Don't try this at home

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

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

FFF - For Crying Out Loud

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

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

Catch-up

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

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

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

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

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


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

In Memory

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

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

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

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

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

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

A New Beginning

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

Visit to the studio

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

Trick-or-treat!

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

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

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

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

Wordless Wednesday

What does it take...

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

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

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

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

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

They also had some fun playing in the leaves.

Happy Birthday, Jason!!

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

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

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

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

Weekend Adventures

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

Eli running towards the fire truck!

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

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

I want this one, daddy!
The perfect size.

Headin' back with our pumpkins!

Circle the Wagons

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

Growing Up

To my sweet son,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Into the Woods

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


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

Hangin' out inside the tree with daddy.

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

Final Countdown

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

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

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

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

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

The perfect reading spot!

Practicing his somersault!

One of those days...

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

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

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

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

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

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Mr. Chatterbox

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

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

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Independence Day

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

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

View from our deck.

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