The rain didn't last too long, and as soon as it cleared up the kids were off and running back to the amazing and huge wooded playground next to the pavilion.

Deputy Toby was watching over the confused princess-cowgirl Faith, and sweet cowgirl Natalie.

Two more of our guests, cowboys Caleb and Josiah!

Thanks for taking all of these pictures Pappy!

Saying Farewell to Three

2011-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

As I sit here and type, my van and Jay's SUV are loaded down with tents, card tables, paper products and all the makings of a cowboy/cowgirl party. Tomorrow we will celebrate their 4th birthday with our family and friends, and then on Sunday (their actually birthday) we will go to church and then Joe's Crab Shack so Faith and Jonathan can eat their fill of shrimp and hushpuppies.

Jay and I also plan on going to see a movie as a reward to ourselves-we have survived and thrived during our first four years with the kids!

May is the busiest month of my year...I am hoping to post about their birthday party next week, and also, where we are on the adoption journey. Happy Birthday to my wonderful son and daughter!

Funny Faith

2011-05-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

Faith just ran into the house with a sloppy bouquet of dandilions. She skidded into my office, and said, "Mom, I'm going to get married! But Mom, I need a veil!"

I sent her into her room to get one of her ballet skirts. After fixing it over her hair, she looked at me and said seriously: "But Mom! Guess what I'm missing?"

Expecting to hear "A wedding dress," she caught me off guard by proclaiming "A MAN! I need a man to get married!"

_______________________

As a side note, Jonathan and Faith have been having a lot of arguments about wether or not they will get married to each other when they are older. Jonathan seems very comfortable with the rule of not marrying people who are related to you. Faith is crushed.

Our New England Trip, Part 1

2011-04-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

I am woefully behind on blogging and I wish I could summon the mental energy to write a great post, but I don't right now! So despite the million things I have been thinking about, praying about, talking about-I am instead going to just hit publish and share some pictures from our trip to see our family in New England last month!

If anyone wants to leave me a question (about anything) in the comment section, perhaps that would jump start my writing!

School Days

2011-04-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

This past week, after returning from our four day whirlwind trip to New England, Jonathan and Faith began attending pre-school at our local high school. The school has a program set up for the high school students in the child development classes so that they can put into practice what they have learned. Faith and Jonathan love "school," and I love the price-only $50 TOTAL for both kids, 6 hours a week from the end of March until the beginning of June!

They will attend "real" preschool in the fall, but this wonderful program is helping us get through this somewhat miserable spring/winter weather. Oh how we are longing for sunshine and warm weather! After a day or two a warmth, it has been snowing, raining, hailing and freezing for 10 or so days. Brr!

Welcome Spring!

2011-03-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

This past week we have had milder weather, and boy have we been loving it! After being cooped up most of winter, we are practically bursting out of our skin to be outside!

Jonathan loves to "wreck."

Yes, she walked all over him!

These two crazies piled on top of each other but only after they were covered up with floor mats!

Infertility, Again

2011-03-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

This post is not one that I want to be writing.
For the past 17 months, Jay and I have been trying to grow our family. After six months, we went back to our Reproductive Endocrinologist. We had hoped that this time around we would be "normal," expecting a possible improvement post gastric-bypass for Jay, and my cycles were completely regular thanks to consistent exercise and medication to help with my blood sugar issues associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS.) But back to the doctor we trudged, where we learned that we were in pretty much the same boat regarding our fertility as the first time around, but maybe a little worse.

Jay went through a month of gut-wrenching medication, and the treks to the fertility clinic began. After 9 months of blood work and uncomfortable early-morning ultrasounds, 8 months of fertility pills and injections for me, 6 months of intrauterine insemination and many, many anxious, stressful and tearful nights and days, we have reached the end of our fertility journey.

If this cycle had worked, it would have been really cool for several reasons. 1.) I had finally come to the place in my heart to accept the fact that I would (eventually) be okay if God said no, 2.) my hormone levels and follicle sizes (there were two!) were nearly identical to the month we conceived F and J and 3.) Our clinic has a tv that rotates through the pictures of babies former patients had sent in and as we were leaving the waiting room to go back to the treatment room, Faith and Jonathan's picture showed up on the screen! I am not a big believer in signs, but that was a nice reminder of the miracles God has already gifted us with.

