Pittsburgh Reunion - Thursday

We have been very fortunate this summer to be able to have some mini reunions with different families from the travel group that we traveled to China with while adopting Faith. We planned (very loosely to account for 3 year old whims) a long weekend in Pittsburgh, which was a midway point for several of the families. Unfortunately, we did not get to see Alison and her mom and dad as they were not able to make it. But we enjoyed seeing Sophia and her parents, Maria and Nelson, and spending another weekend with Kaylei, Becky and Darrin. We had a wonderful time and felt blessed by the time that we spent with all of them. We have lots of photos, so we will bring them to you in a day-by-day installment of slide shows.

Thursday was our travel day, and we set off as soon as Nathan completed his final at OSU for the Anthropology class he took this summer. (By the way, he got a B+ !! What a way to start off his college career!) We decided to stop for lunch, and pulled in the parking lot just minutes after Darrin, Becky and Kaylei. We could not have planned that better - what a random act and a blessing. So we enjoyed the start of our trip together at lunch at Cracker Barrel. Once we got back underway, we arrived at the hotel around 5 pm. When we got to the desk to check in, we found that Maria and Nelson had just checked into the hotel just a few minutes before. We certainly didn't expect to match times so closely, but we were happy for the circumstances! Once we got our hellos completed, we were off to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and some time for the kids to run around and get to know each other. Even Nathan enjoyed it!! The girls had a great time riding the few kiddy rides and playing video games, then they were off in search of "TICKETS"!! Of course, every kid has to have enough tickets to pick out prizes before they leave! Faith and Molly ended up with small combs and microphone headsets, and a piece of candy. They couldn't have been more happy.

We ended the night with a garden "fairy" party, with costumes for the girls including fairy wands and wings, a pretty skirt and flowered crowns. The girls looked so pretty all dressed up and enjoyed playing in the costumes the rest of the weekend. The adults (and kids) enjoyed scrumptious brownies that Marie prepared and cupcakes. Then we all settled in for some rest before the next day of fun.

Creation Museum

Our second reunion trip was made to the Creation Museum in Cincinnati. It was a very interesting museum - lots of dinosaurs (didn't really expect that!), a beautiful planetarium show, beautifully landscaped gardens and a petting zoo. While the museum was very interesting, I think that we would have gotten much more out of it if we would not have gone with the little ones. There was plenty to look at, and it was very crowded and only a few areas held their attention for very long. They were much happier to be outside at the petting zoo, the bouncer and walking along the gardens. But most importantly, we were there to visit a family that we had traveled with when adopting Faith: Brian, Angela, Ariel and Kayli ! We also enjoyed seeing Becky, Darrin and Kaylei again. It is so heartwarming to see the girls together. Kayli was very social and was more willing to have pictures taken than Faith usually does. Molly loved talking with Ariel (I think she is tired of not seeing many kids her age!). We had a great time!

Faith was pretty active that day, wanting to run, run, run. She just didn't like the slowness of the crowds in the museum. She enjoyed the Noah's ark room and we talked about the story of Noah, saw where the animals stayed on the ark and looked at how the world flooded. But she really enjoyed the petting zoo! Faith has been warming up to animals, and once she found out that she could feed them, well, that was all it took for her to walk up to every animal and pet them. She was too funny - she only wanted to give them a few pieces of the feed at a time. I was so worried they would bite her fingers off trying to find the food. We tried to have Molly feed a few, but she was so scared. Even with Mom's help she would not approach any of the animals to feed them. (At home she is even afraid of dogs, cats, etc). Molly was fascinated inside the museum by the animated statues. At one point, she was passing the display with Methuselah, when "he" began talking - asking questions of the onlookers such as, "Do you know how old I am?" and "Do you think I am older that 100?" Well, Molly thought he was real, and started answering back. After a few questions, he started his speech about his life, and Molly turned to me and said, very puzzled, "He's not real!" Sometimes, she is still so very naive, seeming so much younger than her age. But I guess it would be nice for all of us to remain that way a little longer!

