Our first FCC picnic

On Saturday we went to the annual FCC (Families With Chinese Children) picnic at Blackberry Farm in Aurora. They had a merry-go-round, a train ride and pony rides for the young children. Kamryn was afraid to participate in all that, but she did love the clown that FCC had at the picnic. She even gave the clown a hug. Gals from a local Chinese language school were also at the picnic making sweet necklaces for the girls and dragon boat cut-outs. They say Kamryn isn't too young to learn Chinese . . . I just wish she'd learn English though! The boys even had fun since they brought their fishing gear and actually caught fish which made them very happy. Kevin had the job of getting the hook off the fish and throwing them back in the water. Poor fish. Poor Kevin.

Sending a Two Year Old to the Moon

Today I would like to. Great school's out but the drama is just beginning. Brendan came home yesterday and dropped his school stuff that he cleaned out of his desk onto the floor inbetween the dining room and hallway area. It still sat there this morning and while I was working on Matthew's birthday invitations, thinking that Kamryn was watching TV with the boys in the family room, she was going through Brendan's stuff.

I noticed marker on her leg. My heart skipped a beat, and I held my breath when I went to find the marker. I found it by Brendan's pile along with several abstract black marker drawings all over the wood floor. Okay, my house is normally Kamryn proofed. This pile was out of the ordinary, but she finds everything she shouldn't have! Brendan asked for a permanent marker the other day because his class was wearing their third grade field day t-shirts and they wanted to sign their names on them. I gave him one of those laundry marking pens.

I did not react well to the new art in my house. After losing it and trying a wet cloth and elbow grease with no luck, I probably should have taken a breather and made some calls or looked online to find out how to remove the marker stains the most effectively. My second thought though as I looked under my sink was to try the Mr. Clean white cleaning pads. That attempt worked at getting the black marks off the wood but it also took the shine and finish along with it.

I don't remember the boys getting into so much when they were two. Well, maybe. I remember that Matt got a hold of a pair of scissors at Mary Kay's house (when she babysat him) and he cut his coat pocket and a bit of her drapes I think. I only remember Brendan getting into the Cherrios box and dumping it out on the kitchen floor. She has them beat in the terrible two's department.

School's Out!

I will be the first to admit that I am glad that the school year is over. It seems like it has been longer than usual probably due to the move and starting a new school. I still feel like an outsider at the new school (ha, and I don't actually go to school) but hopefully that will change next year.

When the boys came home from their last 1/2 day, we went to CiCi's pizza with the boys' friends, Nick and Jake and their parents. Yes, it's a CiCi's just like in Indiana! The kids love the pizza buffet and arcade games, but it is always crazy there. We went there last weekend too with our new friends Sue & Darah and their sweet girls both from China. They were troopers to endure the CiCi's experience. Not the best pizza in Chicago, but certainly kid friendly.

We just found out during this last week of school that the school here never received Matt's records from Indiana. So after many phone calls and faxes, we got it all straightened out and they determined that he will go into accelerated math next year. I'm glad because he would come home from school saying that he was helping other kids in his class during math. Instead of tutoring, I'd rather him be learning.

I helped out at the fifth grade party at school last Friday. It was a nice hot day so the kids enjoyed playing sports and doing different activities outside all afternoon. I can't believe I have a Jr. High student now! Matt is really looking forward to the Jr. High experience.

We spent all day Saturday at Lacrosse tournaments. Both boys really enjoyed playing this sport. Matt's team won the championship. Matt is the second boy in the first row in his team picture. Brendan is number 9 in the other picture.

Should I even admit this?

Last week the kids and I went to my friend Tina's house to hang out after school. The boys swam in the big pool and the girls splashed around in the kiddie pool. Kamryn and Lilly, Tina and I went inside for a snack and while Tina and I were chatting at the kitchen table, the girls ran off and we didn't think much of it until Lilly came into the room with something red on her finger. "My nail polish!" Tina yelled. I ran so fast into the living room and saw Kamryn at their desk with an open bottle of burgundy nail polish happily painting her nails. Too bad she missed her nails and got mostly her fingers and her arm up to her elbow. Unfortunately, she also left some nail polish spots on the desk. On the bright side, she didn't decide to paint her toes on their carpet.

