Monday, March 28, 2011

Cheerleaders

So... our Jayhawks weren't able to pull it off this time...but we sure had fun cheering them on!  Here's to next year!!!:)



Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Numbers



Sometimes I think I spend so much time working with J on letters and sounds that we often forget about numbers and counting.  When I saw this little number recognition game here... I knew it was the perfect idea for us!  A perfect little fishing game to teach number recognition and enhance one to one correspondence skills.  And since Mr. Sam has been spending much of his time fussing lately ....it is the perfect quiet little game that J and I can fit in between feeding time, rocking time, and cuddling time.  



Look at that serious counting! :)


I made 10 fish out of scrapbook paper, laminated them, and glued eyes on them.  I put a number from 1 to 10 on each fish.  J gets to pull out a fish, look at the number, and then give that fish the corresponding amount of bubbles using the floral beads I found at the dollar store!  He loves to make them swim into the ocean and make them say "glub, glub" after he has counted out the bubbles!  


And here's a little smile I caught from the other little man this afternoon!



Monday, March 21, 2011

Just what we needed

Today marked the last day of Sophia's spring break :(  We didn't go on any fancy vacations, we didn't have exciting activities planned for every day....we simply stayed home and enjoyed our break from the usual school routine.  I enjoyed my break from packing lunches and washing uniforms, and will greatly miss my little helper when she goes back to school tomorrow.  

There were a few fun activities we had hoped to do at the end of the week last week...but our plans changed when Miss S caught a nasty little stomach bug Thursday night.  Poor, poor girl!  I felt sooo terrible for her...She's such a trooper....  I hate for her to be sick anytime...but it's especially hard during breaks:(

We did find time for a few small crafts....  We pulled out our huge button stash and sorted the buttons by color to come up with a rainbow....just in time for Saint Patrick's Day!  We made some leprechaun cookies and had fun leaving them at our neighbor's doorsteps.  We played outside, went to the park, rode bikes, did puzzles, played Polly Pockets, and watched lots of movies....Stuart Little, being my favorite.




So tomorrow.... it will just be me and the boys again.  Hard to believe Spring is here again....with Easter and Miss S's birthday right around the corner.  Oh how time flies!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Officially Ours!!!

It's been a long road of ups and downs.  There were lots of emotions as well as some disappointments along the way...but the end of our adoption journey left us with one amazing gift.  Our hearts are full, our blessings, many.  


Today our adoption was finalized.  We are grateful to all those people who helped in some way or another to bring our sweet Samuel home. We knew he was ours the moment they laid him in our arms....but today just makes it official!

We were told that our court time this morning was 9am....and we had to arrive 15 minutes early.  Wouldn't you know we would wake to snow falling on a mid March morning.  Anyhow...we made it on time only to find out that our appointment was not until 10 am.  There were a few little "hiccups" that had us worried...but in the end the judge ruled in our favor for finalization.  Joseph made great friends with the attorneys and the judge and well, anyone he saw in the building.  He was thrilled when he got to put his matchbox car through the metal detector and even more thrilled when the security guard gave him a sticker like a Sheriff's badge.


Sophia was the mini mommy she is so good at being.  She was excellent in the court room and very attentive to little Sam...who by the way...did really well for being up so long.  He was pretty fidgety by the time we got inside the court room, but Brett's magic touch calmed him immediately!

Our judge apparently likes to take pictures with the family and we were sure glad!! What a great memory for us!!

Welcome to your forever home Samuel William!





Saturday, March 12, 2011

All grown up!

Joseph had his last night in his baby bed last night.  At a few months over 3 years.... we figured it was time!  He has grown into such a big boy these last few months...but still he seems like my baby....He is definitely all boy.  He is my crazy little one....my twenty question asker....my can't sit still little one...my " I will test all the limits" little guy.  So putting him in a big boy bed....seems a bit worrisome to me....I am not quite sure how I will keep him in the bed all night when he knows he has complete freedom to get out.  All I can do is threaten him with his life....ha, ha!!! I gave him the big...."You must stay under your covers" talk before tucking him in and even told him that he might just find a brand new match box car in the mason jar on his dresser in the morning if he does in fact stay in his bed.  It will be interesting to see how he does.  I have only been called up once...just to install an "extra" night light!

Here are some pictures of him before his last night in his baby bed....

Love how he still loves to sleep with my old bear, Theodore!



You'd never know that he had a huge melt down 3 minutes before these pictures were taken!  Oh...the ups and downs of the three-year old!




And here is my all grown up little boy in his BIG boy bed!!!!!  He looks so tiny in there!!!

Big sister Sophia read part of the bed time prayer to him.  She even offered up her light up lady bug since  J's light up turtle is out of batteries!!!  


Snug as a bug





He already looks like a pro with this big boy bed thing, huh?



Even Willie settled right in during our bed time story ritual!


Okay little J....sleep tight...sweet dreams!!!




Sunday, March 6, 2011

Baby steps


After this weekend, I am learning to appreciate baby steps.  I am learning to be satisfied when I can cross just ONE thing off of my to do list rather than complete the whole thing.  We had hopes of accomplishing so much this weekend....we didn't get it all finished...but at least we made some baby steps.

