PETERSON

A really great weekend.

2012-01-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty great weekend. Jonathan took a day off from work (which is a huge deal because he does not have much vacation time) and he and Amy and Perry came up to spend a few days with us. We loved every moment. This is the most time I've been able to spend with them in a very long time. Perry is quite possibly one of the most beautiful babies ever created and Connor and Lily adored him. We went to some of our favorite spots (the CoOp, Goody's, and Rediscovered Books), walked around downtown, watched movies, cooked and ate amazing food, shared a fabulous meal at Modern Hotel's restaurant, and stayed up way too late talking. Both Jonathan and Amy willingly read book after book to Connor and played with Lily. It was kind of perfect. And we miss them already.

Spoiled.

2012-01-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

I love that Bryant's job allows him to spend massive quantities of time with us. Connor was so excited to paint with his dad after he woke up from his nap. I loved listening to their conversation as they painted duck tracks and snowmen. Connor and Lily truly lucked out in the dad department.

Snow!

2012-01-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

We finally had our first real snowstorm of the winter. It started snowing this morning and we were thrilled to see huge fluffy flakes as the snow piled up on our lawn. Bryant worked two 24 hour shifts earlier in the week so he has been off since Tuesday and doesn't go back until next Monday, which meant that we didn't have the leave our cozy house. Except to go play in the snow. Connor was definitely more excited to play in the snow than Lily, but that was primarily due to his age and ability to walk easily through the snow without face planting. Bryant sawed up the remains of our Christmas tree and piled them on the sled to take them out to the trash, but he realized they would fall off and decided to use Connor to weigh them down. Connor loved the sleigh ride to and from the trash can and even tried to return the favor by attempting to pull his dad on the sled. They stopped to make snow angels in the front yard and then returned to the back to build our first ever snowman. I had been holding Lily at this point for the last 10 minutes because she didn't want to be in the snow so we decided to go in and watch from the windows.

I cry at the silliest moments. And today was another one of them. For some reason I began to get teary as I watched Bryant build the snowman with Connor. I think it was because it seemed to mark his departure from toddlerhood into childhood. It was his first snowman. He excitedly chatted the entire time in between mouthfuls of snow (which, by the way, are SO UMMY!) and loved collecting the materials to accessorize said snowman. They used a stray branch from our Christmas tree and a spatula for arms, chestnuts for eyes, a carrot for the nose, and rocks for the buttons and smile. Connor loved his snowman.

This afternoon the snow turned to rain and very little of our snowman remains. Our fabulous neighbor kids came over around 5pm to see if Connor could come out and play with them so we dressed him back up in his snow clothes, and Lily's pink and purple mittens because we managed to lose his, and sent him outside where he happily played until dinner. We have the best neighbors. And it was fun to have some snow.

Indoor play.

2012-01-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

She took a moment to accessorize while playing. It is important to dress up for construction.

It is getting cold here. We have come up with a few really good options for indoor playtime. After Thanksgiving I took the hominy that I had used as a decoration (weird, I know) and poured it into this tote that slides conveniently under our guest bed. It has become the perfect construction site. And when they tire of bulldozers, dump trucks and excavators they pull out the blender, mixing bowls and spoons and spend their time stirring and cooking. It isn't difficult to pick up which makes it a nice option.

And then there are the fuzzy balls. The fuzzies are small felt balls that I picked up at a local fabric store. Bryant invented the game that is now near and dear to their hearts. They all go into Connor's room and shut the door (very important so that the fuzzies don't get lost) and then the balls are thrown up in the air and scatter across the room. The next part is very important. Bryant or Connor yell 'where can they be?!?' and Connor and Lily excitedly start running around trying to find all of the balls.

We went to a craft store yesterday to pick up some art supplies and came home with some multicolored pompoms among other various treasures. Connor has a small set of tongs we picked up at Ikea and he spends a fair amount of time putting the little balls as far back into the crevices under his slide as he can, and then pulling them out again with the tongs. It has turned out to be a great fine motor skill activity, invented by Connor himself.

And Lily loves to sit in boxes. She will empty out the toys and climb in the box and sit quite happily. This is only allowed in our bedroom as she inevitably begins to rock back and forth and eventually topples out.

Connor-isms

2012-01-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

I go to bed, I wake up, ah! My pants neat and clean!

It no matter, no matter.

And it came to pass, Alma and Amulek, obey, amen.

Ha HA! (translation: ah ha!)

I don't do that anymore momma, I obey. I obey.

Momma, you go with me on mission?

I'm a soccer player.

I can wear ball pants, I kept my pants neat and clean!

Nope! (emphasis on the end of the word)

Oh! That is SO UMMY! (ummy = yummy)

He is a very enthusiastic, non stop talker.

Lily's 15 month post

2012-01-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

It is really challenging to find words that are capable of truly conveying Lily's personality. Lily is an experience, you have to be in her presence to truly understand what a joy this little girl is in our lives. So much of her personality is conveyed by her facial expressions, and they are really hard to describe. Her most recent addition to her collection of facial expressions includes her hunching her back, pursing her lips while smiling, and breathing in and out of her mouth. She thinks it is hilarious. And it is. She loves to be silly.

She has been an early talker. Her vocabulary consists of momma, daddy, coco (Connor), apple, up, hello, bye, please, and her own little language she uses to pray. She loves to run up and wrap her arms around Connor and lay her head against his back. When Connor is sad she'll run to him and gently rub her hand on his face or in his hair. She'll get a book, climb on my lap, sit still for three seconds and then climb down again. Her newest dance move is stomping one foot on the ground. She loves music, and loves to play the piano.

When we go to get her out of her crib she gets this twinkle in her eye and throws herself back down on the mattress to play a little game of hard to get. She loves kale in all forms, plain yogurt, fruit, cheese, scrambled eggs, peas, pasta, beans and chocolate to name a few. She wants to feed herself. She can drink out of a glass without spilling.

Lily loves to be funny. She can turn almost anything into a game and Connor is the perfect sibling for her because they just play off of each other. She puts her shoes on her hands and pretends they are puppets. She loves to be outside, and wants to run unencumbered. She loves trucks and trains and airplanes and has great sound effects. Her blanket is her most prized possession and she scrunches it into a ball and then lays on top of it. It is devastating to her when we have to put it in the washer.

She pretends to wash her hands and her hair and apply sunscreen. She loves wearing 'pretties' and struts around with her lips pursed and her belly sticking out. She frequently plays the drums on her belly or pulls up her shirt just to make sure her belly button is still there. When she runs she twists her shoulders back and forth.

I love seeing the relationship between Lily and Connor. At church yesterday Connor asked to hold her (and she is not that much smaller than him) so we put her on his lap, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and she laid her head down and snuggled in and they just sat there grinning. They, like all siblings, have the not so angelic moments, but these particularly tender moments warm my heart.

We love our Lily.

A good read.

2012-01-14T19:52:00.001-08:00

It can be found here:

http://www.thehappiestsad.com/2012/01/big-question.html

PS I don't know her, I just blog stalk her.

Words.

2012-01-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

This was our first non food focused vacation. And that part was a bit of a bummer for me and Bryant. But our kids have passed the stage of being content with being strapped in a stroller and pushed all over a city in search of the greatest bite. Our new rule of thumb is the closer the hotel is to touristy things the farther away it is from truly great food.
That being said, since the point of this trip was Sea World and our hotel's location turned out to be fantastic. We had a great room, a wonderful patio that overlooked the bay, a huge bathroom, and very friendly hotel staff. We were able to walk to Sea World in less than 20 minutes and they provided a free shuttle as well. They had bike (and bike trailer) rentals. Both Connor and Lily were being crazy when we check into the hotel and the nice people immediately brought them both Shamu stuffed animals which they loved.
Trader Joe's was a life saver. We took the bus to stock up on some groceries and were able to get out of spending good money on not so great food by eating in our room.
Sea World has changed a lot during the past 16 years. It seems like there are more rides than animals. And they must have received some nasty press about animal rights because they are making a really big deal about their conservation efforts. I am a fellow 'save the earth-er' but even I tired of their constant reminders about how great they are and the importance of conservation. I just wanted to see the dolphins.
I recently revamped my 101 goals and took 'swim with the dolphins' off of the list. It is now back on the list. I realized it really was important to me when I started to tear up when the trainer swam with the dolphins. Pretty sure I was the only one crying. It was a bit ridiculous.
Favorites:

Bryant loved the killer whales. Said it was a childhood dream come true to get to see them up close. He has requested a beluga whale interaction program for his 39th birthday, which is in 6 years and change.
Connor loved the sea lions and the 8 week old recently rescued otter. He was ready to get in the water with them. With all of the other creatures he repeatedly asked me if they were going to bite him. Least favorite - the sharks.
Lily loved the dolphins and the penguins. They spoke to her soul. She became so chatty and loud during the penguin presentation that we actually had to leave early because no one could hear the speaker. She loved them, and barked to each creature she met, assuming they all spoke dog.
I loved the dolphins and the pilot whales. And everything else.

We went to Mission beach twice. Connor and Lily were crazy about the sand. During our second visit I completely underestimated the tide and the three of us got soaked while Bryant was putting on sunscreen back by the strollers. We had to strip Connor down to his undies in an attempt to let his pants dry. He was ready to take it all off and just keep playing in the sand.
I love the way the air feels in San Diego. There was the perfect amount of humidity for my curls, which meant I could go to bed each night with wet hair and wake up curly, not frizzy.
We weren't too fond of the crazy man who cast a spell on us at a bus stop (not even kidding) and then managed to pop up at three other bus stops during the day despite our best efforts to avoid him.
Old Town was a joke. I was spoiled by amazing Mexican food growing up and we were all let down by what appeared to be a giant tourist trap.
We were able to go to Sea World three days in a row. Connor and Lily were both insanely excited to meet Elmo at the Sesame Street play area. I could barely keep Connor in line as he waited for his turn, but once Elmo approached him he freaked out. And Lily started to scream and hit her once beloved Elmo and smacked the giant Zoe in the face. They love them from a distance. Thank heavens we didn't go to Disney Land.
Connor is in thy why phase and asked me why about 8 million times every single day. Eventually I wised up and started turning the question back on him. That helped tremendously.
I loved hearing Connor tell the penguins to obey and keep their pants neat and clean.
Connor frequently pretended that he was a whale and would randomly lay down on the pavement.
Lily constantly pretended to wash her hair or apply sunscreen.
The plane rides were interesting. Our kids immediately fell asleep once we put them in their car seats when we returned to Boise. I must have been crazy to think I could fly by myself with them to DC. This should be interesting.

All in all we had a really good trip. The weather was perfect. Our kids had perfect moments. There were also less than perfect moments, but that was to be expected. This was Bryant's first time to San Diego and he loved it. We were smart in that we changed this from a San Diego trip to a Sea World trip, meaning that we didn't try to cram an entire city into 4 days and public transportation. It worked really well. We were thrilled that our luggage didn't mysteriously disappear. I loved seeing the excitement on Connor and Lily's faces each time they experienced something new that brought them joy. Our vacation tradition is to purchase a children's book each time we visit a new city and it made me laugh when the salesperson at Sea World thanked me for buying books instead of stuffed animals. We made some good memories. And we are happy to be home.

San Diego - Day 3

2012-01-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

The cake incident.

2012-01-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

So it isn't any big secret that birthday cakes are crazy important to me. I thought about making Connor's cake before we left Boise and taking it with us on the plane, but realized that was insane because I would have to make the frosting and bring a cooler and that seemed to be a bit much. I was certain we would be able to find a rocking bakery close by, but we didn't have much luck so we picked up this cake at Trader Joes. And I felt a little sheepish. But, much to our surprise, it was divine. We gobbled it up. Connor had to pretend he was blowing out candles, which struck him as amusing. We went back to Trader Joes today and they were all of the cakes. So for us it was truly a one of a kind cake. Made just for him. And lovingly defrosted by me. Go me.

