A Kerrnal Journal

2009-08-03T09:30:00.004-04:00

Sheba, our shy kitty

Sully, his face says it all1

Our New Additions

This summer, the kids have worked me for not one, but two pets... (okay, so I'm loving it too!) First I caved for the kitty. They're so easy, and independent....hmm, so that caused kind of a problem for my girls. Sheba is a beautiful cat, but is just not up to being a lap cat, and barely tolerates being petted. :o( We gave her a month, but she just wasn't coming out of her shell. I felt so bad, because my girls especially really wanted the interaction with a pet (well, that didn't involve getting batted by an ornery kitty) I had to cut the cat a break. Em and Vivi spent half the day in her hiding spots trying to coax her out. So to let the cat off the hook we brought in Sully, a 6 month old Havanese. I was really unsure how much I was going to love having an unhousebroken puppy in the house, but I have to say.....we all love it!!!! He is the sweetest dog ever, and well, just look at that face! He loves all the interaction, and now the kitty is a little jealous and has actually come out of her shell a little more....so it was win/ win!!! Here are a couple of pics...

2009-06-01T09:31:00.009-04:00

Caught sleeping on the job

It's Do or Die Time

..... for the blog, anyway. As you can probably tell by the fact that I haven't posted anything personal in a very long time, I just haven't been feeling it. :-)

How 'bout for today we just start with a few cute pictures???

Emma (rear, right) with her classmates before the talent show in March

Emma (far right) before the Drama Club Presentation of Sleeping Beauty
in February

My two sweet girls!!

A beautiful candle my inlaws got me for my BDay (in February)

2009-02-01T08:13:00.005-05:00

Father-Daughter Dance

Karl Em Vivi

Vivi with her new ring from Daddy

Ok, so I know it's their night, but I had to take a peek!

Karl and the girls ROCKIN' the Conga Line, LOL

Last night was the 3rd annual Father Daughter Dance at the kids school. The first year was perfect because it was Em's first year a big sister and she could use the "date night" with dad! Well they had so much fun that an annual tradition was formed!!! Last year they went again and came home drenched in sweat, LOL....it seems Em and dad got their groove on the whole night! While other girls eventually branched off and danced w/ their friends, Em picked her dad as a dance partner all night long and he is such an awesome father he obliged (he probably danced more with Em that night than with me in 13 years of marriage, LOL) This year Karl had to divide his attention between two princesses at the ball, and I had to get a peek at the action!!

They really don't want moms there, and I've held off as long as I could, but I found out they needed a little help with coat check, and found the perfect opportunity to spy! Not! Coat check was pretty busy, and every time I went into the gym, Em and Karl got shy! Luckily there was a nice dad there who knew what I was trying to do, and offered to take my camera and take some pictures for me! Some of them came out a little blurry, but they are priceless glimpses into their special night!!!!

This was Vivi's first year there, and she had a blast! Initially she was a little disappointed that she couldn't wear her white dress.....she thought she was going to get married to her prince (Ian, LOL) there....but once she figured out what the night was all about, she got right in there. I have no idea why she thought it was a wedding, other than maybe in every Disney movie, when there is a dance it is to find a bride for the "prince", LOL....too cute! Anyway, enjoy the pictures -- they all looked great!!!

2009-02-01T08:09:00.002-05:00

Yaaaaawwwnn

One of the reasons why

Vivi is skating!

Yaaawnnnn......stretch......yes, I admit it. I have been hibernating---in real life, and the bloggy world, LOL.

As you can see in the first picture, we have been getting a bit of the white stuff. And it is COLD!!!! I have done my best not to strap my boots on and go out there in it, but it looks like winter isn't ending anytime soon here, and Karl got the rink ready! YAY!!! We thought it was ruined as it was buried under lots of snow, and somebody walked on it before it was frozen---oops! However, due to the power of google, I found some instructions on how to make your own zamboni, a "Homeboni" for your outdoor rink. Amazing!!! Karl got right to work on it, and, since winter doesn't appear to be going anywhere, we may actually have a few weeks to skate!

I love it when he gets to be the hero like that! We live on kind of a main road, and the unfinished rink has been the subject of quite a bit of speculation this year, but now the kids can finally say YES the rink is ready. It's time for a little skating party I think!

2008-12-25T09:25:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!

From our house to yours, now.....at 5:00 AM, LOL, and for the rest of the year!!!!!

Merry Christmas, and God Bless You all! I know that we have been blessed beyond measure!

Love,

Jen and the gang

2008-12-22T16:46:00.007-05:00

A Very Late Vacation Post

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting about our Disney trip!!! It was actually a really fun trip! My parents and baby (25 yo) brother came along, and we did the parks like nobody's business, even though it was our chilliest FL visit yet! We also got to meet up with Karl's parents one day at Sea World. We even went out the one morning it rained, because we didn't want to waste a day, you'll have to look through the pics for our poncho pic--still smiling, LOL....... I LOVE Disney!!! It is such a grand and magical place! I love the themed rides, and the shows, and Fast Passes (there is one thing we couldn't do without when visiting Disney)

Vivi was NOT loving the characters.... AT ALL! Or anything mouse related!!! The highlight of her whole week though, was when Cinderella (whom she does NOT consider a character) waved "just to her" at the parade.......she is still talking about this and has the princess wave down pat, LOL.

Ian and Em were both big enough to go on almost all the rides this year--and they did all the rides they could--Tower of Terror, Rock N Roller Coaster, Space Mountain..... Emma also loves water rides, LOL which didn't quite fit into my plans with a high of a breezy 60 degrees on a couple of days..... But a few minutes of the puppy dog face, and Daddy and Poppy were like putty in her hands.... soon to be wet, runny, soggy, ahem....chafing putty, but putty nonetheless, LOL.....

Okay...I DID get sucked into one of her "get us all wet" schemes once, and it was THE WORST time of all!!!!!!! We had been to a few shows at Sea World, and Ian and Em always wanted to sit in the "Get Wet" section.....well, they never actually got wet! LOL So when we got to the Shamu show late and there were only seats in the front, I bravely plodded forward to the 5th row (completely empty) saying, Oh look, this is PERFECT! Oh. My. Gosh. They were selling towels, and ponchos (which we didn't have with us that day) and we chuckled at the tourist traps and braced ourselves for the entertaining, DRY, show...........

BIG mistake, people! At the Shamu show, when they say you are gonna get wet.....they are NOT kidding, nosirree......I saw the first one coming and ducked with Vivi on my lap to shield her. After the shock wore off, I picked my head up, only to be wearing a saltwater "faux-hawk" of wet hair, LOL. Sorry, no pictures, because the camera got soaked too. And can you say wet t-shirt contest????? I had a white shirt on, and thankfully, modest underclothing, because everybody for the next 2 hours knew what I had on.....the name of the show was BELIEVE......I didn't, and I should have, LOL.......

Regretfully, in all of our busy-ness, we did not get to meet up with my friend Terrye....we have known each other since we were waiting for referrals of our daughters from China, and I was really looking forward to meeting her, but it just didn't happen. Terrye is just the sweetest soul with the biggest heart!!! I might just have to make a special trip down there one of these days to meet her and her precious Grace.....

There are too many pictures to post individually, so I made a slideshow of some of our favorite moments....ENJOY...and in case I don't post again before that....have a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-12-22T16:01:00.007-05:00

"Not Me!" Monday

Ok, I am hopping on board! If the button is too small for you to read and you don't already know what a "Not me!" Monday is, it says Being brutally honest and living to tell about it. MckMama started it and if you follow the link there you will find dozens of undoubtedly more humorous and interesting Not Me posts about silly/ embarrassing/ shameful things that people have done! I love it!! Anyway, here are some recent "Not Me's" from my life.......

I did NOT vow to keep in mind the reason for the season again this year, only to go to Disney in the first week of December and completely forget said Reason for the Season!

I have NOT neglected my Jesse Tree! Nope, not me!! That would be NOT be hypocritical, since I did NOT even set up a whole ornament exchange for it!

I have NOT gotten caught up in "To Do Lists" instead of enjoying precious moments with family that will be gone all too soon!

I did NOT give my husband his own list of "Man Jobs"......Nope! And I definitely did not actually call them that when I told him I was NOT going to do them because well, obviously, I am NOT a Man, LOL.....

I did NOT skip putting a personal note on the Christmas cards this year, because I was NOT rushing to just check the box of getting this task done. Ooops! Didn't get one??? I did NOT run out of ink after 12 cards, and abandon the whole project! I'm so sorry, friends and family!!!

I did NOT make three separate batches of cookies "for Santa" and friends, only to plunk down in front of a movie with the kids, and eat them up! Nope, definitely not me!

Oh my goodness! I have never done a Not Me Monday, and I'm NOT sure I should even post it, because I might lose some of my 6 readers! LOL I am feeling oh so guilty and lazy! For the record, I am a lot more focused on the right things now, but I feel like I really blew a couple of weeks of Advent badly......

It's Disco this year, baby!

2008-12-05T20:43:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2008-12-01T22:43:00.009-05:00

New Buttons!!

No Hands But Ours & The Elison Project

Lord Christ, You have no body on earth but ours,

No hands but ours, No feet but ours.

Ours are the eyes through which your compassion must look out on the world.

Ours are the feet by which you may still go about doing good.

Ours are the hands with which You bless people now.

Bless our minds and bodies,

That we may be a blessing to others.

St. Theresa of Avila

I wanted to draw your attention to the "No Hands But Ours" and "The Elison Project" buttons on the right hand side of the blog. One of the things that I LOVE about the internet is reading about inspiring people, their stories, people that make me want to be a better person myself...I am blessed to know some of these wonderful ladies personally. The website they have all collaborated on is no doubt going to bring some families together!!! No Hands But Ours is a super helpful wealth of information about adopting a child with special needs!!! One of the biggest obstacles to venturing into the world of special needs is the unknown. And of course, there are unknowns in all adoption, and parenthood in general.....but this website helps demystify it, and at least you can get an inside glimpse of what many of the common special needs are and what they entail. After all, knowledge is power!

Just take a minute, read through their stories, even if you are not thinking of adopting a child! Maybe you just have a heart for orphans, and want to help bring them home to their families. Then you will want to click on The Elison Project. The Elison Project was created by an adoptive mom who has such a heart for the children left behind, that she wanted to create a way to help bring even more families together, specifically those adopting a Waiting Child {special needs child}.

Their courage, their faith, and the way that they welcome each new member to their families will inspire you, whether or not you are planning to adopt a child. And if you are thinking of adopting a child, you cannot miss either of these pages!

2008-11-25T07:03:00.006-05:00

Exchange Day!!

Yesterday, I had some dear friends over for the first part of our ornament exchange!(the second part of the exchange is happening via the Post Office with some equally dear friends and family) We had such a nice time!!! I cannot even say what a sweet group of ladies this is! I felt so happy and blessed to be able to sit around a table with them (and some of their children) for little while and visit over coffee.

I had so much fun creating my ornaments, and I loved seeing what everyone came up with. Although a few people expressed some worry that their ornaments weren't crafty enough, including me....one of mine that I had worked particularly hard on came out looking... well, not quite as good as I had expected. I showed it to Ian and said "What do you think, Ian?" He said, "Oh, it looks GREAT mom!" I said, "Really? You think so? Can you tell what it is?" He said, "Yeah it's a loaf of bread, right?"............................."Um, no, see it's a lamp just like Samuel might've had back when God woke him out of a sound sleep--do you see it?" " Oh, um, yeah mom....like I said, it looks GREAT!"

LOL, some other guesses on that ornament were, a lamb on fire, a roasted chicken.....anyway, as you can tell, I'm not quite as crafty as I thought...either way, I had a great time doing it, and we'll have a great activity this advent to prepare our hearts for Christmas!

