Picking up the Pieces

I Want To Go To Kyrgyzstan.

2010-09-01T18:26:00.002-04:00

Toledo needs another JJ.

California and The Price is Not Right

2010-08-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

Jerret and I just returned from a much-needed vacation to California. We didn't have any real agenda for going out there, just to see LA really. Since our trip occurred over my birthday, I insisted that we attend a taping of "The Price Is Right" and try our hand at spinning the big wheel. The day before we left I crafted our show attire - yellow t-shirts that read "Ohio Birthday Girl" (me) and "Need Gift STAT!" (for him).

That whole process was a serious pain in the butt.   We were told to get to the CBS studio early (3 or 4 am), but our flight was delayed and we didn't even get to LA until 2 am, so we waited a bit. We arrived at the studio at 5:00 am with tickets in hand (tickets I had printed from the CBS website weeks before), only to be told those aren't actually "tickets" per se, but just - well, they are nothing really. Some people didn't even have them and still got in. So - in line at 5, finally make it to the front of the line at 7, and then we were told to pick which taping we wanted to see - the 12:00 or 4:00. My "tickets" were for the 12:00 show, but Alex, the super-nice intern wearing a coveted red CBS blazer, was kind enough to let me know that he would take my nicely-folded piece of paper that meant nothing and was giving out new "tickets" (numbered from 1-300) and had already given out 250 tickets for the 12:00 and 'wink wink, nod nod', there are alot of "groups" attending the 12:00 who are not required to go through the grueling process of waiting in line, so our best bet is to choose the later show. We took the tickets for 4:00 and went back to our hotel to eat breakfast and nap before we would have to return.

Back at the hotel we realized that we hadn't asked when we should return for "processing" before the 4:00 show. I checked online and learned that we would need to be back at CBS studios by noon. We ate, napped, and got in the car at 11:00 to head back to the studio - totally forgetting about LA traffic. We still managed to make the short trip in about 30 minutes, so we felt good about being there on time. That is, until we saw another LONG line. We paid $24 to park the car at The Grove and RAN to get in line.

When we arrived at the studio another uber-sweet intern in a red blazer was calling out numbers into a megaphone - "We are now seating numbers 60 through 75. 60 through 75." I glanced down at my ticket - CRAP! We were numbers 51 and 52!! I found Alex the intern and told him of our dilemma. He, being the accommodating, helpful person that he is, told us to have a seat, and all was good. We were in!!!
From here we sat on long benches and filled out note cards with our names, addresses, SS# (gotta get those taxes!), and our "story." This is also where we were given our TPIR name tags! After an hour and a half we were shuffled to another long row of benches where we waited another 90 minutes. During this time, Brian, another red-blazer-wearing intern began calling groups of 15 to be interviewed by the producer. This was it. Our time to shine. The impression made here is what will determine if we are called to "Come on Down!"

Jerret and I were at the very end of our group. The producer started with the first guy in line and asked questions such as "Where are you from?" or "What do you do?" One by one he asked each person, and those he thought were interesting enough were asked follow-up questions. We had some very interesting people in our group - a piano player from New Orleans, a girl who just finished law school, a tour director from Hawaii....I couldn't stand it!! I was trying so hard to stay calm...The producer then turned his attention to Jerret - "Hey Jerre! Is it Jerry or Jerr-A, or?" Oh, double CRAP - the chick filling out name tags forgot the "T" at the end of Jerret's name!   No big deal, we roll with it. He asks Jerret what he does, Jerret says he is a glass engineer, to which the producer seemed genuinely interested in. Jerret explains his job, they exchange banter, and - AH! It's my turn!!! So Lori, what do you do? "I uh... I'm a federal proposal writer...a proposal writer for the government....a federal government proposal writer." Total flop.
Dunzo. And I knew it.
But Jerret did really well in his interview, so I still had hope for him.

So we go back to our benches, wait another half hour and are then told to file into the studio where the show will be taped. It was so cool to actually be there, to walk in with Olivia Newton John and John Travolta blaring from the overhead speakers - "you better wake up, do do, cuz I need a man..." I digress...

The stage is much smaller in person than anyone would think! We sat in our seats and danced to the overhead music until the producer came out to give us our instructions - go crazy, be nuts, celebrate, have fun, yada yada.

The theme music played, Drew stepped out, and the show was underway!  It was so crazy loud in there that you literally can't even here if you are told to "Come on Down!" so there are two stagehands with posters that have the name of each contestant written on them ahead of time. We had all kinds of fun, but were disappointed to learn that we would not be called up on stage.  The guy sitting right next to Jerret did get called though, so you will definitely see us on TV.   October 8.

The remainder of our trip was great. Very relaxing (oh- except that J and I had bad lobster bisque after TPIR taping and were totally sick until the next day at about noon). We drove to Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Laguna. It was fantastic. We visited three places that we found watching the Food Network - Pink's (Throwdown w/Bobby Flay), Baby Blue's BBQ (Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives), and Father's Office(The Best Thing I Ever Ate). Father's Office is known for the Office Burger, and let me tell you folks, if you ever make it to LA - try this. If you are a picky eater, this burger is not for you. There are no substitutions allowed and no ketchup either! Not even for the fries. But it is some good stuff. Seriously.

We also took a trip to Pasadena to check out the Rose Bowl, went to the USC stadium, and shopped on Robertson Blvd. where I bought JJ and Lynde some overpriced gear from Kitson Kids, but I didn't mind, I loved it. Laguna Beach was by far my favorite part of the trip. It is such a little tourist town, but everyone lives in million dollar homes, and according to Wikipedia the median household income is about $100K. Doesn't seem right. Bedroom communities like this fascinate me though. The people living there have such a different pace of life than the hustle and bustle most of us are used to. So laid back. I talked to a 15-yr-old boy at the beach who was surfing and he said he surfs every day (and has been for 7 years)! Every Day! Can you imagine? Now THAT's the life!

No real celebrity sightings unless you count Jessica Smith from Laguna Beach (at the beach), Drew at TPIR, and Javid Best of the Detroit Lions (on our plane home).

Guy's Signature at Baby Blues

mmmm...Sprinkles cupcakes. So good.

Pulled Pork and Mac&Cheese at Baby Blues - good stuff!!!

The Children Who Are Still Waiting....

2010-08-12T11:58:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are not of the Krygyz adoption community - take a look at this.
http://www.jcics.org/Kyrgyz%20Republic.htm

JJ was one of only 152 children adopted from Kyrgyzstan in a 3-year time period. Foreign adoptions have since ceased all together in Kyrgyzstan, but not without some significant collateral damage. At present, 65 children are caught in the political nightmare that has unfolded in Kyrgyzstan - stuck between US bureaucrats trying to follow the rules and foreign officials unwilling to be the person responsible for removing the red tape. These 65 children were in the process of being adopted, and had even been matched with their forever families. US families who already love them are here, waiting patiently for their children to come home, trying to ignore the proven facts that are associated with children who grow up in an institution - or at least push it out of their minds as best as they can because it is so hard to deal with when you know the statistics.

Have you ever heard that when a smoker decides to quit (for good) that they instantly become healthier? The minute a smoker decides to give up cigarettes, their whole life changes. It is the same for institutionalized children. The minute they are placed into the care of their forever families - dynamic changes begin to occur. We witnessed this first-hand when our JJ was brought home with a condition called rickets (lack of Vitamin D) that caused his legs to bow. By simply exposing him to outdoor sunlight, one hour a WEEK, and providing him with proper nutrition, he has been cured of this ailment. It's that simple folks. One-on-one love and attention, and that of an entire family, will give these children lives that may not have otherwise been possible. And 65 families wait, with papers in hand, to bring their babies home.

JJ's Sissy...

2010-08-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

This girl is just getting too big. 19 months already and she acts like shes 3. Here she is doing her
"I dream of Jeannie" impersonation...

Decisions, Decisions

2010-07-26T14:02:00.000-04:00

I can't believe we have made it past the halfway point already this year and I feel like not much has been accomplished. We are still planning to build our new house before JJ starts kindergarten (fall 2011), and thankfully we have settled on a location (although we still need an architect, builder, plans, time, etc). JJ attends preschool 3x's per week and Jerret is wanting to enroll him full-time in Pre-K at a nearby private school. I am of the opinion that he has the rest of his life to go to school, so why not let the kid have some fun before he enters the education machine? We also need to decide if it is time to put the baby in school, at least part-time. JJ really did learn quite a bit when he started preschool, and he seems to do well, and let's face it - I certainly can't teach them everything, so maybe it's time.

JJ is still swimming 3-4 times a week, and doing well. He finally graduated from the "kid pool" which is actually a hot tub, to the main swimming pool, and is now swimming in the pond. We definitely need to add a pool to our list of needs at the new house.

The kid is crazy brave. His sister is taking notes and becoming quite the guppy herself. She will step right into a swimming pool, clothes and all, if given the chance.

JJ is still playing dress-up daily and has grown a new fascination with tails. He will grab any long thing he can find - a belt, scarf, even dad's earplugs from work (that are on a cord), his rubber snake - and will stick one end down his shorts, thus giving himself a "tail." A few weeks ago he asked me if he could wear his tail to school, and since I didn't see the harm, I agreed. He walked into the classroom that day beaming from ear to ear, approaching his friends one by one to say hi, standing slightly to the side so they could each take in the glory of his tail.

Is Anyone Else Fascinated By This?

2010-06-24T12:52:00.000-04:00

I am fascinated by this boy's physique. Is this normal for a 4-yr old? Those muscles are so defined, so distinct. I guess he has good genes! Now that he can be thankful for. He has perfectly-toned muscles without even trying and doesn' thave to live in fear that he will one day inherit the badonkadonk of his mother. His sister though....

The kids are having a blast living it up in the pool at Nana's house. They probably go swimming 4 times a week and seem to never grow tired of it. Lynde hates when it is time to go/get out for a minute/eat and would stay at the pool 24/7 if she could! She fell in the bathtub a couple of weeks ago and split her eye wide-open. I was just standing up to lift her out and in that short time she managed to slip and fall. Let it be a lesson to us all. Luckily it was a pretty clean cut, and although the blood had me pretty spooked, it didn't require stitches and healed up rather quickly.

He's 4!! tear:(

2010-05-27T14:30:00.000-04:00

These kids are growing like crazy; I can barely keep up! JJ is very into "make-believe" right now and still gets down on all fours, galloping across the yard declaring "I'm a tiger!" to anyone who will listen. He has stepped up his game a bit and is now dressing up into costumes he has acquired over the past few months. His favorites are Iron Man, Venom, Football player, and yes - he still wears his beloved Spidey costume. His newest character is The Cat In The Hat, which he will wear and try to recite any lines he can remember from the movie. I, of course, am stuck playing the role of Krinklebein. Carlos K. Krinklebein. We have a lot of fun with his characters, except for when he decides he wants to be the football player and chases down his sister. He has tackled her on a few occasions, resulting in an immediate time-out followed with kisses and hugs for his baby sister who has learned how to roll with the punches (poor thing!).
Dad is recovering from a torn Achilles and has managed to heal up quite well - and just in time too, because I was literally going crazy there for a minute with all the driving, running around, dr's appointments - ugh! For those that don't know, Jerret tore his Achilles while playing basketball at the Y. He had surgery to repair the tendon and was on crutches, in the boot, limping, etc. for a few weeks. JJ will pretend to be a basketball player at times and always falls to the ground and "hurts his leg." It is hilarious that this kid thinks it is just a part of playing basketball.
The kids got their first taste of summer yesterday as it was nearly 90 degrees out and they played in the pool at Nana's house. The baby LOVES being outside and was hysterical at the thought of having to come in. Jerret brought the kids home around 8:00 and she was still sobbing when he walked through the door.
We will definitely have to plan a few trips this summer now that dad can walk again!

Not That I'm Bragging...

2010-04-21T17:50:00.000-04:00

But aren't these kids gorgeous?

Tammy Palmer at Eternity of Memories takes amazing photos! You should see the rest!!!!!

New Pics

2010-01-26T22:37:00.000-05:00

JJ is doing great. He has been having a "terrible three's" past couple of weeks where every other word is "No!" and he keeps telling us that he is the boss. We have started getting this under control though and he is learning that good behavior brings reward. He is such a funny kid. I can see so much of myself in him at times. He has picked up on so many of my behaviors/habits, usually little things that I do and don't even think about. He loves to sing and has down the words to a few country songs - Big Green Tractor, Chicken Fried, and It Happens are a few that I have heard him singing. And if I start to sing along he holds his hand up to me and says "No, I do it myself!" He's growing like crazy and loves playing with this baby. She wants to do everything that he does and loves to chase him around the house.

JJ and his sissy

JJ with his war paint. Notice the "Simba" line across the forehead.

We signed JJ up for soccer this year. He is into week 6 of a 12-week program and does incredibly well for this being his first time playing. After the first session, which was for beginners, the coach moved him up a level and said he would be bored in the first class.