Sea World

2012-01-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

Three Years Old

2012-01-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

It was an emergency vehicles kind of a birthday. We managed to bring a bit of our usual birthday traditions with us. Connor woke up bright and early at 5am saying 'It's my birthday!' and going back to sleep was no longer a possibility so the present opening began about 30 minutes later. And he has happily played by himself ever since.

San Diego - Day 1

2012-01-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

We decided to celebrate Connor's 3rd birthday in San Diego. We had an idea that Sea World just might end up being his favorite place on earth. We had an uneventful flight and our luggage made it this time which made things even better. We are staying at The Dana on Mission Bay and after getting settled we rented bikes and a trailer and took a ride along the bay. Connor and Lily were so exhausted that they fell asleep within 15 minutes of our departure. We woke them up when we got to the beach and they fell in love with the sand. They weren't too keen on the not so warm ocean water, but seriously loved the sand. So much so that they both started to cry when we had to leave. We had dinner from a nearby restaurant and ate in our room because we knew our two tired babes wouldn't be the best of restaurant diners tonight.

Tomorrow Connor will be 3 years old. It is crazy. Time is flying. Before bed I told Connor what we were doing on this very day 3 years ago - waiting in the hospital for Megan to give birth to him. It is sweet and tender to see how much more he understands about the story of his birth from year to year. We are so in love with him.

We love Grams.

2012-01-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

My mom came up to spend a few days with us this week. Bryant and I took our first overnighter away from the kids (just one night - I have a hard time leaving my kids before they are able to understand what is going on and Lily hasn't reached that age just yet) and she came up to play with Connor and Lily while we were gone, and to play with me on the other days. Bryant and I had a perfect time together (Boise people - the Modern Hotel has the best food in Boise, wish we had discovered it sooner) and Connor and Lily had a great day with their Grams. We love her, miss her, and so appreciate her coming up to be with us.

Finding vs. Waiting

2012-01-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

The finding vs. waiting topic is a popular one in the world of adoption. The adoption process is so involved with the mounds of paperwork and interviews and criminal background checks that it is a bit of a shock when all of the paperwork has been approved and there is nothing left to do but sit back and wait to be found. In recent years many people have taken a more proactive approach to this period of waiting and try to find rather than wait to be found. There are adoption pass along cards, like a business card but with a photo of your family, a catchy phrase and often a link to a blog. There is a seemingly endless list of websites where you can add a link to your adoption profile. Some people send out announcements to family and friends that they are trying to adopt in hopes that people will let them know if they hear of any opportunities.

During the past few months several people have asked me about our trick for getting picked by birth mothers so quickly. I am simultaneously amused and offended by this question. We don't have an arsenal of tricks up our sleeves, We don't have any tricks at all. This is how it has worked for us so far:

1. I get a feeling that we need to start the adoption process.
2.  I tell Bryant.
3. We start the paperwork.
4. We get approved.
5. We wait for an undetermined period of time.
6. Our amazing birth mother finds us.
7. We have a baby.

That's it. No tricks.  A bunch of people have remarked that we get picked because we are young and cute, and although the compliment is nice we know they are dead wrong. We get picked because an amazing woman gets a feeling, a feeling that we are the family meant for the baby she is carrying. We don't start the process because it seems like a good time, we start it because we know we are supposed too. And we haven't had to wait very long. Not because we are special or amazing, but because the babies that are meant to be in our family are being sent to earth at that time. Their birth mothers follow their promptings, we follow ours, and miracle of all miracles we find each other.

That doesn't mean that we assume we will be found lickity split every time.  Or that just because I get the feeling that we need to start the process means that there is a baby in utero somewhere waiting to come to us. We just know that as long as we follow the promptings we receive that we can sit back and relax because we've done our part.  And if we start to feel that we need to do something more, we will.

Fortunately for us there are so many people in our lives who do the very same thing. They get a feeling, have an idea, hear about an adoption opportunity and they immediately call us to let us know. We appreciate it so much, because getting our children to our family is dependent on people, a whole bunch of people, acting on feelings.

I believe in miracles. And yes, we are still waiting.

Resolutions. The important ones.

2012-01-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

We discussed our individual goals for 2012 tonight for our FHE. Connor went first. His goal is to play soccer with Lily. We asked him what he needed to do to accomplish this goal and this is his plan:

Get a soccer ball
Put on ball pants and a jersey
Teach Lily how to kick the ball
Play soccer

The Long Long Lily

2012-01-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

This sweet girl hit the 15 month mark the day after Christmas. We will go visit our wonderful pediatrician tomorrow to get all of her measurements. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this girl is thriving. Good grief, we love her.

Sometimes people ask me dumb questions. One of my favorites is when people ask what I'm going to do with such tall kids. Currently I just tell people I will wear heals more frequently. And have them reach the things that I need that are on the top shelves of stores. Having tall kids is going to be awesome.

Every Wednesday and Sunday I teach/have fun with the 12 and 13 year old girls who at my church. One of the women I serve with is 6'2". Our babies are the same size. We think it's pretty great. Her 2nd oldest daughter is in our class and complained to me that she recently did a 'what's your future height' test and ended up being predicted to be the shortest in her family at 5'10". I love tall people.

Silent Night

2011-12-27T12:17:00.001-08:00

I love that when Connor forgets the words he just sings the word 'night' over and over. This video is one of my favorite things from this Christmas. He's sitting on a little rocking chair which explains the movement.

Christmas Day Highlights

2011-12-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

Watching Connor and Lily empty their stockings.
Realizing no gift was tempting enough to convince Lily to put down her 'elmo snacks' and open presents.
Remembering, once again, how blessed we are to be loved by so many people.
Watching Lily feel 'so pretty' in her handmade (by a friend, not by me) Christmas dress.
Listening to Connor sing at the top of his lungs during church, hymn book open, looking straight ahead at the chorister.
Singing Silent Night with Connor.
Watching Connor and Lily watch the video of themselves from Christmas morning. We put the camera on the piano bench and just let it record. It was even more fun to watch them watch themselves opening their gifts.
Seeing Lily prance around with her new purse, acting so grown up.
Eating a chocolate orange for the first time in many years.
Unwrapping one amazing book after another.
Drinking the perfect cup of hot chocolate.
Peeling chestnuts, zesting clementines, candying cranberries.
Being together.
Phone calls to family.
Kneeling together to give thanks for the birth of our Savior.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

The Wise Men joined our nativity this morning. Connor and Lily have loved finding the next part of the story under the tree each morning, and it has been great reading the scriptural account bit by bit.

Lily serenaded us after our scripture reading.

Now that Lily only has the binky when she sleeps she has resorted to finding new things to suck on. Like the mouthpiece of her sippy cup. She's one creative cookie.

Connor asked for chalk this afternoon and he and Lily happily colored on our easel. It was great until Lily started to eat the chalk.

We made pupusas for our dinner tonight. It was a blast. And delicious.

Even Lily helped. This is her crazy eye look.

This evening was a bit traumatic. Connor had diarrhea all day long, but had been in a great mood nonetheless. We are really thankful this happened after he was good and potty trained. He's done a great job. As we finished eating our dinner, however, he started to vomit. It was really gross. He has some sort of crazy stomach bug that we are hoping disappears during the night. We quickly cleaned everything up and let Connor play in the tub for a bit. After he felt better we dried him off and dressed both kids in their Christmas pajamas. Lily was so proud of her new duds that she strutted across the room, tripped and fell into the corner of the door frame. It hurt.

But she is just fine now. A note on her pajamas - love the pants, not so much the top. But. I had to get it because it has a red bird (just like her stocking) and the words 'Momma's favorite gift' which seemed fitting since she was born on my birthday. I even tried to find another top to match the pants but didn't have any luck. So that's the story.

And was ready to go to bed.

We're going to have a great day tomorrow.

White Christmas

2011-12-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Bryant doesn't like to rewatch movies. But every December he willingly rewatches While You Were Sleeping and White Christmas. Early in the day he suggested we watch White Christmas with Connor. We asked Connor what he wanted for a treat for our movie night and he chose bananas and oatmeal. Seriously. I asked if we could have oatmeal cookies and eggnog instead and he was okay with that option. So this evening I made a batch of our oatmeal cookies with toffee bits and cinnamon chips and we had goblets of our one and only favorite brand of eggnog. And then we snuggled up with this cute boy and watched one of our favorite shows. It was a great night.

Lily Lu the Lion

2011-12-23T20:01:00.001-08:00

Practically every single day Lily wakes Connor up from his nap. Today she chose to do it dressed as a lion. The photos tell the story quite well.

These are her crazy tickle hands. Her sound effects are hilarious.

Mission accomplished.

Remember.

2011-12-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

Fa La La La La

2011-12-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

One of these years I am going to wise up and hide our video camera in a corner to capture the magic that is our annual Christmas sing along party. It is one of my most favorite things. I come from a very musical family and one of my favorite traditions is singing together at Christmas time - my mom at the piano, brothers and sometimes dad on guitar, Heidi harmonizing like nobody's business. It is something I really miss. So three years ago I started having a Christmas sing along at our home. We started out with four other couples and their kids and I did a huge dinner and then we sang. The next year I nixed the dinner, invited more people, and did a potluck dessert thing. It was a crazy night with soccer games going on in the hall, balls flying overhead, husbands sitting in the corner not wanting to sing, and kids everywhere. So this year I made some rules. I invited the same people, but asked them to only bring those people in their family that wanted to sing. Because this was a singing party. My party. My rules.

Tonight's singalong was a smashing success. The people who came were there because they wanted to sing. Which is what it is all about. The kids that came played in Connor's bedroom and came out to join us when we sang their favorite Christmas songs. The music was beautiful. Patrick has been our pianist from the beginning and he is amazing. He also has a fantastic voice and a personality to match. His sweet wife sings like an angel. Tara (who is training to be an opera singer if that is any indication of her skill) had a family commitment that night but still came for 30 minutes. Her voice is exquisite. Chelsea (who gave birth 2 weeks ago) and her husband Jordan came for the hour and a half between feeding times and contributed their insanely beautiful voices. My best Boise friend came on crutches, with her guitar and four kids in tow. Tyler and Ginny (Bryant's brother and his wife) came with their three kids and sounded amazing and gave Bryant the opportunity to sing with his older brother, which he loves. And then Jen came with her violin and made the entire evening complete. Grandpa Shaffer - you would love Jen. She is an incredibly talented violinist who can play anything. So we had the piano, guitar and violin accompanying some fantastic voices. We sang until our throats were raw. We ate the official Shaffer family dessert - cranberry cake drenched (DRENCHED - that is a must) in hot butter sauce. I almost started crying several times because the music was so beautiful.

And. Best of all. The piano music was played on the piano that my Nana and Papa bought for me. When they told me that they wanted to buy it for me Nana specifically said that it was so that whenever the piano was played I would think of her. And I did. And I know she would have loved the music that filled our home.

And have you heard my husband sing? Bryant has a beautiful tenor voice. So beautiful that whenever we go to church the people in front of us always turn around and comment about his talent. I know a bunch of musical geniuses and I am so thankful that they were willing to come fill my home with the sounds of Christmas. It was perfect.

Gingerbread and Nativities

2011-12-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

My mom is a magazine person. Consequently I am a magazine person. When she was here taking care of me after my surgery she bought a stockpile to keep me entertained and one of the magazines (a British publication) had an aricle about a shop in Grasmere that has been making the same gingerbread with the same recipe for more than 150 years. So, logically, I ordered some for this holiday season. And it blew my mind. Best thing ever. I can't believe we have so badly butchered gingerbread in the USA. Check out their story here.

I am a really picky nativity person. Which is why I haven't ever owned one. My parents have a simple snowglobe nativity - a wooden base with clear figurines that has a light and it is simple and beautiful. It was the only one I liked for many years, but I couldn't ever find one to buy. Several years ago I saw my friend's nativity that her grandmother had carved out of wood and painted and it was the second nativity that I loved. And the second one that was unattainable.