First accomplishment:

 I finally worked on getting some pictures for Sam's announcement.  Yes... he is already four weeks...but better late than never..right?  No, this is not the picture I chose.....just one of the MANY that I took.  Yes... I tortured Sophia, Joseph and Sam for way too long just to get one decent picture.  Hope I got it!!!


Second accomplishment:

One of the three is sleeping in their new room tonight....Brett worked hard taking apart beds and moving them today.  Sam is still sleeping next to me in our room....and Joseph has made a detour to what will be Sam's room....but hoping by the end of the week at least two of the three will be settled in.  Still waiting for J's bed and for paint.  J's bedding looks pretty funny against the pink walls of Sophia's old room.  Still need to move clothes out of closets and dressers....but like I said...baby steps. It was pretty chaotic trying to move 3 rooms with lots of tiny feet running around, jumping on mattresses...etc.  

Third accomplishment:  

I cleared off two of my memory cards and saved pictures to cds.  I made one photo book of Sam's pictures and still have one more to go of Joseph's birthday.  ( I guess I also have to mention that I still have a PILE of prints in Brett's office that just keeps getting larger....someday I may make the time to put them in an album....but at least they are in some sort of timely order for now!!!)

Fourth accomplishment:

We got Sam to fall asleep in his swing tonight so I can actually type this.  He is still our little night owl who prefers to stay up all night....so I am thrilled that he is sleeping for a bit so I can get a few things finished before our social worker comes tomorrow for our first post placement visit.  Let's just hope she doesn't ask to go upstairs!!!!

Today I put Sam in a new outfit....a SIX monther outfit!!! This little guy is getting so big!!!  Loved how handsome he looked in these baby blues....and love the little blanket given to him by a sweet, sweet family!!!!  He's had lots of J's hand-me-downs....so a blanket all his own.....is pretty special!!!





Speaking of.....he is still swinging...but waking up....just in time for his 10 o'clock bottle!  Now, hoping the alleve I just took for this painful sinus headache doesn't put me to sleep!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Just the boys....

It was a rainy day today....we spent the morning changing sheets, reading books and playing some games...  I'm a little outnumbered during the day..... with all these boys!!! At least today.....it was only two to one...(Willie spent the morning morning at the groomers!)








It won't be long till these two are playing cars and trains together.  I could have taken pictures of the two of them all morning....but J kept telling me...all these pictures were making him sooo tired!  Ha!!!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Sam Stats

Mr. Sam had his one month doctor visit today.   We must be doing something right because this little guy is growing, growing, growing!

Here are his amazing stats:
Height: 22 1/8 inches (he was 20 inches at birth) 75th percentile!!!!!! (finally some height in our family!)
Weight: 10 pounds (he was 8lbs 3 ounces at birth) 50th percentile
Head circumference"  15 1/4 inches 50th percentile

He was a happy little camper at the doctor...loving the sound of that crinkly white paper on the table...until of course his shot :(  But he just had to get one today!  Thank goodness!!!!

I still wasn't successful in finding much time for a good one month picture today...so I actually secretly whisked him away while B was cleaning up dinner (to our bathroom...of ALL places...but hey...it was quiet and free of Joseph running in and out of my camera's view:))

And here's the best that I got....I'll keep trying!!!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Pancakes, Penguins, and Pictures

It is National Pancake Day today.  I am not a huge fan of pancakes...nor am I a fan of the smell of pancakes cooking on a griddle...but let's just say I took one for the team today.  When I announced that it was National Pancakes Day.....the kids were immediately excited at the opportunity to have breakfast for dinner....so I could not disappoint.  Found a good "from scratch" recipe....and heated up the griddle.  Sophia LOVED them....J...not so much...but he devoured the berries I had with them.  As for myself...I am still smelling that awful....left over pancake on the griddle smell....



Today was also Sam's ONE MONTH birthday.  I do not like milestones like these......How can four weeks have possibly passed so quickly?  Maybe the little sleep has taken a toll on my sense of time....but truly... I can not believe it has already been four weeks since we held this little one in our arms for the first time.  I had great hopes of having a small photo session to document this one month anniversary...but once the penguin research (for Sophia's school project ) was finished, once the math flashcards were practiced, once the clothes were changed not once but twice...after a few messy Sam blowouts....my little man.... was not too thrilled to pose for my camera.

Here are a few pics I was able to get and even a few smiles from my serious Sam.  I even got some baby coos and baby smiles today...what a treat!!!!



I have other pics I want to post...but I have been knee deep in cleaning out closets, reorganizing, and trying to make some decisions.....I am HORRIBLE about making decisions....but.....I am happy to say that I have finally made decisions on room arrangements upstairs, paint colors for all but one room, bedding decisions, big boy bed and dresser decisions....and car decisions that will allow all three to finally fit in the car WITH their car seats.

I have had little time for cleaning...crafts, and baking.  And though the only quiet time I have had is watching Max and Ruby with J while feeding Sam....I must admit....I wouldn't trade it for anything more.