I failed to mention. . .

Last week we spent a few days at my parent's house. The boys love their grandparents that spoil them rotten and also love them deeply. It was a fun few days of swinging on the tire swing and playing outside. Cuddling with some favorite people.

(As shown here, Pax still adores my dad like no one else. It's pretty sweet. But Holden is nana's boy and is pretty possesive of that woman!)

Making some beautiful music. :) And enjoying some special treats.

It's a blessing to be a short naptime away from most all of our family. It makes trips like these more frequent, but still so special for the boys.

at the park.

Yesterday we met some friends at a park. It was a crazy windy day. For a brief moment, I thought I was back in Oklahoma. :) But the boys were able to swing, slide, climb and run free. They are both in a stage where they love going to any kind of park/playground. And we're soaking up the spring before it hits 105!

Sleepy Sunday.

Unfortunately, Sundays have become a little difficult for our boys. I'm trying to figure how to remedy that. I think maybe we've packed our plate too full for this stage in their life. You know that stage where there has to be a solid nap or things can get ugly. Well, they always get the nap. But I think, to them the day feels like: GO GO GO. Long nap. GO GO GO. And then to bed. Not very Sabbath-like. Pax fell asleep before we made it out of the church parking lot. We ate lunch at home and decided if we put him on the couch while we ate, the noise might wake him and he would want to eat before going down for his nap. Because you should know, this boy loves to eat!
It didn't work. He stayed conked out well past lunchtime. Then he fell off the couch, while carefully landing on a pile of blankets and pillows. :) He was startled so I took the opportunity to cuddle him as if he were 2 months old. And he slept on my chest for a long while. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.
He's sweet. He's still a momma's boy. He's a mess. But I love him soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!

I did not make him pose.

Fun Friday!

Jeremy was off work on Friday and it was a fun day. We headed to the zoo where we met some out of town friends that were visiting for part of their spring break.

There it was officially confirmed for me, once again. I HATE THE ZOO! Hot. Crowded. Smelly. Lots of slow walking. Walking around aimlessly. My kids aren't into it. I was pointing out animals for Pax to see and it was clear to me that he couldn't see the tiger up on the hill. To me, the zoo is boring. A snoozer. I gave it one last hurrah, but I think I'm done with the zoo. Unless of course you mention the zoo in Colorado Springs, then that's another story. And I would for sure head up to that beautiful zoo in the mountains again. For one, there is no such thing as HOT there. After the zoo, we joined this family for some Texas barbeque with endless icecream.
After a good visit with these friends, we headed home and the boys crashed out. After naps we spent the evening outside. It was a beautiful evening after a warm 85-ish degree day. We played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk.
Once that got boring, Jeremy took the boys on a stroll around the block. He pushed Pax on the scooter for half a mile. I think he's a pretty good daddy.

I love family days like this one. They are, by far, my favorite days. Ones that will hold special memories for us and our boys.

Spring break-O

My boys are 1 and 2. Spring break means absolutely nothing to us. Sure Holden didn't go to school this week. But since we only do that 1 day a week, this week has pretty much been as normal as any other. Though, at breakfast this morning Holden asked me if he was going to school. We don't normally talk about days of the week. But his school day IS Wednesday. So I'm wondering if that was completely coincidence or if he's catching on to the rhythm of our week. Anyways, some snippets from our "spring break":

Monday was a chill day and we did absoultey nothing. Jeremy did give Holden a haircut. And he actually did a little bit of a fade at the bottom. It's slight and probably hard to notice in the picture. But once again, I'm amazed by my husbands many many talents. To me, the untrained eye, it looks like a pro did it. :)
Tuesday we met my sister and nephews, Carson and Cameron at the mall. Carson was out of school and it was a very spontaneous decision. But a great one. All the little boys had a fun time together. And my little ones crashed on the drive home in the car and didn't wake until 5pm. We're already scheduling our next shopping trip. One without those sweet, little boys. :)

This morning we met some friends at a neighborhood park. We came home for lunch and I let the boys eat lunch in the backyard. For some reason, outdoor picnics make lunch so much more enjoyable than eating at the kitchen table. And it's less mess for me so I'm not complaining. After naps, we had another Tonka Truck Car Wash. It's been a while since we've done this. In fact, Holden was wearing the clothes Pax had on today the last time we did this. It's such a fun activity with the water and Holden absolutely loves it! Pax just liked sticking his hand in the bubbles and then saying "bubbbbs". And tomorrow, for a special highlight in our week, the littles and I will meet a special friend for some delicious FRO-YO!! Is it bad that I'm already thinking about which flavor I'll choose?!