I really wanted to get one this year to give Connor and Lily something to hold and look at as we read the accounts in Matthew and Luke. Luckily for me my brother married an amazingly talented woman who comes from an amazingly talented family. Her cousin Kathy is crazy talented, and started making felted nativity sets last year. I emailed her two weeks ago and asked if she could make one for me for Christmas. It arrived last week and as I unwrapped each piece I was stunned at her talent and craftsmanship. They are incredible.

I didn't show them to the kids. This is what we are doing: each night before I go to bed I put one of the figures in a box under our Christmas tree with the Bible next to it. When Connor and Lily wake up they get to open the box and hold the figurine as we read the Bible verses that correspond. This morning we started with Mary and read Luke 1:26-38. Connor immediately recognized her as Mary. Tonight before bed we went back in and sat beneath the tree and read the same verses again and than sang Silent Night before having our family prayer. Tomorrow Joseph will join Mary under the tree and then the donkey, baby Jesus and a manger, a shepherd and sheep, and finally the Wise Men on Christmas Eve. If you haven't yet seen the photos of the complete nativity on Facebook you'll just have to wait until Christmas Eve. Prepare to be amazed. It is true beauty.

Connor's favorite Christmas song is Silent Night. He calls it Baby Night. He sings it all day long, every day, and asks me to sing it to him about 600 million times each day. I'm loving it. I love hearing his sweet voice sing 'silent night, baby night' and seeing his eyes light up when he hears the song on the radio or in church.

Tonight we made gingerbread houses. I baked them last night and glued them together with caramel which worked amazingly well. We used melted white chocolate as our glue and a plethora of candy. Connor was kind of in heaven. Our home is usually a candy free zone and the candy we do eat is pretty much all chocolate. With each piece Connor would exclaim 'Oh! That candy is so UMMY!' and that is not a typo. He says yummy without the Y. It is kind of awesome.

Lily loved unwrapping the candies and eating the mints. She would help for a bit and then get down and play. She currently loves getting in and out of chairs on her own and spent most of the time playing with Connor's puzzle at the small blue table next to our dinning table.

Next year I am making Connor his own house to decorate. Turns out I'm a little possessive when decorating.

Our table was a complete mess. As was our floor. But it was worth it.

Waiting.

2011-12-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

We have been officially approved to adopt and our profile has been published online. I love this moment when I know that I have done everything I can to find our next child. But it is only this moment that I love. Because next comes the waiting part. And waiting has never been my strong point. And we haven't even had to wait very long for our first two amazing birth mothers to contact us. But waiting is still a good thing, because with each day that passes we get closer to meeting our next child. And that is exciting.

John 6:35

2011-12-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

We are always trying to think of Christ-centered activities we can do with our children during the Christmas season and this experience proved to be a keeper. It just might be my new favorite Christmas tradition.

Last night we chose three people who have been examples to us of true discipleship. Connor chose one person and Bryant and I chose the other two. I'm sure Lily will be able to chime in next year.

This morning I woke up and immediately started a batch of Nana's bread. This was also special because Nana always gave away her bread to others and she loved the Christmas season. We miss her. I wrapped each loaf in parchment and tied it up with yarn and slipped in a note thanking the person specifically for their examples during this past year. We also included the scripture found in John 6:35.

After Bryant came home from work (and after our homestudy - adoption paperwork process complete!) we packed up the bread and the kids and drove around to make our deliveries. Connor was shy at the first stop (which was the home of the person he had chosen) but warmed up to the idea and was our official bread giver at the next two homes. Lily was not amused that this outing consisted of just getting in and out of the car, but loved the out of the car moments.

We came home and ate the one loaf of bread that was left while we talked about Jesus Christ and why we serve others. It was awesome.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

This crazy kid is crazy loved.

2011-12-11T14:53:00.001-08:00

The battery on our camera died yesterday so we weren't able to get any photos of the fun times that were had at our house last night. Every single December we get together with Megan and her family. I initially suggested December because it is right after Megan's birthday and right before Christmas and Connor's birthday. A time of great celebration indeed. This year we changed things up a bit by getting together at our house which turned out great because then the kids could run around and play and be themselves because they were in their own environment. And they pulled out all of the stops. Connor didn't take a nap that day so he was particularly crazy and hammed it up big time. He loved all of the attention. We asked Megan to come over earlier so we could have some alone time with her (which was lovely) and then the rest of the family came and joined in our fun (which was also lovely). We shared a meal, lots of laughs, and caught up on our comings and goings during this past year. They, as usual, spoiled not only Connor but also Lily with sweet and thoughtful gifts that the kids loved. We know they have a special love for Connor, but I am always amazed each time we are together at how much love we all feel from them. They are wonderful people.

We have a special love for Megan because without her we wouldn't have our sweet Connor. One of my favorite moments from last night was sitting on the couch by Megan with Connor snuggled in between us looking at photos of Connor from this past year. I feel inadequate when I try to express how thankful I am for our birth mothers and their families and the love that we share. But I am really thankful. And we feel really loved.

Dressing up.

2011-12-09T21:08:00.001-08:00

Lily's femininity has been coming out as of late in her desire to be fashionable. She has a style all her own. She is particularly fond of trying to wear pants on her head, wearing Bryant's shirts, Connor's pajamas, or when she is really lucky one of Connor's soccer jerseys. And of course canning jar rings make the perfect accessory.

When she dresses up she walks around with her lips pursed, sticking her belly out, and hands raised above her head. She knows she's hot stuff.

She made this crazy face when I pulled out the camera:

She's rocking the flowered pajamas, brother's construction shirt, old navy striped hat, canning jar bangles look. All outfits featured in this post were of her own choosing.

Decking the Halls

2011-12-04T20:26:00.001-08:00

We love our tree. It is rather sparsely decorated because most of the ornaments I've purchased over the years are heavy so we use them to decorate our bookcases instead. We have a tradition of purchasing a frame ornament every year (one without writing or the year inscribed) and hanging a photo of our family on our tree. We've been doing this since 2004 when we were married and it is one of my favorite traditions. For our family home evenings in December we've decided to make homemade ornaments - a felted ball garland and salt dough ornaments with glitter. It should be messy and fun.

My mom and I have matching white owls on our trees in remembrance of one of the times that we went to see the lights on Temple Square. A group of children we gathered at the base of a lighted tree looking up and talking excitedly. When we approached the tree we saw a real white baby owl Cutest thing ever. Connor and Lily love our owl.

Mass quantities of candy canes stuck in old canning jars line our window sills. I love hearing Connor ask is they are 'ummy to eat' instead of yummy.

The nativity drawing is a gift from my Grandma. It is one of the best gifts I have received. She always had it hanging in her living room at Christmas time (I think it is up year round now) and I have loved it for as long as I can remember. Once when I was in town and visiting I asked her where she found it and not long after that conversation I received my own copy in the mail. I love that whenever I look at it I think of her.

Our bookshelves are decorated with some of our favorite Christmas books, more ornaments, lights and crystal garland.

We just need to hang our decorations from the entryway and we'll be set. Bryant is not a 'hang the lights on the house' kind of a guy so I think our home will remain decorated on the inside only unless we pay someone to do it for us. I love the way our tree glows from the windows. Our decorations are simple, take about an hour to put up, but we love them.

Tonight we watched, and loved this. And this was one of my favorite parts. Connor loved hearing the choir sing Silent Night, which he affectionately calls the 'baby night' song. We ate the most delicious cookie tonight that is my new favorite Christmas treat - right up there with our amazing gingersnaps and cranberry cake with hot butter sauce.

Our Christmas tree.

2011-12-04T14:17:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the week the kids and I went to the Forest Service department to purchase our permit to cut down a Christmas tree. The forest service person was really nice and gave some suggestions on where to go which made a huge difference from our last Christmas tree cutting experience.

We woke up early thanks to our two bright eyed alarm clock children and had a quick breakfast of scones with cranberries, walnuts and crystallized ginger with a vanilla lemon glaze. Special food for a special day. I made lunch scones to take with us (with sweet Italian sausage sauteed with onion and apple and covered with gruyere cheese) and had made a coffee-free version of tiramisu the night before. We loaded up the car and drove for a little over an hour to the forest.

Boise is currently snow free so we were happy to see that the mountains had received a light dusting. It was very cold and the snow was old which made it hard and icy. Both Connor and Lily plopped right down and started to play with and eat the snow.

This is the tree Connor wanted. The tallest one. A bit over the 12' height limit.

After a bit of a hike we finally found our perfect tree (oh how the glutes burned while hiking uphill in snow with Lily strapped to me) and Bryant used our trusty handsaw to cut it down. He prepped Connor on tree cutting etiquette and told him to yell 'TIMBER!' when the tree started to fall. Instead Connor yelled 'No, Daddy! No!' when he saw him start to saw the tree. With a bit of reassurance that it wasn't hurting the tree (which I suppose is up for debate) he calmed down and watched as our tree fell to the ground.

Bryant took the tree and I took the kids and we started the trek back down the mountain.

Bryant wanted me to climb up on the rock with Connor for a quick photo. Lily happily played in the snow next to him and cautiously stood up which was quite the feat considering the uneven terrain. She started to fall and face planted on the hard icy snow which ended up cutting and scratching her face. It was the saddest moment.

We start to wean our kids from the bink at 12 months (we use it during sleep times and church) and then get rid of it all together at 18 months. Bryant has been a bit more lax about this with Lily and brought it with us on our outing. Fortunately the bink/snuggle combo calmed her down quickly and she happily walked back to the car.

Her sad, red and scratched little face. It looks much better today.

Connor and Bryant devoured the tiramisu.

We put the tree up this morning and decorated the top of our bookcases and it is truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house.

December.

2011-12-01T21:35:00.001-08:00

Several months ago Kathy wrote this post. I read it and loved it. And shortly thereafter I wrote this post about my goals for autumn, which seems odd after reading something about not setting goals. Now that it is December 1st, and autumn is officially over in my book I've been thinking about the goals that I set at the beginning of the season. I didn't accomplish all of them (no fresh pressed apple cider, no wrapping up in a blanket to look at the stars) but I did everything else on the list. And I didn't do these things because I felt that I had to, but rather because I wanted to. I have realized through Kathy's writing and my own experiences that I love goals. I love to do lists and planning and organizing. Every morning when I opened my windows (which was on my list) I took a moment to breathe in the crisp air. I noticed more, and I enjoyed more. I have a list of 101 goals detailing random things I want to accomplish in my lifetime and it makes me feel inspired rather than tied down. Every now and then I look back on my list and realize there is something I no longer care about doing and I take it off my list. I am really thankful that Kathy wrote what she did because it made me much more purposeful in my goal setting.

So now Christmas is approaching and Bryant and I have been discussing the things we really want to do during this holiday season and this is our list at the moment:

*Take Connor and Lily to cut down our Christmas tree (Saturday is the day!)
*Make homemade ornaments for our tree
*Make a gingerbread house (this was Bryant's idea)
*Watch A White Christmas and While You Were Sleeping
*Make (and drink) amazing hot chocolate
*Teach Connor and Lily the Nativity story (I have a good idea for this one)
*Sing Christmas carols (our annual Christmas sing-a-long)
*Sub for Santa
*Go see the lights (sadly it won't be at Temple Square this year)
*Eat cranberry cake drenched in hot butter sauce
*Make and deliver bread (I'll explain this one later)

This will be our first Christmas staying at home, and although we will miss being with our family we are really excited to be spending Christmas in our home. And I love that Christmas is on Sunday this year. It's going to be great.

In other news both Connor and Lily decided to grow up all at once. I will post photos once I find my camera.

Montessori

2011-11-19T21:47:00.001-08:00

I recognize that there are way too many photos of Connor putting beads on twigs in this post, but I love these photos. I love this kid for coming up with this idea all on his own.

