A Few of Her Favorite Things

A few of Natalie's favorite things...her gymnast leotard (once it's on, it could be days before I can get it off), her winter "helmet" as she calls it, and purple ornaments.

Energy Level: High

Lately I've been watching the kids and marveling at the energy and enthusiasm they have at this age. The sheer joy they get out of just moving their bodies, for any reason, or no particular reason, is hysterical. Whether it is Liam dancing to the 80's music channel on the tv - sliding to the left and right with hip wiggles, like he's doing the electric slide. Or Natalie running in circles (repeatedly...repeatedly...), or tearing down the long trampoline in gymnastics class at breakneak speed. In fact, it is a workout for me to just chase her around the gym trying to corral her and convince her to wait her turn at the equipment. She goes into overdrive, and just wants to run from the mats to the bars to the balance beam like a mad woman.
They both have so much ENERGY. I wonder if I ever had that much energy, even when I was two yrs old. I don't remember it, to be sure, and can't even imagine it.
So tonight I dragged myself to the gym, determined to feel more energetic. It is a group class that uses a large blue exercise ball, and I struggle with balance. But there was a moment, just a moment, that I found myself caught up in the movement and the music and realized I was really rather bouncy (not necessarily the desired state on an exercise ball) and, yes, energetic. And I smiled. I felt, just for an instant, like I had a 2 yr old still inside me.
Then I dragged my 38 yr old behind back home to sit on the couch.

Awesome MishMish

I can't believe it's December already. I'm not sure why exactly, but I feel even more disorganized than usual this year, even though I am not working anymore (much). I suppose it is just harder to keep the house in order with the little elves running around. Natalie has a new word, learned from Liam - AWESOME. And she also loves to say MishMish Tree. So Awesome MishMish, everyone!

We are trying to get in the spirit though. We have even managed to get Liam to sit through the "Rudolf" and "Here Comes Santa Claus" tv specials. Yes, it sounds funny, but Liam has such a serious issue with anything remotely scary or sad on tv that he has refused to watch Rudolf ever since he made me turn it off 2 years ago after the reindeer called Rudolf names. I am usually the one telling Jim that it is not possible for Liam to be "too sensitive," but it finally got to me this year when all we had to do was see a preview for Rudolf and he would fall to the floor in hysterics screaming for us to turn off the tv. So we basically turned the tv on and told him he could wait in his room if he didn't want to watch. I feel like some kind of bizarre Christmas terrorist saying "I'll strap you to the couch and you will watch Rudolf and LIKE it!!"

Luckily, after the first 5 minutes he was fine, and I like to think he even enjoyed it. I don't think I will ever be watching the Halloween slasher movies with this kid.

On a different note, I neglected to mention that November was Adoption Awareness Month. So be aware! We had our Homestudy interview last week, and now have the pleasure of having to get the kids TB tests next week. Our paper chase marches on. We also put a white dove on our Christmas tree as a symbol of a baby somewhere in Russia. It hit me the other day as we hung stockings that there is (most likely) a baby out there right NOW. Already born, and maybe even several months old. Waiting somewhere. Having Christmas without us. And of course, not just one baby, but so many, many babies with no family to celebrate Christmas. Remember them in your prayers and thoughts. I think that we will hang a stocking for him/her this year and fill it with notes that tell the baby how much we wish they were here instead of there.

Training for New Reality Show

Well, Turkey Day has come and gone. We had a wonderful time. Truly. We spent our holiday training for what we hope will be CBS's next reality show spin-off of the Amazing Race, to be called the Amazing Race...WITH KIDS.

In just a few short days, and total on-the-road time of ONLY 38.5 hours, we survived an infected, spreading bug bite that required a trip to Urgent Care (is it even possible to vacation without Urgent Care?), several close calls with potty stops (and not just the children), more horrendous fast food joints than I ever care to visit again in Louisiana, a highway shut down for a natural gas explosion (and then again on our way home still shut down for who knows what), an eardrum piercing not-enough-sleep-and-my-head-is-about-to-explode meltdown (or two), and a blinding rainstorm that lasted for about the last 11 hours of the trip home.