We agreed on trying up to 6 iui's/ovulation induction cycles with our doctor as statistically, if pregnancy is going to be achieved, it will happen in that time frame. No one knows for sure the long-term side effects of these drugs, and while we hope there won't be any, it isn't safe to remain on them indefinitely. Not to mention the monthly side effects (headaches, irritability, swollen and painful ovaries, etc). Also, we had to draw a line knowing when to stop. Infertility can be so draining...emotionally, physically and financially.

We will not do IVF (Invitrofertilization) for several reasons, the main one being that we were hoping for one more child, and we had an ethical dilemma with extra embryos that might be made and frozen. Also, financially and physically that is more that we were willing to sacrifice. We are so incredibly grateful for the two amazing (and I'll say it again-MIRACLE) children we have been given. I wish that the desire for another child had been removed from me...but it hasn't been. And now it is time to search more deeply, and figure out why I have this desire, and is it God's way of channeling us toward adoption?

I will write more as I process all of this...it might be the source of many blog posts in the near future. Thanks for reading.

You Shouldn't Leave Blogger Open on Your Birthday Eve

2011-03-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Krissy!

Gymnastics: The End of Session Two

2011-03-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

This week was the last class of the second session of gymnastics. On the last day of class, the parents are allowed into the class to watch up close.

First they started with stretching...

Then they moved on to the floor and tumbling portion. Here Faith demonstrates how to swing back and forth twice before dropping to the ground.

Jonathan takes a turn...

And he lets go!

Here one of their instructors helps Jonathan with a forward roll off of the mat.

Now it's Faith's turn to do a her flip off of the mat, backwards.

Jonathan's turn on the high beam.

Going through the "ring of fire."

The instructors drew stink bugs (a Pittsburgh nemesis) on the low beam, and when the kids reached a bug, they dipped their foot off or did a turn.

One of the beams was slanted down to the ground, here Faith walks with "airplane arms."

Jonathan worked hard to jump over the bean bags on the high beam. Made me a bit nervous because the instructors were not beside them the whole time, but they made it through class without injury!

"Airplane Arms!"

Dismounting...

Next they ran down the mat, jumped on the spring board and landed hands and feet down on the taller mat.

Doing the "window" on a bar.

Swinging on a higher bar.

J on a low bar.

Walking down the low beam.

Going through the ring of fire.

It was such a fun time for me. And the kids were very excited to show off for me. The way the room is set up, you can't see all of the equipment, so I was a little lost as to what they were doing in the back of the gym. Session three begins next week!

Uh, Jonathan?

2011-03-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

One afternoon this week, I opened Jonathan's door to tell him "rest time" was over. He wasn't in his bed. He wasn't on his bean bag. He wasn't playing in his room. Where the heck was he???

Oh, there he is!

Covered in purple marker from earlier in the day, sound asleep...under his train table.

At this point I need to add to the story that after he woke up, and had to face the enormous mess that he made in his room, he threw the biggest kicking-screaming-thrashing-wailing fit he has ever thrown. It was so dramatic and over the top that it required a parental consult with Jay who was still at work. Wasn't pretty. But at least I have these cute pictures that I took before the chernobyl melt-down!

The Evolution of Hair

2011-02-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

(Before)
This week I took Faith to get her hair cut. She often gets her bangs trimmed, and occasionally the back of her hair is lightly trimmed, but this time I had the stylist cut off 3-4 inches, as she had a lot of rough ends.

(During)

(After)

I had a fun time going through old photos looking at her various hair styles.

(Teeny tiny pigtails)

(Baby Mullet)

(Little Blondie)

(Hair just starting to grow)

(Bald but cute in a headband)

(Dark hair that she was born with, with a serious receding hairline!)

Bowling and A Spring Picnic

2011-02-21T17:43:00.000-08:00

After reading about Clara and Elena's fun time bowling,I decided that we should try bowling too! Armed with my coupon from my Entertainment book, we headed out to bowl at 10am on a Wednesday. Needless to say, it was us and a few lanes of senior citizens.

The kids were both really into it, at least for the first 7 frames. Then their attention span started to wander. It was a good thing the bowling alley had these great ramps, as it definitely sped up the process.

Jonathan got very nice, new bowling shoes. Faith's looked like rejects from 10 years ago. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice.

Final score: Faith, 85; Jonathan: 90

Their bowling balls weighted 8lbs, and they handled them very well. Amazing to think that they used to weigh less than the bowling balls they were lugging around!