Field Trips are so much fun

I've been lucky this year to go on a field trip with each of the boys. I went to the Field Museum with Brendan's class and just last Friday I went to Cantigny with Matt's class. (probably my last field trip with him, boohoo) I've always wanted to go to Cantigny and never have surprisingly. (after college one man wanted to conduct a job interview there which creeped me out so I instead met him at a mall and wasn't interested in his job opening anyway) Cantigny was very interesting. I never knew anything about it except that it was known for its wonderful gardens. There is so much history there! It's the Estate of Colonel Robert R. McCormick (1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army) whose family helped make the Chicago Tribune the World's Greatest Newspaper. The kids just learned about World War I so this was the perfect educational and fun field trip. They loved climbing on the tanks and going through the war museum which kinda made you feel like you were right in the trenches. http://www.cantignypark.com

Differences in chaperoning a 3rd Grade Field Trip vs. a 5th Grade Trip

1. Brendan sat with me on the bus; I sat alone on Matt's field trip.
2. The third graders sang at the top of their lungs the whole way back from Chicago; the fifth graders were pretty quiet and instead played competitive games like "which group of kids on each side of the bus could get the most waves and honks from the other drivers on the road." From now on, I will wave and honk if kids on a bus encourage it. I never knew how much it makes their day:)
3. Third graders talk about nothing mostly; fifth graders start talking about girls . . . yikes! By all the tanks there was a sign telling about it, how fast it went, what type of tank it was, etc. One sign had the word "hotchkiss" on it. It means a rapid firing gun I think, but one of the boys started telling everyone that this tank shoots out hot chicks! I couldn't believe it!
4. The third graders listened pretty well to me when I gave them directions; the fifth graders seemed to have a hard time hearing as I had to repeat myself several times. Okay, the third grade field trip was indoors and the fifth grade trip was both indoors and outdoors. Maybe the fresh air had something to do with it.
5. Third grade trip I had 4 boys in my group; fifth grade trip I had 7! That's alot of boys!

Thanks to Kevin who was able to stay home with Kamryn. Thanks to my mom too since she came over to stay with Kamryn in the afternoon while Kevin went to be the mystery reader in Brendan's class. It was something I committed to before the field trip came up. Brendan was happy to see his dad though.

False Labor

Well yesterday was a bit stressful for me and Scooter. I noticed in the morning that she was acting differently . . . laying with her head down on her bedding, stretching out her legs and rolling over to lie on her back. Then she'd sit up on her hind legs and then her body would sort of "hiccup" and I swear she was having contractions. So when the boys got home from school, we took Scooter to an animal hospital. The vet examined her and confirmed that she is pregnant so our instincts have been right all along. She showed me how to feel for the separating of bones in her pelvic area which is a sign that labor is coming. She said she could feel at least two babies but there could be more. She didn't seem to think Scooter was in distress so no c-section would be necessary at this point. She felt that Scooter's body is just getting ready and told us that the pups would be born shortly. She asked if she could take Scooter back to show the other doctors and nurses because it's very rare that they see a pregnant guinea pig. I should have asked for a discounted rate on the visit since we were helping them out:)

This morning we all woke up expecting to see mini-pigs but we didn't. So we are still waiting for the birth. The doctor did recommend different food pellets for us to give Scooter since she is pregnant and will be nursing. I can't believe I've turned into a guinea pig "midwife" as my friend Kendra called me. This idea of "sure we can get a pet" has really turned into an adventure!

Mother's Day

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there!

Last Thursday, Kamryn and I road tripped to Carmel, IN to see my friend Carol who recently became a new mom again to her fourth little one, Logan. It was a quick trip but well worth it to see them. Lindsey is a now a big sister and loving it. Garrett and Vincent seem to love having a new brother to train. Logan seemed so little, and Kamryn suddenly seemed so much bigger to me. I came to the realization that Kamryn is almost at the age that Matthew was (2-1/2) when we had Brendan. Oh my, Matt was moving into a big boy bed so we could use the crib for Brendan. I surely hope that Kamryn stays in the (same) crib until she turns three or four! Our bedtime routine is finally getting easy and moving into a bed would complicate things:)

This is the first Mother's Day in four years that I could be with my mom without one of us making a road trip! The first year we lived in Indy, we tried to find a restaurant halfway that we could meet at. We found one with a brunch near Lake Shafer, IN that sounded great on the phone and online but when we got there, it was just this little place that was just so-so. We never did try to meet halfway after that. This year, we barbecued at our house. The boys made me their own Mother's Day cards and gave me a box of dark chocolates. The day was very sweet indeed.

