Our little roly-poly

Missing Fall

(Playing in Penny's backyard :)
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(our parking lot)
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(behind our complex)

Thanksgiving Post

We spent Thanksgiving in Palm Springs, CA with Dustinn's grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles & cousins. It was the first time for many of them to meet Olivia.

The highlight for Dustinn & I was watching Bradshaw play with his cousins. It makes us so happy to see Bradshaw happy.

A reason we're not posting much...

Bradshaw is done with his paparazzi

Little Lady: 2 Months Old

At 2 months:

• She weighs 11 lbs and is too long for newborn-size clothing
• She gets lots of eye goobers in her right eye. (Clogged tear duct, right? Pediatrician said to wipe it away warm washcloth and wait it out.)
• Her hair is super cute with a red tint.
• She's pushed herself from stomach to back a few times. Each time, it scares the daylights out of her.
• Her eyelashes seem to get longer and darker everyday
• She LOVES being cooed to, close-up eye contact, her crib mobile, her bouncer, baths, being naked, being swaddled, the reverse football hold, being upright, sleeping in our arms, and sucking on her wrist/fist.
• She DISLIKES riding in the car. She is upset by bright lights, crowds and/or loud noise.
  

Have I mentioned that she's the most adorable thing ever? We love this babe-ia!

A few of my favorite (recent) pictures of Olivia

We went to California for Thanksgiving and while we were there, Dustinn's cousin Amy offered to make a huge breakfast for everyone (like 50 people!) Needless to say, I admire Amy's bravery and generosity.
Anyway, off of the living room was an amazing playroom and I had Olivia try a bunch of the things. She's much too young for this exersaucer but look how strong she is!

happy little face

silly little face

excited little face

Day 21-30

Thought we'd catch up on our thankful list. :)

• being together with extended family in Palm Springs for Thanksgiving
• a sweet Great Grandma who makes the best fried eggs and doesn't mind that Bradshaw has toted one of her leopard pillows everywhere the last 6 days
• family walks
• perfect evening walk weather
• the moon
• cousin Jack
• stickers from GoGo
• kitty (Elisse brought her 5 week old kitten)
• hot showers
• brisk windy fall afternoons
• cool dewey morning in Spring
• district of colombia and all the fun things there are to see here
• our government--the ability to contribute to a democracy
• all of you who are subsidizing our free musuems in d.c.
• cool water in a swimming pool on a hot day
• birthmothers everywhere. I admire their strength
• endless photos thanks to digital photography
• cuddles and snuggles from cute baby Olivia
• the blue nostril-suction thing. It's an ingenious lifesaver for us.
• that we have 2 children! I know we are very very extremely lucky and blessed.
  
• that we have a boy and a girl.
• and that those children are Bradshaw & Olivia.
• that Dustinn and I can lean on each other when feeling stressed or worried
• we have such a strong family support group
• aunts and uncles that deeply love Bradshaw and Olivia
• that Bradshaw is able to feel and recognize when others love him
• Annie Alex Penny Anne Amber Brantis Core + lots of ward friends
• the picture Penny took of Olivia :)
  
• Aunt Jodi's photography
• Potbelly. I talk to my sandwich--it just makes me that deliriously happy
• living on the ground floor so Bradshaw can watch all the leaf blowers and lawn mowers go by
• being able to fly across the country to see family
• bpa-free bottles
• my favorite teachers: Mrs. LeMay, Madame Sutcliffe, Coach Draper, Mrs. Bacon, Brother Young, Brother Bott
• all my mission companions--almost daily I'm reminded of lessons they taught me. I love them. :)
  
• family tradition: Gift of the Heart
• unlimited, potable, running water piped straight into our apartment
• Kraft Mac n' Cheese
• Kosher hot dogs
• Christmas radio
  

pink=Val; blue=Dustinn; green=Bradshaw

Motorcycle Gang Day 20

I (Dustinn) am thankful for:

1. my parents--I have wonderful parents who have loved me and taught me. I owe so much to them.
2. being able to play croquet (crochet EC) in California
3. eggs. I love eggs. Anyway you can make them.

129,000 Kids Waiting for Adoption

I love this.

She is honest. She is real. She speaks from experience.

If you want to know more about foster family care, go here.

(Day 19) Introducing....

Voodoo Mama Juju!

(everything reminds us of The Office)

Dustinn and I found this alpaca sweater set when we were in Peru and I was 6 months pregnant with Bradshaw. We were so excited for him to wear it but, alas, he was born too big for it (his head circumference at least.) Today our Peruvian vision was finally actualized when Olivia wore it!

