Monday, June 29, 2009

WHY?

Collin is 2 1/2 and has started asking "why"? I thought this happened at around 4 or 5?? WTH? How do you explain the "why" of anything to a 2 year old? I thought I had a lot more time before I had to start coming up with quick and age appropriate answers to his every question. And trust me, he's not just saying it to say it. He asks at very appropriate times. This child is keeping me on my toes!!I wouldn't have it any other way!!

NO!

NO_This is Collin's new favorite word. He has always said no but not always with such attitude. "Collin sit down-NO, Collin, time to go-NO" you get the picture. He spent a lot of time on the step this weekend-I want to nip this one in the bud as soon as possible. There is nothing that fries me more than a snotty kid yelling "NO" at their parent (of course I'm not speaking of my kid, he's an angel-lol). That said, why is it so hard for me to keep a straight face when he does it? I think he enjoys the whole sitting on the step thing!He sits and fake whines and then when his time is up and I go to get him he grabs my face and gives me a kiss and hug then goes off and plays again. Two minutes later..."NO"!!! Oh boy-maybe I need to re-evaluate my technique??? This parenting thing is no joke!

Friday, June 26, 2009

FFF-Collin' Favorite Thing...BASEBALL GAME!

Headed into the game.


Mentally preparing for the "Running of the Bases" with a little help from a furry friend.



Ready...Set...GO!!




Coming into HOME!



He did it!!






To check out more FFF click here.

Friday, June 12, 2009

FFF-Favorite Foto Friday

Collin's Funny Faces-even funnier when he is wearing his bike helmet. What can I say? He's special...so very special!!!







To see more FFF click here.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Weekend in Review

Look at me...2 days in a row!! Well, we have had Nana and Pop here for a slumber party the last few nights. It was like having a party every night when I got home from work. I would pull up and hear Wyatt and my mom and dad out in the hot tub.I have to say I miss them a little. It was nice getting up in the morning and sitting outside drinking coffee and chatting while the kids played-in their PJs of course. I don't think we were ever dressed before noon!



I was washing some stuff outside and my two little sidekicks decided to help out. They grabbed the scrub brush and sponge and washed everything in sight.



And, of course, a little sprinkler time. I love summer!!



Here is dad trying to teach Collin how to dribble a basketball. He's a great dad!!

Collin Updates

Due to the fact that I have been handling my blogging so poorly as of late I suppose I should catch up on Collin specifically. It seems like he changes daily! So here is what is new with Collin.

He loves to make "funny faces" whenever I take pictures of him. If he sees the camera I rarely get a picture where he isn't squinting his eyes and sticking out his tongue!



He absolutely refuses to sit in a highchair of booster chair. He will stand on the seat or sit on my lap but NO HIGHCHAIR PERIOD! He has learned to unlock the screen door to our back sliding glass door so he lets the dog and himself out on a regular basis. He also loves to hide and since he has learned to let himself outside this new game has induced panic in me several times already!




Collin knows what kind of car everyone drives and announces it every time he sees it. He also has to say goodbye to it. If he sees a similar car on the road-when I say similar I mean make/model/color, not just any old car that is close-he has to tell you whose car it is.


He is very good at saying please, thank you and excuse me. So good in fact, that he will make a fake burping noise just so that he can say excuse me. He also says hello and goodbye to just about every person he sees. He will sit in the front window of our house and wait for someone to walk by so he can yell "HI!" and BYE BYE GUYS!"


I downloaded some new kid songs on my Ipod and was playing them in the car the other day. The "Chicken Dance" was playing and when it skipped to the next song Collin started screaming "AHBAH GAME AHBAH GAME" which translated means baseball game. I didn't see anything that looked even slightly related to a baseball game and noticed that Collin was getting visibly more upset that I was not complying with his demands! Finally it dawned on me that they play the Chicken Dance song at the baseball game. How in the world did he remember that? Today he sat and listened to that stupid song at least 20 times in a row before I couldn't take it any more-WOW-it was a hissy fit of epic proportion!! It was like he was in a chicken dance trance!!

And last but not least we booked our trip to Guatoberfest in October!! My mom and I will be taking Collin. We had decided not to go but Consuelo and Lizzie our great friends and guardian angels from Guatemala will be going so we had to go. I am really excited to see them again! I don't know how we would have made it without Consuelo! We have lots of fun Guat events coming up this summer. Our adoption agency has a reunion in Indiana and another group is having a gathering the same weekend at an indoor water park in Indianapolis so I think we will hit both! Should be fun! Hopefully we can squeeze some camping in too-minus the rain of course!

