February 28th (59/365)

Saturday...a normal cleaning morning for us! I would love to get out of this habit; having to spend every Saturday morning cleaning! But heck none of us feel like doing it any other time of the week!


The "Craft Room" is quite the mess (fire hazard is what hubby calls it) I am bound and determined it will get cleaned. Saturday was actually quite a busy day around our house this week. Todd and Ethan spent a couple hours at Home Depot (picking up plywood for the new attic) and at Target (another birthday party tomorrow). My mom and dad swung by to get our tax information, sister Katie stopped by to drop off a Scentsy catalog, and older sister Steph came by to have me download some new books to their TAG book system.

Curling Ribbon for the photo of the day....well LOL I can get the closet doors open to see all of my ribbon! =)

P.S... The books behind the curling ribbon are decorating books that are YEARS old... They are making a journey to GOODWILL!

February 27th (58/365)

Thank goodnees it is finally Friday! I was real excited about our Lent project; The Lenten Tree!

Ethan and I put it together on the wall, or well he started helping me and then he was busy playing Legos and left mom to do the work...he did give me pointers though!

Not the best pictures, but a little tough to get at just the right angle and get the whole tree! =)


I think our tree looks somewhat like a tree and the kids are super excited about coloring and deciding where to put their crosses. (We will be putting Bella's on the right and Ethan's will be on the left!) They will both color one for each of the 40 days of Lent. I can't wait to see what our tree will look like with 80 crosses!

Here is a link to ASH WEDNESDAY post with some other great links!

February 26th (57/365)

I ended up picking Ethan up from school today and he wanted to play on the playground for a few minutes... Why not! Well he isn't afraid of the camera that is for sure! Gotta love how his hair is growing a little longer and his face sure doesn't look so baby-ish anymore!

and Yes I have realized that Bella needs a few more pictures! =) She is not forgotten!

Oh and I almost forgot... we had about 3" of snow this morning when we woke up. We even had to go to work on the other side of our hill. There were 3 buses that were "jack-knived" or stuck, at least one or two cars being towed. Todd even said that at one point they were not letting anyone past the stuck bus if they didn't have 4-wheel drive or chains on... OMG what? Seriously, they didn't even require any of that during our "Artic Blast" in December and it was way way worse and wasn't gone by 10am like today's was! I think the whole 4-wheel drive/chains was only briefly while they got the buses taken care (which had kids in them by the way)...

Ethan wanted to take his camera with him (thank you G. Peggy and P. Jeff) so he was shooting away from his carseat. I loved this photo from his viewfinder....

and I think I will have to veer from just doing daily posts and have one added (or at least a link off to the side) of Ethan's self portraits... After uploading the last two months worth of photos from his camera....well let's just say there are a lot of self portraits!

They do a photography club at school for a few weeks that starts up after Spring Break, thinking Ethan might really like it!

February 25th (56/365) Ash Wednesday

A while back we picked up a mirror at Micheals and it is now hung in the entry way; well we finally one of the three crosses that I bought at a home interior party like 2 years ago (might not have been that long ago, but then again it might have been) =) I figured it was a very fitting picture for today since it is/was Ash Wednesday! The start of Lent.

I enjoy my computer time and have been a long time reader of Michele's blog. She is a fellow adoptive mom (of two boys also from South Korea) and she also homeschools both of them. You know people say I am creative, but OMG I wish I had her creativity. They are always doing some fun craft or going on field trip to someplace cool. I love reading about what they are doing (and I have reminded her many a times to post a head of time LOL...I need more time to prepare!)

I read it today and she has some great ideas and links for Lent and Easter. (Do check out her blog, but I will link you up too) THANK YOU MICHELE!