2008-11-21T06:05:00.016-05:00

It's almost time!!

I know I haven't posted anything new in awhile....to be honest, I have some friends who have had some very exciting things going on in their lives....Shelby, Amie, Gayly, to name a few, and I have been more interested in reading about their stories than writing about my own! :o)

Oh yeah, and Vivi and I spent a good week housebound and inseparable trying to get her potty-trained -- believe me, you didn't want to hear from me that week, LOL. The good news is, my three-and-a-half year old is now diaper and pull-up free!!!

Speaking of Good News, LOL, I am also trying to keep chugging along on this Bible Study, and have a daughter who neither naps, nor goes to bed before I do, so I am trying to be good and do my homework when I have a few minutes....I have to say again, that I am so grateful that someone directed me to this online Bible Study! I have never done any study before, and would have probably been very uncomfortable in a live group setting! I can't believe that such a simple thing has brought a depth to my prayer life that has been missing for a long time. When I pray on my own, I know God hears me, but my prayers are often selfish and short-sighted. When I read a verse or hear it explained, it brings my focus back to where it should be, and I have found that as I study that verse or verses, they are on my mind throughout the week and God uses them to change my heart, increase my faith, whatever He feels I am lacking....it is really cool stuff, and if you've never done one (although I think most of my ~~five~~ readers are way ahead of me on this one ;o) ) I can't tell you how incredibly blessed you would be to try it out!!!

Oh, I almost forgot!!!!!! Almost Time! Time for what???? Well a couple of things actually....

The first is our Jesse Tree ornament exchange! Everyone has been working at their ornaments for the last couple of weeks and on Monday, I am having a little exchange party at my house! Gayly was on the ball and took pictures of her kids helping her out and posted them on her blog. You should go check them out, they are very cute (and the ornaments aren't bad, either, just kidding...she has more craftiness in her little pinky than I have in my whole body) She had a wonderful idea to post a picture of the ornament for each day during advent along with the Scripture to go along with it, and I think I might steal it. :o) Another thing it is almost time for is for Gayly to meet her son! They have waited sooo long, and are so ready to meet him, God willing, by the time Christmas is here!

One last thing -- if you really want to be inspired, go read this story about the Butterfly Boy....now if you want to help this family to be united, and get a chance to win some incredible gifts for people this Christmas, CLICK on the link to the right of my blog, To China for Owen. Today is the LAST DAY!!!!! Even if you aren't interested in a raffle, read about the Butterfly Boy for a chance to see God in the details. (Did I mention that they are donating 20% of their proceeds from the raffle to The Elison Project, an organization started by my friend Shelby to help bring families together???) Before they even knew if the costs of their prizes would be covered? I LOVE that!!! You should go check it out....

2008-10-30T14:34:00.013-04:00

The Watoto Choir

We were incredibly blessed last night to have the Watoto Children's Choir come and sing at my childrens' school, and then at our church last night!!!! It was an incredibly powerful, moving, hand-clapping, really-bad-dancing-along-with them good time!!!! :o)

Even cooler, is that we got to host three of the choir members at our home last night! I can not express what a blessing it was to wait on our friends hand and foot after the AMAZING performance they put on last night! I only wish we could have visited longer! These orphans and their caretaker were just awe inspiring to me!!! They represent God's hope and restoration from the brokenness that is a reality in so many children's lives in Africa and across the world. In Uganda, where the choir is from, there are millions of children orphaned byAfrica’s HIV/AIDS and war crisis. Half of the population there is under the age of 15! To see what Watoto is doing to help click here. (You can also help them, of course, by donating to the cause or child sponsorship if your heart leads you to.)

***Vivi was super excited to have the girls over and was talking a mile a minute from the minute we got in the car. This is not actually always a good thing....Vivi picks up her Cabbage Patch Doll.

Auntie Dorcas: Oh, I like your doll! Does she have a name?

Vivi: Yes

Auntie Dorcas: What is your doll's name?

Vivi: "Big Head Baby" (as I look down embarrassed...she really means it endearingly, LOL)

Auntie Dorcas: Ooooooh Big Head Baby....I see! (she's smiling, but I can tell she's wondering what kind of parent raises a child who mocks her dolls for their unfortunately large head)

Vivi: Yeah, I have another one. His name is Baby Jesus.................(for a split second I am glowing with happiness, and I can see Vivi has redeemed herself and me as her parent until she goes......) cuz he POOPS! (as IF this inappropriate remark needed any additional punctuation, she swings her fanny out and makes an, um....sound effect....for the record, he pees, and I have NO idea where she got that from, but I think big brother and big sister are going to get a talking to!)

Oh.my.gosh. Where is the duck tape when you need it????? A few minutes later, she is telling them all how she doesn't like Halloween because Scarecrows "freak her out"......LOL Ok, she might have heard me say that before, but it doesn't sound the same coming out of a 3 yr old!

2008-10-21T17:09:00.043-04:00

Jesse Tree, anyone???

In our annual efforts to keep the holiday meaningful, and with an almost 11 yr. old whose thoughts about Christmas were drastically altered this year (if you know what I mean :o)) we have decided to do a Jesse Tree with our family as a daily devotion during advent. Does anyone know what this is? Basically, the Jesse tree represents Jesus' family tree. The name is taken from Isaiah 11:1, in which Jesus is referred to as a shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse, the father of David. Ornaments are hung on a tree which can be a bare branch, posterboard, or even a small version of the evergreen one we all have. We will end up with about 24 ornaments in the end (again, this being my first time, bear with me on the details as I figure them out. :o) )The ornaments on the Jesse tree tell of Jesus' ancestors, and of the events leading to Jesus' birth.

I found this book on Amazon that looks awesome!

I have heard of people doing Jesse Tree ornament exchanges....Is anyone interested???? I would love to set it up!!!! Just leave me a comment so I can get an idea of who might be interested.....the ornaments would have to be done and exchanged before advent begins (which I believe is November 30), so there's no time to waste!!!

Oh, I almost forgot....not Catholic??? Never heard of Advent??? Advent is not just a Catholic thing, Lutherans and a few others have long celebrated it and some other reformed and protestant churches are also bringing it back. I have to admit, I don't know much about how the others observe it, but I believe it is generally the same idea.

Advent is ideally a time of prayer and spiritual reflection. A time for anticipating the Birth of the Savior. The birth of Christ, celebrated in the darkest days of the year, reminds us in a very tangible way that no matter how far from Him we have traveled and how broken we have made ourselves Christ is born again in the darkness of our lives and we are born again in Him.

2008-10-16T21:51:00.005-04:00

Columbus Day weekend at the Wild Museum

No idea what this was, but it looked cool!!! :o)

Outside the Wild Museum, on their interpretive trail

Ok, if I was smart and cropped this one right, you might even think we hiked a mountain, too!

We had a fantastic holiday weekend!!! First off, we traveled upstate to the Wild Museum of Natural History in Tupper Lake. We must have been there for almost 6 hours, which is a LOOOONG time for little Miss Vivi. If you ever have the chance to go, and like nature-y stuff, it is WAY cool there!!! :o) One of the cooler things to happen there was when we walked in, they were doing some sort of unveiling of a hand-carved and painted otter for a carousel that was going to be placed in Saranac Lake (I believe), another beautiful town in the Adirondacks. Well, as it turned out, the artist who painted the otter, and who was speaking when we entered, was Karl's art teacher from High School!!! (which was about 2 hrs from the museum)

Before I forget to mention, we also met Karl's parents there, as it was the kickoff for our "Kerristmas" weekend with them before they head off to FL for the winter. LOL I know that is really corny!! I don't know if we came up with that name or Karl's parents, but it still cracks me up and it has stuck. :o) After the museum we headed up to their house for an overnight, full of yummy snacks, endless board games, and just great quality time together! We also got to stop at a little nature center where MIL Sandy used to work and meet some of her old coworkers. It was pretty funny there.....LOTS of taxidermy expertise went into this place! They did have a couple of live animals there too, whichI'm not even sure why they were there now that I think of it, but the kids all got to pet a HUGE iguana and a guinea pig that looked like she rolled around in a pile of mine or Emma's hair, LOL. There was a room with a parrot, too, that was outside it's cage and scared the pants off of us by banging his near empty food bowl at us and screeching at the top of his little parrot lungs.

Then we hung out a little bit at a big dam visitor center (haha....there really was a big dam there....I just am too lazy to go check the name of it right now) It was a nice little set up to teach about how the dam worked and produced power and so on. It was also oddly enough REALLY decorated for halloween....I'm talking more than I decorate for Christmas. Everywhere you turned there was some fake web, or blow up ghost thingy, animatronic spiders, and of course, the scariest (if your Vivi, of course) SCARECROWS!!! I wish I had some pictures of it--it was pretty funny.....

We had an uneventful ride home, and got to witness some of the most BEAUTIFUL leaf peeping I have ever seen!!!!!

2008-10-07T13:47:00.003-04:00

Fall Fun!

This weekend we had our annual trip to a local corn maze place. Vivi was not loving the people in costumes AT ALL!!! I don't know how our little Cinderella is going to handle Halloween. The cider donuts, however, were a different story! Mmmmmmm! They were literally just off the pan and into our tummies! Best part of the day hands down!!!

We zipped through the maze like old pros. Though I had to laugh (just a little) at the poor souls who looked liked they had been wandering around for hours. Believe me, we have had our years like that too!! We just had good luck, and we have a system now for getting through without walking around in circles. :o)

This is my absolute favorite time of year! I love fall foods(like cider donuts!), and pumpkin spice candles, and bonfires, and the cooler weather! I love cuddling up on the couch with a good book and a blanket and some coffee, and just being still.....LOVE it!

2008-10-07T13:46:00.003-04:00

Animaland

I just realized at the end of the summer that Vivi had never been to the zoo, so on Labor Day weekend we decided to squeeze in a last minute trip to "Animaland". Otherwise, she'd have to wait till she was 4, since up here in NY, all that type of stuff closes down on Labor Day weekend.

I wasn't sure how she'd like it since she has had a little fear of dogs crop up this summer, but she loved it---even the petting zoo part with the goats who barely let you in the gate before they all start jumping up on you and nibbling your shirt!!! She had no problem "bossing them all around" when they were naughty and she sought out the baby ones to gather up and feed.

All of the kids had a really good time--even Ian, who has BTDT many times. ;o) Emma LOVED the safari ride where the animals got WAYYYY too close for comfort! That bison getting the food dumped in his mouth was an arms length away from us. And when the camels heard the vehicle coming, they all ran up and stuck their heads into the back for a snack! Karl actually got off the safari with camel DROOL in his hair! LOL

2008-10-07T13:43:00.002-04:00

Mr. Lizard

Ian was hanging with his little buddy the other day, and I though I'd snap a few pictures of him, when the little stinker jumped off his face and landed right on my toe!!!! Eeek!!!!

2008-09-02T07:57:00.004-04:00

Some End-of-Summer Cuteness

Aww, come on Ian, smile.......
That's better!!

I don't know if any of you are aware of this, but Vivi can eat her weight in watermelon, LOL.... Holy cow! I don't know where she puts it all, but as you can see, it makes her very happy!

Over the weekend, we went to a family reunion with family that are cousins and beyond....how cool is it to see your child's face in another child you never even met before?!?! Emma had a "twin" brother at the reunion. It was remarkable, especially since except for coloring, I always thought she looked like her daddy! (but this was my family) We had a really good time, the kids especially loved the raffle at the end. Emma won a 5lb Hershey bar --yum!, Ian won a lava lamp, LOL, and Vivi got a little bag of beanie babies.... :o)

Then on Monday, Karl had his first day off in forever, and he took the kids fishing, and then we all went to the zoo.....can I just say how amazing my husband is? He worked about 26 hrs straight, came home, slept 5 hrs., and then devoted the entire day to his family, and was cheerful and pleasant to boot!!! I wish I had half of his patience and good-naturedness ---he is awesome!

