Spring is on it's way!!!

I'm so glad to report that i have actually taken the kids to the park 2 days in a row. it's been so great to get out of the house and play outside. this winter has been especially dreary here in chicago. we are planning a family vacation this spring to visit uncle willy and uncle bridget. we are really hoping the weather there will be nice enough for us to go swimming. i'm mostly looking forward to being out of illinois. I have just over two months left as youth director at cpc and i'm really looking forward to a break. the kids are each signed up for several activities this spring and we are really looking forward to watching evi play soccer. she is really fast so i think she'll love the running part. robert is beginning to say more words. just yesterday he said "uh oh' for the first time. it was really cute.

Robert's been home a year!

Robert landed in the USA on January 24, 2007 (Grandma Judy's 60th birthday). We celebrated his "Adoption Day" with Evi's birthday. I can't believe that a year has already gone by. Robert is such a joy to us and we love him more everyday. He truly is one of the sweetest people I know. Robert really loves the movie Cars and enjoys playing with his "shake and go" racers. He also loves music. Jeremy wants to get him a drum set for his birthday. We are just so blessed to get to be Robert's mommy and daddy. Thank you Jesus for bringing him into our lives!!

Evi turns 4!!

Well, This Friday Evi will be 4 years old. I can't believe how time flies. Sometimes I can't even remember her as a baby, infant or toddler. She just seems so grown up. Her birthday is a joyous occasion for sure but it's also a day that for me brings some tears. I always think of her birth mother on these special occasions. I wonder where she is and what she must be thinking about. I pray that she knows that her baby girl is loved very deeply. I wish she could see how beautiful she is and know how unbelievably smart she is. I will be forever grateful for the truly courageous decision Evi's birth mother made in placing her up for adoption. I can't imagine being faced with that decision so I have nothing but respect for all birth mothers.
On a lighter note I thought I would take a moment and brag about my amazing little girl. First off she she loves Disney moves. I know I let her watch too much television but... sometimes a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do. She also likes playing with her stuffed animals. She continues to loves books and we read to her everyday. The computer has also become something she has mastered and she loves playing her "Dora" game. It's crazy that my just turned 4 year old can use a mouse and name all the parts of our computer. She loves music and enjoys listening to her ipod (thanks Santa). I love that Evi can be such a "girly girl" one minute and ask you to paint her nails a sparkly pink and then the next minute she is collecting bugs and spiders she finds in our house. Evi loves swimming and will be starting her 3rd set of lessons in about two weeks. She wears a smile the whole time she is in the water. Preschool continues to be exciting for her and she is eager to go each day. Evi definitely loves being social and often talks about her many friends. We celebrated her birthday this weekend with family and friends at Chuck E Cheeses and she had a blast. Here are some pictures of the party!

Rudolph Program

Today was Evi's Rudolph program at preschool. They all lined up with reindeer ears and red noses and sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Jingle Bells, and Must Be Santa. Evi was great, quite the little star. It really wasn't much but all the parents were there, cameras in toe. Oh what we do for our kids. I even dressed her in red and green. I have to admit I got teary eyed. These are the moments that I was waiting for. I remember when Evi was an infant I would think of the days when she would be performing in school programs. I couldn't wait. Now I hope that time stands still because before we know it she will be 16 and boy crazy (although I hope she is never boy crazy). They grow up too fast.....
I'm so proud of our little girl.

What's for Dinner?

So tonight we had tacos for dinner. I know, there is nothing especially exciting about tacos except......the experation date. April 2003. What? Can this be right? The taco shells are older then Evi and have been moved with us twice? See, I told you it was exciting.

Why a Blog?

Well, I guess I really have nothing to do. LOL. Well that is sort of the truth. Mostly I just want a way to keep track of who we are as a family from week to week, month to month, and year to year. I don't really think we are that interesting or that we have anything important to say. But...I hope that we can save all that we post here and some day Evi and Robert will enjoy reading about their lives as children. Some days some really funny things happen and I tend to forget all the best stuff.
So, to begin our first entry is all about the wait for Christmas. Evi is almost 4 and is really into Santa and the idea of presents left under the tree for her. Over the weekend she woke up and said "I'm going to check under the tree to see if Santa left any presents yet." when I told her that it wasn't Christmas she said "that's okay. I'll check anyway." It's so great to feel the anticipation again through your child's eyes. I think this year I'll have just as much trouble sleeping on Christmas Eve as she does.
As for Robert, well he is just getting bigger and bigger everyday. He really makes us laugh and I often find myself saying that he is so cute I could eat him. His smile really does light up a room. He is starting to talk and communicate more and more everyday although we really have no idea what he is saying. He too is enjoying the Christmas season, especially the tree. I find ornaments in the oddest places almost everyday. At least he isn't trying to climb the tree right.