We're grateful that:
1. we're almost moved in!
2. we live so close to the district.
3. I just got my dream double jogging stroller really cheaply off craigslist.

Translation Please? (Day 17)

Often, I can't understand what Bradshaw is saying. Today he came up to me and sweetly pleas, "Egg-gu; Egg-gu Mama." As I usually do when I don't understand, I said "show me." He puts a stubborn pout on his face and shakes his head no. "Bradshaw, I just don't know what you are saying; what's egg-gu?
Bradshaw steps back and then sings, "E-egg-gu; e-egg-gu" while holding his arms out swaying. He totally got the tune!

Can you guess what E-egg-gu means?



Today I am grateful for:
1. our bed. the sheets are so smooth and cool and the pillows are thick and soft. it smells like fabric softener. we love sleep.

2. last Thursday's episode of The Office.
Voodoo Mama Juju? :)
Dwight: I know the killer to be Phyllis, the person I most medium suspect.

3. milk chocolate

Too funny

disclaimer: these pictures really do not look anything like Olivia. that's part of the reason why they are SO hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing....I mean look at the face in #5? It looks nothing like Olivia but it's still cute. Her stretches are intense!

Inspiring (Day 15)

I sat behind a friend today in church. I thought she was taking notes and commented about it. She said, "Actually, I'm writing a pen pal." With more questions, I found out the pen pal is an orphan in a remote part of Russia and that she writes, not one, but many orphans, mostly in St. Petersburg (where she is from.) She found out about them from a program called Invisible Children. I asked what she wrote about and she said, "squirrels in her yard, animals she saw when she visited the zoo... they are in a small village and anything is very interesting to them. They are happy to receive a letter."
When she was last in St. Petersburg, she went to visit some of her pen pals. She brought toys but they weren't nearly as excited about the toys as a toothbrush she had brought. "Toothbrush! Toothbrush!" She imitated them wide-eyed and smiling.

Initially she wanted to be part of Big Brother, Big Sister and went to a community meeting but for some reason or the other they didn't need people (their huge loss) and she was searching online and found Invisible Children.

Humbling, right?
How many people are pro-actively looking for ways to contribute to our local or global community? I for one haven't been.

But in the 24 hours since I've heard about it...it really got me thinking. Maybe this is one of the reasons that we have a hard time building our family--so that we will be pushed and stretched to look outwards? I thought about the children a lot while on my mission. Maybe it was planting a seed so that now we start generating ideas and figure out a way to help? Maybe it's one of the things we should be doing in our life?


My thankful list today is simple:
1. two healthy children (They have their vision, hearing, strong hearts & brains & mobility. We are so lucky.)
2. a husband who loves me and stands by me and still thinks I'm beautiful & good even when I'm frumpy, grumpy & selfish
3. enough and surplus of life's basics (comfortable shelter, clean water, medicine, grocery stores stocked with endless, safe, delicious food)

(Day 13)

Today I am thankful for:

1. Katy (my little sister)
By example alone, she makes me yearn to be a better mother, sister, daughter and human. (Good person for Olivia Kate to be named after, right?) Did I mention that this pint-sized sister can leg-press 230 lbs? That's like 3x her weight. Woah.

2. Google Video.
Our webcam isn't set-up but today Katy got on and talked to Bradshaw for a long time. She showed him several children's books, kissed the screen and made fish faces. Poor Bradshaw didn't understand that our end wasn't hooked-up and he kept trying to show Katy things and wanting her to "watch! watch!" I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

3. My rockstar of a husband
(I'm sure I've indirectly listed him 4 or 10 times.) But today I am specifically grateful for the adventures he's blessed our marriage with. We've traveled all over the United States, moving to new cities without knowing a soul. We've explored these cities on foot, by car, taxi, bus, metro, & trains and made the cities home and the people in them family. I look forward to whatever the future may hold.

It's Dustinn, I really like this video, so I thought I'd share:

My 2-yr-old has 5 o'clock shadow?? (Day 12)

This is what happens when you let your son have a lollipop
while buzzing his head.
(and, as of late, he hates having his picture taken)

Today I am grateful for:

1. Ruthann's recommendation of Up.
Mr. Fredricksen, Russell & Dugg have phenomenally moving stories. Loved it.

2. Free formula! A kind friend gave us a whole bag.

3. opportunities to talk about adoption. Sharing about it makes me happy and hyper...'cause it's just such a good thing.


This month is adoption awareness month. I know I'm very new to adoption and don't know much BUT I really want to do my part to be an advocate. Any questions about adoption or our experience?

