SLEDDING

It was a wonderfully beautiful and very WARM day here in Minnesota! FINALLY!! We were able to get out to the sledding hill and enjoy some outdoor fun with the kids. Oh, how I wish winter was like this the whole season! ;0) It was very bright, though. Dada had to run home to get Jakob's sunglasses. He was a little upset that he couldn't see!

Jakob was all giggles when he was pushing/pulling Jada in the sled. I'm sure they will have their sibling fights when they get older. . . but I know they will also LOVE each other to the end of the world!

Jada was just a kickin' back and enjoying all the action!

And how cute is this?

I am so blessed beyond belief! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!

I got Jakob a "birthday" balloon today at the grocery store. Who ever thought a balloon could be so so so cool?!? He has had it clipped to him since we got home. During playtime, nap, potty time (which he used the potty 4 times today--and he wore underwear to the store!), lunch and dinner, and the balloon is still with him in bed. This is really a fun age for birthdays! I can't wait until he wakes up and finds four more balloons waiting for him! He was just at a friend's birthday party on Sunday and he had a blast! (Thanks Chris, Rachelle, Mason and Carly!)

Jakob was a bit over stimulated--and zonked out the second we got home. Our family will be having a quiet celebration--well, maybe not so quiet if he gets a hold of the recorder he got at Mason's party--with just us and Jakob's birthmom--Kaiti. It will be perfect for this year. . . and then maybe we will move into the bigger party scene next year after he has been in pre-school for awhile. Yes, people, he is signed up to start pre-school in September. . . sniff sniff.

I have truly outdone myself this year with Jakob's cake! :0) I know I'm not going to win any contests on the food channel--but I think Jakob will love it--especially if you know how near and dear Ribbon NUNU and DADA NUNU are to his heart. I had to put a 3 on it since Jakob says he will be turning 2 and then when you say--no, you're turning 3--he then says he's 5. Kids. . . always trying to get older as fast as they can!

I'm sure I will have more pictures to post after his little party--but who knows when I will get to it! haha! May all your birthdays be magical, exciting and full of love! Happy Birthday Jakob!

Birthday Boy!

Where has the time gone? My baby boy will be turning three on the 23rd! I splurged just a little bit--well, maybe a lot--on a kitchen set for him. He just loves to help out in the kitchen and it has been becoming more of a safety issue for this overly cautious mother! So I made an investment in a set that I think will bring lots of fun to our family in the years to come! No, I didn't pay full price--just in case you were wondering. It arrived in just two days after clicking "commit to buy" on ebay--which is SPECTACULAR--but the three huge boxes needed to go. If you have been to our house lately. . .you would find that there is not a whole lot of room left--for anything. Therefore. . . we had a PRE-celebration party on Friday night and unveiled (or unboxed, rather) the three pieces. Jakob has been cooking up a storm. . . lots of food for Jada, Mama, and his NUNU's (who now have their very own highchair.) I guess he thinks Dada gets enough food already! :0) I'm thinking that Jakob's birthmom, Kaiti, will get a kick out of this since her sister is in school to be a chef! :0) We are looking forward to celebrating Jakob's life with her on Friday! Yeah!!

Beautiful baby!

I almost flipped when I got the new issue of Adoptive Families Magazine. I thought someone had raided my computer photos! Well, not really. . . but Jakob had to look twice himself thinking Jada was on the cover! :0) See for yourself!

Blessings

I cannot imagine having to worry about how I am going to feed my baby--I mean, really feeding my baby. Or having to feed my baby watered down formula to stretch it to the next paycheck. Or not being able to use the WIC approved formula because my baby projectile pukes it right back up. Believe me people, I have a puker. Formula does make a difference and once you find one that works--at least better than something else--you stick with it.

We had some formula that was going to expire at the end of this month and Jada just can't tolerate it. We tried. . . So, I listed it on craigslist--for very cheap. I figured if it didn't sell over the weekend I could take it to a crisis nursery or food shelf. On Saturday, while I was at work, a woman called inquiring about it and how much I wanted for just some of it and not the whole lot. If you know my husband, you know that he started to talk (and didn't stop) and got this woman's life story. I'm not going to give it all to you. . . but it turns out she truly was worrying about how she was going to feed her baby. For real. I had only listed the formula that was expiring this month and had a bunch more just sitting around and unable to use--hoping and praying that Jada would grow out of her acid reflux, whatever puke reaction to formula phase, so we could use it. But, I know she won't. So, we packed it all up on Saturday evening--ran to the airport post office around 8pm (well, my husband did anyway) and shipped it all out to her. Oh, yeah, did I mention that she lives in Oregon and was using craigslist for the very first time because she was desperate for formula to feed her baby and somehow found us?

This afternoon, I got a call from Rosie--who was in tears--because she ran out of formula last night and she was feeding her baby tea today--wondering what she was going to do--when somebody knocked on her door and it was the postal worker with our package--full of formula! She was so happy to tell us that her baby sucked it down. Her baby must have been so hungry. Can you imagine--truly imagine? She was so thankful and said when she could afford to, she would take a picture of her kids and mail it to us. . . to show us the baby we were feeding. Another thing most of us take for granted. . . digital cameras and easy access to the internet. She was crying because she felt so blessed and was so thankful for this gift. Tonight, Rosie and her family will be in my dreams. . . as I plan their special package for Valentine's Day! I wish we would have met her before Christmas. . . I know they didn't have any presents.

I truly believe in divine intervention--I really do--how can you not after a story like this! I can't wait to get pictures. I know it will be awhile. . . but I also know that she will follow through when she can afford to. We always talk about how blessed we are and all the blessings we receive and how wonderful God's grace is. Don't forget about all the blessings that you are able to give to others--the blessings of hope, good fortune, food, love, trust, health, shelter, clothing, protection--whatever it is that you are capable of offering. Lord knows we've been blessed a gazillion times this past year! I hope we can share our good fortune with those that really need it!

Here are a few pictures of my blessings!

Thou shall not steal.

I have so much to say. . .and just not enough time to say it! Updates on pictures will have to wait until I relocate the SD card with all the pictures on it. That could very possibly take the whole weekend since our house is in shambles. (It is usually a bit on the chaotic side, but with the windows going in--everything has been moved here and there to clear out space to get them done.)

I was in tears at work. I had a pair of workout shoes that I had purchased for one of my special needs clients (since hers are really crappy) . I kept forgetting to bring them in to her so while she was on vacation, I brought them in and put them in the LOCKED aerobics studio stereo room with a note on them stating whose shoes they were and when I would be removing them from the studio to give to her. She has been so disappointed every week because she was so excited to get them and I kept forgetting to bring them. I was so excited to go to work today so I could give them to her. I went to the studio to get them and they were gone. Yes, people, somebody stole them. From an area that you had to have a key to get into and really, only aerobics instructors go. It really hurts me that somebody would just take a pair of shoes. They were not in an area where just any weirdo could take them. An employee had to open the door with a key. So, today, I had to tell her that the shoes were stolen--which I'm not sure if she could process that--and probably thinks I never really got them for her in the first place. What is this world coming to? My boss said maybe someone borrowed them. . . come on. . . who just "borrows" somebody else's pair of shoes without permission? That's kind of gross. I am very disappointed in the JCC right now for hiring nimrods that feel it is okay to just take things that they want. But mostly, I am very hurt for my client--who is a very special person in my life.

I should have known better. I have had things stolen from that locked office before. . . but I thought the idiots were no longer working at the J. I wonder if the person will be stupid enough to wear the shoes at the J when I am there.