at the waterfront... and Baby Doll faces a fear

At the invitation of Grandma and Grandpa N,

we braved the holiday Monday crowds for a day on the waterfront in the Big City.

We visited the aquarium and ate fish and chips outside.

Thank you to Mr. Sunshine for defying the weatherman and joining us for our special day.

E-man was totally enamored by the scuba diver in the tank, giving eager high-fives through the glass and trying to talk to her.  He has now added scuba diving to his "bucket list" right alongside astronaut, policeman, and race car driver.

Baby Doll clung to Daddy's neck and cried "I don't like him!"  (we found out later, he is a she under that scuba gear.)  She could not be persuaded to give a high five, a low five, or even one little finger.  She didn't want anything to do with the "sooba diver" ... until [stay tuned for the end of this post].

She loved the touch tanks though and nearly jumped in several times.  

Good thing Daddy keeps a strong grip on his baby doll!

The south exit of the building provided a great view of the new ferris wheel under construction on Pier 57.

Apparently it's similar to the London Eye and is due to open next month.

The kids ran off their fish and chips.

Is it just me or does she have near perfect running form?  I mean, for a 2 1/2 year old?!

E-man has some running skill too, for sure, but here he's being goofy as well as trying to keep his shirt tied around his waist.

 A little photo shoot.  

The last one cracked us up; I think the Ride the Ducks vehicle went by and it is rather funny looking.

Now to finish up our story about our Baby Doll's fear of the scuba diver.  When we arrived at 11am, as you know, she wanted nothing to do with the strange masked one swimming with the sea creatures in the enormous tank.

By 4pm, as we were preparing to leave, she asked if she could high five the "sooba diver."  (I was really hoping the diver would be in the tank again right at that time!)  We were so proud of her!  She faced her fear, high fived "Roberta" through the glass and then received an underwater clap from her.  THEN, another staff member was there with a microphone and the kids got to talk to Roberta!  E-man was jumping up and down with delight while Baby Doll stared in amazement.  Roberta asked them their names, they both got to speak in the microphone, and our Baby Doll became convinced there is, in fact, a real person under that suit.  Technology is amazing.

Baby Doll, you are so brave.

from letters to words

We will be starting "formal" school in September when E-man turns five and we join Classical Conversations. This year, though, has not been void of learning.  We've been very casual in our approach to homeschool preschool but I've been pleased at our son's progress to learn his letters and sounds.  This week, I realized that he is ready to start reading and since he was begging to "do school," I decided to dive in, even though we're yet to purchase a phonics program.  Why wait, right?

With that little intro, and with the goal of keeping a record of our educational journey together, here's my first link-up with the
Homeschool Mother's Journal 

In our homeschool this week…

E-man started putting letters together to make 3 letter words!  There was a lot of cheering going on in the kitchen where we sat on the floor by the fridge manipulating colorful Melissa & Doug letters.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice…

Keep it simple!  Sitting on the kitchen floor, using the refrigerator as a magnetic board is pretty simple and the kids loved it!

I am inspired by…

My son's eagerness and ability to learn so quickly.  Even though his first three years of life were spent in Ethiopia, immersed in a culture and language so different than our English-speaking one, he has "caught up" with his peers and is more than ready to join his fellow-five-year-olds on their educational journeys. 

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We went to our local library's preschool storytime, checked out books and then hit the park.  We've been cooped up for four rainy days and it was great to get some exercise.  We made some new friends at the library who "followed" us to the park.  Looking forward to more play dates with them.

My favorite thing this week was…

seeing my son's face light up at the realization that letters put together can make words!  The sky's the limit now!

I’m reading…

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

What a fantastic resource!  I currently have a library copy and need to purchase my own so I can refer to it often and mark it up as needed.

I’m grateful for…

refreshing rain (although I am looking forward to more sunshine!) & laughter (it's the best medicine and my children provide plenty of it).

I’m praying for…

the Ethiopian adoption program to get its ducks in a row so that more children can be placed in families expeditiously.

