Thursday, June 10, 2010
"Ian"niversary Pictures
As promised, our "Ian"niversary, as told through the very talented eyes of our friend Duston Todd. Enjoy!
Thank you Duston! These are pictures we will treasure forever!! BTW, if any of you would like to order any of these prints, let me know and I will give you the info. (And just so you know, Duston is offering them at a discount until June 17)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Yoga Baby
I honestly do not know where he learned this from, because since he was born, I never seem to have time to do yoga anymore. But it seems that, all on his own, Ian may be a yoga "natural"!! He does this pose sometimes, and it just cracks me up. He puts his head down on the ground, sticks his little bum in the air, and then lifts one leg. So CUTE!!
(It has been so long since I have done any yoga myself, that I had to ask my "yoga guru", a.k.a. my friend Amy if this pose has a name. Apparently it does - Adho Mukha Svanasana, and from what I am told, it is quite an advanced posture!) Funny little man!
I wonder if this is something he does when I am stressing him out - perhaps it is his way of saying "Serenity now Mom!" Maybe he just needs a break for a second=)
Whatever the reason for this little downward dog-like pose, I certainly think it is the cutest thing I have seen in awhile... at least since the last cute thing he did, that is!!
(It has been so long since I have done any yoga myself, that I had to ask my "yoga guru", a.k.a. my friend Amy if this pose has a name. Apparently it does - Adho Mukha Svanasana, and from what I am told, it is quite an advanced posture!) Funny little man!
I wonder if this is something he does when I am stressing him out - perhaps it is his way of saying "Serenity now Mom!" Maybe he just needs a break for a second=)
Whatever the reason for this little downward dog-like pose, I certainly think it is the cutest thing I have seen in awhile... at least since the last cute thing he did, that is!!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Baseball
Normally, I am not a big fan of baseball. It has never "pulled" me in like football or soccer, for instance. And seriously, why does it seem to take a week to finish 9 innings?!?!?!?! However, I am a fan of baseball games, for a couple of reasons.
1 - Peanuts. There is nothing quite like eating peanuts at a baseball game and carelessly tossing the shells on the ground.
2 - Sporting events, in general, are always more fun to watch in a stadium, live and in person.
3 - Good friends or family.
Monday night, it was good friends. One of our great neighbors, Shanae, organized a neighborhood night at the Bee's game. Another one of our awesome neighbors, Matt, was able to get us all free tickets through his work, so it left more spending money for peanuts!!! It was a little rainy, but we got seats under cover, so we didn't mind a bit.
Shanae was asked to participate in a singing contest on the field after the first inning, and she volunteered Mike to compete against her. It was hilarious!! Good ol' Mikey took the opportunity to promote himself, and they introduced him as Foster Father of the Year. Turns out that the announcer was adopted himself as an older child, and he was more than happy to talk all about Mike's endeavors. He mentioned Mike's marathon and his website where you could go to learn more or donate. Way to go Mikey! (We can't be sure, but this may or may not have been the determining factor as to why Mike beat out Shanae in the contest=) Either way, I am proud of you both for having the guts to go up there and sing your hearts out. You BOTH were great!!
We have the greatest neighbors and we LOVE them so much!!! Thanks for another fabulous night!!!
1 - Peanuts. There is nothing quite like eating peanuts at a baseball game and carelessly tossing the shells on the ground.
2 - Sporting events, in general, are always more fun to watch in a stadium, live and in person.
Monday night, it was good friends. One of our great neighbors, Shanae, organized a neighborhood night at the Bee's game. Another one of our awesome neighbors, Matt, was able to get us all free tickets through his work, so it left more spending money for peanuts!!! It was a little rainy, but we got seats under cover, so we didn't mind a bit.
Shanae was asked to participate in a singing contest on the field after the first inning, and she volunteered Mike to compete against her. It was hilarious!! Good ol' Mikey took the opportunity to promote himself, and they introduced him as Foster Father of the Year. Turns out that the announcer was adopted himself as an older child, and he was more than happy to talk all about Mike's endeavors. He mentioned Mike's marathon and his website where you could go to learn more or donate. Way to go Mikey! (We can't be sure, but this may or may not have been the determining factor as to why Mike beat out Shanae in the contest=) Either way, I am proud of you both for having the guts to go up there and sing your hearts out. You BOTH were great!!