Jeremy is off on Friday and we have some special plans in store on this day.

Our spring break in a nutshell. Terribly exciting, huh?! :)

balded.

Tonight, Jeremy balded our baby.

And now we're hoping Pax will quit rubbing the back of his head on things (like his carseat) so we can let it grow and grow and grow. He had developed an almost bald spot accross the back of his head. And it looked ridiculous! Here is a before picture (taken last week) of his cute, little curls. I love his hair! Hopefully those curls will be back very soon!

I think he's funny.

I realize that most parents think their kids are funny and cute; maybe even when the rest of the world doesn't quite see it. Jeremy and I are regularly laughing at both of the boys. We think they're pretty funny. Normally unintentionally funny, which makes it that much better. But today when I picked up Holden from school, his teachers shared with me some of the things I don't get to see when he's in their classroom.
Today, since there was a chilly breeze outside, Holden's honeybee class (that's the name of his class at school. It's important for later.) didn't play on the playground. And then, for some reason, the gym was unavailable. So the teachers decided to take the class on a walk around the church. They did fun things like spotting birds, squirrels and pointing out things that were green (since that's the color they've been "studying" in March). When they returned to the classroom, Holden walked up to Ms. M and said something like "Well, that was a nice little honeybee walk." Ms. M just thought it was so sweet that he said this. For whatever reason, it just made me laugh when she shared it. It was sweet. And cute. But sorta funny. I didn't even know that he knew the name of his class. I never talk about the honeybees. I just call it school.
So when I laughed about that little story, his other teacher, Ms. S, had one to share. A few weeks ago Holden made this collage at school.

She told me that as she was helping him, she asked him where he wanted the carrot to go. His response was something like, "Put it next to him. He's hungry." And he was pointing to the cowboy on his page. Ah. Little comedian.

My heart nearly skips a beat when I stop to think about the fact that we will be celebrating his 3rd birthday in less than 2 months! My sis assures me that 3 is a big deal and often a hard one to swallow. I just can't believe it. And I know parents say this all the time about their kids growing up, but I'm going to do it anyways. Three? Really? Are we already to that point? Yep. Almost. But when I hear stories like the ones above, I realize he IS a big boy. Well, maybe still a little boy, but most certainly no baby.

Adoptive Bloggy Friends

This morning the boys and I had the GREAT PLEASURE of meeting some friends that I feel like I have known for 2 years or more! Funny thing is, we've never met in person until today. We were connected through some mutual friends and began reading one another's blogs as we both traveled down this amazing road of adoption. So for 2 years, we've read each other's blogs, and in a way, felt like friends. So today, as I drove to our meeting place, there were no butterflies or any sort of nervousness. I felt as though I was driving to meet a friend. And I was. But being that it was our first encounter, it should have felt differently. But it didn't. Blogs are amazing like that. :) And when you share the commonalities that Angela and I share, I guess it removes all need for butterflies. So we met at the park, where surprisingly there was no playground. And it was a chilly 52 degrees and windy. So, quick change of plans. We moved to a close by Chick-Fil-A. We talked about adoption (past, present and future), our busy boys and church. And the boys played as best they could. Pax and Rylin are still a little young to really get excited about a Chick-Fil-A play place. And I snapped one picture of our stud muffins. :)
What a blessing this morning was for me! And I hope some of these playdates will bless my boys as they grow older. Angela and Rylin, thanks for sharing your morning with us. We're looking forward to the next one!

Recent Reads

I've been trying to squeeze in some reading as time has allowed. I read this first book in about 4 different sittings. It was one of those that I just couldn't put down. It's an easy read since chapters are only a few pages. Which made me continually say "just 1 more chapter" until it was 2am! I can't say enough good about this book! Which led me to immediately begin this next one. I loved it also! This book shared how the story above has changed the hearts of many. Both books were great reminders for me to get OUT of my safe, little bubble. There's a bigger world out there, that I too often fail to see. Much less care for and choose to love on.
And because I've been diversifying the boys bookshelves :), they've been enjoying these new ones:
So cute!And below is one of my new favorites that identifies each and every skin color as a beautiful foody description. For instance, cinamon, honey, french toast and peachy. An American folk hero story that I know my boys will enjoy as they get older.
So there are some wonderful reads that hopefully you (and maybe your kiddos) will enjoy.

a granola kick!