Day 11

Today Dustinn is thankful for:

1. A job where I can discover new things that interest me. Who knew I'd enjoy defense, government, and international development?
2. So many interesting places in the world to visit and live in. I love moving to new places and learning about the people and the area.
3. Rain. I love the rain. I wish it would rain everyday. Some of my happiest memories are of the rain. Texas thunderstorms; Rain on Lake Powell; Afternoon showers on Lake Coatepeque; Nightly monsoons in Belize; Our first spring in Texas when it rained for 3 months straight; ... I love the rain.

Day 10

Today my friend's car got towed (while it was sitting in our parking lot.) Major bummer.
After we got back from the impound lot we were talking about how, sometimes, if we recognize how the situation could be worse (ie if her car was actually stolen), then we gain perspective and are empowered with greater strength (and cheer) to handle the current situation.

We are very grateful for:

1. the good health of loved ones
2. the special dishes intrinsically associated with happy family memories. I made pumpkin pie today--it's never as good as my dad's. What's your favorite Fall/Thanksgiving/Christmas food?
3. the toys scattered all over the floor, the diapers filling our trashcans, the countless bottles waiting to be loaded in the dishwasher

Day 9

Today I am grateful for:

1. the leaves in "our backyard"
2. the most loving toddler ever!

3. adoption!!! Isn't it the most miraculous thing? It seems like just yesterday we were guessing how long it would be before we'd be selected for adoption. I thought, "maybe Bradshaw will have a sibling when he starts kindergarten or by the time he's baptized?" So that feels like yesterday and today we have the most beautiful baby girl. We are so grateful to Stefanie; we are so grateful for the miracles residing in our home.

3a. Olivia makes THE cutest noises at night. She'll be looking around, wide-eyed then, "Ahhh! Ohh."

Day 7

Today I am grateful for:
1. the FSA BBQ (our local chapter of Families Supporting Adoption). We met a lot of great people, had yummy food and Bradshaw went wild on the playground.

2. the Fall colors. I hope I never ever forget Fall in Virginia.

3. Olivia. We love her even more everyday.

[video of Olivia holding her head up]

Day 6

Today was just a great day. Can I say that again? Today was great.

I have 4
I am grateful that:

1. Dustinn gets to work from home
Even when he's super busy working it's such a treat to have him around. And he watched "the kids" (that's still so fun to say) while I went to the dentist this morning.

2. the first thing Bradshaw said when I got him up from his nap was "miss you." It made me very happy.

3. I got to talk to Annalise Castor on the phone today. She used to be in our ward here but moved to Las Vegas about 6 months ago. She is very missed.

4. I have amazing friends who threw Olivia & I a super fun baby shower tonight!!! (more later.)

Day 5

1. Sneezes.
We have some sort of cold going on and it's amazing how a single sneeze can make your head feel so much better.
2. Bradshaw's sense of style
He has worn a tie clipped on his t-shirt everyday this week.
3. Dishwashers!
I don't know who thought of it "Let's just get this big box, and make sure it doesn't leak and will have a water fight going on inside with these different hoses and..." We go through so many bottles, I just can't imagine hand washing and sterilizing each individually.

I am thankful for: (Day 3)

1. Valery. My best friend and companion, through good times and bad. I'm so grateful I've had her by my side to love and to hold, to be comforted and strengthened. She makes every day of my life more full and more enjoyable; she gives me purpose. I love her so much.
2. Bradshaw. My best little buddy. Some of my favorite memories are walking home from work and hearing "Dada!!!!!!". Some of my worst memories are leaving for work in the morning before he wakes up and getting home after he's already asleep. Everything about him makes me happy: his smiles, wrestling with him, how he's growing up. I miss him as a baby, but I love him so much for who he is now.
3. Olivia. What a blessing she is to our lives. She's a sweet baby girl and I can see how she's brought happiness to each of us. Val lights up to have a little girl to dress up and play with, Bradshaw loves taking care of a new baby sister, I love holding her and watching her look up at me. She's brought a new level of joy to our family.
   

Day 2

I was at the sink washing dishes when I heard Dustinn in a falsetto voice saying, "Mommy, I wove you sooo much." I turn around to see this:

Today, I am grateful for:

1.Karen Carpenter.
probably odd for my generation but I love her music. It just plain makes me happy. Not to mention that it is extremely fun to sing along with.

2. the moment Dustinn walks in the door from work--everything's always better when he is around. He's such a good man.
He came home, insisted that I put my feet up, and took both kids with him to pick up something for dinner. Isn't he amazing?

3. Mitt Romney
I watched this morning's interview while "putting my feet up." :)