The beach was warm and beautiful and relaxing, however. And, as always, it was a "Beautiful Day In The Villages", while we were there. Even though I find the cult-like chanting of that mantra a tad bit creepy, it really does seem to be true. The weather was phenomonal, and the golfing from what I hear was terrific.

Thank you Mom and Dad for hosting a wonderful dinner, and doing all the meal planning! We loved seeing everyone. Natalie loved hearing Grandpa whistle. And Liam loved talking to Lucille about golf, and watching slugs with Aunt Nancy, and hanging out with Grandma and meeting Grandma's other more quiet grandchildren (her dolls, Sonny and Annie). We had a wonderful time. Now it's on to Christmas, if we don't pass out first.

Liam's Adoption Musings

Since I've been cranking out paperwork this week, Liam has been my little copycat. When I had to get a floor plan of the house with all the room dimensions (is it just me or does that seem over the top, especially since they will be IN the house for our homestudy interview), Liam sat next to me and drew his own floor plan complete with bath tubs and closets. Then he drew a picture of the baby in Russia, with a very large (warm I guess) sweater with stripes and polka dots and she (he said she!) had orange hair. Then he did a miscellaneous "form" with lots of letters and numbers that actually looked like they could be in Russian. Is it just coincidence that his "sentences" have lots of check marks and X's (like I do in my planner every day, and also like I had to do on a lot of homestudy forms) and also a lot of three little dots... Makes me wonder...do I use the three little dots too much?.... perhaps so...
Anyway, we also got to do some good adoption talk after Liam hopefully and cheerfully asked if we were going to "Throw that one away" (pointing to Natalie) when we get the baby from Russia. Excellent time to jump in there and reassure that no one will ever, ever be thrown away. Except maybe Tigger...but that's a different topic.

The Paper Chase Again

I feel like I've done this before. An adoption Dossier, that is. I was a little disheartened to realize that pretty much nothing transfers over from the China paperwork to Russia, especially since none of the paperwork can be older than a year. So, we're pushing through it all one more time. Pages and pages of questions about every last detail of us and our family lives. Not to mention everything being Notarized and Apostilled (by the Secretary of State) I may be overly optimistic but I think it will go faster this time. US Immigration has a new policy that allows one "free" change of country - most likely because the situation with adoptions in China is causing a lot of people to look at alternatives. I am hoping this change will be quicker than our original Approval, because that was the longest part of our wait last year.
I am also thinking that maybe doing this two years in a row will make me some sort of expert so I can maybe work for an adoption agency. Except, of course, that everything in international adoption is in a constant state of change, so any knowledge I've gained so far would undoubtedly be out of date in another month or so.
But in the grand scheme of things - I know, paperwork is the easy part.

Dino Hunting

I'm not sure why I am always optimistic about outings with the kids. They rarely end up the way the way I envision them when I first dream up a destination. For instance...the Natural History Museum's Dinosaur exhibit. With huge, life-like, animatronic (as in "they move and make sounds!") dinosaurs. What on earth made me think that this would fun for a 2 yr old?? I mean, really, do I imagine that a not-quite 3-feet tall child would find great enjoyment standing at the foot of a very tall, loud, man-eating monster in the middle of a field with nowhere to hide?
The pleasant surprise was that Liam was fine and even somewhat interested in the dinosaurs. Maybe he realized that my body only had so much energy, and all of it was being sucked dry by the terrified 2 yr-old wrapped around my neck like a boa constrictor while I tried to push a stroller with one hand on a gravel path with steps at various points just for extra difficulty. I realized half-way through that I was the only mother who did not understand what type of outdoor exhibit this was. There were very few kids Natalie's age there, and those who were very small were all in those "ride on your back" kid backpacks instead of a stroller. Lesson learned.
At the end of the day though, Liam got to see some dinosaurs and a cool exhibit of poisonous snakes that can be found locally (to make us all sleep easier around here) that had live mice in their cages for dinner. And he also drew a very cool dinosaur picture for me as soon as we got home. I guess I can't ask for more than that.