We're getting close to having mini pigs!

Scooter is definitely pregnant. No, I haven't taken her to the vet yet, but I can now see the pups moving inside her belly. My friend Denise was over and saw it too, so I now have a witness and a second female opinion.

A guinea pigs pregancy lasts 68-72 days and we haven't had her that long. We got them on March 11th. I've read that when you start seeing the movements, she is about a week away from having the babies. This is going to be an education!

When a mom is too busy . . .

This is how I caught Kamryn walking around the house . . . pajamas, boots on the wrong feet and her backpack . . . while I was trying to clean out the basement and bring up my extra inventory that I have left from my Home Interiors and Gifts business venture. After 8 years of doing that, I've decided to call it quits, so I am having a "going out of business" sale this coming weekend.

Besides that, we got our home office built-ins installed last week so I am trying to find a home for everything and clean out our files. Hmm, a little too much to do with running to Lacrosse practice and dodgeball twice a week. At least Kamryn can entertain herself somewhat by dressing up! I still have to keep my eye on her though because I found her upstairs by Razor's cage with the door open. That's all I need is a loose guinea pig in the house.

Speaking of guinea pigs, I am fearful (the boys are hopeful) that Scooter, the other guinea pig is maybe having a mini pig. Yep, I think she might be pregnant. She seems to be getting really fat and after careful examination several times of Razor, we think he is a boy even though the pet store said they were all girls. They've never been together at our house except for "playtime" and there were times I had to shoe Razor away from Scooter, if you know what I mean. But I guess it doesn't take much for a guinea pig to get pregnant. Next week I'll take Scooter to a vet. That is unless she goes into labor before then, probably during my open house.
Kevin's dad & Dianne were in town last weekend for cousin Maddie's First Communion. We were glad that they stayed at our house. Grandma Dianne played cards with the boys ever spare moment and came to Chinese baby playgroup with Kamryn and I on Friday. Yes, I scoured the FCC group lists for girls around Kamryn's age and formed our own little two year old playgroup. We are happy to be meeting these wonderful new friends.

The boys keep themselves entertained most of the time too. With empty boxes in the basement, they got creative one day and made these box costumes. Too bad it's not closer to Halloween. They will be destroyed way before then.

Enjoy the pictures! I'll post pictures of our office next.

My Little Mermaid

Kamryn loves The Little Mermaid. The DVD was in her Christmas stocking, and she's totally enthralled with watching it now. It's great that she can actually sit still to watch the entire movie even though she has seen it a million times. We can all probably recite lines from every single scene and sing the songs from it too. The Easter bunny brought her some mermaid figurines and a bathing suit with Ariel on it. She loves to wear the swimsuit around the house. One night while playing with Ariel and the Prince (Eric), she put them together as if they were kissing! I was so shocked! They do kiss at the end of the movie though, but I am still surprised at how she picked up on that. Oh, I am constantly amazed at the differences between boys and girls. Even at age 2, she gets excited about clothes and dressing up and Princes in movies.

Please pray for Brea and her family

I heard about this family's situation about a month ago and am so relieved that this little girl has a new heart. She was "hit" with a virus in her heart which caused her heart to stop working. Thankfully, she did receive a new heart.

Brea's Story

Many people in the China adoption network know about Brea since she is a girl who recently came home from China. She's only 6 months younger than Kamryn. My heart breaks to think about what this family has gone through and their upcoming challenges as their daughter recovers and they try to fund the monthly prescription bill of $3,000. Read their story; it could be any of our children . . . miracles do happen . . . it's a true inspiration.

Happy Easter!

We went to my sister's house today for an Easter brunch. Kamryn and Gavin enjoyed their little egg hunt and mostly enjoyed the treasures inside the eggs. Kamryn has definitely had too much sugar this weekend since she also enjoyed a FCC (Families With Chinese Children) playgroup egg hunt yesterday too. After finding only 3 eggs and realizing they contained chocolate, she planted herself to start eating. The funniest part of it all today is that she started shaking the eggs to hear what was inside. She picks up even the littlest of actions from her brothers! This morning they were shaking the eggs to try to decipher whether it was candy or money inside. Wouldn't they have been surprised if it was pebbles or rocks.