Party Time
Our house loves to party! Especially since we moved into our current home three years ago and we finally had the space to do so.
And especially in the summer. We love having our yard full of outside toys, people "hanging out" on the chairs set up in various places, yummy food, and lots of laughter and fun conversations as the sun shines and the yard looks beautiful in its summer splendor.
And what better reason is there to throw a big party than our becoming Ian's Mom and Dad? We couldn't think of one!!
So last Saturday we did just that. We invited tons of people to come over and party and celebrate with us. It was six months, to the very day, from when we had originally planned to have this celebration. And might I add, it was on a MUCH, MUCH warmer and more beautiful day. (Which is one good thing about all of this having been postponed for so long!!)
The day was wonderful. I was pretty busy, so I didn't take many pictures, but I did capture a couple.
We had so many loving friends and family stop by to congratulate us on our little family finally being legal and final. At times our house was overflowing, and as much as I had feared this very thing when we were planning the party, in reality I LOVED IT!! I felt so abundantly grateful that we were finally able to relax and celebrate, and I am still feeling all that love now, a few days later. Like I said, it was wonderful.
However, a few things go into the planning of such a big party, such as baking about 5 bazillion cookies=) We didn't serve a meal, but we did serve punch and cookies, veggies, chips, and various other "snacks". We invited quite a lot of people and we weren't sure how many would show up, so we figured we had better be prepared in case everyone came. That meant two days of baking for me.
I didn't mind (too much=) because I really do enjoy baking. I did have a couple of offers to help, but I think somewhere inside I wanted to do this. I guess I thought that since these cookies were for a party for my little son that I wanted to be the one to make them. I know that probably sounds crazy and by the time I had finished approximately 20 or so dozen cookies, I began to question it myself!
But during the middle of all of this flour, sugar and chocolate chip madness, a funny thing happened. I had been spreading out all of the cookies on our kitchen table to cool, and Ian was circling it and pointing as he said over and over, "Want one! Want one! Want one!" I said, "just a minute baby" as I turned around to finish putting more cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. A few seconds later I started thinking, "He's quiet all of a sudden". Just then Mike came into the room and whispered to me "Shey, look." I turned around to find this.
Apparently he was done waiting for us to get him a cookie, so he got one himself! Our kitchen table is quite high, and the chairs are much too high for him to climb up himself. However, he figured out how to climb up onto them by getting up onto the middle portion under the table, then up to a chair, and voila! COOKIES!! He is a genius, so how could I be mad? Instead, I just grabbed my camera and let him enjoy the spoils of his climbing adventure! However, I did have the presence of mind to realize that now that he has figured this one out, I am going to have to watch out what I put up there on the table!
Ian loves to help us out in the kitchen, and I LOVE that! Here are a couple more pictures to show just what a big helper he is. (The first two were taken on Mother's Day when my two boys made me breakfast=)
Anyway, thanks everybody who came on Saturday to help us celebrate our beautiful son and the end of our journey to find him. It was certainly a GREAT day!!
And especially in the summer. We love having our yard full of outside toys, people "hanging out" on the chairs set up in various places, yummy food, and lots of laughter and fun conversations as the sun shines and the yard looks beautiful in its summer splendor.
And what better reason is there to throw a big party than our becoming Ian's Mom and Dad? We couldn't think of one!!
So last Saturday we did just that. We invited tons of people to come over and party and celebrate with us. It was six months, to the very day, from when we had originally planned to have this celebration. And might I add, it was on a MUCH, MUCH warmer and more beautiful day. (Which is one good thing about all of this having been postponed for so long!!)
The day was wonderful. I was pretty busy, so I didn't take many pictures, but I did capture a couple.
However, a few things go into the planning of such a big party, such as baking about 5 bazillion cookies=) We didn't serve a meal, but we did serve punch and cookies, veggies, chips, and various other "snacks". We invited quite a lot of people and we weren't sure how many would show up, so we figured we had better be prepared in case everyone came. That meant two days of baking for me.
I didn't mind (too much=) because I really do enjoy baking. I did have a couple of offers to help, but I think somewhere inside I wanted to do this. I guess I thought that since these cookies were for a party for my little son that I wanted to be the one to make them. I know that probably sounds crazy and by the time I had finished approximately 20 or so dozen cookies, I began to question it myself!