He really wanted to use that tool...

Baby's first Christmas. She just turned 1 :)

Red Vs. Black

2009-11-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

Wow – I feel like it’s been forever. I am so sorry to leave you all hanging my humble readers. Work has been crazy busy, Jerret’s been traveling, blah blah blah…excuses, excuses. Regardless, I am back and we are doing just great. Baby girl is now 10 months old and started walking already. JJ is a great big brother and is learning that patience is a virtue and he should practice with his sister.

JJ has a ton of energy, like all 3 ½ yr. olds. He wanted to be spiderman for Halloween and that has turned into dressing as spiderman every day since. His Nana bought him the black spiderman costume after the holiday and now he alternates between “good spidey” and the “bad spiderman.” Last night JJ was wearing his costume again and Jerret was trying to get his attention and he kept saying “Jack! Jack!” and JJ just turned around and said – “No dad, call me Spiderman!” He does these wacky spiderman poses and will strike a pose at any given moment. (check out the pic to see what I am talking about).

A few days ago was the big Ohio State vs. Michigan football game (Go Bucks!) and Jerret had gone to the game so the kids and I were left at home to watch it on the big screen. JJ was so funny trying to imitate the players. He wore his Ohio State football jersey and suddenly ran into his room and grabbed a buckeye hat and his football, came back into the living room, got down on one knee and said “Blue 16! Hike, Hike!” and would take off running from the living room to the kitchen, around and around. This went on over and over for about 15 minutes.

The next day when Jerret was home the two of them took a trip to the store and when they came home JJ was crying hysterically. I noticed he was holding a brand new Ohio State Buckeyes football and asked what the problem was. He said “My daddy’s mean! I wanted the Michigan ball! We could not believe our ears! I told Jerret to take him back to the store because he obviously brought the wrong kid home by mistake. JJ was so upset and could not be consoled. I told him to go to his bed until he could stop crying and that he was not being nice to his daddy who just bought him a great gift. A couple of minutes later he was still crying, sitting on his bed holding the Ohio State football and saying “I don’t like Ohio State!” Now, let me remind you that this kid has an entire Buckeyes-themed bedroom. Here he was sitting on an OSU comforter, holding the OSU football, wearing an OSU jersey, brutus the buckeye hanging from the bedpost, woody hayes’ words of wisdom speaking to him from the wall, and an Ohio state something-or-other every which way you turn, and the kid is just crying because he wants that Michigan ball. I told him that it was fine if he didn’t like Ohio State, but then I was going to pack up all of his OSU toys and blankets and ship them to the kids in Kyrgyzstan who would love to have such things. This finally quieted him and it was obvious he didn’t want me to touch he beloved buckeye gear. We are guessing that he is equating the OSU (red) vs. Michigan (blue) rivalry with that of the red vs. black spiderman and he just wants to be able to play with both.

Jack and Jadyn

2009-10-03T15:58:00.006-04:00

Jerret's work sponsered a day at the local apple orchard this weekend. Of course, the weather didn't want to cooperate and it was cold and rainy but we took the kids and had fun anyway. The baby was sick and we didn't want her out in the nasty weather so she stayed behind and we took my neice Jadyn with us. JJ and Jadyn picked half a bushel of apples, had their faces painted, rode ponies, ate donuts, and both absolutely refused to drink the cider. Why is it that some people don't like cider? I think it tastes just like apple juice (and I am a pretty selective eater myself).

It ended up being a really good day. Having Jadyn helped me to get a glimpse of what I can expect when Lynde gets older. Jadyn had to go potty while we were out there and of course, they were lovely port-a-potties. I went to help Jadyn up on the seat and my paranoia set in immediately...what if she falls in? How deep are these things? Can she fit through that hole in the seat? I'm sure she can.....oh Jadyn, hurry honey....Dont' wiggle around! Use your hands to hold you up...yuck she is totally touching that toilet seat....

Jadyn rode Rusty. The pony "neighed" really loud and Jack suddenly wanted to get off.

Jack was so scary with this spider on his face! He wanted to wear the pirate patch so I insisted that he wear the earing too.

Jack's face broke out in purple dots immediately after rolling in the hay. Is he allergic to hay, or it is just a specific kind that caused this? (Shea???....)

Baby Steps...

2009-09-20T22:02:00.002-04:00

Well, we've had three poops on the potty this weekend. The first came out of the blue (as everyone said it would). Afterward JJ got a huge smile on his face and said "you happy mom?" and I gave him a big hug and told him I was so proud and that his dad would be proud too. We of course could not flush the toilet right away because we needed dad to see it, and then JJ said he wanted Aunt Cyndi to come over and see it too.
We had been tempting him with a new toy that we wrapped up and put on the back of the toilet [tank] waiting for him to earn the reward. When he finally was allowed to open the gift it was like Christmas for that boy.
Later that day I needed to go to WalMart and the whole family decided to go. Jerret suggested we buy another gift for JJ and try our strategy once again. So he picked out another toy (a big Tonka garbage truck that Jerret thought was on clearance for $10 but was actually on the wrong shelf) and we brought it home. JJ wanted this new truck so bad that he rushed into the bathroom and tried to force himself to go poop on the potty again. He did find it quite difficult since most people are not able to poop on demand, but low and behold, after a few minutes of grunting and squirming, our little guy raced out of the bathroom and made his announcement! We had a minor setback that night when dad and JJ went to rent a movie and JJ told dad he had to go, but dad thought the kid might be able to hold it until they found a toilet. Which is funny, because I do not think they looked for a toilet at the video store, but were going to try and make it back home and all of you parents out there know how this turned out...
The toys were getting too expensive so we are now bribing him with Oreo cookies. So far he is doing well. We even had an accident-free nap today. We're going to take it slow this time. I will not move him back into the preschool class until I am certain he is ready. We don't need another broken heart.

Parent-Teacher Conference Part 2

2009-09-04T14:45:00.003-04:00

Well, he's out. They are sending him back to the 2/3 yr. old class and will have to wait until he is accident-free for 2 weeks before we can try again with the big kids. He is going to be so disappointed. He is very aware that he was moved up to the "big kid room" and that the 2/3 yr old class was for little kids who use diapers. But the teacher explained that it is more a health risk/consideration than anything and they are just not equipped to deal with children who are not potty trained. Oh well. In all fairness, he has been really lazy about going #2 and will hold it as long as possible before just going in his pants. What else can we do?

Uh-Oh...He's too young for this...

2009-09-01T16:51:00.004-04:00

We have been informed that we need to have a little meeting with JJ's preschool teacher this week. We [they] are having a little problem with his potty habits and it seems he is having accidents daily at this point. I'm not sure if the regression has anything to do with his new baby sister, but he does want to play and pretend he is a baby once in a while. And I, being the new adoptive mommy that I am, am quick to oblige and cradle him in my arms giving lots of hugs and kisses and telling him that he is mommy's baby too. Jerret just looks at me like I am crazy until I remind him that JJ never had this affection that he sees Lynde getting. He needs to feel the same connection that we have with her.

Our nighttime routine still includes prayers for "all the kids in Kyrgyzstan, that they find mommies and daddies and are able to come home." But lately JJ has asked us to tell him the story about Kyrgyzstan, and he now can tell us how it all went down. I think this was all spurred by a book Aunt Jill found called "God Found Us You." It was a great way to start the conversation and he even fills in parts that we left out. His favorite part of the story is "I pooped on the plane" His dad must have told him that part - where I thought 9 diapers would be plenty for the 18-hour trek and sure enough...we needed 10.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the parent-teacher conference!

Our Man

2009-07-24T22:15:00.003-04:00

We're making potty progress. Not perfect yet, and still need diapers through the night, but he's gone twice now. He's just getting too big.

Powered Donuts

2009-07-14T21:43:00.008-04:00

We've made some huge strides with potty training over the past couple of days. After all of the toys, movies, and trips to the zoo we bought; who knew the magic treat would be miniature powered donuts. I never buy donuts, and don't really keep sweets in the house, but while JJ and I were at the store the other day he grabbed a box of miniature powered donuts and said "I need these mom." So I told him, "Oh, well, these are only for big boys who know how to sit on the potty". When we got home he decided that it was time to figure out how to sit on the potty and totally went, and then had a donut as his reward.

The kid ate an entire box himself over the weekend, but it works for now so we will go with the flow (haha - flow). JJ is now getting up and going to the potty all on his own...and then he immediately runs out into the kitchen and gets out a powered donut, proudly proclaiming "I'm a big boy, I go potty!" Our big problem has been getting him to go #2. We're making progress, slowly.

Other than that we are just enjoying our summer. Here's a pic of Jack at the Hartman pond, and a pic of his "Ninny Jo"

Summertime

2009-06-16T16:26:00.003-04:00

Summer is slowly getting here up North. We haven't had many warm days, but last weekend it was finally hot enough for JJ to go swimming. I've been meaning to sign him up for swim lessons again this year, but haven't had a chance yet. He will be in the advanced class this year and able to jump off the diving board..... Oh, and I must tell everyone what a great job my nephews have been doing helping me out a bed time. They will sometimes stop over in the evening when JJ is getting ready for bed. Both Raymond and AJ will take turns reading to Jack - 4, 5, or even 6 books! Thanks boys.

JJ's Ride

2009-06-12T15:04:00.007-04:00

Our little town recently had a one-day carnival/parade, complete with those scary, you might read about this-tomorrow type of rides. JJ loved the ponies, but then he insisted on riding on these tin can airplanes. We tried to talk him out of it, really, we did...

The Pony Ride

All is good

Then he wanted to ride these things. He was fine until he realized that the planes not only went round-and-round, they went up as well.

Here the plane is just starting to go up. He was looking around like, "What is happening??"

He stared at the ground until his plane "landed"

Another Bad Eye

2009-06-08T21:44:00.005-04:00

This kid is just growing so fast. JJ is loving the nicer weather we've been having and has been spending much of his free time outdoors. He loves his new swing set and curly slide, playing at the "beach" (his sandbox), playing t-ball with dad, and playing basketball on a new hoop that my dad bought him for his birthday. His playing outside so much has resulted in another swollen eye (mosquito bite). We're up to #6 for eye injuries if you're counting. Here is a pic when it was starting to clear up.

We're still trying hard to potty train, but this kid has no desire whatsoever. He will sit in wet, poopy, stinky diapers all night if we'd let him. His teacher thought that we should really start pushing the issue now that he is three, so Jerret wanted to take her advice and force him to go on the potty. I, of course, insist that he will go when he is good and ready and until them we are all just wasting our time. The teacher asked us to send him to school in underpants, no diapers, along with a couple extra pairs of underwear and shorts. On day two of this trial I had a little boy who stood in the driveway crying after school one day because he had wet his pants. He was borderline hysterical and I had enough. I told Jerret I was done trying and not forcing the issue. Jerret still went along with the teacher's idea and at the end of the week, Guess What?! ..................................................................................................................................................Wrong! He is absolutely NOT potty trained and still doesn't care! The only thing we had to show for our (Jerret's) efforts was 5 bags of urine-soaked, death smelling, crunchy nasty clothes. Let's not forget the outfit he pooped in that sat in a grocery bag for 3 days before they reminded Jerret to bring it home. It was awful. So bad I had to throw one entire outfit out. The teacher must have felt bad because the next time I came in she was sure to let me know that she had personally washed Jack's wet clothing. She now realizes that JJ is still not ready.

We'll get there, we will. I just hope it's sooner rather than later!

He's Three!

2009-05-28T09:12:00.009-04:00

We have been so busy lately, it seems like I can't even find a second to blog. By the time the kids have had their baths and are in bed each night, I have about 100 things to get done and blogging just gets pushed to the side. Sad for me....

Our little guy turned 3 last week. He is the size of a 5-year-old, but is still our baby boy. We took a cake over to Jerret's mom and dad's house and gave him his birthday present. Here he is waiting for the surprise...

He kept on telling us that he wanted a "Boom A-Chow" cake, which is his code word for anything related to the Cars movie. He had a store-bought cars cake last year, and I didn't want to get the same thing, so instead I went to Cold Stone and bought a yummy yellow cake with yellow cake batter ice cream inside. Then I ran into Wal-Mart and bought about 5 cars to put ontop. It was a chore trying to find cars that he doesn't already own, let me tell ya! He thought the cake was great and didn't even need a present after getting those cars off the cake.

So then we surprised him with his birthday present - a big boy bike!!! The excitement faded quickly after his first spill. Take a look at the video...

Our memorial day weekend was nice. We went out to dinner to celebrate Jerret's new job. I am sure he doesn't want me to mention this or make a big deal about it, but I don't care because we are proud of him. He is still doing glass engineering, which he loves, but is going from making drinking glasses to glass bottles (think beer). He is a technical leader for R&D and excited for the new challenge. So anyway - we went out to dinner at a local Mediterranean restaurant. JJ did very well, which I was a little nervous about because it is not really a kid-friendly atmosphere. This is Jack cutting his Shish Tawook, or chicken and rice...