At church this weekend, the sermon was about Expectations. It was an awesome reminder of how strongly our expectations determine our happiness. They gave this equation: What we expect minus what we get equals how happy we are. Think about it. It's so true. If we expect a lot and get a little, we're disappointed. If we don't expect a lot and get a lot, we are really happy. Then of course they talked about what we expect from God; good health, protection, good financial situations, and the list goes on, and when things don't go according to our plan, we are disappointed in Him. We've all been at that spot I'm sure, especially when bad things happen to good people. Anyway, I won't ramble, but it was very enlightening, and they tied it all with the Easter message of hope in a way that I will always remember. We've visited this church three times now during our "church shopping" spree, and I really love it because I always get their message, I learn a lot and it relates to everyday life.

When the boys expected dimes in their eggs and got jellybeans, they were disappointed. I think I need to talk to them about what we learned at church since they were in the kids program and learned a different lesson.

Spring Break Wonders

Last week the boys were on Spring Break. We got together with some new friends at a really neat park by our house. It has a great toddler area and for the boys, it has a skate bowl. When we go there, everyone is happy and that makes me happy. It's also neat that Matt's new friend has a brother the same age as Brendan and the boys all got along really well. Their mom and I get along really well too, so we're all glad to have made a new friend!

We drove down to Indiana for the last few days of break. It was great to get together with as many friends as we could while we were there. Indy's break is actually this week, but lots of people always leave early for vacation so we did miss some friends:( Maybe next time. Thanks Delilah and Carol for letting us crash at your house. It was fun!

The boys were so funny because they thought they were living it up since we went to CiCi's for dinner with friends one night, went to the mall the next day for our favorite Chicken Teriyaki, and then they got Dairy Queen too with the money that my friend Debbie generously gave them as a reward for watching Kamryn while she and I finished lunch and talked. I'm so glad they are still so easy to please:)

We were able to see all of Kamryn's playgroup buddies, and I am just amazed at how each of them are talking so much. It's so wonderful to hear their thoughts. Anna Li ran a lap around the tables at CiCi's and stopped by us and said, "I'm running fast!" I bet Kamryn would think that too, but wouldn't be able to express it in a sentence yet. People say I shouldn't wish for her to talk because someday she won't stop, but I really can't wait to have an actual conversation with her.

Kamryn went to her first movie at the theater last Friday. We went with Sue, Julia and Sarah to see The Robinson's. I didn't know how Kamryn would do since she is always moving, but to my surprise, she sat on my lap the entire time! I guess the popcorn and twizzlers and the big screen were enough to settle her down for an hour and a half! I didn't realize that the movie was about an orphan and there were some tough parts to watch as this boy desperately wants to belong to a family and find his birthmother. Oh how I hugged Kamryn a little harder while she sat on my lap and thought how lucky we both are to have each other and to be a part of a bigger wonderful family. Then I thought how lucky I was that she probably doesn't understand the movie and can't talk and ask me those bigger questions that I know she will ask someday about her adoption;)

Three days of no nap starting showing through after the movie when we met Delilah and Mark at Bub's for a quick bite to eat before the ride home. Unfortunately, Delilah had to witness the tiresome whining of a two year old. I told her maybe if she's lucky, her and Brad will get a referral for a three year old! I so wish referrals from China would speed up so they can get there and get back with their daughter.

While we were at Carol's house, Kamryn loved playing with all of Lindsey's fun toys. She really enjoyed the play vanity table and goodies that were on it. Kami has a vanity table but nothing for it, so today I gave her a Barbie bag with pretend lipstick, eyeshadow, nail polish, perfume and a battery operated blow dryer. All day today she has been painting my nails and her nails and drying her hair. It's so cute to see her play like this. I totally got my girly-girl, and I'm loving every minute of it. The boys are special boys, and she is our special girl. Our family really is complete.

As the one song in The Robinson's by Rob Thomas goes (Sue you were right) . . . "All lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate, time falls away but these small hours, these little wonders still remain." I am still in awe at how perfectly God had planned our family to have two boys and one girl from a land far away and matched all of our hearts. I am constantly reminded of His wonder even as she plays make believe.

