Photo time

I talked to my sister this morning and I told her I was thinking about canceling my blog b/c I don't have the time to get on anymore. She said "post pictures". So here ya go. Enjoy.

Home sweet home...

I know, I know. I've been totally slacking in the blog department. I have a wonderful excuse though. I'm overhauling the house. That's right. I've been going through every nook and cranny and hauling off a ton of donations to a local charity. It feels wonderful to clean the house of clutter and to simplify things. The less we own, the less there is to pick up and keep clean. I like this theory actually.

Not to mention I've been keeping up with the normal cleaning schedule which is hardly possible to manage (ya know, with three little ones and all). Today I did manage to clean the carpet in one bedroom and wash the hardwood floors in the dining room. Big project there folks.

As for the kids, they can bring out the best in me and the worst. Little Landon LOVES to be held and as soon as I remove him from my arms he lets out this awful scream that makes you believe he is certainly hurt. When in realty, he is just terribly spoiled and wants his mama. Biruk overall is pretty happy go lucky unless he is hungry or tired. He is my curious child though and will climb anything he can get his leg up on and still loves to eat anything he can find. Conner is quite the helper these days and keeps me in check most of the time.

But when the day finally comes to an end and they are all snug in their beds, I know, I would not want it any other way. They are too precious for words and watching them develop relationships and become the best of friends has been so rewarding and enjoyable. I said to Conner the other day "aren't you so glad you have your younger brothers?". His response was "Yeah. I love Biruk. I'm so happy he didn't have to go back to Ethiopia". Me too!!

That'll teach me...

One piece of advice that has been given to me repeatedly since I've been a mother is "sleep when they sleep" (regarding nap time). Most of the time Conner doesn't nap and Landon and Biruk are rarely in sync during nap time. Not to mention the fact that when they are sleeping it's prime time for me to clean, eat or relax for a few minutes. However today Biruk was taking his usual nap and Conner needed to rest since he was up late last night. So I layed down with him for a few minutes (which made me realize how tired I was) and then I decided to lay down with Landon and nurse him to sleep. My eyes closed and I woke up an hour later to Biruk talking in his crib. I got up to check on Conner who was going poop. Perfect timing (so I thought). Then I realized there was poop all over his pants (but on the outside). Okay, what the heck. So I asked him what was going on. Instead of trying to quote my three year old I will tell you this. He decided to wipe his own butt (most likely b/c I was sleeping) and used his pants and towels b/c there was no toilet paper in his bathroom. He said to me "toilet paper is hard to find mom. It was just an accident". I looked at him and said "it sure was. It's not a big deal". Why so calm? Because while I was passed out my 3 year old was walking around with poop in his butt looking for some toilet paper. I learned my lesson. No more naps for mom!

The Blanket Challenge - Thanksgiving of '08

My sister Keely has proposed an awesome idea. The Thanksgiving Blanket Challenge for the Comfypacks. Since many of us will be surrounded by friends and family over the Thanksgiving holiday I challenge all of you to get to the fabric store, buy some fleece and make a blanket or two (or ten). My family alone will be in 4 different states so each of them will be tackling this project themselves.

Now, for the fun part. Once I receive all the blankets there will be a contest. There will be one winner for each of the 3 categories. Best boy or girl blanket, and best childrens blanket. You can do the tie/knot style fleece blanket or the stiched perimeter. I am hoping my mom will teach me how to sew that style.

What an awesome way to get some blankets made and how neat for each of the children to know these were especially made for them. Now get shopping!! The goal is 90 blankets made over Thanksgiving and for the first 90 backpacks to be delivered to my local foster care office. Thanks in advance for all of your help and ideas.

