Elijah got his hair cut. I was working on Josephine, so he had to sit still by himself - and he did awesome! He didn't even complain too much this time. He thinks it's so funny to see the chunks of hair fall out, and likes Daddy to hand them to him as they are cut so he can throw them on the floor. Doesn't he look so handsome with his hair really short?!?
I wanted to post before-and-after photos of Josephine's cornrows. They lasted four weeks, the first two pix are from the day after I did them, and the next two are from yesterday right before I took them out - how fuzzy they were!
It probably took me 45 min to an hour to take the cornrows out, then washed, parted and put in these double-stranded hanging twists. LOVE how cute they look on her. I need to take advantage of this style while she's still young, because she likely won't like them when she gets a little older. I'll probably touch them up weekly, but I hope they last three weeks. Then I'll be putting in box braids again, decorated nicely for the 4th of July!
We had LOTS of fun this weekend. It's too bad it's over. Jock and I were commenting that we wish every weekend could be like this -- well, except for the thunderstorm last night which kept Josephine and Jock and I awake until midnight (Josephine is VERY afraid of thunder and lightening!) But the three beautiful days of fun to do were wonderful! Here are the highlights...
Friday evening: Jock & the kids played outside a bit while I fixed angel-hair alfredo with breaded chicken & veggies - and Jock fixed garlic texas toast. Then bedtime for the kids, and a haircut and mowing the front lawn for Jock.
Saturday: I went for a run, then came home to find Jock still asleep and Elijah & Josephine were upstairs holding up their hands to show me something. I could tell they were really proud of themselves for putting lotion on themselves... until I went upstairs and I could then smell it as they showed me the tube ... of A&D ointment ... nice! Got them all washed up, got them dressed and put real lotion on them, then took all three kids to the grocery store. Jock was going to make French toast for breakfast, but we were out of syrup. Came home with syrup, strawberries, bananas and milk, and donuts for the weekend. The French toast was AWESOME!!!
Jock finished mowing the back yard while the kids were jumping on the trampoline. Jock weeded the garden for me!!! I got some laundry done, and then Kaylen and I went out to get pedicures (and Kaylen got her fingernails painted also). Kaylen didn't know what the plans were, just that I had something fun planned for just the two of us. On the way there she was trying to guess - movies, eating out, going to a park, etc... I finally gave her a clue that we were going to be pampered, and she thought we were going to a beauty show -- until we pulled into the parking lot. Right next to the nail place was a shop called "Wine Styles". Um... no. She wasn't sure how things worked, but realized quickly that she had to sit still. She really liked it though - always does when we have one-on-one time together.
We came home to lunch - Jock cooked brats on the grill, then naps. After naps we went to the mall to hit a Memorial Day sale and the play area. Then home for supper, baths and bedtime. All the kids were excited to put on their new jammies after baths! :)
Sunday: We went to the early service, came home for more backyard fun to wear off some energy, then went out for lunch with friends - BBQ!!!
After naps, I think we spent the remainder of the day outside, except for the quick supper. This included jumping on the trampoline, playing on the swingset, and running through the sprinklers before dinner. Josephine & Elijah were scared of the sprinklers for some reason. At first they'd go stand near them but they'd run out of range as soon as they'd move towards them. But they wouldn't even do that later on. Jock dumped water from his water bottle on them, which they liked, so then we tried to give them a cup to fill in the sprinklers, but that didn't work either. Elijah would even let Jock spray him with the hose, but Josephine wouldn't go near him. Oh well, they still had such fun running around!
After dinner we had ice cream cones outside on the front porch (except Elijah because he didn't finish his supper), then rode bikes for a while before bedtime. Both Josephine & Elijah ride tricycles at daycare, and I was amazed at how well they are at waiting for one another, or going around/past each other without hitting - and they can steer. Kaylen's good on her bike now, but still not so good at stopping/waiting and steering - she was told to put her bike away early for running into E&J. Josephine was finally starting to pedal instead of pushing it with her feet on the ground by the end of the night. Elijah's just a natural - he'd only ridden tricycles before this.(Yes, we know the bike Elijah is riding is pink with Disney princesses on it. He doesn't care. We just haven't had a chance to get one for him yet. Hey, at least we didn't make him wear the princess helmet. :)
After bedtime, Jock and I went back outside to cut lettuce and spinach, before retreating.
