April 2011 Easter Fun...

It has been a busy and super fun month!!! Between the big goofy bunny, I mean, Uncle Brian coming to down.... AND Aunt Joan coming in.. (where o where are pictures of my boy and his aunt joan??) and me going to Philly for 2 full nights in a row (first time away from him for more than 24 hours)... and oh, I don't know, a change of homestead thrown in for some fun... we've been busy but smiling in these parts... enjoying life 1 day at a time... ...Future Wing Men...

Jack is our nephew from my younger brother -- I always hoped that our kids would be close, and I love seeing these boys smile and play together... Jack was really patient with LM in his first year home, almost as if he "knew" and was just waiting for our LM to catch up on everything from how to run, jump, hop, and play games to talking -- and ever since LM figured it all out, the 2 of them are hilarious together -- polar opposites from personality to looks yet so similar in terms of being really smart, verbal kids -- these two charmers are sure to be most excellent wing men for each other in dating years to come...
And, of course, they both love to be downright silly with Uncle Brian...

If you guessed who was under this table first was under 4 years old..
... guess again... ha ha

...Our Boys Being Silly...

...Our Boys being More Serious... I mean Silly Take 2....

This month we also moved. More on that another day. here is a view of part of our yard...

...And our new pets... Bambi and her gang...

This month means spring break time.... KK and LM both had their school spring break the same week, so we got a full day of KK fun... They totally loved it, and I was happy and smiling but dead tired at the end of the day! ha ha... We made an easter egg hunt, complete with a map, for LM during his nap... and he loved going around following his map and finding things.. And, of course, what is a full day of playing together for fun if we do not make....

... Fresh Cookies...
... Complete, of Course, with Eating the Dough off the Batter...

...Amidst all of this, Aunt Joan came to town for a work conference, and with her came Laura, whom I have had the total pleasure of getting to know -- funny how she and Joan were good friends via work stuff, and then she and I connected on a Joan comment of "hey, my friend Laura and her husband are adopting too..." ... As it turned out, we were picking up and thru Moscow with an overlap, so we met in person then for the first time, and so it was so much fun to see her again in person for a few days.... Bethany came up for a night, and a good old friend Janet also was in town -- it was a much much needed Mama break, and while I was really worried, LM was great and enjoyed a couple of days with Papa, who pulled in some favors to get the blocked time off... And LM's response when I got home was well worth it...

At any rate...Don't ask me where I was with the camera this month because even when it was in my bag somewhere, I faulted in not using it enough... We did go to the barn again this year for the club Easter Breakfast & Egg Hunt, many many thanks to Gamma... it was a lot of fun, even if it was a tad bit rainy...wish I had been better about taking more pictures tho...

...Hm... See why no pictures on Santa's lap?...
...1 Year Later.. Still a bit leary of the big bunny...
But, of course, not at all shy to ask for some jelly beans!!

... Not afraid to run with the "big kids"... He tries his hand at Sling Shot Fun...

There are so many dates important to me in our process of the joy of bringing our LM home... I know it can drive non adoptive parents, family members, and sometimes my gorgeous husband crazy my efforts to commemorate these dates... thanks to all who humor me! :) So, while we met April 12, 2009 (Hence the last post) -- it was also Easter day... Our day for the light of family to shine in our lives and bring us the reality of the promise for us to be a family... We, as is true of most families along their journey, had our share of "stumbles and falls" along the way... and we met our LM on the day of Easter. A day of hope, and a day representing new beginnings.. It seemed so fitting then, and looking back, it continues to be so very fitting... I am grateful to extended family who didn't push for a big family gathering... Jeff was working, and to me, Easter will always be a day to ensure that my boys and I are together, ensuring a quiet remembrance of our beginning... Well, at least together and remembering.. I am not so sure anything could be deemed "quiet" in our lives with our rambunctious 3 year old who is very very into "trialing out" all sorts of "new voices"... So, anyway, LM and I set out to make the day special -- with a cake for papa. A what? Yes, sit down. A cake. Made by me, from a box of course, not from scratch. Don't get too crazy.

And, for the most domestic MOY effort of my life so far... Ladies and Gentleman, we give you the day of the creating of the "Lamb-y Cake"... drum roll please...

...Checking out "The Plan" on the computer...

... Can You See it Starting to Take Shape?...

... Of course, it was 1 marshmallow on the cake, 10 in his mouth...

Does anyone else see some resemblance to
"the big bad wolf" in this photo in our LM?? ha ha...

and anyway...Hm... Where is his eye?... I am sure you can figure that out, too...And, do you think LM is at all contemplating a Lamb-y attack while Mama was distracted by taking the photo??

...The Finished Lamb-y Cake...
Ah... Baby Lamb-y.... The more I hug you, the more likely I might just happen to get icing or marshmallows stuck on my arm for me to eat...

..Putting him in his "Cage", complete with a window so he can breath, of course..
Heading off to surprise Papa at work...

... And, FINALLY.. Bon Apetit..."Yummo Papo"
Gone in 60 seconds or less... 1 piece of Lamb-y cake per each boy...

"It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere"... April 2011 3 Headed Dragon Fun!

LM, your drive to find fun and be silly cracks us up... This month your favorite books have been "The Easter Story" (I hope as an adult as you read this, LM, that you understand our need to revise the story this year so you think "Jesus grown up was asked to leave town because the leaders didn't like him"...), "Mrs McNosh Hangs up her Wash", and "The Big Wide Mouthed Frog".. and of course "Chicken Little" (especially the page where Goosey Loosey decides to join the gang to "go and tell the king")... The way you "connect the dots" in your head just absolutely amazes me... For months after Christmas you had a fascination and constant playing out of "The Live Nativity" -- and it appears that story is officially now replaced with the Easter Story... Today at the playground, someone said they fell,and you told me "Mama, Jesus grown up fell 3 times".. When we were playing hockey and you fell down, you told me some story that was not so understandable until you said "and mommy, I fell down FIVE times. Jesus only fell down 3 times.".... But almost every night you ask for the story and you tell me "It was Judas, Mommy"... and then we get near the end and you say "Don't worry, after Jesus leaves town, he will come back".. Your stories and connections really make us smile....You told me when you woke up from your nap today that "Yes, I had a good dream"... When I asked what the dream was about, you said... "I dreamed about the animals...I was in the Savana with the animals from Zoo Lane. It was my birthday. They sang happy birthday to me".... In the bathtub, I asked you to get me the letter S. You proceeded to pick up an M, a J, a 2, and a 5 first, and tell me what each of them was...I had no idea you could even recognize an M or a J.. the numbers didn't surprise me, since you are interested in them and now count up to 30!!! After a bit, you then found the S and referred to your name...Your "developmental contradictions" leave me smiling sometimes and trying not to cry on others as I try to find patience to help you understand and "do the right thing" (more on that later from your other fav: "Three Questions")... Examples... 1) Socially, you are really picking up and figuring things out... We went to the local arboretum and you hung with the big boys... but then dropped back with Mama from time to time...Took off again with the boys, then back to me with drop to the ground insistence you were a baby and I needed to carry you... 2) When one of the younger girls was sad she had no snack, you were the only kid who offered her to share yours... Yet on another hand you whack your dog over the head when he has a ball you kicked to him... 3) and yet, on another turned around one day this week and said "If I get a special treat of a granola bar, can I please give Ashton a special treat from his box?"...
... You are just so very smart...sensitive, generous, and funny...
Many thanks and blessings stem from Easter day, our beginning of life as a family with our little ray of sunshine and joy...