A Mother's Sacrifice

There are things you do for your kids that there is NO WAY you would do under any other circumstances. This weekend, I had to overcome one of my phobias for the good of my child. We went back up to the lake to visit G-ma and G-pa, and Elianna was begging to go swimming. Selah also absolutely LOVES being in the water, but there is no way I could reasonably expect Chad to watch both of them, even armed with their flotation devices. Enter my phobia: swimming in water where I can't see the bottom. I like nice clean pools, preferably WARM clean pools. Lakes, although beautiful and serene from the surface, are the stuff of nightmares underneath. (In my mind, anyway.) Still, I decided to face my fears and actually go swimming with my family... and try not to terrify my daughter in the process. I waded out, and the first few steps were nice and sandy. Cool, I can handle this. Once the sand ended, though, I stepped into this velvety muck full of all manner of poky unidentifiable things that sucked at my feet. EEWWW! Chad told me to just float, so I tucked a life jacket under my arm and floated... right into (what felt like) the embrace of a man-eating octopus. Okay, it was a thick weed bed, but let me tell you when you're floating along and suddenly things are wrapping around your legs and ankles... an innocent weed is not the image your mind conjures. EEWWW AGAIN! Elianna and Selah were floating and splashing and having a great time. Chad and G-ma were having a great time watching me gulp and try to force a smile whenever Elianna looked at me. If she could sense my discomfort, she didn't care. Which was a good thing - Chad didn't need two females freaking out in the middle of the lake. I wish I could say I eventually relaxed and enjoyed myself, but no, I didn't. I will swim in the lake when I am needed, but my legs are tingling right now just at the memory!!! The girls had a blast, though. Splashing and kicking all over the water, pulling up lily pads, giggling and shrieking as loud as they could so they could hear their echo. They had fun, that's all that matters.

Besides the "Swimming Incident," it was a fun weekend. Elianna just loves going up there. She spends her days looking for acorns to throw at the ducks (and getting irritated when they won't eat them), exploring all over the yard, playing in the sand, or snuggling up with G-pa or G-ma. This time she had two new toys - a bubble kit with all different kind of bubble blowers. (Most of which Mommy couldn't figure out, and one of which gave Elianna a mouthful of bubble solution!) Once Daddy explained them to us, though, she blew bubbles to her heart's content. The second was a H-U-G-E Nemo coloring book. Elianna had a great time sprawled on the floor trying every single color of crayon and colored pencil on her Nemo picture. Selah got a Baby Glo-worm that has become one of her absolute favorite toys. She got so attached, they let her take it home! G-ma took me and Selah out to lunch, which was a nice treat. We went to the "Lumberjack Cafe" where they had all kinds of log furniture and home decor. I could have spent a fortune - I love that stuff! But, I refrained, and we had a fun time out. I think I've been taken out to lunch twice in as many years!!! So it's rare and appreciated when I get to go out.

We had to leave a bit early on Sunday after church, since we then headed down to Nanna's to see some family visiting from Canada. Elianna got to meet some more cousins, and we all trooped outside to play a rousing game of "Duck Duck Goose" with a four-year-old, two two-year-olds, and about 7 adults. You had to be there, but it was pretty funny. What a busy day to end a busy weekend!!!!

Library Day

Today we headed out for our weekly trek to the library. We have fallen into a routine that runs basically like this:

Return our old books, checking them off the printout. (Since we get on average about 15 books, we have to stay organized or those fines can really add up.)

Head to the non-fiction section first. The only part Elianna is interested in right now is the animal section. She yells "Eeew, gross!" every time at the bug section, then moves on.

Check out the "New Books" shelf. I'm not sure what makes these books inherently cooler than all the other books, but Elianna always ends up with 2 or 3 "new releases."

Pull up a chair to the picture books. This is where we hunker down, park Selah's stroller next to the board books and let her go to town, and read, read, read... We keep the ones that look cool, as well as the random ones Elianna throws in the basket when I'm not looking. (One day I found a book called "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses" in the stroller. My daughter is just so into diversity! Okay, she probably just liked the horses, one of her latest crazes.) We try to keep the librarian from banning us by putting away the ones we don't like rather than leaving them scattered all over.