After dinner we went over to Jerret's brother's new house to check it out. This is Jack playing in the back yard. Uncle Joe bought a 4-bedroom house and is a bachelor, so he said he would make a room for JJ to stay the night.

Lovin' Life

2009-04-24T15:51:00.004-04:00

I think we have officially hit the terrible two's. Poor JJ has been pretty temperamental lately and fussy about different things - especially eating. The other day he smacked at Jerret and absolutely refused to apologize. We put him to bed early and I had a talk with him explaining that when you hurt someone or hurt their feelings, you need to say sorry and give hugs. He instantly gave me a hug and kiss, but when I told him that he needed to apologize to daddy, he cried and cried and said "no, no, no". He also squeezed Lynde a little hard (on purpose) the other day and again, would not apologize. It's crazy to think that his little mind understands that the words "I'm sorry" are indeed an apology and something that he didn't want to have any part of.

The Easter Bunny was pretty good to JJ this year except for one minor detail...Our Easter Bunny doesn't bring candy!! Can you believe it? Who is this rotten bunny anyway? I felt bad for the little guy so I gave him an extra pack of m&m's I had left over from helping my brother make baskets for his kids. We also had a good time coloring eggs, but we don't really like to eat the eggs so we just took a couple over to poppa.

Jack is loving his baby Lynde. He wants her to sleep in his bed so bad and every evening when we go to say goodnight, he will scoot over and say "Lynde lay here" so the other night I laid her down to make him happy. He was in 7th heaven getting to be with his sissy - that is until I had to take her back.

This is JJ's new toy at Poppa and Nana's house. He calls his horse swing "Black Beauty."

I'm Still Alive!

2009-04-02T10:47:00.008-04:00

It's been a while...and I have the usual excuses.

I am happy to inform you all that it was exactly two years ago that we landed in Detroit with our baby boy - who is now getting so big :( Here is a pic taken inside the airplane. I'll never forget that I tried to calculate how many diapers we would need in our carry-on for the 20-hour trek...I guessed 9 would be enough. Wouldn't you know it, we needed 10. Those poor, poor people sitting around us.

JJ is doing great with his baby sister, Lynde. She is 3 months old now and he is constantly wanting to hold her, kiss her, and just help out with whatever she needs. He really wants her to be able to sleep in his bed with him. She was laying on the ground cooing, just making her baby noises, last week and JJ came running to me in the kitchen saying "Mom - Ninny talk, Ninny talk!" so I acted very excited and said "No Way! What did she say?" and JJ just looked and me and calmly replied "She say ham and cheese."

No clue where that came from.

Here are some recent pics of JJ at our local big blow-up jumpy place...

In Case You Were Wondering...

2009-02-24T20:33:00.006-05:00

It's been a while, but if you were wondering what JJ has been up to, then check out this little video. Sorry about the quality, but the photographer was holding the baby in her other arm!

Here are some pics of Daddy and JJ partying in the basement after destroying the castle!

And Mr. Sockhand has returned...This is what I found twice last week when checking on JJ at naptime...

Long Time, No Blog!

2009-02-10T13:24:00.004-05:00

We really need to get this kid a tool belt.

Well, as you can imagine, the craziness of a newborn (5 weeks already!) has had me quite busy at home leaving no time to blog. Any free moments have been spent napping, showering, playing with Jack and I can't forget to mention my 5 trips out of the house (4 to the grocery store and one dinner for Jerret's birthday).

JJ has been quite the little helper. He is standing at the ready with a pacifier anytime Lynde makes even a whimper. He wants to play with her so badly. The other day I busted him trying to feed her a goldfish cracker and had to explain that Lynde only drinks milk and doesn' t have any teeth.

JJ is going through a pretend stage and some days acts like a lion (from Lion King, of course), other days he is a puma (Go Diego Go!), and sometimes a mean tiger (Kung Fu Panda). He uses these opportunities to go around the house licking people and will act like he is going in for a kiss and out the tongue comes. Lynde gets licked the most (see below). He has so much energy that we are starting to discuss which activities we should enroll him in when he turns three. The kid is seriously crazy strong and has defined muscles in his arms. The other day he was actually doing push-ups (perfect ones at that) in the living room. I have no idea where he learned this move because I haven't seen Jerret do a push up in a few years and I probably haven't done one since I was 20!

More Pics...

2009-01-18T18:35:00.004-05:00

JJ sure loves his sissy. He is constantly wanting to hold, hug, and kiss her. Most recently he has begun licking his hand and wiping it across her forehead saying "Simba!" (a move he learned from watching Lion King).

Our Newest Addition...

2009-01-07T12:27:00.004-05:00

She's here! Lynde Josephine was born on Saturday, January 3, weighing in at 8lbs 3oz (exactly the weight I was at birth). She is so so awesome and a true miracle.

It only took JJ about an hour to warm up to her and he was in love too. He gets a huge smile on his face when he gets to help with her and wants to hold her all the time, but is a little rough so we usually do the holding. This morning JJ got put in time out and instead of crying for mommy or daddy he cried for his sister and kept saying "My Ninny, My Ninny." He is going to be a great big brother.

7 Random Things...

2008-12-26T00:25:00.004-05:00

I have been tagged a few times now to post 7 Random Things About Me, but truthfully have been too lazy to get it done. (That happens when you're 9 months pregnant, right?) So anyway - here they are in no particular order...

I am halfway finished with my MBA; but ended up changing jobs, adopting JJ, getting pregnant, and I could think of at least a dozen more reasons why I haven't finished...
I get up and check on JJ at least once while he is sleeping every single night. And now that I am about to have a baby and getting up 4-5 times a night...I check on him that often. Yeah, I am full of paranoia.
I truly believe that I am going to win the lottery some day. But then again, I told this to a co-worker and she said that she always believed she would win too. So now I am wondering, does everyone think they will win someday?
I have thought about going to school to become a pastor. I highly doubt this will ever happen, but what a great job...
I really, really want to move someday...to another place - city, state, whatever. That being said, it is hard for me to accept change and learn to deal with unfamiliar things so I might just be stuck in NW Ohio for my entire life.
I like being pregnant. Maybe it's because I am nervous of the whole labor process, or the fact that I will be handling a newborn. Whatever it is, I just like being pregnant.
My latest TV obsession is Dog the Bounty Hunter. I've been watching the show off and on for about 2 years now (and was introduced by my mom), but for some reason am fascinated by this family as of late.

Ok, so that's it for my Meme. No tagging anyone else as I came into the picture way to late.

Random JJ Pics

2008-12-25T23:45:00.008-05:00

JJ and Daddy outside during the first snowfall of the year...

We're trying to potty train the boy, but can't let him go to bed without a diaper. So - this is what happened when he insisted on wearing his new Elmo underpants...

I swear we didn't put him in there, he did it all on his own...

JJ was bit on the eyelid by a mosquito about a month ago... One of our 5 eye injuries within the last year...

We had an early Christmas with my family. The kids were all supposed to wait for everyone to open their gifts (kids go by age), but of course JJ couldn't wait and tore right in.

The First Snowfall of the Season

2008-12-17T22:21:00.003-05:00

You would think that being in NW Ohio we would have had tons of snow by the middle of December. Last night was actually our first "real" snowfall of the season. This, of course, excited Jerret who was dying to try out his new tractor and snowblower and he ended up doing all of the sidewalks in the neighborhood and a least a dozen of the neighbor's driveways. JJ was just excited about the prospect of being able to build a snowman, which hasnt' happened yet. Oh well, a wagon ride's just as good...

JJ Pics

2008-12-15T11:41:00.003-05:00

Seriously? Ringworm?

2008-12-05T11:13:00.001-05:00

So JJ has ringworm…on his scalp. He and Jerret went for haircuts a couple of weeks ago and when they came home I noticed a small (very tiny) bald spot on his head. Naturally, I assumed the chick at First Choice nicked his poor little head and wondered which girl had done it since we are there every 3 weeks and seem to get a different person each time.

Over the course of a week, I noticed the spot get bigger and bigger and bigger, until it was the size of a nickel. Finally, I realized that it was more than a nick and thought I might want to call the doctor. I took him to school the next day and as soon as I removed his hat the teacher looked at me and gasped loudly, slapping her hand over her mouth and whispered “Ringworm!” I was very surprised and looked up at her and said “how do you know?” and she said “Oh, its been going around the school.” This, of course, upset me as this is now the second time a communicable disease has gone around that school and I heard NOTHING.

Anyway – I made an appointment that day with Dr. John who told us that ringworm of the scalp is VERY different than getting it on your skin. He said that it is very hard to get rid of and that JJ would need to be on meds for 2 months! And it could take a year for the hair to grow back in that spot (which is now that size of a quarter!)

I sent Jerret to the pharmacy that night to pick up the script and received a call from him to ask how much these meds should cost. I had no idea, but he told me that the pharm tech was telling him that a month’s worth of the antibiotics cost $200! Again, I assumed she must be incorrect and surely they had not run our insurance card so I told Jerret to double check and give them our insurance information. We discovered that yes, they had run our insurance and that this WAS the generic form of the meds. They just really, actually cost $200 for a month’s worth! I have never heard of such a thing, but we needed to fix the poor little guys head so we surrendered our cash and paid up.

We're Getting Close & The Nemo Ban

2008-11-25T13:19:00.003-05:00

I've been busy trying to get Christmas shopping done and out of the way early this year. I even started wrapping last night so that Jerret wouldn't be stuck not knowing who gets what or where things are at just in case we have this baby early. I am thinking that she is going to come early, but still feel like she is way high and I have a constant foot under the ribs to prove it. In fact, I am nervous she is going to be born with a broken foot because I have felt this pain every day, in the exact same spot, for about the past 3 weeks. She is tossing and turning all around, but I am convinced that her foot is stuck.

JJ is finally getting used to the idea of having a baby and actually acknowledges her by name now. He still goes into her room and tries to climb in the crib saying "JJ bed" until we explain that JJ has a big boy bed now and this bed is only for babies.

JJ has really started getting into movies lately and we ended up buying him the Monsters, Inc. DVD in hope that he would realize how nice Sully actually is, and it is working so far. Then we borrowed Finding Nemo from Aunt Jill and once again traumatized the poor kid. He was so distraught when 1) Nemo's mom dies 2) The fish eggs disappeared and 3) When Nemo was taken by the scuba diver. Poor JJ stood in front of the TV with tears in his eyes shouting "Nemo, Nemo!" for a good 2-3 minutes. (Who ever said these movies are for kids?). And at the end of the movie, when Nemo and his father were reunited we had full on crying as though something awful just happened. So again, Jerret and I had to sit there and explain that everything was Ok, that Nemo found his daddy, but JJ still cried and cried. So we had to put a ban on watching Nemo in the Hartman house.

We Are Really Dumb!

2008-11-15T18:23:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago Jerret went to the "Special Persons Breakfast" at my nephew's school. After breakfast there was a book fair (how smart are they? Have a book fair when the people with the real money are around!) and Jerret bought JJ a Disney book that had stories from 5 different Disney movies in it. Out of the 5 movies, the only one JJ has actually seen is the Cars movie, but he quickly fell in love with the other stories after reading them. His two favorites are the story about Buzz Lightyear and one from Monsters Inc., and it has become routine for either Jerret or I to lay in bed with JJ and read one of these stories.

The other night Jerret was reading to JJ and I wanted part of the action so I barged in and plopped myself down next to them. While reading the Monsters Inc. story - you know the one where Sully scares all the little kids behind the doors - Jerret said "Hey Mom, you need to check the closet and make sure Sully isn't in there!" (dumb)

So I, being the great mother that I am, decided to jump up and slowly open the closet door to take a peek inside. (This is where we get really dumb) Rather than open the door all the way and let JJ know the coast was clear, no monsters in his closet, I said "Aaaahhhh! There's a monster in there!" and quickly slammed the door closed.

JJ's eyes were as big as saucers. He stared at me and then looked at Jerret, and then fixed his gaze on the closet door. He wouldn't speak...just stared.

I realized the trauma that we had just forced on our child and looked at Jerret and asked "Why did we just do that?" and we both just laughed at our stupidity. I tried opening the closet door all the way and turning on the light to show JJ that there wasn't really a monster in his closet, but he wasn't hearing of it. JJ quickly said "Shut the door!" and continued to stare at the closet door out of the corner of his eye. We tried reading another story to take his mind off of the monster, but JJ wouldn't even look at the book. We asked him questions to change the subject, but JJ wouldn't answer us. When we finally did get an answer out of him he would only whisper, as so not to wake the monster.

We are trying to forget the whole incident, but every time we enter his bedroom JJ has to run and close the closet door. And he will absolutely, positively not go to sleep with that door open.