Monday: We all slept in a bit (I think all of the kids may have been awake a bit during the thunderstorm), but then I went for a run while Jock got the kids breakfast. Then we all headed outside - I think we were out there all day except for naptime and meals. In the morning the kids played on the trampoline, with their balls, and on the swingsets.
After lunch and naptime, they put on their swimsuits, and played in the kiddie pool in the backyard for a couple hours. I think it was a little chilly, so after they'd splash around for a while they'd dry off and jump on the trampoline for a while - back and forth, back and forth. We had ice cream sandwiches somewhere mid-afternoon (Josephine was done first and promptly says, "Ion mowa", aka "I want more"). We came in for an early supper, then had lots of time for reading books to settle down before baths and bedtime. I think they were sufficiently worn out!
What a marvelous weekend!!! Only four more two-day weekends before 4th of July vacation!!!
It's been hot here the last few days, and what better way to end a hot day, than with ice cream cones!
Josephine isn't the biggest fan of ice cream - or - should I say that she likes hers not icy, but melted. She apparently doesn't like it that cold, so she's painfully slow eating it. So slow, that with temps near 90, with humidity, she ended up with ice cream everywhere - her belly was covered in drips, her hands were wet and sticky, lips were coated, and she even had drops on her toes! :)
Elijah was slow, but more careful not to let his drip, but still slow - he's just a general slow eater - although I will say he didn't get his ice cream until 5-10 minutes after Kaylen and Josephine had received theirs because he had to finish his supper.
Kaylen had her ice cream eaten and the sugar was already taking its effect before I got the camera out to take the photo of Josephine's mess.
I've gotten suggestions from a few friends regarding my dinner-time insanity mentioned in a recent post - and a couple comments from other working moms that they have the same difficulty with their evenings. One suggestion was that I prep something in the crock-pot to cook all day, that would be ready with little or no preparation when we get home in the evenings.
I LOVE crock-pot cooking. A favorite is a roast (I put it in frozen), with spices, cut-up onions and carrots. Another favorite, in the winter, is chili. I also used my crock-pot a lot while I was on leave and home with the little ones from late January thru mid-April. I would prepare dinner during nap-time and leave it to cook all afternoon. I even have two "Fix It And Forget It" cookbooks that my mom got me - she was the cookbook queen!
My problem is finding a variety of recipes that can sit for 10-12 hours, since I typically leave home around 7 am, and we sit down to eat anywhere from 5:15 to 6:15 pm. It doesn't work very well when most of the recipes I find are for 4-6 hours - and I hate wasting a yummy recipe if it's overcooked.
So...here's my idea. Would you be willing to share your favorite busy-mom recipe(s)?
Something that can be left in the crock-pot for 10-12 hours? (Don't forget to include what size crock-pot it works best in.)
How about a favorite baking-dish recipe that can easily be made ahead, refrigerated and/or frozen, and then baked for 30-60 minutes? (Remember to include instructions for storage/freezing/thawing.)
Or, a quick one-dish meal, that doesn't require a lot of prep-work - just dump, mix and go-type meals?
I'd love to try some of your favorites!
I'll start with a one-dish dump, mix and go, courtesy of my friend Krista:
Veggie Tortellini Soup
5-6 C chicken broth 12-oz pkg tortellini 16-oz pkg California mix frozen vegetables 15-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes Shredded cheddar cheese
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until tortellini and vegetables are tender. Optional: Add browned ground sausage and/or fresh spinach to the soup. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
I know what you're thinking... Finally!!! (It's only been two weeks!)
Do you think we had enough cake? Well, the chocolate cake was for her family party we had at our house on Sunday. The mini cupcakes were for daycare treats on her actual Birthday, Monday, May 3rd.
The kids had fun with the balloons!
Most of Daddy's family came to celebrate with us: 2 cousins, uncles, grandma, and great-grandma. We had pizza for dinner, then cake and ice cream.