Tomorrow is our last day of summer vacation, then it's back to school for the kids....they fluctuate between being happy and sad about this, depending on the day. I am excited though...not because they'll be gone all day....I like having them home. I think it's just that I love Autumn. And new school years, with new teachers and new classrooms...fresh beginnings. And I love all those new boxes of crayons, and markers, and shopping for just the right folder and pencil sharpeners, that was always thrilling to me as a kid. :o) I'm not so sure my kiddos share my enthusiasm for new school supplies, but I'm working on them.....c'mon!!! You've gotta at least get excited about new school shoes!!!!

2008-08-28T19:26:00.014-04:00

Believing God

"The Lord said to Moses, "“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at [each]corner.
These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes. This way you will remember and obey all My commands and be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.” Nu 15:37-40

A blue cord with a tassel........ After several starts and stops of studies that didn't quite fit, and lots of heartfelt support from sisters who are way closer to the Lord than I am, I have just embarked on my first Bible study. It is an online one by Beth Moore, called Believing God , and I can already tell, it is going to bless me immensely. In the first session, she tells us to make a bracelet of blue cord with a tassel, to sort of remind us of what we are doing and keep us on track, like the Scripture above. I don't actually have mine made yet, but when I do, I'll post a picture.

I don't know that I'll post much else about the study, because I'm kinda shy like that, but I am really excited about it, and wanted to at least post a link in case any of my many (okay, 5) readers are interested, LOL.

(ps something crazy is going on with my fonts here...I am not shouting at you, I promise!)

2008-08-28T18:01:00.005-04:00

On the Farm

We grew up as city folk. :o) No, not NYC or any major metropolitan area....but, in a 2 story, 2 family house with a little yard that backed to an alley and the backyards of the houses on the street behind us. It was a good way to grow up. You could ride your bike on the sidewalks....the distance of a friends house was measured in blocks, not miles....and you didn't need to have a "playdate" set up to hang out with your friends....everybody was in walking or biking distance. I am drifting off topic here....you can bear with me, or just enjoy the pictures and skip the rest, LOL.

When I went to visit Karl's family for the first time, I felt like a "Fresh Air Kid". :o) He grew up in the country, and I would beg him to take me around to show me the cows.....I'm sure that I am very amusing to his family that way. ha ha. They always indulged me though, and I got to see all the cows, sheep, and sugar houses one could want. As much as I loved to visit the country though, I always told Karl that we could never live more than 15 minutes from the nearest mall. And so we are in a happy medium.......the suburbs.......very original, LOL....

Anyway, that still doesn't tell the story of these pictures above....my brother, you see, recently decided that the suburban life with the 25 minute commute was not for him.....he left pretty much everything that he had known--a job in computers, with medical coverage and a retirement plan--- to go country, in a very real way!!!! He and his family moved to rural NY where they live on a farming co-op, and he is now the Pig Boss (in my very city-like description of what he does) LOL. His daughters are right about Em and Viv's ages, and the older one had been begging to have Emma for a sleepover. Emma having the most country-lovin' blood in her body of any of us was more than game, so we all took a drive down to visit last weekend. She had a blast with her cousin running around on the farm, and my brother even took her to milk cows in the morning! I'm so jealous!!!! Anyway, she had a great time and couldn't stop talking about it for days. :o) So thanks Uncle Mike for taking in Emma as a "Fresh Air Kid" last week, LOL....

2008-08-01T18:16:00.006-04:00

Slow SummerDays

Viv has some ice cream at Longacre Farms

Viv and Connor play in the "gem mining" sluice
Our awesome nephew
More shenanigans at T and E's
Everybody having ice cream at Longacre

Slow Summer Days

If I haven't been posting much these days, it's because our summer has slowwwwwed way down. There is nothing like getting up to a day with no agenda. I think that's what summer is all about just as much as fun vacations and summer camps.

I haven't even been taking pictures, so there isn't really anything recent to put up, although we did visit my brother and sis in law and their children, Connor and Colin a couple weeks ago, so I have posted some pictures of that. Karl's work has really picked up a bit so we had to make it a short, but sweet visit. But as always we had a great time!!! T and E are such great hosts, and always have such fun things for the kids and us to do. It's funny...all 5 kids are almost exactly 2.5 years apart in age, but they get along great! Vivi and Connor, the spirited ones, are such a joy to watch playing together. The way they interact is hysterical! Vivi is ALWAYS the boss, and the conductor when it comes to playing.....except that is, when she is playing with her favorite cousin (who just so happens to like to be chief, too).

Colin is an amazing young man!!! Oh my gosh, I can't believe he is 13 now!!! He is so active and involved in sports, academics, and service, and carries it all off like it is nothing! I would love to accomplish in a week what he does in a day! And he is kind, and polite too! We feel lucky to have him for a nephew!

Coming up, the kids and I are taking a trip to visit one of my best friends from college, Amy, and her six (with another on the way) kiddos.....I cannot wait!!! I have only even met 3 of her children, so it has been a while and we have so much to catch up on! It should be a blast!

Meanwhile, my thoughts and prayers are with several friends who are waiting for approval to go to China to bring their children home. They have gone through so much so far, and continue to wait and wait in uncertainty with many changes and hold ups.....they are all such a huge inspiration to me! Everytime they face yet another hurdle, they continue to glorify God through it all, certain that this is part of His plan for their family, and that He will work it out. (and of course, they are right!)

With that, I am going out to make a campfire with the kids and roast marshmallow for s'mores tonight.

2008-07-14T08:45:00.003-04:00

Camping on the S*candaga River

Em taking a break on one of the rocks

Ian the Man made us pancakes both mornings--YUM!
A view down the river
Viv swims in the "pool" we made near our campsite
Ahhhh---camp coffee!
Isn't this place beautiful???? We just got back from a weekend camping trip at the S*candaga Campground. We had never been there before, so you never know what you're going to get, but we were not disappointed. It was right on this beautiful, fast flowing (but shallow in July) river.

Karl taught the bigger kids how to find little chutes they could float down in their life jackets. The water was barely a foot deep in most places but it was also pretty swift and full of boulders, so it took some skill to do it well (and they have the bruises to prove it!). They spent the entire day on Saturday floating down our little strip of river and clambering back upstream on the boulders that lined the whole river. We moved around some of the rocks to form a "kiddie pool" area where Vivi could splash around and play without us worrying she was going to get carried downstream. She had hours of fun pretending to be a mermaid in there with me and whoever else she could rope into the game.

For those brave and strong enough to make it across the river (sounds easy, but the rocks were really slippery underwater) there was a great swimming hole where the water was deep enough to jump in off of one of the boulders.

We also took everybody on a little letterboxing and geocache hunt. If you've never done this before, you should google it and see what it's all about. I look up the database whenever we take a trip now, to see if there's any along the way or at our destination where we can go on a hike/ hunt for a letterbox or geocache. My dad even got into it. :o) The kids who don't like to hike forget they are hiking because they are all working together to find that box! Best of all the letterboxing is free, or close to it anyway (you just have to make or buy a little stamp and ink to stamp the log book you find in the letterbox). Geocaching doesn't cost anything either, but you do need a GPS.

My brother Matt came too, and had fun creating these rock people out of stones stacked on the river. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of that--they were really cool!

The food was delicious too! I can never eat enough pan fried potatoes, we even had steak one night! And both mornings, Ian, our resident pancake chef, did us a fantastic breakfast!

All in all, a fantastic weekend!

2008-07-01T11:21:00.003-04:00

Horseback Riding Camp

Emma and Clay

Emma started horseback camp this week and she is LOVING it!!!! Wow, what an awesome opportunity! She is learning so much more than just in riding lessons, and can I just say how proud of her I am???? Look at the size of that horse! And she is just leading him around pasture like he's a cocker spaniel! It was such a beautiful picture, I was glad I happened to have my camera on hand. :o)

I wish I could do it too!

2008-06-27T07:02:00.006-04:00

Is June really over already???

It really is that good, LOL!

I never grew tired of seeing the drawbridge go up!
Doesn't this look relaxing?This is not the one that just got Christened

I can't believe almost a month has gone by since the last post. My laptop died right after VA, and our desktop is downstairs where I can't get on the computer as much. Plus, June has been so BUSY! In NYS, the kids didn't finish school until June 25, so after we got back from VA, we had those last couple of weeks of school which were filled with field trips galore!!

In between that, Karl went to the last Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown with his brother, nephews and parents, which, sadly, never happened-- due to a string of nasty storms that came through. No make up game, no nothing! I feel so badly for him. He drove 2 hrs in an ice storm in Feb. and waited 6 hrs in line for those tickets!!!!!!! He at least got to enjoy some time with family that day....

Then, last weekend, Karl and I went to Mystic, CT to attend the Christening of the New Hampshire, the latest submarine put together by Electric Boat. There were no cameras allowed at the ceremony, so you'll have to make due with the dented up decommissioned submarine picture I took at the Nautilus Museum. I've got to say, initially I wasn't crazy about going, but it was a unique experience anyway. The woman who did the bottle breaking was actually Cheryl McGuinness, the wife to one of the pilots who lost their life on 9/11. She is now an author and inspirational speaker, and her story of how her faith kept her strong and actually moved her to stretch beyond her pain and grief to help other people was amazing.

The best part was, I convinced Karl that if we were going to go away for this thing, we should make it a whole weekend and stay in nearby Mystic. Now, it wasn't the first overnight that we've had a break from the kids, but it was the first whole weekend of relaxation we've had since I was pregnant with Emma! It was awesome! We could see the town drawbridge from the window of our room, and I'm such a geek--everytime that horn would blow, I got all excited, and yelled, "Drawbridge!" (to Karl, who was only about 2 feet away, LOL, and after the first time just sort of shook his head at me) and ran to the window and watched the whole thing. We walked around the town, had some grown up drinks with fancy stirrers, and of course, stopped by Mystic Pizza (just like the movie). We walked the little boardwalk in town, people watched, and just felt like we were dating again. It was a great weekend!!!

Yesterday was the kids first day of summer vacation, and it rained all day, so we had a super indulgent tv-watching, stay-in-your-jammies-till-noon kind of day. We did at least swing by Barnes * Noble to sign Emma up for the next American Girl book club night, and ended up leaving with a stack of books for summer reading. Ian, my speed reader, has finished the first one already, 272 pages!!!!!! And he didn't even start until around 3 in the afternoon yesterday.... he got up at 5 this morning and started reading again, and just plunked it down next to me about 10 min ago, and said, "Here mom, you can read it now....." I know he's going to bust my chops when it takes me a week to finish it. :o)

Emmy starts horseback camp in just a couple of days, and she is so excited!!!! It's just a 5 day camp, but what a step up from girl scout camp last year. I wish I was going too!!!!

Vivi is thrilled to have her brother and sister home all day! I caught the cutest sister moment yesterday when the girls were dancing together at the end of Mulan, and singing that "Reflection" song with all their hearts. ::::sniff, sniff::::

Update on the laptop: sadly, she can't be saved. Somebody must have spilled some coffee in her, and the acid in the spill residue eventually fried the motherboard. The hard drive looks ok though, so I'm going to hopefully get all my pictures back from the last 3 yrs (OMGosh, am I crazy???? I am always lecturing my parents about backing up their files, and I didn't!!!! Well you know what they say, do as I say, not as I do) So my word to the wise today is......BACK UP YOUR FILES, or it WILL cost you!