Here is Michele's Lent post. She mentions how she is giving up a couple food/treat items. Me, I've never been a huge fan of giving up food for Lent (we do observe the NO meat on Fridays') but giving up treats, ice cream, candy etc.... I don't normally do or push on the family. Since we do go to church every Sunday and pray before dinner every night, but are guilty of not doing a ton more. We have a shelf of books on the different religious holidays, both kids have beginner bibles and prayer books, but they are not ready nearly as much as we should! So for Lent this year I am hoping that as a family we will do a little better. Thanks to Michelle she has started off our "crafting" portion of Lent really well. She linked up to a Lenten Tree and Activity Book (scroll down to about the middle of the page...it is a PDF file) I will be changing it up a bit. I bought some brown rolled paper at the party store today and we will be making a tree (crumpling up the paper length wise and adding branches to it) and then I think we will be adding little crosses to it. Crosses that both E and Bella can color and then cut out and then they will be attached to the tree! HERE are a ton of options on coloring pages and activities. We will most likely use something like THIS for our cross. (nothing too big OR fancy) They will both get to color one for each of the 40 days...aka that is 80 crosses on our "tree". Just hoping it looks something close to what I am picturing in my head.

Michele recommended this book to read... It looks great for Ethan to read and/or for it to be read to Bella. Over dinner we talked about running errands on Friday so maybe we will go the the bookstore and let the kids both pick out new Easter books! I'll let you know what we come home with.


Melissa and her sister, they have both mentioned this website: Internet Cafe Devotions. A few extra prayers surely won't hurt me. LOL =). So one of my goals is to try to take a look around the site and read up a little more.


Speaking of Reading I would just love to read more in general! I finished the Twilight Series and need to get reading The Host (Todd and the kids gave it to me for Christmas). Also if you plan on reading any of the Twilight Books becareful reading the sites... you really really don't want any spoilers and there are some on her website!! Another book I have only heard good things about is The Shack. So maybe for Lent I should give up some of my late night blogging and scrapping and do some reading! We'll see how that goes!


While I've been busy adding links to this post I thought I would add one more...
While we are talking about Michele, check out her posts on recipes.


Whether you like it or not LOL I will probably link you up to any other activities that we can get going during Lent (or any other time) and please do the same.... Let me know what you guys are doing!


HAPPY LENT!

February 24th (55/365)

So I know you are thinking an empty drawer! Big Deal....Well it is a huge deal in our house! This empty drawer is known as the "Pull Up Drawer" and it is non an empty UNUSED drawer! No on in our house wears pullups anymore, day or night! A huge step and a long time coming for E! We are soo proud that he did it on his terms and timing and we know it was rough for him knowing Bella did it years before him! In the end it doesn't matter anymore, he is done!

I forgot to add this to yesterday's post.... Mr. Red Ranger made it back to school on Monday! Yeah! =)

February 23rd (54/365)

Ahh Monday morning again! I am almost always the one dropping Ethan off at school (and Bella at daycare). We went thru a time (or two) where mornings were horrible; I mean lots of crying and screaming on everyone's part. I've tried to do wake up a tiny bit earlier, we've made bed time a lot earlier, so knock on wood our mornings have been going a lot better!

We always hit traffic and we have our own little "shortcut" route we take...not really a shortcut since we usually see the same cars on the other side of the bridge LOL but Ethan gets a kick out of taking the short cut and Dad normally doesn't so it kind of is our thing!

No matter which way we go we are usually stop and go for a while and since starting this photo a day project I almost always have my camera with me (not like I didn't before)

Today I propped the camera up on the passenger seat and clicked...and hoped it would stay in focus!

Here are two of the favorites from "our shoot"...look for a layout coming soon!

February 22nd (53/365)

I have been looking at this Costco cookbook on my kitchen counter for weeks... We cracked it open last night and we picked a couple a couple of things to try! HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS is the first one... Now I'm not a food photographer so bear with me while posting food photos! =) They turned out pretty good, very sweet, but good. I think the next batch will have less honey and/or maybe we will try some oatmeal and chocolate chips and cut down on the granola cereal. Ethan was pretty excited that we put in some mini marshmellows! It was super easy to make so I'm sure that we will try again and experiment a little with the ingredients!

On a completley different note:

If you could say a little prayer for our friend Mary...

We sit next to her every Sunday in church and have since before Ethan came home to us; so it has been for over 6 years that we have seen her every Sunday for all these years, heck I think most of the time we've seen her more than my own grandparents! Not by choice, but it was someplace we went every Sunday morning, same time, same pew.

