Meet Fran...

The newest member of our family...Fran, the Pit Bull.
She is three months old and we brought her home from the Sacramento SPCA earlier this week.
Kolton is in love with her and Tivo is NOT in love with her.
He just "puts up with her."
Kalian and I weren't sure about a new puppy...we thought and thought about it and then we decided we couldn't get her out of our minds.
She is calm, gentle, a lap puppy and loves to chew everything in sight.
Reminds us of our Peja girl in many ways, but a bit less needy.
We are happy she has joined our family.
Again...not a "wordless" Wednesday.

Wordless Wednesday

Our boy LOVES snow...thankfully we found a lot of it in the mountains.

Today's Thankful Thought

I am so very thankful for photos like this:

Instagram Fun

Kalian recording our numbers during our workout.

One of the books we read from each night before bed.

Setting up for a tabata at the gym.

Waiting for Kolton to climb into bed for a reading adventure.

Our projects...just waiting for tomorrow.

This is my most favorite Instagram photo of all time-love the crisp colors.

My boys watching tv.

Told you he loves boxes...any kind, any size.

Tivo waiting for something to happen...as usual.

Sun Chips and a Cherry Icee...doesn't get much better than that.

View from our car driving into town.

Our little car sleeper...some things never change.

Two Big Gulps-Diet Coke for me, Diet Dr. Pepper for Kalian.
Thanks for looking...it is always funny to see what pictures I captured on my phone in the course of a week.

I Love This...

"Every Child Is A Story Yet To Be Told"

I saw it here.
I started reading this blog when I found out they did this:
It's amazing.
If you click on my above link you can read 26 stories about real, determined, loving adoptive families who are doing everything they possibly can to bring their next child home.
I love to read the stories.
I love the stories because they make me reflect on my family's journey to adoption.
And they make me believe even more in our dream to have more children.
One of the best gifts I've ever been given in life is my son.

I can't imagine life without him-he is precious, sweet, strong-willed, determined, curious, funny, independent, smart, athletic, imaginative and one of the best things that has ever happened to me and my husband.
Today I registered my son for Kindergarten-I've had friends who were emotional when this happened and I thought to myself "Who would ever be so emotional over such a known event?"
Little did I know that tears would come to my eyes when I drove toward the school.
How did my sweet baby boy grow to be this big so quickly?
I think back to when he was a tiny baby-so fresh and new-trying to pick up cheerios from the tray on his high chair.
I often wondered what his story would be, where life would take him.
Only five short years in and I know this:
He loves playing video games.
He likes to sing, but only at school-if I sing he tells me to be quiet.
He wants to play basketball and he dribbles better than some kids twice his age.
He hates going to bed at night knowing we're watching shows without him.
If you ask him for a hug he will immediately drop everything and run to you.
He LOVES his grandparents to the moon and back-he asks frequently about driving to the mountains or taking an airplane to New Hampshire.
He talks about his cousin Kayla a lot-when he does something funny he wants me to take a picture and "text it to Kayla."
He has a lot of friends at school-Ethan, Callan, Austin, Corinne and Hayden.
He talks so loud it is almost unbearable-no matter how many times I tell him he still shouts.
He can tolerate a lot-he is strong.
He is like Mommy-he tries to convince us of something he wants without saying what it is=circular logic at its best.
He has a hole in the left knee of every pair of pants he owns...is this normal?
Spiderman, Hulk and Big Foot are his heroes.
He loves Mohawks.
He wants me to add that he LOVES Batman toys.
He always wants Happy Meals on Wednesday nights after school-simply because Wednesday is Share Day and at least one of his friends shares some type of McDonalds toy. He mostly wants them for the toy-but he will eat the cheeseburger in the car on the way home.
Every once in a while he asks about Peja (our border collie) in Heaven.
Our boy loves cranberry juice.
We are blessed to be his parents and I thank God for him every single day.

Please go visit one of my favorite blogs: Filled With Praise.
You can read about other families who are as blessed as we are.

Wordless Wednesday

Kolton reading "Mat" to Daddy one evening before bed.
Standing proudly with "Mat" before we added it to his First 100 Books Reading Chart.
He is so very proud as he should be...so are we.
He can also read two other Bob Books: "Sam" and "Dot"
He can't wait to start on "Mac."
Again...my Wordless Wednesday post is not wordless...oh well.

Thankful Thought: Number One

I'm thankful that my son has a Daddy who loves to play.
What do they do together?
Wrestle.
Ride Bikes.
Work Out.
Roll Out.
Watch Movies.
Play Yahtzee, Superhero Memory and SkipBo Jr.
Eat Chips and Salsa.
Sing. Dance.
Tell Jokes. Lots of Jokes.
Talk about the Army. And Helicopters.
Read.
Run Football Plays.
Laugh. Laugh. Laugh.
Talk about Guy Stuff.
Play Frisbee.
Take a Haircut.
Watch Man vs. Food.
Cheer for Tyreke and the Kings.
For all of these things I am thankful!