Fun, Fantastic Fourth!!

Hello all! I am going to try to do some catch up posts then keep up with the posting more on a weekly basis. (Trying to take some advice from a friend! LOL)


We had a wonderful 4th of July this year, that included time spent with friends that we met while adopting Faith. We haven't seen Scott, Laurie and Allison since the kids were adopted, but we have kept in touch through blogging, Christmas cards and emails. We all spent the afternoon and evening at Darrin, Becky and Kaylei's house since they so graciously opened their home to us. We started the day off with the parade in Gahanna. This is Nathan's last year to march (it is bittersweet) but he is the drum line section leader, something that he has been hoping for since he heard of the drumline in middle school. They did an awesome job, as usually, even with the light rain. The girls were only interested in the candy once the band had passed by.


Molly's first 4th of July and Independence!

Waiting in the rain for Nathan

Nathan's last parade for GLHS

Wow! Look at our loot!!

After the parade, we hit the road to see Kaylei and Allison and their families. It was so nice to see the girls, even though Faith was shy at first about interacting. The girls are growing up so beautifully and had so much fun playing together on the swingset in Kaylei's back yard. After some great food, and multiple crafts, we attempted to have a parade of our own. Unfortunately, Faith was not at all cooperative, getting tired and a little cranky. Molly was as always cheerful and played with all the girls. She loved the attention from everyone! Unfortunately, it was very difficult to get pictures where everyone would cooperate in looking at the camera, but I hope you enjoy the shots. We were very blessed by such a wonderful day!

July 4 Pics (Cont)

Molly modeling her visor

Allison working on her "A"

Kaylei concentrating on her project

Here are the parents - trying to capture the day on film!!

Our parade kept adding and losing kids but lasted long enough for everyone to get a turn.

At least I'm excited we're having a parade!

Kaylei and Molly-what lovely smiles!

Toddler DDR

Notice that we used chips as bribes to keep dancing (tee hee)

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hi everyone! Thought I would at least post some pictures via slide shows to see some of what we have been up to. Mike was very busy taking pictures in May and June - hundreds, so I had to pare down to just a few. Enjoy the slide shows for each of the kids!

Nathan


Molly


Faith


Hope you enjoy a quick look at May and June. There is quite a story that goes with the photo of the fortune - but it is Mike's to tell. Will appear here soon!
Tina

Pay It Forward!

My friend Laurie (from our travel group 111 to get Faith) started this Pay It Forward on her blog. I loved the idea, so I've copied and pasted it below. Now, to think of an inspiring little something to send . . .

I absolutely love the idea of paying it forward. You know, someone does something nice for you- you turn around and do something nice for someone else. Can you imagine how beautiful our world would be if everyone subscribed to that concept?

Well, today I'm doing my little part, and I hope you'll join in the fun!

Here's how it works:
1. You make a comment on this entry of my blog
2. If you are one of the first 3 people to comment, I will send you a little something special in the mail
3. You then post a Pay it Forward game on YOUR website and do the same

Pretty simple, huh? Now, comment away!! :)

Wow! Nathan's 17!!!

Sometimes in life you come to a point that you could have never truly imagined. Looking back at those first pictures of Nathan, it is so hard to believe that he is now 17. We had hopes, dreams and aspirations of what he would become -- thoughts of how we would parent him and bring him up. But the truth is, we still are learning more from him and the girls than we ever could have imagined. It is amazing how your heart grows. And it is amazing how God gifts you with children that are wonderful in spite of your mistakes - because believe me, I have found that we are not perfect parents, however we might have thought we were going to be.

So today we celebrate Nathan's birthday - 17 wonderful years of watching him grow. And being amazed at how loving, smart, funny, generous and kind he is. We are waiting in anticipation to see the man he is going to become. He is starting to make those grown up decisions, but sometimes we still see the little boy he was. Enjoy the pictures of Nathan as he has grown. What a smile!

Just a few days old!

The Proud Parents (Wow! Look how young!)