Na-Na-Na-Na-Na BATMAN!

2008-10-31T15:03:00.004-04:00

JJ is going as Batman this year at Halloween. He is so funny in his costume and will go around singing the song - Na-Na-Na-Na-Na- BATMAN! (I'll have to get video).

We took JJ trick-or-treating at the local nursing home where Aunt B's in-laws live. I am glad that she takes him and gets him used to being around other people who might look a little "different." Many of the residents and staff know him by name and even saved special candy to give him in his bag.

Here is a pic of JJ with his cousin Kalib. He was so scared of Kalib in that costume that he didn't even want to stand next to him.

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-20T15:49:00.006-04:00

We have yet to pick out a costume for Halloween this year, but are still preparing in other ways. JJ helped carve his first pumpkin last night with Daddy. The funniest part was when we cut into the pumpkin and took the "lid" off. I don't know if he was referring to the smell or to what he found inside, but JJ made the craziest face and said "Ewwww...poo poo Mama!"

And this is what happened when we were all done with the pumpkin and JJ still wanted to play with his plastic knife...

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

2008-10-15T09:30:00.002-04:00

Watch JJ's version of the song...he's too cute.

JJ's Real Big Boy Bed

2008-10-13T21:56:00.004-04:00

We transistioned JJ into a "real" big boy bed this time, not just a toddler bed. He was so funny when we went to Wal-Mart to buy his bedding. We painted him an Ohio State Buckeyes room last year when he came home and are definitely not ready to re-paint so naturally I wanted to buy OSU bedding.

While shopping, I was trying to get JJ excited about his new blankies and he kept on saying "No, mamma, don't want" And then he made it clear that he instead wanted "Boom, Chow" blankies, which is his code for Cars. So I quietly put the Ohio State comforter set in the cart thinking he wouldn't realize it was in there, but when we got to the checkout he let out a loud "Don't want football! Boom Chow, Boom Chow!"

Luckily, by the time we returned home and put the bed together, he was in heaven and loves the big boy bed, Ohio State blankies and all.

Super Happy Fun Land

2008-10-13T19:05:00.003-04:00

JJ paid a visit one of his favorite places over the weekend...the John Deere Store. Or as we like to call it, SuperHappyFunLand. Jerret had to return to the store again today and JJ was in heaven playing in the John Deere toy area. He tried to carry out 5 boxes thinking he was taking all those toys home and was very upset when Daddy put them back.

His vocabulary is growing like crazy and his teachers have commented to us that he is the most polite little boy. Although, I must admit that this past weekend had us cursing the terrible twos as he showed us that he definitely knows how to throw a tantrum or two!

No! My Baby!

2008-10-07T16:49:00.005-04:00

This is a video of JJ manhandling the poor little baby that my sister-in-law babysits. He was actually being very cute, but the poor baby starts to look a little confused. Either way, I can see that he is going to be a very overprotective big brother...

JJ's First Wedding

2008-09-29T16:16:00.006-04:00

Jerret's cousin Lisa was married down in Bluffton last weekend and JJ got to attend his first wedding. He actually did really well during the ceremony. I guess I consider doing well not making any noise and no loud interruptions. He mopped the floor with his sweater a few times and kept going back and forth between us and Jerret's parents who were in the pew in front of us. He had a ball dancing in the middle of the dance floor, all by himself. He found a little friend and decided to dance with her too. We stopped at McDonald's between the wedding and the reception and tried to work out some of the kid's energy. He loved it.

JJ's Pink Eye

2008-09-20T22:23:00.003-04:00

I had been at work on Monday for a little over an hour when I received a phone call from JJ's preschool teacher. She requested I come back and pick JJ up immediately as he had pink eye, and it was apparently oozing from the corners. My first reaction was surprise, because I hadn't noticed any "pinkness" to his eyes that morning, followed by embarrassment that I could possibly be one of the worst mothers in Northwest Ohio for not knowing when my kid was sick.
And then I got over it - rather quickly - and became angered when the teacher told me that they had 3 reported cases in their class last week.

Isn't this something that should be shared with parents? Did they possibly tell Jerret when he picked JJ up one afternoon and he forgot to say anything? I was very surprised to hear that they in fact did not mention this to parents. JJ goes to a very reputable school and I would think it their policy to share such information.

Anyway - a call to the doctor, a day off of work, and a $60 prescription later we are rid of the pink eye. Getting those drops in his eye was a chore and a half. JJ hated the medication and would close his eyes as tight as he could, with both hands over the eye so that we could not get the drops in. It took Jerret to hold JJ and his hands down while I tried to force open the super-closed eye and squirt in a drop or two. JJ was usually in tears by the end of the whole ordeal and then I wondered if he was just crying out the medication I had just squirted in. All in all, it only lasted about 24 hours and then he was as good as new.

JJ's New Ride

2008-09-10T16:37:00.003-04:00

Jerret was finally able to figure out how to get the bike seat onto my bike so that we could take JJ for rides. ...Well, he can. Obviously I cannot get my butt up on a bike at this point in time. JJ was in heaven and very excited. He was not so excited about wearing the helmet, but he kept it on after all.

I was outside taking pictures of the two of them as they rode around the block and waited and waited for them to come back around, and then decided to start walking to look for them (thinking maybe the chain broke, or the seat didn't stay put or something...) Anyway, little did I know that Jerret decided to ride all the way to his parents house - 3 miles away!

And here is a picture of JJ entertaining himself with an empty box at Jerret's work party...

It's Almost Fall?!

2008-08-30T21:44:00.006-04:00

We had a party last weekend for Jerret's grandfather's 80th birthday. It was a good party and everyone enjoyed the good weather, swimming, food, and company of family that we only get to see a couple of times a year. Here is JJ and his cousin Alexander playing together like good little boys.......

JJ really has been doing well playing with other kids. We did, however, have a minor set back two weeks ago when JJ changed classrooms at preschool for the new school year. He ended up biting someone two days in a row. The teachers didn't make a big deal of it and said that the first kid tackled JJ over a toy and the second day they didn't even fill out an incident report. The funny thing was that JJ told me about it as soon as I walked in the door that night. He ran right up to me and said "Mama - right there" and pointed to his arm where he must have bit the kid. So we had a little talk and now every morning I ask him to be a good boy at school and he answers me with "Oh Tay."

His speech is also improving greatly. He has added all sorts of new words and phrases. He now says "right there, over there, love you, nite nite, and elbow." I'm not sure how we taught the kid elbow, but he knows right where it is.

And I know I say this a lot, but you have got to see this kid swim. I am going to take a video this weekend to post because he really is amazing. He can float on both his front and back sides, go under water, and actually swim across the entire pool. On his last day of swim lessons he even jumped off of the diving board at the Y, into the 12-ft-deep water...all on his own. Jerret just stayed in the pool to catch him and JJ climbed the ladder and walked the plank twice! There were 6 and 7 year old kids who got up there and started crying, but not our JJ. Yes, he took swim lessons, but they weren't actually taught to "swim." It was a parent/child class where the kids were taught the basics of kicking in the water and learning to reach out in front of them. The motions were all there, but the kids were never taught to put it all together - after all, they were just babies. He learned the most by swimming at Jerret's parents house and we would just tell him what to do and he did it for the most part. We will sure be sad when the fall weather starts to hit us and we can't swim any more. And we'll all be asking - where did the summer go?

In other news, Jerret bought a new John Deere. He and his dad were at a tractor show and got the "deal of all deals" so of course, had to buy it. The two of them have made quite a hobby of refurbishing tractors. They prefer the older ones and say you can't buy one these days that is made like they used to. He was very excited to tell me how big it is and that it has a 60-inch deck, perfect for mowing a our land - 2.5 acres that we will not be building on for another couple of years. But in the meantime, he admits he will look rather silly mowing our lot at home, in our subdivision.

It's A....

2008-08-14T14:34:00.004-04:00

So today was ultrasound #5 and we finally found out the JJ is going to have a baby sister!! I am so excited that I get to buy cute girly things. I'm thinking we need another baby though to give JJ a little buddy to play with. I guess then we'd need a fourth to give the baby her own little sister... but what if it didn't work out that nicely...then we'd need a 5th....

Who Doesn't Love the Fair?

2008-08-12T16:40:00.004-04:00

I' ve been in a serious blogging funk lately. It's been a busy couple of weeks and I must have had some sort of writer's block, becuase nothing seemed noteworthy.

My cousin and I took her son and JJ to the County Fair and had a blast. JJ was so hilarious when we went to check out all the animals. He was very timid around the larger animals and wouldn't even get out of the stroller to check out the cows or horses, although he was facinated by them.

We finally coaxed him out of the stroller and got him to pet a lamb. While we were checking out the sheep a couple of little girls, who had animals at the farm, approached us and asked if we wanted to by a tiny ball of wool. It was 5 cents. We bought two.

JJ also enjoyed his first snowcone at the fair.

Grave Digger

2008-07-25T16:32:00.004-04:00

The Auto-Rama is coming to town and one of the trucks was parked at a local store until showtime. Jerret's dad took JJ down to see the truck and boy was he impressed. everyone is always saying how big he is, but he looks so tiny compared to that tire!

The Reunion and The Tourist Trap

2008-07-15T20:59:00.007-04:00

We had a great time at the CWA reunion in North Carolina last weekend. It was so great to meet our Kyrgyz bloggie friends - Gen, Andrea, Shea, Jamie, and Esther. We also got to reunite with the Estes family who we have not seen since we traveled to Kyrgyzstan to pick up our little ones. Here is a pic of their son Ben and JJ giving each other a high five.

This is a pic of JJ and AP who were in the Tokmok orphanage together. JJ knocked her down shortly after the hug.

And this is one of our favorite little girls, Aliya. Her family traveled with us on our journey to Kyrgyzstan.

After the CWA picnic, we took my nephews to Gatlinsburg, TN for a little vacation. So many people told me it was a tourist trap and I had no idea what that actually meant until we were there. We had fun anyway though. The boys seemed to enjoy themselves. Here is a pic of the boys and I in the garage before we left on our trek.

JJ loved having the big boys around. He wanted to be one of them so bad. The boys were taking their suitcases into the hotel and JJ had to do what they were doing, so he began pulling his backpack behind him. The handle on his pack is broken though so it was hilarious to watch him pull his broken-handled bag everywhere he went.

JJ's Pool

2008-07-09T11:48:00.005-04:00

I haven't downloaded our pics from the 4th yet, but here are some pics of JJ doing his favorite summertime activity - swimming. He will miss swim lessons this weekend b/c we will be out of town for the CWA reunion, but our hotel has a pool, so we will work with him there. The kid is getting WAY too brave. He was jumping off of the diving board the other day!

Puddle Hoppin

2008-07-07T16:35:00.004-04:00

We had a crazy busy 4th of July weekend, but it was super nice to have the time off. JJ stayed at his grandparent's house while Jerret and I went to a party Thursday night. We've had quite a bit of rain lately and he found some water in the yard.

Funny...

2008-06-23T13:09:00.002-04:00

This morning while I was getting ready for work JJ came up to me and patted my belly, saying "Baby?" Then he lifted up my shirt and put his eye all the way up to my belly button, searching, as though he might be able to see a baby in there.

We'll Be There!

2008-06-19T13:38:00.006-04:00

Next month is the CWA reunion and we have decided to make the trek from the Buckeye State all the way down to North Carolina. I am very excited to see some of the Kyrgyz pioneers who we have come to know since our adoption. So Martins, Blacks, Hatches, and Collingham’s – get ready to meet our little handful JJ!

We have decided to tell JJ that he is going to be a big brother. And while he doesn’t really get it, he will pat my belly or kiss it and say “BABY!” Our favorite is when we ask “Where is the baby?” and he will lift up his shirt and show us his own belly, pat it and say “BABY!” So JJ thinks he too has a baby growing in his belly.

Father’s day was nice and we started the day with JJ giving Jerret a gift of new swimming trunks and 2 large bottles of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (his favorite). After that we made the rounds visiting our fathers and ending up at Jerret’s parents for a cook out. Jerret’s dad has an old Chevy truck (maybe 1954 or something?) that he refurbished and JJ thinks it is the coolest thing ever. He was putting it away in the barn and let JJ help.

Finally...

2008-06-16T17:18:00.001-04:00

Guess who's eating for two ya'll?

Yeah, me.

AAH.....

2008-06-09T14:48:00.001-04:00

I wish I slept this good!...

The Pool Is Open!

2008-06-09T12:33:00.007-04:00

What a nice, relaxing weekend it was - with no real plans to keep us tied down. It was just Jerret, JJ, and me doing our thing and trying to keep cool.