Here is a link to make the "no sew" fleece blankets

Happy early Thanksgiving. I look forward to posting pictures and seeing some progress.
Chandra :)

Seriously

I am completely smitten with this guy. He's a holy terror compared to Conner but how I can I look at this face and get mad? It's just not possible. He loves the garbage can, he loves the cabinet under the sink, he loves sticking his hand in the toilet and he loves screaming at the top of lungs (for the hell of it). He has no fear, he doesn't care if you yell at him or scream no. He just casually turns around with a face that says "you talking to me" and then gets back to whatever he is doing. And all I can do is shake my head and smile. Thank goodness you are so stinking cute B. We LOVE ya kiddo!

The dynamic duo

The two sure know how to make each other laugh. However, they also know how to make each other cry. Today Biruk bit Conner. Then Conner hit him back and they were both crying.

4 & 4

I was tagged by James and I am supposed to pick the 4th pic from the 4th folder. Here goes....

It's a picture from April, shortly after Biruk was home with us. It feels like forever ago. Wow! Anyway, tag to whomever wants to participate.

Watching the wheels go round and round

Biruk enjoying his first bike ride with dad!

Happy Halloween!

Thanks to hubby's creativity Conner was the coolest kid in the parade. Nater didn't look to shabby himself. Biruk wore Conner's old costume to the library (it was a little big) and then he rode in the carrier during trick or treat. Landon helped Gma & Gpa hand out candy. The day was a ton of fun!!

What goes up...

must come down.

Family picture

Hubby told me he needed a family picture for work. I sent him a copy of this picture. Conner had some food on his face and Landon had red eye. He photo edited it and sent it back to me. I should have known better.

how is this even possible

to have a 4 month old that averages an hour of sleep per 12 hour day. Seriously. This has been going on for some time. And to top it off Biruk has only taken an hour nap the past 2 days. I swear I may loose my mind before 5:00. I need a vacation.

sincerely,
the whiner.

Makes me wonder....

how much trouble these two will be causing in a few months.

\y

Inspiration

We have been taking in as much as the outdoors as we can with all this beautiful fall weather. Here is a beautiful lookout we stopped by today. Then we had a picnic lunch, played at the park, walked through the park and played at the creek. The boys had a blast. Biruk is mastering his walking skills so he's able to play around a lot more now! Good times!

All this time...

..we had this beautiful waterfall less than 4 miles from our house. The lower falls are around 12 feet. Conner loved it! Can't wait to go again.

"I just want to see my cousins"

I know I've been MIA with the blog lately but I've not been feeling the love. Plus I've been a little preoccupied with the kiddo's. We just got back from a trip to Texas to see my sister and her family. She has five kids. Between the two of us there were five kids under 4 years old. It was entertaining to say the least! Here is a group photo of the five of them. Anyway, I've finally updated ComfyPacks if anyone was wondering. thanks!

Drumroll Please....

With a little inspiration I have finally got the ball rolling and I am ready to announce my latest plan. I introduce to you "ComfyPack". ComfyPack is a new backpack with supplies for foster children after they have been removed from their very unfortunate living conditions and then placed into foster care. These children are taken from their homes and often times leave with only the clothes on their backs. Sometimes the living conditions are so horrible (poverty, drug abuse, etc) that there is nothing to take with them. Some are able to throw together a plastic bag of items but this is not always the case. Under these circumstances these children all deserve something that says "Hang in there. We are thinking of ya! You deserve this and so much more." A source of comfort and security in a time of great sorrow and devastation. The social worker said the children's faces light up when they see these backpacks because most of them have never received anything new. That's where we all come in...

I had been brainstorming this idea for a few days when all of this sudden I was given the motivation I needed. While out running errands one night I stumbled across the backpack display with a big sign reading 75% off. And it hit me, I had to follow through with this idea. So I loaded up the shopping cart and realized there wasn't enough room. I got a hold of a couple helpers and we filled a couple flat carts. Then I realized I better call hubby (who was home with a crying baby) and quickly explained "non-profit, bags on clearance, should buy them now, okay?". He gave the thumbs up and an hour later, and 90 bags stuffed into the minivan I headed home to map out the plans. And this is how it all started.

