Future Spokesman?

I posted this on Facebook but for those of you who haven't seen it, here's a recap of Bubby's conversation with the people behind us at dinner last night. They had infant twins

B - Your babies are VERY cute

People - Thank you! You're very cute also!

B - Can I adopt them?

People - Um, what?

B - Can I adopt them? Because I am adopted and families by adoption are VERY special.
People - That is very sweet and you're right, it's very special.

B - Did you know there are 147, um, illion boys and girls who need mommies & daddies? Is "illion" a number?

People - No, we didn't know that. And no, illion isn't a number but maybe you mean million?

B - Yep and that sounds like a really big number. Right? So that's why I'm going to adopt a baby also when I'm bigger. Like when I'm 10 so that will be 1 less boy or girl who needs a family!

:-)

Metamorphosis

Conversation after school today:

"Mommy, do you know what tadpoles turn into?"

"Frogs?"

"Yes!!! Do you know what...caterpillars turn into?"

"Butterflies!"

"Very good Mommy. Do you know what Baby Ilya in Russia turned into?"

"Hmm...what?"

"Your son!! And do you know what you and me and Daddy turned into?"

"What's that sweetie?" (as tears well up in my eyes)

"The bestest family of 3 E.V.E.R.!!!"

I love you Bubby!

Hello 2012!

Okay, so I'm 14 days past due with that welcome but hey, better late than never, right?

It's funny how the things that challenge you end up making you stronger in the end. 2011 was definitely a challenging year in many regards. We took a couple financial hits, we were all very excited for Bubby to enter Pre-Kindergarten but that brought up a whole list of...concerns...that we were not aware of (more on that in a different post), and we continued to try and settle in to our not-so-new lives in Georgia.

At the end of the year, we continued to feel the effects of the financial hits but I began the exciting adventure of opening my own business. We took Bubby out of the Georgia Public Pre-K program and switched him to a private Pre-K instead. He is FLOURISHING and we couldn't be more pleased. And as far as the settling in to Georgia, one of our biggest struggles was finding a church home and I do believe that search is finally over!

2011 gave us PLENTY of wonderful memories to hold on to as well, like...

Having an Easter Egg Hunt, but with Panda Bears:

Hugging Daddy as he swam with sharks:

and making an RV trip to Hillsborough River State Park in FL
to meet up with my sister and her family:

And now I'm suddenly remembering one of the reasons why I haven't posted in so long. It takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to upload photos for some reason! Ah well, there's much more to share but unfortunately I need to run out. Please stop back by for Part 2 of this post, and leave a comment here, there, or on both! I'd love to say hello to you also!

Life is Beautiful

Hello friends! Long time no…write?? Is that what one says in a situation such as this? Hmmm...

I should also say sorry and THANK YOU to those of you who, according to my Site Meter stats, are still checking in despite my nearly 2 month hiatus. Yeah, I checked this morning and was surprised that somewhere out in cyber space people were still stopping by, waiting to see what (if anything) had been updated here.

I have had so many opportunities to write something inspirational, funny, heart felt, or perhaps even boring to some. I am actually very disappointed that I haven’t taken advantage of those memories and shared them with you or placed them in writing for our family.

That, friends, is going to change….

Not only is the Fall season bringing us beautiful changes with colorful leaves, cooler temperatures and shorter days, but life – our life – is bringing beautiful changes as well.


(Before I go any further, no I am not pregnant and no we are not in the adoption process again!!)

But still, at a time when we are very uncertain about certain things, life is beautiful.

At a time when we are giving up a few “luxuries” and focusing on “necessities”, life is beautiful.

As we begin our 17th year as best friends / 16th year of marriage (this past August), life is beautiful.

As we celebrate each day the way God formed our family, life is beautiful.

As we strive to be the Christians we once were and desire to be again, life is beautiful.

As we follow our hearts and what we believe is God’s will, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!!

Until the next post, I hope that no matter what season of life you are in, you too will recognize the beauty that surrounds you!

Teaching a New Generation to Never Forget

Although I may be little

It’s important to understand

What happened on 9-11

What happened to our land

God Bless our fire and police men

God Bless our soldiers too

Thank you for your sacrifice for our

Beloved Red, White and Blue.

Written by our Bubby

September 11, 2011

(with mommy’s help)

First Day Pre-K & Dandelion Wishes

Bubby started Pre-K this week, and WOW was he excited on his first day!!

Although he is still attending the same school that he's been in since June 2010 (for daycare), the switch to Pre-K has taken some adjusting from all of us. Class starts and ends at 7:45 and 2:15, respectively. My work schedule/demands changed drastically over the summer (I'll blog about that some other time), and that means I am able to be with him both before and after school.

So, in the morning we are rushing out the door about 40 minutes earlier than when he was in Pre-School. I was worried about having to wake him up 40 minutes earlier as well, but thankfully he's gotten up on his own each morning at 6:30, making both of our lives much easier!

He's getting home much earlier in the afternoon which is great, but yikers is he Mr. Grumpy Pants for about the first 45 minutes or so that we're here. I know his little body and mind are both adjusting to all of the changes, but he's doing great despite being a tad...moody!

Poor boy was just miserable when we got home today and I was trying everything in my bag of tricks to help him feel better but nothing was working. So, I suggested we go outside and play Dino Ball - a game he & I made up awhile back where we each pretend to be different dinosaurs and kick the ball around or play keep away. He LOVED this idea and my happy little boy was back!!

While we were outside, he found his first dandelion and asked me why "the cottonball was growing on a flower stem." I told him that we should pick the dandelions and make wishes, which he was excited to do!!

(Let me back up for a second and say that Norm & I actually tried to introduce him to dandelions in Russia but on that attempt, he inhaled the whole dandelion and was none too impressed!! For some reason ever since he has had an aversion to them!?!?)

I digress...

So today we both picked our dandelions, and he watched me intently as I made a wish and blew the dandelion into the wind. When it was his turn, he squeezed his little eyes closed soooooo tight, had a death grip on the stem, and then blew so hard there was spittle flying everywhere! Very cute.

He asked me what my wish was, and I told him I wished we had a great game of dino ball. Then he said, "Well, mommy, MY wish was that I could be with you forever and always!"

Hmph...how lame was my wish?!?! :-)

I wish the same little man...I definitely wish the same!!

D.I.Y - The Best Room EVER! Part II

Oopsie..."Tomorrow" came and went pretty quickly!! Hehehe

Just after my last post where I revealed Bubby's new bedroom, Bailey Girl decided to give us a pretty good scare health-wise. So, my focus has been on her AND the ridiculous number of road trips we have taken lately.

Thankfully Bay refuses to let her health concerns get her fun-loving spirit down, and our family survived numerous 10hr trips to Virginia, North Carolina and Florida since July.

I finally have a few minutes to share the rest of our nearly-whole-house makeover!! Don't judge me for the mess in the background of some of these pictures...some rooms are still a work in progress...

Bubby's old bedroom became the new guest room - -
complete with a puppy dog border - -
Hey, at least the border and comforter/pillows are color coordinated!

My old office / guest bedroom became Bubby's new playroom

Our old dining room - - which got soooooooo much use (not) - -
is now a living or sitting room which I find VERY cozy

I'm not sure what this room used to be because we never used it
but it's now my home office and I love it!

All of the rooms in our house now have a function and I love the new arrangement! I still have some organization to get through but all in all, it's coming along nicely. For the first time in a long time, our house feels like home to me!