After we got home, the kids played outside for a while, as we were having a burst of spring weather. After coming in for lunch, I found them on the back deck. They unstacked their chairs and set up their little tables and asked if they could have a picnic outside.

Of course I said yes! (And all the crumbs stayed outside for a change.)

I had to show these pictures of the kids chowing down on their lunch. Ever since we had "shells" at Toby and Taylor's house, F and J have been obsessed with them! I have been making 2-3 boxes a week, and they would eat it every day if I made it.

Our taste of spring has us longing for better weather. We even made it to the playground after gymnastics on Thursday. Punxsy Phil, looking outside right now, I doubt your prediction of an early spring, but I sure hope you are right!

A Date For Valentine's Day

2011-02-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day we started the day with heart shaped pancakes. Don't they look beautiful? In all truthfulness, they tasted awful! It was a whole wheat mix and it was grainy and heavy.

In the evening, I got Faith dolled up for her date with Daddy. She picked out a dress, I fixed her hair and let her wear a touch of makeup. Here she is waiting for daddy, watching for him from the living room window.

Jay knocked on the door to inquire if Faith was home. She flew out the door with him, pausing only so I could snap a few pictures of her with her "date."

Off they went to Chuck E Cheese!

After we said goodbye to them, Jonathan and I left for our date to Bounce U, but unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of us. But that is probably for the best-I was in sweats, a ponytail and no make-up. But I sure found a way to my little boy's heart. He was so thrilled with me that I was going to bounce with him, and do the slides and climbing structures and sweetly asked "Mommy, can we hold hands when we go down the slides???"

So, year two of dating the kids was a huge success. I wonder how long we can keep up this tradition before they would prefer the company of a real date!?

Age 3.75

2011-02-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

In two days, F and J will be exactly 3 months away from turning FOUR. Amazing! I have been feeling really grateful for the time I invested in blogging, as I read back through old posts and realize over and over how much I have forgotten already. The time I spent doing this journal online has been so worth it. Now, if only the blog would magically print itself into a hardback book!

This is a picture Jonathan drew while riding in the car on the way to the grocery store. He and Faith love to make me "listes," which consists of scribbled lines on a tablet. This time I asked him to draw me pictures of the food he wanted to buy at the store. He only had a few crayons so the colors are off, but the drawing depicts a banana, an apple and "a tiny orange for a kid."

The other thing they decided to do (on the same day, just like crawling) was working on their tracing tablet. They completed the whole notebook of indented letters in two or three days. This one is Jonathan's.

This one is Faith's. They understood the concept without any direction, and were very determined to do each letter.

Had to throw this picture in...this bonnet is from Aunt Tonya, Uncle Brian and cousin Natalie. Doesn't she look adorable in it?

Faith showed off another one of her fashion creations when I took her in to the dr's one evening. I told her to get ready to go, and she came down in too-short pj's, her bonnet, mismatched socks, snow boots and a ski jacket!

Jonathan is finally using multiple colors in his paintings and drawings. For a long while, he only used one color at a time, and tried to cover all the white space with one color. Overnight he became interested in staying in the lines and using many colors. Fascinating.

This picture shows our joint space: my office area is on the left, and the kids art supplies are everywhere else! I am seriously considering moving my office area upstairs because more and more of the things on my desk are being cut up, painted, glued and written on. The other day I found an (expired) manicure gift certificate I had won in a collage made by Faith. It was cut into bits and covered in glue.

And I had to include a picture of the kids with their Mimi. My mother-in-law graciously watched our kids by herself for 5 days, while recouperating from SHINGLES! so that Jay and I could go away on a mini-vacation. Is that love and devotion or what?

Both kids were very sad to see her go. As we were pulling away from the airport, Jonathan announced that he didn't like it when Mimi left. I answered and said something like "Yeah, I know bud, but she needed to go home." He looked at me in the rear view mirror and vehemently exclaimed, "California is NOT HER HOME. California is just where she lives."

Is that sweet or what? What an insightful little man.

Finally! We Have a Snowman in Our Yard

2011-02-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

This little girl LOVES snow. She loves playing in snow, watching the snow, and especially eating snow!

We finally had snow the right consistency to make a snowman. And what a snowman we made!

Aunt Tonya, Jonathan insisted on putting his new hat on the snowman's head, but I promise to rescue the hat tonight as Jonathan looks so adorable in it.