Last Sunday she wasn't there, but we didn't think too much of it, she is older and every now and then she misses her alarm or her back really hurts and she didn't sleep well so she will go to a later mass! Well this morning a lady that always sits behind us (live in the same housing that Mary does) and said that she took a fall a week or so ago and hit her head...

Evidently she fell and hit her head and her whole left side is bruised (she doesn't remember where she fell or how or anything about it or things pretty much afterwards)... Paramedics took her to the hospital, we still don't know how long she was there. This morning she ended up coming to church seemed pretty much herself until after mass when we were talking to her. She repeated everything over and over, swore she was in a nursing home at one end of town and that they dropped her off and were coming to get her, but she couldn't remember the name of the place. I did not like the feeling of standing out in front of the church with her not knowing where she was supposed to go, she was very confused and you could see it. Her ride did show up, she is not in the area of town that she thought, they helped her into the car, gave us a business card and said she would be moved into her own room, with tv, cable, and phone. I did slip a paper in her purse with our name, address, and phone number. All of her family is out of town (as far as I know) and we feel a little out there with not knowing what is happening! She has been a staple of our Sunday mornings for years. We have already lost a husband and wife from our pew in the last couple years. I'm not ready to lose Mary too!

Here is a scrapbook page of Mary and Ethan from February 2007

We are praying that Mary feels more herself soon!

February 21st (52/365)

Papa Jeff and Granma Peggy stopped by the house ... they had been on vacation to Cabo so they were excited to see the kids and of course bring their "treasures" for the kids. Papa picked out this "diamond" for Bella ...Lets just say she is ALL GIRL, she knew exactly what it was saying DIAMOND as soon as it came out of the wrapper it was in! I told them that she would carry it around all night AND SHE DID! You can't see it super good, but behind her "purple diamond" is a butterfly w/ a bobble head so to speak... LOL its' little head sticks out and when it is moved (or the wind blows, etc) it moves around...it is the cutest thing!

So this is where her diamond is sitting... on a family room table, next to the lamp and flip photo album! Where will it be in an hour, 30 minutes or better yet, where it will be in the next 5 minutes; only Miss Bella knows! I mean it has already made a trip to her playhouse in the playroom, the kitchen table, her bedroom, and even the bathroom! I am sure the list of places it will go will only grow! She loves her new purple diamond!

February 20th (51/365)

I love it when Christmas presents take a little while to make their presence known! When I got home from work today Dad and Ethan were separating all 540 pieces of the globe puzzle that you got for Christmas.... After a couple hours this is what YOU got finished!

This is only 100 pieces into the puzzle... I think once finished we will have to display it on one of the tables by the front door!

February 19th (50/365)

Ethan is now onto Day# 2 of being sick.... Ahh what a good boy coughing into his elbow!

So he still has that horrible seal-like barky cough, so we figured it was best to keep him home. All of the parents were nice enough to keep their kids home last week....

Like yesterday he didn't stop talking and when I got home from work I was greeted by monster truck, tractors and hot wheels all over the family room!

and Yes I got a few pages of homework for him to do and he quickly did it! I think he is missing his friends and school.

February 18th (49/365)

Ethan is on Day# 1 of being sick...Not fun for Dad! He has been staying home with him this time and well he is sick, but not sick enough! LOL! Dad says he hasn't stopped talking, constantly wants to play Wii, Life, or any other game we have! (If only he didn't have that horrible cough)


Today's photo of the Day is of Mr. Red Ranger....why oh why are you handing out on my door instead of hanging out in the closet in school? You are packed and ready to go, Library book, Homework folder, your reading log.... I want to go to school!

February 17th (48/365)

Well guess who's turn it was to be sick... Yes Ethan's! Last week there were 8 to 10 kids out sick (out of 22 total) and we crossed our fingers that we would miss it, but we weren't that lucky! It is coming.... I am not sure if he will be going to school tomorrow.