The big orange thing is the dinosaur (T Rex, I believe), and at the top is the path we took to get to them. The circles are 2 signs - one that says Don't Touch The Snakes, the other that says you can Touch The Snakes (though we didn't actually see one that said that).

Halloween, Birthdays, and Goodbyes

What a busy 10 days we've had! We celebrated Halloween, with our little fairy princess and Spiderman. We celebrated Natalie's 2 yr birthday, and Jim's 40th, and Grandma's birthday too! We've all been on a sugar high from the candy and cakes.

Natalie enjoyed her birthday, but the funniest part was when Jim lit the 2 candles on her cake and set it in front of her - she yelled "Hot! Hot!" and tried to duck under the table (see picture). She did not understand why we would be putting fire on the table. We did eventually get her to try and blow the candles out, but she did it gently, and from a distance.

Grandma was wonderful enough to pass out candy to all the neighborhood goblins while Jim and I walked the kids around on Halloween. They both had a good time this year.

It was absolutely wonderful to have Grandma with us, and we really hope we didn't totally wear her out. We miss you already Grandma!

Sports Week

Well, Liam finished up his flag football month thru the YMCA. He seemed to enjoy it all 3 times (we missed one week)! It's kind of nice that it was a short session, because he never got to the point of not wanting to go practice. I'll attach a picture of him going after a flag.

Then here is Jim, our hockey player. He has found a new team, and played his first game this week on his 40th birthday. He looked like a 20 yr old out there! Unfortunately, his team took a bit of a beating that night (this, on top of the Bengals loss). Happy 40th, anyway, Jim!

Grandma is here, and we are enjoying her visit a lot! We might just decide to keep her. Natalie has no problem saying "Mamaw" and is so excited to see her every morning, and Liam wants to be sure that Grandma snuggles only with him at bed time. We're looking forward to Halloween!

To Russia With Love

Well, a big decision has been made. We officially asked today to be switched to the Russia Program with our adoption agency. It is exciting, but sad, too. I had a special place in my heart for China, and I must say that making the switch feels a little bit like giving up on a baby out there somewhere in China. But the China Program is so very slow right now, we are aging quickly, and we really wanted to be bringing home baby #3 before 2010. I think that some day we will look back and see all of these pieces falling into place as they were meant to, but right now these decisions are hard. Luckily, I have wonderfully practical (and flexible) family members who do not obssess nearly as much as myself over such minor matters as a country. Jim always tells me very confidently that as soon as I meet my baby, nothing else will matter. And Liam has decided "Yes, a baby from Russia is good too."

So PRIVYET, RUSSIA! Here we come!

Trip to the Heartland

We had a great trip this last weekend. Thanks to everyone for their hospitality! I hope we didn't leave anyone's house in too much of a state of disarray - I think we probably left without picking up toys at several of our stops. Sorry!

The kids really had a good time visiting with everyone - Sarina, Carli, Josh, Hannah, Wyatt, Amanda, and Alex. The also enjoyed the Cincinnati Zoo on Sunday. What beautiful weather, and a chance to see some Fall trees too! When we got home it was 54 and rainy!

And what can I say about the Bengals...

Jim was SO thrilled to watch them finally win! He couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. In fact, I'm not even going to buy him a present, because I just can't top that.

Kidding, Jim...

Halloween Cob Webs

Tonight as we were eating dinner, eagle-eye Liam looked up and told me "Look, mommy, on the light there are spiderwebs just like the houses in our neighborhood have for Halloween." Sure enough, on the chandelier hanging over the table were cobwebs/spiderwebs. When I mentioned that I will have to clean that light, Liam said "No, wait until after Halloween, because spiderwebs are good and spooky for Halloween." So that is my story, Grandma, when you come visit, if you happen to see any cobwebs around the house...you'll know why. :-)

Pumpkins and Princesses

Not much new here. Still preparing for Halloween. We went to a pumpkin patch this weekend, and picked out a few pumpkins. We are planning to do a Bengals carving, even though Jim is totally depressed about them right now. Liam enjoyed his football practice again, and did some more catching and running, and even pulled off another boy's "flag" and also made a touchdown! Go Liam!