We have been on a granola kick at our house for the past 2 weeks. We're not very adventurous with our breakfast options. Neither Jeremy and I are lovers of breakfast. I spent too many years completely skipping out on this meal. So now we kind of have to push ourselves to eat it. I would much prefer just 2 cups of coffee. :) But I know that it's good for a body to start with a healthy breakfast and so I normally force something down. And lately, at Holden's request, it's been "grola". He's had it off and on for as long as he could eat it. But I gave him a bowl 2 weeks ago and he asked for seconds and then thirds. Since it's pretty healthy, I had no problem with this. Then he wanted it for lunch and dinner and I had to put my foot down. :) So here is our little granola recipe. There is actually a new batch baking in my oven as I type.

4 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups coconut
2 cups sliced or slivered almonds
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup honey

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add honey and oil and mix well. Use a large baking sheet that has some sort of edge to prevent a granola mess. Spray or oil the baking sheet to prevent sticking. Spread granola evenly on the pan. Bake in the oven on 350 for 45 minutes. Pull granola out every 15 minutes and stir so that it all gets toasted evenly.

And wallah - delicious homemade granola. Holden has been eating his "grola" with a little bit of milk and fresh fruit. Pax eats it with yogurt. I eat mine with fruit and/or yogurt, but no milk. Bleh on milk. Enjoy!

18 months!!!!!!

Pax turned 18 months on February 26th. I can not believe my little one is now a year and a half! He's growing up. *sigh* And as he gets a little older and a little bigger, he becomes a alot funnier and alot smarter. We are communicating so much these days, which is fun and also helpful! It makes me smile when he really understands what I'm telling him or asking him and he can respond correctly. He answers yes (yesh) and no to lots of questions. He also likes to shake his head to answer me at times. And I'm not sure why, but every single thing this boy does, I tend to think it's the cutest thing in the world. If I ask him if he needs to go to time-out for misbeahving and he shakes his head no, I have to turn my head so he doesn't see my grin. I just think everything he does is funny and cute. That's probably not a great thing for me, but I can't help myself. Look at this face.
I find him pretty irresistable. Pax loves to give kisses and say "mmmmwah" during the kiss. He loves to give hugs. And if you are patting his back during the hug then he will surely pat your back too. That's one of my favorite things. He loves to cuddle when he wakes in the morning or after a nap. I pick him up from his crib and he normally lays his head on my shoulder. He loves to play outside. He loves to watch TV, which is still a rarity around here. He loves books more than anything. I'm convinced that he would let me read to him 3 hours straight and never leave my lap. I'm serious. Sometimes after 8ish books I say "No more. Go play." And you know what he does. He cries. Because that's just how our little Pax responds to the word "no". It's normally tears with a big dramatic wail as if we've completely and utterly broken his little heart. For those that tell me he's laid back . . .well, they haven't seen this side. And another response we are starting to get is chunking a toy. That's the response if he's feeling a bit on the sassy side. And yes, he learned that from his sweet older brother. If we tell Pax "no" and he's feeling sassy, he picks up the nearest item and chunks it towards the ground. Oh he tries to be sassy, but I'm pretty positive he's just a softy deep inside.Pax is getting to be a busy boy. Probably not as busy as Holden was at this age, but he does a great job to keep me on my toes. And the 2 of them together . . . well, they normally out-do me. But Pax is constantly into the dishwasher and the fridge water dispenser. He can stand on his little tip toes and reach lots of things that I'm not ready for him to reach. :)
Yesterday I took Pax to the doctor for his 18 month check-up. Dr. D said he was the "epitome of health"! He is now 26lbs 3oz (54%). Which is only 1 ounce less than Holden was at this age! And he is 33 inches long (70%). Pax is a full 2 inches shorter than Holden was at this age, but still a good sized boy. And that big-o-head is in the 81%. Pax has a mouth full of teeth. He is in the process of cutting his 2 bottom eye teeth. After those, we should be done with teething for a while.
We are starting to move out of this baby stage for a bit. And I am really enjoying this time for our family. For the first time in 2.5 years, we don't have a high chair in our kitchen. We just moved Pax to a booster and he loves it. And I really like having the 4 of us around the table together. Don't worry. I'm positive that high chair will reappear in our future. But for now, I'm loving this family of 4!Here are some recent pictures of our super star. I love this boy so much! And daily I am thankful that God gave us such a gift! It's incredible.