Friday night Jerret went to the Detroit Tigers game with some friends and we had a major storm system move through. We are very close to the Michigan border, and the storm was creating tornadoes to the south of us that were headed right for Michigan. I watched the news and heard the sirens going off, but didn't see much outside except for wind, so I wasn't planning on taking cover. While watching the news, the news station was hit by lightning and the screen went black. I could still hear what the weather guy was saying, but couldn't see him Then the General Manager of the station came on and said that they were all going to go in the basement. So then I thought - Man, if the news people are going in the basement, I should too. So at 9:30 I got JJ out of bed and took him down in the basement with me. I admit, I was a little scared, but after all the drama...no storm. It was super windy for about 10 minutes and then it was all over.

My in-laws opened their pool up for the summer, so we spent the day over there yesterday. JJ loves to swim, and as I said before, I am not allowed in a pool right now, so I just put my feet in.

Here are some pics of our little fish...

JJ's Baby...Doll

2008-06-06T11:36:00.005-04:00

This is JJ's baby doll that he plays with at his grandparents house. He holds the baby, feeds it, gives her her pacifier, and as you can see in the picture, takes it for a swing. Soon Poppa's pool will be open and I am sure that he will take it for a swim too.

Actually, Jerret and JJ are going to take swimming lessons together at the YMCA in a couple of weeks. I really wanted to take JJ to one of those safety swimming courses that teaches babies as young as 6 months old to lay on their backs and float, but the hours are too crazy (in the middle of the day) and I am not allowed to get into swimming pools for the time being due to a medical condition. Anyway - they will be taking lessons at the Y down the street from our house and I will have to watch from the observation windows.

JJ is getting so smart. He knows that every night we sit and let him watch Thomas before bed, and Jerret and I usually sit in the same chairs. So when he sees us getting ready for bed and walking toward our chairs, he will run to one of them and sit in our place, saying "Mine!" He cracks up at himself and we will ask if we can please sit down and he spreads his body across the chair saying "Mine!" All the while, he doesn't really want our chairs, he just does it for the game of it.

JJ's Playground

2008-05-27T17:18:00.004-04:00

JJ recently got a new playground at Poppa and Grandma's house. Jerret and his dad found this beauty on-line and put it together for JJ. He loves it so much and gets upset, sometimes crying, when it is time to go inside.

We recently had another one of his post-adoption meetings with the social worker, and his 2-year check up with the doctor. The little boy who wasn't even on the charts a year ago is now 36-inches tall and in the 90% for his age. He weighs 32 lbs and is in the 80% percentile. I guess sneaking scoops of formula into his food until he was 18 months old was worth it! I just hope he continues growing at this pace. He is still saying "no" to everything and doesn't understand the difference between yes and no. So we have lots of fun asking questions like "JJ, do you want a million dollars?" because he always answers "Nooooo." He is so smart and will do anything we ask him to.

Here is a picture in poppa's truck that he is going to re-finish. We call it Mater because it looks like the real Tow-Mater truck from Cars.

JJ's New Love

2008-05-16T13:15:00.003-04:00

JJ has a new obsession to add to his list - Cars (you know, the movie). My in-laws have the DVD and whenever we are over there JJ insists on watching it and will sit through the entire thing if we let him. His favorite (and not so favorite) part of the movie is when Mater and Lightning McQueen go "tractor tipping." JJ is so frightened by this part that he will cling to the nearest person and begin shaking as the poor tractors are scared awake and then tip backwards. When playing with his John Deere tractors at home he puts them on their backside with wheels in the air, just like in the movie.

Happy 2nd Birthday JJ!

2008-05-11T14:54:00.005-04:00

It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home, and now our little guy has turned 2! We celebrated with a party over at grandma and grandpa's house. (Thanks to all of our friends and family that came over to hang with us!)

Along with turning 2, JJ also hit another milestone this weekend - his first trip to the ER! The night before his big day he was playing in the living room and fell, hitting his eye on the corner of the coffee table. The table hit the inside corner of his eye and immediately turned purple and swollen, with a cut on the lower lash line. The fact that it turned purple so fast is what scared me most, so off to the ER we went. I was nearly in tears and could barely look at the poor kid (reason #2 I could never be a doctor). Jerret was able to remain calm and handled the situation well. He says that I panic too much and I need to step back from situations like that. He's right. I don't know what I would have done if I had been home alone! You can' t really see his eye in any of the pictures, but I assure you, it was not looking good!

JJ's First Ice Cream Cone

2008-04-29T15:54:00.004-04:00

Need I say more?

The Big Boy Bed

2008-04-28T13:12:00.004-04:00

Ever since JJ climbed (and then fell) out of his crib we have been worried about him getting out again. Jerret’s idea to stop his ability to get out was to turn the crib around so that the low side (where we would typically reach in to grab him or lay him down) was facing the wall, and the higher side was facing out. This is all fine and dandy for Daddy who is 6’2” and has go-go-gadget arms. I, on the other hand, was having a heck of a time reaching down into the crib and had to ask him to stand up so that I could lift him out in the mornings.

The other day I was staring at him as he lay in his crib and I realized that he is a big boy! We didn’t need the stinking crib anymore, it was time for the big boy bed. So we converted his crib into the toddler bed, bought a rail to help prevent any falls, and tried it out. The big boy bed was a hit! JJ slept through the entire night and never once tried to get out of bed. Then Jerret had golf night. For some reason, when Daddy wasn’t there, JJ didn’t want to sleep in his bed. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him and I grabbed his blankets and laid them out on the floor. Surprisingly, it worked. JJ had no issue whatsoever with sleeping on the floor and we both feel asleep together until Daddy returned (and then we took some pictures).

Last weekend was a small carnival that I took JJ too. It was a cold, windy day, but here are some JJ pics before we left the house. A friend called to invite us over for a bit, and another friend was already there with her 4 kids, so I packed up JJ and off we went. Our friend has a 6 month old daughter who has hearing loss and has since been fitted with hearing aids. Of course, leave it to JJ to walk right up to that pretty baby and pull her hearing aid out of her ear. I don’t think he did it out of curiosity either, I think he just was being a bully and he wanted it for himself. He pulls this same stunt when he sees children with pacifiers in their mouth. He (who never used a pacifier in his life) will walk up and snatch the paci’s right out of the mouths or hands of whoever has them.

School Days

2008-04-20T17:24:00.006-04:00

JJ started school last week. We had a few rough mornings (ok, they were all rough). Jerret took him on the very first day and JJ was not getting it. He cried and ran to the door and wanted out. I called the school at 1:00 when the kids were supposed to be napping (12:00 to 3:00 is naptime) and the teacher said he was playing quietly on his cot. When Jerret went to pick him up at the end of the day they were all playing outside and JJ didn't want to go home! We thought we would both try and drop him off the next day and again, he cried. Jerret snuck out the door while I stayed for 1/2 hour and played with the kids. Well - I played with everyone else's kids and JJ sat on my lap with his arms around my neck, crying "Mama!" The 3rd day I was determined to make it fast and as soon as we walked in the room JJ started crying again. He kept saying "Shoes, Mama, Shoes!" and pointed at my feet. (He thought that if I would take my shoes off I would stay).

On Thursday and Friday he went back to Aunt Bea's house and it was so nice just to be able to drop him off and walk away. It was also comforting to know that he would take a nap and eat lunch, as he only slept 30 minutes for each day at the school and only ate "some" lunch. I would love to be able to show you pictures of his first day of school, but we being the awesome parents we are, forgot to take them! So here are a few pictures from his first days "after" school.

My Adoption Soap Box

2008-04-18T14:03:00.001-04:00

After watching a recent 60 Minutes episode, Jerret and I were reminded of the strife occurring daily in the lives of so many innocent children - children who dream of a better life, and pray each night that God sends a family to love and care for them. As many of you know, my long-time blog readers, finding JJ was the very best thing that has ever happened to our family. And given the opportunity or resources, we would certainly welcome the opportunity to adopt another child who needs a home. It breaks my heart to know that there are so many families out there who want to adopt, but are unable to do so because of their personal finances or something as silly as age [some parents are deemed to “old” to adopt, and others too young, as in the case of Chinese adoption which requires both parents to be age 30 or older].

Why must it be so difficult to match families with children who need a home and a family? Why must it be so hard for these children who have nothing ? Many of these kids have no personal possessions whatsoever. The only thing JJ left his orphanage with was his wet diaper that he had probably been sitting in all day (they took the fresh one I had brought with me and added it to their own stash). He didn’t even get back the blanket we sent over to him a month before we went to pick him up. Personal possessions aside, all these kids really want is L-O-V-E. All they need is you.

As desperate as the situation is over there, imagine being an older child and knowing that with each day that passes, your chances of finding a forever family also fades a little more. Imagine seeing children around you being adopted and moved to be with their new families as you kneel in prayer each night that your turn is next. Imagine for a second that you never had a mother or father to love and care for you and not having an explanation as to why.

A Canadian man named John Wright and his wife Julie have recently travelled to Kyrgyzstan where they will live for the next 6 months with their two teen-age daughters, caring for and providing basic needs to the orphans in Kyrgyzstan – specifically in Tokmok, where JJ lived. Please take a minute and view John’s webpage to see the good work they are doing. His blog link has been on my home page for a while now. John is a living example of someone who is willing to take action and trust that God will provide. He and his family have already done what so many of us need to do – to stop worrying about material possessions and focus on the two things that are most important – love and family.

In the long-run, does it really matter if you drive a BMW? Will spending $40,000 on an in-ground pool help make you a better person? Would spending $30,000 on a new Harley really provide you more joy than giving a child a whole new life? I am not trying to knock anyone here or cast stones, as I myself live in a glass house, but it does give you something to think about .

Nighttime Issues

2008-04-11T21:39:00.004-04:00

JJ has recently discovered the wonders of Thomas the Train and is slowly but surely turning his discovery into a full-blown obsession. We just went to lay him down for the night and he threw a raging fit - pointing at the TV and crying "Choo Choo! Choo Choo!" We explained that Thomas went to sleep for the night, and JJ cried "Noooooooooooo!" We finally had to leave him crying in his crib and put the 5-minute rule into effect. Well - I gave him 5 minutes. Jerret said that JJ knew what he was doing and was playing us, and refused to go in and comfort him. He said he would let him cry for an hour (we all know that would never happen, and this is really funny because this is totally opposite of how we normally operate). I, on the other hand, didn't want to let him cry. Adopted children already have so many attachment issues and while many parents would just let their kids cry themselves to sleep, it is not always recommended with adopted kids.

I watched the clock closely and after 5 minutes I went into JJ's room and he once again asked for the Choo-Choo. I picked him up and said that it was time for everyone to sleep, the Choo-Choo and JJ, and he just laid his head on my shoulder and went to sleep. It's so hard to know the right things to do. But I am glad I went in there and didn't just let him continue crying until he fell asleep or made himself sick.
JJ will be starting school on Monday. He really needs it and we are very excited. He has not been playing well with other children and didn't want anything at all to do with my niece Jayden, who is only 1 month older than JJ. My sister watched him the other day and JJ cried whenever Jayden came near.

It's Official!

2008-04-02T22:02:00.002-04:00

We officially have a US citizen on our hands now. Monday was our court date to finalize the adoption of JJ here in the US. The judge was great and JJ actually did pretty good (although he didn't appreciate the pictures being taken). Notice the small gavel in his hand - a gift from the judge. I'm so glad that part is over. One less thing for us to have to worry about. I can sleep better at night knowing I don't have to worry about Kyrgyz immigration officials peeking in my windows at night to check on their native son. He's ours now!

JJ Jackson

2008-03-30T22:19:00.007-04:00

This is JJ's new thing...wearing socks on his hands. If he doesn't have shoes on, he insists on taking one sock off and wearing it on his hand. We have found him many mornings sleeping with his "sock hand."

Gotcha Day

2008-03-30T21:33:00.007-04:00

Gotcha day was last week and didn't end up going as smoothly as I would have liked. I wanted to celebrate so we went to dinner, only JJ wasn't having it. He refused to sit and eat and wanted to run up and down the aisle and climb on top of the table. We ended up getting our Gotcha dinner to go. I tried to take pictures, but he wasn't having that either and wouldn't even look at the camera. So much for our big day. I did wake him up that morning and tell him the story of how mommy and daddy went all the way to Kyrgyzstan to pick him up and bring him home with us, but that was the extent of our little celebration. Next year we'll have to plan a little more and call our Kyrgyz friends or something. Happy Belated Gotcha Day Aliya (SC Martins)!

Jerret's mom and dad bought us a new grill for Christmas. We've been keeping it at their house until the weather was nice enough for us to actually use it, so Saturday Jerret decided to go over there and he and his dad put it together - with JJ as their little helper. He even brought his own tool belt and tools.

We have a very important day coming up tomorrow. I promise to post pictures soon!

