Ramblings

I have a post that I've been working on since last Friday that's not quite done yet! I've been trying to post video on it and so far no luck. Not because I don't think it will work, but it takes so darn long that I run out of time during lunch. My not so speedy dial-up at home would probably take days to load! So I promise to try again tomorrow.

I'll leave you with a couple Cameron and Rylan stories for now! It's always something interesting at our house:

So Cameron and I are in bed going to sleep and it's really dark (yes, I still let him fall asleep in our bed, then take him to his room!). Rylan was already out. We're laying there in the darkness and Cameron says, mom, I need a tissue. Me, I ask why? He said, because I was picking in my ear and I have wax on my finger. Me (thinking "oh gross")... but I roll over to feel for a tissue on the night stand. I rolled back and said, Cameron here... So he proceeds to say "never mind mom, I don't need it". Me, what do you mean never mind? Where did the ear was go? He says, it fell off my finger. Hmmm, we still haven't recovered it out of our bed!!!!

A couple nights ago I got into bed and Cameron was almost sleeping. Rylan's playpen where he sleeps (oh yes, he's in our room too) is on the other side of our bed next to the night stand. He was quiet as well, so I quick flipped the light out and got into bed. Rylan started rambling... Mamma.... ummm Mamma.... and I could hear the playpen creaking. The kind of sound you hear when it's getting wiggled. Not uncommon for him. Sometimes he actually rolls around and around in it. So I say, Rylan shhhhh! He quiets for a minute then starts back in for what seemed like forever just mumbling away things I couldn't understand until he finally said... ummm Mamma, stuck. I knew there was nothing near him that would "get stuck". Finally I turned on the light to see what he was doing and found him strateling the top bar of the playpen. He was laying on his belly right down the bar with one leg inside the playpen and one leg out! He must have been getting out when I came in the room and shut the light off then got confused at to which way to roll back into bed!!! Do you have any idea how long he was like this? I'm guessing at least 20 minutues! How comfortable could that have been?Once I flipped that light on he rolled over the edge back into bed quickly! It was pretty funny actually. He didn't even complain. My little monkey man!

Thankful Thursday!

Since Cameron got the "Wordless Wednesday", I had to give Rylan what I'd like to call "Thankful Thursday"! This is one of his referral pictures. I saw that face and was instantly in love. I had always thought we had a boy so as long as it was an option to choose a gender, we'd go girl. I suprised myself when I couldn't stop thinking about this photo. I have to admit, that was because I always though 3 kids would be the magic number. That we'd go back for a girl. I was convinced to start another adoption even before Cameron got home! Then after he came home, I thought NO WAY! I can't do two kids. I'm not good at it! Well, 7 months later and the thought enters my mind more times in a day than it probably should. Seriously, someone commit me!

Wordless Wednesday!

Ha! I can finally participate in Wordless Wednesday now that I can show pictures. Do they call it "wordless" because your not supposed to blog? You know me, I always have something to say and I rarely stick to the rules! Anyway, wasn't Cameron just about the cutest thing EVER!

First Experiences!

How about the first haircut! I have to say he did quite well at the first one with some help from a lollypop. However, the 2nd time I attempted to take both kids alone (without John) and my gosh, it was a nightmare! I had to drag Cameron in. Once we got in, Cameron sat fine and Rylan screamed the entire time. I'm sure the other people there getting their hair done were real appreciative!
Ahhh, yes. My niece's preschool graduation! Remember the little girl on t.v named Punky Brewster? Well, here you have her! Except our punky brewster is going to be a Roller Derby Queen! She is one tough cookie. First carnival ride experience at Winona Steamboat Days! He loved it! The only thing he didn't like was the little kiddie dragon rollercoaster. It started up and he immediately started screaming. Thankfully the man stopped it and left him off!Can't forget his 2nd birthday, at home! This child ran non-stop the entire afternoon and evening. We had such a good time and were so glad our family and friends were able to share in it!

And we can't forget the first messy face photo! Well, technically it's not the first... and not the first at our house either. This child eats like cookie monster. He can have one single chocolate chip in his hand and you'd swear he tried eating an entire bag! MESSY!

First Tooth!

We had a major milestone today, Cameron lost his first tooth! I still can't believe it. He was sort of complaining a few weeks ago about one on the bottom being loose. I just thought he might have knocked it loose on something. Today when I picked him up from daycare, he was excited to show me how loose it now was. I about fell over! Aren't kids supposed to be like 10yrs old or something when this happens? My gosh, next he'll be coming with a driver's license!

Anyway, we got home and I started making supper. Me and boys ate, then John got home. Cameron showed him the toothe and John of course asked if she should get the pliers! Cameron went into the living room to play and about 10 minutues later he came back with his tooth in his hand. Unbelievable! My BABY. The one who's first tooth I eagerly watched for! I'm now holding it in my hand. Gosh, someone slow down the clock. I'm not ready for this, I'm really not!

Pictures from Colorado!

Just wanted to share some pictures from our trip to Colorado Springs. We had airlines points to use (we've been saving them for years) and thought we'd better use them before they changed the program on us! We all had free tickets! Anyway, everything went great! The kids loved the plane and were so well behaved on it, the hotel was great, and all the activites we planned went perfectly! The kids could not have been better to be honest! Nothing comes with a meltdown here or there, but really, I was impressed by them. If there's one thing I've learned about my boys, it's that they are at their best when busy.

