My kids are so funny!

Andrew is the culprit this time.  I just sat down to post some new pics on the blog and I realized Andrew took 37 pictures this afternoon, or evening, or maybe it was yesterday...  Anyway, most of them were taken with his fingers over the lens, so completely dark!  But some of them were funny and actually quite "artsy".  I am just now kicking myself as I am thinking-"gee, maybe one of those pictures would have been one of those crazy photos people spend obscene amounts of money on."  Well, maybe I should hand him the camera tomorrow...

The month of October...

Okay, I know, a little out of order with Halloween post and pics coming before the rest of October...  We had a playdate with some friends from CA.  Adorable Trevor and his sweet sister Bethany!  Trevor is Ethiopian, and Andrew and Annabelle knew it the moment they laid eyes on him!  They couldn't stop hugging and kissing him.  He is Annabelle's first Ethiopian suiter!  After he left Annabelle couldn't stop talking about getting a brother from"Awassa Opia" and Andrew kept looking out the window saying "baby, ah!"  We had such fun and I loved talking with their mommy Erin- we miss them!  We also went to the beach in October- a bittersweet trip because we planned it to be the last trip to the beach with our Pappy.  Obviously, he wasn't with us, but we know our precious Pappy was smiling down us. Growing up in CA, the beach was his favorite place and we were so sad he never saw our sweet babies there.  Pappy loved to stand in the water about waist deep and let the waves hit him.  Andrew did the same thing- cool huh??!!  October was so busy, and now November is almost over!  Will post more soon!

Bethany was at the ER for stitches in her cheek, can you tell she wasn't feeling so well?

Annabelle's Future Husband

All 3 Ethiopians!

    

Andrew at the beach building sand castles

Annabelle relaxing, finally enjoying the beach and  getting dirty

Playing in the water

I think I am sweating, I HATE the beach!!!!  Sunscreen dries out my skin!!

All four of us in the water!

Happy Halloween!

Annabelle the Ballerina
Andrew as Pluto
Both sweet babies ready for the party!
Well, our 3rd Halloween was a bust!  No actual trick or treating (Annabelle was a little scared of the costumes), but we did go to two parties (on consecutive weekends).  The kids had a ton of fun showing off their costumes.  I will say having 3 Halloweens in a row where all I did was dress the kids up (year 1 cows, year 2 a goldfish and a shark) and parade them around in front of my family made me rethink our holiday traditions just a bit.  Any ideas for Halloween next year?  Dinner and  movie?  But the kids did look cute in their costumes so here are a few pics! 

Here is the excerpt:

There are so many things we are going to miss about our Pappy.  We will miss the way he rolled around on the floor with us, and played horsey.  He always knew just how high to throw us, not too high, but high enough to have a great time.  We loved it when he put his hat on crooked and scrunched up his face.  We loved going grocery shopping with him; he always let us eat the blueberries before we paid for them.  We loved walking to the park and taking a popcorn break at his house.  We loved giving him hugs and kisses especially when he said he didn’t want them.  “No kisses!!!”  He would say.  He made us laugh so hard we would go weak in the knees and fall over.  We will miss snuggling with him on the couch watching an Elmo video.  We learned so much from him in the short 2 and a half years he loved us.  Pappy was the one who taught us how to shake hands with people when we met, “How do you do?” He would say. He taught us that a chocolate chip cookie can cure any sadness or ailment.  He taught us to love our naps- “I wish I could take a nap” he would say.  He taught us we don’t need a reason to stop by and visit the people we love.  He taught us that anyone can be a grandpa, but not just anyone can be a Pappy.  We love you Pappy and we are so proud to be your living legacy. 

Everything has changed

Usually when I haven't posted in a while it is because I have been busy at work, or I have been sick, or the kids have been sick...  The list goes on!  But this feels much different, because from the last blog, everything has changed.  On Tuesday, September 9 at approx. 6:30pm my dad died.  We just finished with the visitation and the funeral.  We longed for today to come so we could finally rest.  Now, here I am almost 2 hours after taking 2 Excederin PM's and no rest to be found.  I am sure like a lot of other things in my life, rest will look different now.  Here is an excerpt from the memorial, a message about my dad from Andrew and Annabelle.

Okay, I caved!