2008-06-07T14:04:00.000-04:00

OUR Vacation in Williamsburg!!!

Em and Viv ride the mini-Anheiser Busch Clydesdales

Ian and Emma do the scrambler (better them than me)

Karl and the kids

That's me in the front row, LOL!!!! What was I thinking????

2008-06-07T13:44:00.002-04:00

.......some more pictures of our vacation.........

Karl and the kids make a splash at Watercountry USA

Em plays around in the pool....that was the only place to be that day--boy was it HOT!

I thought Colonial Williamsburg would be SO COOL!!! Ian and Vivi were not feeling it.....

Me and the kids take a break at Colonial Williamsburg (note the smiling faces as we were on our way OUT)

Every time we posed for a picture, Vivi made us sing "Happy Birthday" LOL I think to her, a Birthday is not a day, it's a season! :o)

2008-05-31T07:05:00.000-04:00

Ian's 4th Grade Field Trip to NYC

Ian and a buddy on Ellis Island

Our Lady Liberty

Ian scaling the rock wall at the Liberty Science Center

The kids learned some more about our candidates and stood by their favorites!

After the NYC field trip, the rest of the family met up with us and today we will go down to meet Karl's brother in Baltimore for lunch. What a great start to our vacation!

2008-05-26T06:56:00.020-04:00

ALLLLLLVIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!!!

Awww.....he looks so cute, no?

Wednesday morning, I was going to do some laundry and I heard some "chirping" down in the basement (where I was headed). So I carefully snuck down and looked all around the laundry room, and didn't see anything, decided I was crazy, and went into the next room. No sooner had I walked out of the laundry room that this giant chipmunk ran out between my legs and went and hid in the corner behind my treadmill. Poor little guy must've been COVERED in cobwebs back there............

anyway, after a little kicking around near the tready, he came running out and ran up the stairs ::::::insert blood curdling scream here::::::: Ok, so now I had NO idea where he was and was terrified to look for fear he would come running out at me again. Called husband at work.....he said he didn't know what to tell me, LOL. Thanks honey! Called Dad....not at home. Where is a good man/rodent catcher when you need one???? So I called my friend Tonya to tell her about my plight, and she tells me she just has to pack up her son and she'd be right over to help! Thank God for friends like her!

Meanwhile, I have put Vivi up on the kitchen table and told her to stay there.

Vivi's advice to me was, "Kill it mommy! Step on it so eyes go like bubbles!" OMGosh! She did NOT just say that! I know she didn't see that on Sesame Street! That girl cracks me up though, and I needed the comic relief at that point.

Anyway, my friend came, and we opened both doors and between the 2 of us poked every nook and cranny of the house, but we couldn't find that little bugger. I was hoping he had run out the door when we weren't looking, but I was having visions of this guy sitting on my chest while I was sleeping. DH came home, we all ate and then they went back out for a scout meeting. Right as they were pulling out of the driveway, I started to go upstairs to get something, and who did I meet on the stairs, but

"AAAALLLLLLVIIIIIIIIIINNN!!!!!" ::::::another scream:::::::::

He got scared and ran back upstairs to my bedroom (see? I knew he was planning on getting me later!) I didn't know what else to do so I just opened the doors again. It was raining now, and thankfully he heard the rain, and made another break for the great outdoors.

Meanwhile, noone else ever saw the little guy so they probably think it was all a figment of my imagination, LOL!

2008-05-26T06:56:00.015-04:00

Happy Birthday, Emma and Vivi!!!!

Emma, I still remember the night I saw that shock of red hair for the first time 8 yrs ago. You are such a sweet, brave, and strong little girl! We are so blessed to call you daughter!

Vivi, you constantly keep us all on our toes! I love how busy you are, and your sassy personality! We are so grateful you joined our family 2 yrs ago. Happy 3rd Birthday!

Since the girls' birthdays are so close together we decided to do one party for them together. We had beautiful weather, and lots of family and friends came to celebrate with us, even a visit from The Kerr Krew! Thank you guys for trekking all the way across NY for Em's & Viv's birthday. And thanks to Aunt Eileen's mom for sharing her family on her birthday!

We just watched National Treasure 2 with the kids the other night, so Karl put together an awesome treasure hunt with that theme for the kids (and Uncle Tony, haha) I didn't get enought pictures, but the kids had a blast...especially when they found the "treasure", which included Silly String. We got the new skimboard slip n slide, and Uncle JJ put it together for us. Now that was hysterical! It is SO much harder than it looks!!! (I know because I tried it after everyone left, lol) I played around with my camera during the slip and slide, and got a few cool pics I think. Here are a few pictures from the celebration (the girls blowing out the candles is on my dad's camera, so I'll have to add those later)

(You can watch this slideshow as is, or double click to make the pictures bigger)

2008-05-24T07:14:00.009-04:00

The Chapman Family Tragedy

Many people who read this blog, already know about the devastating accident that just occurred within the family of Steven Curtis Chapman. For those of you who don't know, Steven Curtis Chapman is an incredible Christian recording artist whose music has been inspiring people for many years. He and his wife have 6 children, the last 3 were adopted from China. Last week there was a tragic accident when his youngest daughter, Maria, was accidentally struck in the driveway by his teenage son. Unthinkable, I know. Everyone was home, they were just celebrating their oldest daughters engagement, planning to celebrate the high school graduation of their son, and little Maria had just had a birthday less than 10 days before......they have been constantly on my mind over the past week. It is something that NO family could ever come back from on their own. Only God and their faith can help them through this. If you are a praying person, please remember them in your

prayers...

Here is a link to a news story about it

Chapman Fans Reach Out

The song you hear playing in the background was written by Steven Curtis Chapman in response to a tragic school shooting. The beautiful lyrics remind us that there is hope even in the worst of situations....

This is not at all how

We thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We had so many dreams

And now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you, but ...
We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope (There's a place by God's grace)

There's a place where we'll see your face again We'll see your face again
And never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

And never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father's smile and say well done

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true

'Cause now you're home

And now you're free, and ...
We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything God promised us is true, so ...
We wait with hope

And we ache with hope

We hold on with hope

We let go with hope

'With Hope', by Steven Curtis Chapman

2008-05-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

Fishing Tournament

Just before they blew the whistle to start

Rocks? What rocks? We're just looking for fish........

The first catch -- nobody would touch it but Poppy

Ian gets a better angle on things

We had a great time on Saturday! My dad signed the kids up for a 3 hour fishing tournament, and we are not big fishers, but thought the kids would have a blast. Actually, Vivi and her little cousin did have a blast --- eating doughnuts, throwing rocks into the water near some not-very-amused fishermen, running off into the forest. Oh well, nobody fell into the water and with 2 three yr olds that's quite an accomplishment! Come to think of it, I think they are the only ones who caught fish because once their lines were cast, they ran off and let them be, busy with more important things. The older cousins were casting and needing more bait about every 30 seconds, LOL. Poor Ian was so serious about catching a fish, but they just weren't biting for him. Nibbling, but nothing more exciting....he was a good sport about it though. He's looking forward to his Poppy and Uncle Matt taking him out on the canoe fishing.

2008-05-10T22:10:00.002-04:00

Em's First Communion

Em reading our letter to her before we head off to church

Ian and Viv are so proud of their sister!

We couldn't be prouder either!

Some of Em's cousins even came

My sweet Emma made her first Communion yesterday. I know it's not about the dress, but she looked STUNNING! Oh my goodness! Anyway, it was a wonderful day. We are so happy that Emma can share more fully in our faith this way. As her mom, it's so important to me that I share with her how fantastic it is to have God in my life, how comforting it is to know that Jesus is just a prayer away, and that he gave us this gift of Eucharist to be with us even more fully each and every time we go to mass. It's such a big deal!

We had quite a few family members come to mass with us. You can see the cousin brigade (two of my brothers children) up above, LOL...It's nice because the older ones are all around the same age, and so are the little ones. They came over for a little celebration after, and had a blast playing together! Thanks so much for making her day even more special, guys!

2008-04-17T07:42:00.000-04:00

Lazer Tag

You can run, but you can't hide, heh, heh, heh.....

2008-04-11T16:45:00.000-04:00

"The Emporer's New Clothes"

Ian and some of the cast members backstage before the show

Vivi thought Ian did a great job!!!!

Ian was just in his school production of "The Emporers New Clothes". He starred as 'Pippin' the court jester, and he did fantastic!!! We are so proud of you little man!

2008-04-06T12:52:00.000-04:00

The three musketeers!

Emma relaxes with a facial before the big show

Em and her dance partner

Em catching some of the other acts

I really have to say, I have great kids!!!! LOL We have had a stressful week around here but in between those moments, some of the highlights have been how great my children play together, and how tolerant of each other they are. Vivi has a tendency to dominate a lot of the play sessions, but they were having so much fun the other night just playing together and I had to snap a picture of their happy faces!!

Emma loves to do facials with me, and she thought it would be good to do one (complete with cucumbers) to prepare for the Talent Show at school. Too funny! As for the Talent Show, what a brave girl to go up there at 7 years old in front of the whole school and do a dance with her friend to the song from "Saddle Club", Hello, World....I love how innocent she still is....I want it to stay like that forever!!!!
They did a great job!!

This week we have a Learning Fair, and I'm so excited....the school play!! Ian is in the play this year again, and he even has lines! He beat out a few 5th graders for this role....I am so proud of him, and can't wait to see him in the play.

2008-04-06T09:46:00.000-04:00

Gotcha Day Clothes Revisited -- 2years later

Huh??? These actually were big on me?????

2008-03-27T20:31:00.012-04:00

Our Second "Family Day"!!!!

We celebrate this day as our lives were forever changed 2 years ago and blessed with the addition of our third child, Vivi...... It is also a time of looking back, and of reflection. So with that in mind, here are our website entries from the original Family Day and the one year anniversary! Come take a walk down memory lane with us!

Just click on the links below each picture for website entries from past Family Days!

Our first moments

http://www.myadoptionwebsite.com/Genevieve/trip032706.htm

One year later

http://www.myadoptionwebsite.com/Genevieve/were_home012008.htm

2008-03-23T19:53:00.001-04:00

Easter Morning

Vivi sees something!

It's the "Peeps and Poops" Trail, LOL that leads to the Easter baskets

Vivi feeding her Fur Real piglet....she thought this was so cool!

Vivi was not too cooperative, but they all looked so nice, I had to get a picture!

We had a super Easter! I am so lucky to have so much family nearby that we can get together with on the holidays, although we miss being able to see Karl's family on the holidays. After a relaxing morning hunting for Easter baskets (with help from the trail the EB left us of Peeps and Sugarbabies (or Poops, LOL) and eating some delicious French Toast made by my husband, we headed over to my mom's church and went to Easter services followed by a delicious day of gluttony at her house, with my brothers and their families, and two of my aunts and a cousin!!! My dad put together an Easter egg hunt that took about 2 min--boy they're quick!!! Thanks dad!

Emma has started riding lessons, and had her second one yesterday. She seems to really like it! Right now I'm just taking it week by week to see if it's something we're really going to stick with. She is learning English style, which to me, seems harder....I like to have that thingy to hold onto that the western saddles have!! Anyway, I am glad we are doing this with her....she has had a fascination with horses for the last few years, and it will be good for her to get beyond that and see if this really is something she is interested in.

Vivi gave us an amazing night of rest last night! Asleep by 9 and didn't get up until 8am! Woohoo! That never ever happens! It would've been even better if the older ones didn't start waking at 3:30 to check if the EB had come yet. (They know they can't touch anything, but I heard both of them sneak downstairs and then I couldn't fall back to sleep....ugh)

Vivi has the Jump Smart trampoline going downstairs right now, and it is counting her jumps.....I just heard 100 and she's still going, LOL. I just hope it is tiring her out and not pumping her up. I better go check on things and start settling everybody down. Hope you all had a great Easter!