We've had a house full of sick people for the past two weeks, including one middle of the night visit to the ER, and the kids and I are starting to go crazy being house bound. So today I tried to think of something we could do away, out of our house without contaminating other people and came up with the car wash. So we went to the car wash. And it was really fun. Which is kind of sad. This afternoon we just had to get out again so I decided that if I carried Lily in the Ergo and kept Connor in the stroller we wouldn't be touching any surfaces and Lily would be coughing into me therefore decreasing the spread of germs (humor me) so we went out to a few stores. (Wondering where Bryant is? Working a 24 hour shift.) We found these great colored wooden beads which Connor desperately wanted. We've been making a lot of necklaces as a quiet activity during church lately, most often out of pasta, and these beads seemed like a fun alternative. He couldn't wait to get home and play with them. And the cute boy decided to put them on our twigs. It looked beautiful.

As I watched him painstakingly thread the beads on, one by one, trying not to break the twigs I was reminded of just how much I believe in the Montessori method of teaching children. My mom has always been interested in Montessori and spurred my own interest in the subject. During the past year I have done a lot of reading and tried to implement more of the Montessori approach into our daily life. I have been surprised when reading these books to discover the things that I am already doing instinctively. And there is so much more that I am trying to do that I am not doing already. Baby steps.

Lest there be any confusion, I do not plan on homeschooling my children. I have several friends who do or plan on homeschooling but that is not part of my plan. I do take teaching my kids very seriously however and am trying to not waste the time that I have with them. There is always so much to improve. But it has been so rewarding to observe Connor and Lily respond so positively to the Montessori method. It is exciting, and even more exciting when Bryant notices the changes that are occurring in our home.

I find the number of parenting books and theories available to be quite shocking. I have really enjoyed taking bits and pieces from theories and ideas that seem good and piecing them all together into something that fits the needs of our children. I love not feeling stifled or overwhelmed by the amount of resources, and I am sure this is because my mom had a similar approach to parenting. So thanks, Mom.

Adoption Update

2011-11-17T21:53:00.001-08:00

We have finally made it through the mounds of paperwork. Next up are our individual interviews and home study. Then our profile will be reviewed, approved and published online. And then we wait. I've made a change to the blog to try to help any prospective birth parents get a quick glimpse of our adoption stories and life in general by linking some of our favorite posts. Please do me a favor and let me know if there is a post you think I should include in that list that isn't included already. Thank you very much.

XOXO
Adrienne

Lily Lu

2011-11-17T18:54:00.001-08:00

A fire truck was going past our house at this moment.

Still listening to the siren.

Hears a new noise.

Realizes her daddy is home.

I am so behind. Every day I think of a million things to write about Lily and I just haven't taken the time to sit down and record the many insanely cute things she does on a daily basis. At her one year appointment she was actually on the growth chart this time: 25 lbs 3 oz (95th percentile for weight) and 30.5 inches (92nd percentile for height. Connor was 1/2 inch taller at this age just as a reference. She will soon be 14 months and she has grown up so much during these past two months. She is walking, climbing, talking, praying and singing. She loves dogs and airplanes. She loves to play with trucks and trains. She is drinking out of a glass and chugs her kale smoothies every day at lunch. She picks up her big toys and carries them around the house. This afternoon she played with a basket and 3 canning jar rings which she used as bracelets, teething rings and instruments. She is learning how to eat with a spoon and consequently insists on feeding herself. Some days she likes oatmeal, other days she won't touch the stuff. She loves to point. Yesterday she discovered belly buttons.

When she wakes up in the morning she sits in her crib and talks and sings to herself. When she hears our footsteps outside her door she begins to squeal and the moment we peak in she throws herself back in her crib, laughing hysterically, and plays this silly game of hard to get. She frequently sneaks into her room to try to get her bink -she only gets it when she is sleeping these days. If we don't keep the bathroom doors closed she quickly finds her way in and plays in the toilets. She loves to shower and washes me while I wash her. She puts everything in her mouth. She adores Connor and thinks he is the funniest person in the world. She hates being strapped into her stroller or car seat. She wants to walk everywhere, although she still loves being carried in the Ergo. She loves playing with the toy frogs and sea shells and spends a lot of time putting them on the windowsill. She plays ball and has figured out how to roll the ball to us. She dances like a crazy person any time she hears music. She knows when she is doing something she's not supposed to and gets a crazy smile on her face when she is about to get caught.

She is a flirt. A huge flirt. She has the funniest collection of smiles we've seen. She still has her sweet dimples. Her hair is getting thicker. She loves to play with her hair, and especially loves to smear her food in her hair. When we give her a taste of something sweet a slow grin spreads across her face eventually reaching from ear to ear.

She is very silly. She loves to play and has a great sense of humor. She is really happy and tries to make us laugh. She plays this chase/hard to get/play dead game that is just about the funniest thing ever. She likes baby dolls with brown skin. She likes to hold things between her chin and her neck. She lays down on anything that is soft. Her favorite blanket is one made by the YW in my ward. Today she took off her diaper when it was wet and brought it to me. I'm thinking potty training is going to be a piece of cake with her. She loves to stir.

She is smart. And it seems she is growing up so much faster because she watches Connor and tries her very best to keep up with him. Today Connor kept saying that he was her brother and she was his sister. And that she was cute. Lily loves books and loves it when we read to her. She loves to fall backwards, but doesn't like being thrown up into the air. She loves to swing and to go down slides.

I am overwhelmed with love for this sweet girl. She is simply a delight and I wish I could more accurately capture her personality with film. This is why we need to take more video recordings. Because she is hilarious and a complete love.

November.

2011-11-14T18:18:00.001-08:00

November has already been a whirlwind. These two love birds were finally married on November 9th in the Salt Lake temple. They have worked tremendously hard to be together (because Flavio had to go through the process of getting a visa to come to the US from Argentina) and his hard work continues as he learns English and pursues his citizenship. We met for the first time the day before they were married and it was obvious from our first meeting that he is an amazing person. We are happy to have him in our family.

The wedding was beautiful and it was my last time making wedding cake for a sibling. The cake was delicious and beautiful, with flowers strategically placed to hide the caramel leaking through the frosting. Our time in SLC was very brief and included a wedding and Papa's 92nd birthday. I am so sorry to the many people I should have seen but didn't see during this trip. There were not enough hours in the day.

Our Thanksgiving decorations are up and we set out in search of sticks this afternoon to make a forest for our table. I know I read about this project somewhere, but I don't know where. We walked from our house (Lily and I walked, Connor rode his bike) to an irrigation canal that had been drained. Both Lily and Connor loved playing with the rocks and digging in what I am sure is duck poop infested dirt. They did not want to leave. Ever.

Bryant helped Connor drill holes in the wood of various sizes and then we matched up the twigs and sticks we had gathered this afternoon with the holes. Lily read books and sat on my lap.

It looks so great in person, not so great in a photo. But we are loving it. Tonight we read our first Thanksgiving book In November. It is a lovely book.

Soon we will be in Rexburg to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Petes. We are excited.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

I always want to decorate for the holidays but am deterred by the fact that I am not a stuff person. I don't like storing a lot of stuff. I am, however, a book person so I decided to use holiday specific books along with the squash we received from our CSA (and massive quantities of Halloween candy in already-owned vases) as our decorations. It worked really well. It also helped Connor understand our version of Halloween.

I don't do scary. At all. I don't like being scared, I don't like the look of scary things. So our Halloween focuses on pumpkins and food. Shocker. We read This Is NOT A Pumpkin by Bob Staake, Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo, Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown by Charles M Schulz, and The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat. I loved hearing Connor say 'Mommy . . . that is not a pumpkin. It's a Jack-o-lantern!' every single time we saw a pumpkin when we were out and about. And since orange is Connor's favorite color it made focusing on pumpkins instead of spooks even more fun.

I plan on someday making Lily a lily costume. I just don't know when, but it didn't happen this year. We hit the 50% off rack at Old Navy and Connor decided to be a monkey. We added a headband to Lily's costume to help identify her as the girl monkey. They both loved playing in their costumes. We went to Boo at the Zoo on Saturday and they had a blast seeing the real monkeys in their monkey costumes. Connor loved getting candy. Lily loved walking around.

We decided to just go trick or treating to one house (our neighbors) because Lily is now an independent woman and wants to walk everywhere, which takes forever, and neither of them are old enough to realize we completely jipped them out of buckets of candy. Connor's all time favorite person lives next door so he was thrilled.

This is Connor's best friend Hayden. Hayden routinely tells people that Connor is his number one fan.

Lily ate her amazing Halloween cookie from her trick or treating and then went off to bed. We started frying up donuts. I used a different recipe this year, made two batches, only did holes, and served them from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. I also decided we would just do donuts, no candy, to simplify. Bryant was worried people would be disappointed but everyone seemed to love it. We did a maple glaze (which was my favorite) and a chocolate glaze and at 8pm we turned off the lights and closed up shop. Connor yelled 'HELLO!' each time a trick or treater came to our house and had pretty much the best night ever as more and more kids came to our house.

A ride on the Pumpkin Liner.

2011-10-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

Cheese. This grin is all cheese.

'Where's the bink' game.

Connor was covered in mud after his pumpkin picking (as in choosing - not actually picking from a pumpkin patch) and loved lifting, rolling, and sitting on the pumpkins.

Lily took her first official steps today. Pumpkins proved to be her true motivation. Prior to this she had taken 5 steps when coaxed, but these steps were all of her own accord, and on very uneven ground. We just stared - watching her tentatively walk - with huge grins on our faces. She is growing up so fast.

Our first family train ride was a success. The kids loved it, and they love their pumpkins. The scenery from the windows of the train was lovely. Perfect way to get a pumpkin.

Apple Picking

2011-10-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

Please read this link. Now. And then pat yourself on the back.

2011-10-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Is it odd that I don't classify myself as infertile? Perhaps. Obviously I will not be having any biological children. The whole 'no longer having a uterus' thing makes that fairly easy to figure out. But I've never felt like I belong to the infertility group. I guess we are the same, but until I read this amazing post I could never identify what it was that made me feel different. But now I know. It is all of you dear people. No one has ever said anything hurtful to me about not being able to experience pregnancy. I have never felt bitterness or resentment. Sadness, at times yes. But it was a sadness that I felt and grieved and then let go of, which I think was easier for me because it is so blasted obvious when looking at my life to know that there is a plan. I have felt loved and guided, protected and watched over. And so supported by my family, my birth families, and so many dear friends. Thank you so much for all of the love and support, and for not saying stupid things. Seriously. It means a lot.

Ball clothes and pudding.

2011-10-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

We love Fan. Love Fan. One of the millions of reasons we love her is because she takes time to look for soccer jerseys for both Bryant and Connor when she travels. During her recent trip to Africa (Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone) she picked up these awesome jerseys plus an additional one for Bryant. Orange just so happens to be Connor's favorite color. He wears this outfit every single day. It is starting to get holes in it. He loves his 'orange ball clothes from Nan'.

This cutie pie had her 1 year check up last week and is actually for the first time on the growth chart. Up to this point she has been off the growth chart in height but is now down to the 92nd percentile. Our pediatrician laughed when he saw her and said it broke his heart to have to see such a small malnourished child. A bit of sarcasm. She screamed and screamed and screamed when I had to put her down to have her measurements taken, so that was a pretty good indication of how her five immunizations would be received, but she made it.

Lily has her bottom molars (fastest teether ever) and is currently cutting her top ones so she had a difficult afternoon. Fortunately I happen to know that chocolate cures almost all ills and a dish of chocolate pudding did the trick for her tonight.

Lily and Connor have started playing chase. Connor rides his bike (aka his motorcycle) and Lily pushes her scooter/wagon combo and they go around and around (so thankful for an open floor plan and hardwood floors) until Connor decides to fall off and yell 'BOOM!' and then they both laugh hysterically. It's pretty awesome.

An announcement.

2011-10-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

We have officially started the adoption process once again. We are just in the beginning stages - the mounds of paperwork and all that jazz. And although it might seem insane to be adopting so soon with all of the craziness (and joyfulness) currently created by our 2 year (and almost) 9 month old and 1 year old, I've had that feeling, the one that reduces me to a teary mess every time I think about adoption and our next child. So here we are.

