6 Months Home!

It's really crazy to think that as of today, we've been home for 6 months. A lot of things are crazy really...

• we've been parenting for 6 months and we have a 3 year old son.
• 40+ hour flight home from Ethiopia. Beyond crazy. That was an experience I'd rather forget but it's seared into my brain. Someone needs to invent an adoption time machine or travel worm hole. I'm not kidding.
  
• we've gone through about 2,000 diapers. Crazy smells in our house!
• Over 15 doctor appointments and 15 immunizations per kid.
• I took the kids solo on a trip to meet the extended family in the Midwest.
• that our 2 kiddos who are 19 months apart essentially weigh the same and are the same height. [we believe in you Judah...grow grow grow!!]
• how many toys have invaded our house. Despite our best efforts, the toys seem to multiply.
• 14 teeth have emerged between the two of them.
• Judah has acquired language at a rate that astonishes us and cause us to watch what we say much quicker than we anticipated. He understands English - his 2nd language! - perfectly and speaks over 50 words well.
  

The craziest things are the things we can't measure...

• how much we love our kids. We couldn't love them more if we'd conceived and birthed them.
• what life was really like before them - it was good but this is so much better.
  
• how entirely normal it feels to be Judah and Addise's parents!!! Our social worker said something "magical" happens around 6 months home, and I believe her. It's indescribable but totally true.
  
• the amount of laughter and gratified head-shaking that fills our home every day.
  
• how much Judah is like Brian and Addise is like me. Their personalities are little versions of our own!
  

Only God!! We are supremely grateful to be these 2 crazy kiddos' parents. God clearly chose them for us. I told Brian this week that I'm so thankful that we didn't get pregnant because I can't imagine NOT being Judah and Addise's mom. Brian readily agreed.

Happy 1/2 Year Home, Kids! We love you like crazy.

All pictures taken by http://www.hanachung.com/.

First Family Photo Shoot

Yes, it's been 5+ weeks since I've blogged. I have a dozen blogs with titles saved and stored in my brain, but I can't find the time to sit down and write. Working full time, mommy-ing 2 toddlers, being present in my marriage...well, it just fills my days. The past 5 weeks have been filled with 2 trips [10-day Florida vacation and 5 days in Illinois celebrating my Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary and extended family getaway] plus a major work reorganization, plus the daily grind.

I promise to attempt [which is really no promise at all!] to post more. Judah and Addise are more amazing with each passing week. What they teach me is compelling and profound. What I'm learning as a working mom is valuable. How my marriage is changing is worth sharing. Time is simply not on my side.

So, for now, here are a few of my favorite pics of our first family photo shoot in April. The amazing Hana Chung [http://www.hanachung.com] was our woman! A few of my favorite shots...

How do you not love Judah kissing Addise?!?
We are sitting on the bench at The Montage where I prayed for them for years!

Addise is crazy about her Daddy!

"Come on, Sissy!"

Addise's first birthday picture.
She's wearing a traditional Ethiopian dress we got for her!

Hard to pick a picture for Judah. He had so many ridiculously cute ones!

On the beach...

Celebrating 10 years of marriage. Love this man!

Road Trippin'

This weekend we made a rather spontaneous trip to our favorite local destination: San Diego! It was our first family overnight road trip since we came home 3 months ago. Let's call it a first trimester celebration...

We headed to SD with our good friends, Daniel, Cassidy, Cohen and Cami for the Padres baseball home opener. The game was set to start at 7pm, which was a bit crazy considering our kiddos have been on a consistent 6:30pm bedtime. But it was time to party! We hoped for the best, and though our kiddos did GREAT the standard gorgeous San Diego weather did NOT. The game was postponed 30 minute due to a rain delay [it wasn't even raining... SoCal wimps] and after the first inning the rain started coming. Pouring! After 30 minutes hovering under umbrellas, hoping for the skies to open up, we called it quits. Plus it was a chilly 50-something degrees, and as bundled as we all were, we started feeling damp and cold. Judah was fascinated with the rain, after all, he hasn't really seen rain that we know of in his young life. Addise laid contentedly Ergo'd to my chest and eventually fell asleep.

Though our first major league baseball game wasn't a raging success, our first overnight getaway was! We had a stupendous 24-hours away as a family with our friends. Here are a few pics to commemorate this event.

Can I just also say that I'm LOVING our "firsts" as a family!?!?! We love creating these memories together. In the words of my husband, "I LOVE what we're building together."

On the 75 minute drive down. Lovin' the drool.
This blanket and smaller companion were knitted [crocheted?] by one of my mentors, Diane.

I will not be exaggerating when I say she talked and screamed the ENTIRE way down.
Brian and I were hoping for a great conversation, but were drowned by a 1-year old's voice.

"Wassup?" Judah's latest phrase. And his first time in the Joovy Sit 'n Stand. I'm a fan!

Straws make great toys.

Daddy and son at their first baseball game. Judah's asking a poignant questions about baseball.
Daddy's explaining the rules of the game. I'm sure of it.
Dream come true.
*We didn't plan their matching outfits.

A family picture. Addise was fascinated with the jumbo-tron above our heads.

The best is yet to come...