Easter

2008-03-25T11:45:00.003-04:00

We had a quiet Easter this year. Saturday night we went to my dad’s house and had dinner with my grandpa, sister and her 3 kids, and my bother and nephews. Dad lives next door to my great-great Aunt Edna who is 95 years old. She lives all alone and does great except for the fact that she needs a walker to get around. She is such a sweet lady and her mind still sharp as a tack. Dad and I took dinner over to her and visited for a while. She asked right away how JJ was and had he not been sick I would have taken him to see her. I think my family has great genes. My great grandfather lived to be 97 years old, my great grandmother was 92, my great uncle was 92, and we have Aunt Edna still going strong. I’ll have to ask her what the secret is.

Sunday morning we went to church, which was great as usual, but we still aren’t able to take JJ. He just doesn’t do well with us leaving him there. Maybe once he starts preschool things will be different. Go here to check out the service (click on "watch Message Now"). After church we had lunch at Jerret’s parents house followed by naps! I do have pics of us dying Easter eggs with JJ, but haven’t gotten them off of the camera yet.
Anyway – here are some pics of JJ.
PS – anyone know how to get red Easter egg dye out of carpet?

An Award? For ME?

2008-03-19T20:28:00.004-04:00

Look at this! I have been given an award - twice! Fellow blogger mamas Shea at Tapsalteerie Farms and Andrea at Holding on For the Ride (see links list on right) have both given me this "You Make the World A Better Place Award" for my blog. How cool is that? Both Shea and Andrea have Kyrgyz kiddos who I am dying to meet in person. The three of us were part of an original group - pioneers, if you will - at our adoption agency when they were just starting their Kyrgyzstan program. In fact, in 2007 there were only 60 adoptions by US citizens in the entire country of Kyrgyzstan - and Andrea, Shea and I were part of that 60!
For this award I would like to thank...(picture me standing at podium holding this award) my wonderful husband for seven years of wedded bliss, my friends for all their support, Cold Stone for always being there through the tough times, and my favorite movie, Hope Floats for reminding me that all the negative junk sinks to the bottom and hope is what is left, and that's enough for me.
I now pass this award to...
Gen at More Than We Can Ask Or Imagine for her positive attitude and kind words for everyone.
Esther at SC Martins for being such a good friend and inspiration as a mother
and Mala at Bringing Home Beck for being a "real" mom who we all can relate to (well except for the fact that she's in movies!!)

Check Out My New Hat

2008-03-17T08:54:00.003-04:00

After church Sat. night Jerret and I went shopping at the new mall. We wanted to get Aunt Jill a present for babysitting all the time and Jerret insisted on buying this Ohio State hat for JJ. It really is cute, especially when he wears it backwards like in the pics.

Sorry Y'all!

2008-03-14T16:03:00.002-04:00

Sorry to say I am turning the anonymous comments option off. I have had some negative feedback left in the past few weeks and really wanted this to be a place where opinions are not only shared, but valued. Anyway, I can take the heat, but need to draw a line when other commenter's are getting attacked for sharing their opinions. Still feel free to comment, just say what you have to say without the comfort of anonymity! If you said it, say you said it!

Clarification...

2008-03-14T12:39:00.003-04:00

I think I have been misrepresenting myself with this whole stay-at-home thing. It's not that I don't want to work at ALL. It's that I want something more flexible that doesn't require my being out of the house and away from JJ for 50 hours a week. I am actually pretty good at what I do and don't want to waste a bachelor's degree plus a year of grad school. I would really like to do something at home or telecommute. That's all. So I would rather be a WAHM (work at home mom) than a SAHM (stay at home mom). Just wanted to clear that up.

Look At The Tough Guy!

2008-03-13T21:33:00.005-04:00

I am so impressed with the definition in JJ's arm that I had to show you all this pic. Jerret always talks about how strong JJ is and the other night he was lifting himself up between two chairs and balancing himself using only his hands (kinda like a gymnast does). It was spaghetti night when this picture was taken and we learned our lesson with trying to get tomato sauce stains out of JJ's clothes.

In other news...Aunt Bea isn't going to be able to watch JJ for a while. Her father-in-law has a serious staph infection and has been hospitalized and Bea needs to spend her time up there so we need to find somewhere else to take JJ. The problem is that we don't really have anyone else who can watch him on a consistent basis, so it looks like daycare for us. I am really not excited about this prospect, but there isn't any other option as I haven't yet been able to convince Jerret that I should stay at home.

Snow Days

2008-03-01T18:24:00.004-05:00

We've had plenty of snow around here lately - enough to last until spring. I have no idea why this post is underlined. I've tried to fix it but can't. Weird. Anyway - below are some pics of us playing outside with JJ in the snow. He LOVES the snow and runs to the window to watch Jerret when he goes outside to use the tractor/snowblower. His favorite thing to do is eat the snow and if we don't let him, he collects whatever we bring in on our shoes and tries to eat that.

Animal Sounds

2008-02-26T19:43:00.002-05:00

My first video post. I hope it works

Can You Believe How Big He's Gotten?

2008-02-23T19:20:00.005-05:00

It's been so long since I've been able to post pics! So here I'll make sure to post a few to keep everyone happy, but first I wanted to show everyone how big this kid has gotten! He 21 mos. old and is wearing a 2T. He has only been with us for 10 mos. so it's sad that he's growing so fast, but better than not growing at all, right?

Here is a pic of JJ in our hotel room in Almaty. He was 11 mos. old in this picture.

And here is a pic of our boy today...

Crazy - Isn't It?

Two Toots Are Now One

2008-02-18T20:07:00.005-05:00

No spell check again - what's up with that?

Here in Toledo we have a cute little restaurant called Two Toots Diner. It is a very small place with booths all around a center counter that has a train track with two toy trains that deliver your food right to your table via the rail cars. It is a very novel concept and the place actually has decent food with plenty for the kids to look at and keep themselves entertained.

So today my cousin Carrie (who has one of those sweet jobs with like every holdiday off) called me at work and said she was going to pick up JJ and Aunt Bea for lunch and I should join them over at Two Toots. The plan sounded good to me and I happily drove over to the diner to meet them. We ate our lunch without much excitement and JJ behaved as best as he could for the amount of time we were there (1/2 hour wait to even be seated).

We were just finishing our lunch when a mom with 5 little ones came in and sat at the table behind us. She had brought organic bread, cheese, and butter with her and asked the restaurant to use these items when making the children's grilled cheese. She even brought organic ketchup for the french fries (I still don't get why could they eat the fries but everything else had to be organic? Shea - you probably know the answer to this one). The kitchen promptly complied with the woman's request and sent the table's food out on one of the little trains. As the train approached our table, JJ lunged for the cars and grabbed the engine and slammed it down, derailing the entire train. On the floor beneath our feet was the specially made food...totally destroyed. Oh yeah - and the train was broke too.

The poor woman was trying to maintain her composure, but very obviously upset by what had happened. One waitress was trying to fix the damaged train while the other tried to explain to the woman that they would make new food right away. The mother was having none of it and said that this was special food and if it wasn't in too bad of shape she would take it. Carrie and I looked at each other, not knowing what to do next and wondered if the lady really wanted to have the food that was laying on the floor. Our question was answered a second later when the mother came over to our table and asked for the food. She totally took the food off the floor and fed it to her kids because in her words "this was all the bread I had, this was specially-made food, the kids are hungry and we have to go."

I felt awful. Is it really better to feed your kids food off of the floor of a dinky little diner just to make sure they are eating all-organic? Would grilled cheese on wheat bread have killed them this one time? I really don't know. And I'm still not sure if the train is back in working order yet. Until then, they'll just have to call the place One Toot.

Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Play With Make-Up

2008-02-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

I have a vanity in my bedroom that I have had since I was about 12. It is where I get ready each morning – where I do my hair and make-up.

JJ loves the vanity. He insists on crawling onto my little stool and sitting by himself, grabbing each and every piece of equipment sprawled in front of him.

Last week I noticed that one of my brushes was wet and the bristles were all sticking together (the blush brush as a matter of fact). I assumed that JJ decided sucking on the blush brush was a good idea and figured he had somehow gotten it wet using his mouth.

I laid the brush out to dry and resumed using it for normal make-up brush activity the following morning.

Fast forward to yesterday’s conversation with Jerret:

Jerret: Did I tell you what JJ did the other day?

Me: Ummm….what?

Jerret: I found him in the bathroom with one of your make-up brushes. He was sticking it in the toilet and “painting” the inside. When the brush got wet, the color started coming out and he was coloring with it.

Me: WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING? I’VE BEEN USING THAT THING EVERY DAY SINCE!

Jerret: So. It’s only toilet water.

Now I don’t need to tell you readers that the conversation didn’t end there. I was horrified. In what world is that an ok thing to do and not tell your wife that she is putting fecal matter on her face? Just wondering.

My New Blog

2008-02-11T20:17:00.000-05:00

I've added a link for a new blog I've recently started. This blog isn't going anywhere, but it is really JJ's blog and I need to keep it PC so that he has something he can look back at when he's older. So if you are interested in my deepest thoughts and random musings, check out my other blog at www.brandnewmama.com

He's Home!

2008-02-05T21:52:00.001-05:00

Jerret finally arrived home last Friday. I was actually working at the time, and a limo picked him up at the airport and drove him home, only to realize that he couldn't get in the house! His keys were inside the house, and our keypad to the garage door stopped working a few days after he first left for China. He ended up calling me at work and I came and picked him up and we proceeded to pick up JJ from Aunt Bea's house.

I was so happy that I got to be there when the boys frist saw each other. To say that JJ was excited would be an understatement. I called Bea when we were on our way over and she and JJ were staring out the window waiting for us. She said that when JJ saw our Jeep pulling in he first began calling for me, saying "Mama," but as we got closer and hopped out of the car he saw Jerret and began jumping, literally jumping, and hitting the window grinning from ear to ear. Actually, he was more like laughing hysterically at the idea of his daddy being home - finally! Jerret was ready to cry and said that he can't believe JJ has grown so much in the past month. He said that his motor skills are so much further developed then they were when Jerret left. I thought he was crazy, but after some thought, babies do grow so fast in such a short time. And I was here watching it for the past month, so to me he seems like the same kid, but if I were away for a while, I'd probably see it his way.

We had a very realxing weekend. I was under strict orders from Jerret that we would do NOTHING all weekend. He said he just wanted to be able to chill out in his own house for a while, so that's what we did. Saturday we woke up and went to Bob Evans for breakfast followed by haircuts for the boys, but that was the extent of it. Back home we went and everyone took long naps. When we woke up I was ready to do something - anything. I asked Jerret if he wanted to go to the Sat. night service at church - No. Dinner? - No. Go pick up dinner? - No. We ended up calling and having pizza delivered.

So Jerret and JJ are attached at the hip for the moment. JJ will not do anything without his daddy. Whenever he needs help with something, it is Jerret who has to help. When it is time for bed, Jerret must be the one to lay him down. I wonder how long this could last? I might get myself a nice little break!

Here are some pics of Jerret in China.

In case you couldn't tell, that's him in the Ohio State hard hat. Jerret is a mechanical engineer and was there (in China) to install a new glass machine. Most engineers sit behind a desk drawing all day. Not Jerret - he LOVES to get dirty. (As if you couldn't have guessed).

This is a picture of Jerret and his work friends at the Great Wall. This was Jerret's third time visiting, but I guess that's something that just doesn't get old. Oh - that is him in the middle with the crazy hat. He forgot to pack a warm jacket for the trip, and according to him it was *freezing* that day, so he ended up buying the one he has on in the pic, along with the "cat hat" as we like to call it. He said the hat cost him $1 and I am beginning to wonder what kind of "fur" they used to make that thing.

P.S. - the stupid spell check isn't working in blogger right now, so please forgive my misspellings. I really can't spell that well. - but obviously I can rhyme......

It's Almost Over!!!

2008-01-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

hooray! Jerret is coming home in 2 days! They finished their work early and he gets to come back to this freezing cold state.

I had my nephews again last weekend. I played it safe this time and did not venture out of the house alone with three boys. Can you tell I learned my lesson? I think the whole multiple-kid adventure is something you have to slowly work yourself into, not just jump in with both feet like crazy ol' me did! Aunt Cyndi came over and cooked breakfast for everyone, which was terrific because I caught some kind of bug that has been going around work and was exhausted with a head cold all weekend. After breakfast she made play dough with the kids. They loved it, and especially loved the fact that cherry kool-aid was the secret ingredient to make it red.

In other news...that genius son of mine has been saying all kinds of new words lately - banana, no, door, shoe, sock, hello, and TV. He also learned how to put his shoes on all by himself! They were actually on the wrong feet, but Aunt Cyndi made sure I didn't touch them since this was a feat he accomplished all on his own and taking them off would make him think he did something wrong (thank God for unsolicited advice - hahaha). She is a pre-school teacher so she really does know what she is talking about.

Oh - and Jerret called me this morning (10:00 p.m. in China) and said the plant guys (30 of them!) all took him out for his last day there. He had a few too many beers and ended up giving away his prized Ohio State football jersey to one of the furnace workers! I need to get that man drunk more often and see what I can get out of him!