And I suppose I am telling (er, writing) this to you now for two reasons. The first reason is of course because it is exciting and happy. The second is because I have had this thought that just perhaps our next birth family will find us through word of mouth, not just through our online profile (which hasn't been created yet - seriously just beginning the process). So it seemed to me at this late hour of the evening as I sit folding laundry, sobbing like a baby while watching 17 Miracles, and periodically going in to check on my sleeping babes, that I should just put this small bit of information out there.

So there you go.

We are adopting again. We just don't quite know who, when, or where. And if by some chance you happen to figure out the who, when or where, please let us know. Thank you very much and have a good night.

The end.

2011-10-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Photo by Locke Photography

If you want to see all of they photos, be sure to go back to previous posts because there you will find the first batch of photos.

Taking a break.

2011-10-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Photo by Locke Photography

Lily's One Year Photo Shoot - Locke Photography

2011-10-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Lily's One Year Photo Shoot - Locke Photography

2011-10-06T09:04:00.001-07:00

Lily's One Year Photo Shoot - Locke Photography

2011-10-06T08:50:00.001-07:00

Lily's One Year Photo Shoot - Locke Photography

2011-10-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Lily's One Year Photo Shoot - Locke Photography

2011-10-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Lily's One Year Photo Shoot - Locke Photography

2011-10-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

I am so happy with how beautiful these turned out. Our great photographer Ashley Locke was able to capture so many aspects of Lily's personality. I am having issues uploading the photos to the blog, so these are going to be posted in several posts. Enjoy.

Simplify and enjoy.

2011-09-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Growing up I really disliked having a September birthday. This dislike was primarily fueled by the photo/art work for the month of September on calendars. It was always boring. But over the years I have grown to love September, and now think it is the best month to be born.

September means back to school, and now that I am not a student that simply means lovely back to school supplies that I can purchase without having to actually be enrolled in any class other than life. And that is grand.

September is the best month for eating. It seems to be the peak of harvest, with so many delicious things in season. It is still warm during the day but the early morning and evening hours begin to be chilly. The air smells different. Crisp. You know the leaves are just about to start to change colors.

I buy two planners a year - one in September and one in January. Back-to-school-ness and a new year in my life make me want to plan, to organize. So September ends up being much more of a resolution-making time for me. But rather than make a huge list of things to accomplish before I turn 30 (isn't that exciting?!?) I have chosen a focus for this next year. And for me that focus is to simplify and enjoy.

I have a tendency to make life complicated very quickly, and without realizing it. So I am going to try to purposefully live, and fully enjoy those things I am choosing to do.

Which brings me to my goals for this autumn:

Go hiking and see the leaves in all of their autumnal splendor.
Drink fresh apple cider.
Make homemade donuts (channeling Great Grandma Turner and Nana here) for Halloween
Bake an apple pie with apples I've picked from an orchard.
Wrap up in a blanket and go outside to watch the stars.
Make pumpkin soup.
Open all of my windows every morning.
Make caramel pears.

That's it. This is what I plan on doing to fully enjoy myself between now and November 30th.

Afternoon at the zoo. And a snuggle.

2011-09-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

My parents and Papa went home today. Frown. But before they left my mom and I were able to make our token trips to our favorite paper and book stores, both of which are downtown. After naps (which were so needed!) the four of us headed downtown and spent the afternoon at the zoo. We dined on Pho for the first time and came home with two kids that were very ready for bed. Bryant held Lily out to give me a kiss goodnight and she decided to come to me instead. And then she snuggled. And getting a good long snuggle from this wiggler is a real treat. One that I thoroughly enjoyed.

What we did.

2011-09-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy reading Ohdeedoh and, inspired by the darling and picture-perfect first birthdays featured on their website, decided to throw a huge party for Lily.

And then I remembered that almost all of our family live far away from us. Which meant I couldn't have the come and then leave kind of party, I would have the come the night before and leave the next day party, and that is a lot of work.

So I cancelled the huge party. And soon after my parents called and asked if they could still come since it was my birthday too.

They came up on Saturday with Papa and arrived in time for us to have a quick meal and then my mom and I went to the General Relief Society meeting together. I stayed up until 1am with my parents talking as it grew darker and darker outside. It was one of my favorite moments. One of the things I miss most about living at home are those late night talks.

On Sunday we went to church and I spent the afternoon baking cakes for 3 of my girls that turned 14 and are leaving my class. My mom was a huge help. We had some chocolate cake batter left over so I made mini cupcakes and served them for dessert. Even Lily got one. And it was the best thing ever.

Watching her slowly eat her cupcake, frosting first, and seeing her huge smile spread wider and wider across her face with each bite was a moment of pure joy.

My mom willingly stayed up late again that night to help me decorate. Couldn't have managed without her.

We started the day off right with breakfast and presents. We were both spoiled. Papa took us all out for lunch and then we came home so Bryant could bake my cake and I could bake Lily's. Bryant made a hummingbird cake with coconut cream cheese frosting for me and it was divine. I made the vanilla bean butter cake with mascarpone whipped cream frosting for Lily.

My dad cooked my delicious birthday dinner - his famous chicken tacos. They were so very good. He makes the best tacos.

Lily's official cake time was adorable and she ended up covered in cake, even rubbing it into her thighs.

We had a perfectly lovely day.

Our birthday bash.

2011-09-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

And a good time was had by all.

Lily's 1st haircut.

2011-09-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Our lovely Erin gave Lily her first haircut this past Saturday. Lily was perfect. She sat relatively still in her chair and happily munched on her bagel the entire time. It was time to get rid of her mini mullet.

She was very generous with her bagel and tried to share.

Lily was very proud of herself when she figured out how to get both hands out from under her fish apron.

And our attempts to get a good post-haircut photo were thwarted by her attempts to share her bagel. Trust us. She looks adorable.

Sitting pretty.

2011-09-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Our kitchen is organized in such a way that everything that is at the kids' level is okay for them to play with. So one of our drawers has become the plastics drawer, and it is Lily's new favorite hideout. She opens the drawer, climbs inside, and waits to be found. As you can imagine, this has done a bit of damage to our drawer, so we were happy to see her find a new location for her moments of mediation. The block box, although we imagine it to be quite uncomfortable, is much less likely to be damaged by her adorable 97th percentile chub.

Just so you know, her other favorite locations to hide are the shower and the slide in Connor's room. And when we come to get her she gets this huge grin, starts to laugh, and throws herself down on the floor. She seems to think that if she flattens herself against the floor we won't be able to see her. Fortunately, it hasn't worked yet.

She's going to be a year on Monday. So in love with her.

Washing Connor's feet.

2011-09-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Connor has always been a very spiritual child, and I have been surprised as I have observed his knowledge and love of the Savior at such a young age. We have the nursery manual and gospel art book on our bookshelves because we use them sometimes for our FHE lessons. He calls them his Jesus books. And he asks to read them daily.

A few weeks ago he was really struck by this painting of Christ washing the feet of his disciples. We talked about it and then moved on to the other pictures. That night as he was getting he ready for bed he asked me to wash his feet, 'like Jesus' he said. And so he sat on the counter in the bathroom, pants rolled up to his knees, and I washed his feet in the sink. And night after night this little ritual has continued.

I remember learning about this story when I was a little girl and not quite getting the significance. Fast forward to my college days when I took frequent trips to visit my Nana and Papa who lived in Wyoming. I just went by myself for the weekend as often as my schedule would allow. One time we were getting ready to leave the house and my Papa asked if I could help him put on his shoes. I remember kneeling in their workroom, in front of my Papa to help him with his shoes, and I remember the look on his face as he apologized to me for needing my help. I told him that I loved being able to return the favor, because he had put my shoes on my feet many times when I was a little girl. But in that tender moment I better understood the significance and specialness of this account of the Savior.

These nightly feet washings with Connor have just added to that initial tender experience, once again deepened my understanding, and humbled me as I've realized how much my own children teach me.

Neat and clean.

2011-09-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

When we began the potty training business we would talk to Connor about the importance of keeping his pants clean and dry. A few weeks ago the phrase somehow morphed to neat and clean and Connor took hold of that phrase. Semantics are important. He has done great, and miracle of all miracles did not have a single accident on our trip, which was huge considering we didn't have any extra underwear or clothing.
Then today happened. I came home to find Bryant walking down the hall in a bath towel with a worried look on his face and when he saw me he reassured me that he was cleaning it up. I didn't know what he was referring to, so I followed him to Connor's room where I saw Connor fully clothed and asleep. And completely covered in poop.

Bryant and Connor were both going to take a nap when Lily and I went out this afternoon and Connor's bedroom doorknob had a lock on it (he sometimes requests this to go to sleep - the kid likes boundaries) and so once Connor had gone to sleep Bryant went to take a nap without removing the lock. This was an unfortunate mistake.

Bryant assumed Connor had just had some crazy diarrhea attack in his sleep and was preparing to strip him down and take him in the shower. I left Bryant to clean up the bedding and floor and took the sleeping kid into the bathroom. As I undressed Connor in the bathroom I was surprised to find the inside of his pants and underwear completely clean. Neat and clean even.

So here's what happened.

Connor had to use the bathroom but couldn't get out of his room and Bryant didn't hear him. So, being the good and literal boy that he is, he took off his pants and underwear, pooped on his bed, put back on his clothes and went to sleep.

He had poop all over - literally from head to toe. Grossest thing ever. But also really funny.

And now Bryant knows that he can't leave Connor's door locked if he is also going to sleep. Those little bits of parenting wisdom that sometimes don't get passed on from stay at home parent to sometimes at home parent. But he learned through experience, and apologized profusely.

I just laughed. And then disinfected.

Bainbridge Island - by ferry and foot.

2011-09-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

Our last full day was spent primarily on Bainbridge Island. This trip included 1 ride on the shuttle and 2 separate ferry rides. Connor and Lily both loved riding on the buses and ferries. As we were getting off the 2nd ferry we were trying to decide which way to go and a fellow passenger suggested we take the waterfront path which would eventually lead us downtown.

We walked and walked and walked (notice a trend?) and then decided we must have missed something and asked for directions. Wouldn't you know there are several paths and we had pretty much walked all of them, completely missing downtown. So we walked some more and made it.

And following some advice given by our friend Krista we went in search of Mora's Ice Creamery. We decided to share two scoops (coconut and dulce de leche) accompanied by the loveliest molten chocolate cake we've ever eaten. It was without a doubt the best coconut ice cream I've tasted.

As we were walking up the main road a woman ran up to us, told us we needed to follow her and that she'd explain when we reached her shop. Ominous. But we followed and she ran into her shop and then ran back out with another woman exclaiming that she'd found us and didn't the other woman agree that we had the most beautiful children?!?

Turns out she'd been walking behind us earlier and overheard Bryant's phone call with his brother during which he explained our luggage situation. She had been so impressed by our 'good attitudes' and struck by our 'gorgeous kids' that she'd ran back to the store owner and asked if they could do something to help. The owner agreed and sent the woman back out in search of us so they could offer us any of the items off of their sale racks for free. Seriously. Nicest people ever.

We followed our dessert up with lunch and more dessert at Blackbird Bakery. Our lunch was amazing and cheap but we were most impressed with the pie. We ordered a slice of their apple blackberry pie with walnut crumb topping and it was the best slice of pie I have ever purchased. We tried several other pie establishments but were most impressed by this delicious slice.

We took the ferry back to Seattle, made a stop at the library and then began our very long walk to Poppy. Nothing ever seems to me to be too far away to walk. Lucky for me the dinner was so incredible that Bryant didn't mind me dragging him on foot all over the city. We missed the water taxi back to West Seattle (had to wait an hour for the next one) and during this hour wait we decided to go home. We figured our dinner at Poppy was a great ending to our completely random vacation. We learned some good lessons on this trip about packing, how to effectively travel with 2 kids 2 and under, but what struck us most was realizing that most people are genuinely kind. It was a lovely reminder.