This video is very fuzzy but Josephine was a little apprehensive about us all staring at her singing to her, and then having to blow out her "3" candle. She did try once, but I think Daddy ended up blowing it out in the end.
And the presents! This one was making noises - we LOVED the look of surprise on her face when it started talking - before she'd even opened it. :) It was a talking baby doll, which quickly became her favorite! She also got 4 pair of princess dress-up shoes, another dolly, a little people princess castle, a magna-doodle,and a tricycle.
Elijah also liked the shoes... ...but she wouldn't let him touch the rest, yelling, "NO!!!" when either Elijah or Kaylen would get close to the coffee table. So much so that she would sit on her bike and just sit by the coffee table guarding them.
On her actual birthday, we just had a simple yummy dinner at home - spaghetti, which the kids love, followed by cake and ice cream. Overall, the birthday was a success. I cannot express just how special it was to be able to to have her first real birthday celebration. We did something small as a family to honor her first and second birthdays before she came home, but what a joy to celebrate it with her this time!
I thought I'd share what I shared with some of my co-workers in a team newsletter two weeks ago - revised only slightly:
My husband, Jock, and I live in central Iowa. I am a statistician and SAS programmer, and Jock is a business intelligence programmer. We met at college, at Iowa State, and have been married for 11 years this May. We enjoy the outdoors – working or playing in our yard, taking the kids to the park or swimming, growing fresh produce in our garden. We are very active in our church, helping some with the preschool Sunday school classes, singing occasionally with the choir, and attending a weekly small group Bible study. With three children, our family life keeps us very busy as well.
Our oldest is our daughter Kaylen, age 7, who we adopted locally at age 3. She’s quite a joy for our family – always has some story to tell or some fun activity she’d like to do. She’s very competitive at sports (especially soccer), but also likes to dress up and play Barbies. She does very well in school, loves to read and write, and is very good at math and science as well. We think she’s an aspiring writer, or she may be a future veterinarian because of her love for animals, but she wants to be a rock star, so we’ll have to wait and see. She’s our dreamer, so maybe she’ll invent something new!
Elijah is 3, and is all boy! His favorite toy is anything with wheels or that rolls. He is wild and crazy, but is also a thinker and can be rather sneaky when left to his own devices. One day he took apart the flashlight someone had given him. He reminded me of my brother’s bed, when we were growing up – stuffed underneath with old small appliances he’d taken apart and studied! Elijah’s always studying things, whether the cars on the road, the people and things in a store, or the funny faces he practices in the mirror when he takes 5-10 minutes to wash his hands. His favorite part of daycare is probably recess, as I frequently was getting reports about his progress on learning to pedal the tricycles there.
Josephine is also 3. She is only 9 months younger than Elijah so she catches him every May thru July. She’s a Mommy’s girl, a cuddler, and a thumb-sucker, and can be quite silly. You can’t help but laugh when she giggles, but be sure to have your ear plugs when she’s not happy – she’s a high-pitch screecher! Josephine’s biggest fear is animals. She LOVES to look at them from afar, but if they get anywhere near her, she cries out in fear. She even is very afraid of things that move or look vaguely like an animal – including the feather boa we have in the dress-up bin. She cries and runs the other direction as fast as she can anytime she sees it. Her favorite toys are probably her tea set dishes, but she also loves her dolly and stuffed animals, and enjoys reading books.
Adding two kids to the family was a big adjustment. It was also a big adjustment coming back to work. I had gotten quite used to not rushing around in the mornings and evenings, and taking care of the day’s at-home tasks throughout the day, while spending precious time with the kids. I think I am settling back into the crazy working mom routine again though. The kids all love going to daycare, but they also like to see me at the end of the day, so that helped with the transition. My hardest task of each day remains getting dinner on the table in decent time – and without anyone getting injured, as Elijah & Josephine are usually at my feet requesting attention after being apart from me all day. Evenings are tough to get everything (dinner, homework, baths) accomplished in the 2½ - 3 hours (or less) we have at home before bedtime, while leaving enough time to play and have fun. Our weekends are spent catching up on household/yardwork tasks that are neglected throughout the week, and most importantly, catching up on all the fun to be had with the kids!