Natalie thinks she is a princess. She is always in motion, and always talking. Actually, we think she might be related to Sam Kinnison because her talking voice can be very LOUD. And she'll periodically just yell AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH as she runs through the house for no apparent reason.

Good news about the gas leak - my headaches have gone away, and I DO seem less irritable. Maybe I'm just getting used to being at home...but I think the gas leak wasn't helping.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Has anyone else noticed that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Wow - pink things are EVERYWHERE! I think it's great. I even bought some Campbell's soup in a pink can at the grocery. Now, they may just be fooling me by making it pink, but I'm hoping it means some of the proceeds go to a good charity. I also had an awkward moment at the checkout at the grocery when the teenage cashier asked if I would donate to the Susan G Komen fund, and I shocked him by saying "Sure, go ahead and add $5". Apparently I was the first one who had actually agreed to it, and he got so excited that he babbled on for so long about "That is so great! My Manager told me this morning that it was my job to save breasts!...." until he had successfully embarrassed both of us by saying the word "breast" too many times, and I just needed to leave. :-) But it is nice to see a teenager taking such an interest in breasts, now, isn't it? I'm sure that doesn't happen every day...

Are you ready for some Football??

Liam is ready for football! The YMCA has a Small Fry program where they introduce kids to a new sport every month, so it is very low-pressure and very much about just introducing kids to a sport and teaching them the basics. October is Football month, and Liam just had his first football "lesson". He is doing really great with catching and throwing, and learned how to protect the ball. I was a little surprised that he enjoyed it as much as he did. Of course, he says he only wants to be a Quarterback. The class is for kids age 3 & 4, so I suspect that it helps that he is one of the older kids this time, as opposed to the 3 yr old soccer where he seemed so young. Whatever the reason, it is very nice to see Liam and his Daddy both so enthusiastic about the same thing! Unfortunately for Jim, Liam seems to be turning into a Cowboys fan...although he is always Mr. Diplomatic about those things, and assures Jim that he likes BOTH the Cowboys AND the Bengals.

Source of my Irritibility?

Am I wrong to believe that a Home Warranty, such as you usually buy during the purchase of an existing home, should NOT charge you $55 for every visit? A second time now we have called the Warranty people to have a serviceman dispatched, and it is $55 for every visit. This time, it was for what I thought was a legitimate cause - I smelled gas in our kitchen, and specifically, in the cupboard under the stove top. I turned the gas pipe off, called the Warranty company, and (of course) perused the internet for symptoms of gas poisoning. Ah HA! Headaches (which I've had every day for a while now), irritibility, fatigue, reduced mental capacity...could it be that all the things I've associated with making the change to being a stay-at-home mom could be caused by a gas leak?? Interesting...

So the serviceman was here this morning. Took him approximately 30 seconds to fix the gas pipe connection under the stove top that was loose. "Well HERE'S your problem! The screw here is almost entirely off! No WONDER you smelled gas!" Feeling kind of silly that I didn't try to tighten the only screw that is even in that cupboard....I even tried asking if he should test for any other gas leaks while he was here, and he said "Uhhh..no...there's really nothing else that can break on a stove top." So $55 and 30 seconds later, our gas leak is fixed.

NOW...the test will be whether I still have headaches, irritibility, and fatigue after this! I don't think Jim believes that I will be Mrs. Cleaver now...I guess only time will tell. I'll post an update after the house has been aired out for a while. Here's hoping for a brand-new, and much less irritable me!