Last, I let her pick out 2 videotapes, and then begin negotiations as to which one she can watch before nap.

Check everything out. Elianna hands the books, one at a time, to be checked out. (Fortunately, our small-town library is, for the most part, very patient with her idiosyncrasies.)

Finally, we load everything into the stroller, say our good-byes, and head to McDonald's for an ice cream. (It's a cheap date so far, since we all three split one hot fudge sundae. An afternoon out for only $1.06 with tax!) By now, it's close to nap time so we head home, read a few books, watch a video and hit the sack. (Well, they hit the sack, and I make dinner.)

Elianna just LOVES us to read to her, and after hearing a book only a couple times can tell you what will happen or sometimes even recite much of it back to you. She also tries to read to Selah, although she gets frustrated when Selah crawls away or tries to eat the book. Chad and I both love to read, and we believe it is very important to instill a love for the written word in children as young as possible!

Family Reunion

Sunday afternoon we all piled into my grandma's truck and headed west for a family reunion. It was hosted by one of my mom's cousins at their lakefront home, and although it rained a bit we were able to all hang out outside. Elianna went swimming, we took a pontoon ride, and ate plate after plate of food. Every family has at least one family tree addict, and there were two at this party... complete with big posters tracing our family back to the 1800's! So, we got to sift through piles of old photos (including a very flattering one of my mother at age 10 wearing a pink shirt, brown skirt, and red tights - Yikes!), meet lots of new cousins, aunts, uncles, etc..., and hear stories of great-great grandparents fighting in the civil war, marrying war brides in World War I (one of them was brought back to America from Paris unable to speak English), and all the other cool family stories that probably are not even close to accurate but are fascinating nonetheless. (Although the French-speaking bride one is true... since she is still alive and was at the party!)

One especially bittersweet moment, though, was meeting my cousin who is fluent in Spanish. We brought some things from Colombia for her to translate, and it was a very emotional experience. We already had a rough translation, but sometimes it is better to get it from a couple different interpreters, since you can get a slightly different translation every time. Although we were glad to have her lend her expertise, it was difficult remembering the not-so-glamorous side of adoption: the birth mother making the decision to surrender her child. It is in these heart-wrenching moments that we are reminded that our immeasurable joy came at the cost of another's immeasurable pain and loss. There is no way to thank her for the gift she gave us, except by giving our daughter all the love and care she she hoped her baby would receive... and more.

After such a long and emotional day, we were all exhausted!!! We didn't get home till almost 11:00 at night, and we were all whipped. But, it was really a fun time, and I am glad we were able to have the experience.

Zoo Pictures & Video Clips

There was quite a wait to see the cubs, and then you could only stay for 3 mintues!! But, they were adorable - it was worth it.


Elianna wanted to ride the "Zeeba"


Checking out the giraffes


Ride 'em Cowgirl! (Okay, it's a warthog, but she insisted!)

At the Children's Zoo


In this video it looks like she touches the goat and it dies!



The Fisher Price Exhibit

One favorite, the pop-up camper


Another favorite toy - you write with light


She didn't quite understand how to use the virtual guitar - she just held it and danced.

Trip to the BIG Zoo

It was a spur of the moment decision, which generally does not bode well when you're dealing with small children... but we nonetheless planned a trip to the Toledo Zoo. Elianna immediately dubbed it the BIIIIIIG zoo, since it is much bigger than the smaller one we went to a couple weeks ago. The highlight of the trip for Elianna was riding the carousels. I honestly think we could have just rode them all day and she would be happy. We got to see the new polar bear cubs, who were just too cute for words. The first time through the line, we saw a male cub. Then we decided to get in line again later at the end of the day, and this time rather than a timed (only 3 minutes!!!) viewing we got to stay as long as we wanted. To make it better, this time the cubs that were out were twin girls. You should have seen the way they played and carried on!! I held Elianna up to the glass, and one swam over and tried splashing her. We were excited about her nose-to-nose encounter, but she started screaming and ran away. (I don't think she fully understood the glass was between them.) She really loved the Children's Zoo, where she got to brush a guinea pig and chase goats around. Also, there was a HUGE Fisher-Price exhibit there that day. It was a giant tent with what looked like every Fisher Price toy available - including a racetrack with all the different powered toys. Elianna thought she was in heaven, and once there we had a heck of a time getting her out! (Selah slept through it all.) Elianna found a toy pop-up camper and that became her favorite. She really became engrossed with it and glared at anyone who came near her. We did manage to pry her out of there to look at more animals, but only after assuring her we would find some hippos. She also saw an elephant do some tricks, scoured the aquarium for "Nemo" (clownfish) which Daddy managed to find, and got to see a hippo playing with this huge ball. She was in a great mood all day, only really getting mad at me once for (I am not making this up) not letting her ride the rhinoceros. She even tried to climb through the barrier and get into the enclosure, and only when I told her the rhino would eat her would she let go of the idea. Selah just rode around in the stroller all day, singing and waving at everyone. At nap time, she zonked out right in the stroller, so miraculously our spontaneous trip turned out to be a really great day.