Our first outing with free hair - washed Saturday night, then left out for church Sunday morning, April 11th:Then that evening (4/11), I did this:...and finished the back on April 16th:Poor little girl wasn't feeling well, and fell asleep. Doing the left side of her head was tough, because she can't suck her thumb when she lays the other way. Not bad for a first shot at cornrows, huh? Well, sort of the first shot - I'd done a tiny one for "bangs" one time, but wasn't pleased with the shot, so I went back and studied some of the tutorial videos a little more before I did this.
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By the end of April, the cornrows and box braids were getting pretty ratty, so I pulled them out. We got so many compliments about the free hair at church April 11th, that I decided to leave it free for her birthday and the kids' dedication. Basically I would make loose parts in the front, twist them back to the top of her head and put little claw-clips in it. The claw clips would stay in place even during naps and overnight. I would just comb it out every couple days after bathtime when I would condition and then spray in detangler. These are just a few random free-hair shots.
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After just over a week of free hair (which Josephine does NOT like to have combed out!), I decided it was time for braids again. So as not to get bored with box braids, I did more cornrows this time, and tried doing them in a fun pattern. I only had about an hour on Sunday night after we got home from a Mother's Day gathering, so I just did the front. It went pretty quick - about 10 minutes per braid, including parting. It was while she was eating dinner though, so that kept her a little more still than usual.Then Tuesday night I finished the back while we watched TV. Knowing I'd have to do it from different angles, I did it on the living room floor, with her laying across my legs. She HATED me doing the left side of her head, because she had to lay on the right side and couldn't get her thumb into her mouth. She cried through 3 of the 4 braids on that side, poor girl!How did I do it? I parted ear to ear across the top to separate the front and back. I then parted from the center of her forehead back to the side to side part. Then each side, I parted into three triangles. So the front is six cornrows - each one started at her hairline and going back to the center of her head. I just put on the beads as usual, and once all six braids were done, I put a little terrycloth pony-tail holder in them. For the back, I parted side to size, and then each triangle piece from her hairline to the center of the circle, then cornrowed, beaded, and combined with a terrycloth pony-tail holder. I love how it looks like a flower in the back. When her hair gets a little bit longer, they'll hang down like a regular pony-tail. The pony-tail on the top doesn't stay put as easily (in the pix it's a little off to one side after her sleeping on it). I think it's because the cornrows aren't as close to her scalp - but I just adjust it in the morning and all is well.
Since bringing Elijah & Josephine home, many people have commented at how special it is that our family is now “complete”. I struggle with that word. We don’t feel like it’s “complete” yet. We don’t feel like God is done with us yet. We feel like He has more in store for our family. At this point, we don’t know what that looks like – how many, when, where, how – no idea! So for now, we are focusing on the children He has already given us, and will remain open to His next call.
We also are praying that our journey can be a blessing to others. We have many friends who have just brought children home, will soon be bringing children home, are just starting their adoption journey, or are starting to feel that tug on their hearts towards adoption. We are praying for you, friends! If you have any questions you’re interested in about our adoptions, we’re willing to share. If you would like specific prayers for something, I’m happy to pray with you.
So many people have also commented about what a wonderful thing we’ve done, and what a blessing we are to our children. Let me just say, our children are OUR biggest blessing -- more a blessing to us than we could ever be to them. If you follow God’s calling to adopt, it may not always be easy, but you will be blessed beyond measure!
Our baby girl is turning three years old today! We're trying hard to make this a special birthday for her, knowing that it's the first birthday she's probably ever had celebrated. We're so proud of her and how she's been doing these past 3+ months since coming home. She's growing and learning and changing so quickly! She's quite the silly little girl, she's smart, she's mommy's cuddle-bug and such a sweet, yet feisty little girl. We love you Josephine!
Some photos from throughout the years...
Yesterday (5/2/10) after Daddy blew up the balloons for her party
It probably took me 45 min to an hour to take the cornrows out, then washed, parted and put in these double-stranded hanging twists. LOVE how cute they look on her. I need to take advantage of this style while she's still young,
because she likely won't like them when she gets a little older.
I'll probably touch them up weekly, but I hope they last three weeks. Then I'll be putting in box braids again, decorated nicely for the 4th of July!