Downtown Seattle - the walk that just didn't end.

2011-09-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Our favorite downtown Seattle activity for kids ended up being the Children's museum. It is a magical place and Connor and Lily were in heaven. We could have spent days there, and I really wish we had something like this in Boise. It even blew SLC's out of the water. Second best was the downtown library. Connor asked to go there on a daily basis.

We walked everywhere becasue we didn't have our laptop and didn't have the time to figure out which buses went where. I realize that shouldn't seem so overwhelming but for some reason it did. So instead we walked, and came home without gaining a single pound which was quite the feat considering what we ate.

Dahlia Bakery was one of those places that was completely worth the walk. Their coconut cream pie was among one of the best things I've tasted, and everything we ate there (which was a lot) was exceptionally wonderful. We actually went twice in one day.

Top Pot Doughnuts was found on a whim and we are so glad we stopped. Their glazed donuts were delicious, and that's saying a lot because I have never liked any doughnuts (other than homemade), especially glazed. But these donuts just melted in our mouths.

Salumi's salami made a killer sandwich that we devoured and left us licking our fingers.

Le Panier had the best macarons we've ever tasted. I only ordered the vanilla based on a recommendation (ordinarily that would seem to plain) but it was our favorite. Perfect texture. Perfect flavor. Perfect.

And then Poppy. Poppy provided the best dinner of our lives to date. Their flavors and combinations were amazing. Not the greatest place for two kids who've been robbed of naps and kept awake past their bedtime, but they made it.

We hit Pike's Place and walked all over downtown and the surrounding districts. We had so many more places we wanted to eat but we will have to try them on another trip. One with luggage. There are several places we ate at which were good, but not amazing, so I am not including them in our list. We love Seattle.

West Seattle - a good accident.

2011-09-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

Fan got us hooked on vacation rentals when we visited her last year in DC. We loved having our own kitchen and seperate rooms. Connor and Lily sleep much better if they are in their own rooms, and hotels don't allow for that separation. The challenge with vacation rentals is that you don't know the exact location until you book it, and so I didn't realize where we were staying until we actually got there. And initially I was disappointed because we were a bus or water taxi ride away from downtown. But it ended up being a really good thing.

For one thing, the owner of our vacation rental was inredibly nice. When she found out that our luggage had been lost and we were without clothes she immediately asked what size I wore and brought over some of her clothes for me to borrow. Her husband couldn't believe she was loaning her clothes to a complete stranger. Neither could we.

Some of our favorite places ended up being in West Seattle. Bakery Nouveau was the first favorite we discovered. I recommend skipping the pastries and heading straight for their individual cakes. Not only do they look divinely beautiful, but they taste absolutely incredible. We recommend the Phoenix, Ballet Slice, and Aphrodite. Truly amazing.

Blackboard Bistro is also in West Seattle and has an ever-changing menu with a focus on local ingredients. The food was incredible and amazingly priced. They were the best at accommodating our kids and blew away my taste buds with their gnocchi.

Connor and Lily loved playing at Hiawatha park and this great toy store on California Ave. One night after getting home rather late on the Water Taxi, and realizing the shuttle that took us from the beach to our home was no longer running, we had resigned ourselves to making the 45 minute walk home in the dark and cold when some random woman came and offered us a ride home. It was nicest and most needed offer. Really nice people live in West Seattle.

Well. That was interesting.

2011-09-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

How does the phrase 'The best laid plans' finish? I am terrible with idiomatic expressions. But if it ends with something like 'just might end up being thrown out the window' then it will work quite nicely for this post.

So Seattle. Seattle was lovely. The weather was perfect - cool enough to make our daily trek across the city in search of divine pastries pleasant. We did not, however, anticipate not having any clothing on our vacation. We decided to pack light - two bags, both checked, because our hands were full with getting two kids, diaper bags, and strollers onto the plane. Checking our luggage on a 55 minute direct flight from Boise to Seattle seemed rather logical. So you can imagine our surprise when we landed and found just one of our bags waiting for us. Our big bag, the one with all of our clothing, shoes, and laptop, was nowhere to be found. They assured us it most likely got held up in security and would be on the next flight. They would deliver it to our door. Sounded like a good plan. So we made our way from the airport to our vacation rental and tried to make the most of the day despite not having our laptop which contained all of our plans for our trip. But our bags never came. Ever.

And although we were supposed to spend ten days in Seattle, and had paid for nine nights in our vacation rental, we called it quits after five. Because had we been travelling as a couple instead of a family, we could have found a way to make the most of a clothing-less vacation. But kids need clothes. Especially when the weather is a bit chilly. And we did too in order to not cause a stir. And eventually it became tiresome washing out our clothes each night and drying them with a hair dryer.

The good part of all of this is that we still managed to have a really good time. And I will tell you all about it during the next several days. It is lovely to have a computer again. We just bought a new one today as our luggage is still missing. I'm still hoping to get it back considering it contains seven years of photographs.

Go back up your computers right now.

Leaving on a jet plane.

2011-09-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

Whoa nelly. Parenting two kids two and under is hard work. Hence the tired eyes. But we wouldn't trade the exhaustion/crazy fun combo for anything. We are leaving tomorrow for a much needed vacation - a real vacation. The four of us will be spending ten days eating our way through Seattle. It should be delicious. And then when we get back Lily turns one and I will be 29. There will be cake. In great quantities. And my dad will be making me chicken tacos.

Little Lu is not so little. She is so close to walking and can balance by herself. She doesn't quite get the need for walking on her feet because she currently walks on her knees, which is hilarious. She loves our calculator, and freaks out if it is taken from her - to the point of hysterical tears and red splotches all over her face. Maybe math will be her thing.

We moved our craigslist acquired/massive plastic/sun faded slide climbing thing into Connor's room for the winter. We had it inside last winter and it didn't get much use. But this year things are different. Connor and Lily both love climbing on it, and Lily can actually climb all the way up the slide. It is impressive.

More impressive, however, is her ability to blow bubbles on her tongue.

Lily likes to put her fingers in Connor's mouth and he likes to bite them. Then screaming ensues. We're trying to work on the no biting thing. It will be great when Lily stops trying to stick her fingers in his mouth. Currently the only punishment that has any effect on Connor is not allowing him to wear his soccer clothes. We're so mean.

We found a great winter coat for Connor, which he insisted on wearing tonight. His coat makes him do this silly dance on his tip toes that cracks us up. The world of letters recently exploded before his eyes and he identifies letters everywhere - including license plates. His favorite is W (which sounds like bubble). His counting begins in French and ends in English with un, deux, three! He is still my garbage/soccer/book/construction equipment addict. He can spot a cement mixer or car transporter from miles away.

Did I mention she's turning one? This year has flown. Cutest girl ever. And we accidentally weaned her from the bottle last week.

SLC

2011-09-03T18:47:00.001-07:00

My camera battery died on day 2 of our trip. It wouldn't seem to be that difficult to find time to recharge a battery, but somehow taking care of 2 kids age 2 and under in a 1200 sq ft house with 5 adults while making a wedding cake made for some crazy moments. So here are the important things that happened:

Lily hit the 11 month mark and we had a lovely visit with M and her mom.

Peter married Heather. I made their cake. Best cake to date (that I've made).

I was able to convince sweet Perry that he really does love me.
So in love with this little man and his chubby cheeks.

Loved spending time with Papa. He played m&m's and read to Connor and entertained Lily.

My parental units were a HUGE help since Bryant wasn't able to come until the night before the wedding which meant 6 days of single parenting.

Monster stickers kept Connor entertained during the drive.

Lily missed out on the farewell photos with grandparents because she was sound asleep. Heidi was a rock star and helped me so much and gave up her room so we had a place to sleep. Jonathan's drinkless toast at the reception made me laugh and cry simultaneously. Introduced Bryant's brother and sister-in-law to the goodness of Bruges. Loved walking up City Creek with my mom. Ate a lot of really good food. If you live in SLC please get yourself to Tulies on a Friday or Saturday for beignets. Delicious.

My baby brother is married. So crazy.

Best text of the trip from mom to Peter: Adriebe and the Killings are here.

Presents.

2011-08-19T20:36:00.001-07:00

OCD alert: I think I've edited this post 4 times to try to not sound like a brat. My mom got it, and wasn't offended, because she was present for our conversation and knew exactly what I meant, but one of my siblings thought I was being rude, so since I can't seem to get across in writing what I can verbally I'm just going to nix the story and go straight to the links.

When it comes to gifts for my kids I prefer things that do not require batteries. During my recent gift researching I came across these sites that might be helpful if you find yourself looking for a gift for a small child and want his/her parents to love you forever for not giving them something battery operated:

Kaplan Early Learning Company

Music Together

Bruder Toys

Boon

Green Toys

Plan Toys

And then, of course, there are books. We love books. Merry Christmas.

Learning.

2011-08-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

M&Ms provide a fantastic way to teach colors and sorting. We used one small pack this week and each day Connor pulled out a muffin tin and sorted them by color. Each time he sorted a color we counted them and then he got to eat one. We needed to make the pack last a few days.

We have put an end to watercolor painting and transitioned to water painting. Connor's favorite thing is to be outside with sidewalk chalk, a cup of water and a brush. He draws on the pavement (or house or slide) and then paints with the water. He would seriously do this for hours. And he stops every now and then to eat all of our unripe strawberries.

We spent a week on the letter A and then moved onto the letter B. Logical. My favorite B activity was eating blueberries while reading the book Blueberries for Sal. Just delightful. Towards the end of the week I realized Connor wasn't actually learning the letters, just catching on to the fact that he only had to remember one letter per week. So we spent the next week working on comprehension and I think from now on we will do 2 letters and then a week of review. It worked really well. Another sorting activity (we like muffin tins apparently) involved throwing paper circles up into the air (just for theatrics) and then Connor would pick them up and decide if they went in the A muffin tin or the B muffin tin. He's got it down.

His favorite B activity was making bread. He gets a section of dough to make into his own loaf. This time he rolled it out and sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar and then rolled it back up. It was delicious.

Connor's current alphabet recitation goes something like this;
A is for Ant (sounds like A ya ant)
B is for Baby
C is for Nonnor
D is for Doggy
E is for Elephant
F is for Nan (our Fan, the person, not the appliance)
G is for neck, er, Giraffe
H is for Happy! (Arms extend above the head for this one)
J is for *jump* (does the action instead of saying the word)

That's as far as he can go right now.

10 months

2011-08-12T20:31:00.001-07:00

Lily is just a love. Plain and simple. She is the most difficult child to photograph because she does not hold still. Ever. She is the wiggliest baby we've ever known, and we are so thankful she is ours. Her smile melts our hearts. She loves to explore and climb and encounter near death experiences as often as possible. She adores Connor, and life will be quite grand when they can play at the same level of roughness. She is my shadow, and gets quite upset when I leave. Tonight the four of us took an exciting trip to the grocery store and Bryant had both kids while I ran off to look at something. As soon as I reentered her line of vision she started to cry and reach for me. You'd think I'd been gone for days, not minutes. She loves her dad and I love seeing her entire face light up when he comes home.

Lily has a fantastic sense of humor. I just watch her during the day, trying to soak it all in, trying to remember her mannerisms and what makes her laugh and the way she flops down on any blanket she sees, or snuggles my wallet when we are in the store with the grip of death, or the sound of her playing the piano. When my Nana bought the piano for us she told me that it was so I would have a daily reminder of her after she was gone. I told her she was ridiculous and that she wasn't going anywhere. But every time Lily starts to play I can't help but think of my Nana and how much she must enjoy watching her little great granddaughter make music. I think she's one of her angels.

The phrases most often used in reference to Lily in our household include the following;

She is just so cute.

I love her so much.

She is growing up way too fast.

Please hold still.

But seriously. She is so adorable. I could just eat her up.

Nie Nie! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (That would be Connor)

Lily has begun the search for fallen Cheerios. She is following in her brother's footsteps.