2008-03-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

More Easter fun!!!

Decorating (and eating) our bunny hutch

Ooops, we might've added a little too much water to the yellow frosting, LOL.

That's ok....goopy = yummy!!!

Everybody seemed to agree on that one!!

More pics to come.......

2008-03-21T17:12:00.003-04:00

Easter traditions

Vivi's sporting her babushka

Emma helping make pierogis

Emma's beautiful egg

Vivi gets into painting her egg

One of our family traditions in the days leading up to Easter is coloring eggs, of course. Ian quickly dunked one or two eggs and was done with it. Emma got really fancy with her egg, painting a beautiful design on hers. Vivi painted and painted and painted the same egg .....she won the award for goopiest Easter egg, but it really dried beautifully!!! I think they all had a great time! Thanks Mim and Pop for hooking them up with the fun!

Another thing we started doing a couple of years ago is making pierogi from scratch. My dad's family is Polish, and growing up, we often had homemade pierogi, seeded rye, and fresh kielbasi on the holidays. As some of our beloved relatives have passed on, we missed their delicious cooking of all these things, so I decided to give the pierogis a try. I'm not much of a cook, but I have heard they are not too bad. The dough is a little tricky (and messy!) so I was thinking of buying the fresh wonton wrappers from the grocery store and trying it that way. I changed my mind at the last minute, and made them from scratch anyway, but has anyone ever tried making them that way??? I wonder if it works?

I had to laugh, when I was getting ready to write this post because Vivi was running around with this babushka the other night (so was Emma, but she took it off before I could get a pic) Vivi wore it all night and we were laughing that she was getting in touch with her Polish side. Anyway, I think she looks adorable!

I hope you all have a Blessed Easter!!

2008-03-01T07:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Grace!!!!!

I can't believe you knew I love Mickey!

Your thoughtfulness sure cheered me up!

I had to get right to coloring--no time to take my coat off!

Wow, we were so amazed the other day to receive a "feel better" package for Vivi from some friends we made through adoption! I wish I had videotaped Vivi opening them (people who have seen her at birthday parties know she loves opening gifts, LOL) And she LOVED every last thing---she wouldn't even let me take her coat off because she wanted to get right into trying them out. :o) The best part is, she can do this on the rug, on the couch, on my bed, because they are these "magic" markers that only work in the coloring books they came with. What a great idea! Thank you so much Grace and Terrye, you guys are the best!

2008-02-24T11:25:00.000-05:00

Vivi's BooBoo

My big sissy is taking good care of me!

Big brother is at my beck and call too!!!

So, yesterday we thought we'd repaint the living room. We haven't tried anything that ambitious around the house since growing our family to 5, and it really needed it......the kids were very helpful trying to help us tape along the trim and all was going well, until Vivi thought she could use a little more height and tried to drag one of our counter stools into the living room. It ended up tipping over and landing right on her big toe.

Suddenly she's grabbing her toe and her sock was covered in blood. I couldn't figure out what had happened because there were no sharp edges on the stool. I still get queasy thinking about it....so I got her sock off and the impact of the chair hitting her toenail made the whole nail pop out, lacerating her toe as it did so. I will spare you the gorier details of what happened next but she has 3 stitches and has to stay off her foot for a couple of days. She seems to be doing ok with that so far, and is even working us a little bit, LOL. That's ok by me.....she's earned it for all that little peanut went through yesterday. I'm scared to look at it again tonight when I change the dressings. It is NOT pretty!!! Wish me luck that I don't pass out....

2008-02-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

I'm NOT tired!!!!

.......and you can't make me go to sleep! In my continuing story of Vivi refusing to go down peacefully, here is a picture I snapped at about 4:30pm on a napless day. I love the pose she was striking just before her eyes shut. I can guarantee you her little foot was wiggling around on her knee until the very last second, LOL....

2008-02-18T08:25:00.002-05:00

Here is the link SexyBeiJing HomePage::::::::::::::::::::::China's Most Popular Internet TV Station:::[Home]

S*xy Beijing: Beijing or Hong Kong?

2008-02-18T08:24:00.001-05:00

My husband was looking around for something funny on You Tube the other day and came across this...it's hysterical!! (and totally G-rated) This American girl in Beijing did about 23 of these segments in China. They're set up like she's Carrie from S*x in the City, except her name is Su Fei. They are done really well, in English and Chinese with subtitles...Anyway, for some Chinese culture and a laugh, check it out!

She keeps an interesting blog too, there is a link on her website, which I can't see to post a link to here. I'll do it in another post.

2008-02-13T22:15:00.006-05:00

I have been "tagged"!

The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours. Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Since most of the people I know who blog have already been tagged, I will just do the assignment, LOL, and link back to my dear friend Amie, at Heart Smiles , who tagged me in the first place.....you will enjoy hers much better, anyway. She is very funny!!! I can't even think of 7 things.

1. I have a freakishly good sense of smell. (this big beak is good for something after all!) I have to laugh because I have always told my husband that if I could find a way to make money off this extraordinary talent, we'd be rich.....well, I go to my friend Amie's website this morning and she just posted the same weird thing, LOL......maybe we can go into business together!

2. I canNOT stand other people's mouth noises when they eat. I mean, I really can't.....I can hear an open - mouthed chew from the other room, and need to ask them to stop! YUCK!

3. I am not a person who sees things in black and white, and sometimes...well, okay, most of the time it makes it really hard to make a decision. I come from a long line of wishy washy decision makers. Anyway.....I have taken to carrying a "magic 8 ball" with me whenever I know I'm going to have to make quick decisions, especially if I'm with my mom, who shares this trait with me. It helps us decide where to shop, go to dinner, whether or not to buy that green sweater ("Definitely Not", says the Magic 8 Ball)

4. I am a lazy person! I am not a go-getter, hate to be busy, love relaxing, preferably with my family or people who don't care if my house is messy!

5. I am a crier....movies, commercials, songs, seeing someone else cry. It's bad! I have no control over it, no switching it off..... If I try, I just get an awfully scrunched up face and then cry anyway!

6. Okay, so there's 5 anyway......It's taken me a half an hour to think of these!!! I'm sure there are many more weird things about me, but due to #4 above, I am not going to spend anymore time doing these, LOL. Sorry, Amie!!!!

2008-02-07T22:44:00.000-05:00

Who Won??????

LOL....this is what DH asked me when we went upstairs at 10:00 and found our dear daughter asleep like this. We have been having a lot of bedtime issues again. The preschooler version of Vivi's sleep saga is, "You can't make me". We've been trying to figure out what to do with this realization, and after trying unsuccessfully get her to sleep at what we feel is a reasonable hour for an almost 3yr old, we decided to do our usual storytime with her at 8, then tuck her in and leave the room. I have told her that if she doesn't feel tired, that's ok. She can look through her books, or play with her dolls......she just has to stay in her room (and preferably NOT wake up her big sister who she shares a room with)!!!! Sounds reasonable, right?

Well, after walking her back to her room 8 or 9 times tonight, she decided to sit right in the doorway, knowing that if she crept out a few more inches, I would put her back in her room. Obviously, she tuckered out at some point, but she was not going to give me the satisfaction of seeing her all cozied up in bed. :o) So I'm not sure how to answer my husbands question.....

Who won???
(by the way, I moved her to her bed after taking the picture)

2008-02-01T12:26:00.000-05:00

Finally!!!! The skate rink is ready!

...and look who can skate this year all by herself!

Emma is having a blast!

Vivi helps her dad clean off the ice

We were out again this morning....

Those of you who have followed our blog for a long time know that Karl has been building an ice rink in the yard for the last 3 years. It is a LOT of work, especially since we don't have access to a spigot out front, and you are at the mercy of the weather. This year has been awful for it. The temps have been up and down and we always seemed to get snow after the rink melted a little and then we couldn't clear it off..........Anyway, yesterday, Jan 31st, the surface was finally good for skating, so we took advantage of it in the afternoon, last night, and then again this morning before the snow, sleet, freezing rain started....I can't believe it, but Vivi can actually stand and shuffle along this year!!!! All the kids improve a bit every year. It's so nice to have it right in our backyard. Emma and I were working on our spins this AM, LOL.....Don't you wish you had a picture of that???

2008-01-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

The Father-Daughter Dance

Emma's ready for her big night! (yes, that's one of the dresses we got in China)

Daddy surprises Emma with a gift before their big night

It's a beautiful butterfly necklace!!

Emma loves the necklace--and her Dad!!!!

This past Saturday was the annual Father Daughter Dance at Emma's school. I love this tradition! At first I thought it was kind of hokey, until I saw what it meant to Emma! She is definitely a daddy's little girl, and the word on the street is she kept him up dancing the entire night! (Only for his Emma, I tell ya!!)

2008-01-25T15:20:00.000-05:00

Attack of the...........FUDGE-O-GATORS!!!!!!

The proper way to do it, see, is with a fork and knife

This chocolate is mines, all mines.....don't even think about touching my fudge-o-gator!

I think I'll start off with a bit of tail......heh,heh,heh...

Karl's parents are down in FL for the winter, and they sent us up a little care package the other day. My little chocoholics are in heaven right now with their enormous fudge alligators. They couldn't figure out how to get at them right away, so Ian went and got a fork and knife (it made me think of that Seinfeld episode where George cut his Snickers bar) Mind you, we have to twist his arm to use utensils for dinner! I had to take a picture of course. Vivi didn't realize that it was edible at first, but once she did, boy did she hunker down and eat right up to the rear legs!!! Emma wanted to try the alligator jerky that they sent along with the fudge...LOL....

PS Grandma and Grandpa, we received the honeybells yesterday and they are a hit too! Those things must weigh a lb. each!!!! Really juicy--thanks so much for thinking of us!

A totally unrelated, but WEIRD conversation I had with Vivi this week:

Me: Vivi, do you have a poopy in your pants?

Vivi: No, I fine, thanks.....

Me: Vivi, I think you do!

Vivi: NO! I FINE!

Me: Well, then what's that I smell?

Vivi: Oh, it's just "sprinkles".

Where in the world she got that from I have no idea.......she cracks me up, that one. :o)

2008-01-12T12:37:00.000-05:00

Our newest addition!

Introducing Dragon-toe to his new cage

Ian is so excited! He has been talking about wanting a lizard for years now, and his wish has finally come true. At 3, he could name more dinosaurs than I could, so it was only natural that he moved on to lizards as he got older. :o) I have to say, he or she really is a cute little bugger. He is a crested gecko, named for the little crest on it's head. They kind of look like eyelashes, which is why they are sometimes called eyelash geckos, too. We were looking for an easy care lizard, and were initially looking at leopard geckos, but I was a little overwhelmed with heat gradients in the tank and gut loading crickets before they are fed to your pet. (What? I've got to take care of bugs, too???? And I've had crickets escape in the house before--what a racket!!! They took weeks to recapture, too.)

Cresties can be fed this prepared mix that you just add water too. They will eat crickets too, but it is not necessary as the other food is a complete formulated diet. They thrive at room temp. (on the warm side) and they are arboreal, which means they will climb around in their cage unlike some of the others, which just seem to sit there. They even tolerate some handling, although I think it takes a while for them to get used to it.

The weirdest thing to me, was that it was shipped to us via overnight express from a breeder we found online. The selection is a bit better from breeders, and you can acquire them younger which is better for getting them acclimated to handling.

Anyhow, I think he is adorable, don't you???

2008-01-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

My Little Monster!