The snow was SO heavy that I had to chop the middle ball in two just to lift it onto the base.

This little man has very upset with me for telling him I wanted to take his picture by the snowman. He was so upset that I wasn't going to help him sled right that very second that he tried to blackmail me by telling me he was going to wreck the snowman if I made him get his picture taken. Needless to say, that didn't go over very well.

But what did improve his mood was having a snowball fight with him. That kid just loves to throw things at me.

Pretty risky letting them throw snowballs at my camera, but I have gotten pretty good at ducking.

And the answer to my previous post was Mystic, Connecticut. Had a great 5 day trip with Jay, while the kids beloved Mimi came in from California to watch them. And we were so fortunate to miss all of the bad weather driving back and forth from Pittsburgh to New England. It was a great trip, but a bit too long for me. I missed the kids so badly that I was having trouble enjoying myself the last two days. I was happy to be home, that's for sure.

Guess Where I've Been This Week?

2011-01-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

I took a little trip this week. Wanna guess where I went?

Chatter in the Backseat

2011-01-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

Last night, while driving down the road I overheard:

Jonathan: "What's that place?" (pointing to Red Lobster)
Faith: "That's the shrimp place, Faith said hungrily."

Cracked me up! Kids are so darn funny sometimes.

What funny thing has your child said recently?

She's Lucky I Have a Camera

2011-01-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

This is how I found Faith after her "rest time." She snuck a red marker into her room and had a field day with her unsupervised time.

She drew on her face, scalp, stomach, hands, TEETH, wall and vanity.

When I took her into the bathroom to scrub her down, everything she touched turned pink. Thankfully, a Magic Eraser turned my pink bathroom back to it's original black and white state.

I am so glad that I started the policy of photographing their mischief before I discipline them. I am sure this will be very funny in a few more days. Right now I am just looking forward to seeing Faith returned to her original color. I think one more bath should do it!

My Snow Daughter and Snow Son

2011-01-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Today we went sled riding.

This is the first time we have been out sledding this year...what a huge success!

Both kids were such troopers. Normally there is a lot of whining about being cold, etc. but not today!

In fact, on the way back to the van, Faith asked if we could go get ice cream. (We made snow ice cream this week and I guess it was on her mind!) I told her absolutely not! We went instead to a coffee shop for hot chocolate for them, decaf coffee for me.

This is my good friend Allison-we met in college, freshmen year, and have stayed close ever since. Here she is pulling two sleds and three kids. Since she needs to train for a marathon, I opted not to help her and instead took her picture!

This is Allison's oldest son, Aaron. Jonathan idolizes him.

Faith is some how turned around backwards in this photo, but I looked back at all my pictures and she is definitely facing forward at the bottom of the hill. Not sure how she did that! (Jonathan is in the front.)

Aaron was super fast in this orange disc-like-sled.

Jonathan bravely went down the hills by himself sometimes (and they were big hills!)

Here comes my snow bunny! Holding onto her borrowed sunglasses! (The snow was getting in her eyes so she borrowed mine and wore them the whole time.)

Jonathan and Aaron...the more weight in the sled, the faster you go!

This is Allison's youngest son, Nathan. He is half crazy! He is two and a half and has absolutely no fear! Allison asked me what she should do about him, and I said pray a lot.

We tried to line the kids up when we were done for a group shot, but that didn't go over too well.

Instead, they had the brilliant idea to attack me with snowballs. Fortunately, Allison is holding the camera during the attack!

They totally nailed me!

Sledding with 3.5 year olds is well worth the effort...I think we were out there for at least an hour and a half. Looking forward to doing this again!

Milestones

2011-01-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Faith! You are now officially, completely potty-trained.

And today I signed the two of you up for preschool, which will start in the fall.

Time is certainly flying by!

The Mess Factor.

2011-01-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

I suddenly feel as though I live in a barn.

The two farm animals that live in my house are making life very messy.

My kids clean, every day. And they do a good job! On a daily basis they are responsible for putting their toys away, cleaning their rooms, putting hats, gloves, coats and boots into the right bins. They put their clothes in the hamper and their dishes in the sink. But that does not seem to be enough to keep our house in good working order.

No matter where they go, there seems to be a trail of debris that follows them. Socks are left in random places. This morning I found Jonathan's cup of milk in the shoe bin. The cup of milk we were looking for yesterday. In the shoes.