Catching up

Here are some pictures from last weekend when Alec visited. Kamryn was so happy to "talk" to Alec on her play cell phone. Have I mentioned how cute it is when she just babbles into her phone and then giggles? I'm sure I have. It sounds like she is babbling in Chinese. When she laughs it's the cutest thing because it's like someone really said something funny:)

Last Friday Kevin took a day off work so I could go on a field trip with Brendan's class down to the Field Museum. I haven't been there in years and so it was nice to walk around even it meant keeping up with 4 third grade boys. We were all fascinated by the dinosaur "Sue" and the rocks and gems. The boys found their birthstones, and I couldn't take my eyes off the huge diamonds on display:) Brendan was so excited that I was going with him. I'm really glad I got a chance to do something with him at his new school because I know his enthusiasm for mom hanging around won't always be there.

It's my mom's birthday today (happy birthday mom!) Grandma had the pleasure of eating lunch with all six of her grandchildren today because the kids are on spring break. Gavin was sweeping food off the table, Kamryn was taking off her shoes and climbing under the table to Melanie . . . Matt, Brendan, Hunter and Lauren were good, but after two spilled drinks (yes, by my mom and Melanie) I was glad when lunch was over and that we had a peaceful, relaxing and fun Saturday night to celebrate the occasion too.

My mom is always helping us, especially with the kids, so Melanie and I treated her to a girls night out in honor of her birthday. Saturday night, Melanie, Lauren, mom and I went to dinner and then to the Peking Acrobat show at the theater in Aurora. I would have loved to take Kamryn to the show and will someday if they return. The Chinese acrobats are just amazing. It was nice to see a show like this that I'll remember since we all slept during the show in China due to jet lag.

Pets for St. Patrick's Day?

Okay, I finally broke down and agreed to let the boys get a pet. Brendan was really wanting one so we took a trip to a couple of pet stores and came home with two guinea pigs, Razor and Scooter. They are really pretty cute and if I don't look at their feet too long, I forget that they are rodents. They are displaying little personalities and the boys are really happy, so I just hope that they won't be allergic to them. I am getting somewhat attached to them already and it's only been a week:)

Today Matthew and I are driving halfway to Indiana to meet one of his friends and his mom and then we are bringing Alec home with us for the night. Kevin is planning on taking the boys to the Shamrox Lacrosse game tonight. Should be rocking since it's St. Patrick's Day! (they're the new Chicago Pro Lacrosse team)

Since Kevin is a big Soprano's fan, for his birthday I bought us tickets for The Soprano's Last Supper, an interactive spoof of the show at Angelo's restaurant. Well, we went on Friday night and it was fun! We were definitely the youngest in the crowd and had to laugh watching all these older women and men doing the Sopranos version of the Chicken Dance. (ask us to show you sometime) I had fun doing the mamba with Carmine Jr. and Bobby told me that he'd take care of Kevin so that I could become a Soprano. Janice was dancing with Kevin while Bobby was dancing with me, and the two of them kept chattering back and forth about how much distance to keep between dance partners. Pretty funny. The food was actually very, very good and hopefully we'll get back there sometime soon.

We got a little taste of spring a few days ago and wow was it nice! Heather and I went to our friend Jen's house and the kids were able to play outside without coats on. Notice in the picture, Kamryn is barefoot (always!) and always eating. At least when sandal weather is here to stay, I will have one less step to worry about whenever we leave the house or reach our destination in the car. I can't wait to ditch the socks!

Playgroup Date for Mom's Only

Is it still considered "playgroup" even if the 2 year old girls aren't with the moms? We think so. On Saturday, three of my greatest friends in the world drove up from Indy to have a girls' day and night out. After Kevin being in Florida all of last week, I could hardly wait for Christy, Kim and Karen to get here. Kamryn was equally excited to see Allison's, Camille's and Tess' mommy. After lunch here, we went shopping at Oak Brook Mall. Then we checked into a hotel, headed out for dinner and drinks and slept in on Sunday. Ooh, how we wish we could have more weekends like this past one! It was so wonderful to have girl time to talk and leisurely browse in stores. Oh, and I think I've figured out how to kick my chocolate addiction. After one too many chocolate martini's, the last thing in the world I am craving right now is chocolate;)

Adjustments

Okay, there is this new blogger version, and I just can't get used to it. It was easier before to place pictures in the blog. With anything new, there is an adjustment period. I will keep trying this but bear with me if it doesn't look "neat" compared to before.

This was a picture taken of Kamryn on Chinese New Year, of course with food in her hands. She grazes all day instead of eating a meal. I wish I could eat as much as she does without gaining weight.