With his good friend Elmo (13 mos)

Running away from home (2 years) - it's a great story - I'll have to relate it sometime

In his Fort built by Daddy and Uncle Jack for his 3rd birthday

Visiting Disney for the first time - Happy 4th birthday!

What attitude - just turned 5.

Thinking of aeronautical engineering even at age 5

Happy 6th birthday to our outer space boy!

Sir Nathan (age 7)

Having fun playing for Dad's "favorite" team - age 11

Merry Christmas 2003 - age 12

Happy 13th birthday!

Skylar, Nathan and Seth - the Three Muskateers (age 14)

Finally a big brother at age 15

Wow! Already 16!

How grown up!

Easter 2008

We enjoyed a beautiful Easter Sunday at home teaching Molly about the meaning of Easter and some of our traditions. I hope that everyone had a beautiful Easter Day!
Ready for church in our Easter finest!

Our wiggly girl doesn't like to hold still. So Nathan "helped".

Trying to get a smile from Faith.

WOW! I get money! (from the Easter Egg hunt)

Molly happily exploring her Easter eggs.

Blizzard 2008

The Blizzard of 2008!

That's what the news stations are calling all the snow we received - but we didn't actually meet blizzard conditions. We did set a new record snowfall for our area in a day - 20.4 inches. And poor Mike and Nathan shoveled every inch of it off of our driveway, and then some. We didn't do much traveling once we made it home on Friday, not even to church on Sunday. School was out again on Monday and then temperatures were warmer - so of course we had to play! Nathan, the girls and I had fun building snowmen while Mike was at work. But it was so warm that they were falling over by the time Mike got home. We had a great time though. Molly and Faith got to experience their first snow angels - which Molly loved and Faith endured. They had their first snowball fight with their brother - Molly absolutely hated it! But Faith kept it up all morning. You never knew when she would be throwing one at you! And they both loved the snowmen. Here are some pictures of our fun in the snow. Let's hope it is over and done for this year!

This was the second time the drive had been shoveled! 9 inches and falling!

You know it's deep when Nathan can get lost in the snow.

Molly's first Snow Angel

Say "Snowman"!

Molly and Faith's first snowmen. How silly are they!

I've been Tagged!

My friend Laurie has tagged my blog - my first time! She does such a great job blogging - I wish I could keep up with things the way that she does! See her blog here

Here are the rules:

List 7 random things people might not know about you. 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. Post the rules on your blog. Share 7 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.

Here are my random facts:

1) I love to read. I have (and I really mean HAVE) to spend some time each day with a book. I just don't relax without some reading. I used to read much more - hundreds of pages a day. That was back before having three children to run around after. Now I am lucky to get a few chapters in each day. I believe it is not only important to your children to read to them, but also that they see you reading for enjoyment. My biggest fear with the girls is that they won't develop this love of reading. Faith, because she can't sit still long enough to be read to, and Molly because her comprehension needs to catch up with her. We are working on developing this - and I feel very fortunate to have saved tons of Nathan's books from when he was little, plus we have such a great library system in Columbus. I can't wait to read some of my favorites to them.

2) I hate to clean. Now, I love to have the house picked up and organized, but hate to actually clean it. My sister and I shared a bedroom for much of our life. I was the pick up and put away person, while she was the "cleaner". Boy, do I wish that I could afford a "cleaner" now. If I ever have an excess of money (now remember those 3 children - don't think we'll be seeing this!) - I would love to hire a cleaning service. Well, a girl can dream . . .

3) My most favorite of all foods is . . . bologna. Yes, I truly love it, and we always have it in the house. In our family it is definitely a girl thing - Mike and Nathan hate it! We visit an outdoor craft show most years in the fall (the Backwoods Fest), and they cook all sorts of wonderful food outside. I just love getting their fried bologna sandwiches - a nice, big slab of bologna fried on a grill - heaven. I know, guilty pleasure.