Vivi cracks me up! She spends half the day pretending she's a princess, and the other half surprising us with different personas. My favorite one is "Karate Mom", but that one is hard to describe or take a picture of. Anyway, we went to Chuck E. Cheese the other day (which terrified her by the way, she does not trust that giant mouse) with my parents and 2 of my brothers and my niece. One of the games we were playing jammed while we were there, and we got 236 tickets! LOL For those of you not familiar with Chuck E. Cheese's, they have these arcade games that you buy tokens to play, and then if you play well, you are rewarded with a few tickets per game played. At the end of the day, you turn in your tickets for prizes. They really don't give you much for all that you probably spent on acquiring those tickets...... Vivi got to pick out a few little things though since we had so many tickets. She chose a Princess pocketbook, a rubber bracelet, a rubber bug, bathtub fizzers, and.........you guessed it! Orange monster teeth! When we got home, she asked to put a skirt on to "match" her pocketbook, slapped her bracelet on, and paraded around for the rest of the afternoon with these orange teeth in her mouth, LOL. She thought she was quite hot stuff!!

2007-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Family & Friends!

A Kerr-istmas -- ha!

Vivi and my niece

After Santa came......

We had a very busy, fun, and blessed holiday, and now we are going to veg out for a couple of days, but I wanted to share a couple more pictures with you.....Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T13:52:00.000-05:00

"Christmas Eve-Eve"

On Christmas Eve Eve, we were lucky enough to get to spend it with some of Karl's family at our house. This was such a special treat for me, since I rarely host any family events here except for birthdays. We lots of great snacks, in my husband's tradition of Christmas Eve, and had a nice cozy sleepover. The kids had a fantastic time with their cousins, and we got a ton of great pictures, but I can only seem to post 4 at a time, so here's a little preview of our visit together. If I get a chance, I'll resize them and post more later...

Merry Christmas!

Vivi got this Dancing Dora game complete with costume. She loves it!! I'm surprised we were able to get her Christmas Dress on her after this!!! :o)

Colin found our snow particularly delicious!

Our land is flat, so every year Karl builds a sledding mound. This year, he was lucky enough to have his brothers' help! Thanks T & T!

Our adorable nephew--look at those big blue eyes!!

2007-12-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

The Science Museum in Boston

Emma experiments with oceanic currents

Somebody's grandma was knitting this one for a long time!

This was the coolest demonstration of a tornado!

You could put your hand right in it!

We had the best family field trip earlier this month, and I just realized that I hadn't posted any pictures from it yet. Karl and I both graduated with science degrees, he with physics, and me with biology, but even if you don't think you're into science you would love this museum. Anyway, this is my all time favorite museum that I've ever been to, and we could NOT wait to share it with the kids!! I wasn't sure if Vivi was a little young, but it actually worked out great for all of our ages. Everything in this museum is hands on, and so even the things Vivi didn't understand yet, she could get right in there and try just like the big kids. This museum never gets old to me! There are so many fascinating things there! They did have a little area just for 3 and under too, which we visited while the older 2 went to an IMAX movie with Karl, and that was great too. I've never seen Ian so excited for a family field trip....It was so up his alley! And Emma really seemed to get into it too. It was well worth driving home in that snowstorm--I can't wait to go again!

2007-12-19T08:41:00.000-05:00

Happy 10th Birthday!!!!

Make a wish!

Whew! Birthdays tucker me out!!!

On Sunday, my little guy turned 10--double digits!!!! Wow! I can't believe I've been a parent for 10 years! I've got to admit, I love this age....this has been a great year for Ian! I've always known he is intelligent, but he is really more confident, and willing to share his ideas and thoughts with all of us. His sense of humor is coming out more, and he is just great to be around! Even though he is growing up, he is still my cuddler though....I think even more so than either of my girls. (don't tell his friends though, LOL....)

We had a nice family gathering on Saturday to celebrate and he had the best day ever!!!! He got to play with his cousins and see his aunts and uncles, and memere and poppy. I made his favorite jello poke cake, and he got some great gifts--especially his Ninendo DS, which he has been asking Santa for for years. I told him, Santa won't give gifts that mom and dad don't approve of, but as it turns out, grandparents don't have to follow that rule. ha! He is in heaven, and even though I think it would've been a bad choice for him in the past, he can handle it now without going overboard. (plus, he shares it with me, LOL)

As you can see from the last picture, Vivi had so much fun, she actually conked out on the floor after everybody left...too funny! That NEVER happens. She is like my Energizer bunny! Also in that picture is her newest obsession, "Neowy". This is the first time we've had a toy that must be within arms reach at all times. She is so funny with it....when she's feeling shy, she even talks through it, in kitty speak of course. The other day, we were at the dentists office and the dentist said hi to her. She turned her head away, stuck the cat out at him and said, "neowwwwwww" LOL. Vivi is a little bit of a High School Musical prodigy, and knows the words to all the songs. My mom tried to get her to perform for everybody at Ian's birthday, and she stuck out the cat and did the entire melody to the "We're Soaring" song in "neow's"......hysterical!

2007-12-01T18:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas Card --- Take 1, 2..... 38, and 102

Vivi and Emma just getting warmed up

This one almost won, but somebody thought it would be cute to hide under the hat.

Still funny......

This is supposed to look like Vivi was standing on them, cheerleader style, LOL

So, we thought we'd better get going on our picture for this years Christmas card. We took a ton of pictures and got a lot of really cute ones! The last one of the kids doing a pyramid was inspired by them playing "circus" together. Vivi can really do it, but she's not steady enough to get a good picture. Anyway, these are some that didn't make the cut, but I thought were worth sharing! :o) The kids had a great time, and we did too. Enjoy!

2007-12-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

A New Home for "Gingie"

Gingie needs a new house, and I've got just the thing!

All ready to move in......

There were no gingerbread men injured in the eating....er, making of this house.

The kids had a blast today making a gingerbread house together! Vivi had a McDonald's toy that was "Gingie" from Shrek, and she decided it was going to be Gingie's house, LOL. Everybody was really good about not eating the decorations till it was all done. Then we covered Gingie's eys, and I let them dig in.......and dig in they did! Everybody put on a Santa beard of frosting, and the funny thing was Vivi wanted to sit on their lap and tell them what she wanted for Christmas. It was too cute!

2007-10-29T16:34:00.000-04:00

Harvest Hoe - down

Watch Vivi get down to the Singing Hillbillies at our annual trip to the corn maze....

Our daughter, who is deathly afraid of most things Halloween, especially scarecrows, had no worries when it came to these creepy animatronic "Hillbillies"......Too funny!!!

2007-10-17T21:52:00.000-04:00

Emma's Soccer Game

Emma practicing her moves

Hey! I've got moves too, people!

Hmmmm...how'd that other ball get on the field??

Go, Emma go!!!!

2007-09-24T08:14:00.000-04:00

Bai Jia Bei

We recently got our completed Hundred Good Wishes quilt back from my Aunt Beth. She did an amazing job, and she picked out the coolest fabric for the backing. (not shown here) It reminds me of China, with it's bright florals on a dark background. It's so touching to me to go back and remember all the good wishes people sent. I know this will mean so much to Vivi someday! Thank you to everyone who contributed fabric and good wishes, and a HUGE thank you to Aunt Beth!!! I know you faced a lot of challenges on the way to completing this quilt, and we are so grateful that you undertook this huge task for us! It is truly a work of art!

2007-09-21T06:03:00.000-04:00

A God Moment

I learned the other day, that even though Vivi doesn't speak very much yet, she is always listening...

I had just brought Vivi upstairs to tuck her in, and she was carrying a set of plastic rosary beads that she found in her brothers bedroom. She held them up to show me and said, "Neckness!" proudly. I said, "Well, it looks like a necklace, but it's called a rosary. Each bead reminds you to say a prayer." At which point she held up the cross on the rosary. I said, "That is a cross. That is Jesus on the cross. Can you say Jesus?". She got a big smile on her face and said "Jeeeeee-sus!".

Then, beaming, she said something that I didn't quite catch, so I asked her to say it again. She said it again, this time making some sort of gesture. On the third time I figured out what she had been trying to tell me. She was pointing to herself, and then me, saying "Gave you me!" referring to Jesus. Wow!!!! When I am getting ready to tuck her in, as sort of my own prayer with her, I often say, "I'm so glad that God gave you to me and that you're part of our family." I didn't realize I had ever said "Jesus" in place of God, but I must have. Or did she make the connection on her own?

The older kids go to Catholic school, we go to church regularly, and we say grace before meals as a family, but I often feel that we (as their parents) don't talk about God enough to the kids. So I felt super blessed that Vivi had been listening to my feeble attempt at prayer as I tucked her in at night.

Finally, she took the rosary beads gently, and put them in my hand and said, "Like it."

Yeah, Vivi, me too sweetie........... :o)

2007-09-13T07:39:00.000-04:00

Vivi's first day of school

Looking a little nervous as we got ready to go

Ok, mom, now I'm ready!!!!

Vivi started "school" on Wednesday. Ok, really it's called Toddler Time and it's only an hour and fifteen minutes, but it's good practice for her separating from me, and Target is only 5 minutes away.

She had fun from what I could tell when I peeked in the window. (Yes I know that backpack is about as big as she is...I couldn't find the small one we have. We probably left it in church)

2007-09-11T07:52:00.000-04:00

Vivi's Sleep Manual

Vivi waking up with her buds...don't worry they're all there

These are the bedtime books in the correct order

"Mommy"

"Baby" sustained an injury falling from the rocker about a week ago. We still kiss the booboo at bedtime.

Vivi is pretty much sleeping through the night now, but the routine to get there cracks me up.

We have to be in the rocking chair, with one lamp on, and the humidifier running, and the door closed (to MY bedroom where all this stuff is, even though I then have to carry her into her bedroom.) We also have to have "baby", "daddy(a doll dressed in blue)", "Dora", and "lion", and blankie placed in the proper places on our laps. If one of them falls while we turn a page. Vivi jumps from my lap, of course causing all the others to fall, and we set every body up again. Only occasionally does this require a Dora bandaid for one of her babies. I have become very adept at keeping them all on my lap without dropping any, because this can be quite a time waster. :o)

The blanket must be properly draped across our laps. When her constant wiggly toes knocks the blanket off her feet, we must immediately stop reading and fix it, even though she will probably kick it off again by the next book.Ahh, the books....no less than 7!!! The same ones, unless you want to make it 8 (that's how we got up to 7.....daddy brought some new ones up thinking he could swap out the old, but Vivi wasn't having it) They must be read in the exact same order, with any incidental add-ins that I have stuck in for interest after reading a book for the 100th time kept in. Daddy runs into trouble with this when he reads to her, because he doesn't know my add-ins, LOL. A new thing, is that any characters drawn with eyelashes are apparently "Mommy", and she will interrupt the story to tell me so......this includes an armadillo in one book, as well as a "Zizzerzazzerzuzz" in another. Maybe it's time to stop wearing so much mascara, LOL.

Anyway, once these stories are all read to Miss Vivi's satisfaction, it's tuck in time. All of her friends must make it in one trip, light needs to be on in her room when we enter, but off when I leave.....but then, and only then............my adorable little control freak will happily go to sleep! I even get an "I yuv you" for all my efforts, and it is sooooo worth it. :o)

2007-08-24T17:29:00.000-04:00

The Great Escape

Paris and Nicole have got nothing on these two criminals

There's a new sheriff in town.....

Me and the kids took a quick trip to Six Flags the other day. It was Vivi's first time ever going where she could actually ride some rides. She loved it.......I think. She would ride each ride looking as scared as I've ever seen her look, like she was about to cry, and then when the ride was over, she'd give it the thumbs up and say "Fun!".....it wasn't all that convincing, but she kept asking to go on rides, so I let her.