My Little Angels..for at least 5 minutes

I was at a used bookstore the other day (you know, trying to make up for my lost salary by selling a box full of old books...I got a whole $8.50! That should help our income this year!), and after making $8.50, I bought $12 in kids books. When we went to the register, I took the book out of Natalie's hand and gave it to the lady to ring up. The checkout lady commented how most kids would have screamed, and it must be a reflection of my good parenting skills that Natalie was so calm.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Needless to say, I pushed the stroller out of there as FAST as I could after paying, because I just knew that we would have a meltdown about SOMEthing before another 10 minutes had passed. Apparently this lady/girl had no children herself, or she would never have said something so foolish. All I could think as I looked down at Natalie sitting so sweetly in the stroller waiting patiently for her book back was "Wow! How could I not have noticed that she was being good?? I should really pay more attention to these moments before they pass."
And yes, I know I'm lucky that I have such sweet moments at all. I love each and every one of them.

Dancing With the Mini-Stars

I wish video didn't take up so much bandwidth, because I have some cute clips of the kids dancing along to Dancing With the Stars that I would love to share. Very funny. Natalie loves to dance lately, and she looks kind of similar to a person set on fire. She runs in circles very fast, and flaps her arms wildly until she usually falls down. As hard as I thought it would be to upstage that performance...then there is Liam. Think 80s Solid Gold Dancer. He has the shoulder wiggles and the hip gyrations, and oh my, the arm motions. He has the arm motions of a seasoned belly dancer . I could watch him all night. Maybe someday I will have to video him and upload it to YouTube. It will definitely be recorded for posterity, and also to embarrass him in front of any future girlfriend or wife.

Oh, to lead such a charmed life...

We've recently started giving Liam an allowance, to try and start talking about money, etc., since I'm pretty certain that he has no idea what money even is. I think understanding money is even harder these days when we only use a debit card, and so he has hardly even seen "real" currency, and buying things just means swiping a card.

Anyway, he has a few dollars now saved up, and so on Friday I took him to Michael's Craft Store to buy a little dinosaur he had his eye on. He took $4, and picked out two dinosaurs (they were on sale for $1 and $2 each). We stood in the only line open, waiting, and a nice older lady got in line behind us. She saw Liam's dinosaurs and his fistful of money, and asked him if he was buying them himself. He nodded. They opened a register next to us, and I told the cashier to take the lady behind us, since we could take a while. So Liam pushed his money and his dinosaurs onto the counter and never said a word (he's very quiet in public). He got 3 quarters back.

Next thing I know, the lady from the next line walks by and says "Since you spent all your allowance on those dinosaurs, I want to buy them for you," and hands him $4. I protested, but she ran out the door pretty fast (despite her cane) smiling. Liam didn't really understand the whole thing. I tried to impress upon him that it was SUPER nice of this lady, and is NOT something that usually happens. I thought it was very sweet, but could this have just ruined our lesson about money?? Now is he going to think that when you buy things you actually MAKE money? After all, he ended up with 2 new dinosaurs and an extra 75 cents in his pocket!

Maybe so...but at least we were able to learn about the kindness of strangers. That is not something that happens every day either!

Re-Post

For those who didn't read the old blog, this is just a re-post of the weekend update. Went to a nice birthday party...went to a hot air balloon show...blah blah blah...had fun...got tired. Here are some cute pictures.

Starting Again...

I feel like I've done this before.
Well, after a gentle reminder about WEIRDOS from Carolyn...I have decided maybe it IS wise to change the name of the blog so that there is not too much info about name and address floating around out there in cyberspace. As much as it pains me to give in to cyber paranoia...I do know (because I read cnn.com) that there are lots of weirdos out there. So, I'm starting this again. I will re-post some of the hot air balloon pictures, because I think they are too cute to leave off.
I'm a little sad because I really liked the title of the other Blog. But I suppose this one is appropriate too.
Don't worry now, Carolyn, because I promise to watch what info I post out here, so if any weirdos (other than my family, of course :-) ) want to read it they will simply be bored to tears and will gain no dangerous knowledge.