I have a dear friend, Andi, who also has an Ethiopian daughter and we have made a pact to not give in to the "princess movement".  Little girls are just that, little girls, not princesses!  No t-shirts, no tiaras (until they get married), no hats or room decorations that speak of our daughters being "the princess".  Now I have to say, I am really glad about this because Annabelle thinks she is the Queen (not just the princess) of Sheba without any encouragement from me.  Now, don't get me wrong...  We love pink and sparkles and anything "be-dazzled", but I didn't want Annabelle to feel entitled to being treated like a princess because everyone calls her a princess.  So here is the story of how I caved.  

I have taken to calling Andrew "Baby Handsome", I know LAME!!  But I do think he is sooo handsome and he just does not fit any of the nicknames that go along with Andrew.  He is not an Andy, a Drew or even an AJ (his first two initials).  I have called him "handsome" for almost a year now, and it fits him! The baby is just to make me feel better about them getting older.  Which by the way, I am not handling too well.   So as for Annabelle, I had to follow suit!  She is not a Belle or an Anna although sometimes we call her "Annabelly".  One day, "Baby Princess" came out and she loved it!  She even refers to herself as the "Tiny Baby Princess".  Now, we won't be registering them for school this way, as baby Handsome and Baby Princess Sanborn, hopefully they won't be too full of themselves from their childhood nicknames!  So goes the story of how I went from boycotting the princess movement to giving in full heartedly!  I am sorry Andi!

A little busy??

Annabelle modeling the 2008 swimsuit line

Andrew snuggling with daddy in our last sweatshirt weather in MAY!!!

This pretty much sums up Sundays at our house- for Bill anyway!

Andrew's first big boy shoes.  His feet are so wide, it's either skater shoes or orthopedic shoes!

Annabelle's hot pink satin leopard print Vans- sooo her!!!

Okay, so school has started and my dad spent the last week in ICU- so our lives have been a blur!  Dad is recouperating now, a little tired and weak from being in a coma for almost 3 days.  He had MRSA Virus, a really bad staph infection of the blood.  Scary!  Thank you to everyone lifting our family in prayer.  

I had such an amazing summer with my sweet peas...  And I am again wishing I would have gotten more of our escapades on film!  Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Happy Famiversary!

Annabelle "sleeping it off"

Andrew is a little upset by the pookie!

Annabelle's first pose as our daughter

Yep- every picture is just like this, no wonder his African name means "worried"

Today is our 2 year Famiversary!

Exactly 2 years ago today we met sweet Andrew and Annabelle (Yecheneku and Hamelmal respectively)!  I will never forget those first moments.  The nurses walked them down the path and handed Andrew to me and Annabelle to Bill.  In the video, I have this obnoxious nervous laugh.  Really, I was trying not to get hysterical in front of complete strangers!  I know, to those of you who know me, getting hysterical is my spiritual gift so it shouldn't have been that big of a deal.  But it really freaked the Ethiopians out!  I just kept telling these tiny babies how long we waited to meet them.  The orphanage workers led us to a tiny room called the "family room" and left us alone.  LET THE FREAK OUT BEGIN!!!  We counted fingers and toes, wiped their little runny noses, fed them each a bottle and put them in the snugglies and went back to the guest house.  Before we could leave, a precious doctor stopped in to see our babies.  She checked them out from head to toe and referred to them as "Yechy" and "Hamme".  She told us we were very lucky.  And now, two years later, we are feeling more and more blessed each day.

Story Time Anyone?

So we started potty training today- What an adventure!  Annabelle peed on the kitchen counter, on the floor, in 2 pairs of princess panties and finally in the potty chair (3 times).  Andrew peed on our bedroom floor, and then on the big potty (twice).  He did however poop in Annabelle's closet and used his "silky" or blanket to wipe himself.  I should be glad he is wiping- right?  And all of this was before 10am!  Wow- what a day you say?  I'm not done...  We were homebound all day getting the hang of the potty thing so we went to story time at the Library tonight (wearing diapers by the way).  The kids loved story time at the Library last week.  Tonight, the minute we sat down, Andrew started running around the room screaming, an excited scream, but a scream none the less.  Literally running in circles screaming.  As I looked around the Library I noticed Andrew was the only boy and I was the only on there with two kids.  So you guessed it, everyone else at story time had only one girl each.  Can you imagine the comments on their blogs tonight?  And by the way, each little princess had 2 parents and I was (sigh) ALONE!!!  Annabelle was sitting quietly listening to the story hoping no one linked her to the maniac in the white t-shirt.  I removed Andrew from story time and we watched through the window.  At craft time, I went in to get Annabelle and I turned my back for .32 seconds and Andrew was eating a glue stick.  We promptly left story time.  As we left, I shouted out, "Bye Miss Jenn, see you on Wednesday!".  Ten Bucks says she quits.  The good times kept rolling as we got home and there were only 11 minutes until bedtime.  Any sane mother would have put her kids straight to bed, but not me!  I wanted to have some time with Andrew since he seemed so "out of sorts".  Our quality time consisted of him eating a crayon, spitting the bits on to the couch and being ordered to time out.  When his 2 minutes were up I went to go give him a hug and talk with him and noticed he had not spit out all of the crayon onto the couch.  Oh no- he had squireled away a few small bits, just enough to scribble on the time out wall.  