First Trip to the Zoo!

Sooo... after a busy weekend of camping, beach bumming, picnicking with Colombian friends... we decided to go to the zoo on the way home! Well, it wasn't exactly on the way, but close enough to make it worth it. Plus, with our zoo membership, we got in free!! (Free is always a plus...) This was Elianna's first trip to a zoo, and she just loved it.


Chad and Elianna took a camel ride, which I tried to take a video clip of... only to find out 2 seconds into the clip that I was out of memory!!!!! GRRRR!! So, here's the 2 second clip I got anyway, plus a couple pictures. (That's what I get for not clearing out my junk pictures before they started their ride!) After the ride, when Elianna saw the other camels in the zoo she said, "Now I want to ride that one!"




Okay, where are the monkeys in these pictures? (Sorry, I couldn't resist...)



There was a huge kid's area for "training" young explorers. Elianna liked trying out the saddle and LOVED the wooden train play structure (which we had to pry her off of - she is such a train fiend.)

Elianna's favorite part was the petting corral. She especially loved brushing the animals with all the different brushes that were available.

Michigan Scenery

A couple more shots of the beach. You have to actually climb down these dunes to get to the beach!! It's worth it, though, to have a beach without tons of people. Oh, and loads of fun for Daddy pulling our wagon full of stuff. (Well, getting down is easy... it's climbing back up that's the hard part!!!) Fortunately Elianna is big enough to climb back up on her own, so I could carry Selah and Daddy didn't get a hernia pulling the wagon back up again...

Lovin' the Beach!!!

Every year we take a camping trip to Northern Michigan and stay at our favorite state park. The best part of this park is the miles and miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline beaches. Elianna loved it as much as last year, and her tan just got darker and darker! Poor fair-skinned Selah was relegated to the cabana the entire time, but she didn't seem to care. I have hundreds of pictures, but here are some of my favorites.

Say Cheeeese!


Heading to the beach in style!


Selah was happy to spend her time in the shade of the cabana.


Catching waves with Daddy


Just relaxing and listening to the waves


The little adventurer climbing the dunes


The best picture of Mommy... very far away!!!


Making shapes with sand molds


Sharing some special Daddy/Daughter time


Our little beach headquarters


Walking with that purposeful stride of hers...

Colombia Connection 2007

This is an event we look forward to all year! Several years ago, there were only a couple Michigan families that had adopted from Colombia. Now, we have been thrilled to see our numbers grow by leaps and bounds. We especially thank the Z family for hosting this picnic at their beautiful lakefront home, and all the other families that work so hard at making this such a fun day for everyone. We love to talk with all the other families, all with their own amazing experiences and at varying stages in the process. There are the old veterans and those just filling out the first of their paperwork - and it is great spending time with them all. Some of the new families we especially liked, and we really look forward to seeing them at future gatherings. The children are all just so beautiful, from our gorgeous Colombian children to our adorable little blond haired surprises! (...and there were quite a few at this gathering!) It was a special time renewing old friendships and making new ones.
Elianna is getting old enough now to have fun playing the games and meeting all her new "Fens" (friends). Due to poor time management on our part, Elianna went without a nap that afternoon. (Ooops!) So, she was a bit emotional, but for the most part had a great time. She really loved the pinata (her first time seeing one). Any chance to beat on something and get rewarded for it was a great idea. She got a real sugar buzz from her prizes during the fishing game, but she did a good job running it off chasing (or being chased by) all her new friends.