A quote…

You're off to great places!  Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting, so... get on your way!
-Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You'll Go

wrong sort of bees

"I have just been thinking, and I have come to a very important decision.  These are the wrong sort of bees."  -Winnie the Pooh to Christopher Robin

E-man and Baby Doll were looking especially adorable on Sunday, sportin' a new shirt and a new dress.  Our one rhododendron bush was in full bloom and I knew it would be getting trashed this week with the coming rain, so I wanted to take the opportunity to snap a few pictures of all "three" of them.

Unfortunately, the rhodie was being swarmed by eager bumble bees and the kids were freaking out a wee bit.

This is the best shot I could get.

Baby Doll has one foot forward about to run.

E-man is striking a most ungracious pose.

Their smiles are strained while I try to convince them that bumble bees, even with all that buzzing, don't sting.  And the rhodie is - well - it's beautiful, isn't it?  Just a bit far away.

Still, they're my babes and I love them to pieces.

Cutie Patooties!

at the lake

My parents invited us to join them for part of their vacation on the East Side of our State.

So, for four days, we packed into their two bedroom condo on the lake and played hard.

Here's a sneak peek.

And make sure you read the text because I've included a couple of "true stories" from the mouths of babes.

(I took nearly 400 photos.  

I narrowed it down to 60 for a facebook album 

and down to 7 favorites for the blog.  

Plus I'm having fun with PicMonkey for some fun photo editing.)

Our first evening, we made good use of the play equipment and Baby Doll had a nice sandy stroll on the beach with Ayat.  She loves getting her little painted tosies in the sand.

A highlight of the trip was E-man's first fishing experience.

Thank you Uncle J for the use of your new boat and to Ayat for taking on an apprentice fisherman.

On the walk back from the dock, Baby Doll was rather sad to not have big brother with her.

They don't like to be separated.

Back at the condo, a few snacks and her own baby doll to cuddle cheered her up.

Meanwhile, on the lake, E-man was catching his FIRST FISH.

He beamed with pride.

On our way back to the dock and looking forward to her own ride in the boat,

Baby Doll was back to her cheery self and serenaded us all the way back.

true story: when told she would need to wear a life jacket in the boat, Baby Doll asked,

"Why's it called a life jacket, it's not ALIVE, is it?"

On the day after Mother's Day, we went for Brunch at a restaurant on a blueberry farm.

We attempted to get family pictures, but most of the shots resemble this one.

After four days of playing in the sand, swimming in the pool, watching a parade (their first!), fishing and swinging and sliding, we ended our day with a round of putt putt golf.

Baby Doll watched from her swing and then we headed back over the mountains.

true story: as we tucked the kids into the car with cuddly items for a nap,

E-man asked if he could snuggle with his FISH.

"Your fish?" Mommy inquired, "What fish do mean, son?"

In all seriousness, E-man replied, "The one I caught in the lake."

I'm happy to say, the headless, gutless fish remained frozen in the ice chest for the 3 hour drive home.

Two Years Ago...

... an Ethiopian court declared us the legal parents of a 2yo boy and a 6mos old girl.

We knew them only through pictures and reports, but we were in love.  Real and forever love.

We announced it on our other blog on May 17, 2010.

We were the last YWAM family to not travel for our court date.

A lawyer represented us; the judge approved us; the agency telephoned us.

We left our "childless" status behind and they left their "orphan" status behind.

We became a family of four.

Seven weeks later, we would be together.

Forever.

Two years.

Wow.

a son's laughter

I've been feeling bad because way more than half of my photos are of the Baby Doll.

She is very photogenic with an array of facial expressions.

But so is he... so why the discrepancy?

I took one afternoon playtime and was very intentional to focus on the precious son with my lens.

And I figured it out.

Of roughly 50 shots in 30 minutes, at least 90% are blurry.

Or of his backside.  Or of his body tumbling into some strange contortion.

He's a boy.  He's on the move.  Running, riding, bear-walking.

Unlike the Baby Doll, he doesn't take 3 minutes to blow on one daffodil; 

he takes 3 seconds, barely enough time to get the camera focused,

and then he's off and moving again.