We're trying to get the boys signed up for spring/summer sports but it's not an easy task. We realized too late that we missed baseball sign ups and there is a wait list. Brendan wanted to do baseball so we found some other league but now he's decided against it. Matthew wants to try LaCrosse and sign ups are this weekend. I hope he can get into it. To our amazement, football sign ups are going on right now too for the fall. Crazy!

Kevin celebrated his birthday last weekend, and the best present was free babysitting by my mom and dad! We went out for dinner by ourselves and it was so nice not having to chase Kamryn around and persuade her to sit still.

Last night the kids and I met my friend Heather and her 3 kids for dinner. What a different dining experience with 4 kids under the age of 4 and Matt and Brendan. Matt and Brendan actually help out alot. Josh sat nice, the twins Hannah and Kaitlyn actually sat nice but Kamryn was all over the place, climbing under the table to sit by the girls and then climbing back by me, trying to steal my pop and steal everyone's food. She truly is a monkey. She is always moving and always thinking. Then she was trying to do adjustments on everyones necks since we had just been to the chiropractor. It was so funny, but she took my neck with her little hands and pretended to do "an adjustment." She proceeded around the table to do that to everyone else too. Lucky for her, her friends are tolerant of her strange actions:)

She just got her first adjustment by a chiropractor before dinner. I am so tired of her nose running constantly and since the boys and I see him and feel better when we do, I figured it could help her too. Her neck is so tight and her health problems have been her ears and nose, so hopefully this will help her. I don't want anymore antibiotics in her little body if I can help it.

Because I know prayer works wonders, please say a prayer for my friend Sue. She just found out that she has a rare form of skin cancer. Pray that she finds the strength to get through the medical procedures ahead of her and that she gets healed fast.

I'm praying that all my friends and family get through all of life's adjustments with ease and with the strength of knowing that if God brings you to it, He will get you through it.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Sunday is the beginning of the Chinese New Year celebration. It is the Year of the Pig. Matt was born in the year of the pig, so maybe this will be a lucky year for him. I don't know how we will celebrate yet, but I'm sure Chinese food will be part of the day. It's amazing that last year we were celebrating at the Crandall's house and so much has changed since then! Last year Kamryn was sick and we were still adjusting to life at home with a new one year old and jet-lag after our trip to China. Now we're bonded like superglue but adjusting to a new home.


The last couple of weekends have been full of friends and travel. Last weekend our dear friends the Leagres came to town and stopped by to see us. Kamryn and Anna Li hit it off again as if they've been seeing each other every Friday for playgroup. The boys played great together too as always. Just this Friday, Kamryn and I drove halfway to Indy to play with a couple of other playgroup girls, Camille and Tess. We met at the Fair Oaks Farm and had a great day. Although when we all got on a bus for the tour to go see the cows, Kamryn got so restless and started hysterically crying. It was one of those hyperventilating cries so we didn't go on the tour. Kim had just mentioned too that it reminded her of China being on the bus with the girls. Hmm, I sometimes wonder what goes through Kamryn's mind.

We were not so lucky to sell our house in Carmel on our own in the 4 months we've had it listed. Lucky for us though we have the option to sell it to the company, and so we made a day trip down to the house to make sure everything was in order before we passed it on. It was such a last minute trip so we were thankful to see some friends while we were there even though we gave them such short notice:) Kamryn had her nails painted for the first time there by my friend Carol. She loved it so I'm glad I will have a nail spa partner in the future.

Just have to share one of those moments you wish you had on video. We were watching tv one night and an I-pod commercial came on. Kamryn got up immediately and started dancing so cute throughout the whole commercial. When it was over she just plopped down. She was in her own little world for those 30 seconds or so.

Brendan has made a new friend and has had a couple of playdates with this boy, Nick. I'm so happy that he is making friends. Matthew is too, but hasn't pushed the playdate thing as much as Brendan. They both can't wait for warmer weather to get outside more.

My sister and I are crazy though because on Valentine's Day we took the kids to a sledding hill. It was 17 degrees out and the four older kids stayed out for a half an hour! Kamryn and I went up to the top of hill and just walked back down and got back in the van because it was so windy cold. I am such a wimp in cold weather. Then we met my mom and dad at Baker's Square for dinner and pie so that warmed us up! Kevin was out of town so he missed this fun.