The group shot is always a challenge with all those little munchkins... and of course our little nap-less angel just flatly refused to be in the picture. This is the best we could do. (Last year she was the one screaming her lungs out... this year they both were!!)

Elianna loved beating the pinata....

... and "fishing"for cool prizes.

Enjoying yummy picnic food!

Mr. Z took groups out for boat rides, a highlight of the day for Elianna.

We can't wait for the next gathering!!!

More Up North Blogging...

Hooray, Aunt M has updated her blog with lots of pics from our trip to the lake! So, for all you picture fiends, check them out!!! Here's a link to one of the posts: Exploring Up North. You can go to each post individually, or click here to just visit the whole blog itself. Just no laughing at the dorky picture of ME she so cruelly included. I am digging through mine trying to find an equally bad one of her, but unfortunately she is like her brother - annoyingly photogenic. *sigh* Life's just not fair.

BBQ in the Country!

We had such a great time out at Aunt Rene's on Saturday. She and John hosted a BBQ, and I literally ate my body weight in food. Then had dessert. Elianna was treated like quite the queen, with a big lagoon blow-up pool AND a little round kiddie pool. (In case Selah wanted to swim as well.) She was also given a big beach bucket filled with the following:
A Finding Nemo beach towel (John said an ordinary towel just wouldn't do.)
A spill-proof bubble tumbler
A HUGE bottle of refill bubbles
Two canisters of snap & shake glow-in-the-dark bracelets
Mosquito bite medicine
A craft project (which John did with her)
A stuffed froggy

Needles to say, she was on cloud nine! I'm not sure if she liked the gifts or all the attention more. She has already told me she wants to go back and "sleep there." (Spend the night.) When it got dark, John caught her a bunch of fireflies. She put them in her little bug catcher and took them home. Well, most of them, since the lid got knocked open and we were swarmed by fireflies in the car on the way home. We must have looked really weird to the other cars, driving home about 11:00, swerving all over while I tried to catch them all and get them back in the container.
Anyway, besides eating tons of yummy food, we also played board games, croquet, wiffle ball, and torture the farm animals. Okay, that last one was done mostly by Jason, who delighted in running around chasing Stanley, their exotic rooster that thinks he's a house dog. This is what Stanley looks like:
We were also treated to a game of croquet with Jason's friends all wearing kilts. (They all jumped in the lake BEFORE realizing they had no other pants. Oh, and there is no dryer at the house. So they ran around in towels until the sun dried their pants. Cute.)

Of course, I was infuriated to realize I FORGOT MY CAMERA, so pictures of all the fun will have to wait until others get around to e-mailing them to me.

We had such a great time, and if you are reading this Aunt Rene and John -

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!

Family Fun!

We had such a great mini vacation last weekend up north visiting Aunt Mel, Uncle Bryan & all the cousins! G-ma and G-pa were brave enough to host BOTH of our families, for a grand total of 6 kids. We were so glad to be able to spend some time with the cousins while they were visiting, not to mention spending time "Up Nothe" with G-ma and G-pa is always right up Elianna's alley.

On Friday we went to visit a man who had the coolest miniature train. He let all the kids take turns riding it, and the daddies took turns driving it. It even went through the woods and over a little bridge. The kids were all given conductor hats, which made for a great photo-op... Okay, maybe the hats were a bit too big, but they'll grow into them!

There was also a real rail car to climb in and explore.

The rest of the weekend we spent lazing around and making sure none of the kids fell in the lake. The kids spent their time exploring, playing in the water, playing "King/Queen of the Sand Pile," jumping on the jump-o-lene, and a hundred other games they made up on their own.

Elianna really enjoyed having four days with Daddy not having to go to work! She is such a Daddy's girl...

The evenings wound down with Uncle B hosting a group bath.

As all vacations do, it ended WAY too quickly. Now we are just crossing our fingers that they can move closer in a couple years... Then we could make our lake trips a regular thing!