They have an affinity for tearing up paper into small bits and scattering it about like seeds on a freshly plowed field. They start an art project, but don't bother to see all the markers/crayons/bits of play dough that have rolled under the table, chairs and radiator covers when it is time to clean up. They brush their teeth, get distracted, knock their tooth brushes onto the floor and move onto chasing the cat.

The only reason we aren't living in absolute filth is because I spend several HOURS per day cleaning, organizing, and pick up after my mess-makers. Because the kids aren't in preschool yet, and because they aren't napping much lately, and because the weather is crummy, we are inside to make messes from 8am-8pm. Oh and add in the crumbs from 3 meals served daily and I could be feeding a whole other child on their crumbs and discarded crusts of bread alone!

Now, off to start cleaning again!

* All pictures from this post are from our recent trip to Eby Farms in Lancaster County, PA.

Funny (and oh so true!) Video on Multiples

2011-01-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

A Year in Review: 2010

2011-01-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

January: Lots of bad weather; Jay had bronchitis; I was diagnosed with chronic bilateral tendonitis in my wrists. Celebrated my niece's 4th birthday; Jonathan had a crazy sleepwalking episode, Jonathan crashed his buddies b-day party, and Jay tried out his snowshoes for the first time.

February: 20 inches of snow in 24 hours; begin potty-training Jonathan; Hip check-up for kids; Began volunteering for a program aiding teen moms; Started remodeling bathroom; Began preparing for my mother-in-law's estate sale.

March: Jay and I ran our first (and hopefully last) estate sale; Celebrated my 30th birthday; Spent a day with my mom shopping and lunching: Went away for a weekend with Jay; Rejoiced at the first signs of spring and our return to the playground.

Began practicing my photography in ernest.

The pool at the resort where we stayed.

April: Celebrated Easter; Sold at my first Mother-of-Twins sale; lost a dear friend to old age; Went to a Natalie Grant concert; Entered a few photographs in an art showing; Moved my mother-in-law to California; continued volunteer work for the Alzheimer's Association. The kids hosted their first "sleepover" with their two best buddies, and also received an early b-day present of a second-hand climbing structure/fort for the back yard.

May: Faith and Jonathan turned THREE! We celebrated with a bug-themed birthday party; I volunteered for the Pittsburgh Marathon which was so cool; Mother's Day; Celebrated Aunt Lori's birthday; Went car shopping with my Aunt Debbie (one of my hobbies!); began riding our bikes again.

June: Jonathan began sleeping in a twin bed; I hit a parked car (very bad day); Began leading a women's book study; Took Faith to her first movie; Celebrated Father's day; Discovered the unique joy of dropping the kids off at Vacation Bible School; Finished my Beth Moore study; Visited a farm with friends.

Faith really began expressing her own sense of style.

Jonathan began learning how to work diligently, and even earned a bit of money for his money box.

This picture was in the Beaver County Times beginning July 4th. Exciting!

July: Attempted berry picking-arrived at the farm to find they were out of berries! Saw fireworks; Started taking the kids swimming; Went to DelGrosso Park; Went to Geneva on the Lake with family; Took the kids to a farm where they picked loads of veggies and held four-day-old baby chicks. Also, began a small photography business.

August: F and J began riding their big bikes: First dentist visit for the kiddo's; Lots more swimming; Attended a fashion show featuring my friend and benefiting the Alzheimer's Association; Date night with Jay (Par 3 golf, mini-golf; PF Changs; movie at a drive-in.)

September: Annual family trip to Camp Redeye; Took kids to a fair; Took kids to their first football game at Jay's alma mater; F and J began gymnastics; Saw Phantom of the Opera; Went hiking with our friends; Took the kids to a band festival; Another visit to DelGrosso Park; I began physical therapy.

October: Trip to the zoo; Took the kids on a train ride; Faith rode her bike for the first time by herself; Began investigating preschools; Went to the Children's museum; Mimi visited from CA; "Trunk or Treat"; Halloween; Faith totally immersed in being "Annie."

November: Went away for a weekend with my college girlfriends; Took kids to the symphony; Had a visit from several out of town family members; Jay went to CA; Took kids to see "Annie." Celebrated Thanksgiving; Cut down our Christmas tree; Took kids to see a festival of lights.