Dreaming of Legos after bath!
We can't leave Bella out...She had a bath tonight and did her own hair (a little hard to see, but it is really sticking up on the top!) Oh and the "dress" you see is about 3 sizes too small for her. I honestly think it is a size 24months....she loves it and changes into it constantly!

February 16th (47/365)

So another week is getting ready to start and don't you think this is the best way to start it?

Yes I am a Bachelor watcher! I have my favorites...one of them was kicked off tonight! Melissa is my pick for the end!

February 15th (46/365)

Well I think the events of yesterday took a tole on the kids! By early evening both kids were asleep. Ethan on the couch and Bella sprawled out on Dad's lap! They were just too cute, heavy eyes, swearing they weren't tired! Yeah we believed them!

February 14th (45/365)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

We had a great day today, but not your typical Valentines Day dinner dates... NOPE not us...We wen to the Monster Truck show! We went 2 years ago and took Ethan and LOVED IT! This year we thought it would be a special treat for E to get to take a friend... Aksel was the chosen one! =) They had a great time together, no fighting, lots of tickling and giggling (would have sworn they were girls LOL with all of the giggling!)


We had Pit Passes and were able to meet one of the drivers (we didn't want to wait in the super super long lines to meet the others). We took pictures in front of the trucks, on the side of the trucks, truck parts.... just pictures in general. It is impressive the size of the tires and everything else on the truck too!


Here are a few pictures, I still need to edit more of them! (There are plenty, I'm sure I'll just have to link you up to my smugmug account to see the rest of them!)
The above pictures are of Captain's Curse, he was great and most definately got some air, Gravediger litterally was straight up if not leaning a bit backwards, we aren't quite sure how we didn't flip backwards and last but not least; El Toro Loco! He was doing some cookies and well over he went! He was fine, walked about, no flying debris but he did break one of his horns.

Oh almost forgot, I was taking pictures of Monster Mutt's tail sticking straight up and he HUGE floppy ears... and this man asks me what I'm taking a picture of and I try to tell him. Then he sees the kids and we chat for a few minutes... he asks the boys, "So do you like my truck?" How cool was it that we got to meet the owner of Monster Mutt and El toro Loco. It was pretty cool; he asked Ethan which Monster Mutt's he had, how many and was in general a nice guy and a great show!

February 13th (44/365)

I think the kids had a good day at their Valentines Day party.... Of course he came home with way too many goodies. Here is the heart shaped "bag" that Ethan (and his class) made to hold their valentines! Lots of goodies!

Now be forwarned we were bad parents we didn't get the kid anything for Valentines' Day... We did have plans (see Tomorrow's post!)

February 12th (43/365)

So if you know me you know I'm a procratinator...So Ethan and I had high hopes of taking some Valentine photos (holding a big heart, one saying BE MINE (for the girls) and one saying YOU ROCK (for the boys). Well time slipped past us so that didn't happen, but I was able to use a photo I took on Ethan's birthday and used it on a mini scrapbook page (4"x4") and then I glued that onto a box of sweethearts that Ethan had wrote all of the kids' names on. They turned out really cute!

Ethan did really good writing all of the names (there are 22 kids in his class including him & we added a few extra names onto the list).

Now I couldn't help but go back and take a picture of a particular Valentine! It is so cute to watch Ethan secretly go back and draw a heart by her name on her box, and watch how giddy he gets when you even mention "her name". We really do try to NOT tease him, but it is just too sweet! Heck I even emailed Cora's mom the picture of his "heart". I am glad I did because she mentioned how the other day Cora told her about how a recess one day that Ethan helped her out when some boys were chasing her and she didn't like it! It is nice to know that he will "stick up" for others and be watchful over his friends!

I was even able to get a scrapbook page done for these pictures. It has quickly become a favorite. For me I just love how it all ended up coming together... sometimes while you are working on them you wonder how it will look/come together in the end. See Layout Credits HERE.

February 11th (42/365)

Ahhh my fellow bloggers and digi scrappers you either love your computer or hate it (because it is slow or full LOL) so imagine my horror when I went to check email one evening and all I saw was this bright blue screen with lots of words aka A FATAL ERROR. Thankfully all seems well now. Granted I have been copying photos like mad to my EHD (External Hard Drive) and uploading to smugmug when ever possible)

Today's choice of photos was easy... My computer, old scrapbooks, and my beloved card reader!

