5 years ago today....

we said "I do". In this case, what happened in vegas, didn't stay in vegas. We came home husband & wife and 3 kids & 3 homes later - we are still going strong. I asked Nathan tonight what time we got married and we think we had it scheduled for 1:00 but since the couple before us took FOREVER we are pretty sure our ceremony lasted from 1:55-2:00. I'm not kidding. Nathan's brother recorded it on his cell phone (and you know 5 years ago cells weren't capable of much). Anyway, who needs more than 2 minutes to say "I do"? Not us.

Thanks babe for all the wonderful memories, laughs, fights and challenges; I wouldn't want it any other way.

Twilight gone bad...

I just sat down to reread Twilight. I have been wanting to reread the series ever since I finished it the first time. And finally, after days of chaos and hoping for a good distraction I start page 1. And all I can visualize is the chic that plays the character in the movie (which I haven't seen yet, just previews). And it's ruining it for me. Is that stupid or do other people have the same problem? I'm going to try and read a few more pages and see if I can get over this annoyance. Any tips would be appreciated?

Sincerely,
a disgruntled twilight book series fan

Super Nanny

I have one. For 7 days and I'm loving it! My little sister arrived on Tuesday night and since then it's been heaven. The deck is now stained, the trim has a fresh coat of paint, and today she gave the kitchen ceiling a fresh coat of white paint. And I was able to clean carpet today. The kids are fed, happy and enjoying their visit with Aunt Kirstyn. And tonight Nater and I went out on a date to a sweet bar & grill that is tucked into a cliff. Life is good!! Thanks so much for all your help Kirst. You ROCK!

Bond of Brothers

It started before Landon was even born. A big thank you to my brother for taking this picture. It's one of my favorites.

Bright Eyes

While trying to fall asleep tonight my mind wandered to Ethiopia. And Biruk's past. And how blessed we are to have Biruk in our life. It's hard to believe he will be turning 2 next month and that he's been with us for nearly 17 months. We've come a long way in those 17 months. And as I watch him running around the house now, chasing his big brother, holding his little brothers hand and reaching up for us, my heart wants to burst with happiness. I don't know when exactly it happened but he's let go of whatever was holding him back and he's let us in. He needs us as much as we need him. Doubts have disappeared. Arms opened wide.

His independent personality is still going strong. He'd rather do things under his terms. He still likes to back into people when he wants attention but now runs into dad's arms when he leaves for work. He needs his security doll less and less when he's upset while our presence calms him down more and more.

His beauty is undeniable. And his eyes. Those big ole, beautiful, brown eyes. They light up when he smiles. I saw it the time he smiled in Ethiopia when meeting him for the first time. And I still see it when I look at him and every single picture of him with that big grin on his face. And that is my dear Birukee. He is an onery little shit but he knows he can fix everything with that darling smile of his. And as soon as you start to scold him he says "hi mama" and bats his eyes at you.

I always worried I'd be sad for the moments I didn't have with Biruk (his first six months of life) but I don't feel that way at all. While I'm sad for the tradegy and trama he has endured, I am grateful he was surrounded by people who loved him. And I am so very grateful that we get to watch these eyes shine for many days to come. I love ya Birukee!

The best I can...

Landon and Biruk this past week had been stuck to me like glue. Seriously. If I was holding one, the other got mad. If one cried, the other cried louder. And if they weren't touching at least one part of my body at all times their world came crashing down. And in the rare case of them finally settling down to play and I would sneak out of the room all hell breaks loose. Oh the nerve of me to think I can actually go to the bathroom.

Fast forward to this weekend when Nathan & I were hoping to get some work done around the house. Every time we attempt this we end up getting frustrated because the boys require so much attention and neither of us want the "babysitting" role. Most weekends are spent as a family and we hang out with the kids. But when we have a mission (in this case caulking and painting trim) we tend to get focused and at that point we wish we had a babysitter. I wanted to be the one working (which Nathan thankfully let me dive into painting trim). And then I feel guilty for so desperately wanting to get away from the kids. And then I feel even more guilty when I get angry at them for being so needy and clingy. While discussing these feelings with Nathan he said to me "Chand, a lot of people couldn't handle this every single day." And he's right. Maybe I'm not always as patient as I should be, or as nuturing as I'd like, and I definitely do not always make the best decisions but I am doing the best I can. And hopefully not screwing them up too much :)

Slow down...

Why does life seem to move so fast? I swear this summer is a blur of memories that includes diaper changes (lots of them), fixing meals, road trips, beautiful boys, lots of reading and trying to keep the house clean. It went SO fast! I know it's technically not over but since school will be starting soon (not that it will affect us) it feels like it's coming to an end. And the biggest thing that has changed, my brain has turned to mush. It was slowly deteriorating but it's offically mush. I can't remember the simplest words like "fork, spoon, remote, computer" and I definitely do not call my kids by their correct names. If my sister and her family is around, her kids names get thrown into the mix and it takes me twice as long to call Conner by the correct name.

Today I was hoping to get a little cleaning done and since my youngest two have been extremely clingy I had to get creative. And the first thing that came to mind was 'cardboard boxes'. And since I haven't recyled in a while I had plenty lying around. Thank you cardboard boxes for your half-hour of entertainment. I am extremely grateful.

Back to the real world...

We just returned home from a trip back to Indiana for my brothers wedding. They had an intimate, beautiful ceremony at a local park surrounded by immediate family. A reception followed with extended family and friends. It was so wonderful to see everyone and finally introduce our boys to many of whom had not met them before.

The week included 2 days of preparing food for the wedding, 5 late nights staying up with my family, 1000's of pictures, laughter with 10 siblings and several sib in-laws, 5 games of kick the can (in which I discovered I am very out of shape), 4 snotty noses (myself included) and lots of delicious food. We had a great time and left with many of wonderful memories. Thanks to all!! Congratulations Q & T, and big Connor (welcome to the family)!

Photo captured by my talented sister Poe.