It's Getting Harder

2008-01-25T21:53:00.000-05:00

In a moment of pure madness, I agreed to watch my two nephews last weekend. Don’t get me wrong – Raymond (age 9) and AJ (age 6) are good kids. And they are both willing to help whenever I ask. With that being said, they are still kids and display typical kid behavior.

We decided to attend the 5:15 Saturday church service since all of the boys were going and we’ve been having so many attachment issues with JJ – issues I didn’t really feel like facing [alone] at 8:45 the next morning. Once we arrived at church I dropped each of the boys off at their respective classrooms and proceeded to the auditorium to meet my cousin Carrie. Two minutes into the first song and my number appeared on the digital sign up front, meaning I needed to go check on my kids back in WeeVenture Land. Sure enough, as soon as those doors opened I could hear JJ crying. He was sobbing hysterically, like he was hurt or something and wouldn’t even stop when I picked him up. He just kept waving bye-bye to all of the adults in his room like he wanted out of there. At the same time a little girl named Ella held her arms out for me and cried “Mama!” She too started crying hysterically until I picked her up, and then she was fine. All I can figure is that I must look like her mother because she had super kung-fu grip going on and was not about to let me go. JJ wasn’t too pleased that I was showing attention to another baby and continued to cry off and on the entire hour. I ended up just staying back in the 1-year old room for the whole service.

After church Carrie and I talked with the boys and we decided to go out to eat at Chili’s. Carrie got there first and called me to say there was a 15-minute wait. We were still 5 minutes from the restaurant and I thought the kids could handle a 10-minute wait, so I was fine with that. What a total mistake that was! Our 10-minute wait turned into 15, then 20, and then 25. The boys were getting crazy restless and I was getting cranky myself. JJ was hungry and upset with just sitting there and wanted to get up and run around. Raymond and AJ were being typical kids and laying on the waiting benches with their coats covering their faces, and picking on each other non-stop. Finally, after 30 minutes of not calling our name, I packed the boys up and we headed for the car. JJ has been really irritated with the car seat lately and has gotten really good at throwing his body so that he doesn’t have to sit in the seat. He will stiffen up and cry and fight me so that he doesn’t have to get in the seat. After our 30-minute wait with no food, the kid was hungry, and cranky - very cranky! And I understand the reasons, but still, his attitude didn’t sit well with me. I was literally going to flip a gasket.

We ended up having McDonald’s for dinner and on the way home I remembered that I still needed to stop and get diapers and food to make for a funeral on Sunday. Luckily for me, Jerret’s family lives close and I was able to call Aunt Jill to come over and help (a.k.a. save me). My nephews really like her too, so it all worked out in the end. I was able to get much-needed alone time shopping at Wal-Mart for an hour and the boys were able to have fun with Aunt Jill. Later that night AJ and Raymond helped me make blueberry, banana, and cinnamon muffins for the funeral.

I never imagined being without Jerret for 6 weeks would be so hard. Although I am thankful for the opportunity, I think those Women’s Lib-ers screwed something up along the way when they fought for mom’s to get into the workplace. They forgot that we are still the ones responsible for the majority of the cleaning, laundry, shopping, and cooking! (At least in my house). With double the workload, this whole working mom thing is tough! And to all of you single, working moms…you’re crazy! But you have my utmost respect.

JJ's First Slumber Party

2008-01-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

My friend Denise and her son Boston (who is 4 days younger than JJ) came over and spent the night with us Friday. Her husband is also working out of town and we thought it a good time to get the boys together - besides, JJ seriously needs to spend some time with kids his own age. JJ was very excited and wound up at first. He was a little aggressive, but chilled out after about 20 minutes and the boys had a blast together.

Saturday morning we woke up and had breakfast. I was making oatmeal for JJ and asked Denise if Boston wanted some. She said that he had only tried oatmeal one other time and spit it out, but that we could try again. Boston immediately began gagging upon taking his first bite and didn't stop until he threw up the yogurt he had earlier. I am going to take this as a sign that Boston doesn't like oatmeal.

After breakfast we went walking at the mall where JJ enjoyed his first ride (you know- those 50 cent kiddie rides that go back and forth) and then to lunch. It was a great day. I would LOVE to show you some pictures, but Jerret took the camera with him to China. Of course, I do have my 35mm, but do you think I thought enough to bust that out?

Here are some pics of JJ at Grandma's house last weekend. They have one of those huge bathtubs that could fit 14 people and JJ is terrified of it. Instead he has taken to bathing in the kitchen sink, which he loves, although it looks as though he is going to outgrow it soon!

Is There A Doctor in the House?

2008-01-12T22:06:00.000-05:00

Updates will be slow coming as our computer has a virus...a serious virus. We are in the process of having our hard drive rebuilt, but until then, no computer. Luckily for me, I have my handy-dandy work laptop!

Sad Day...

2008-01-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

Jerret left for China today. He is scheduled to be gone for 6 weeks, but he thought things could go well enough that he might get to come home early. Although, last I heard, the machines they are installing at the new plant are stuck in Customs and who knows when they will be released. Regardless, Jerret has only been gone one day and it wasn't a walk in the park. JJ definitely noticed Jerret's absence and really wasn't himself tonight. Bedtime was pretty sad and I felt so bad for JJ that I let him fall asleep next to me in bed. We will be Skyping daddy often during his trip. Hopefully, it helps...

My first day (4 hours) as a single parent went something like this...

Picked JJ up from Aunt Bea's house
Fed him green beans as I was microwaving chicken strips I got from the Schwan's man
Put the chicken in for 4 minutes as the package said
Spilled 1/2 a gallon of milk while getting JJ a cup
Noticed smoke and a burning smell coming from the microwave and realized God was punishing me for feeding my baby microwaved chicken strips for dinner
Threw burnt chicken strips into garbage where they proceeded to burn a hole through the bottom of the bag, making a nice exit point for the milk-soaked paper towels I JUST threw in there
Let JJ go play while I made him an omelet instead
Found him minutes later shoving the plunger in and out of the toilet (no doubt a trick learned from his father)
Kicked JJ out of the bathroom and cleaned up the toilet water mess
Only to find him seconds later in bathroom #2, squirting a bottle of my lotion into the bowl
Held JJ for an hour while he cried, realizing that his daddy wasn't here :(

Jerret dropped JJ off with Bea this morning and said it was hard. I could tell he was sad, and JJ is such a daddy's boy that he probably won't take things well. It wasn't an easy evening, but I was happy just being with my baby. And I still say I would be totally cool with being an at-home mom. I'm not saying it's easy, I'm just saying I'd be cool with it!

A Visit From Friends

2007-12-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

One of the most exciting things that happened this weekend was a little visit we received from the Martin family, who also adopted from Kyrgyzstan and who happened to travel with us when we went to pick our babies up! They actually live in South Carolina, but have family living in Indiana and Pennsylvania. They were on their way to Indiana and called us to come meet them off of the Ohio turnpike. It was so wonderful to see them again. They have 5 kids!!! Oh, the energy! I talk to Esther Martin on the phone every few weeks and it was so nice to get to sit and chat face-to-face. Their daughter, Aliya, is growing just as fast as JJ and is gorgeous. Their older children were so excited to see snow, but were definitely not used to the cold!

Here are a few pics from our visit...

JJ saying goodbye to the kids before they hit the road

JJ being a little too aggressive with that sweet Aliya.
You can't see her face, but he did make her cry :(

Another Jockey in the Making...

2007-12-27T22:07:00.001-05:00

My great-grandfather, Joseph Marsh Sr., was a jockey. Actually he was a harness racer (are they still called jockeys?) and his son, Joe Marsh Jr. still is. I have many photos, trophies, and news articles written about their spectacular careers and wish I been around to actually see Grandpa win one of his races. Below is one of JJ's favorite gifts he received this Christmas...

According to JJ's adoption papers, his bio mother was 5'1" and his bio father was only 5'4"...looks like he'll be carrying on the family tradition....

The Perfect Gift

2007-12-27T21:47:00.000-05:00

We had such an awesome Christmas with JJ. We are so fortunate to have family we are so connected to and who live so close to us. We actually had 4 get-togethers this Christmas! Yes, 4! Five if you count the Christmas party we went to Friday night at our friend Tim's house.

Saturday night we hosted a party here for the Schimmel family (mom's side). There were about 25 people over, so we decided to move the party downstairs and get some use out of the basement that Jerret worked so hard on finishing. Here is a pic of the boys beginning to hand out presents at that party...

Above is JJ playing with his gorgeous cousin, Kayla.

Sunday morning we went to the 9:00 service at church, which is our usual time to go, but because of the holiday falling when it did, they decided to make the Sunday services their special Christmas service. It was SO awesome! The music team there is phenomenal and reminded me of something you would typically hear from Transiberrian Orchestra or Mannheim Steamroller. Just spectacular. At one point they even busted out about 7 metal trash cans and did a little "Stomp" action!!!! AND I am proud to say that we even brought along Jerret's sister and father, who aren't quite sure what to make of our contemporary church, but they did give it a try and for that we are grateful. Unfortunately, we have been having attachment issues with dropping JJ off at the child care during church so Jerret's mom stayed behind and watched him so that we could enjoy the service uninterrupted.

Pastor Lee talked about getting the "perfect gift" this Christmas. He was referring to a gift that would last a lifetime, and suggested that an invitation to church may just be the "perfect gift." I so wish that I could get my brothers interested in seeing what good things are waiting for them if they would open the door to Christ, but I have asked many times and they are not ready....So to anyone in the area, I would like you to consider this open invitation to come to our awesome church. We will even go to a later service if you would like...just say the word and we will be so thrilled to have you with us.

What a Lucky Girl....

2007-12-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

I have wanted one of these since I first discovered their glory during Home Economics, freshman year of high school.

Tag - I'm It!

2007-12-19T21:49:00.000-05:00

Fellow blogger-momma Andrea at Holding on for the Ride tagged me, which means I am supposed to list 8 interesting/unknown to others/special things about myself. Apparently when I get to 100 posts on my blog, I will need to list 100 other facts about myself so I guess this is good practice...

The first job I was offered after college was as a newspaper reporter. Writing is one of the few things I do well enough at to actually make money at - but then I found out how much newspaper reporters are paid. I couldn't afford to take the job and pay back my student loan!
I was once (actually twice) on the Ricki Lake show. This factoid actually doubles as my "most embarrassing moment." Hey - I was 18, what can I say?
I have always wanted to be famous.
I need to learn to think more before I speak. Sometimes, I can say the nicest thing in the world with no ill-intent at all, and my words are taken completely the wrong way. Maybe that's why I like to write - I have more time to read and re-read my thoughts before they are viewed by others.
My husband and I actually first met in Jr. High (even though we didn't attend the same schools) and I was in LOVE with that boy.
If I could have any job in the world it would be to sit at home and write for a parenting blog or to write books. I actually feel pretty lucky that I get paid to write now, even though it is something as dry as a federal proposal.
I worked two jobs and completed my internship my senior year of college, and still managed to find time for fun!
As a freshman in high school, I tried to break my arm on purpose in order to avoid going out with a boy. (How crazy is that??)

Ok, that's it. And I have thought of a few more that I can use on my list of 100, but we have a while for that one. I am only up to post 60 or something.

I tag: Esther, Amanda, and Mala.

Kyrgyz Memories

2007-12-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

I was wrapping presents last night when I remembered a box of treasures we had hidden away in JJ's closet. They are gifts we brought back from Kyrgyzstan to give to our families and friends. I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I am not going to say what they are until after Christmas, but I am so glad we thought ahead to buy these gifts for JJ to give everyone. It will be so fun.

While I was going through the box of Kyrgyz goodies, I found this...

This was actually his "baby" hat from when we picked him up, but we just had to see if it still fit. Using minor force, it did. Jerret was determined to get that thing on. We also purchased some larger hats for JJ to wear in the future. I wish I had a cute coat to match. I would totally dress him in this gear and take him to the grocery store, mall, Target, etc. with me. He's too cute not to share with the world. (I'm not biased at all).

Because....

2007-12-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

...the Buckeyes rule! That's why.

I'm Good!

2007-12-12T19:58:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all who prayed for me during surgery on Tuesday. Things went well - probably as best as we could have hoped for. I am still very sore, but happy that the surgery is over and I am home, in one piece, able to play with my JJ. Now we are just waiting for good news from the biopsy and we can all breathe easier.

Privately...

2007-12-08T00:15:00.001-05:00

I consider myself a fairly private person. Not private in the sense that I am shy - because I am not- and anyone who knows me knows how much I love to talk (especially about JJ), but private in the sense that I don't like to share my "problems." I try my best to be tough. I hate to admit defeat, and sometimes that means putting on a pretty face even when things are bad.