Her favorite thing there was all the little houses that the kids can run into and play in. She spent about an hour doing that, and Ian and Emma were kind enough to indulge her (they really had fun, and I think they liked having an excuse to play in them too). That's Em and Vivi locked up in the play jail, and Ian looking a little too intently at the guns, LOL.

2007-08-13T16:10:00.000-04:00

Summer Fun with Cousins!!

The farm hands-in-training

Vivi tries to help out, too

Uncle Tony saves a swallow from the horses watering trough

2007-08-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

Vivi and Connor playing "drive through" food

The kids are trying to entice a feral kitten to come closer

The annual "hammock picture"...we're going to need a bigger hammock soon!

We just got back from a visit to my BIL, SIL and my two nephews this weekend. As always, they kept us busy with lots of playing outside!! They had lots of fun swimming, and playing with each other. Everybody gets along great, even though there is a 2.5 yr difference between each one of them!!! They got to play with some of the local wild animals too, which is always exciting. :o) The kids (and my kid at heart BIL) spent forever trying to get a feral kitten to come play. It was so sad how scared the poor little guy was of humans. Then they all piled onto the hammock for what has become a traditional picture when we go to visit T & E. On Saturday night BIL, Collin and Connor went to a neighbors house to help with farm chores, and we tagged along for moral support. haha. Actually, Emma helped feed the cows and Vivi fed the barn cats. Seriously though, I am sooo proud of my godson! They have been routinely helping this local family with their farm for years now, and it's not always as easy as feeding the animals. He doesn't complain at all, and happily does this as part of his day! And his little brother tries to help as much as he can too. Of course, they learned to be such wonderful people from the example of their generous parents, teachers, of course! That evening we had a fire, and roasted marshmallows for s'mores, and the kids got to sleep in a tent with their cousins, and T & E. It was such a great time, as it always is when we get together! I wish we could do it more often!!

2007-08-08T14:31:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday--- Road Trip

2007-08-06T08:23:00.000-04:00

Webelos Resident Camp 2007

Home Sweet Home for Karl and Ian

The absolute high for Ian during camp this week!

The balance board teamwork exercise--Ian's on the right

Ian learning how to treat our American flag properly

Ian and Karl returned from 4 days of camp yesterday. They had an awesome time, especially Ian. It is such a blessing that Karl was willing and able to take the time off to have this bonding time with him. They slept in a doorless leanto on wooden bunks (ouch!), and learned lots of great campsongs, played sports, swam, went out on boats, learned to make a fire, learned how to use a real BBgun (yikes!), work as a team, and of course learned about being prepared and being a good citizen. I am sure they made memories that they will never forget!

Meanwhile, us girls had a great time back home. Emma got a break from being the middle child for a few days, and really embraced being "the big sister" in a way I don't think she has in the last year! Emma got her hair cut for Locks of Love, we went shopping with my mom and aunt at the outlets, ate takeout, went bikeriding, and watched movies together. Vivi has finally officially been moved out of our room, and into Emma's and her bedroom. We set up the crib in our bedroom when we returned from China for attachment purposes, and Vivi has never been a great sleeper, so we just kept it in our room for convenience sake. On Thursday though, I moved the crib into Emma's room. I thought she might sleep in Emma's bed with her (it is a twin over full bunk) but she said she still wanted to sleep in her crib, so for now it's a little tight in there, but they really love the new set up. Vivi has woken up more nights than not, but I think she is going to do great in there!

2007-08-02T21:27:00.000-04:00

Locks of Love!!!!

Well, she did it today! Emma has been growing her hair out for Locks of Love for awhile now.

In our excitement, we forgot to take an official before photo, but the last two were taken just a couple of weeks ago. I think she looks absolutely adorable! And I'm so proud of her for thinking of someone else. I love the little wedge in the back! Too cute!

2007-08-01T08:47:00.000-04:00

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

I found this ironic, given what the Amish stand for.....the Hee-Haw girl, the huge power lines, the "Amish Experience".... which includes, of course, "Theater, Tours and Shops"

For more Wordless Wednesdays, click here

2007-07-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Luray Caverns

Walking down many steps into the cavern...

Walking between some stalagmites...

A drapery formation--pretty awesome in person...

A HUGE stalagmite next to a stalagtite!!!

I just wanted to post a couple more pictures from our vacation in VA. We went to a place called Luray Caverns, and it was really just amazing! I had been to a cavern before but it was nothing like this. I still can't get over the fact that places like this exist right under what looks like regular land. It was huge! And of course now that it's a tourist attraction, there are nicely paved walkways throughout it, and strategically placed lights near many of the impressive stalagmites (from the ground up) and stalactites (hanging from the ceiling), but those first discoverers explored it by candlelight. It had to be terrifying, and awe-inspiring, and wonderful! We found out there are no bats here, in fact there is no life in the caves because the only way in was the building we entered through. Also, even if a rodent or something did somehow find it's way in, there is nothing for it to eat down there, so it would quickly leave or die......not that I was nervous about meeting any bats down there or anything. :o) Anyway, if you are ever in this area of VA (Shenandoah National Park is also nearby) , I highly recommend visiting the caverns.

2007-07-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

FFFF #40 --- Cheesy Grins

Cheese!!!

You didn't think you'd get me to smile for the camera that easily, did you?

Yikes!!! A cheesy smile gone terribly awry....

I haven't done a FFFF challenge in a while, but when I saw this one listed by Lissa, I knew I was good to go! I'm not good at catching the kids in a natural smile, so almost all of my pictures are of them fighting a smile (see picture 3, lol) or cheesing it up for the camera. Vivi is the queen of cheese, as you can see! Enjoy....

For links to other FFFF Cheesy Grin entries, go to Loving Lydia's website...

2007-07-26T22:09:00.000-04:00

Shenandoah National Park

Emma on top of the world

If my sister can do it, I'm doing it too!

Taking a break from all that climbing!

How often can you drive right through a mountain!?

2007-07-19T07:53:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Virginia!!!

Our internet here isn't great, but I just thought I'd share a couple of pictures from our vacation so far...the first one is Vivi on top of a dam holding in the lake at our resort. Then, can you believe who is riding a pony?? We actually went to this place in Shenandoah National Park so that Emma could take a ride, because she loves the idea of horses, but had never really ridden one. Well the people there were great, and told us to get a helmet for Vivi to...that they had a real gentle pony for her. I thought, No way!! She's too little!! But once she saw her big sister get on a pony, she had to do it too! She rode the whole 15 min on there and screamed when we had to pry her off, LOL. Emma had a great time too. Look how proud of herself she is!!

2007-07-11T22:13:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Ok, so maybe I'm a little late with this post, but I left my camera at my parents' house. I LOVED how well our patriotic toes came out, so I just had to share....

Our 4th was a bbq hosted by my little brother at his house. He and his wife just bought their first house, and this was their first official shindig there. We had a great time, despite the rain, and I am just so happy for them to finally have their own place!

2007-06-01T20:27:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law generously offered to take our family's photos in the park a couple of weekends ago. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, with the cherry trees in bloom and beautiful sunlight streaming through the trees. I am so grateful for the beautiful portraits she gave us of our family. I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into though, lol. We are possibly one of the most difficult families to photograph.... We are never all looking at the camera at the same time, two of us are overly sensitive to the flash, and none of the kids like to smile (for the camera) Anyway, after many many many photos, here are a few of my favorites....make sure you check the next few posts down. I couldn't put them all in one post due to size of the files.

We had the family gathering for the girls birthday last weekend. We now have a 2, 7, and 9.5 year old. It was a beautiful day, and we got to spread out onto the deck and into the yard. Karl took care of the BBQ and I took care of things inside. There was lots of delicious food, and wonderful time spent with family. We were blessed to have Karl's BIL and family spend the night that night. They have two boys that our children love to pieces and they really enjoyed having that extra visit with them, pitching a tent in the basement and staying up way past their bedtimes.

School is going great for the older two. In fact, Ian just got accepted for our district's Young Scholars program. This is a neat program for the academically gifted students. We are so proud of him, and excited to see him able to shine in this area. Emma is doing wonderfully in her studies as well. I am amazed at how independently the kids are able to accomplish their schoolwork now. Vivi is learning new things constantly! Her favorite thing though, is to be outside, especially on the playground equipment. She had her first adventure in the McDonald's tubes yesterday. I am sooo glad we don't go there often, and that her bro and sis were there to help her when she panicked at the top. Poor baby had the worst tummy ache last night from the greasy fried food. She's all better now though!

Well, go ahead and take a peek at our pictures....enjoy!!!!

2007-06-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

2007-06-01T19:30:00.000-04:00

2007-05-28T15:11:00.000-04:00

2007-05-28T15:09:00.000-04:00

2007-04-28T14:51:00.000-04:00

Gotcha Day clothes, revisited....

(post below)

Look at how much the sleeves are rolled up!!!!

The whole get- up

I look pretty spiffy, don't I?

I'm never taking these off!!!

2007-04-28T11:24:00.000-04:00

This would be great for playing outside....
Welllll??

Gotcha Day Clothes Revisited

This was the topic of FFFF Challenge #29 Double Happiness: Family FotoFun Friday

Wow, you've come a long way baby girl!!!

When I first saw this challenge, it made me a bit uncomfortable. Pulling out those clothes brought out all sorts of emotions for me. Those layers of clothing, in a way represent the complexity of adoption to me.....The very worn, ill fitting, stained underlayers represent the poverty and challenges Vivi surely would have faced had she remained in China as an orphan. The traditional looking quilted outfit was similar to many put on the children adopted all over China on their adoption day. To me, they represent the "keeping face" that is so important in Chinese culture. Here is a child who by China's standards, has no "face", an orphan abandoned by someone who's face Vivi will never know except to look in the mirror at her own...

On another level, they represent the "face" that she would gain by being adopted into family to call her own, where she will be well cared for, education, and given a world as open to her as her dreams.....anyway, I was feeling a bit somber and thoughtful as I brought Vivi up to try on her Gotcha Day clothes...

Well, all that was quickly changed as Vivi was sooo excited to put these duds on, LOL. She was modeling and smiling all morning in that outfit! I didn't think I'd ever get it off of her! I loved seeing her smile and exhuberance in contrast to those first few moments and days. We have all been truly blessed by God in leading us down the path to adoption, and we are so grateful for our 3 wonderful children. Hope you enjoyed the photos!!!

2007-04-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

Our Pets --- FFFF Challenge of the Week

Ok....maybe not...

I've got something for you Lily!

Mmmm... isn't this bottle delicious??

(Lily's thoughts) :::finally some peace, cartoons are on:::::

The star of our photos this week is our 13 year old cat, Lily. She has put up with a lot of manhandling over the years, but it was nothing compared to the abuse.......I mean, love, that Vivi inflicts on her. Vivi was deathly afraid of Lily for the first month or so that we came back from
China, but you would never know that now. They have a very interesting relationship. Vivi makes her eat morsel by morsel, and yells at her when she doesn't eat fast enough. She pokes her in the eyes and ears and backwards pets her, and Lily is very tolerant of all this. She loves the attention.....to an extent. She has given Vivi some warnings for sure, but even so, most times that Viv sits down to watch a show, Lily can be found snuggled up next to her.

Oh yeah....the wolf was from our trip to the state museum. :o)

2007-04-09T13:56:00.000-04:00

FFFF Challenge-- Spring Finest

Are you done yet???????