May she remain in good health! =)

February 10th (41/365)

We woke up to a light layer (dusting if you will) of snow! I was actually very surprised how little reaction I got out of the kids... neither one acted like they could care! Now granted once you got off "the hill" there wasn't much of anything on the ground...a few snow flakes fell thru out the morning, but nothing stayed! =( or maybe =)

February 9th (40/365)

I'm SORRY!

I really do think that Ethan felt bad about how he treated Papa and how he mis-behaved. We had a few talks with him trying to teach/explain that we can NOT act like he did with Grammy & Papa ... at any time! (We have had many a speeches on how it is OKAY to be upset and to cry, but to not act out and throw tantrums and to litterally throw things... Let's just say a work in progress)

Here is Ethan's apology letter:

and to add a little smile... he included a coloring page he did for him!

(His writing and coloring has improved a 100 times over this past year!)

Papa should get his letter and picture by Friday! =)

February 8th (39/365)

We had a great kidless day today, nothing fancy at all! Church by ourselves, grocery shopping by ourselves. Todd watched basketball all day and I backed up photos and read my new HOST book. (Only just started it... a little harder to get into than the Twilight Series was).

I felt it was fitting today's photo was a picture of the Hwy on the way to Papa & Grammy's house... As nice as our day was, well Grammy & Papa Jim had a little rougher day! Ethan was just honery! At the going away party they all went to, he was flipping light switches, not listening, then to top things off...HE BIT PAPA, I mean enough to draw blood! I think Jim got really mad, I mean mad not just upset... Later Grammy said how Papa said he was going to take him home. They didn't but they were outside for a long time! I guess the topper of the night was when he THREW his Nintendo DS! That was the last straw! NO DS for a month (a little bit of a hit for him...he was just getting to where he could play some of the games, they were finally clicking for him) and no Wii for this week, maybe more! He will be writing Papa an apology letter too! (Could be tomorrow photo of the day!) =)

I'm not sure if it was an attention thing for Ethan... he wasn't getting it all, maybe he was tired. I am not sure, but just hoping he can tone it down some! Not good behavior!

February 7th (38/365)

Tonight was Ethan's school auction! This was the kindergarten project...the item I wanted, but definately couldn't afford the going price of $575! Yeah for the school bad for my pocket book!

All of the kids drew their hands and were painted... I think it turned out great! (I would love to try something like this with the kids at home! Maybe someday!)

We didn't leave empty handed... Todd won a Clyde Drexler autographed basketball, I won an evening with a sheriff (Ethan will get to ride in the police car and then he will take him to ice cream!) We thought Ethan would really enjoy it! Oh and in the silent auction we won a great picture frame (already has pictures in it....Todd is hanging tomorrow night) and 2 large cool vases! (Still need to get something to put in the one, the other has a "lid") =)

It was a great night! We got to have a nice dinner, hang out with friends, make some new friends and all around had a great night!

February 6th (37/365)

Sometimes it can be amazing how quickly time passes. It was 3 years ago today we flew home from Korea as a family of 4. It was 3 years ago today that she was placed into our arms forever. It was 3 years ago today that she changed our lives forever! Being a week day we didn't get to do a ton of extras. We had a nice quiet dinner in (instead of getting take out) and then we headed to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream dessert. A little out of the norm for us and everyone had a good time. Ethan was soo cute telling her over and over that today was her FAMILY DAY and trying to explain what that meant. In the next few years she will slowly learn and understand more of what it all means to her and to us! To us it is a very special day...days in our lives that we will never forget!

A couple pictures from Bella's 3rd Family Day!

(gotta love camera timers)

To show how much she has changed in three years... This is Bella with mom and dad on the first day we met her!

Leaving Seoul South Korea:

In the San Fransisco Airport (in her coming home outfit...don't you just think that is the most perfect onesie?)

On the way home from the airport:

This is Bella two weeks after coming home!

WE LOVE YOU BABY GIRL!