My doctor has told me on a few occasions that I have a "high pain tolerance," but I consider myself more high maintenance than anything and her assessment came only after my refusal to admit I was having any pain during my ectopic pregnancies. I thought that if I could fight through the pain that somehow I could stay pregnant and everything would be OK in the end...we all know it doesn't happen that way. I think twice about even posting about my infertility issues or failed pregnancies because it is further proof that I am being defeated. Being a Christian in has helped me to acknowledge this fault of mine. I know that God is the only perfect one and everyone else is just like me...faults, disappointment, and all.

I bring these things up because I have once again found myself in a predicament, and once again it is medical in nature. And I need help. So I am going to ask....I will be having surgery on Tuesday at noon and need all of your prayers for the very best possible outcome. I am very nervous and hate the thought of going "under the knife" (although I know Michelle will tell me there is nothing to worry about ;) . I just feel so vulnerable being on that table - totally out of it. The only other times I have had surgery were in emergency situations and I had no choice but to have the surgery right at that time. Since I have opened myself up, I will share with you some minor details (it's all I can allow myself - sorry)... The doctors have found something growing inside of me...we really don't know what until it can be biopsied. It is dangerously close to my reproductive organs and who knows, could be the root of why I haven't been able to get pregnant. It is pretty large. We need to pray that it is benign and that it can be removed without damage to any of my organs. So if you think of it, please add me to your list.

'Tis The Season...for Shopping!

2007-12-01T22:44:00.000-05:00

Holiday shopping didn't go as well as planned this year. Jerret recently mentioned that he wanted a Zune for Christmas. It's like an I-Pod, but only with a bigger screen and you can transfer music person-to-person much easier. Anyway - our local Meijer store was selling the 30-gb version for only $89 - a steal compared to the regular price of $199!

My family and I woke at 3:00 in order to arrive at 4:00 so that we might, just might have a chance at being in the right place when the store employees brought the sale merchandise out for the 6 a.m. rush when the prices were actually valid. I waited...and waited...and watched the crowd grow...and waited. I asked people around the store what "hot" items they were there to purchase. I only found one other person who said he was there for the Zune. 'Sweet!' I thought...I've got this one in the bag...I am totally getting one of these Zunes!

I paced around the back of the store, eagerly looking for my treasure. Store employees had already brought out most of the special-priced items and were standing guard until 6:00 a.m. to make it fair for everyone (?). This meant no one was allowed to even touch the products until the clock struck 6. As I was pacing around the Dora tents and circling the talking kitchen set, I heard a voice over the loudspeaker announce "If you are here to buy the Zune, please line up at the pharmacy." I was so far from the pharmacy. I knew I had to hurry. I pushed my cart and began running through the store. And I mean RUNNING. I almost crashed into two innocent bystanders - yelling out my apologies after I was far enough away that I couldn't hear them scoffing at my ridiculousness or the fact that I almost killed them. As I turned the corner to the main aisle, one of the boxes on the bottom of my cart went flying off and landed near the checkout lanes. I ran back, picked up my box, threw it back in the cart, and finished my trek to the pharmacy counter. By the time I arrived I was too late. I was about 10 people from the desk and heard another announcement over the loudspeaker: "If you are in line for the Zune, we are now sold out."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was not happening. I waited two hours to find out where this thing was going to be sold and I needed it for my husband. Unfortunately, I never got my prize. It seems that Meijer only received 8 Zunes in the entire store. I am convinced that someone in the front of the line bought all 8 but I'll never know. All I know is that I didn't get my husband the gift he really wanted for Christmas :(

In good news...JJ is great. He went shopping with mommy for a good portion of the day. He also said "water" today. I so wish we could adopt another. I am praying for a girl!!

Thanksgiving Eve

2007-11-21T22:45:00.000-05:00

It's the night before Thanksgiving and I am passing the time before my cousin, sister, and step-mom arrive at 4 a.m. for our annual shopping extravaganza. Here's a pic of JJ last weekend. He is doing great. (Don't freak out about the pic...I am right below him, holding his legs). We are hearing new words all the time, the most recent being: Bea, duck, bottle, and light. We wish he'd say more, but he's very stubborn and does everything in his own time. I even noticed that he won't dance to the Wiggles anymore if he sees Mommy and Daddy doing it too. He wants to be the center of attention and will just stop and stare at us with his hands behind his back as if he were saying "whenever you want to stop...." He does find it rather amusing to see Jerret and I kiss and gets a huge smile on his face and then asks for kisses of his own. He is also playing mommy like a fiddle when it comes to getting attention. Some (Jerret) may say I am a "panicker." I tend to freak out a little when it comes to JJ, especially if he falls or I hear a 'thud' from his head hitting the wall/floor/dresser. So now, whenever JJ gets a little ouchie he immediately gets this pitiful, sad look on his face and runs to mommy to bury his head in my chest.

Oh - and he managed to get out of his crib the other night. We have one of the convertible beds that will turn into a toddler bed and then a full, so the railing doesn't come down at all. The little guy climbed over the side and landed hard! We were watching TV in the next room when we heard the loud thud, and I was terrified. He cried for a while and Jerret ended up turning the crib around so the lower side faces the wall and there is no way for JJ to escape the taller ends of the bed. It's so tall that I have a hard time putting him down at bedtime. My arms don't reach that far!

We just returned home from visiting Jerret's family outside of Cleveland. We were actually there for his Uncle Don's funeral. This may sound a little strange, but it was actually the best funeral I have ever been to. Ok, I wasn't actually at the funeral, funeral. I was inside of the funeral home and in a little sitting room with JJ (he was acting a little crazy) while the funeral was going on and there were speakers in the room so I could listen to the Pastor and others speak. During the service there were many different guest speakers (friends and family members) who told awesome stories about Uncle Don's life and accomplishments. The details were incredible - so descriptive that I felt as though as though I was reading his biography. I learned so much about this man that I too had come to love. He was a retired police officer and a marine. He was buried at a military cemetery where a military ceremony was conducted - complete with a 21-gun salute. It was awesome.

Traveling with JJ wasn't too bad. He slept in the car quite a bit, but did not want to settle down at all while at the funeral home. He's just a baby and wanted to run and play and scream at the top of his lungs - typical kid stuff. Maybe we shouldn't have taken him, I don't know, but we didn't really have an option as we don't have anyone in the family who can/will keep him overnight. Everyone in my family works and there really aren't many people to ask. Oh well - we made it!

A Year...

2007-11-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

It's been a year now since mom passed. Strangely, I don't think I have dealt with it yet. I know it will come someday, and I am sure it won't be pretty, but for now we just go.

It all happened so fast...her diagnosis, the prognosis, and then the end. I wanted to ask her if there was something she had always wanted to do, but never got around to doing. I was going to take her. I would have done it with her. I never asked.
Her birthday is approaching in 3 weeks. She would have been 53. Young.

I'm Behind!

2007-11-06T20:58:00.000-05:00

I feel as though I haven't posted in ages, so I will do my best to catch everyone up. We had a great Halloween. JJ wasn't too cool about riding in the wagon with my friend's son, and he fussed until I took him out. I definitely wasn't going to carry him the entire time, so I got out the stroller and pushed him in that. It was a chore getting him in and out at each house, so I was selective and only took him up to the houses where we knew people. We actually had a great time while trick-or-treating. Some friends of ours came over with their three kids (they don't live in a "neighborhood") and my friend and I took them all around while the guys stayed behind and scared little kids. Oh yeah - I think they passed out a few pieces of candy in the process. Here is a picture of one of the neighbor kids, who also dressed as a monkey. I thought he looked a lot like JJ in the face.
Eight o'clock came pretty quick and our neighbors came over and hung out for a while with Jerret. Inside the house was utter chaos as there were 10 kids running loose! Trust me, 10 kids in a 1600-sf house is not too cool! Thank heavens for the basement!!
Our neighbor brought JJ over a tricycle that was once his son Hayden's. Hayden is 2 1/2 now and I guess he is too big for this bike. JJ LOVES it! He can't yet figure out the pedals, but he loves to pretend.

The next picture is cute because it is what has now become our morning routine. JJ recently started waking up about 1/2 an hour earlier than he used to; so now he must wait for me to finish getting ready before we have our time together. He loves to chill out in Daddy's spot on our bed and watch JoJo's Circus while having his morning bottle. He can drink out of a sippie just fine and even drinks from a regular cup, but he still enjoy's a bottle in the morning and one at bedtime. Aunt Cyndi and Aunt Bea want me to throw the bottles out, but nah - they're not hurting anything, right?

Finally, we have a picture of JJ getting his hair cut. This is actually his second haircut, as I was not able to get any pictures the first time. (I took him myself - Jerret told me to, I swear - and it was just too hard to do all that. Plus, the lady at the shop was not very helpful). The second haircut went much better than the first. Jerret did have to hold him the entire time, but JJ did great. He fussed a little bit at first, but then the girl pulled out a dum-dum sucker, and it was all over. JJ was in heaven and didn't even care what she was doing to his hair.

Besides that, we're gearing up for the holiday's and for Jerret to go back to China. It's going to be a long 6 weeks without him!

Our Little Monkey

2007-10-27T13:24:00.000-04:00

We bought JJ the cutest monkey costume for Halloween. Jerret's parents were over and we couldn't resist putting it on him. It just barely fits, but we had a blast watching him run around the house for half an hour dressed like a monkey. I felt really guilty after we took it off because the silk lining made him sweat terribly! Who knew they made such high-quality costumes these days? I still remember the year my brother was Boss Hog and I was a police girl. We had those cheap plastic costumes that barely fit right over your clothes. And they had the even cheaper plastic masks that fit over your head, but didn't actually fit quite right. You couldn't really see out of the eye holes because they were so small and didn't line up with your eyes the way they should have. And you couldn't really breathe out of the nose holes because they were way too small so mom would have use scissors to make them bigger.

Tonight is my step-dad's 60th birthday so we will be going over there to celebrate with him. I remember when he turned 40 he told me that he didn't feel any different than he did when he was 18 years old. I wonder if he still feels that way.

Our Day At The Point

2007-10-10T21:26:00.001-04:00

Jerret and I took our three nephews to Cedar Point on Sunday. They boys were so excited to go and talked the entire way there about which rides they would and wouldn't go on, and what they wanted to ride first. It was unseasonably hot for October - 90+ degrees outside. Today it was down to 60!

The day didn't start out so great as AJ was literally 1 inch too short to ride most of the rides. 48 inches is the standard for the majority of the roller coasters, and Raymond and Tyler were easily tall enough to ride whatever they wanted. For our first ride, we went to the "Blue Streak," one of the smaller, older coasters. AJ was all set to get in line when the gate keeper came up with her red and white stripped stick and made him stand next to it to check his height. When the lady announced that he was too short to ride, I told Jerret to go ahead with the boys and I would stay behind with AJ. Right away AJ started to cry and began saying things like he was never going to go to Cedar Point again because they wouldn't let him on the rides. I tried to calmly explain to him that he was a growing boy and that when he came back next year, he will have grown 4 inches and will easily get on whatever ride he wanted. He looked a little puzzled and then announced, as if a light bulb had just went off in his head, that he needed some good food to eat while we were there and maybe by the end of the day he will have grown enough to ride the roller coasters.

We had a great time and were all exhausted by the end of the day. I went to bed early and didn't want to get up for work Monday morning. I can't even imagine how those boys must have felt going to school! Yeah - it was Columbus Day and they had to go to school. I asked them why they didn't get the day off and Raymond answered "We don't celebrate Christopher Columbus; he never found America." I thought that was funny...

Raymond riding the "cups" as he calls them.

Tyler and AJ also riding the cups. This was AJ's first ride.

The boys waiting in line for a ride.

Can you tell it was game day? Jerret insists that JJ wear Ohio State gear on Saturdays.

He's getting pretty good with that spoon!

We Got A New Camera!

2007-09-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

We recently bought a new digital camera and have been having a blast taking tons of JJ pics. He is growing bigger every day and surprising us with what he is learning. His new word is Jay-Jay, which he says in a long, drawn out way. It is too funny. His hair is super curly, but a little too long and he kinda has the old man come-over look going - actually it's not so much as a come over as it is a comb front. Regardless, we are ready to take him for his first cut. This should be fun - Ugh! JJ at dad's work party. There were John Deere's everywhere!

We tried and tried to get JJ to put on this big, furry winter hat that Jerret picked up in China. It actually looks more like something you would find in Russia. JJ didn't care for it too much.

We actually got the hat on him at this point, although you can't really see it with our dark couch in the background.

JJ loves to drink bath water from the cup I use to rinse the soap off of him. It is so interesting because they let him drink from a tin cup in the orphanage so he naturally wants to try and drink from every cup he sees. He also likes to drink from water bottles, although he sometimes gets a little too excited and spills it all down the front of his shirt.

here is a pic of my nephew AJ with JJ and my dad. JJ loves his cousins!