Vivi loved checking herself out in the hat

Ok, this one was easy!! I finally got one done in time to enter, and everyone more or less cooperated. We had a wonderful Easter this year! On Saturday, the kids and I dyed eggs, and Emma helped me make a butter lamb (Polish Catholic tradition), pierogis (another one), and a crab quiche (just yummy) to bring to my mom's house on Sunday. She was such a big help, and I'm really starting to enjoy cooking with the kids. They are more willing to try things that they've cooked themselves too. :o)

Ian and Emma slept in the same room Saturday night, so that they could get up at 3am and look for their baskets together. Well they made it until about midnight till they made the first sneak downstairs to see if the Easter Bunny had come yet. They then got up about every hour until 5:37am when Ian couldn't take it anymore and had to come tell me what they had been up to. (they are not allowed to get me up till 6 to open things) I got up with them and let them take a closer look at their baskets, and then Vivi got up around 6:15. By 6:30, everyone had had their breakfast of jellybeans and chocolate eggs, and they were raring to go! When Karl got home from work at 8am, we headed down to my mom's for church, and a second round of jellybeans and chocolate eggs. My mom made them some adorable aprons and chef hats, which they are modeling in the previous post, a little out of order :o) Now they can really help me cook! They love them!

If you are wondering what an FFFF Challenge is, this is my first time I am participating, here is a link to it.... http://2happy.typepad.com/

2007-04-09T13:47:00.000-04:00

Our New Aprons!!!!

Made with love, by our Memere

The naked chef!!! LOL

2007-04-09T12:37:00.001-04:00

An Uncertain Spring

Hmm....maybe spring is down this path.....
Ian and Emma show Vivi how to skate
April 1, the bulbs want it to be spring.....

I guess the April Fools is on them! It has been incredibly cold and snowy this spring. First we had 2 feet of snow dumped on us on Valentine's Day. Then, another foot on St. Patrick's Day...we had a day or two in the 50's and now we are back to the 40's during the day and freezing at night!!! I can't believe we still have snow and it's almost the middle of April!!! I am really going to appreciate the warm weather this year, when it gets here.

2007-03-26T13:13:00.000-04:00

March 27, 2006 till Today........

Today (well, tomorrow, but I won't have time to post then) is the one year anniversary of welcoming Feng Chu Ling into our family. I remember the awe of finally holding our baby girl in our arms, whom I had dreamed of and prayed for for almost a year. I remember feeling so assuredly that this was meant to be. …that God wanted us to be a family, and I still feel that way. Not that God wanted her in a position to need a family, of course, but that He played a part in our family being brought together with this little girl who needed a family.

I’ll never forget those first weeks with her, she was such a stoic little one, but seemed content as long as she was in Karl’s or my arms. People wonder if they could ever love an adopted child as their own, and I have to say that although I didn’t give birth to her, once she was handed to me, my maternal feelings were just as strong as when they handed my biological children to me in the recovery room. It wouldn’t have mattered to me if she had health problems or developmental problems, (and we weren’t sure at first) she was ours to love and care for no matter what. It was that instantaneous, and that simple, and that forever! My older children mention almost daily how happy they are that Vivi is their sister.

A lot of things are changing with regard to China and adoption this year. The new requirements will prevent many would be families from even applying to China’s adoption program. I am so hopeful that it is because there are fewer babies needing families. It’s hard to believe that so much could have changed in such a short time, but if it did, I think it is wonderful. Many people in China have been working to see these changes happen, and I do think that families are best kept together if at all possible.

As this day approaches, I have been thinking a lot about Vivi’s life before she came to us. I am saddened to think that Vivi’s birthmother and birthfather won’t ever know her…that she is safe, and loved, and cherished. And the woman who took care of her for 10 months, her foster mother….she is still working with the SWI to care for several children as a foster mom while they wait for a forever family. We tried to send her a letter and pictures through the orphanage, and we did receive a letter back from the orphanage, but I don’t know if she ever actually received them. Did she ever get attached to Vivi? Or was it just a job to her? These are things I wonder, and I’m sure that Vivi will wonder some day about her beginnings too. We will send an update to her every year anyway, just in case.......

I am amazed at how far Vivi has come this year! At 11 months, she was so tiny!! 14 lbs, and very little muscle tone…..She is just about average in size now, about 25 lbs, and I’m not sure on the height. Her feet are still small…only a 5 at almost 2 yrs old. She is constantly saying and signing new words, and she loves to care for “babies” (dolls) She is very fast, and very busy. At church, it is an hour of nonstop up, and down, up and down. She loves to help me with anything I am doing, and may just be the first one of my children who willingly picks up after themselves. She loves to dance, and conduct a family “circle time”. It’s so funny, because when we are at the mommy and me, she just stares blankly into the circle and you’d never know she even knows the children’s songs they are singing. At home, she fetches everyone and makes sure we all participate in her renditions of Wheels on the Bus, This Old Man, and Teddy Bear Turn Around.

If anyone is interested in a trip down memory lane.....myadoptionwebsite.com - International adoption web sites and announcements (This should bring you to our China Trip on the eve of meeting Vivi!!)

2007-03-24T15:35:00.000-04:00

You found me!!!

I must take hundreds of pictures a month, but all of my children are camera shy, so they are either not smiling, or not looking at the camera in most of them.

This one is the last one of about 10 pictures I tried to take when I saw Vivi being cute. The first 9 are with her eyes closed, the side of her head, or the back of her as she was running down the hall away from me.....I finally cornered her hiding behind the door in my bedroom.

Thank goodness for digital photography!! LOL

2007-01-30T12:41:00.000-05:00

Saratoga National Historical Park ---- The Frost Faire

The chilly line-up...look out, Starlight!!!
Don't worry Starlight, it's beef stew!

Ian gets a "pass to cross the lines of battle"

We went to the Frost Faire this weekend with Ian's cub scout pack. It was COOOOOLDDD! But lots of neat stuff there. There were horse drawn carraige rides and the kids got to go on a scavenger hunt, there was a bonfire and a warming tent with cookies and hot cocoa--YUM!!! Unfortunately there wasn't enough snow this year for sledding, but in all honesty, after one look at that hill, I am not too sad! Back at the visitor center they had Revolutionary War re-enactors and cannon firings and cool hands on stuff to do, like tin punching, and dressing up in the uniforms. I think all the kids (and parents, too) really enjoyed themselves!

Oh and I also had to mention that Emma had her class "pet" pig Starlight this weekend and you can see him on some of our adventures.

2007-01-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

Ready for the Sippy Cup

Ok, so I put this here.....
I don't like it!!!
Don't worry mom, I'll just go get my bottle for you.

So, at Vivi's last checkup, the doc says we "need" to get rid of the bottle. I know that at some point this will be a necessity (like before Kindergarten, LOL) but for now, I like giving her a bottle still, and she likes it too. Nontheless, we have started trying to give her a sippy cup between bottles. She doesn't really like it for anything more than sprinkling my carpet, but I think you can see by the first picture she's really getting the hang of it......well, sort of. :o)

2007-01-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

The Father Daughter Dance

After weeks of practicing their moves, LOL, tonight was their big night!!! The Father Daughter Dance. They both looked gorgeous and were beaming as they headed off....I can't wait till they get home to hear all about it!

2007-01-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

The 1st and last....

more of Vivi's "cheese" faceMmmmm....scotcheroos!!!
I'm not sharing--not even with baby Mulan

....ponytail, that is. :o) Vivi will not let me put anything at all in her hair. Every once in a while I try a little clip or something, but it is usually out in about 10 seconds. I was so excited that I snuck this one in that I had to take a few photos.

2007-01-19T13:27:00.000-05:00

The Rink is Ready!!!

Emma getting ready for her triple salchow, LOL

C'mon Vivi...it'll be fun!
Hey, he's right--this isn't so hard...

I've fallen...and I can't get up!

Well, the rink is finally frozen! We were right on top of things this year, we set up our ice rink in early December, thinking we'd be skating by Christmas at the latest. It's always nice to turn on our outdoor Christmas lights, get some music going, and skate till we can't feel our toes! Then come in and have some hot cocoa with marshmallows...yum!

Unfortunately, our rink has been more of a reflecting pool than an ice skating rink this year. The weather never got cold enough to freeze it, until now that is....Today was the kids' first day out on it, and Vivi's first time ever on skates!! I love those little skates! They had a blast!!

2007-01-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

The Ice Storm -- January 2007

We just weathered a pretty substantial ice storm here. I took some pictures of the icy trees on and around our house. In the last one, it looks a little like snow on the ground. It's not--each individual blade of grass is about a half inch across with ice. We were lucky, we didn't have any damage to the house, and we only lost power for about 7 hours. I've been giving the "thumbs up" to all the power company trucks driving by around here, LOL. Not everyone was so lucky. There are a lot of trees down, and some of the people without power may continue to be without it until Thursday!! I pray they are all able to find somewhere warm until then!

2007-01-16T16:40:00.000-05:00

Vivi's "Cheese" Face

Fun with frosty windows....yummmm, LOL

2007-01-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

Dress up fun

I want the ones with the princess crowns!

I 'm supposed to walk in these things??

Wow-----they're Beautiful!!!!!!!!

2007-01-01T22:10:00.000-05:00

Mommy's got a new camera!

So of course I need to take more pictures of my cuties! I just caught them being cute the other day and thought I'd share. I'm not really sure what Ian was up to but he looks like the cat that just ate the canary, doesn't he??

Emma and Vivi were being so sweet the other day playing dolls together, but don't tell Vivi that chair isn't for her! She loves to kick the dolls out of the pretty little doll chair Emma got for Christmas. It's almost a perfect fit!!

2006-12-31T16:41:00.000-05:00

Come on now, it's Christmas!!!! Would it break your face to smile??????

I am finally getting around to writing about our Christmas! The kids looked so beautiful in their Christmas Eve best, I really wanted to take a nice picture of them, but darned if I could get them all sitting on the couch smiling. You would think I was torturing them or something. The one that I did get of the 3 of them wasn't even that good but it was the best out of 23 pictures that I took on that couch. The first picture up there is how most of them looked. Karl could hear me getting frustrated, "Just sit there and smile, darn it or you're all getting coal for Christmas!!!! " (LOL just kidding, but I was thinking it) So he comes upstairs with the HUGE Nerf 'n Strike bazooka, and told them it was the "Smile-n-ator" and anybody who didn't smile (Ian!!!!) was gonna get blasted! And voila----smiles!

We just missed Santa, but we got a picture of the tree looking all pretty with the gifts under it. Ian was up at 4 am, but we have a 6 am rule, and bless his little heart, he didn't make a peep for 2 hours, and then busted into all of our bedrooms at 6 on the dot, to tell us, " Come on you guys! I counted them all, Dad!! There's over 40! (the gifts) It's 6 o'clock!!! Let's go!!!!!" :o)

They got lots of great gifts, but some of their favorites were a Felicity American Girl Doll for Emma, a new snare drum for Ian (he's been taking lessons, but only had a drum pad before), and about 50 lollipops for Vivi. Seriously, she must've had about 10 before 7:30 am. Santa left a few in her stocking, and then the little rascal went and raided everybody elses stockings and ate theirs too! All in all, it was a great Christmas, and a perfect first Christmas with our little lollipop bandit...

2006-12-23T21:20:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Blessed--we are so very blessed this Christmas!

After a long, difficult week of a stomach bug making it's way very slowly and painfully through every single person in our house, I have not been feeling very Christmas-y at all, but I was able to attend mass tonight with my son, and take a few moments to remember how very full of God's grace we all are. My heart is so full of gratitude and wonder at the changes my family has gone through this year, at the gifts we have all been given of love and family, a warm and safe place to live, and a God who loved us enough to give us the best gift of all, Jesus. It's hard to wrap my mind around......

Merry Christmas, if I didn't get your Christmas card out this year.... here are the pictures of our cuties that were on the front....have a wonderful holiday!!!