From My Husband...

March 9, 2011

International Adoption Saved My Son's Life

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Without International Adoption my son would have died of starvation in a part of Ethiopia unknown to almost all of humanity. Instead, a brave family member carried him 25 kilometers to an International Adoption agency where he was saved. That same agency now sponsors, educates, feeds and clothes his siblings. Thousands of similar acts of kindness are carried out in that country every year. Obviously adoption is loved and celebrated by Ethiopia... oops...I live in reality. Ethiopian bureaucrats clearly do not. Ethiopia's disgusting position: dramatically reduce International Adoption to cut down on "corruption". Are they friggin' serious? Ethiopia has a wildly corrupt government. The streets of Addis Ababa are lined with starving, sick, homeless women. Most of whom have children. Many of whom turn to prostitution to stay alive. There is virtually no industry, few jobs and little hope for a brighter future. http://filledwithpraise.blogspot.com/

Please visit the above blog to learn more. Sign the petition to stop Ethiopian bureaucrats from dooming more children to a life of poverty and institutionalization.

Wordless Wednesday

Project Life Week #5

Presenting Week #5 (January 23rd-January 29th, 2011):

Highlights of this week included: My 35th birthday (yikes), visiting Great Grandma Vargo, playing football, taking Kolton clothes shopping, a doctor visit, organizing and playing with friends. Fun times.

Left Side of Main Layout:

Right Side of Main Layout:
Extra Page Protector I Added In Side One:
Extra Page Protector I Added In Side Two:
Picture Collage I Added In Side One:
Extra Picture Collage I Added In Side Two:
Enlargement #1:
Enlargement #2:
Enlargement #3:
Enlargement #4:
I did add a couple of other things that aren't pictured: a menu from The Noodle Shop and another 8.5x11 page protector filled with a bday card I received, some Superbowl recipes I was considering and a copy of a prescription Kolton got from the doctor.
Next week should be very interesting since I have so many pictures printed-I'm not even sure what to do with all of them. I am loving my album so far...it is so much easier to scrapbook "in the present" and it is fun to print my recent pictures instead of flipping through them on the computer.
I'm also happy to say I've managed to print most of them using coupon codes, sales and promotions so it hasn't cost me very much money at all. I've used Walgreens, Sam's Club, Target, Snapfish, Shutterfly and a couple others so far.
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This makes me so sad...

I just read this article...

Why can't people follow the rules?
Why does it have to be so difficult?
I wonder all the time and it makes me sad.

Instagram Fun

The first two are me trying to pass the time at my eye exam earlier this week.
The third one is Kolton working on a Kumon Maze-he's getting pretty good at those things.
The last one is my favorite-Kolton thinks its funny to pose-hand on his chin-for most pictures these days.
He is off to the mountains to stay with Grandpa and Grandma this weekend and he couldn't be more excited-he has been snowed out for the past two weeks.
I can remember being snowed out a lot when I lived in New Hampshire-I guess we're spoiled out here in California.
Have a Happy Weekend!

"Is that mouse going to be there?"

Today was our playgroup day and the destination was Chuck E. Cheese.

I didn't tell Kolton where we were going because I wasn't sure he would want to go.
A long time ago we went to a friend's birthday party there and let's just say it really didn't go smoothly.
He was so excited for the party, but when we got there...well, you know how crazy Chuck E. Cheese can be on a Saturday, right? (I was recently reminded again when I read this blog post: http://stephaniehowell.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/02/oh-sadie-how-i-love-thee-1.html) Oh, how I love Stephanie and her posts-she makes me smile just about daily.
Anyway, it was crazy-there were about 15 parties going, everyone was screaming and running around, parents were shouting, "the mouse" was walking around "scaring everyone." Needless to say we left early and we never went back...until today.
We parked, headed toward the door and then he asked me "Is that mouse going to be in there?"
I said no. Not today. He sleeps in on weekdays.
He accepted my answer and into the front door we went....I am happy to report things went well and here is proof:

We left with a smile, an Airhead, some Nerds and a blue toy truck.
When we got in the car he said "That was the best day in the history."

Wordless Wednesday

Week Four

Left Side of Main Layout:
Right Side of Main Layout:
Enlargement of Kolton and a friend at the park with a large, fuzzy cat:
Two pictures of Kolton that I just love from this week (sipping on a favorite drink at Pete's Coffee and getting out of the truck "all by himself"):

Extras:






Thanks for visiting!