Kevin never knows what jobs I have lined up for him next. When we moved in, the movers just put the furniture in the spot where I thought I would want it, but it's so crazy on moving day, and who really knows how it's all going to look and work out. Well, this weekend Kevin and I moved the furniture from our living room up to our bedroom and then moved stuff that was being stored in the basement up to the living room. We will probably have sore muscles tomorrow. Now I have more stuff to get re-organized. Just when I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel . . .

COLTS WIN!

Yes, they are the Super Bowl champions! We are happy for Indy, they really do deserve the win. Only wish we could be there to share the excitement.

We watched the game at my parent's house and after dinner, my mom brought out the "football" cake. See, she took the picture. She should have taken it from the Colt's angle;) since she knew too that they were going to win. Funny thing was that the boys would only eat a piece from the Colt's side of the cake. Talk about loyalty. The boys were even happier this morning when they found out school was cancelled today due to extreme cold temperatures. It was a win-win day for them.

Frozen in Chicago

BRRRR . . . It's downright nasty cold here. Good thing I am finally able to take a really hot shower. After we moved in, I told Kevin that the water wasn't hot enough so he adjusted the hot water heater to hot. That didn't do much in my opinion so I put that down on our 30 day punch list for the builder. Friday morning Jamie (who works for the builder) came by to go through the list and was able to adjust some valve in the showers allowing us to turn down the water heater to a more normal setting and get blasting hot water! Yea! Good timing!

Friday was Gavin's 1st birthday. Melanie and Todd had his first birthday party tonight (Saturday, although technically my posting says Sunday because it's after midnight now) and boy did he love his cake! I am posting a picture of Melanie (my sister) and Gavin before he got really messy. He is such a sweet boy.



Our friends, Tina and Greg, just celebrated their daughter Lilly's 2nd gotcha anniversary. I remember driving up from Carmel on day 2 so excited to meet her. Now it's so nice to be able to get together more often. Kamryn and Lilly really like each other and kiss and hug when they see each other.

I can't take my eyes off Kamryn for a second without her getting into something. She's been sick so one day she was watching tv in my bed. I ran to the laundry room, came back and burst into laughter. Here she was sitting with my glasses on! I only wear them only immediately right before bed and they were laying on my dresser. She's such a goof.

















Wishing we were in Florida this month, but we'll be going in June because Kevin's sister Kathleen is getting married then yea!!! We are so happy for her and Peter and look forward to the happy day. I am honored to be the maid (okay matron) of honor. Kamryn is going to be the flower girl. I don't know how she'll cooperate, but at least I've warned Kathleen not to expect perfection. This will be the happiest day of Kath's life regardless.

Keep warm!

What Are The Chances?

That the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears would both end up in the Superbowl? Matt and Kevin were glued to the Colt's game last night, and Kevin said that Matt had a look of panic on his face most of the game until the end. It was an awesome game and proof that it's never over until it's over. Matt proudly wore his Colt's jersey to school today, and Brendan wore his Bear gear. Matt is brave . . . I hope he doesn't catch too much grief for wearing blue and white. Kevin's sister Kathleen swears we are all Bears fans at heart, but let me tell you, after living in Colt's country for 4 years, I don't know if that's the case. Indianapolis will always hold a special place in our hearts, and Colt's fever has a way of getting in your blood. Especially considering Matt was only 7 and Brendan was 5 when we moved there and that is really all they know. Brendan is more indifferent about the whole thing because he doesn't get into football the same way Matt does plus he knows his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins here are rooting for the Bears. This will be one intense Superbowl!

We had snow this weekend which the kids enjoyed playing in. Our backyard doesn't look pretty but has footprints and snowangels all over it along with a little igloo that Matt built. At least it's covering up the animal prints that we saw in the snow dusting this past week. What is it with us and animals? I hope it's only a bunny.




I joined the Chicago chapter of FCC (Families With Chinese Children) and discovered that they have a western suburbs playgroup and a western suburbs moms night out and book club too. We went to the playgroup one Monday morning at the DuPage Children's Museum. Ironically enough, I met another mom with a 2 year old daughter from the same orphanage as Kamryn. She was NOT there with the playgroup however. The weird thing about it is that her and I have emailed back and forth some through the orphanage yahoo group that we belong to. Pretty weird.

I went to the first book club night too and met more wonderful people like I did at the playgroup date. One of the moms of another almost 2 year old had Kamryn and I over to her house to play one day along with another mom of an almost two year old. I guess there are not a whole bunch of girls this age in these groups.