Oh well- tomorrow is another day right?  Oh yes, Day 2 of Potty Training!

Two Years Ago Today...

We got the phone call that changed our lives.  I was going to lunch with some friends and my phone rang.  Our adoptions coordinator asked me if I was driving, I said no, and she said we may want to pull over anyway.  She informed me that we had been matched with a baby boy, Yecheneku (which means "be worried", he was MY son from the start), and a baby girl Hamelmal (which means "softness", and who shares a birthday with our anniversary).  She told me she would send me the medical info and pictures, but that they seemed healthy from what she could gather.  Maybe it was the miracle of adoption, maybe we just didn't know better, but I said yes.  That's right, I accepted without looking at their medical info or even talking to my husband.  My girlfriends and I were all crying.  I tried desperately to get a hold of someone, ANYONE!!!!  It just so happens no one was answering their phones!!!!  The first person to find out about our sweet 2 month old babies was my brother.  Until now, my mom thinks she was the first to know!  I ended up getting a hold of Bill's company's EMERGENCY line and got a friend of his to literally RUN the halls looking for him so I could tell him the good news.  It is hard to put into words how very much our lives have changed since then.  Tonight as we prayed with our sweet babies, we thanked God for the blessings he has heaped on us, not just through our entire lives but especially in the last 2 years.  

The above pics are their referral photos from 2 years ago!

Happy Mother's Day

  One year ago we took our sweet babies to court and promised in front of a judge to love and take care of them for the rest of our lives.  Funny, it was just a formality, but it was one of our proudest days.  What a Mother's day present huh?  Annabelle also learned to say "Happy Moders Day" (well that's how it sounded), and Andrew was telling me how much he loved me by cuddling much more than usual.  Here's to being a mom, and not remembering my life before these precious miracles stepped into it.

Are They Yours?

     Annabelle hammin it up!
              Andrew dipping his lemon in ranch dressing, what can I say?  He loves ranch dressing!

We went shopping at a little boutique today...  I know 2 two year olds in a boutique- good idea.  Annabelle needed a new silky and the only places to sell "Little Giraffe" are over priced stores where the "help" leaves a little to be desired.  Since I didn't look like I could put the entire store on my Black card the sales woman looked at me like I was a rodent.  After staring at us for a few minutes, she didn't offer to help us, she simply asked me if I was the Nanny.  When I said "no" and giggled a little bit she looked kind of confused and asked if they were mine.  I told her, yes, they were my children and promptly left the store (after spending over $40 on a blanket that measures exactly one square foot).  I ask, who is the crazy one?  I am sure at some point having people ask rude questions won't be such a big deal.  But for now , it is!

Here's Andrew...

Here he is opening presents, sort of

Please don't make me eat cake!!

Here are the pics of a sick Andrew on his second birthday.  I was also reminded tonight by my sweet babies that having a home filled with laughter is WAAAYYY better than having a house filled with order and quiet!!

The Big Birthday

"This present is blue, it must not be for me"

Annabelle tearing into the presents

Okay, maybe two isn't considered a "big birthday" by most- but we had a blast.  On the kiddos actual birthdays I couldn't help feeling a little sad for their birthmoms.  A day so filled with joy and excitement for us must have been marked with sadness for them.  As I tell myself over and over when I look at their beautiful faces, God must give them a peace and understanding that their sweet babies are loved to pieces.

We had a big party which Annabelle ate up!!  Andrew was not so thrilled, could have been the vomiting and explosive diarrhea.  Talk about "Mother of the Year"- here is some ibuprofen, go eat cake and have fun with your friends!  We had 12 1-3 year olds at our house for games and painting and cupcakes!  We did have a great time, and I was reminded once again how blessed we are to have such amazing children.  Although, now that they are two I am defiantly looking forward to bringing home another baby...  After trying unsuccessfully for over an hour, no pics of Andrew!  Just picture lots of crying and hugging his dad.  I will post later if the "blogger" allows!