December: Traveled to Lancaster with my mom to see a Sight and Sound musical; Milked a cow for the first time; Baked a million cookies; Christmas concert at church; Christmas shopping; Thyroid ultrasound; More Christmas lights with kids; Minor fender bender (not my fault, thank goodness!); Began potty training Faith; Candlelight Christmas eve service.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

Snowball Fight in the Living Room

2010-12-30T21:09:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I was attacked in my own living room...

By two little kids who can't keep anything a secret and stage whispered "Let's get mommy!"

In our efforts to combat the winter doldrums, we had been working on cotton ball snowmen.

However, it didn't take very long for my very spunky daughter to come up with a different plan.

Jonathan likes it anytime I allow him to throw something at me, which isn't often because he has a wicked-strong arm, and I have lost loads of coordination over the years for ducking and catching.

Not the greatest picture, but look how much fun they were having! Notice I said "were." All good things must come to an end, and this "snowball fight" came to a screeching halt when Jonathan head-butted me in the eyebrow (yeouch!) and burst into tears. Faith started sobbing about something unrelated, and promptly had an accident in her underware. Oh well, at least I have the photos of the fun while it lasted!

The Comprehensive Christmas Post

2010-12-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

Faith modeling her "Mary" costume...since I don't sew, I cut up old pillow cases. Obviously I cut the neck hole a little too big!

Hard to believe Christmas is over...so much time spent preparing, and it is over so quickly! We did a lot of things to prepare the kids for Christmas. We were able to focus on their spiritual training, which thrills me. We started by participating in Operation Christmas Child. We went shopping at T.arget and the kids picked out items appropriate for a little boy and little girl. We packed our boxes and took them to the drop off spot. We talked about it beforehand, and I showed them a few clips from the website showing the kids in other countries receiving their Christmas gifts. Only issue was they fully expected to be able to hand deliver their boxes to the kids themselves...instead, they handed them over to adult volunteers in a church basement. That was disappointing to them. They kept saying "But I wanted to give the presents to the kids who don't get presents!"

Here Faith is smelling the birthday cake she made for Jesus. She picked confetti cake and decorated it with sprinkles.

The next thing we did involved a road trip to Lancaster County, PA. I had heard about The Sight and Sound Theater, and my mom and I planned a trip to take the kids to see the "Miracle of Christmas." We made it a whole weekend, and stayed at Eby Farm, a working dairy farm. This was so cool because we were able to help with the chores and we all tried our hand at milking a cow! Addition photos from our trip can be found on my my photography blog.

Jonathan tasting his Jesus cake. He picked lemon and could not be swayed from this flavor, so I made two separate cakes. I always thought the "Happy Birthday Jesus" thing was a bit weird, but it has worked so well in our home to explain Christmas to our kids as Jesus' birthday. We have cake, presents for everyone, and celebrate His birth.

The play was a big hit. We were a bit worried that the kids would have a hard time sitting still through the long performance, but it was so engaging that it wasn't a problem. There were 4 or 5 horses, camels, sheep, a dove release, cows, "angels" flying from the ceiling, three sides to the stage, non-stop singing, dialogue and movement. Also, we were allowed to take in snacks (they sold delicious coffee and candied almonds!) and every seat in the theater was great. Of course the narrative in the Bible had to be expanded upon to turn it into a play, so that was mildly confusing to the kids. It has been a month since we saw the play, and the kids are still asking questions and acting out their own nativity scene.

One of Faith's gifts was a gymnastics ribbon, which she loves.

We spent a few afternoon making goodies for our neighbors, and F and J delivered them to every one's porches. They really liked doing this.

Silly String with Baba on Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve Jay had the day off. We went to the Science Center, out to lunch, did a few chores and a bit of cooking and had dinner at home just the four of us. We let the kids open their stockings and gifts from out of town family.

We went to a church that is only a few miles away and happens to be the church where Jay and I were married. The church that we regularly attend has a rather non-traditional, visually stunning, multi-media service on Christmas eve. And honestly, I was craving simplicity...candles and hymns. The service was nice, but the kids were squirmy. Faith fell off of the pew at one point and Jay had to scoop her up and run her out to the vestibule. Jonathan did very well the first 40 minutes, and the last 30 sat on the floor and did sticker pages.

Faith opening gifts at our "second Christmas" at my parents.

Christmas morning the kids slept in until 9, which was nice. My parents arrived around 9:45, and we had brunch and then opened gifts. We picked out a small number of gifts for F and J, but hopefully they are toys that will last us a long time.