Brendan had his "friend" birthday party this past weekend. We went to the movies and then came back here for pizza and cake. It was a good time, and I was so thankful that we actually had friends to invite;) Had we moved to some new place, it would be a dreary birthday for him. Now he actually gets three celebrations since we can celebrate with both sides of the family and friends too. Two celebrations down, one more to go.


Go Colts! Go Bears!

Happy 2nd Birthday Kamryn!

Kamryn's birthday is January 14th. I can't believe a whole year has gone by already since her last birthday, but I can believe she is two because she definitely has that two year old spunk and attitude! She is so smart for two though (I think) and am so proud of her for repeating many words now. Although her brothers have taught her "mine" which I am not too pleased about. Sharing is a hard concept to teach anyway.

Speaking of sharing, Kamryn shares a birthday with her cousin Lauren (my sister's daughter) and with Lexi (my dear friend Sherri's daughter from China). January is such a big birthday month for our families. Kamryn's other cousin Maddie has a January 10th birthday. Then Brendan's is at the end of the month, Jan. 30th.


Grandpa and Grandma Dianne came in from Florida this weekend to help celebrate all the birthdays. We had a party at Marc and Cathy's house on Sunday and Saturday night we had my family over for cake and presents.

Only a two year old would get excited about the gift of cleaning supplies for her birthday! When Kamryn would spend time at Suzy and Anna Li's house, Kamryn and Anna Li would get out the brooms and help Suzy clean the floor. Well, I told Grandma Roloff that Kamryn would like a play broom set, and sure enough, she loves it. She's my little helper with everything. Good thing I only have a few more rooms to unpack.

This picture explains how I feel most days looking at the piles of boxes waiting to be unpacked! This has been a busy month with the holidays and a move wrapped all together. Sorry for the lack of posting here.

Before we moved, the moms of playgroup decided it would be "fun" to do something different with the girls in honor of all of their second birthdays either already recently celebrated or soon approaching. So we had this great idea to take them to a portrait studio to have their picture taken together. Well, it was much, much, much harder than we ever dreamed it would be. Of course we didn't have visions of complete cooperation, but it was a downright three ring circus to get 5 two years old to stay in the shot long enough for a picture let alone to smile and be happy.

So this picture was the winner. They are all unhappy. The red balloons we brought in didn't help one bit. The photographer did happen to get shots of the girls by themselves. This is Kamryn a bit happier.



Our last few weeks in Carmel were busy ones. Friends took us out for dinners, breakfasts and showered us with memorable Indy, Carmel and goodbye gifts. We feel truly blessed to have made such wonderful friends. This move is bittersweet because although we are glad to be back by family and friends, we are sad to leave our cozy, comfortable Carmel life and our friends there.

Christmas again this year was a blur because we were living out of suitcases and just running on the emotional drain of moving. Hmm, last year jet-lagged. Next year we hope to have a normal holiday season. I'll post pictures of Christmas soon I promise.

Our new house is wonderful although our movers here in Plainfield were terrible. We have damaged furniture but all that can be repaired. What upsets me the most is that they covered up the boo boo on Kamryn's dresser with an inventory sticker.

We accidently left our vacuum cleaner in the Carmel house, so Tuesday thankfully our friends Michele and her son Alec met me and the kids halfway. After all these years, there is finally somewhere fun to meet halfway. Fair Oaks Farms is this dairy farm that does tours and has interactive games and movies and an ice cream shop.

The boys started their new school today and both came home happy. Whew! I was so relieved. Two of my mom's sisters have been in town this week and helped tremendously with helping me get unpacked some. Mom, Dad and my friend Kris helped unpack too. It's nice to have extra hands to just fold the packing paper and condense boxes!

Thanking God for the blessings in my life. Happy New Year!

A Forever Family Anniversary

Yes, Monday marked the one year anniversary of the 5 of us becoming a forever family. We celebrated a day early because Kevin was out of town on Monday. For dinner, we went to Mark Pi's, a local Chinese restaurant. (ironic thing is that their walls are adorned with pictures of Chicago's Chinatown) Delilah and Mark, and Carol, Rob and their kids met us there to share this special occasion. Then we all came back to our house for a "Happy Family Day" cake. We are not only blessed for the addition of Kamryn to our family, but also for the many wonderful friends we've met along the way.