But during the middle of all of this flour, sugar and chocolate chip madness, a funny thing happened. I had been spreading out all of the cookies on our kitchen table to cool, and Ian was circling it and pointing as he said over and over, "Want one! Want one! Want one!" I said, "just a minute baby" as I turned around to finish putting more cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. A few seconds later I started thinking, "He's quiet all of a sudden". Just then Mike came into the room and whispered to me "Shey, look." I turned around to find this.
Apparently he was done waiting for us to get him a cookie, so he got one himself! Our kitchen table is quite high, and the chairs are much too high for him to climb up himself. However, he figured out how to climb up onto them by getting up onto the middle portion under the table, then up to a chair, and voila! COOKIES!! He is a genius, so how could I be mad? Instead, I just grabbed my camera and let him enjoy the spoils of his climbing adventure! However, I did have the presence of mind to realize that now that he has figured this one out, I am going to have to watch out what I put up there on the table!
Ian loves to help us out in the kitchen, and I LOVE that! Here are a couple more pictures to show just what a big helper he is. (The first two were taken on Mother's Day when my two boys made me breakfast=)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Finding a Home for a Brother and a Sister
I received an email a couple of days ago which informed me of a current adoption situation here in Salt Lake. I received a second email yesterday from our attorney about the same case, so I am passing along this information in hopes of helping these two little ones find a good home. If you know of anyone who might be interested or would want more information, please leave a comment and I will get in contact with you. Thanks!!
"These (two Ethiopian siblings) were adopted by parents in Salt Lake City. There are a variety of reasons why this is now disrupting. The adoptive parents are willing to voluntarily relinquish their parental rights in order to cooperate with the adoption of the children by another family.
(We have) the following information about these children:
Miheret is ten years old. (Her Ethiopian birth certificate says ten, though we think she’s closer to twelve). She speaks and understands English very well. She’s a smart, affectionate, energetic girl who is full of life and energy. She loves to do anything outdoors: riding her bike and scooter, playing basketball, soccer, jumping on the trampoline, and running. She’s very good at watching out for her younger brother, and making sure he’s well taken care of. She needs a chance to have fun and be a kid, as she’s always had to take on the mother role. Miheret has issues with attachment, such as being manipulative if she thinks it will get her what she wants, trying to triangulate parents, and forming superficial bonds with people she thinks will give her things. She is strong-willed, and can be aggressive if she doesn’t get what she wants. Experienced adoptive parents knowledgeable in areas of attachment and experienced with parenting older adoptive children are ideal. Miheret loves to dance and sing, and is quite talented in both areas. She’s good at helping out around the house. Sometimes she complains when reminded about chores, like most ten year olds. But once she gets going, she does a great job.
Yitbarek is seven years old. He also speaks and understands English very well. He’s a handsome, sweet, affectionate, energetic boy with an impish grin and laugh. He’s mischievous, and loves to make others laugh. He loves to help out around the house—often without being asked. And he loves to give and receive affection. Like his sister, he loves to do almost anything outside: play soccer, play basketball, ride his bike, jump on the trampoline—you name it. He’s also very smart. He is making great strides in reading English. He’s good at math and writing, and his penmanship is amazing for a seven year old. He loves to sing and dance, and has a great, natural rhythm for being so young. Like his sister, Yitbarek is strong-willed. If he doesn’t get his way, he can get angry, and be aggressive. Again, patient parents who are experienced in parenting older adoptive children—children who’ve dealt with attachment and trauma—are ideal. Once Yitbarek can learn more effective ways to deal with and express his anger, he will thrive. He loves to color, he loves to have stories read to him, and he gives great hugs.
We would prefer to place both children together with the right home studied family. But we will also consider placing them separately, under the right circumstances (for example, if visitation between the two families can be arranged, so the children can remain in contact).
Again, if you or anyone you might know is interested in finding out more about these two adorable kids, please let me know.
"These (two Ethiopian siblings) were adopted by parents in Salt Lake City. There are a variety of reasons why this is now disrupting. The adoptive parents are willing to voluntarily relinquish their parental rights in order to cooperate with the adoption of the children by another family.