One of the best parts of Christmas was Faith and Jonathan opening up the gifts they bought for each other at the dollar store. Jonathan got Faith: silly string, play dough, a book, candy and a glitter bouncy ball. Faith got Jonathan: a pirate figurine, silly string, a dinosaur, a light-up ball and a bouncy ball. They both put a lot of thought into the gifts they picked out for each other, and we may make this a tradition. It was a great way to get the stockings stuffed, and a good way for them to think about each other.

The kids had an impromptu sleep-over at my parents house Christmas night. Amazing that we pulled that off with three pull-ups, a 1/4 bag of wipes, and new jammies and outfits received on Christmas morning...to think a few years ago it took us all morning long to load up the van with gear for a day trip to my parents.

After brunch, gift-opening, skyping with Mimi in California and playing with the new goodies, we headed to my grandparents for dinner and more gifts. Jonathan and Faith put on a little play for the family, dressed as Mary and Joseph. It was a big hit.

Jonathan was a very expressive present opener. Overall, the kids did very well opening gifts. We had to pull them aside a few times to correct ungrateful behavior or mild rudeness, but mainly they did a great job of thanking everyone and being excited.

As I said above, the kids spent the night at my parents house, and Jay and I went to a movie Christmas night. The next day we drove to my parents house and had another evening of relaxing, eating and opening and giving gifts. We were blessed with a wonderful Christmas and spiritually sensitive children. The only downside of the celebrating was that my brother and sister-in-law were struck down with the stomach flu and couldn't travel to see everyone. We missed them and my niece terribly, but we are good at celebrating and will do a "re-do" in a few weeks.

Turning It Around

2010-12-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an extremely stress-filled day. From the moment Jay and I woke up and went about our daily work, we were bombarded with difficult situations. Here are is just a sampling of what happened in roughly a 12 hour period:

* Jay calls from work to say that his employers didn't withhold enough money for our health insurance the last 5 months and we owe them $2,200.

* I take the kids with me to get a new battery put in the car, along with an oil change and new headlight. I don't feed them breakfast because I am going to take them to the bagel shop next to the mechanics. There is no longer a bagel shop.

* While waiting to for my car, my aunt calls to tell me my pap blacked out and they had to call 911.

* It takes over 2 hours to get my car back. My children are acting like monsters. The fight and argue basically the entire day.

* Jonathan falls asleep without a pull-up on, and saturates himself from armpits to knees. Faith, who wasn't napping during nap time, has emptied 1/2 bottle of baby powder over herself and all of her worldly possessions.

Put both kids in tub. Faith, who is potty-training, poops in the tub.

Get kids ready, drive them to a restaurant to meet Aunt Deb and Nance. Faith pees on Aunt Debbie's lap. I only had a pair of shorts in my bag, so she wore shorts and snow boots in the restaurant. Both kids were CRANKY yesterday, and so was their mother, so dinner wasn't wonderful.

Drive to see a wonderful display of lights. Aunt Debbie drives and I hide in the back of the van and listen to F and J argue over EVERYTHING.

Time to head home. About 10 miles from our house, we are struck from behind in a little fender bender. Seriously?!?

By the time I exchanged info with the other lady, get home, get the baby powder cleaned up and kids in bed it is 9:30. Jay and I look at each other with stupefied expressions on our faces. He had a seriess of hard things happen it work over the past 10 days, and we were both just completely frazzled. Really, I think we were oozing stress.

I am going to share this next part because this blog is primarily my journal and I want to write this for Faith and Jonathan. Jay and I are not saints, not even close. But there is a verse in the Bible that says: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So, we started thanking Him.
* Thank you that we have 6 months to pay back the money and don't have to pay it next week.

* Thank you for my friend Megan who escorted us to buy breakfast so we weren't starving during the car stuff.

* Thank you for the mechanic who didn't charge me for my oil change because he couldn't get my air filter off.

* Thank you that Pap isn't seriously ill. And that we have family to nearby that can help.

* Thank you that if Faith was going to make such a mess she made such a nice smelling mess!

* Thank you for a nice bathroom and clean water to bathe my children.

* Thank you that it was Aunt Debbie's lap! :)

* Thank you for giving me these precious children. I asked, prayed, begged and cried for them. Thank you for giving them to me to mother.