A WHOLE MONTH WITHOUT A BLOG!

A WHOLE MONTH WITHOUT A POST!

Yikes!  Does that make me the worst blogger in history?  

Well, Bill finally headed back to work after his murder trial...  Okay, not Bill's murder trial, but he was has been on a jury for the past 2 months.  He didn't like being away from work, but loved the experience of being jury foreman.  When he finally returned to "The Rock", all of his hard work before the hiatus won him an award-Yeah!  Okay enough bragging about him (good thing he doesn't read this blog).  I have been knocked out with a pretty bad case of bronchitus for the past week (note the time stamp on this blog as really early, THE CHILDREN ARE STILL SLEEPING).  Justin has been a life saver!  He has come over everyday to help with the kids with reckless abandon to his own germ free zone- what a guy!

            Now on to the news people actually care about- The kids!  See, I put the news about Bill and I at the beginning of the blog because I knew most of you would scroll past it in search for pics- HA!  Andrew and Annabelle are quickly approaching their 2nd birthdays.  I can't believe it- "the babies" are officially inhabitants of the terrible twos.  It really isn't so terrible...  Andrew is learning how to better communicate as we put a lot of his favorite things out of reach so he would have to ask for them.  This is really helping with his language development!  Annabelle is becoming more independent as we are requiring she do more for herself.  She really is an Ethiopian Princess, she is still realizing that transfers to ZIP here in the states.  Annabelle would rather ask oh so sweetly, "Mommy, snack please?"  Andrew would just rather go get his own snack.  I just chalked this up to their own different personalities, which is true...  But life often dictates both types of behaviors, so the "twos" is providing some great life lessons (for mommy and daddy too).  Here are some pics of the "two twos" in their Valentine's outfits.  I promise not to make it another month between posts!

It's February Already!

I just finished a book

Love in the Driest Season by Neeley Tucker

Okay, I know I am probably one of the few people who truly has a heart for Africa who has not read this book until now (published in 2004).  AWESOME BOOK!!  It's a book about the political and social changes in Africa and specifically Zimbabwe from the early 90's to 2000.  A journalist and his wife decide to adopt a very sick infant they meet by chance in an orphanage.  The little girl, Chipo is abandoned as so many sweet babies are all over Africa.  The desperation their mothers must feel, the heart ache and  sorrow must be overwhelming.  I only knew Annabelle and Andrew for minutes and I started to realize the choice their mothers must have anguished over. When we saw the place Annabelle was abandoned, the "under the road" hole her mother left her in- just far enough away from the street to be safe, but close enough to foot traffic so that someone would find her, I was breathless.  Just thinking of Andrew's mother who had to kiss her tiny baby goodbye when he was literally seconds old, or she may not have even kissed him at all,  as she may have died during the process of giving him life, I don't have words.  We relay Andrew and Annabelle's story to people here and they say, "we could never make that choice".  Of course they couldn't, they don't have to. We pray for those brave women every night.  We pray that they would know Annabelle and Andrew are safe and loved,  smart and funny, all of the other things we hope for our children.  We pray they would have peace in their hearts and in their minds about the decision they made and the precious children they gave to us.  This book brought to mind that our children's stories are not unique.  There are millions of orphans just in Africa who need help.  You may not bring them home as we did, but there is something everyone can do.  Even just being aware is a start.

Here are a few pics from December 2007

We have had a busy month!  It all started with family pictures scheduled outside (but had to be moved in because of rain), then Cooper's 2nd Birthday Bash and of course Christmas (we celebrated Christmas a total of 5 times with all of the festivities).  So much fun!  We loved spending so much time with our families over the holidays...  We truly celebrated "the Reason for the Season".

Andrew in his Christmas church clothes- How handsome!

Annabelle and her best grin for family pictures!

Andrew posing for the camera-what a ham!

Andrew at Cousin Cooper's Second birthday party- he loves the slide!

Annabelle in her Christmas church clothes- How fancy!

Annabelle as the center of attention at Cooper's party- loving every minute!

New Years Resolution

Our new Years Resolution this year is do a better job at chronicling the lives of Andrew and Annabelle- the past almost 2 years have gone so fast...  so here goes!

Andrew is constantly on the move- never a dull moment in his world.  He is relishing being the strong, silent type and is very independant.  Annabelle on the other hand, is a mile a minute talker!  She love to be around her friends and family and thinks her brother is hillarious!