Good times.

2011-08-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

Aunt Natalie patiently read the incredibly annoying Tough Trucks book I purchased for Connor at Costco several weeks ago. We read the entire thing about 10 times a day, so her willingness to read was greatly appreciated. Connor rewarded her with an impromptu strip tease, complete with an underwear toss that landed perfectly on her lap. In the name of full disclosure I should add that he was just trying to change into his swimming trunks and got a little carried away.

Swimming lessons ended this week, as did our twice weekly stop at Fancy Freeze for ice cream as our post-lesson treat. Sigh. Our water babies did great.

We were supposed to go camping this weekend but Bryant had the bright idea of checking the forecast the morning of our trip (I had checked the day before and it was fine) and sure enough storms were moving in. So we did the two most important parts of camping. Above you can see the photos of the first important thing; s'mores. But these weren't just any old s'mores. These were homemade marshmallows with homemade graham crackers. A keeper recipe from this past issue of Sunset magazine.

Lily hit the 10 month mark on the 26th of last month and I've been waiting for the perfect 10 month photo for her post. She is adorable, and a huge flirt. We are kind of in love with this not so little little girl of ours.
The second most important part of camping is hiking, which we did Friday morning. We had a great time and ate wild raspberries. Connor hiked the entire way up and rode on the way down. Lily loves to sing with the bouncing on the downhills. It isn't very often you find some old rusting car in the middle of a mountain.

2 years of forever.

2011-08-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Two years ago this very day we were sealed together as a family for forever. Forever is a very long time, the only time long enough in my book. It was a perfect day. Bryant and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple when we were married, but because our children come to us through adoption we have the great privilege of participating in this sacred event each time a child joins our family. Reflecting on this day makes me thankful for many things. I am thankful for my marriage, for Bryant's goodness. For my sweet Connor and the knowledge that he is our son and we are his parents eternally. For temples and family. For Megan and her willingness to make all of this our reality.

It is crazy to look back and realize how much has changed in two short years, how beautiful life was and continues to be. Our sweet Lily will soon be one and it wasn't very long ago that we were in the same temple with her, having the tender experience of binding her to us forever. We recently went to the Twin Falls temple and Connor was quite annoyed that he had to wait outside with me as Bryant went in, and then again with Bryant as I went in. Lily was just happily along for the ride. But it was sweet to see his recognition that the temple is a special place, a place that he has been and wants to return to. I really do cherish the way our family grows, and know that I have been very blessed.

A scalping, black eye, letter from Papa, and visit from the Petes.

2011-08-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

What a day. Connor started things off by yanking on the cord to our baby monitor which sits on one of the bookshelves in our bedroom, and watched it as it fell and smacked him in the eye. Hence the black eye.

Bryant came home from work around 3pm today and entertained Connor by throwing him up in the air and letting him stand on his shoulders. The problem arose when he did this while standing under the ceiling fan and basically scalped Connor. (Tears yes, but as soon as a cupcake was presented to the injured the tears miraculously disappeared. Blood? No.) I was upset and Bryant kept telling me it couldn't have hurt that bad which made me suggest he do it to himself. And you know what? He did. The sweet and crazy guy stood on a chair and tentatively stuck his head up towards the fan but couldn't reach. He is that short. Undeterred, he went and got one of his anesthesia books, placed it on the chair and stood on that so that his head could be scalped by the fan. And wouldn't you know, it hurt.

But we had some really good things happen today as well. Connor received his first letter in the mail, which completely made his day. Papa wrote him the sweetest letter and reading it made me miss him and want to cry. I never lived near my Nana and Papa but I have a hat box completely full of the letters they wrote to me over the years. It warmed my heart to see my son get his first Papa letter.

Our day ended with a lovely visit from Grandma and Grandpa Pete and Aunt Natalie. Sadness brings them to Boise (a funeral) but we were so happy to have them in our home for a bit. Connor gave the tour of our house and regaled Aunt Natalie with all of the scripture stories he could conjure up. Lily was of course thrilled to have her Grandpa Pete, and Grandma taught Connor how to say armadillo. A useful skill indeed.

Lazy me.

2011-07-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Sunscreen and bug spray are the bane of my summertime existence. Hence my tent/swimming pool combo. Costco had this pop-up tent/sun shelter combo thing that sets up in 3 seconds and provides shade and eliminates the need for sunscreen. It has been a good thing.

A week in review.

2011-07-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Connor woke up Monday morning to the letter A on his bedroom door. He then went on a letter hunt around the house to find the other A's that I had hidden. We took a trip to the grocery store to find things that began with the letter A but quickly got in trouble. Apparently we aren't allowed to take photos inside the grocery store so that quickly ended our field trip.

We did a lot of A activities this week. Made tactile A's with beans and cotton balls. Ate apples, learned about apples, played a game as a family trying to walk while carrying an apple on the spoon, read books about alligators, apes and ants, and made apple cheddar scones for a treat. We have talked a lot about the letter A.

Connor's favorite things to say right now are bonkers and goofball. It makes me grin to see the things he picks up at home. Soccer and swimming are still going strong but our Music Together class ended for the summer on Wednesday.

Lily Lou's vocabulary increased today from three words to four. She has been saying daddy, momma, and hi, but today repeated hello which I am counting as a separate word. She loves looking at books and is chewing on them less and less which is a plus. She is very musical and brightened the day of everyone in our music class. She got her first kiss last week from a 1 year old boy in our class with blond curls who planted one right on her lips. She actually blushed and crawled quickly away with a huge grin on her face.

She is getting the reputation in our home as having an attitude. She thinks she is being tortured when we change her diaper or wipe her nose. She knows what she wants and when she wants it and she lets us know her opinion on a regular basis. She is not a fussy baby at all, but very strong willed. This coupled with her sweet and giggly personality makes for quite the entertainment. She constantly makes us laugh with her antics. She plays dead when she knows she is doing something she isn't supposed to and quickens her crawl if she thinks she is about to get caught. She plays this hilarious screeching game with herself in the mirror and loves it when Connor joins in. She is just starting to figure out how to gum food that isn't pureed and just might be able to handle cake by the time her first birthday rolls around.

Lily is a love. She gives kisses and the sweetest hugs. She is so excited to see us when she wakes up in the morning or when we come home after being gone. It has been a blast to go from one child to two. Connor and Lily have this amazing sibling dynamic that I love. They feed off of each others' goofiness and love to play together. Connor has started trying to pick Lily up (not good as his attempt includes a head lock) but she doesn't seem to mind a bit because she loves being with him.

I feel so blessed to have such happy children. They fill each day with so much joy and laughter. Life seems to get insanely busy and filled with many things that aren't fun, but are necessary, but having these two beauties makes it all worth it.

And a quick note about Bryant. I know and have known that he is a great husband and father, but comments from other women lately about their husbands have reminded me just how fantastic he really is, and I think a lot of it has to do with his attitude towards family. I made a comment once about him getting a taste of what it was like to be a mom and he shot me a look and quickly reminded me that he wasn't being a mom, he was being dad. He is such an active participant in our home life that sometimes I forget that not all men are as involved in the home. I seriously hit the family jackpot.

Wagons, sandboxes, and parenting.

2011-07-17T18:08:00.001-07:00

Our wagon/scooter/walking toy provides quite a bit of entertainment. Lily is starting to take a few tentative steps while holding on to the handle. This girl is growing up way too fast for my liking. Her baby babble is expanding into a small vocabulary and her balance is improving tremendously. She loves to play hide and seek with me around the kitchen island and sings and dances to music. She is a complete delight, but growing up too fast!

She must get that from her brother. Lately I've been concerned that I have not been doing enough with him at home, that I've been getting caught up in the business of life. Although I loved my poli sci education, I think a background in child development and Montessori would have been extraordinarily helpful. This weekend I figured things out with a trip to the Idaho Book & School Supply store. I remember going to a similar store in Utah with my mom when I was little, maybe nine or ten, and being in awe of all of the maps and teaching supplies at that young age. My trip back did not disappoint and I left armed with a plan of how to better facilitate teaching in the home. My resources right now include:

Before Five In A Row: A treasury of creative ideas to inspire learning readiness (thanks Melissa!)
Everyday Play: Fun games to develop the fine motor skills your child needs for school (LOVE this book, it is divided by age and very well organized)
Alphabet Fun for Little Ones (this book just gives me the ideas and organization I need to do the things I have thought about but hadn't formalized yet)

I've also realized that I need to be much more effective in my time management. Fortunately I no longer feel overwhelmed now that I have a plan. The first week of said plan starts tomorrow. It's going to be fun.

But I've had some good parenting moments as of late. One of the best ones has been my sandbox invention. I purchased these pots with the intention of doing a container garden this year (never happened) but instead filled two with sand and one with rocks. Connor has spent 2 to 3 hours every day playing outside. It is a miracle.

The plants in the photos are our herb/fruit/vegetable garden. I often give Connor a packet of seeds to plant outside. It has been fun to see the random plants come up in random locations (and all clumped together of course) amidst our strawberry and blueberry plants. Our borage is going crazy this year, and some of the herbs have done better than others. I love that Connor can snack on everything that grows in the dirt in which he plays.

One other good thing we've discovered is using our post-dinner clean up time as our family music time. We put in our Music Together CD in, turn it up, pass out instruments to Lily and Connor who come in the kitchen with us, and sing and dance while we clean up. I love not being left to clean up by myself, because I make quite the mess when I cook, but even more I love the 30 to 45 minutes we spend together making music.

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

Lily was too engrossed watching the people in the pool to smile at the camera. Can't say that I blame her. There were some crazy swim-wear choices going on.

And these are her crazy faces. She had the most angelic smiles, but Bryant could only manage to capture these silly faces. I apologize profusely for my white, white, white legs.

Our water babies did great. Today they floated on their backs (with assistance), paddled, kicked, and blew bubbles. It was great fun.

Post-swimming crazy faces. Next time I'll get some shots of Bryant with the kids in all of his white-skinned glory.

Pick me up mamamama.

2011-07-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

My name as of late. I'm loving it. And this sweet girl of course.

Indoor Soccer

2011-07-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Connor's been pumped about playing soccer just like his dad. We play soccer in our front entry way every single day, yelling 'goal' and helping Connor up from the floor after he gets 'injured' which happens every time he kicks the ball. He has a great kick, and decent ball control for a 2 year old. He was ready to get out on the field and play some ball. But like any good athlete, he made sure to stretch out prior to the game.

He was not, however, ready for soccer for toddlers. This kid wanted action, wanted a game. He even came in uniform thanks to a thoughtful gift from his Aunt Ginny. So he was not amused at the idea of soccer drills and games geared for his age group. It took him awhile to stop getting upset each time he had to stand on a colored dot to wait for instructions for the next game. He wasn't sure why he was supposed to kick over orange cones just to stand them up again with his feet when there were soccer balls laying all over the field just waiting to be kicked. It nearly killed him. But he persevered, and eventually had fun.

This boy isn't messing around. He is ready to play some ball.

Rexburg 4th of July

2011-07-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

What a week. The 4th of July is our token Peterson Family holiday and we crammed in a lot of fun thanks to Bryant and the great activities he planned for us to do as a family. Here are a few of the highlights:

S'mores at the sand dunes. Everyone saw a shooting star except for me. Everyone. Someday.

Why the crazy face Matt?

Our sand swimmer. Ever wonder why we have so many photos of Lily with her binky? It is because she grinds her teeth and this is the only thing that will make her stop!

4th of July breakfast at the church Bryant attended from birth to age 22ish.
Connor and Grandpa Pete at the Rexburg parade which was unfortunately a huge letdown this year, hopefully less advertising and more floats next year.
Cousins awaiting the massive candy explosion that occurs during the parade.

Connor's parade face. Terrified. Absolutely terrified. I had him stand on the street and smile at me and then we spent the remainder of the time sitting on the sidewalk in a chair where he happily watched the parade. He had no interest in being up close and personal with the parade even though candy was involved.