* Thank you for sparing our lives and health in our car accident. We felt really vulnerable after that, and it is all too apparent how fragile our lives are. Thank you for sustaining us, and saving us from tragedy.

Get the idea? Well, I can't even tell you how altered our perceptions of the day were after thanking God together. Yes, it was a hard day. But so often our temptation is to blame God, rather than thank Him for what He is doing in our lives. Jonathan and Faith, Daddy and I want you to learn this lesson at an early age. We want it to be impressed on your hearts and in your minds. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
And if it's all the same to you, could you two take it a bit easier on your parents? Thanks!

The Post Where I am Tarred and Feathered...

2010-12-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

All parents have an "area" where they parent differently from the majority of other families...in our household, we don't celebrate Christmas via Santa Clause. This, apparently, places us squarely in the "scrooge" minority. At least, that is how other folks seem to view us.

The other day we were in line at T.arget, and an older woman was quizzing F and J about their behavior..."Have you been good this year? What is Santa going to bring you?" F and J looked at her blankly, Jonathan said something to the effect of "Sometimes we aren't good" and the woman said back "Did you hear that mom? Maybe Santa won't bring them anything!"

I looked up from placing my purchases on the conveyor belt and said simply "We aren't a Santa family."

Well, if looks could kill, I would have been turned into a burning pile of ash. She didn't say anything else, just turned around in disgust at the mother who would dare deprive her children of the magic of Santa.

Almost everyone I know teaches their kids about Santa. Many of them employ "Elf on a shelf" to aid behavior in December. This post is not meant to cast judgement on Santa-Faith and Jonathan have read books about him, and we have told them that St. Nicholas was a real person that lived a long time ago and that Santa teaches us that it is great to give gifts to other people...it is one of the ways we show love toward others. That said, I feel like I am waving a freak-flag every time someone asks my kids what Santa is bringing them and they reply "We aren't a Santa family."

Anyone out there want to chime in about what makes you an oddball to the rest of the world?!

Messy Marie

2010-12-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

One of Faith's most frequently used nicknames is "Messy Marie." Here is a picture of her after she ate spaghetti last night.

And this is her chair.

While eating one dish of spaghetti, she managed to get it on her face, in her hair, on her shirt, her pants, the table, the chair, the floor, on her pen and paper and on her bib which did not in any way, shape or form protect her clothing.

At 3.5, Faith is so messy (and clumsy) that I see it as an endearing trait. I don't always like cleaning up after her, but I am amused that one small female could create so many crumbs, stains, spills and general chaos.

Yesterday, while shopping at Target, both kids persuaded me to release them from the cart. "We won't touch anything," they chorused. Of course I knew that was too big of a promise for them to make, but I was just happy that they wouldn't be banging their two heads together like wrecking balls anymore, so I let them out. While perusing the picture frames, I caught Faith out of the corner of my eye picking up a snow globe with her mittened hands.

"Faith! NO!"

A pause before TWO snow globes shattered on the hard tile floor. I quickly looked at the price tags: $15. Gulp.

Thankfully a Target employee was on hand to start cleaning up the glitter water and glass, but he soon had to call for help as it was a BIG mess.

Can you believe they didn't make me pay for them? He said they had insurance for broken merchandise, and that I really and truly didn't have to pay for it. I felt like I had been handed a get out of jail free card. I told him that as a thank you I would continue to spend vast quantities of our salary at their store on a monthly basis.

Surprisingly, this was the first time one of the kids has broken something at the store in 3.5 years. But from now on, when I am distracted, I am going to encourage them to shop in the dollar bins.

Possibly The Last "Annie" Post...

2010-12-04T19:47:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, my mom, Aunt Debbie and I took Faith and Jonathan to see a high school production of "Annie." Faith wore her costume, and we had many, many strangers asking to take her picture. It was like being with a celebrity!

The play was an enormous success! Faith sang (loudly!) and danced through most of it. Any time she felt the acting bug bite, she would dramatically fall into our arms or pantomime the actions of the actress on stage.

After the show (which was during nap time!) we hung around and waited for "Annie" to make her apperance. Faith was visably disappointed that Annie wasn't wearing her red dress and curly hair, but said later she liked getting her picture taken.

By the time we got home, Faith was fast asleep and had to be carried into the house. She slept through dinner and just wanted to go to bed.

I like to think she was dreaming of being Annie...

Jonathan, Age 3.5

2010-12-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

Love this little boy!