(We have) the following information about these children:
Miheret is ten years old. (Her Ethiopian birth certificate says ten, though we think she’s closer to twelve). She speaks and understands English very well. She’s a smart, affectionate, energetic girl who is full of life and energy. She loves to do anything outdoors: riding her bike and scooter, playing basketball, soccer, jumping on the trampoline, and running. She’s very good at watching out for her younger brother, and making sure he’s well taken care of. She needs a chance to have fun and be a kid, as she’s always had to take on the mother role. Miheret has issues with attachment, such as being manipulative if she thinks it will get her what she wants, trying to triangulate parents, and forming superficial bonds with people she thinks will give her things. She is strong-willed, and can be aggressive if she doesn’t get what she wants. Experienced adoptive parents knowledgeable in areas of attachment and experienced with parenting older adoptive children are ideal. Miheret loves to dance and sing, and is quite talented in both areas. She’s good at helping out around the house. Sometimes she complains when reminded about chores, like most ten year olds. But once she gets going, she does a great job.
Yitbarek is seven years old. He also speaks and understands English very well. He’s a handsome, sweet, affectionate, energetic boy with an impish grin and laugh. He’s mischievous, and loves to make others laugh. He loves to help out around the house—often without being asked. And he loves to give and receive affection. Like his sister, he loves to do almost anything outside: play soccer, play basketball, ride his bike, jump on the trampoline—you name it. He’s also very smart. He is making great strides in reading English. He’s good at math and writing, and his penmanship is amazing for a seven year old. He loves to sing and dance, and has a great, natural rhythm for being so young. Like his sister, Yitbarek is strong-willed. If he doesn’t get his way, he can get angry, and be aggressive. Again, patient parents who are experienced in parenting older adoptive children—children who’ve dealt with attachment and trauma—are ideal. Once Yitbarek can learn more effective ways to deal with and express his anger, he will thrive. He loves to color, he loves to have stories read to him, and he gives great hugs.
We would prefer to place both children together with the right home studied family. But we will also consider placing them separately, under the right circumstances (for example, if visitation between the two families can be arranged, so the children can remain in contact).
Again, if you or anyone you might know is interested in finding out more about these two adorable kids, please let me know.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Foster Roster Article
Here is the link to the "Foster Roster" if you are interested. The article about Mike is on pages 5 and 6. Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Foster Father of the Year
I am so thrilled and excited to let you in on some WONDERFUL news...
My sweet hubby Mike has been selected as the Salt Lake Region 2010 Foster Father of the Year!!!
I am so proud of him! No one deserves this award more, and I am so blessed to have him as my husband and as the father of our little son. He is such an amazing man, and I am overjoyed that the rest of the world is noticing it too!
I was so excited when I heard the news. I got the call on a Monday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Mike was still at work, and I wasn't sure how to tell him. I knew this was WAY too big for a "Hey, guess what?" phone call, so I called up our neighbors and our parents and asked them to come over that night for cake and ice cream. Then I made a big sign that said...
"CONGRATULATIONS for being chosen as Foster Father of the Year -
Mikey, you are the best!!!"
I hung it in our kitchen, with a bunch of balloons attached, and we were all waiting when he got home.
The look on his face when he read the sign probably mirrored what mine must have looked like when I received the call a few hours earlier. We were both shocked, surprised, excited, and very humbled.
It wasn't that I didn't think Mike should get this award, because I ABSOLUTELY do, it is just that I wasn't expecting him to win. We are relatively new to the foster scene, so I figured there was bound to be someone more experienced who would win.
However, as each day passes and the magnitude of this award has a chance to sink in a little more, I see that it doesn't take lots of kids to make a great Dad. It can take just one - or in our case, two. Mike knows how to be a great Dad, and lives it every day and in every way! I am SO happy and proud that he is being recognized for the amazing job he does every day. I love you hubby! (And I hope that as I go through this next year as your "first lady" some of your greatness will rub off on me!!=)
Mike's award will be given at the Chalk Art Festival on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at the Gateway in Salt Lake City. It will start at noon by the fountain and everyone who wants to come is invited and welcome. Hope to see you there, but if you can't make it, just be sure to catch him on the late night news!
My husband, the celebrity...=)
(There was an article written about Mike in June's edition of "the Foster Roster", Utah Foster Care Foundations monthly newsletter. It was very touching, and contained excerpts from several of the nominations that were submitted on his behalf. It isn't available online yet, but as soon as it is, I will post a link so you can check it out.)
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