A New Kitten

Meet Junebug! At least that is her name for now, it seems to change hourly. Maya got her new kitten today, and while she is very excited, she is also a little apprehensive. This kitten is the tamest one we have ever seen, even Dad is in love with her.

Money

I have to share a funny conversation that I had with Maya this morning.

Maya: Let's go to town today.

Mom: What would we do there?

Maya: We could go shopping.

Mom: Why?

Maya: So we can buy things.

Mom: If we buy things we will need to pay for them. How will we pay for them?

Maya: With the money in the checking. (Where she knows this from, I have no idea)

Mom: Well, how do you think the money gets into the checking?

Maya: I don't know.

Mom: Someone has to work for that money to go into checking, do you know who does that?

Maya: Brenda!

I'm not sure what she thinks her Dad does all day!!!

Braces!

Alex finally got his braces on. For now he only has them on the top, the bottom ones will come in 6 weeks. His overbite needs to be corrected a little bit first. The first few days were pretty rough, but he came through in true Alex fashion, with little complaining.

Piano With Mom

One of Mom & Maya's favorite things to do is play the piano together. Maya is starting to play a few notes in some songs, and she is very good at plinking out the rhythm to whatever song we are playing. Her favorite song is, "Mary's Lullaby".

Don't Be "Appointed"

We have been having a little trouble with Maya having "accidents". She will sometimes forget to go to the bathroom 7-8 times in one day, and Dad and Mom are going crazy. We know that it isn't anything medically wrong, because she only has this problem at home. Not at Grandma's, not driving to Salt Lake, not going shopping for 5 hours, only at home. We have tried EVERYTHING!! Right now our approach is to simply ignore her when she tells us she is wet. Today when I was ignoring her she just kept following me around the house saying, "Mom, don't be appointed (disappointed), because I am sad about it. And besides, Mom, you make the best cookies. They are so cute and shiny!" How am I supposed to keep a straight face through all of that?

A Great Cub Scout

Ethan earned his Wolf badge in Cub Scouts, along with 1 gold arrow point and 2 silver arrow points. He had to work hard to earn the Wolf badge, there were a few things that he struggled with, but he did it! Mom has been his Scout leader, but when he turns 9 in a few weeks he will move on to another group. I will miss him, but am pretty sure he will not miss me.

Cupcakes

Maya got to go to Grandma Pam's today and make cupcakes (or as Maya calls them, dupcakes). She was so excited to go and said that she would make some for everyone. She chose to make purple frosting, and she made everyone their own special design. Aren't they beautiful?

What Is That Noise?

Today I was doing some things inside of the house and kept hearing a noise that I couldn't figure out. Alex was outside mowing the lawn and so I went over to the window to take a look. The noise was Alex, singing at the top of his lungs, along with his iPod. I am sure that the neighbors enjoyed the concert.

Ballet Class

Today Maya FINALLY got to start ballet class. She looked so adorable, and it was very exciting for her. I admire the patience of her teachers. There are 10 or so 3-year-olds that they are trying to get to listen to them. I can't even accomplish that with one.

Air Show

We attended the RC Air Show at the airport today. We had a good time, and even got to see one of the larger airplanes crash. It was pretty amazing the things they could make their airplanes do. The boys decided that they would love to save up and buy a remote control airplane, but when we got home there was a message saying that we had won the raffle and were the proud owners of our very own. It was pretty exciting!

This Is What Adoption Is

Here is Alex with his birthmom, Mary, and birthsisters, Samantha, Melissa, and Michelle. We had a fun time at the park and going out to dinner. We also got to meet Mary's husband, Michelle and Samantha's husbands, and Michelle's baby Lira. They thought Alex was as wonderful as we do, and we had a lot of fun telling jokes and doing magic tricks at dinner.

This is Ethan with his birthmom, Marnell. It had been 3 years since we had been able to see her and it was nice to get together again. We also got to visit with her mom, sister, brother, husband, 2 children, nieces, nephews, and Marnell's friend Kim. She thought Ethan was amazing and so handsome, and we agree. We met at Murray Park, which is a special place for us. We met Marnell there before Ethan was born, and we have met there a few times since then. It was a fun day.




I am so grateful to all of the amazing women that have allowed me to be a mother. This is what adoption is ... loving and extending families.

Story Hour

Today Maya got to attend story hour at the library. She had a great time and even made her very own "Red Light, Green Light" game. She loves this game, I wish that I could say we all love it right along with her.