Occasionally, though, if I snap enough shots, I come up with a winner that really captures the essence of 

our son.  Our.son.

It's his laughter.

My son knows how to laugh.

I wish you all could hear it.

In this shot, he was riding his truck down the hill and he tumbled off doing an impromptu backwards somersault.  He thought it was hysterical and I was fortunate enough to capture a glimpse on camera.  (notice his left hand - you can tell this is an action shot)

The Graduate

Congratulations to our dear Elizabeth (a.k.a. Liz, Lizzie, or to the Baby Doll, Miss Lis'bith),

graduate of Northwest University with a Bachelors in Intercultural Studies with a concentration in Urban America and Biblical Studies, Magna Cum-Laude.

We are SO proud of you and we're very excited about your new adventure with Urban Promise!

 I have been discipling/mentoring Elizabeth since she was twelve years old.

We are honored that she considers us her "spiritual parents" and we couldn't be more proud of the woman she has grown into.  We love you Lizzie!

Admittedly, college graduations are veeeeerrrrrrry long.

Our kids were troopers for the first hour and 15 minutes, first "singing" the hymns and looking wide-eyed at the vast auditorium and enormous video screens, then looking at books, then eating half of our snacks.

Then they were done.

The remaining two hours were spent in the hallway playing cars, eating more snacks, and running (or bear walking, rolling, tumbling, or skipping).

Fortunately, it's a very large facility with plenty of room and televisions all over the place.

I snuck in the back of the auditorium just moments before our dear Lizzie made her milestone walk across the stage.

Outdoor silliness while waiting for The Graduate to emerge.

Followed by a late lunch, it was a very good day that we were pleased to be a part of.

Blowing Dandelions {a sunday snapshot}

New Toy, Same Adorable Faces

I got a new camera and I have the best "subjects" to practice on.

It's not a DSLR but it's a nice N.ikon and I like it - a lot.  Thank you Melissa for the tip.

My newest camera died, my older camera is about to die, and I've been using my Dad's even older dinosaur camera the last couple of weeks.  

When the camera I've had my eye on went on sale at c.ostco, we jumped on it. 

A single day without the means to capture the antics of these adorable little people feels catastrophic.

Now, I'm snapping away again.

So, here's day one on the new N.ikon.

Just a normal dinner with Miss Expressive

In the last two pictures, she's saying, "on my next birthday, I be three!" (more than 6 months away)

They get a little crazy before bedtime... until we announce "wind down time."

Can you tell they were moving subjects for this little photo shoot?

Rainy Day Activity: watercolors

... followed by play-doh, then "run around time," then books, then a Clifford the Big Red Dog movie, 

then lunch, then nap.

Come on Mr. Sunshine.  I'm running out of ideas while their energy increases.

Baby Doll is working on a Monet style watercolor while E-man tries his hand at a real life scene from the zoo.
They're naturals, I tell ya.

And then I let E-man get his eager hands on the new toy.

He did a great job!

Let's Talk

Baby Doll came into my room the other day while I was making the bed.  She moved the doorstop out of the way, closed the door, leaned her back against the closed door and said, 

“Mommy, let’s talk.”  

In that moment, my mind flashed forward about 12 years.

My teenage girl leaned against that same door.

(actually, I hope we have a different house by then)

She was several feet taller, with long beautiful curls, and a touch of make-up.
She carried herself with growing maturity and the light of Jesus shone through her eyes,

and she was saying the same words,

"Mom, let's talk."

In that moment, I whispered a silent prayer,

that no matter their ages,

no matter the season or the situation,

that I would be interruptible and approachable,

and that my children will always come to me when they want to talk.

Just as quickly, though, my mind returned to the present and I was reminded that she is only two years old.

When I asked, “what do you want to talk about?” 

she replied, “gum."

Yes, thanks to her Ayate (my Mom), this girl is addicted to gum.

She wants it All.The.Time.

I've decided it's better than her asking for candy and now buy it in bulk at c.ostco.

I'm in love with this little daughter of mine.