Sammy's. Food salvation in Rexburg. Crazy good burgers. Even better coconut cream pie shakes.

Picnic at Porter Park.
We hiked the R mountain and Lily slept the entire way up.

So many teeth.

Rexburg has a water park. Hallelujah. I ran into someone from my church in Boise and someone I met at church in South Dakota. Small world.
Lily was in heaven and spent the entire time splashing wildly. The moment I pulled her out and wrapped her in a towel she immediately fell asleep.
Connor and Bryant went on this slide approximately 8 million times.

Morning walk to Mesa Falls.
Connor's favorite person - his cousin Kaiden.

We ended the week with a family reunion camp out. My camera battery died right after I took this photo. Best moment of the entire week: seeing Grandma Pete go down the 500 foot waterslide. Possibly the best Peterson moment of all times.

There are many people/events that I didn't get with my camera. I really wish I had been able to get a photo of Lily with her Grandpa Pete because he was her favorite person of the trip. She loves him a lot. When I needed to get something done and she didn't want to be held by anyone else Grandpa Pete turned out to always be the exception.

Numbers and words.

2011-07-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Lily's official 9 month stats:
Height: 30 inches (97th percentile)
Weight: 22 lbs (95th percentile)

Connor's version of the creation:
Jesus created the trees.
Jesus created the flowers.
Nonnor created the moon.

Poop incident:
The other day we went to the park and Connor pooped in his pants. I had hopes that it was the grab and toss kind of poop (TMI? No such thing.) but alas, it was a sticky stinky mess. No bathroom, CSA veggies to pick up, and YW to go to. So the only thing left to do was to have him sit in his poopy pants during the ride home. Best idea ever. The next day (and the days since) he has been a rock star at telling us when he needs to poop.

Music Together:
Every Wednesday the three of us at home go to a great music class called Music Together. It is held at a nursing home and they invite the residents (the oldest I've met so far is 95) to attend the class. The older people sit in chairs in a circle and the less older people sit on the floor with their kids. It is fantastic. Connor usually doesn't participate. He sits and watches. He is my observer. But as soon as we leave he starts to do the actions and sing the songs. Lily delights everyone with her dimpled smile and loves to play with the instruments and clap her hands. I love the multi-generational approach and each week I am at the nursing home I am SO THANKFUL that my Papa is living with my parents and not in a nursing home. So thankful.

Sweet Peas:
This spring I planted sweet peas. Again. But this time they actually bloomed. And they smell divine. It is lovely.

Sweet goofs.

2011-06-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

9 months

2011-06-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

My sweet Lily reached the 9 month mark on Sunday. This milestone is always a tender one for me. Since I do not create or carry my children, and therefore do not have the 9 month gestational period with them, this 9th month is significant in my little world.

One of my many irrational fears as a parent is that I am not doing things the same from child to child. I realize that birth order changes things (like amount of time available) but I try really hard to be consistent in blogging and writing in their baby books and taking photos. Sunday night I had a mini panic that I hadn't taken as many photos of Lily during these past 9 months as I did of Connor. So I stayed up late looking through photo albums and was pleasantly surprised to find the number of photos to be about the same. I'm not crazy enough to actually count them, but it appeared to be equal. So that made me feel better.

Lily has once again grown up so much during this past month. She waves hello and plays patty cake and peek-a-boo on her own. She pulls herself to standing and walks tentatively while holding on to a support. She is reaching the developmental milestones so quickly and I am sure that it is due in part to her desire to survive living in the same house as her energetic brother. She is doing a phenomenal job.

One of my favorite daily moments with her is when she wakes up from her afternoon nap. Connor sleeps for another 30 minutes or so and Lily and I get to play uninterrupted. When it is time to get Connor up I open his door and put her down on the floor. The moment she sees him she starts to giggle and crawls towards his bed. Once he hears her laughter he starts to smile and tries to open his sleep eyes. She eventually makes it to his bed, pulls herself up and starts to grab his hair which makes him laugh and her laugh even more. Then everyone is awake. It is priceless.

Lily's 9 month check up is on Friday but we are guessing her stats will be around 30 inches in height and 23 lbs in weight. She has the sweetest personality and is turning out to be a complete ham just like her brother. We've got two little goof balls in this house. Looking through the albums and seeing the photos of Connor at this age reminded me once again of just how quickly these days pass by, so I am trying to enjoy every moment. I love my Lily.

Love.

2011-06-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

When you love someone you should give them flowers or a book. Or both. I have been very loved this past week.

Thirty-two

2011-06-25T14:58:00.001-07:00

32 balloons
A full day of fly fishing instruction
$$$ from mom and Papa (spoiled)
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Balloon Candles
Party hats
Glow-stick sword fighting
Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Uncontested napping
Dinner at Fork
Chocolate Souffle Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream
32 candles
1 blow torch
Cake with Tyler, Ginny and the kids
Balloon Volleyball
Indoor Soccer

Happy Birthday Bryant

A visit from two of our most favorite people.

2011-06-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's hard to beat a visit from Grams, but a visit from both Grams and Papa is rather special. The fact that my 90 year old grandfather spent 5 hours in a car just to come spend a few days with us is more than some of my siblings are willing to do. (Insert guilt.)

Lily and Papa are best friends. It warmed my heart to see them together. He entertained her all day long every day. She is going to miss him.

I didn't get a photo of Connor and Papa but I loved hearing Connor yell out 'Bop Pop!' whenever he came into the room, seeing Papa kick the soccer ball and imitate the soccer players he and Connor watched together on our FIFA dvds, and watching Papa give Connor spoonful after spoonful of jam to help him finish his crust.

It became apparent very quickly who was Connor's favorite out of all of the adults in our house. He ran out of his room every morning looking for her yelling 'Ma' and smiling the moment he saw her. He thinks he is saying grams, but we hear Ma. She brought up a special book for both him and Lily and he spent quite a bit of time reading on her lap. She also brought him clay which they rolled into noodles and cookies and then cooked in his frying pan. He wanted her to help him with everything.

These two are also best friends. I think this photo speaks for itself. Pure love.

We went for walks with Papa in his wheelchair and the kids in their stroller. We ate ice cream at Goodies and bought candy at Powell's. We read stories and played with trains and kicked soccer balls around the house. We sat outside and watched the sunset, picked strawberries from the garden and squirted each other with water bottles. We watched SYTYCD and ate and cleaned and ate and cleaned. We went to a beautiful paper store to buy ribbons and picked sweet peas. We weeded and deadheaded my garden and Papa swept the sidewalk as Bryant mowed the lawn. Obviously we stopped to look at every piece of construction equipment that came into view.

This morning we went to the Farmer's Market and saw an impromptu circus parade. It completely freaked out Connor. Mom and I saw an elephant downtown and a monarch butterfly landed on her hand. We ate donuts and Papa and mom bought me a gorgeous bouquet of alliums and peonies. Bryant and Papa took the kids home for naps and my mom and I browsed anthropologie and read 10 children's books (and purchased 3) at Rediscovered bookstore. Leftover birthday cake for lunch.

We've had some very tender moments during these past few days. We miss them already.

An amazing father.

2011-06-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

Bryant is an amazing father. He is head over heels in love with his kids. He confessed that while watching Kung Fu Panda II with his nephews that he teared up during the scene that addresses the relationship between a father and son who became family through adoption. I have met several men that have struggled with the idea of becoming a father through adoption, but Bryant knows that these are his kids through and through.

No matter how long or exhausting his day has been he comes home and plays with his kids. And they both adore him. They know that he loves them like crazy. Every day they are smothered with his hugs and kisses. He is their hero, their playmate and their friend. Connor idolizes him and tries to be just like him. Lily's face lights up with joy when he walks in the door and it seems as if she can't get to him fast enough. I wouldn't change anything about the way he parents. I have grown to love him more and more each time I've seen him hold his newly born child. I didn't think it was possible to love him any more than I already did, but somehow seeing him as a father intensified that love.

Every day, and especially on Father's Day, I am reminded of just how lucky I am to be married to a man who completely rocks as a dad. He is truly amazing.

Settler's Park

2011-06-19T18:43:00.001-07:00

One of my biggest fears is losing one of my children. For aproximately 20 seconds (maybe only 10 but it felt like hours) this past week I frantically searched a park for Connor, every crime scene kidnapping show I've ever scene replaying over and over in my mind. We went to Settler's Park to see a good friend that we haven't seen since Christmas and the park was packed full of kids. We were standing on the playground watching our kids the entire time but due to the configuration of the playground equipment it was impossible to see your child perfectly unless you were walking by their side. I tried to be the mom who wasn't a control freak but when I couldn't find Connor in those 20 seconds I felt like I was going to die. I can't even explain the fear. For the rest of the time I did walk by his side - under the bridges and around the slides and didn't let him out of my sight for a second.

But prior to and after my moment of complete panic we had a great time. Connor loved the park and I loved being with Tara. Next time he is wearing a flourescent colored shirt and I will be by his side the entire time.

A visit.

2011-06-19T18:26:00.001-07:00

Uncle Jordan, Aunt Angie and their three boys came for a quick overnight visit last week. Both Connor and Lily loved the extra attention, especially the many stories Jordan willingly read.

A lesson from my dad.

2011-06-13T20:53:00.001-07:00

Father's day is coming up and I've been thinking a lot about my dad this week. My dad is one of those people who pretty much knows everything, and if he discovers something he doesn't know he soon learns about it and adds it to his extensive supply of knowledge. My dad is my anytime anywhere internet access. Anytime I have a question and I am out and about I call him up and he gives me the answer. It's pretty great. But in honor of Father's Day I decided to share one of the most important lessons my dad taught me. He used to play his guitar and sing these words:

John Henry Bosworth, late in 'sixty-eight
Decided that the time had come to settle his estate
The riots of the summer were creeping into fall
So he packed his family in the car
And chose to leave it all
Out on the open road with his elbow in the breeze
He pulled his woman to him
And he gave her heart a squeeze
With a song that he'd been singing
And they waved to the people that they passed
All along the highway they went winging
Headed for their paradise at last

John Henry Bosworth's family on the farm
Elizabeth is sitting knitting from a ball of yarn
Koolaid's in the kitchen, Button's up in her bed
And John he takes a long pull on his pipe
And lays his head back in the easy chair
With the Good Book in his hand
He close his eyes and thank the Lord
for making him a lucky man
With a song that he'd been singing
And they waved to the people that they passed
All along the highway they were winging
Headed for their paradise at last

John Henry Bosworth, 1984
The sky is red, the city's dead
And there's a knock upon the door
Every piece of Scripture, every prayer he prayed
Had brought him to this moment
Of this particular day
"Open the doors" he cried,
"Let the brothers and the sisters inside
I got everything to give now and nothing left to hide".
With a song that he'd been singing
And they waved to the people that they passed
All along the highway they'd been winging
Headed for their paradise at last

And I was wondering if you had been to the mountain
To look at the valley below?
Did you see all the roads tangled down in the valley?
Did you know which way to go?
Oh the mountain stream runs pure and clear
And I wish to my soul I could always be here
But there's a reason for living way down in the valley
That only the mountain knows

Noel Stookey
©1971 Songbirds of Paradise

And it took several years of him singing before I figured out that he wasn't simply singing a beautiful song, he was teaching me the meaning of living in the valley. Thanks dad. I love you.

Monday hikes.

2011-06-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

A little Harry Potter-ish if you ask me.

Our morning was busy with a my usual morning run with my 17 year old neighbor and then a pilates class for my poor scoliosis-ridden spine. That meant the afternoon was taken up with naps, dinner prep, and eating. So we decided to put our hike at the end of the day and Bryant was able to go with us which was an added bonus. Due to the lack of time we chose something short and close to home, the Boise Cascade Lake Loop. I did not have high hopes due to its location smack in the middle of Boise proper, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was beautiful and Connor was in heaven throwing rocks and sticks into the water. Lily warbled and gurgled the entire time. It was a perfect end to our day.