4) I am most afraid of the dark. I have never been able to sleep in a totally dark room. I will lie there awake, hearing all sorts of things that go bump in the night, imagining people sneaking in the room - my heart beating loudly in my ears. We have night lights all over the house - one in almost every room. I know that it is an irrational fear - but one that I just can't get rid of. I need to be able to see what is in my room at any given moment of the night, without having to turn a light on. When Mike used to have to travel, I would lie there awake at home alone, with the lights off, or I would have to turn the light on to be able to go to sleep. And to tell you the truth - I still have to do it today when he is away. I hate being the one to turn the lights off before going upstairs - I feel like I have to run up the stairs so the dark won't "catch me". I'll tell you, God and I have had plenty of conversations about this - and the resolution is still in the works!

5) I collect mice. No, not the little live ones (thank goodness), but little mice figurines. They are called Wee Forest Folk, and you can see pictures of them here. I have not been collecting the more recent ones, but I have over a hundred of the little darlings and most have a special memory attached. My very first little one was given to me on my first wedding anniversary by my wonderful husband (we've been married for 20 years now!) It was, of course, the wedding couple.

6) My secret vice is my love for bakery cake. I remember being pregnant with Nathan and having Mike running out at odd times of the night for cake from the bakery. I can pass up almost any dessert, but not a slice of cake. My very favorite cake (at least right now) is the white almond cake from Giant Eagle. It is delicious - so moist and their icing is just to die for. So I'll pass on the chocolate - just bring me cake!

7) Well, I can't believe that I actually made it to seven! My last fact that many people don't know about (and unfortunately my husband does!) is my addiction to scrapbooking. I love to find neat embellishments and paper and have about 50 projects going in my head. Well, here is the unfortunate part. Although I have tons (yes, containers and files and organizers galore), I have only put together one small scrapbook. While waiting for Molly, we sent her a small 8x8 scrapbook with pictures of us, our home, our family, etc, so that she would be comfortable with us when we met her. It is one of her most cherished possessions. So, if I ever find the time, I have those 50 projects to get out of my head and onto scrapbook pages. (Then maybe it will be OK to purchase more fun stuff!!)

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of me! I decided that I didn't have enough to continue the tag - but sure loved participating.

Gotcha Day / Adoption Day Anniversary

Faith today (holding her referral picture):


Gotcha moment two years ago:

January 2008

The new year started with a beautiful, overwhelming gift from our friend Mindy. She asked long ago if she could give this piano (hers from childhood) to Faith. We have not been able to move it until Christmas break this year. Isn't it beautiful! We are so grateful, and the whole family has taken a turn on it. Faith is still a bit too young, but we plan to start piano lessons soon for Molly, once I try to teach her a few things and see if she catches on. Thanks again Mindy - we will cherish this!

The rest of the month passed quickly, as most do. Nathan had a band concert at school that went well. We were very pleased that both girls were able to sit through the entire concert (it helped that Faith fell asleep about half way through and woke up in time to hear Nathan play). We also enjoyed some quiet time at home after the holidays. Both girls were a bit overwhelmed and it was nice to get back into a normal routine.

Two loving sisters

Molly lost the rest of her loose teeth! 4 out since Christmas eve! The toothfairy certainly knows the way to our house. Molly is so sweet. We read a book about the toothfairy named Twinkle, that picks up the teeth for her job. Molly remarked to me, as her bottom teeth started coming in, that Twinkle had come back to visit her and given back her teeth. And they were growing! She was so excited. She loves all the stories and traditions - and asks plenty of questions. She then tells her dolls and Faith, and anyone else who will listen. I think that everyone at school knows about her teeth! My mom used to call me "Jabber Jaws" because I talked too much. I think that Molly is soon to be called "Jabber Jaws 2". She is always talking. But I love that she is so excited about life and I think she wants everyone to know it!

Molly was dedicated at church this month. She was so sweet about it - and so excited. Our pastor had called people up to pray for us. When we got back to our chairs, she turned to me, and in an awestruck voice, asked me if everyone was praying to Jesus for her. When I told her yes, she just beamed. It moved me to tears. It was such a precious moment for her - I knew she could tell she was loved.