I am still hoping to hit the local stores for more backpacks but this is a start. Now for the good stuff. I want to definitely put a fleece blanket in each of the bags because I personally LOVE having a blanket to curl up with. I am hoping for it to be somewhat of a security blanket for so many of these children. Those can be made at home with fleece you can find on sale (I prefer the smaller ones that roll up tight and will fit in the backpack or we can attach them to the outside). Along with that I want to put maybe a small doll, toiletries (deodorant, lip gloss, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc), crayons and coloring book and any other ideas we think of. We will separate the bags for the appropriate age groups. I am going to visit the local dentist for the toothbrush and toothpaste. And as things progress I have bigger and better plans for ComfyPacks!!

So please, check out my newest blog and email or comment if you have any questions. You can send donations through paypal or you can contact me privately if you'd like to meet up or mail donations. Thank YOU!!

Chandra

Good stuff....

I have a big announcement I will soon share with all of you! No I'm not pregnant or adopting. I have one last detail to iron out and hopefully I can blog about it tonight! Stay tuned....

At the end of the day...

there is so much that makes it all worth it. I went to check on Conner tonight while he was sleeping. He was snoring when I walked in the room and as I was covering him he said "thanks. i love you." Ahhh... just one more thing to make it the perfect day! Thanks little man!

Lovin Laughter

treasured

Walkin on sunshine!

Biruk decided this morning he was going to start walking. It started with a couple steps and by the middle of the day he was taking 6 and 7 steps at a time. He's such a determined boy. Please excuse my proud mama squeal in the video. Way to go Biruk!

I'm still here...

Just too busy chasing little boys, squeezing their chubby cheeks and smothering them with kisses and then CRASHING by the time bedtime comes around. We went back home over the holiday and visited family. It was a wonderful time and I only wish we lived closer. Now playing catch up after being gone for over a week. Cleaning house, paying bills, changing diapers, running errands and thinking about painting some rooms. The days fly by and my boys are growing faster than weeds. I sat and stared at Landon while he slept thinking I never want it to be my last time to watch a baby grow up. Life is just too precious. And how blessed are we to have 3 healthy, beautiful, blessings. And how blessed am I to have such a darlin' hubby to enjoy all of this with.

Such a blessing....

It's been five months since Biruk came into our care full time. A lot has happened in that time. When he first arrived home I was six months pregnant, exhausted and felt like I was never going to get a handle on things. Biruk was waking up 5-8 times a night and was inconsolable at times. Within a month he felt more comfortable and was waking maybe 3-4 times a night and we were able to calm him down better. And he finally start sleeping through the night just a couple weeks ago (of course he did have a bottle last night). Anyway, we've come a long way.

We've also come a long way in terms of attachment. I felt like I was struggling at the beginning for an instant bond with him. I loved him, don't get my wrong, it was just different. But with time, I quit thinking about it. And now, it feels so natural. I'm no longer wondering when we'll be "there". Somewhere along the way it happened and my love for him is unquestionable. And I think it's the same for him. He was alway there to smile and give us a big grin but he was surely confused. I notice how infrequently he sucks his fingers now where initially they were a constant source of comfort for him.

Biruk was 12 lbs at 6 months old and wearing 0-3 month clothing. He could hardly put weight on his legs when we were in Ethiopia although he was great on his belly and could hold his head up and look around. He is now walking around all the furniture, standing alone for a few seconds and soon we'll be chasing him around the house. He was cup feeding formula and eating rice cereal where now he is eating baby food and bites of our dinner most evenings. He is over 20 lbs and wearing mostly 9-12 month clothing.

The one sound he made in Ethiopia was da-da-da-da-da and he still loves da-da today. And when he says those words he can crinkle up his tiny nose and make the most adorable face ever. His eyes are amazing. They light up a room when he smiles. The kid is so stinking adorable. He's very onery and LOVES getting into everything. You shout "no" and he turns to you with a big grin and knows there is no way he'll get into trouble with such a cute face. He's brought us many of laughs and him and Conner are having a blast together. Happy 5 months; we love you Biruk!!