Well, I think we are caught up-FINALLY!!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

More catching up

I hate when I have to catch up with blogging-it seems like I just don't put as much effort into it as I do when I blog right after something happens. I have a mishmash of stuff an it never seems to flow. We have been really busy since the trip to NC. My parents moved and they brought one of my nieces (Brylie)home with them to visit for a few weeks. Collin has had a playmate but sometimes those two together are a little hard to handle. They both want what the other one has and when they don't get their way they flip out! Not usually a big deal but when tensions are high and time is short it can be a problem. But, we have had a little time to have some fun.

They love picnics so we had one in the backyard. Bosley loves picnics too because the food is on the ground meaning easier access-hence the boo boo face on Collin. Bosley ate his pretzel =*(




Alexis graduated from high school-very exciting! Cool dude made it through the whole thing and dinner!



We ate at Alexis' favorite restaurant-House of Japan. It never dawned on me that it would be so perfect for little kids...entertainment, little bits of food at a time and you don't have to wait very long. I wasn't sure how he would handle the big ball of fire but he didn't seem to mind at all.


Collins first NASCAR race

I realize I am a little late posting this but what can you do? Collin went to his first NASCAR race a few weeks ago. I'm not sure you could really call it going to a race since he didn't really go in but he was there! We went to Charlotte with Wyatt's family and took my mom and dad along. My brother and his girls met us there too since they live in NC now.It rained the entire weekend and was not exactly the fun time we had hoped for but it was still a nice trip. Wyatt was very excited to take Collin to his first race but we decided against it. It is a really big track so he didn't remember it being that loud but once we got there we realized it was probably too loud for him. We were sure he wouldn't keep headphones on or earplugs in so he missed out on this one. There will be plenty of other opportunities for dad to take him to a race. He did get to experience the atmosphere and seemed to do fine camping in a tent. He had a great time hanging out with all of his cousins!

Packed up and ready to go.We lovingly referred to this as the hillbilly ghetto trailer.
Nothing like breakfast on Chinette sitting in a camping chair.

Kickin' it in the tent with KC


Checking out the goods with dad...


But not for long!




Fun times-playing in the mud with Brylie!



Checking out Uncle B's new place! A nice bath and a nap in a real bed, not a tent!!





While the adults were busy packing up I looked around to check on Collin and he was sprawled out in a camping chair chowing down on Fudge Stripe cookies as fast as he can before he gets BUSTED!! He tried to hide the bag beside him but the chipmunk cheeks and chocolate covered mouth and hands kind of gave him away!



Fun is over-time to head back to C-bus.

MIA -Sorry

Sorry we have been MIA for a few weeks. Of course, things have been hectic. My parents sold their condo and moved into a very small apartment since the house they wanted to buy didn't work out. So, we had LOTS of work to do. They have been staying with us for the last week but tonight they are spending the first night in their new digs! Hopefully things will get back to normal soon because I really hate to waste the summer rushing around having a million things to do!!

Guatoberfest Cruise 2009

My soapbox about the Advent Conspiracy

I came across this video on another blog. I have to admit I only looked at it for entertainment value. I assumed with a title like that, it had to be some wacko conspiracy theory and who doesn't need a good laugh. Suprisingly enough it really touched me and made me think. It didn't grab my interest because of it's religious value, because that's not really my thing. I am not the type of person that flaunts religion or believes in pushing your beliefs onto others. It touched me because of it's human value and because it shows me how quickly I forget.

When we were in Guatemala it was truly a life changing experience for a myriad of reasons, only one of which was bringing home a baby! We saw poverty that we could never imagine in this country. I remember thinking when I was there that despite all of the stress of the situation, I was more at peace than I had ever felt in my life. Among other things, there was no pressure to have more...there was nothing to have. People just lived their lives. Families worked together, lived together in cramped housing-if they had a roof over their heads at all-and they were happy! We were forced to enjoy eachother without our "creature comforts" and I loved it. I now remember hoping that once we got home, I would never lose that idea that we don't really need much at all. I realized our society makes us think we need more but we really don't. And after watching the video it makes me realize that I have failed miserably.


I had made up my mind that in order to honor my new found attitude and our sons heritage, we would sponsor a Guatemalan family every year so that they could have food and heat and their children could go to school-things we take for granted on a daily basis. For some reason I can never seem to find the money to do that- BUT- I can find the money to buy coffee every day, sometimes several times a day, Collin will see a room full of gifts on Christmas morning, I can go out to eat, I can do whatever I want for the most part. My priorities have gone right back to where they were before I experienced Guatemala and it makes me sad. That is the reason that I am posting the video in a permenant spot on the blog, so that I am constantly reminded, not only during Christmas but all year to give PRESENCE to my friends and family not PRESENTS and to give back to something that I feel very strongly about. I don't write this to push Guatemalan charity or any charity but to encourage anyone reading this to slow down and take a look at your life and see what means the most to you and see where it takes you.

Advent Conspiracy