Ummm, I must mention before I go any further that we did have one problem before the trip really got started. We stayed overnight in St. Paul the night before we left so we could be all refreshed and at the airport early for our 9:30am flight. We got there and discovered a BIG mistake. Word of caution: Read your itinerary closely on any schedule trips to make sure your flying at the right times. There's a big difference between AM and PM flights. We learned that the hard way. Lucky for me and the boys we got on a standy flight just an hour or so after we "thought" our flight was scheduled to leave. John, well, he had to wait in the airport about 9hrs for when the flight was "actually" scheduled to leave because standby was full! This would explain why I got some VERY large charges on the credit card account for the "Cantina" and the "Airport Bar". Needless to say, it was justified and I said not one word! Once we got that major scheduling detail out of the way, all was great!

Here are the boys and I on the Royal Gorge Train. It was great and one of the most fun things we did actually!

Here is John and boys on the suspension bridge above the Royal Gorge! It was amazing! The train we went on was below us in the canyon. It was so breezy and so incredibly high up in the air!

Rylan in this picture is receiving a time out on Pike's Peak Mountain! He was SO mad because I wouldn't let him scale down the mountain at 13,000 ft!!! Mean Mommy!As you can see, Cameron had quite a laugh at locking up his daddy and brother in the jail at Buckskin Joe's! It's an old western town that was really neat to walk through. They even had a little western show complete with a gun fight and hanging! John and Cameron loved it, Rylan cried as soon as the first "gun" and the men were "hollering" at each other. I had to hide out in the candy shop that we were sitting in front of!

Our Dog, Lucy

We have got the cutest dog on earth, I swear it! Well, all pet lovers I'm sure think that of their dogs, most days anyway : )

Lucy came to us from an animal shelter above Minneapolis, MN. She was about 6 months old or so when we received a call from the Pug Rescue of Minnesota. I had written a letter that I had lost my dog, a very old Pug that I rescued from a family that was beating her. That poor thing had originally came from a puppy mill before that, so she was in bad shape. Her health was poor. Anyway, I loved her so much! Me and Dolly, that is all it was for awhile. When she passed I was heart broken. So nearly a year later I was happy to have found Lucy! John and I with my parents drove a long way for her!

Lucy has the best temperment of any dog I've known. We've had her for about 10 years already and when Cameron was born, she adapted so well! She loved him right away! Rylan, that's been a bit more of an adjustment on his part.... but she's doing great! She knows just how to handle him.

Well, poor Lucy had a near death experience a few weeks ago. She was nearly ran over by our car and I was the driver!!! Never, ever had we had something like this happen. As I was pulling in the garage she ran under my vehicle and tried coming out between my back tire and the running board. Thankfully I was going really slow and just sort of rolled up on her stomach. I knew immediately by instinct something wasn't right (and it wasn't one of the kids toys). Thank GOD I stopped the car and was able to see her enough to back up! It was horrible! She was bruised and battered, but nothing broke and no serious injuries. She's older now so her recovery took longer. She's getting lots of pampering from all of us! Amazing how these little critters become part of your family.

Cameron was so worried about Lucy. You should see him with this dog. He just loves her! Rylan too! I pray we have her around for a long, long time yet. She has alway been Mommy's Girl since day 1. She's with me in the house wherever I go! I'd be as heart broken as the kids when Lucy's days become numbered. How can you not love that face!?

Tidbits!

Thought I'd share one of my favorite pictures of Rylan in Kayla while in Guatemala December 2007. This was right before I had to give Rylan back to his foster family. Don't you think it looks like the two were dreaming of coming home? I do!

So here is a conversation from earlier today with Cameron.

Cameron: Mom, can you take me to school?

Me: No, mommy has to be to work early. I'd like to, but I can't

Cameron: Mommy I don't like daycare. I want you to do it.

Me: I know Cameron, but it will get better.

Cameron: Mommy, can't Grandma Farm take me (John's mom)

Me: No, she has to milk cows.

Cameron: Well, she could do it anyway.

Me: Not really buddy, unless you think she should sell the cows?

Cameron: MOM! She can't! Cows are important to farms! We need them or no one will have milk. Mom, you shouldn't say that (he's really mad)!

Me: HUH? Well, alrighty then. Daycare it is for awhile.

I swear, the child gets smarter every single day. School continues to go well. The daycare in the mornings has been a huge issue though! He did great the first few days, but then one day insisted he wasn't going. I drug him out the car when we got there, took him inside, set him down, only to have him run out the door and into the car again! Luckily daycare mom is experienced and knew what to do. She came out to get him and held him while in a calm voice said "bye mom, have a good day at work"... I climbed in the car and when I looked back Cameron was screaming and crying and dropped to his knees while being held by her. I cried the entire 25 minute trip to work. It was horrible! I obsessed over it all day. I was completely overwhelmed and I think even a little emotionally distraught myself. I kept thinking - my gosh, I've scared him for LIFE! So, when I get through the day to go back to get him, what does he say when he sees me.... Mom, can we stay 5 more minutes? That was another HUH? moment!

Beside the ulzer that I am convinced my kids are giving me, we're all doing great ; )

Rylan continues to be a breeze most days! He still gets up with the roosters but really, he is so great. He's been home 6 months and I can finally say that we are starting to feel normal. Like we've got our routine down and I am finally enjoying it all. It took awhile. This house was crazy... and I really mean that! It also took quite awhile for him to start to need me. He was pretty independent and that bothered me. I imagine he had to be while in Guatemala. He was used to that. It feels like a major break through now that he really wants me!

I have so much to post, but don't want to do it all at once. Anyone who knows me know I could write a novel.